Kibum didn't know how he ended up with Minho on this doorstep. The way he saw and felt it, it just didn't seem right for him to be in front of the Choi residence - it would be the worst "bring your boyfriend home" time, too. Though with Minho's insistence that he come with him to talk to his mom, Kibum felt obliged to tag along for moral support. Besides, Minho had argued that they would only have to deal with half the issue, as he confirmed that his dad left on a plane yesterday to his next business trip.

The house, from the outside, appeared to be somewhat empty with the sole presence of Minho's mom. Kibum asked Minho at first if she was deeply worried about him, and Minho responded with a small nod, saying that she had called him every day that he stayed with Kibum. That only made Kibum feel guilty for causing someone else to be worried, but Minho assured him that it was completely fine and important that they were together.

Once Minho's mom opened the door for the two of them, Kibum felt an avalanche of nervousness hit him. "Minho!" she first exclaimed, hugging her son tightly and planting a kiss on his cheek. "I was so worried for you," she said with care.

"Haven't I always been telling you that I'm fine?" Minho said, recounting the multitude of phone calls he had with her.

"I know, but I'm so used to seeing you all the time. It's good to see that you've been taken care of," she said with relief. "And you must be Kibum," she added as she turned her attention to the other boy.

"Nice to meet you," Kibum answered with a smile, making sure to bow politely.

"Every time I called Minho he would say something great about you like 'Kibum is the best' and 'No, no girl can beat him.' Now I get to meet what he was talking about," Mrs. Choi said, eyes glistening with happiness. Minho just looked away from Kibum and blushed, as his mother didn't take too long to embarrass him already.

"Stop it," Minho had said shyly, hoping that she wouldn't continue on.

"For your sake, I will. Now come inside and sit, you two." Minho and Kibum followed her into the house and ended up in the living room, where Minho's mom told them to take a seat on the large sofa.

"So you're fine with us?" Kibum asked slowly, not knowing how to exactly judge her treatment of them. He was poorly informed of the possibilities and of what could happen, since Minho didn't bother to tell him anything about his mom. Yet if Kibum had to personally make a decision, he felt that she emitted an aura just as friendly as his parents did. Maybe it was just Minho's dad who was the catalyst of the issue, he wondered.

Minho fixed his eyes on Kibum and looked back to his mom for her answer. As she took a deep breath, he silently prayed that something kind would come out of next. He didn't know what to tell Kibum when he asked about his mom, because she could sometimes be a wild card to him. For example, she would strongly protest that he continue sports due to it being a "waste of time", yet she promoted his dating life too because it was "necessary". She would also find same love to be perfectly fine, but detest any public displays and pronounce them as "highly inappropriate." With these things in mind, Minho hoped that she would take his side here.

"I don't like the idea of you two going out, but if Minho has been this worked up about it, then it's fine with me," she finally said. "It's not the idea of you two dating that bothers me. It's just that I'm worried for your safety, Minho. What if other people are a lot meaner to you?"

A small smile formed on Minho's mouth. "I like Kibum too much to care about what other people think," he replied with confidence.

Mrs. Choi nodded with clear understanding. "Then I have nothing against you. You are my son after all, and you should keep close whatever makes you happy."

"And dad?" Minho questioned tentatively, wondering how his dad thought of him.

"He'll come around. He just needs time to think," she said assuring. "He just feels strongly about this issue, since you are our only son after all. This whole week I saw him walk around and regret hitting you and making you leave. He still loves you Minho, but he just doesn't know how to react. You'll just have to wait for when he comes back."

"I understand," Minho said with a slow nod, and Kibum could almost feel his boyfriend's sad disappointment.

"But know that you can stay here with me, Minho. Once his trip is over, we'll have this discussion together, and I'll try to get him on our side as best as I can" his mom responded brightly.

"Thank you," Kibum said, answering for the other. "Thank you so much for your kindness," he said politely.

"It's no problem. Now you two take care and stay happy together. It's only noon right now?" she asked, checking the wall clock to confirm her statement. "Then go on a date or something, whatever couples do these days. Enjoy the rest of this Sunday."

"We will," Kibum said, feeling slightly empowered that Mrs. Choi was so supportive.

"Just don't care about what other people think, like Minho said," she advised. "And Kibum, you're always welcome here whenever,"

"Thank you very much."

"And thank you for taking good care of Minho. He can be a handful sometimes," she smiled.

Before Minho had to hear any other attacks from his mother, he grabbed Kibum's hand and stood up. The two of them waved goodbye to Mrs. Choi, and they both leave with a feeling of resolution. Kibum peered over to the side to look at Minho's expression, and he was met back with a kind smile. Kibum remembered how sweet it felt to be accepted by his own parents, and now he got to let someone else have that same experience. It was something that Minho needed at the moment.

~~~

The following day, the cafe date finally happened with the help of Kibum's pushiness. The five of them were organized around their booth just like how they usually were in the cafeteria - Minho next to Kibum on one side, and Hoya, Jonghyun, and Jaeho lined up on the other side. Tao, unfortunately, was still stuck behind the counter taking coffee orders for another ten minutes until his break. Kibum just said that it was fine and allowed everyone else to chat normally at their seats.

Though once Kibum noticed that the seating arrangement wasn't how he wanted it, he stood up and declared that they change seats. "I want to sit in front of Minho on the outside," he st