Ch. [11]
Blue Tomorrow
Chaerin had changed meaningfully. She didn’t laugh as much as she used to and she cried in the middle of the night calling for his dad to come back. She was silent almost all the time and even when she would smile occasionally when she was with Hyukjae, the kindergarten teacher did make Hyukjae know the girl was distracted and didn’t play with the other kids.
“Is there something wrong baby?” Hyukjae asked when Chaerin simply looked at the infinite, with the small ice cream in her hands melting down. “Chaerin, honey, are you alright?”
Chaerin’s ice cream fell down her small hands as a soft pout was formed in her lips and tears formed in her eyes. “I miss daddy…,” she mumbled and it didn’t take long for her to be crying loudly, with Hyukjae hugging her tightly and telling her that everything would be alright because daddy was taking care of them from the heaven. “I want him here…,” Chaerin would say and Hyukjae had to bit his lips hardly for him not to cry loudly as well.
“I know baby… I know…,” Hyukjae said his daughter’s back gently, carrying her to take the curious eyes away from them.
When they reached Kyuhyun’s house, the latter was already there, standing almost in the entrance while checking his correspondence carefully. Chaerin was already sleeping in Hyukjae’s arms, tired from crying all the way back from the park.
“Ah, you just came?” Kyuhyun asked, clearly he had just arrived too.
Hyukjae simply nodded, carrying Chaerin carefully to their room and making her rest for a few hours before she woke up telling him she was hungry.
“Is everything alright?” Kyuhyun asked as soon as Hyukjae went out from the room.
Hyukjae bit his lower lip and shook his head. “She’s not taking it well,” he admitted. “It’s been two weeks since she’s like this already…”
“Maybe you should take her with a psychologist,” Kyuhyun suggested, truly concerned for the little girl.
Hyukjae nodded and looked down. “I’ll make a few calls tomorrow,” he said, already planning the way he would organize his day so he would have time to call someone for help.
Kyuhyun stood there, wondering if he should say to Hyukjae that social services had called him to make a declaration or simply let it go and say everything was alright and done. Kyuhyun’s declaration could change everything.
Kyuhyun decided the second option would help Hyukjae a little more. And Kyuhyun was surprised at his own thoughts. What had changed within him that he suddenly became so nice? He wasn’t like that. Kyuhyun was supposed to ruin Hyukjae’s life the same way he had ruined theirs.
But then again, Hyukjae’s life was falling into pieces little by little and Kyuhyun considered himself human enough as to let him be before he collapsed. He had seen Hyukjae crying at night countless times. Lately he hears both, Hyukjae and Chaerin crying together while Hyukjae whispers sweet nothings to his daughter. He had seen how Hyukjae works hard for him not to lose his job and how he always bought the groceries for the three of them.
“Are you hungry?” Hyukjae asked and Kyuhyun couldn’t hear it clearly, engrossed in his own thoughts.
“Huh?” Kyuhyun asked hiding the order behind his back discretely.
Hyukjae smiled. “I asked if you were hungry,” he said gently.
“Ah… yes…,” Kyuhyun nodded, looking how Hyukjae smiled against at him and walked to the kitchen.
Kyuhyun gulped and folded the paper in his hand, saving it in his pocket before going to the counter and sitting there silently, watching how Hyukjae moved through the kitchen gracefully.
“Can you tell me more?” Kyuhyun suddenly asked. “About him?”
Hyukjae turned towards Kyuhyun with a soft smile. “What should I tell you?”
Kyuhyun hesitated for a few seconds. “How did you meet him?” he finally asked and Siwon may have told him but Kyuhyun wasn’t interested in that.
Hyukjae’s smile became weak and his eyes watery. “D-Do you really want to know that?” he asked and Kyuhyun nodded softly.
Hyukjae nodded back and bit his lower lip, moving the cooking meals smoothly.
“Well…,” Hyukjae started. “I was a cashier back then,” he admitted. “I usually found really handsome men and pretty girls there. Some smiled at me, some others didn’t even looked at my face… I have never been so graceful anyways…”
And Kyuhyun knew he lied, but he didn’t have the courage to say it. To say that the first time he saw Hyukjae he thought he was some kind of lost prince that Siwon had stolen. Natural and unique beauty, pale skin and pinkish lips always giving a gentle smile.
Kyuhyun had never wanted to admit that the first time he saw Hyukjae, he felt jealous of his older brother for haven found him before himself.
And now, slowly, that feeling of jealousy was coming back again, smooth.
“When he was waiting in line I looked at him, I had never seen someone as handsome and he caught me staring…,” Hyukjae chuckled. “I turned around ashamed of myself and I felt how my heart was beating so fast when he was approaching…,” Hyukjae bit his lip. “Truth is that I even charged the previous client wrongly, but no one ever realized,” he whispered before letting go of a small laugh.
And Kyuhyun felt slightly special that now he shared a secret with someone.
“When it was his turn my hands were shaking but I tried my best to keep them steady… And then he paid,” Hyukjae smiled. “But he turned around and asked me if it was okay to ask for my number in working hours. It wasn’t, I was scolded later, but he didn’t have to know that. He was the very first man that told me I was beautiful…”
Kyuhyun looked at Hyukjae, at his shy smile. Everyone knew you are beautiful, they probably just didn’t dare to say it.“Just like that? He asked you your number that easily?” Kyuhyun asked raising an eyebrow and Hyukjae nodded.
“That was the very first meeting we had, which was merely coincidental, or maybe it was destiny, I don’t know, he just bought cigarettes, mineral water and some chewing gums,” Hyukjae blushed fiercely. “Please don’t think I’m a freak for remembering…”
Kyuhyun gasped softly. “Destiny…,” he mumbled looking down at his hands over the counter. It wasn’t destiny, it was a bad joke that life did to them.
He remembers that one time Siwon came saying he had met someone really beautiful but he didn’t believe it. Kyuhyun was the one supposed to go and buy the cigarettes and the mineral water, those things were for him. But he was lazy and Siwon said he would go instead.
If Kyuhyun had gone, would he be the one married to Hyukjae?
Kyuhyun looked up and looked intently at Hyukjae who smiled at him sliding his plate with food and a glass of water in front of him. He looked at those brown and big eyes, at those lips. Would that he his if he was the one going to the store that day? Would Siwon be the one hating Hyukjae for ‘destroying’ the family?
“Aren’t you hungry anymore?” Hyukjae asked and Kyuhyun knew he had been asked that at least twice in the same minute but he was spacing out to even notice.
“Ah... yes… thanks…,” Kyuhyun mumbled taking one last glance at Hyukjae before eating slowly, with the smaller man in the other side of the counter, eating silently as well. “What else did he tell you about me?” Kyuhyun asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
Hyukjae smiled. “He told me you really liked playing videogames,” he chuckled. “I haven’t seen you playing them though, it’s weird…”
Kyuhyun chuckled. “I do like playing videogames, but I don’t have the time to do it anymore,” he said sighing. “I always thought I wouldn’t reach the CEO position since there was Siwon… and I never really wanted to…”
Hyukjae smiled at him. “You’re doing well,” he assured. And Kyuhyun smiled thankful, because finally someone was appreciating his work, even if it was Hyukjae the one doing it. “Siwon also told me that you were really capable… that you could go anywhere, part from nothing and still be successful. He had faith in you, now I know why that was.”
“He used to be a little exaggerated,” Kyuhyun said chuckling.
“But he was always right with you,” Hyukjae defended. “He really loved you.”
Kyuhyun his lips in slight nervousness as he lifted his eyes and locked them with Hyukjae’s. “And what did you think about me?” he finally asked and Hyukjae gasped softly.
“Me?” Hyukjae asked impressed. “Well…,” he railed. “I always thought you were really handsome but cold… Siwon told me you weren’t like that… he told me that you were kind and warm… it’s just that I ever had the opportunity to prove it before… this…”
Kyuhyun nodded. He didn’t want to seem desperate to know so he just accepted what Hyukjae told him. He could always ask him later.
•●•●•●•●•●•●•●•●•
Kyuhyun stood in front of the big wooden door that read the words ‘Social Services’. He sighed as he waited patiently for someone to instruct him to go in and he walked slowly when they finally did.
Inside there was a typical office, smaller than his. A woman was sitting behind a huge desk with piles of papers everywhere and some pictures hidden under so many things stuffed over it. “Mr. Cho, thank you so much for coming,” she said standing up and bowing slightly.
“I have understood this is mandatory,” Kyuhyun answered simply sitting down in the seat in front of the woman. “I would have been sued if I didn’t show up here,” he said coldly. “I hope you know how many important things I’m missing just because of this.”
The woman seemed to be a little taken aback from Kyuhyun’s cold attitude. She sat down and cleared awkwardly, taking one of the folders over his desk. “I’ll try to be quick then,” she said and Kyuhyun simply sighed, making her know that she was already taking too long. “Social services is an institution that-”
“Yeah, I know that, let’s just skip to the questions,” Kyuhyun said massaging his temple.
The woman gasped and nodded after a few seconds. “We would just like to know how you would evaluate Mr. Lee Hyukjae’s attention to the small girl, Chaerin, which we’re taking care of.”
Kyuhyun looked up serious. “I would say he’s doing excellent, even better than many other parents with children that they don’t love but this institution doesn’t threaten to take them away,” and the woman gasped again. “I still wonder why you consider that it’s not safe to keep a girl with her own mother.”
“We consider Mr. Lee doesn’t have the resources to maintain a little girl,” the woman said serious.
“You must be kidding,” Kyuhyun almost laughed. “You do know he inherited a fortune, right?”
“Yes Mr. Cho, but he can’t touch it until all the paperwork is done, it’s our obligation to care for the small girl,” the woman said, clearly offended.
“He’s an excellent mother, and even father, I wouldn’t say otherwise,” Kyuhyun affirmed.
“Your mother thinks differently,” the woman said and she smirked when Kyuhyun’s expression changed completely, he was troubled.
“She doesn’t have contact with either the child or Hyukjae,” Kyuhyun said firmly.
“She assured she does, as the grandmother,” the woman said looking at his records.
Kyuhyun pursed his lips, it was obviously a lie. His mother didn’t even believe that the girl was her truly granddaughter. “Well, if you have the declaration from her, why calling me? I should leave now,” Kyuhyun said standing up from his seat.
“Chaerin is going through depression, at such age, what kind of parent lets that happen to their children?” the woman asked and his words were like poison.
Kyuhyun frowned deeply. “Her father died and they were kicked out from their own house, they’re not allowed to get into the family’s cemetery to visit her father’s grave and she was forced into a school which took her away from the only source of love that was her mother half the day, I would be worried if she weren’t depressed, even I am with such a lame system your institution has.”
Kyuhyun didn’t wait for an answer. He pursed his lips in annoyance and walked out coolly, not turning back even when he heard the woman yell something at him.
It was unfair and it was ridiculous. They didn’t know what was better for Chaerin. Hyukjae did. Hyukjae knew perfectly well how to take care of his daughter.
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