Hanbin comes back to the cafe everyday after that.

He comes even earlier than Jinhwan on Friday, greeting the older boy with a smile and laughing a little when Jinhwan pushes open the cafe door and jumps in surprise when Hanbin calls out to him. Apparently Jinhwan is on shift alone till nine on Fridays, because Junhoe has school commitments till late. Hanbin capitalises on Junhoe's absence (somehow he always feels Junhoe's eyes on him whenever he's talking to Jinhwan and it unnerves him a little, since he doesn't even know the first thing about the younger boy) and the fact that there aren't that many customers in the early evening to talk with Jinhwan more, leaning against the tabletop where the customers collect their drinks as he and Jinhwan exchange stories and laughter and smiles. When Jinhwan is serving a customer, Hanbin shifts to the side a little and just watches him work, smiling brightly at customers and making drinks that he knows like the back of his hand.

Hanbin stands there and watches Jinhwan and is suddenly reminded of bright summer days and the sunshine hitting his face and the warm, welcoming feeling of home. He drinks in the sight of black hair that falls to the tip of small, almond-shaped eyes, pink lips that curl into the smallest of smiles and slender fingers that grip onto mugs and plastic cups and card through that head of black hair occasionally and suddenly, Hanbin feels that urgent need to pen his thoughts into words, and words into lyrics.

And that’s what he tries to do, from when Junhoe rushes into the cafe to start work and all the way till closing time, and he’s so wrapped up in his own head that he jumps in surprise when Jinhwan suddenly leans over his shoulder to ask what he’s doing. Hanbin flips his notepad over and Jinhwan just laughs and tells him that the cafe is going to close before returning to cleaning up with Junhoe. Jinhwan is so different from his other friends, Hanbin realises. If any of his other friends had seen him shy something away from their view, they’d prod and pry to see for themselves. But Jinhwan doesn’t: Hanbin remembers how apologetic he was when he had unconsciously tried to peer at his laptop screen, and even now, when Hanbin hides his notepad away, Jinhwan doesn’t try flipping it over for himself.

For someone who values his privacy quite a fair bit, especially with regards to his lyrics and writing, Hanbin is so grateful.

So Hanbin walks Jinhwan to the train station that Friday, waiting outside the cafe for Jinhwan to say goodnight to Junhoe before tentatively stepping out from the shadows and offering to walk with him. Jinhwan is pleasantly surprised but smiles and agrees, and the walk to the station is filled with soft laughter that turns into clouds of air in the cold, the light bumping of shoulders and brushing of arms and the exchanging of careful smiles and gazes. Jinhwan feels light and young, less weighed down by the world and more carefree than he has been in a long time, whereas Hanbin feels warm and happily content. When Jinhwan walks through the gantry and Hanbin doesn’t follow behind, he finally realises that the younger boy had chosen to walk out of his way with him even though the bus stop he had to go to was in the other direction from the cafe.

Hanbin enjoys the flush that creeps up Jinhwan’s neck as he bids the older boy goodnight with a smile and barely-suppressed laughter.

Hanbin misses Jinhwan over the weekend and all the way till next Wednesday though, because Jinhwan works a double shift on Saturday mornings and afternoons and a morning shift again on Mondays since he doesn’t have class, and he doesn’t come in for work on Sundays and Tuesdays. On all these days, Hanbin drops by the cafe in the evening as usual and doesn’t get to see Jinhwan at all. So when he finally catches Jinhwan back in the cafe on Wednesday evening, Jinhwan gets to see the child in Hanbin for the first time when the younger boy whines about how he had blindly stopped by the cafe on all the evenings since Jinhwan hadn’t told him when his off days were and that he sometimes worked during the day. Jinhwan had laughed at Hanbin’s unhappy complaints while heating up some muffins for customers, but inside he had felt that familiar rush of warmth just as he did last Friday, when Hanbin had walked him to the train station. Jinhwan isn’t used to this, isn’t used to being treated like he’s special, isn’t used to having someone want to see him and talk to him and be around him constantly.

But it’s flattering, because somehow Hanbin doesn’t make his company and attention feel overwhelming. Instead he makes it feel nice, warm: his visits to the cafe give Jinhwan something to look forward to, and his boyish charm and funny stories and even childish whining give Jinhwan another reason to smile again.

-

It’s a cold Friday night - almost three weeks in of Hanbin’s regular patronage of the cafe - when Hanbin finally finds out.

When Jinhwan had finally been released from his last class of the day to go pick Yunhyeong up from kindergarten, he had discovered a bunch of missed calls and text messages from Jiwon and Donghyuk. Jinhwan had hurriedly called Donghyuk back while rushing towards the train station, and the younger boy had told him apologetically that Jiwon wouldn't be able to watch Yunhyeong that night. Donghyuk had a performance at his university so Jiwon was supposed to take care of Yunhyeong, but Jiwon had gone to work in the morning and was told that he had a last minute office meeting and subsequent gathering to attend, so neither of them would be home to watch Yunhyeong. Donghyuk had been so apologetic (and Jiwon was, too, judging by the texts he had sent to Jinhwan), but Jinhwan had told him that it wasn't their faults at all and that he would just have to bring Yunhyeong along with him to work since he had no other choice. Donghyuk had been worried though: Jinhwan has told both him and Jiwon many incidences of how the cafe manager was extremely harsh and went strictly by the book, thereby causing the employees of the cafe to regard him as unreasonably uptight and not understanding. Being a rather serious person himself, Jinhwan knows that his manager just wants maximum efficiency and no slip-ups or trouble, but he shares Donghyuk's worries about how his manager would definitely go ballistic if he discovered that Jinhwan had brought his son with him to work.

But it's always been Yunhyeong first and everything else after, so Jinhwan just prays that his manager's stop-by at the cafe will be quick and short for tonight, and that nothing will go wrong.

Yunhyeong is confused when Jinhwan leads him to their apartment building instead of Jiwon's and Donghyuk's after he picks him from kindergarten, but nods in quiet understanding when Jinhwan explains that uncle Jiwon and Donghyuk are both busy tonight so you have to follow appa to work, okay? before allowing Jinhwan to give him a quick bath without any hassle so that they can set off for the cafe. Jinhwan bundles him up in his coat and remembers to pack Yunhyeong's blanket with him, kissing his son lovingly on the head after he wraps his dark blue scarf around his neck and fixes his hood onto his head and they start once again for the train station.

When Jinhwan gets to the cafe with Yunhyeong in tow, he’s surprised to see three people working behind the counter instead of the usual two. Jinhyeong and Hongseok work the shift before Jinhwan and Junhoe on Friday, but today Soohyun is here as well, and when she turns her head at the sound of the front bell chiming and sees Jinhwan, she sends him her usual bright beam and cheery wave, eyes curving into small crescents when he smiles back genuinely. Soohyun is the youngest employee of the cafe, adored by all the others and for good reason, too: she’s always bright beams and happy smiles and tinkling laughter, radiating joy and sweetness like a beam of sunshine to all those who know her. Her sincerity draws people to her, and her light-heartedness and knack for messing with the older boys always makes her so fun and refreshing to be around. Jinhwan has worked a shift with Junhoe and Soohyun before, and he still remembers practically laughing for the whole five hours because Junhoe’s usual snarky attitude had caused Soohyun to grab him hard by the collar, yank him by the hair and fling dirty rags at him one too many times. Till this day, Soohyun and Junhoe still bicker like children whenever they’re put on shift together, but Soohyun and Jinhwan share a less violent and much sweeter relationship because Soohyun has always liked Jinhwan, and Jinhwan treats Soohyun like a little sister.

“Oppa!” Soohyun greets as Jinhwan nears the counter, and Jinhwan lightly ruffles her hair even as he grins at Jinhyeong and Hongseok, both of whom acknowledge him with smiles before stepping out from behind the counter to get ready to head off.

“Hey,” Jinhwan begins, tightening his grip on Yunhyeong’s hand as his son peers up at Soohyun curiously. “Why are you at work today? Don’t you work tomorrow night?”

Soohyun shrugs. “The manager called just now and asked if I was free to work tonight. Apparently Junhoe oppa can’t come in today; he didn’t tell you?”

Jinhwan blinks before fishing in his bag for his phone, realising belatedly that in his haste to open all of Jiwon’s and Donghyuk’s texts just now he had accidentally skipped over Junhoe’s, which read hey hyung, I fell sick halfway through the school day so I won’t be coming in for work tonight :-( sorry for leaving you alone; I’ll make it up to you next time, promise!. Jinhwan hurriedly types back a reply, telling Junhoe to rest well and update him periodically on his condition, gnawing on his bottom lip worriedly as he wonders if he should just give Junhoe a call. But then Jinhyeong and Hongseok come back out with their aprons off, coats on and bags shouldered, signalling the start of Jinhwan’s shift. Jinhwan has no choice but to keep his phone, rationalising with himself that Junhoe is most likely asleep now, so calling would only disturb his rest.

Jinhyeong’s eyes widen when he catches sight of Yunhyeong hiding behind Jinhwan’s legs, gaze fixed on the display case of sandwiches and cakes and muffins. “Hyung,” Jinhyeong begins. “Is he - ”

Jinhwan follows Jinhyeong’s and Hongseok’s gazes and immediately realises who they’re looking at. He stiffens a little, the reflex response of trying to shield Yunhyeong from anyone’s view kicking in as it always does, but then he remembers that both boys (and Soohyun, too) already know about Yunhyeong (the result of having been some of Jinhwan’s closest friends for almost a year now), so he tells himself to relax and squeezes Yunhyeong’s hand gently to get his son’s attention. When Yunhyeong manages to tear his gaze away from the display case and looks up at Jinhwan in question, Jinhwan holds Yunhyeong by his shoulders and guides him to stand in front of him.

“This is Yunhyeong,” Jinhwan introduces, looking down at his son and then back up at Jinhyeong and Hongseok. There aren’t any customers ordering drinks now, so Soohyun excitedly steps out from behind the counter to see Yunhyeong for herself. Even though they all know that Jinhwan has a son and that his name is Yunhyeong, they’ve never gotten the chance to see him before, so the delight is as clear as day on all their faces as they smile and wave at Yunhyeong. Soohyun is the first to squat, stretching out a friendly hand to Yunhyeong, warm smile bright and intact.

“Hi, Yunhyeongie. You can call me Soohyun noona. It’s very nice to meet you,” Soohyun says, voice friendly and loving. Jinhwan can tell Yunhyeong is hesitant from the way he shies back into Jinhwan’s legs, but Jinhwan gently coaxes him to shake Soohyun’s hand, and at the way Soohyun’s smile grows so wide Jinhwan is almost afraid it’ll split her face in half. But he feels his heart warm at the sight, anyway: Yunhyeong really just automatically makes you want to love him and care for him and protect him. Soohyun pats him on the head lightly before standing to give Jinhyeong and Hongseok the space to say hi to Yunhyeong, hurrying back behind the counter as a group of girls stroll into the cafe. Hongseok gets down on one knee and lifts a fist for Yunhyeong, who looks up at Jinhwan briefly before balling his small hand up into a fist and bumping Hongseok’s bigger one once Jinhwan gives him a smile and an encouraging nod. Hongseok grins and Jinhyeong smiles, resting a hand carefully on Yunhyeong’s head.

“Hey, Yunhyeong. You can call me Hongseok hyung. And this is Jinhyeong hyung,” Hongseok introduces, pointing up at Jinhyeong when he says his name. Yunhyeong glances at both of them before ducking his head, causing the three older boys to laugh.

“Why aren’t you greeting your hyungs, Yunhyeong-ah?” Jinhwan asks, lightly shaking his son’s shoulders.

Jinhyeong shoves Hongseok as the older boy gets to his feet. “I told you your ugly face would scare him!”

Jinhwan laughs as Hongseok throws an arm around Jinhyeong and pulls him into a headlock, Jinhyeong yelping in surprise and struggling in Hongseok’s tight grip.

“Bye guys!” Hongseok calls out as he physically drags Jinhyeong along with him to the front door. “And bye, Yunhyeongie. Make sure your appa brings you back here again soon, okay?” Hongseok doesn’t forget to add, waving a little at Yunhyeong with a happy smile on his face even with Jinhyeong locked tight under his other arm.

Yunhyeong nods once, looking on confusedly at Jinhyeong and Hongseok even as Hongseok grins wide at having gotten a response from Yunhyeong. Jinhwan just continues chuckling until the duo are out the door, leading Yunhyeong over to a vacant table and lifting him onto the seat.

“Wait here for a while, okay?” Jinhwan instructs, helping Yunhyeong out of his coat and scarf and draping it over the chair before hurrying to the back to deposit his things and grab his apron. When he enters the counter, he rings up a ham and cheese sandwich (the cheapest sandwich of the lot) for Yunhyeong and puts his money into the cashier before heating it up and bringing it over to his son.

“Yunhyeong-ah,” Jinhwan begins, sliding into the seat next to his son and helping him cut the sandwich into small pieces. “Appa is going to be working over there, so I need you to sit here and eat your dinner and not wander around, okay? You have to promise me you’ll stay right here.”

Yunhyeong hooks his pinky through Jinhwan’s as a sign of his promise and immediately picks up his fork and spears his first bite of the sandwich, obviously hungry. Jinhwan’s heart aches and he hates himself for being unable to feed Yunhyeong till he’s full, but the harsh reality is that he can barely even afford three small square meals a day for his son, let alone for himself. Brushing Yunhyeong’s fringe away from his eyes, Jinhwan leaves his son to his food and the few toys that he had packed for him before rejoining Soohyun behind the counter.

Jinhwan throws himself into work in hopes that the time will pass by faster and he’ll be able to take Yunhyeong home and end the night. Soohyun is a good person to work with, because she talks and jokes around with Jinhwan just enough to keep them both entertained but still remain focused and on task. The usual nine o’clock rush comes, and Jinhwan has to give Yunhyeong a cup of plain water in the cafe mug so that he can keep the table he’s currently using. Jinhwan works with Soohyun almost as well as he works with Junhoe, the only difference being that with Junhoe, they never seem to actually need words to communicate, both of them being able to move around each other and accommodate each other in their respective spaces with some sort of a practiced, silent understanding. Where a nudge to the hip with Junhoe means do you need help? and an outstretched hand means pass me the cup, Jinhwan and Soohyun need to stop and verbally communicate with each other whenever they have a request. But they’re still efficient because they both work hard, so they work their way through the crowd without much trouble. Slightly past ten, though, after clearing up some tables both downstairs and upstairs, Soohyun glances down at her watch and rushes over to Jinhwan, who’s half-watching Yunhyeong play with the toy fire truck Chanwoo had gotten him and half-wiping down the counter and the coffee machine.

“Oppa,” Soohyun gets out in a rush, already untying her apron. “I need to meet my brother at the train station in ten minutes because we need to fetch some relatives from the airport. Can you close up tonight? I’m sorry I forgot to tell you when you first came in - ”

Jinhwan smiles and shakes his head at Soohyun’s apologies before giving her a light push out the counter. He finishes wiping down the tabletop and display case just as Soohyun rushes back out, bag slung messily across her body as she buttons up her red coat and pulls out her scarf.

“There aren’t many customers upstairs and I’ve already cleared up all the tables, so all that’s left are mainly the tables down here and perhaps mopping the floor? The manager didn’t come in when I was here just now with Jinhyeong oppa and Hongseok oppa, so he’ll either come in when you’re closing up or if not he might just come tomorrow if he’s held up at the other branches. Just make the place look really clean and he’ll be out in no time,” Soohyun hurries out, worry evident in her eyes as she glances back and forth between Jinhwan and Yunhyeong. Jinhwan catches her gaze flick over to Yunhyeong, and he playfully pulls her hood down low till it’s way past her eyes and he hears her whine of indignation.

“Bye, Soohyun-ah. If you keep worrying like this you’re going to get wrinkles and Junhoe will never let you live it down,” Jinhwan teases, already walking her to the door.

Soohyun turns just before Jinhwan closes the door. “Yunhyeongie looks really sleepy, by the way. You might need to take care of him first! See you soon, oppa, and thanks!”

Jinhwan makes sure she hurries across the junction safely before heading back into the cafe and true enough, Yunhyeong is listing off his chair, toy fire truck gripped limply in his right hand. He dashes over just in time to catch his son before he topples off the seat, but no matter how he shakes Yunhyeong and urges him to wake up, his son only whines and mumbles incoherently, snuggling against Jinhwan’s chest and leaning his head on his shoulder to sleep more comfortably. Jinhwan knows his son well enough to know that if he tries to force him to stay awake Yunhyeong will only act up and throw a tantrum, but then again there’s no way he can let him sleep against the table because their manager will most certainly ask questions. Jinhwan kneels there and holds Yunhyeong in his arms while thinking of what he can do, until he finally makes up his mind. Carefully, Jinhwan stands so as to not jostle Yunhyeong, then heads to the small back room cramped with the cafe’s supplies and logistics to grab his bag and pull out Yunhyeong’s small blanket before walking quickly towards the cleaning storeroom. Flinging Yunhyeong’s blanket over his shoulder, Jinhwan struggles to pull the door open with one hand, flicking on the switch immediately and shutting the door behind him. Moving quickly in case more customers or their managers comes in, Jinhwan uses his foot to kick a couple of boxes away from the wall before laying Yunhyeong’s blanket out on the floor, just beside the wall. Gently, he sets Yunhyeong down on the blanket, rolling up the top of the blanket a little to create a makeshift pillow before laying Yunhyeong’s head down carefully. Yunhyeong shifts a little in his sleep when Jinhwan covers him with his winter coat, but otherwise stays fast asleep.

Yunhyeong looks so small and miserable like this, sleeping on the floor of the tiny cleaning storeroom in the cafe, stuck between the wall and two boxes and with a tall shelf of cleaning supplies looming over him. All Jinhwan can do is card his fingers gently through his son’s hair while apologising profusely, guilty I’m sorrys spilling from his lips even though Yunhyeong can’t hear him. Yunhyeong is such a good kid, so eager and obedient and independent; Jinhwan knows he deserves so much more than this.

(But it’s the fact that Jinhwan can’t give him anything more than this that hurts him the most.)

Jinhwan looks down at his watch and it’s about an hour left till midnight, which is the time the cafe closes. He heads back out to the counter just in time to serve a few customers some takeaway drinks, and he has just served a businessman a shot of espresso when he sees his manager nearing the front door. Immediately, Jinhwan picks up an empty tray and a rag and steps out from behind the counter, placing dirty mugs and plates onto the tray and wiping the tables clean with the rag.

“Jinhwan.”

Jinhwan bows and greets his manager once he calls his name, quietly so as to not disturb the few remaining customers on the ground floor. He finishes wiping the last table and proceeds to start washing the dirty dishes as the manager does his usual check of the cafe, making sure it’s clean and the displays are in place before heading to the back room as usual to check on the logistics. Once he disappears into the back room, Jinhwan dries the last mug and rushes to fetch the mop and pail from the cleaning storeroom, relieved to see that Yunhyeong is still soundly asleep. Just half an hour more and we can go home, Yunhyeongie.

Jinhwan has already begun mopping when their manager re-emerges from the back room and stands in front of the counter, leaning against it lightly and crossing his arms across his chest. Jinhwan prays everything is okay.

“Did Soohyun come in for work today?” He asks.

“She came in sometime during Jinhyeong’s and Hongseok’s shift, I think,” Jinhwan replies, reaching the front door and flipping the sign from open to closed. He holds the door open for a couple on their way out, bowing politely as he bids them goodnight.

The manager nods, smiling politely at a group of women as they stand and get ready to leave. “That’s good. Junhoe called and told me he was sick, and Soohyun was supposed to come in early because she told me she couldn’t do the closing tonight.”

Jinhwan hums in the affirmative, almost done with the mopping and pushing in some stray chairs. “Soohyun cleaned up the top floor before she left, so I’m almost done.”

“Good work then,” the manager responds, and Jinhwan is quick to thank him profusely when he helps Jinhwan clear up the last table and bring the four dirty mugs to the sink. Jinhwan returns to his mopping, chances a glance at his watch and purses his lips. Ten more minutes.

And then everything goes wrong.

Jinhwan is holding the door open for their last customer to leave - grateful that she ordered a cold drink so he doesn’t have to do anymore washing - and has just finished greeting her goodnight when his manager calls his name.

“Jinhwan.”

“Ye - ”

Jinhwan freezes when he sees his manager standing in front of the cleaning storeroom, door already open and light spilling out from inside. His first instinct is to run over and hide Yunhyeong from view, but he knows it’s already far too late for that. The panic rises in Jinhwan’s chest, threatening to choke him, but Jinhwan can’t move from his spot by the door.

“Why is there a boy sleeping on the floor of my storeroom?”

His manager’s voice is low and quiet, and the fear starts to settle in alongside the panic because Jinhwan knows his manager is truly furious.

“I can expl - ”

“Why is there a boy sleeping on the floor of my storeroom?!” His manager shouts, whirling onto Jinhwan. Jinhwan literally flinches back at the force of his anger, but his manager’s shout finally gets his feet to move again, and Jinhwan drops the mop in his haste and trips over it in his hurry to dash over to the storeroom. The second Jinhwan appears in the doorframe is the moment when Yunhyeong - rudely awakened by the loud yell - promptly starts to cry, tears pooling in his eyes and spilling over his cheeks as the manager glares down at him.

“Appa!” Yunhyeong cries, reaching out for Jinhwan. Jinhwan goes to him automatically, but is stopped by his manager’s firm hand on his shoulder.

“This is your son?” He asks, voice still pitched low and dangerous, pointing down at Yunhyeong. Yunhyeong only cries harder.

“Please,” Jinhwan begs, heart wrenching at the sight of the tears streaming down his son’s face and the sobs that wreck his small body. “You’re scaring him. Just let me - ”

“Outside,” the manager spits. “Now,” he adds.

“Appa!” Yunhyeong wails, panicking instantly when Jinhwan takes a step back from the storeroom.

Jinhwan feels like crying himself, but forces himself to keep it together, for Yunhyeong’s sake. “Appa will be right back, okay? Just give me five minutes, Yunhyeongie. Everything’s all right, I’m not leaving you here. Stop crying, please.”

But Yunhyeong is inconsolable, stumbling to his feet and crying harder when he gets tangled up in the coat and blanket and goes falling back down to the floor when Jinhwan turns and follows the waiting manager out the front door. Yunhyeong finally manages to run out of the storeroom and into the cafe, but no matter how hard he cries and wails, Jinhwan is nowhere in sight.

“Hey, hey.”

Yunhyeong stops wailing once he hears the soft, encouraging voice, and turns around frantically to locate the source of it. Footsteps hurry down the stairs and Yunhyeong spins in that direction, but flinches back when he doesn’t recognise the boy kneeling on the last few steps. The tears pool in Yunhyeong’s eyes again and the boy on the stairs panics, reaching out a hand as though to console.

“Hey. Don’t be scared, okay? I’m not going to shout at you or scold you. I know your dad, I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”

Yunhyeong continues to cry silently but he stops wailing, the warm and soothing voice a sharp contrast to the manager’s yelling that it causes him to calm down and listen. The boy on the stairs sighs, obviously relieved that Yunhyeong is no longer on the verge of a panic attack, and slowly rises to his full height.

“Can I come closer?”

When Yunhyeong neither nods nor backs away, the boy takes his chances and tentatively takes a step closer. With every step he takes forward, Yunhyeong remains rooted in his spot, body still jerking erratically because of his sobs but it seems as though he’s cried himself empty, eyes now red and puffy and cheeks stained with tear tracks.

“Hey there,” the boy begins softly once he’s kneeling right before Yunhyeong. “Your dad’s name is Jinhwan, right?”

Yunhyeong nods cautiously, but at least he’s responding. A little bit of the rabid fear he had in his eyes fades at the sound of his father’s name spilling from this stranger’s lips.

“What’s your name, then?”

Yunhyeong hiccups and then sniffles. “Yun - Yunhyeong,” he manages, voice hoarse from crying and barely above a whisper.

“Yunhyeong?” The boy confirms, and smiles fondly when Yunhyeong nods again. “Hi, Yunhyeong. I’m Hanbin hyung.”

Yunhyeong doesn’t get to say anything in return, though, because just as Hanbin finishes introducing himself, the front bell chimes as the door swings open, and Jinhwan steps in looking like a wreck. His cheeks are too red and blotchy from the cold, his hair is matted messily to his forehead and his eyes are red and raw, glistening with unshed tears. He brings his thin wrist up to rub at his wet nose and chokes down a sniffle and a sob, just as Yunhyeong registers his presence and shouts desperately for him.

“Appa!” Yunhyeong cries out again, and Hanbin has to steady him by the shoulders when he stumbles in his haste to run towards Jinhwan. Jinhwan barely has time to get down on his knees when Yunhyeong flings himself at him, crying all over again and even harder than before now that he’s back in Jinhwan’s arms, and all Jinhwan can do is bury his face into Yunhyeong’s hair and mumble out an incoherent string of I’m sorry, Yunhyeongie, I’m so sorry.

Hanbin doesn’t know how much time passes. Five minutes, ten, perhaps even half an hour. He doesn’t know how long he just stands there and listens to Yunhyeong’s heartbreaking sobs and watches Jinhwan lightly rock his son back and forth in a feeble attempt to soothe. Eventually though, Yunhyeong’s sobs die down and his breathing evens out, and Hanbin feels his heart twisting in his gut at the fact that Yunhyeong has just cried himself to exhaustion and sleep. Jinhwan still has his head buried in Yunhyeong’s hair, though, so Hanbin takes this as the time to let his presence be properly known.

“Hyung.”

Jinhwan musters up the strength to lift his head, and Hanbin’s heart wrenches when Jinhwan’s tired, red eyes meet his gaze. There’s no small, warm smile on Jinhwan’s face this time, no mischievous sparkle in his eye or amused curl of his lips that he usually shows whenever he’s around Hanbin.

Hanbin takes in the sight of Jinhwan’s miserable form on the ground and Yunhyeong clutched tightly in his arms and swears to himself that he’s going to change this. He’s going to get to the bottom of this, and then he’s going to change this.

Because somehow, Hanbin can’t stand the sight of Jinhwan being hurt.

-

A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update :-( I was doing community service so it took me a longer time to produce this chapter, especially since it's the longest chapter yet! Nonetheless, thank you all for subscribing and commenting; talking to all of you truly makes me happy and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!! Here are the comment replies :-) if I missed anyone out, do let me know!!

fujobaby: I'm glad you're excited to read and I'm really sorry the update is later this time :-( hope you continue to enjoy it!! And to reply to your later comment: yes, Yunhyeong is Jinhwan's kid, as has been implied through the story thus far :-) things will come out as the story moves on :-)

1icehoneysam4: I swear I've watched the personality tests on Yunhyeong, Junhoe, Donghyuk and Chanwoo too many times for it to be normal but yet everytime I rewatch it I still laugh like an idiot, especially at Chanwoo's!! You're welcome and hope you continue to enjoy the story :-)

reydahadirah: you're welcome, thanks for your patience!!

unicornsRreal: haha tbh I've always imagined Hanbin to be like that, like because he's so serious and driven about his work he could give off this intimidating and unapproachable aura, but I've no doubt that he's the sweetest kid to his hyungs and a very caring hyung to all the younger members :-) ty for your nice comment!!

pallalgk: haha I'm really glad you're into the story and that you're enjoying it!! You're welcome, ty for your enthusiastic comment!!

YuirZa: hahaha yes I suppose it is!! Continue to stay excited it's heartening to know you're enjoying it!!

Baravois: you'll see soon!! :-)

ased123: I'm glad you are and I'm happy you like it!! :-)

MinMin_SL: ohman I'm sorry I thought ty would be understood by everyone but I should've indicated that it stands for thank you :-) haha you'll see soon, but don't worry Jinhwan is an independent and self-sufficient person he won't have to beg anyone for help :-) thanks for your sweet comment!!

esthieteentop: haha yeah I thought it was important to at least show how they interacted and not suddenly jump the gun, you know? So I'm happy you got that!! Hehe I think he would be too :-) you'll see really soon; ty for commenting!!

777EXO: I'm heartened that you like the story and ty for your time!!

rurutiaxx: ty!! Hope you continue to enjoy reading :-)

seasideshell: ty for your comment it really is an honour to read such nice words!! Hope you continue to like the story :-)

Haesica123: hello to you too and ty for your lovely comment!! Haha yes I think Yunhyeong is adorable too and Hanbin and Jinhwan have such a sweet relationship, how could you possibly not want to write about them? And of course Junhoe the sassy kid haha. Ty for reading and hope you continue to enjoy it :-)

1988biased: I'm glad you're enjoying the story and yup you said it, slowly but surely :-) haha I can definitely clarify your doubts: this fic is not mpreg and yes, Yunhyeong is Jinhwan's biological son; all will be revealed as the story progresses!! So yes not mpreg for sure haha and thanks once again for your nice comment!! I'm always happy to answer the questions that I can :-)

Lemonadismdrew: haha indeed you are; ty!!

nyniea: I'm so happy to know you like the fic, ty for taking the time to read it and I hope you continue to enjoy it!! And yes, Hanbin and Jinhwan truly have a really genuine relationship :-)

Vampyreunnie: ohman ty hearing that my fic is well-written is really one of the highest praises I could possibly receive. Hope this chapter lived up to your expectations and hope you continue to enjoy the story!!

TOPfiiaaa: ty for your sweet comment!! Hope you continue to enjoy reading :-)

Jiah07: ty for taking the time to comment!! I'll gladly respond to my readers' comments; it truly makes me happy to talk with all of you :-) thanks for your encouragement and continue to enjoy reading!!

SyakieNuna: sorry the update is slightly later :-(

WeirdoTheGreat: ty for your wonderful comment, really: knowing that someone finds my writing good and the story smooth is truly a high praise so I'm really grateful!! Yes little Yunhyeong and Jinhwan who just wants everything for Yunhyeong and of course the tentativeness between Hanbin and Jinhwan are things I wanted to express and let my readers feel so I'm glad you got them all!! Haha don't cry but thanks so much for reading :-)

Also, just a heads-up, I'll be going overseas for slightly over a week soon, but I'll do my best to update another chapter before I fly!! If not, the next update will be in mid-December when I get back home, so I ask for your patience and thank all of you for reading thus far :-) if you want to continue talking/strike up a conversation with me, do drop me a personal message or something and I'll be more than happy to reply!! See you all soon ♡