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With research and Cheolyong to keep him busy as well as the reassurance that having Jihoon back home provided, Joon started feeling comfortable enough to be at home... at least, he didn't exactly mind staying in when it began raining so heavily one day that he and Cheolyong really couldn't go out.

Joon really wasn't keen upon going into any of the bedrooms and instead, he'd moved some of Cheolyong's toys along with his own research material that he'd copied from the library into the kitchen. It was the best illuminated room in the apartment and with the sky darkened with rainclouds, Joon wanted all the light that he could get.

So far, the morning had been delightfully uneventful. Jihoon had had to leave early that morning, but not before helping Joon with Cheolyong. He knew that Joon was a little afraid of being home by himself and he felt terribly guilty about leaving him. But he had to be responsible for the case on which he was working, too and Joon refused to let him feel guilty about not being able to stay with him. If it wasn't for Joon, Jihoon was quite sure that he never would have made it as far as he had with his career and quite frankly, with his life.

Feeling decidedly better given that nothing had happened since Cheolyong had ran from his bedroom, Joon was decidedly more light-hearted and had spent most of the morning making mango and apple pudding that they'd have later on, coloring and doing puzzles with Cheolyong and just enjoying doing things that any mother would want to do with his or her child.

When he sat down with the intention to forage through the articles and reports that he'd found, he admittedly wasn't entirely focused. As was usually the trend when he'd been working as a journalist, research often started slow. Sure enough, he'd so far found out more about the number of gas stations in Busan than he had about the little village from which the missing boy came.

Bored and a little discouraged after a half hour of reading resulted only in the most mundane and ordinary reports in the village's archives, Joon started day dreaming. He thought about going on holiday somewhere with his family (far away from the apartment, preferably) and as the sound of rain on the window sill and of Cheolyong contentedly playing under the dining table further lulled him into a dreamy state, he started thinking about his and Jihoon's plans to have another child.

They hadn't brought it up since Joon told Jihoon that he'd like to have another baby. Too much had happened since then... But Joon hadn't stopped thinking about it. Finding momentary refuge in his thoughts, Joon tried to imagine what his and Jihoon's second child might look like. Would they have another child who looked similar enough to Cheolyong that their eldest might have had a twin or would their second child have a completely different combination of Jihoon and Joon's features? Would they have a boy or a girl, Joon wondered. Joon would love to have another little boy, but he'd equally love to have a girl that he could dress up and teach how to do make up...

Joon might mean everything to Jihoon, as Jihoon often told him, but Jihoon meant just as much to Joon. Joon had only ever loved someone once before- a classmate in one of his journalism classes- and his unrequited love had left him without self-confidence and utterly heartbroken. For a time, the intensity of the pain that he felt had been such that he even considered dropping out of journalism.

Fortunately, it was at around this time that Joon met Jihoon and although he was confusingly both filled with excitement that he had a crush on the handsome police officer who seemed to like him back and with hesitance to have a relationship when he had just been inadvertently rejected, he agreed to date Jihoon. He couldn't have decided better, he now realized. Jihoon had made it so easy for Joon to feel safe falling in love with him. He'd even felt comfortable telling Jihoon rather early in their relationship that he was just getting over a heartbreak and didn't really know what to do. Jihoon had only been tender and understanding and it wasn't long before Joon found that he was deeply in love with Jihoon. Jihoon accepted him as he was- all his eccentricities and fears- everything that made him unique.

Notwithstanding the fact that he could carry another man's child, Joon still had the stature of a stereotypical young man; he was tall and clearly lifted weights and with this physical appearance came also certain expectations from a gender doctrine that had yet to be entirely extinguished.

Joon "wasn't supposed" to like diamonds or make up or dresses, but he did. He "wasn't supposed" to marry another man or have their child either, but there were enough men now in such positions that vocal protest really could no longer be made. No matter how motherly a man might be to his children however, few shops accomodating men with fashion inclinations such as Joon's...

Jihoon was unconcerned. He proposed to Joon with a diamond engagement ring and presented him its equally modest but nonetheless exquisite partner during their wedding. And the young couple had enjoyed a wedding night that was intensely more than just a little passionate with much thanks owed to the wedding dress that Joon had worked up the courage to wear. The way in which the creamy tulle, silk and pearl dress embraced Joon's body made Jihoon swallow audibly at the altar and it was all that he could do not to run down the aisle, collect his "bride" and skip straight to the honeymoon. Men were meant to wear dresses, Jihoon couldn't help but to think as he noted how the dress showcased Joon's body. The younger man's broad shoulders and well-defined biceps were accentuated by the sleeveless dress while the ribboned waistline softened his features. Jihoon felt as though it was the first time that he had ever kissed Joon when he lifted Joon's veil only to be met by his husband-to-be's shy but sparkling eyes. Joon had put on make up, just the way he liked it, and it was frankly just the way that Jihoon liked it, too.

Both of them were particularly appreciative of Joon's choice of dress as they spent their very first night together as a couple.

"Umma..." Joon's thoughts were interrupted by Cheolyong, who hugged his mother's calf, wanting his attention.

"Yes, sweetie?" Joon returned to reality, realizing that he hadn't paid much attention to Cheolyong in the last hour.

Cheolyong was, like Joon, quite shy and quiet and was really very well-behaved. But as did any child of three, he was dependant upon his mother.

"What's that?" Cheolyong asked curiously, pointing to the screen of Joon's laptop on which was featured a ten-year old edition of the village's local newspaper as Joon lifted him onto his lap.

"Umma has to do a project," Joon explained, not wanting to scare Cheolyong with details and explanations that he couldn't possibly understand.

He played with Cheolyong a little more, then made him a sandwich for lunch before returning to his research. Cheolyong had apparently decided to take his afternoon nap on his mother's lap and Joon continued screening through articles with his arms around his son.

Both his tedious research and Cheolyong's nap were interrupted however, when the doorbell rang.

Cheolyong roused a little and Joon gently woke him up so that he could put him down on the sofa and answer the door.

To Joon's surprise however, there was no one at the door. He even opened it but found that there was not only no one there, but also no package or missed delivery.

A little unsettled but trying not to worry to much, Joon closed the door, locked it once again and tried to make a calm return to his son's side. He made it only half way however, before the door bell rang again, then again and again before Joon got to the door.

"Who is it...?!" Joon tried to be authoritative as he opened the door only a little, but his voice betrayed that he was scared and he only felt more so when he noticed that the hallways was just as quiet as ever.

He shut the door again, using each of the four locks installed, then joined Cheolyong on the sofa as he tried to reassure his son that everything was okay. When the doorbell rang again and again, he chose not to go to the door, but watched with apprehension from where he cuddled a now nervous Cheolyong on the sofa.

Joon knew how busy Jihoon was and he really didn't want to bother his husband at work. But he really felt scared and with apparently no one at the door, he was quite sure that the police wouldn't take him seriously even if he was married to one of their most prolific detectives.

He held off as long as he could but Joon was too scared and did call Jihoon, who promised to be home immediately. Frankly, Jihoon didn't care if leaving the office early meant taking the case, phone calls and planning home. His family needed him.

The seemingly deranged doorbell stopped before Jihoon came home, but Joon was still shaken and with Cheolyong in touch with his mother's feelings, the little boy was uneasy, too.

The next time that the doorbell rang, accompanied by Jihoon calling to tell Joon that he was at the door brought an enourmous relief to the young man. He was extremely apologetic about having called Jihoon home from work but Jihoon assured him that it was okay.

Calm returned; Joon and Jihoon worked at their respective projects at the kitchen table while Cheolyong resumed the puzzle that he had started on the kitchen floor, but both of them were still concerned about what had happened.

Jihoon reached across the table, taking Joon's hand in his and kissing it, making Joon smile as he looked up. The kiss was silent, but gave Joon all the reassurance that he needed.

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Thanks for reading! ^^

x Angela