Letting go was never easy.

Your mother-in-law had always told you that doing this would get easier with time, her energetic voice constantly reassuring you that “By the first hour, you won’t even notice he’s gone! And after a week, you’ll look forward to the time alone!” But, despite this, you hadn’t believed her. In retrospect, her experience with letting children go really did outweigh yours—and not believing her wasn’t really the most intelligent thing you’d ever done— but you simply couldn’t help it. Watching your son leave you the first time was unbearable and you’d only made it two agonizing minutes before you’d rushed over to the phone to hear the sound of Sunggyu’s mother’s voice reassuring you yet again that everything would be alright.

Sunggyu wasn’t faring any better.

Of course, he tried to be the tougher one of the two of you— rubbing your shoulders lovingly as you set the phone down for the sixth time and telling you that your boy will be fine, Jaehyun was a smart kid, after all— but you could still see the same tension in his body that gripped yours. You rested your hand atop his gently and smiled knowingly as Sunggyu released an agitated breath.

“Only three hours left, right?”

Sunggyu had told you even before Jaehyun had been born that it was a custom in Korea to send children away from home for the first time at the age of three. The information had surprised you then but Sunggyu had went on to explain that it was the best chance to give your son a successful future. Academic competition began early in kindergarten and only there would Jaehyun be able to learn everything from rudimentary mathematics, to the beginnings of anatomy, writing, intensive English, and even the basics of music. It was an opportunity to set him on the right path and you had agreed to it, seeing the wisdom of it in Sunggyu’s words.

But of course, accepting it hadn’t really made things any easier.              

Gently turning you around to face him, Sunggyu’s arms wrapped loosely around your waist. Pulling you inside the circle of his arms, you felt his breath against your lips right before he lowered his head down to kiss you fully—a sweet brush of his warm lips against yours. Your arms slid up around Sunggyu’s neck— as you had done a thousand times before—and instinctively you stepped up on your tiptoes, deepening the kiss even more. Your tongue swept the seam of Sunggyu’s mouth lightly and he let out a soft sigh, opening up to you without any protest. Stealing inside, you let the taste of Sunggyu’s comforting mouth soak into your senses, delighted when he whispered your name on a longing sigh.

“Tell me about the curriculum here,” Sunggyu ordered. His judgmental stare never left the face of the kindergarten’s principal and you watched, amused, as the smaller man cleared his throat nervously in front of the former idol. He adjusted his tie fretfully and, not for the first time, you felt a surge of pity shoot through you for he who had to face the overbearing presence of your husband.

“Beginning with the first year,” the principal explained, “Jaehyun-ah would be taught the basics of all the elementary subjects. Mathematics, science, biology, literature, music—he will be taught each one for half an hour each day with several breaks in between.” He glanced briefly at you holding a sleeping Jaehyun in your lap and let a smile grace his features. “Two trips to the museum, one in the spring and fall, and then to the library in Seoul district. It’s our policy to give our students the fullest experience possible and then send them out in three years more than ready for their primary education.”

Sunggyu leaned back in his chair. “For the tuition you ask for, I’d expect nothing less,” he drawled. You saw a pink flush tinge the principal’s cheeks in embarrassment and mentally reminded yourself to scold Gyu for it later. “I assume the teachers are more than adequately qualified?” he asked.

“They are the v-very best,” the principal stuttered. He looked weakly away from Sunggyu’s penetrating stare and continued, “I can call for you to meet with them, if you wish!”

“There’s no need,” Sunggyu demurred, “Your word will be enough.” He turned to you and reached out to pat your sleeping son gently on the head. “What do you think, jagiya?” he asked you. You met his eyes and he quirked a brow. “Do you like it here?”

You smiled. “It gives off a good feeling.”

The principal’s reaction was immediate and grateful. “I assure you, _____-sshi, your son will be in the best hands with us.”

“He only looks sweet now,” you joked lightly, running your fingers through Jae’s silky hair, “I only fear you won’t be able to handle his rebelliousness later.”

Your easy tone was a deliberate contrast to Sunggyu’s—you two had often played this game before at the other interested preschools— and you saw as the principal eagerly leaned forward towards you, grasping at your offered warmth. “I’ve raised three children of my own, ____-sshi,” he informed you happily, “And, of course, looked after several hundred here. Rascals or angels, I have no doubt I can guide your son down the right path.”

“I’m grateful,” you answered sincerely. “If I have to give up my son to you for several hours of the day, I like knowing he’ll be in safe hands.”

 “He absolutely will be,” the principal assured you. He glanced down at the way you cradled Jaehyun and Sunggyu’s touch connecting the three of you as a family. “I guarantee you that.”

Whether it was motherly instinct that stirred you, or simply self-preservation as Sunggyu’s sleeping heaviness rolled on top of you—you instantly snapped awake three hours later, mind alert and anxious for Jaehyun’s return home. Fitful dreams had disturbed you in the hour you had reluctantly given yourself to relax—the other two spent in a more active distraction—and you weren’t surprised that you were now sweating, the perspiration trickling down the back of your neck and face. If this was the way you were going to be every time Jaehyun left you, you would have to invest in another cooling fan, or else sleep in the shower.

As it was, you simply reached out to grasp Sunggyu’s shoulder and shook it firmly until your sleeping husband stirred awake. Blinking his eyes groggily, he murmured, “W-What is it, love?”

“Jaehyun-ah is coming home soon!” you told him. You couldn’t hide the excitement in your voice and Sunggyu’s lips curved into a teasing smile. Even when sleep-deprived, your anticipation for seeing your son again made his heart warm with affection.

“Maybe we should lock him out then.”

“Gyu!”

“UMMA!”

The sound of Jaehyun’s voice hit you quickly, and before Sunggyu could even speak—tell you to calm down a bit— you were already outside the bedroom door and rushing towards the front entrance. Your timing coincided just as Jaehyun was coming through the door and you knelt down, letting your son come into your open arms. Even though Jaehyun had already been going to school for three weeks now, every time he walked through that door it felt exactly the same as the first time to you. Relief poured through you to be reunited with your little man and you embraced him hard, pressing a sweet kiss against his soft cheek.

“Umma…”

“Jaehyun, how was your day at school?”

“U-umma…”

The word was insistent enough to make you look up and into Jaehyun’s face clearly. And when you did, you cursed inwardly. So lost had you been in your feelings that you had failed to notice something even more important—the tear stains on Jaehyun’s face.

“Baby, what’s happened?” you asked worriedly. You pressed your hand underneath Jae’s cheeks and did your best to brush the water away. “Why are you crying?”

“N-Nam Bora,” Jaehyun mumbled, “She s-said…” He accepted your ministrations easily and stared up at you, his eyes glistening with hurt. “Appa!”

Hearing the name of Woohyun’s mischievous daughter uttered from your son’s mouth made you sigh. This hadn’t been the first time the girl had teased Jaehyun at school, and, no doubt, it wouldn’t be the last. It had been Dongwoo-sshi’s idea initially to raise INFINITE’s children together as friends— and you had agreed to it— but sometimes the results of this association were more than you could reasonably handle. Nam Bora, though a sweet girl, was undeniably spoiled by her appa, and unbeknownst to anyone but you—for you were Bora’s favorite auntie and undoubtedly spent the most time with her—she had quite the thing for her dongsaeng, Kim Jaehyun.

“What did she say this time?” you asked kindly and stood up. You took Jaehyun’s tiny hand in your own and led him towards your bedroom, encouraging him to talk all the while. “Was it about your appa?”

Hearing his name called as soon as you entered the door, Sunggyu shifted from his previous reclining position to sit up normally in your bed. To your relief, you noticed he had put his pants back on in your absence. “What about me?” Sunggyu questioned curiously. Seeing his father made Jaehyun excited and he slid his hand out of yours, jumping onto the bed and heading straight for Sunggyu’s welcoming arms. Sunggyu laughed as Jaehyun tried to kiss him as exuberantly as you had done earlier and playfully teased your son by keeping his head out of the little boy’s reach.

“Nam Bora,” you explained to Sunggyu before coming over and climbing onto the silky bed yourself. Sunggyu’s gaze whipped to you as you snuggled up against the pillows and he released an exasperated breath.

“That brat again?”

“Gyu!” you scolded him lightly, but didn’t suppress your amusement at the pained look on his face. “Not in front of Jae.”

“That girl is insufferable,” Sunggyu muttered. “Just like her appa.” He smoothed his hand along Jae’s face and cupped his son’s tiny chin in his palm. “Did she try to kiss you again?” he pressed. “Let me look at you.”

“No, Appa!” The extreme mood change in Jaehyun from the front door’s depression to this little happiness now was not lost on you. Being with you always uplifted Jaehyun’s mood after another fight with Bora but it was even more pronounced when Sunggyu was here to comfort him, too. Jaehyun missed his father dearly when he had to be gone for work and it was always something special when they could be reunited again, like now. Jaehyun settled in Sunggyu’s lap comfortably and looked directly at you.

“Umma! Bora said…” Jaehyun started, and then paused to take a frustrated breath. “She said I had small eyes!’”

“Small eyes…?” you repeated. You felt your husband stiffen beside you and suddenly, desperately wished you had kept this to yourself outside. “What do you mean?”

“Like appa!” Jaehyun emphasized, driving the insult home. “Small eyes like appa!” He looked back and forth between you and Sunggyu, willing you to understand. And unfortunately, you did. Jaehyun had retained most—if not all—of Sunggyu’s physical characteristics and just as Sunggyu had often been teased for his narrow-shaped eyes, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that Jaehyun would eventually be, too.

“The next time I see Woohyun-ah, I’ll kill him,” Sunggyu muttered darkly. But he reached for Jaehyun, cradling the little boy’s delicate face in his hands and looking him straight into the eyes. Jaehyun blinked, his own dark pupils growing wide. Sunggyu tilted your son’s head to the left and then to the right, making a display of inspecting him closely.

Confused, Jaehyun tentatively asked, “Appa…?”

“Intelligent. Talented. Extremely handsome. There is no doubt whatsoever that you are my son,” Sunggyu affirmed confidently. He gave Jaehyun a small smile. “It’s no wonder the girls are all over you, son. You’re simply irresistible.”

He ran his fingers lightly over Jaehyun’s eyes and traced their shape slowly, deliberately. “Don’t listen to what Nam Bora says, Jaehyun-ah,” Sunggyu murmured, “First of all, because her father is a pabo,” –at this, you cleared your throat loudly in warning—“And second, more importantly, because what she says is wrong.”

Sunggyu pulled Jaehyun forward until father was face to face with his little mirrored version. “Even if you have small eyes, Jae, your perspective of the world will always be larger and bigger than those who only see it through face value. Talent, ambition, courtesy—all these things are more important than what you look like on the outside.” Sunggyu glanced at you briefly and you understood his wordless invitation.

Reaching out to brush your fingers along Jaehyun’s soft hair, you added quietly, “Umma and Appa love you for who you are, Jae. You will always be perfect to us.”

“And even more perfect to the world,” Sunggyu emphasized. “You’ll be a man of flawless intelligence like your appa and pure wisdom like your umma.” He tugged Jaehyun forward until the little boy rested gently between you, lying in the middle of the bed just as he had as a baby. “And always better-looking than Nam Bora,” Sunggyu insisted. You rolled your eyes at the unnecessary addition but couldn’t help but smile as you saw the tenderness in your husband’s expression as he gazed at your young child. Whether from his appa’s gentle words or weariness from his long day, Jaehyun’s eyes were softly fluttering closed and Sunggyu ran one long finger down his son’s cheek, tracing invisible circles atop the surface.

“Should I sing you to sleep, Jae-yah?” he whispered. Over the top of your son’s dark head, Sunggyu met your eyes. Jaehyun murmured an affirmation and your heart warmed as Sunggyu winked at you before opening his mouth to softly sing a soothing lullaby. It had always been one of Jaehyun’s favorites, and in only a matter of minutes it worked its magic, sending the little boy peacefully off to sleep. The small rise and fall of his chest was perceptible underneath your hand and you savored the feel of his little heartbeat beating rhythmically under your palm.

“What do you say, ______-ah?” Sunggyu’s voice floated over to you. His tone was hushed above the sleeping form of your son and you looked up at your husband in curiosity.

“Say to what?”

Sunggyu grinned, a little mischief playing in his eyes. “Say to making another one of these?” He leaned across Jaehyun to plant a lingering kiss on your lips and you breathed a sigh at the idea you should have known was coming. “Let’s give Jae someone to stand up to Bora for him.”

“Two Kim males to take care of in my life are more than enough,” you , before returning the sweet gesture. “And Jae will figure out Bora’s secret soon enough. But,” you drawled, “I can’t deny the trying part is an inviting idea.” You playfully leaned out of his reach and Sunggyu laughed, delighted.

 “Then I’ll try hard and give you a girl this time,” he promised. You considered it for only a moment before nodding shyly and grinning at him. Sunggyu shook his head and leaned forward towards you, sealing the deal with one final brush of his mouth against yours.

Your family.