o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~ 14 ~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

The truth is as much as Kibum hides the pain, the pain is still there and it hurts. So he promises himself that maybe letting go is the better option. It's hurting him all too much. 

With that bitter thought engraved in his mind Kibum makes the grand decision of keeping his distance away from the elder. It's probably hurting him more than it should but he has no other choice. At the end of it all, he'll lose his mind in his silly delusions and messed up way of hoping that the elder will ever respond to his love. Come on, he has no more pride to lose. 

Taemin on the other hand, could see these stark changes in the blonde´s attitudes. Kibum smiles less, and laughter became also very rare. But he smiles and thinks positively because the way Kibum will give his everything to make Minyoung and Yoogeun happy is still there burning bright inside him. The auburn thinks that in time the elder will talk to him about it and he'll wait like the patient young lad he is to open to him. Plus he wasn't really the nosy type but his senses tells him that it's definitely got something to do with the puppy eyed elder with the broad shoulders and lopsided smile. 

It's been 1 week of constant avoidance and Kibum thinks he's doing incredibly well. Out of those 7 days he only cried 3 times. He misses the way the elder would greet him 'Good morning, Bummie.' because it´s already been a week and he hasn't seen the elder's warm charming smile. With the winter´s cold month of December already enveloping them, it makes it all the more prominent to Kibum how he'll grow old and grey alone. It really to be him but at least it's easier for him to hide tear stained cheeks and reddening nose behind the huge piles of scarfs around him. 

But it isn't just Kibum that's finding the stark changes unbearable and unfortunate. The 7 year old boy had also been hurt by everything that has happened to his once oh-so-cheerful hyung-umma. He couldn't exactly blame the old puppy-eyed brunette but the feeling of disappointment won't stop bugging him. The way he treated his hyung-umma as if he's the most precious of jewels made him believe and hope that maybe the elder had some feelings towards the blonde, but the way his Jjong-appa smiles and laughes with the beautiful woman from his work makes the younger boy wince in a silent heart ache. He couldn't even imagine just how hurt the blonde elder must have been, so he thinks that avoiding the brunette is the better choice for the both of them. He spends less time around the other Kim's making white excuses. He feels and sees Minyoung's pleading eyes asking him not to go. It hurts him because that would of been his sister (step sister) if everything went to plan.

Minyoung knows that something like this would happen, she just hopes that the two elders could get pass through this but with her umma reluctant she knew that it´s her father's turn to woo the other. Or at least try to anyway. 

In a way she regrets it. Her umma look so hurt and in pain, the plan isn't meant to be taken this seriously. She regrets it because she didn't use her brain and that's something she takes pride in. 

She could have at least warned the blonde how the older woman was nothing but a sister like friend to her father, who she also sees as nothing more but a fun and joyful aunty. The blonde knew none of that and Minyoung silently curses herself because with the situation it's only human for the blonde to jump into silly conclusions. As silly as they are. 

'You have more chances with him than she'll ever have, Ki-umma.' Minyoung thinks with a small smile. 

The past week Minyoung comes to the realisation that maybe the avoidance is helping her father finally come to terms with whatever it is that he feels for the blonde younger.  A house which used to be filled by laughter and giggles and nice aroma of food and cakes, felt strange. Don't get her wrong, they still laughed, her father and her but without the obnoxious laughter of her umma and the sweet chuckling of the young 7 year old, every laughter feels strained and forced. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

1 week and 3 days. That is the exact period of time Jonghyun had been living without the nagging platinum haired feline. He misses the way the younger would nag and tell him how much of a pain he is every morning when he won't budge for a soul, most importantly he misses the way the younger's dimples would show whenever he smiled at the elder. Jonghyun misses everything. 

The countless time he would wake up to find himself late for work, with massive dark circles hanging from under his eyes shows him how much his everyday life has adapted itself to the younger's presence, Kibum's everything. 

He soon realises that maybe he took advantage of Kibum's kindness and now that the younger is gone along with the cute adorable nephew of his, life is a little duller than it used to be. It causes his mornings a little more difficult and his afternoon a lot less exciting. 

Now as he sits with his little girl on his lap he can't help but bring up the blonde feline eyed other. "Mi, have you talked to your Ki-umma lately... I mean is he okay?" Jonghyun asks timidly. He is afraid to sound too affected while asking such a thing. His dark fingers brushing their way lovingly to untangle wavy dark chocolate hair. 

Minyoung could see right through her father and it annoyed her to no end. 'It's so obvious, dad. You're so obvious. If only you would open your eyes and see how much more affected you are than you should be.' 

"I always do dad and I asked umma if he and oppa could come round today, but he said that he had something else to do... someone else to see." Minyoung informs her father. In all fairness she really did ask the blonde. She asked him today, the day before and the day before that. However, she has meddled enough and stopping here would just be plain stupid. So she makes it out to her father that it is a competition. A rival is present, although in time of her charming father wouldn't just stop acting so blind then maybe it really wouldn't take long for the younger blonde to find someone knew, someone less of a coward. 

"S-someone?" Jonghyun says reluctantly his eyes avoiding the younger's. Jonghyun doesn't know why, but the way his heart retracts and aches with hears that. Like a million pins had just stabbed it, a feeling completely foreign to him. Is he hearing correctly? Did his daughter just... tell him that the blonde might have earned himself a new lover? 

"I'm not completely sure dad, but you never know, umma is really handsome, pretty if you will." Minyoung says and it hurts her to even think about someone else trying to make a move on her umma. It is just to get the elder moving, something as drastic as this needs to be done.

"Uh... did you? A-ask him about it? You never know it might just be a friend or something." Jonghyun stumbles in his words. No, this doesn't sound right, Kibum never told him about this, and he thought that they were close enough to talk about things like this. Especially things like this. 

Jonghyun shakes his head because he's not thinking straight. For starters why is he feeling angry in the first place? It's not his problem Kibum could be having right now for all he cares. The brunette shuts his eyes tightly, so tight that small droplets of water start to cascade his cheeks, they weren't tears. He shuts them tight because he doesn't want to even imagine the younger in that state. That's crazy. 

Nothing makes sense in his head right now. Jonghyun grits his teeth in frustration. Why are all of these strange scenarios plaguing him when he is supposed to think rational? 

Why is he so god damn affected? 

"You're right dad! It's probably just umma's friends." Minyoung smiles in return because she's made this mistake once. She wants her father to think of the possibility of losing the feline, not to get completely turned off with the thought that he had no chance with the blonde.

Jonghyun feels more reassured with his daughter telling him that. Yeah, it's probably just a friend Kibum had been spending more time with. Jonghyun finds himself repeating said phrase to himself, like a broken cassette player on constant replay...

'It's just a friend. A friend.' 

"Hey baby, do you think umma and Yoogeun-ah would want to come round to play after school tomorrow?" Jonghyun asks tone hopeful as he turns the younger to face him, caressing soft apple coloured cheeks. 

"I'll ask them for tomorrow, appa. I'm sure with my aegyo umma won't be able to resist me." Minyoung laughs and she seriously hopes that maybe this time round her umma will finally stop avoiding her father. 

Minyoung lays her forehead against her father's, giggles before playfully rubbing her nose against his. An Eskimo kiss can always brighten her father´s mood. 

"I miss umma." Minyoung breathes into her father's neck as she snuggles into his embrace. Jonghyun sighs as he encircles two protective hands around his daughter's dainty waist. 

"I know you do sweet pea, I miss him and Yoogeun too," the elder murmurs into his daughters silk like hair. 

Jonghyun misses the smile that the blonde only could paint across the younger girl's face. "Can I sleep with you today daddy?" Minyoung asks within a heavy yawn, blinking in her sleepiness, making the elder chuckle in return. 

"I thought you're a big girl already, you don't need daddy to protect you from the monsters." Jonghyun muses, yet he betrays his own words as he lifts the little girl along with himself from the leather couch making his way into his own bedroom. 

"But I do dad, I do." The little girl says in her small whine of protest, letting her eyeslids drop in to place and before Jonghyun could respond in return. A smile beats him to it as the peaceful sound of light and steady breathing made their way into his ears. 

Jonghyun wipes the strand of chocolate coloured hair away from his daughters slumbering face. But he frowns because he can't even begin to imagine how sad his daughter must be feeling. 

"I'm sorry Mi, daddy's too much of a jerk huh?" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Doe eyes blinks themselves awake, trying to adjust to the bright lights of the sun being let in by the open curtains. Could it be? Has the younger opened his curtains like he normally would do? 

Jonghyun stumbles out of his tall navy linen bed, forgetting about his slippers or his glasses. He quickly makes his way down the stairs following the familiar scent of sizzling bacon and mouth-watering egg fried rice. 

"Bummie... Bummie is that yo-"

The wide smile which plastered itself on to the elders morning face soon vanishes. 'Obviously, it isn't him pabo, what made you think it was him anyway. He's probably too busy looking after his friend', Jonghyun can't help his sour attitude and being early in the morning that alone dampens his mood completely.

"Oh- Jonghyun-ah, that trick Kibum told me sure does work. You´re up after only 10 minutes with the curtain open." Sunhye says with the smile and she tries to overlook the disappointed look on the other's face.  

"What were you saying Jonghyun?" Sunhye asks but she frowns inwardly because she's heard him perfectly well. She too can't help but wonder why the younger blonde had called her to come back to the Kim's. It's not that the elder woman dislike coming over to the household she came to treat as her own, it was just that over the past couple of months, she had gotten used to the regular phone calls she would get from the sweet angelic voice of the blonde- 'Sunhye noona, there's no need for you to come around this morning, so relax and take some rest. Yoogeun and I stayed over so I'll prepare breakfast.' Sunhye really hates the way society and it's cruel ways of discrimination had affected Jonghyun's way of thinking. It because of that, why the single father chooses to stay blinded from the truth. Jonghyun is an amazing person and that in itself is clear for everyone to see and that is probably why it is easier for the brunette's father to shape his son the way he wanted to. Sunhye feels for the younger blonde who continued to be hurt by the other's oblivious ways, she hopes that in time the elder brunette can think for himself, to act on his own.

"Uh- nothing noona. Uh... I- um...Good morning." Jonghyun finally spills in his broken stuttering, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck avoiding the questioning piercing eyes of the older woman. The eyes which seem to know if he's fibbing or telling the truth. 

"Are you gonna take Minyoung to school today or is Minho?" Sunhye asks changing he subject internally relieving the man. She can see the sadness in the younger's eyes and it pains her greatly.

Jonghyun shakes his head in response. "Minho offered to take her to school today, plus I have an important meeting in two hours so I won't be able to." He says finishes with a small smile before taking his seat. "Thank you for the lovely breakfast, noona." Jonghyun adds a little more cheerfully, the elder woman smiling, grazing her elegance in return. 

"No problem, darling. Eat up. I'm going out to buy some groceries in town, so I won't be back till later this afternoon." Sunhye informs Jonghyun who only hums in response, eyes still slightly sleepy. 

"If you need some money I'll leave some before I go, noona." Jonghyun says looking up as he places a slice of his favourite red pepper onion and chicken omelette in his mouth. Kibum makes the best Jonghyun concludes and now that the younger's gone, it'll be some time before he can tastes another one of them. 

After breakfast Jonghyun makes his way into his bedroom letting a smile engrave themselves on to his face at the sight of his little girl still awake in her land of dreams. 

"Ahh now it's time to take a bath and dressed." Jonghyun sighs as he takes his black t-shirt off, placing it across his right shoulder before striding his way to his own on suit bathroom. 

Jonghyun lets the warm water cascade their way around the crevices and cracks of his formed body. He heaves a strong sigh before letting his body drop into the ground letting the steady droplets of the cooling water soothe his stress. 

He lets his mind wander off to the topic of Kim Kibum. A topic Jonghyun's thoughts always seem to wander off to subconsciously.

"What is Kibum to me?" He asks.

The water soon turns cold. 

"Why do I care?" The question follows.

The drenched brunette stands up closing the tap, before opening the glass door taking the white towel by the neck, letting it fall atop of his head. 

"I'm sorry, Sooyoung-ah." He apologizes to her because he felt the need to all of the sudden.

Jonghyun steps out of the shower, rubbing the water away from his hair diligently. 

"I guess I won't be wearing a tie today." Jonghyun muses bitterly, picking out a normal white dress shirt that didn't need a tie to look formal. 

It's been 1 week and 4 days since the last time he wore a tie. He tried to, honestly in the past he didn't care if it looked wonky or uneven, because either Sekyung or Sunhye would laugh at him and help him to sort it out. However, ever since Kibum entered his life he had taken a liking in wearing fancy ties he normally would struggle to put on. The way the blonde's dexterous hand would effortlessly find their way around the small lithe object around his neck. Just putting them into place made Jonghyun look forward to his normal Monday mornings. 

The latter gets dressed without his tie, and places a chaste silent kiss on top of his still slumbering daughter. 

"Another boring day without you." With that the brunette finds himself walking out from his bedroom. Jonghyun doesn't know to who he was referring to, his daughter who laid before him or the younger blonde who continues to avoid him. 

As Jonghyun shuts the door he gets greeted from a still half daze half-awake figure of his one and only brother in law. 

"Morning hyung, going to work so early in the morning? Hey what is Kibum hyung cooking?" Minho asks and with his still closed eyes. He misses the way the elder heaves a long sigh, a sigh of longing maybe?

"He's not. Noona is." Jonghyun relies curtly. "Hey are you still okay with taking Mi to school?" He soon adds, already making his down the hall way of his majestic like home. And a sigh makes it out from the taller's lips, so this is the reason why the dark bags of insomnia hangs underneath the elder's face.

"Uh, he isn't and yeah sure hyung of course. Why hasn't Kibum hy-" Jonghyun leaves as soon as he hears the younger's name. 

"I'll see you in the afternoon, Min." Jonghyun waves off.

Jonghyun is a man brought up to be a fine gentleman, with manners to match, and yet the way he acted so rude towards the taller, ashamed him. It's not like he wanted to purposely act so unmannered, the elder just couldn't bare to talk about the blonde anymore the necessary, because somehow a painful sting will pierce through his chest at the sound of the blonde's name.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Did something happen with your Ki-umma and appa, I haven't seen him around our house in what... a week and a half." The tall brunette says, tone curious as he takes out the little girl from her seat. 

Minyoung casts a long annoyed and frustrated sigh. "I don't exactly know what's wrong since, Yoogeun oppa is so hesitant to talk about it and umma... he, I don't even know what to say about him. He acts fine, like how he normally would but something... just something is definitely not alright." The pigtailed little girl says looking at the taller other who extended long arms clutching on to the girl's bags. 

Minho hums. 'He is not the only one.' he thinks as his mind wander off to the topic of his older brother like hyung. 

"I'll ask Taemin, Mi and hopefully I can give you some answers." The dark haired Adonis reassures the little girl with a smile, while directing her towards the main hate where his cute, charming boyfriend continues to wave and welcomes in incoming students. Minyoung could only nod in her response making it clear to the elder how affected she is with her Ki-umma's absent. 

"Oppa!" Minyoung exclaims in delight running up to the elder who smiled warmly in return. The little girl leaves the taller man astonished, isn't she just sad and grumpy a moment ago?

Minho stretches his neck. "Hey Min, where's Kibum hyung?" He asks as he hands over the little girl's belongings to the slim open hands of the younger auburn haired boy. 

Taemin on the other hands only manages to return a small smile toward his lover. He makes a quick turn towards the school's building. "He's at home, probably pretending to be happy when it clearly shows in his eyes how he's not, I told him to take a day of." 

Minho lets his eyebrows furrow in question. "Minyoung is really worried about him and... since you’re his best friends and all do you know what's wrong with him, even Jonghyun hyung is completely worried." The taller says as he cranes his head to look at the younger girl who made her way to greet the elder frog eyed boy with an embrace. 

"Hey babe, I'm not really meant to tell you but it, I want my umma to be happy too. Kibum hyung just told me how he was planning on confessing to Jonghyun hyung the last time. He went there for dinner but apparently the old clueless dinosaur puppy inbred was too busy ing up his ." While Taemin finished his little rant the taller brunette stands their mouth gaped open in utter shock and disbelief. Double shock, firstly, freaking fudge chocolate brownies, did he just say Kibum was planning to confess? The elder fair haired latter would never ever be the one to confess and secondly oh my ing god Kibum was going to confess to his hyung. However the frog eyed other is also shocked for his own personal reasons, he had never seen this kind of language from Taemin before. y angry Taemin is a face foreign to the taller yet he smiles. He knows how the younger is only naturally trying to defend a distressed friend. 

"Wait, was this the dinner they had with Sekyung noona like a week ago? I wasn't there so I don't really know what exactly happened but as far as I'm concerned... Jonghyun hyung is far from ing up anybody, and what, you, I mean Key thought that Jonghyun hyung and Sekyung noona had a... a thing," Minho stops as he clutches on to his stomach as he tries to keep his bundle of laughter inside. Is it so freaking hilarious. 

"Minho why the hell are you laughing? This is serious okay? Kibum hyung is currently going through his period and it is not pretty, he practically looks like a zombie." Taemin whines hitting the elder's shoulders before thick lips pull themselves into a cute adorable pout. 

As soon as Minho finds enough will to stop laughing he wipes away the imaginary tears which had accumulated themselves in his tear sockets. "Okay, some people can argue that Jonghyun hyung and Sekyung noona are really close but that's just because they treat each other as brother and sisters. They tease and banter one another, but gosh more people can see them as brothers and sisters than lovers, this is the first."

"Why did you only tell me about this now? Do you know how long it took for Key hyung to stop wailing about how useless and ugly and unworthy he is? Ah, I seriously wanted to smack him in the face and give him a reality check. It's so obvious Jonghyun hyung likes him too and god he is far from ugly." Taemin growls annoyed, making the taller break in to a smile and interrupts the younger's out crust by pulling him in close for a long embrace. 

"I'm sorry jigiya, I didn't know Kibum hyung could be the jealous type and I'm telling you now he is the only one majorly affected, Jonghyun hyung is too." Minho says in a mumble as he places a kiss on the shorter's forehead. Taemin sinks in to the sweet morning forehead kiss before tilting his head up. "Why can't they be liked us, I like you, you like me, you confessed, I freaked out and had a minor heart attack, then you kissed me and now we're hugging. Life would so much easier if they would just go out and propose to each other already." Taemin says making the elder laugh. Leave it to the younger to be so blunt in serious situations like these. But his smile soon loses some of its light at the others last few words. Taemin doesn't know half the story the elder brunette had gone through and for some unfortunate people, life isn't always as easy. 

Yet this time round Minho hopes and prays that maybe for once his hyung could be selfish and be brave enough to get what he wants. That would make him happy. 

"I'm sure they'll get through this soon enough, Minnie." Minho reassures kissing the expecting other softly. He smiles and he feels the other smile, "I hope so too, hyung." 

With that the two lovers part, one going back to his car driving off to his first lecture while the other waved his lover goodbye before making his way in, the little girl's belongings in hand. He really hopes with all his might that what his lover said is the truth. He has never seen the elder blonde so happy and yet the cause of his happiness was also the cause of his pain. But there is something about the single father, that made Taemin believe how the two will somehow get through this together and a small smile makes their way onto his lips as his eyes fall on the 3ft girl they all came to love. 'If they don't do anything about it, then for sure Minyoung will.' The auburn haired boy reassures himself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kibum feels lifeless and inanimate. It hurts him to know that in just a short span of time, the elder had drilled himself a huge space in his heart so effortlessly, when in the past his heart's only contents were his parents, Yoogeun, Minyoung and Taemin. Don't get him wrong he loves Minho too but letting people get to him so easily is something he tries so hard not to happen. It happens to him way more than necessary, in the past which only left him broken hearted and hurt. Yet, even with all his walls of defense, they come crushing down like jenga pieces because of one sole person. 

He probably sounded like a woman on her period when he lost the will to keep pretending. Crying his heart out to poor old Taemin, who look as worried as Yoogeun had done when the awkward situation of having the elder man sob hysterically in his shoulders. Kibum feels pathetic and stupid and probably all the other adjective which meant the same thing. 

He remembers Taemin shushing him rather harshly and telling him or more like telling to him the exact opposite of what was leaving his quivering lips. "Hyung, shut up and listen to me for a second... okay. You're a ing man, okay a man not a girl so would you please don't cry like that you look ugly and gosh. If you’re trying to attract Jonghyun hyung like this, then I’m suggesting you do something about it. Yes, I'm probably the worst friend but hyung we live in the real world. I can't be telling you that his going to run to you with open arms telling you he loves you... If you want him you have to go get him okay. the Jonghyun loves you okay? He's just too dense to notice it." 

Everything his younger friend, the one that doesn't curse, the one that symbolises unicorns and rainbows, in a nutshell had just told him how much of a wuss and pathetic woman in distress he is being. 

He remembers himself by shaking his head, crying more silent tears. "Well, I'm giving up. I'm giving up on him. I can't handle this, heck I can't even think straight, I can't sleep or eat. I know we live in the real world you don't have to yell it at me for me to understand. But please just let me cry... I want to cry everything out." He can't stand the thought of the Taemin pitying him, now in his worst state. 

Taemin hugged him tight. Kibum cried and cried until only silent sobs were the only thing that could be heard that night. The younger told him that he could take a leave to sort things out, to rest his weakened body.

That's what he did and today is the second day of his leave from the school. To be honest Key had never felt better, he needed this he just didn't know he did 'cause he thought that pretending is enough to cover the pain, the rejection. 

The first day he spent all alone as the younger boy was taken to school by Taemin, who also gave him that look Kibum hated the most, pity. If you ask him to be honest the fair haired younger would tell you he cried for another half an hour after getting out from bed, then again even if you asked him that he'll lie and say that all he did was sleep, which technically wouldn't be a lie since he did sleep.  

As well as that he cooked and ended up crying again because every deed he did made remember the elder. The same pattern happened the entire day, he would clean and cook and wash his clothes or freaking look out the window. Each and every time he finds himself crying because damn everything seems to be reminding him of something he can't have. It pisses him of, all the more. 

But today Kibum's decide to go grocery shopping as well as general shopping because it’s something that helps him relax and calm down. So after making a list of everything he needed to buy (he puts x10 on the choco pies, because the younger brunette deserve a well-earned treat) he dresses himself with his normal Key attire. The outfit consisting of tight washed out denim jeans, white wife beater beneath a cute light brown graphic sweater, a size too big for his figure allowing it to drop of one shoulder displaying a patch of milky white skin. He smirks to himself because damn does he look good. ' you Jonghyun I don't need you!' He seethes to the mirror. The latter doesn't know why he does it but it makes him feel that control he lost a long time ago due to the grand entrance of the other's presence in his life. 

He doesn't wear a coat because for once the chilly breeze of the December air is more refreshing than the contrary. Kibum wears a scarf though, he always had a complex with his neck, and the breeze tickled him.

First thing on the agenda is shopping, he catches a bus and pays a ticket for the biggest shopping centre in Seoul and his heart contracts as he looks down at the ticket on his hands. 'Myeong-dong' it reads and a bitter laugh escapes his dry lips. 

He choose to ignore the feeling of tears swelling up in his tear ducts and he looks up blinking them away before averting his eyes on the early Christmas decorations which filled the streets of Korea. 

After arriving, the latter heads straight towards his favourite shop. 'Cheap Monday' and he feels this excitement swell and rise within him and he chuckles because, he honestly couldn't remember the last he felt this good. 

3 hours and 20 minutes of going in and out of shops and the younger finally puts a stop of his endless adventure. 2:45 the clock reads and Kibum places all his shopping bags in one hand before using the other to reveal the list of goods, needed to be bought for the next month. 

He sighs as he gets hold of a cart big enough to fit his shopping bags in as well as the items he'll end up buying, he makes his way inside, before going straight towards the meat section. 

"-bum-ah... Kibum-ah," 

The named latter turns around at the sound of his name, smiling at the owner of the said calming voice he has missed so much. 

"Sunhye noona, how are you?" He asks with a smile meeting the other half way as they but jogged to one another. 

The 8 year older woman smiles at the younger, however it vanishes at the sight of her favourite blonde dongseang. This isn't the Kibum she grew to love, yeah the boy is still as beautiful and charming as ever but where is the sparkles in his eyes the radiant glow in his skin and the happy preppy tone of his voice? 'Well it seems like I'm doing much better than you, my love.' the elder wanted to say but chose not too instead welcoming the younger in her embrace muttering a simple. "Never been better." 

For the look of worry in her eyes Kibum could tell how the elder had already notice his unusual and strange behaviour. Probably the whole fact the he looked absolutely disgusting with sunken eyes and black bags drooping from below them, gave it away.

"I know I look like crap and everything done mind me noona, I'm fine." Kibum offers a chuckle returning behind to his own food filled cart. Sunhye laughs, "Yeah... I'm totally gonna believe that.” She says sarcastically, heading bobbing as two kohl rimmed eyes expands in humour.

Kibum drops the act because, he'd be more stupid to try and pretend he is okay when the person he is talking to someone that can read him like an open transparent book. So he changes the subject. 

"Well, how was your day?" He face-palms himself because damn that sounded way too rehearsed, the elder woman furrows to defined eyebrows. 

"After we shop, we are going to drink coffee and you are telling me what's wrong, you hear me," the fair skin can only nod in response. "Good, now come and tell me the ingredients for that Samgaetang of yours." Kibum smile vanishes, it's been a long time since he made that specific meal. 

After a good 45 minutes of food shopping the two talked however never entering the topic of the 24 year old single father. Kibum is extremely thankful for however he is also very aware how the elder is saving that up for later. 

Sunhye offers Kibum to drive him home after their coffee date slash interrogation business is done and Kibum gladly accepts. The elder drives them off to a cafe near Myeong-dong. 

"So are you gonna tell me what's wrong or am I going to have to squeeze it out of you?" The elder says bluntly, to blunt for Kibum's liking and so the younger chocked a little on his hot chocolate. 

"It's about Jonghyun hyung." Kibum confesses and he hears the other scoff making the blonde man pout in return. 

"That much I already know, because you’re not the only one walking around like a freaking zombie, he is too." Sunhye says looking directly at the others eyes. She sees that same glint she missed from the younger at the mention of the single father. But the large portion which glazed the younger's eyes were confusion. 

"You don't have to tell me what completely happened if you’re not comfortable but please, please talk to Jonghyun. All I'm certain of is that, he is probably the idiot which caused the both of you to be like this, and I'm going to say sorry on his behalf but Bummie-ah this needs to stop, you're hurting yourself and him with avoiding him." 

Kibum rolls his eyes, is he that big idiot that cause of all this? However Kibum is aware of how stupid and unfair he is being. Just out of the blue deciding to avoid the elder just because of what? His green eyes monster decides to overtake his way of thinking. 

"I was going to confess to him, but hey at least I didn't get rejected. Heck I didn't even get a chance to say anything when he's too busy all lovey dovey with his secretary." Kibum exclaims a bitter laugh escaping his lips. 

Sunhye had never even imagine someone look so broken, and gosh are they both so stupid, it's so blatantly obvious how strong their connection is. Their chemistry is overpowering. Hearing this made her heart ache. She muses a slow 'Ahh' at the mention of the younger brunette's secretary. She can't help but stifle a laughter, the younger boy is jealous. 

"Jonghyun grew up being the kid that loved to please everyone, doing things which made his father happy, doing thing which made his father's company happy. Sometimes when you become and people pleaser, you forget about your own happiness and sadly that's what's happened to our puppy. Bottom line is... he does things which confuse people, absentmindedly doing things which make people happy. This is where you come in, Bummie-ah... you make him happy and I know and so does everyone else. Sad part is he just doesn't see it nor does he want to acknowledge it. It’s something so foreign to him. Jonghyun had to see things and hear things and learn things which made him the person he is today, and that's something you have to learn by talking to him." Sunhye says and Kibum could see the admiration the elder had for the single father, but everything else confuses him. So does this mean the elder likes him or does it mean that the other is only pleasing him as a form or natural act? 

"I don't believe you." Kibum exhales breathless because damn is the elder making it harder for him to let go to move on, when she's giving him so much hope. 

Sunhye sighs taking the younger's hands in her own. "I'm not telling nor am I forcing you to believe me... All I want is for you to be the better man and talk to him about this. Go see for yourself, how Jonghyun is without you. Kibum, I've spent all my life looking after Jonghyun since I could remember and not once has he ever been so affected to the point of calling out my name in the mornings or looking like a zombie extra on the walking dead. Whenever I'm not around, but you... it's been what? 3-4 months and he acts like it’s the end of the world without you... and he... he isn't the only one, Minyoung is too." The elder exclaims tightly clutching her hands around the younger's hands, Kibum is left confuse. So, so confused. 

"I don't know, noona." He whispers and he frowns at the way the elder retracted her hands for his own. 

"Think about it Bummie-ah, I'm not telling you to confess your heart’s content to him, but when he does want to talk to you and explain himself, please let him. Allow him to." The welder pleads. This stupid 24 year old man is like her little brother which she just wants the best for. Sunhye was never a woman who resulted to pleading, and yet the sheer will she has to make the younger blonde understand the elder brunette's reason made it so easy for her to do so. She just wants the single father and his daughter to be happy and the elder woman knows, how Kibum both made them happy.

Kibum finds himself nodding. "Okay, I will." Sunhye's smile widens at the others response, "Thank you," she breathes in relief. The three words of the younger reassures her, the feeling of relief feeling her to the core and now all she hopes is for Jonghyun to do his bit, to fight for his own happiness, as well as for his daughter's.

"Now lets take you home, so you can have a rest and some thinking time, before Yoogeun comes back." the elder says leaning in to pet his shoulder. 

As soon and he waves the elder goodbye all of the things which the other had said began to plague his thoughts. 

He exhales a huge sigh of frustration, before dropping all of his shopping bag beside him as he slumped himself on the sofa. He closes his eyes before letting his head fall into the comfort of the soft cooling material of leather.

"Now you're as confused as you were to begin with." Kibum heaves another long sigh, opening and closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose, in an attempt to concentrate.