Bonus Chapter: Culture Shock

The Domino Effect
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The enjoyment of countless celebrations with friends and family has been the norm for Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Everything from wedding anniversaries to graduations and anything in between has warranted a huge gathering with an equally huge cake.

Everyone was in the midst of celebrating something that deserved more than just a pretty cake and a few shouts of congratulations. A celebration anyone would be proud to be apart of.

The time to celebrate Jongdae's homecoming had finally come around. A day to celebrate his journey into genuine adulthood, his transition from boy to man. A day to celebrate the calling he had successfully responded to and every task he'd carefully completed.

After 3 years away from his friends, with only a single visit for each of them to hold on to, he was back. He was home. He was there to stay.

The beginning of the day was light-hearted in nature. There was cake, of course, questions and answers, and plenty laughter to fill the room. Jongdae was full of fun stories and interesting experiences to share. He told every single one with a smile on his face and a look of pride and satisfaction.

There was an unmistakable twinkle in his eye throughout the whole night. It was a light that had been missing his entire life. Jongdae had done exactly what it was he had been destined to do. The light in his eye was reciprocated by every single one of his friends because to see him so happy was what they had all wanted.

The light in his eyes never dimmed, even after Mina, Jaxon, and Ryder went to sleep. It stayed bright enough to fill an entire room, to make everyone else's night just a little bit better. Throughout the night, he continued to tell stories to his 11 closest friends after the 12 of them settled down in Baekhyun and Chanyeol's living room.

In exchange for Jongdae's fun stories, his friends filled him in on the past 3 years he'd missed over a couple glasses of wine. He learned that Mina had turned 9 while he was in Afghanistan, celebrating the day of her birth in an exciting way. Jaxon had just turned 4 and Ryder had turned 5. The both of them celebrated their birthdays together to show off the developing friendship they shared.

He learned that Kang-Joon and Nana were soon expecting a baby, explaining the reason for their absence that night. He also found out that Sung-Woo had decided not to come because he felt Jongdae's homecoming was something that only his very best of friends needed to celebrate with him.

Jongdae was pleasantly surprised to find Yifan and Zitao at his celebration party since they still lived in San Francisco. He soon found out that them returning to Massachusetts in time for his return to Massachusetts was something that had been planned from the beginning.

When prompted by Jongdae, they jumped at the opportunity to fill everyone in on their lives outside of Massachusetts. Yifan took the time to describe his successful career as a lawyer and have Chanyeol offer up commentary and questions that only a fellow lawyer would think to say and ask.

Nothing was off limits when it came to the 12 friends because they knew each other so well. Nothing was filtered or hidden, nothing was left unsaid. At least, that's what Baekhyun had assumed when he attempted to bring up their recent trip to Korea. Chanyeol proved him wrong when he gave his 27 year old husband a slight shake of the head that almost went unnoticed.

The subject was changed and diverted smoothly by Chanyeol while the only other person who knew there was more to the story was Baekhyun. Since the trip that had taken place just a couple months before, Chanyeol had been in constant communication with his mother. Baekhyun's knowledge of the situation went no further than that.

He had no idea what Chanyeol and his mom talked about secretly. Had no idea if his feelings for her had changed and how they might have changed. Baekhyun was kept in the dark because Chanyeol wanted to keep his mother at arm's length away from his family and friends. Baekhyun understood and appreciated the need for secrecy because he wasn't ready to welcome the past into the present. To welcome someone who had hated him for things beyond his control. Because to do that would mean to give someone another chance.

He'd given his mother another chance to be in his life, to accept him for who he was. When she continued to reject him, to react to him with hostility, he felt used. As if the very strength it took for him to give her another chance meant nothing to her.

He refused to take that risk with Chanyeol's mother.

Baekhyun knew Chanyeol respected his opinion on the matter and realized he was grateful that the subject was quickly changed. Instead of the topic being their recent trip to Korea, it was about something just as meaningful and more important.

In great detail, Baekhyun told Jongdae about his newest job in the clinical psychology field. He worked alongside a more experienced psychologist in order to gain the necessary skills to open his own practice.

"I'm glad that's still a priority for you." Jongdae smiled after hearing about Baekhyun's unwavering dedication to own his own business and how much closer he was to making his dream a reality.

"Always." Baekhyun smiled in return because he knew nothing could ruin his joy and excitement for what was ahead.

**

It was hard to say goodbye to their friends once the night had to come to an end. It was even harder to say goodbye to Jongdae because a mere 6 hours with him was not enough to make up for the 3 years without him.

"Are you sure you don't wanna stay here with us?" Baekhyun cocked his head to the side when the only people left were him, Chanyeol, Sehun, and Jongdae.

Jongdae smiled and politely declined the offer. Regardless of the fact that their guest bedroom was very empty and very comfortable. "Thanks but I'm gonna stay with Sehun."

"Right." Baekhyun nodded thoughtfully. Before the two of them could leave, curiosity got the best of him. He had to ask, "Are the two of you back together or...?"

"We're friends." Jongdae was quick to say while Sehun was even quicker to say, "With benefits."

Baekhyun held back an amused laugh before waving goodbye to the two friends (with benefits). Once he shut the door behind them, he and Chanyeol were alone again. A common occurrence after the kids went to bed and some of the best moments Baekhyun could ask for.

Each night they spent alone was different. Different topics of conversation. Different ways to strengthen their friendship and relationship. Different ways to proclaim their love. Different ways to just be together.

That is, only if the quiet night was lucky enough not to be interrupted by something Mina or Jaxon needed. Because above all else, they were still two working parents.

Needless to say, the both of them were more than deserving of just one more small glass of wine before retiring to bed.

After gathering in the kitchen, Baekhyun accepted a partially filled wine glass from his husband. He smiled in gratitude and had only taken a tiny sip of the red liquid before the sound of a doorbell prevented him from taking another one.

Chanyeol hadn't been quite as lucky as Baekhyun and only managed to bring the glass up to his lips before the doorbell sounded throughout the house.

Both of them shared the same suspiciously curious look. Neither of them was expecting visitors because it was around 11pm. If it were any one of their friends without a valid reason for showing up on their doorstep, Baekhyun would make sure to give them a piece of his mind.

The sound of the doorbell was sure to wake Aladdin, which would wake Mina, and possibly wake Jaxon. After a couple more rings sounded throughout the house, all three of those events happened in a domino effect sort of way.

Aladdin started barking, prompting Mina to groggily call down and ask why the doorbell was ringing, which made Jaxon cry for his parents before either of them could answer their daughter.

"I'll go take care of them. You go take care of whoever's at the door."

Baekhyun nodded and made his way to the door. He didn't bother to put his wine glass down because he'd be damned if he let someone unknown interrupt his enjoyment of his alcoholic beverage. He partly expected one of their friends to be waiting on the other side of the door for one reason or another. At the same time, he knew it was highly unlikely that any of their friends would just show up in the middle of the night unless it was an emergency.

So if it wasn't one of their friends with a valid reason, who could it be for what reason?

Before Baekhyun opened the door, he heard the sounds of Chanyeol moving around upstairs to get the kids back to bed and ready for the next day ahead of them.

With the glass of wine in his left hand, he used his right hand to open the front door. He wasn't exactly surprised to see it wasn't one of their friends but the amount of surprise at seeing who it actually was made up for that.

He blinked a couple times to make sure his vision wasn't ing with him. He did have a couple glasses of wine already in his system. So, there was a possibility he was just seeing things. Right?

After blinking a few times to find that the person standing in front of him was still the same person they ran into in Korea, Baekhyun's eyes widened.

"Mrs. Park, what the hell are you doing here?" He asked in a very shocked tone of Korean.

She bowed politely before instinctively wrapping her large coat tighter around her body. Well, it was early December after all and the air was more than a little chilly.

Despite the cold weather, the idea of letting her in the house didn't cross his mind. As Baekhyun stood with the door partly open and the wine glass in his hand, he wondered why Chanyeol's mother was standing on their doorstep in the middle of the night with a large suitcase and a shy expression.

Did Chanyeol even know about this? Did he know his mother would come up with the brilliant idea to fly across the world and hail a taxi to end up standing on her son's doorstep? Did she think having to face Baekhyun was really a good idea?

"I came to visit." She responded calmly.

"You're insane, you know that? Did it ever occur to you that I would be the one to answer the door instead of Chanyeol?" Baekhyun hissed and still made no move to let her inside. She stood still, looking pitiful in the cold.

Because she didn't respond, he continued, "If Chanyeol wants to let you into his life, that's fine. He can do whatever the hell he wants. But I don't want you in my life or my kids' lives. You've overstayed your welcome."

He made a move to close the door on her, realizing how rude of him it was but he had every right not to let a stranger in his house or near his kids. For the past 9 years, she had been a stranger to them all.

Desperately wanting Baekhyun to give her a chance, Mrs. Park pushed her weight against the door so he couldn't close it. In the middle of their struggle, Baekhyun working to close the door tightly and Mrs. Park working to keep the door open, Baekhyun's wine glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.

He cursed loudly when he gave up the struggle to focus his attention on the shattered glass around his feet. Aside from that particular glass being extremely nice, it drew Baekhyun's immediate attention because he knew it would draw Chanyeol's attention.

Being the most amazing and protective husband that he was, Chanyeol would undoubtedly rush downstairs at the sound of shattered glass spurred on by the idea that Baekhyun was alone with a stranger in the middle of the night.

It only took a mere 3 seconds before Chanyeol's voice could be heard from upstairs, growing increasingly louder with every passing half second.

"Baek, are you okay?"

No, Baekhyun was not even close to being okay. He had a long day of work ahead of him tomorrow in addition to errands to run. Mina had dance practice after school and Jaxon, who wanted to be just as good a musician as his father, had piano lessons after daycare. How insensitive of Mrs. Park to forget that it was the middle of the week and the family she was hoping to stay with had no time for her?

Baekhyun only responded with a simple yes because he didn't want to worry Chanyeol.

Still, the younger husband was by his older husband's side before anyone could blink. Only when Chanyeol wrapped a protective arm around Baekhyun and faced their late night visitor did he blink in surprise.

Once. Twice. Thrice.

He looked inquisitively at Baekhyun as if he had somehow acquired all the answers in the short time they had been apart. Quite the opposite, actually, Baekhyun didn't have a single answer.

"Chanyeol, may I come in?" She asked. She had been standing in the cold for quite some time. If Chanyeol hadn't been so shocked he would have paid more attention to her needs and allowed her some relief from the cold.

Instead, he answered with a question of his own, "What are you doing here?"

It was her turn to look shocked. "You invited me."

Chanyeol's eyes grew wide while Baekhyun's grew even wider before narrowing into suspicious slits. The whole time Chanyeol and his mom had been communicating, Baekhyun hadn't had a clue what their conversations were about. But never did he suspect they'd been talking about her coming to visit.

"You invited her?" Baekhyun asked, incredulous and pissed off.

"Not exactly."

That was when Chanyeol finally invited her in, much to Baekhyun's dismay. He offered to take her coat and prepare something hot for her to drink. She accepted both requests and made herself comfortable in the living room per Chanyeol's insistence.

Baekhyun stayed by the front door and cleaned up the wine and broken glass in order not to be alone with one of the 4 total people who had been the first to show him the true power of hate and discrimination. The woman who had once despised him for giving her a granddaughter she didn't want and a grandson whose existence had been revealed to her just a couple months ago. Why would he want to be alone with a woman who hated her son for finding true love in a world where true love was so precious? Why would he want to be alone with a woman who reminded him of his own mother?

Baekhyun finished cleaning the glass around the same time Chanyeol finished preparing a mug of hot tea. They bumped (not literally) into each other halfway between the front door and the kitchen.

Baekhyun had his arms crossed and an impressive resting face aimed at Chanyeol that was 100% intentional.

Chanyeol immediately picked up on Baekhyun's contempt because he quickly said, "I'll explain everything."

"This better be a kick explanation." Since it seemed as if Chanyeol had a lot to do with his mom showing up in the middle of the night, he'd better have a damn good reason why so Baekhyun could find a damn good reason not to be pissed at him.

The three of them settled in the living room together where Baekhyun and Chanyeol had been just an hour before with all their friends. Never in a million years did Baekhyun think he'd be sitting in his own house with Chanyeol's mom sitting across from him. Then again, he'd never expected they'd run into her in Korea and that Chanyeol would keep in touch with her afterward.

Life was full of unexpected occurrences.

Chanyeol waited for his mother to take a long sip of her tea before saying, "I think there's been a huge misunderstanding here."

"Clearly." Baekhyun interjected in a way that made Chanyeol look back at him in annoyance.

He continued on with, "Mom, I felt so grateful that you were really making an effort to keep in touch with me and that you wanted to be apart of my life. So I wanted to repay you by sending you pictures of the house, my office, and the city and talking about you coming to visit in the future."

"It's been a few weeks since you brought up me coming to visit. Wasn't that what you meant by waiting until the future?"

Chanyeol shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry you misunderstood me. When I said future, I was thinking a couple years down the line. I'm not ready to introduce the kids to a new grandmother and I know Baekhyun's not ready either. I'm not ready for you to be apart of my life in this way." He gestured to the three of them sitting down in the United States, in Massachusetts, in their home. Chanyeol had been nowhere near ready for his mom to just show up like that.

"Oh." She looked down sadly as the full realization that she wasn't welcome hit her.

Chanyeol seemed sad too while Baekhyun just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep to get away from it all.

"I'm sorry. I know you're ready to be a grandmother and a mom again but all of us have to be ready as well."

She had mistaken her son's kindness for acceptance. Just another mistake to add to the list.

"I understand now." She responded. Her face was unmoving, giving nothing away about how she was really feeling. It was more of in the way her hands shook when placing the tea on the coffee table and the dark look of regret in her eyes that gave away how she was feeling and what she was feeling.

Baekhyun hadn't spoken much because he didn't know what to say. The whole situation was as awkward for him as it was for everyone involved. Really, he just wanted to go to bed.

He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Are we done here?"

Before anyone could say a word, a familiar pair of light footsteps belonging to Mina sounded on the stairs and in the hall. Baekhyun jumped up immediately for two reasons. He was grateful for an excuse to leave the room and make it a priority that Chanyeol's mother was not seen by either of their children.

Baekhyun was successfully able to prevent Mina from walking into the living room during the awkward discussion that was still taking place between Chanyeol and his mom.

"Why aren't you asleep?" He turned her back in the direction of the stairs, hoping she would get the hint.

"I can't fall back asleep. I want daddy to tell me a story."

Of course it had to be Chanyeol she wanted while he was busy with his mother. It's so ironic how irony can appear anywhere. For example, Mina had previously met her unknown grandmother by chance in Korea. Ironically enough, she would soon meet her grandmother once more by chance. Except, Korea was a long ways away.

"He's busy."

"Doing what?" The 9 year old looked up at her mom curiously. Instead of waiting for an answer, Mina cocked her head to the side for a split second before darting past Baekhyun to see just how "busy" her dad really was.

Baekhyun groaned internally because he knew Mina was just going to make the situation more complicated. She had a real talent for making things complicated. Intentionally and unintentionally.

Even if Baekhyun had managed to get her upstairs, the situation wouldn't have been much different. Because honestly, it's hard to ignore a quiet conversation spoken only in Korean between your father and an unfamiliar lady in an American household.

Baekhyun followed Mina into the living room with the mindset that things would not be turning out as he'd hoped.

When Mina walked into the living room, 2 sets of eyes were suddenly on her. One set that she was extremely familiar with and another set that she was seemingly familiar with. It took her a moment to place the other less familiar set. But once she did, she smiled excitedly.

"You were in Korea!" She exclaimed, excitement coursing throughout her whole body. She bounced on the balls of her feet and pointed excitedly like the little spitfire she was. Her hair, that had previously rested on her back calmly, bounced along with her. It was as if the excitement radiated down every strand.

Mrs. Park seemed confused at Mina's words before nodding tentatively. Not being able to communicate well with her granddaughter was simply one more thing to crush her spirit.

"Ne. Yes."

"Is she staying with us?" That time, Mina directed her excitement towards her father.

"No."

All the excitement vanished from her little body. "Does she have a place to stay?"

Mina loved people, cared about people, and wanted to help people. But sometimes, it wasn't always appropriate to lend a helping hand and show a pique of curiosity.

Chanyeol hesitated for a moment before repeating Mina's question to his mother in Korean. Of course she didn't have a place to stay. Chanyeol hadn't had a chance to offer her a paid hotel stay and plane ticket to Seoul. Mina had interrupted the 2 of them before he could speak of either.

"No." Mrs. Park replied.

"She doesn't have a place to stay." Mina looked from her mother to her father with wide pleading eyes. They knew exactly what she was asking and they had to say no.

The only reason Mina wanted to help Mrs. Park was that she remembered the sad look on her face when she was alone in the Korean restaurant. At that time, she felt as if no one cared about Mrs. Park's feelings. That was why she had taken the initiative to speak to her.

Looking from her mother to her father once more, she still felt as if neither of them cared about Mrs. Park. Because for a 9 year old, things were still black or white, one way or the other. She didn't bother to think that there might have been more to the story. All she knew was what she saw and wanted. She saw a kind hearted lady who looked like her father. And she didn't want to send Mrs. Park away.

"We'll find her a nice hotel to stay at." Baekhyun reasoned. Mina was having none of it.

"But you can't stay in a hotel room by yourself."

Baekhyun put his hand on her shoulder to quiet her. He'd heard enough. "Mina, it's extremely late and you need to be in bed. No more stalling." He said sternly.

She looked down in defeat. For years to come, she would not understand to what extent her conception led to chaos. She would not understand that the woman she wanted so badly to help had despised her very existence.

When Baekhyun led her away to put her to bed for good, she turned around and said to her father, "Daddy, don't make her stay at a hotel alone."

Mina had no idea what it felt like to be alone and without a family. By looking at the older woman's face, she knew Mrs. Park was all too familiar with being alone.

Once Chanyeol was alone with his mother, he felt a pang in his heart. Mina had struck a sensitive nerve, reminding him of the fact that he would be sending his mother to an empty house in Korea, forcing her to cook by herself and eat alone, to fill an empty chair at a table made for 4 that would forever seat one.

If Chanyeol had already made the decision to allow her back in his life, what sense would it make to send her away from the one place she most wanted to be?

"Do the kids know that we're related?"

Chanyeol hadn't realized he'd been staring off into space until she spoke, reminding him he wasn't alone. "They know nothing."

"I'm sorry. It will be confusing for you to have to explain me to them. I shouldn't have shown up so suddenly. I'm sorry, Chanyeol. Please forgive me."

The weight of her words hinted at something more serious than showing up on their doorstep uninvited. She was apologizing for whatever Chanyeol had to go through without a mother for support and guidance. She was growing older and weary, approaching a time in her life where she needed her son's forgiveness to be at peace.

"I still can't forgive you." He murmured quietly. His mouth would not form the words even if he tried. So he didn't try. He wasn't ready.

He stood suddenly. So suddenly that his mother flinched. She was expecting him to lead her to the door and send her back out in the cold. If he did, his heart and soul would be as cold and bitter as the winter air.

Daddy, don't make her stay at a hotel alone.

How could he, a loving father and son, upset his daughter and mother on the same day?

He grabbed the handle of his mom's suitcase and gestured that she follow him. She obliged, surprised to see him make his way upstairs with the suitcase in tow.

He led her down the upstairs hall, dimly lit with nightlights for the kids, and over to a closed white door. He put a finger up to his lips, gesturing for his mother to stay quiet. She nodded, hands clasped in front of her, feeling out of place in a home that wasn't hers.

He lowered his finger at the same time he pressed his ear against the door. After a few moments of listening, he was able to make out separate voices belonging to his daughter and spouse. Based on the voices, Chanyeol could tell that Baekhyun was occupied with telling Mina a story to get her to bed.

Before pulling his ear away, he noted with a smile that Baekhyun was re-telling the story of how they met and became best friends throughout kindergarten and beyond. The story would end with them kissing for the very first time and realizing they had something even more special than a simple friendship.

Based on the few patches of conversation Chanyeol picked up on, he came to the conclusion that the story was halfway done.

He gestured for his mom to follow him even further down the hall. She obeyed and walked behind him until he stopped and opened the last door on the left. He ushered her in quickly and placed her suitcase near the end of the bed.

"I don't understand." She looked confused while standing in the guest room.

"It's late and everyone's tired. You just got off of a long flight." He replied as if that would somehow answer her questions. Thankfully, she understood what he

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tonnettie
#1
Chapter 55: They really have a tough life before they got here they are now, I hope more people would be enduring when facing challenges like this.
tonnettie
#2
Chapter 28: You made me cry
rbdgirl
#3
Chapter 35: That is life ,life goes on
Sparkleinhereyes
#4
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Galaxyboo_
#5
Chapter 16: I always think cheating is horrible but well they willing to give 2nd chance so okey.. But then using someone to move on is another thing that I hate whyyyy
Sparkleinhereyes
#6
❤️❤️❤️
Sparkleinhereyes
#7
Thank-you for writing thsi it's so beautiful I was crying and laughing all at once ahhhh
Sparkleinhereyes
#8
This is best chanbaek ff
Pxnellyxq #9
Chapter 55: YEAAAAA I LOVED IT
Pxnellyxq #10
Chapter 26: ahhh I’m crying for the both of them, I AM SO PROUD AND HAPPY