Around midday, Luhan gets a call from a staff regarding a few documents that need his extensive review and signature, so after eating a quick lunch with Hana and Taeyang, he is about to depart for work. Because he has no time to go back home for a change of new clothes, Hana has given him Kris’s clothes, and although he hates to wear his brother’s clothes—not because he hates his brother—he has no choice. Throughout all of this, the two friends haven’t really conversed with one another since the table etiquette earlier that morning.

“Here,” Hana says, handing a boxed lunch. She and Taeyang are standing by the door while Luhan stands outside. “In case you’re working late today and won’t have time to eat dinner.”

He takes it from her. “Thanks.”

“Uncle,” Taeyang says from beside Hana. “Come again next time. I had fun playing with you.”

“So did I.” Luhan sends the young boy a smile before turning around and walking to his car. About four to five steps later, he stops in his walk because he passes the spot where he had asked Taeyang about being called a father.

Hana pats her son on the back. “Taeyang,” she crouches down to his eye level, “I am going to talk with Uncle for a moment, so can you step inside?”

“Sure.” The little boy doesn’t hesitate. He goes inside and closes the door on his mother.

Luhan overhears and he stares back at his friend standing alone in front of the door.

She is facing the closed door and her back is facing him. She takes in a deep breath. She can feel and hear her rushed-pacing heartbeat. This morning, she had promised mentally to herself that she’s got to put a stop to this, but somehow, after seeing how hurt her friend is, she can’t easily come to that conclusion. She turns around and eyes Luhan.

He patiently waits for her at his spot.

Her lower half takes her to him. When she reaches him, she looks down and not at him. It makes her think about what she’s going to do next and why her body has dragged her to him.

His low voice tells her to go back inside. “You don’t have to send me off.” He walks away.

She intends to stop him by the hand, but her hands do otherwise. They reach out for his waist, and she encircles them over his abdomen. She presses her head and upper body onto his back. “I'm sorry for taking Taeyang away from you…” Her soft voice echoes around him.

He doesn’t move.

She has so much she wants to say to him but she can’t find the words. No, it’s more like she doesn’t know how to start off. What does she want to bring up? What does she want to get rid of? What does she want to clarify? What does she want him to know? There are so many questions she needs and wants to address, but fear halts her. Fear and her son’s future are what stop her. She can’t be selfish and think about herself when she needs to prioritize being a mother first.

The moment she had chosen to run off with Taeyang was the end of her always choosing Luhan and the beginning of her choosing Taeyang. And she’s going to have to stick to her choice if she wants to save both boys.

These two boys are the only two who make her world a better place.

She finally lets go of him and takes a few steps back.

“S-sorry.” She tries to lie her way out. “I-I—”

“—at first, I saw the brat as someone who was going to mess up my life, like a curse,” Luhan interrupts. With Taeyang in the house and far away, possibly, he can be open about how he felt with Taeyang’s rejection of him being called a father like Kris. He continues. “Taeyang didn’t just shaped my life. He brought us together and made us live in the happiness we thought was make-believe. I had thought that there’d be a day where after he’d leave us, we’d go back to our original lives.”

He briefly chuckles under his breath. “But, wow, a year later and he had drastically changed us again. Maybe more me than you.” He turns around to face her with crystalized, red eyes that burned and filled with agony. “Somewhere along the days where we lived together, I’ve come to adore the brat whose innocence radiates around the room, whose eyes I loved to see each morning as much as yours, whose puny mouth I have come to want to hear the words “Daddy” from…” his voice begins to crack as he recalls all of the one-year memories he had with Taeyang as a teenage father.

“…All of that…were washed away when you took him, and the original dream of me going back to a life without him came true.”

Hana continues to stand there, intently listening and painfully processing what she's hearing. She knows that he has come to adore Taeyang, but she had little clue about how much Taeyang was adored.

“I hope…” Luhan breathes out, “…we can really go back to those days.”

But we won’t. Both of their synced mental answer struck their hearts and ends the conversation.

“See you later,” he says. He disarms his car and hops in. He steals a quick glance at her, who intently watches him drive off.

How long do I have to wait for you, Hana?

*

Later on throughout the day, Hana’s friends come over to visit. They have been dying to know what’s going on between the ex-virtual couple because they are afraid that the friendship might’ve really been damaged.

“Where’s Taeyang?” Luna asks.

Beside her, Lay and Xiumin are skimming through a pack of game discs belonging to Taeyang to decide which game to play. Most of the time, when the friends are gathered at Hana’s house, the boys are busily playing games while the girls do most of the talking. The boys do listen from time to time, but majorly of their attention is usually spent on the T.V. As for Gayoon, she always quietly sits next to Hana and although she mostly speaks when she’s asked upon, nowadays, she’s breaking out of her shell by occasionally throwing out her personal opinions and thoughts.

Hana flings her hair back. “He’s asleep. He’s got a match tomorrow.”

“Oh, yeah…” Both Xiumin and Lay say that in such a paused and “there’s something we’ve got to tell you” manner.

“What is it?” Luna asks them.

Xiumin and Lay glance at one another. Xiumin nudges Lay to speak, knowing that Lay has a higher chance of explaining it better.

“Luhan had called earlier about the match. We talked about how long Taeyang had been playing baseball and who was the person who taught him, and a little while later, he got really depressed and hanged up.”

Luna turns her head around at Hana. “You didn’t tell him that it’s because of him that you introduced Taeyang to baseball?”

Hana answers, “I didn’t explicitly say it, but by the way of how the conversation went, I’m sure he knows that he’s the only who plays baseball within this circle.”

“Hana,” Luna pauses. She composes herself to gather her thoughts; however, hearing the flapping noises of the album of games behind her, she taps her boyfriend’s shoulders and gives the boys a glare to signal to them that her upcoming conversation is important and cannot be bothered by the irrelevant noises they’re making.

The boys got the hint, and Lay put the album of games down and sinks into his seat while Xiumin walks over to sit by his girlfriend.

Hana feels the change in the atmosphere and prepares herself.

“We think,” Luna begins, “it’s time you tell us everything. Including Luhan.”

Hana sighs with a light laugh. She thought it’d be something much worse than this, although there really can’t, but this statement has been asked countless times throughout the years when she came back four years ago. “I told you, there’s nothing I’m hiding from you guys.” Her usual response.

“Luhan had a talk with us a few nights after Yunho’s wedding when he found out that we’ve known of your existence since four years ago, and he made us feel guilty—and you know I don’t ever feel guilty about anything!”

Xiumin nods and utters, “True that.”

Luna mean-mugs him in response. “What I mean is, he made us realized how much we didn’t intend to hurt him by keeping your presence here a secret. Of course, we know that you’ve said that it’s for the best for Taeyang and that if Luhan were to know of your return, it’d turn out for the worst, so we’re here for that.”

“That?” Hana raises a brow.

“Well, back then, what did you mean by ‘it’d turn out for the worst’?”

“Nothing, of course.” Hana laughs.

“Then there’s really no point in doing whatever you’re doing to Luhan,” Xiumin inserts. “I mean, all Luhan wants is for you and him to go back as usual with no secrets or whatsoever.” He shrugs. “I don’t get how that has to do anything with Taeyang.”

“Guys,” Lay steps in. “Let’s drop this conversation.”

Luna turns her attention around. “Lay, you always say that whenever we have this conversation.”

“It’s Hana’s and Luhan’s problem after all.”

“But don’t you feel bad for Luhan after what he’s said to us?”

“I do, but we can’t think for one side only.”

“We did it for Hana for four years, and I—”

“—guys,” Hana interrupts. She has a feeling that Lay and Luna’s mini spat will become a huge one. “Look, I’m really sorry for what’s going on, but, but…” She doesn’t know what else to say. She doesn’t want to falsify or give her friends pretense guarantees.

“Um, Hana…”

All eyes move to Gayoon.

“C-can I say something?”

Hana smiles. “Of course.”

“I-I do agree with Lay about how this is yours and Luhan’s problem, but…a very huge part of me would like it if you can settle this once and for all.” Her eyes immediately lowered, as if she’s afraid that she’s offended Hana. “Although I only got a chance to see you two as friends for a while, those days of Luhan’s smiles were the purest, warmest, and happiest that I’ve seen than the ones he has now. I also know that there are things that everyone can’t say because they’re painful to ourselves, but when I think of that, the one person who crosses my mind is only Taeyang.”

At the entrance of Taeyang’s name, everyone’s facial expression darkens. Hana’s, however, becomes pale instead. The friends have countlessly argued in the defense of one friend or the other and never for the little boy who has no clue at what the adults are doing around him and hiding from him.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Gayoon’s hands intertwine with one another.

Xiumin happily covers them with his to comfort her and encourage her.

As Hana sees how Gayoon has courageously said her longest thought in all of the years they’ve known each other, she apologetically smiles. She brings a hand and places it on top of Xiumin’s.

Xiumin and Gayoon look up at her.

“Thank you, Gayoon.” Hana says. She turns around to face Luna and Lay. “And thank you too.” She gives them a reassuring smile. “You guys are right. It is time I settle this.”

The friends’ eyes widened.

“My priorities were a bit mixed up when Luhan came into the picture, but with or without him,” Hana inhales deeply, “Taeyang is the first person I will not hurt.”

*

“Good evening, Mr. Lu,” greets the staffs who passes by Luhan who has arrived.

Luhan lightly bows to each greeting as he heads to the elevator to his office. He’s gotten word already that the documents are already in his room; however, when he reaches there, he doesn’t expect two additions.

“Eunji. Inguk.” Somehow, an ominous feeling comes over him. He ignores it and heads over to his desk while saying, “If you two are here for fun, I’ve got work to do. Later.” At the corner of his eyes, he sees Inguk nudging Eunji to her out but she insists on staying. “Eunji.”

Eunji flinches.

“Is there something important you want to talk to me about?”

“Y-yes.”

Luhan looks up from his desk. “But why is Inguk here with you?” He points back and forth between the two standing adults. “You two don’t even get along.”

Only Inguk managed to awkwardly laugh while Eunji doesn’t budge any facial expression.

Luhan deeply inhales when he senses that this conversation will be an overwhelming one. He eyes his documents again, “I can’t promise that I’ll finish early, so if you can wait,” with eyes still down, a hand motions to the couch, “feel free to wait.”

*

The last portfolio, the fourth one, concludes the workload, signature, and revision Luhan had to do for the night, and as he stretches in his chair, a casually sitting Eunji and sleeping Inguk on the couch in front of him surprise him. He had totally forgotten that he had guests waiting for him. “Why didn’t you leave?” He quickly glances down at his watch. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Time can wait. But not your answer.” Eunji nonchalantly says.

Luhan stiffens his expression. He smiles and pats his stomach. “Should we get something to eat? I’m sure none of us had dinner yet.”

“I can’t stomach anything until I hear what I want to know.”

He has already senses that the situation is different today, but he didn’t think Eunji would be, too. He carefully asks, “Is something wrong?”

Eunji finally breaks a smile. “Luhan.”

Somehow, her voice makes his jaw tighten.

“I know that you don’t see me anything more than a friend or a colleague. I know it is I who love you in that way, so I can’t expect anything from you. And I shouldn’t.”

As Luhan listens to her, he can’t grasp on where this conversation is going.

“Growing up in a family where you had to fight for a position, I’ve learned to never surrender because I believe that persistence can make something happen.” She forces a smile, and this time, she looks around the room to cut back the tears from falling. “Like how you persisted in making this business to find your son and ex-wife.”

Luhan’s face slowly distorts. He understands where this is going. And why it’s happening. In her, at this moment, it reminds him of himself, an image of where he requests answers to questions he has. Catching onto the conversation, he knows that he will have to carefully give an answer that will not relate or somehow point to Taeyang and Hana or else Eunji and Hana’s friendship will take a wrong turn.

“At your Coach’s wedding, I received my answer as to why you have so much affection to kids and cared to make a paradise for them. Of course, I don’t like kids, so I thought it was something I lack. Honestly,” she awkwardly looks away, “I’d like that to be the case, but…it’s not.”

“Gouriki —” Luhan tries to halt the conversation. It’s dangerous if she continues.

“—I’m not patient like you, Luhan.” She interrupts with a raised voice. “I’m not.” She clears . “I am not going to wait for you while you wait for your son and ex-wife to come back to you.” She shoots him a firm look. “But that’s not to say that I don’t understand why. I know you haven’t seen your son because she took him, but I don’t understand why you’re going to wait for a woman like her?”

And here comes the misunderstanding.

Luhan mentally sighs. If she has that kind of thought, when she does find out that Hana’s the wife that left him and the person who took his “son,” she’s going to think otherwise of Hana, and he doesn’t want her to think of Hana in that way, no matter how “true” it may sound.

Eunji continues. She rests a hand at her chest with a saddened and pained expression. Her voice cracks and begs him. “Can’t you let them go…and start new? With me?”

*

Eunji and Inguk are silently waiting for the elevator to ring on their floor. The two have recently stepped out of Luhan’s office, who stays behind to do some thought gathering on the conversation he had with Eunji, and based on the swollen, red eyes of Eunji, Inguk could tell that she had wept.

Due to the long wait and awkward silence, Inguk decides to speak. He gently nudges Eunji on the arm, “Sorry, I fell asleep.” He massages his eyes and checks for eye boogers. “H-how did it go?”

No answer.

“W-what did you talked with him about?” He catches her trembling mouth and guiltily apologizes to himself for asking questions he knows the answers to.

Because he was awake when Luhan and Eunji had their talk.

He couldn’t find a good time to wake up. More like he figured that it was best to play asleep. Honestly, he doesn’t know why she needed him anyway. She stood her ground and said what she wanted to say and asked what she wanted to ask, and of course, got what she wanted.

This afternoon, when he had come by here to simply ask on the updates of his friends’ relationship because he has been curious ever since, he bumped into Eunji and they ended up talking about the wedding day, specifically about the information they found out about Luhan having been a married man and with a lost son. Even though he knew the entire backstory, when she asked if he found out about anything since then, he had to lie to her and mentally apologized for he knew he was not in position to tell her anything.

They may not get along, but they do have a small-level of good relationship.

He clicks his tongue. “Heechululd we have dinner? We did—” he stops talking when he sees something he thought he’d never witnessed.

Streams of glowing tears fall from her eyes down to her cheeks and neck.

In Luhan’s room, he did not have a chance to see her cry because her back was facing him.

Eunji turns at his direction and glares at him. “Oi!” She slowly breaks down. “Why are you such a useless man!”

He gapes his mouth open. What did he do wrong?

“I thought having you would there with me would help me, but you fell asleep!”

His mouth moves, but no words slip out. How would his presence help her?

She turns her body at his direction and with each of her fist, she raises them to hit him on the chest, just slightly hard enough to show the strikes she had been hit with by the answers she was given today. She clenches her teeth and angrily snaps. “You don’t care if that woman left you and took your son?” She sniffs. “You’re still going to wait for her?”