Chapter Text
It happened on a random Tuesday in April.
To Jaehyun, it was supposed to be a regular day.
It started out that way. His mother had made him breakfast. His favorite fruit and bread. His father drove him to school. There was hardly traffic on the road due to his father’s punctuality. His teacher read them all a story before they started their workbooks. This week, the kindergarten class was working on their penmanship and proper syntax of simple sentences.
He played with his classmates at the playground during their break. He ate this packed rice and cut up steak for lunch. His father usually had meetings in the afternoon so his mother had to fetch him with their hired driver once school was over.
It was all a regular day until it wasn’t.
“Jaehyunie, you have taekwondo practice with Master Lee this evening,” his mother was saying as she carried his backpack into the elevator that would take them to their home. “We need to start on your homework assignments once we finish your afternoon snack if we want to make it on time.”
Jaehyun nodded dutifully. Since he had been going to kindergarten for a few months now, he had become an expert at navigating the required school uniform. There were knots and ties. Layers. Buttons. And belts. His mother had to teach him the first few days but by the second week of enrollment, he had perfected it. Much to his parents’ satisfaction.
Once the elevator doors opened, a loud giggle was heard. A loud giggle in a usual quiet corridor. It was unusual since Jaehyun was positive that he was the only child living on this floor. His parents ensured it.
But here was a child that looked about to be his age. Running down the hallway with the corners of a blanket tied around his neck like a cape. He had large eyes and a toothy smile as he plowed down the carpeted hall with bunny slippers. The ears of his slippers flapping wildly along with his cape.
His smile was bright and his large eyes only widened when he saw a child his age. He stopped in his tracks abruptly, toppling over on the length of his cape.
Jaehyun’s mom’s eyes widened as she gasped, placing a hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder to protect him from any collision. “Are you alright, sweetie?” His mother asked the boy.
The boy gathered himself up quickly as he nodded at her, “yes, sorry for running.” And then to Jaehyun, “do you want to play?”
Jaehyun looked taken aback that this strange child was asking him to play after never having met him.
His mother then answered for him, “I’m sorry, sweetie. Jaehyun here has to do his homework. Where is your mom?”
“Oh well—” The child’s cheeks turned red as if just realizing he wasn’t supposed to be out so carelessly.
And as if on cue, they all heard a “Lee Taeyong!”
Then a woman popped her head out from the apartment right across Jaehyun’s family’s. She was pretty. Just like the child standing before Jaehyun. Her eyes widened in surprise to find that her son wasn’t alone and then they narrowed into slits at her son as she scolded like any mother would, “what are you doing out in the hallway? You’re supposed to be helping me unpack.”
Taeyong looked guiltily at his mother, pout on his lips. “Sorry mommy, I got distracted.”
The woman shook her head as she joined the group down the hallway. She bowed at Jaehyun’s mother and the two women started talking. Because Jaehyun was read to at a young age, he could decipher what the adults were talking about easily.
The Lee Family was what they were called. Taeyong was their only son. They had moved from the countryside when Mr. Lee got a job opportunity in the city. Taeyong was around Jaehyun’s age and would start the same kindergarten the following Monday.
While the two women talked, Taeyong, who Jaehyun had discovered was quite mischievous, was gesturing for him to follow him. Jaehyun frowned. He never disobeyed his parents. And if his mother was talking to someone, it meant he had to wait patiently.
But Taeyong was already bounding down the hallway, cape floating behind him.
Jaehyun sighed.
And without another word, he ran off after the boy.
Jaehyun followed the straight line that ended in a right turn. When he turned, he was surprised to find the hallway empty. Where was Taeyong?
Jaehyun felt an unfamiliar sense of panic in his chest. A feeling he was sure most children felt when they lost their mother at the supermarket. But Jaehyun never had that problem since his mother taught him early on how to find customer service to get an adult to help him.
But here he was. Nervous.
“Boo!” Taeyong jumped from behind a large potted plant. He smiled triumphantly for having scared Jaehyun. Although Jaehyun didn’t stutter. Not at that, at least.
“Did I scare you?” Taeyong’s eyes were shining.
Jaehyun wanted to say no. He didn’t scare easily. Despite being six years old. But then he found himself being generous enough to give a nod. Which earned a happy clap from Taeyong.
“Do you want to know a secret?” Taeyong skipped over to where the windows were. “Look!”
Jaehyun’s eyes followed to where Taeyong was pointing to see a tiny action figure on the windowsill.
“He’s Captain Strong and he’s going to protect the city!” Taeyong whisper-yelled like it was a secret.
Jaehyun looked back at Taeyong then the figurine. He gave a nod, “okay.”
“Jaehyun, where are you?” He could hear his mother call from down the hallway.
“Taeyongie!” Mrs. Lee was calling too.
“We should go,” Jaehyun looked over his shoulder then back at Taeyong.
Taeyong frowned as he looked at his toy. “Okay, but Captain Strong needs to stay. He’s protecting the city!”
Jaehyun just gave a nod since he wasn’t sure how to respond.
The mothers eventually found them. Jaehyun’s mother looked worried while Taeyong’s mother looked embarrassed. She was quick to apologize to Mrs. Jeong.
“Jaehyun, we need to make it to taekwondo tonight,” Mrs. Jeong was already reaching for him to steer him back to their apartment. “You know you have a tight schedule and you shouldn’t be wandering off.”
“I’m sorry, Taeyong is quite the adventurer,” Mrs. Lee apologized, giving her son a look. Taeyong pouted but obeyed his mother when she signaled for him to stand by her side.
“I just wanted to play,” Taeyong whined softly.
“We’re so sorry, Taeyong,” Mrs. Jeong’s voice was softer as she looked at the boy. “Jaehyun has a busy schedule so he can’t really play all the time.”
“It’s okay,” Jaehyun found himself saying. “I wanted to follow.”
Taeyong’s eyes widened momentarily but then a big smile grew on his face as he stood across Jaehyun.
Mrs. Jeong looked at her son in surprise but then shrugged, “well, we should get going. Welcome to the neighborhood. Mrs. Lee, please let us know if you need anything.”
“Oh. Of course!” Mrs. Lee nodded her head quickly. “Thank you so much.”
“Let’s go Jaehyun,” his mother was already guiding him back down the hallway. Jaehyun was following his mother, not giving a second look back to the Lee family. He would go back to their nice apartment to have his snacks and finish his homework on their glass dining table like he always did. Then he would get changed for Taekwondo where he was currently a yellow belt. He would go about his regular day.
“Wait!”
Jaehyun and Mrs. Jeong turned around to see Taeyong rushing towards them with a tight fist. He stopped in front of Jaehyun, unclenching his fist to reveal the Captain Strong toy that he previously said he would leave.
“This is for you,” Taeyong offered, “he can protect you.”
“Protect me?” Jaehyun accepted the tiny toy in bewilderment.
“Just in case,” Taeyong gave him a toothy smile. Like it was the most obvious thing.
Mrs. Jeong tapped his shoulder, “Jaehyun, we should start on that homework already.”
Jaehyun looked at his mom then the toy in his palm. He then looked at Taeyong, “for protection.” He confirmed.
Taeyong smiled happily, clapping to himself that his toy was accepted.
“He’s so weird,” the girls whispered amongst themselves.
Even in the middle of the school playground chaos, Jaehyun could hear and understand what the girls who were sitting farther down the bench were saying.
They were talking about Taeyong. Again.
It had been only a month since Taeyong transferred into the class. And the reception of the class was a mixed bag. On one hand, their teacher seemed to adore Taeyong because he could spell his name already and asked the most interesting questions. On the other hand, a few of their classmates noticed that Taeyong was a little peculiar. His tie would always be skewed. His snacks were usually food reserved for old people like crackers and plain yogurt. He seemed to have an affinity for bugs as he would spend most of his playground time using a magnifying glass to study the creatures that inhabited their school field.
It was also strange whenever Taeyong would share stories about his life in the countryside. How his family owned a farm run by his grandparents.
Some of the classmates were dismissive while the others ignored the strange new addition to the classroom.
But lately, Jaehyun had noticed that some of them were out right mean.
“Why are his socks always uneven? And he gets his uniform so dirty whenever he lays on the grass.” A girl continued to whisper.
“No wonder no one wants to be his friend,” her friend responded.
“I wouldn’t be caught dead being his friend!” another girl cackled.
The girls giggled as they continued to watch Taeyong from afar.
Jaehyun continued to eat the sandwich his mother packed him. Just the way he liked it without the crust. He was never sure what to say in these situations. Taeyong was his neighbor but they weren’t exactly friends. He only ever really saw him in the hallway when their parents would take them to school.
“Let’s go get his magnifying glass,” one of the girls snickered as she stood up, straightening out her school skirt.
Her friend raised an eyebrow, looking nervously at where the teachers were supervising, “we’re going to get in trouble.”
“We’ll say it was an accident,” the girl shrugged, already marching her way over. Her lackeys looked at each other in panic but had no choice but to follow.
“Hi Taeyong,” the lead girl smiled mischievously.
Taeyong, who was leaning on his knees, looked up in surprise. His smile widened, “hi! Do you guys want to look at bugs?”
“Yes,” the girl responded, looking back at her friends with an evil grin. She then leaned over to snatch the magnifying glass out of Taeyong’s grip.
“Hey, wait–” Taeyong looked panicked as he scrambled on his feet. He was trying to reach for the magnifying glass but the girl would turn every time he got close enough to touch it.
“You need to be careful with that.” Taeyong’s eyes began watering as he gnawed at his lip. “It might break. It’s glass.”
“Oh, it’s not going to break,” the girl replied snarkily as she stared at the glass, pointing it in the direction of the sun. She was shocked to see such a bright light as she yelped. Dropping the object. In a haste, the girls scrambled around her. And in the commotion, there was a crack under the thick soles of a Mary Jane.
Taeyong gasped, eyes watering as he fell to his knees. He tried to retrieve the pieces.
“What is happening here?” Their teacher, Teacher Hana, came rushing over. She looked from the girls to Taeyong.
“Taeyong blinded me!” One of the girls claimed.
“Wh-what?” Taeyong looked up at their teacher, the shards of the glass in his palms.
“Taeyong, don’t touch that. Drop it!” Teacher Hana bent down to gently remove the shards.
“Teacher Hana, he blinded me with his magnifying glass.” The girl continued to whine. “Everyone saw it.”
She glared at her friends who scrambled to nod in haphazard agreement.
“Let’s calm down first,” Teacher Hana said as she looked at Taeyong. “Did you blind them with your magnifying glass?”
“I didn’t!” Taeyong looked helpless.
“We all saw it. Stop lying!” One of the girls accused.
At the commotion, the rest of the class crowded. They were all confused as to what was going on but when they noticed Taeyong was being accused. They all yelled guilty despite not having seen the crime.
Taeyong looked around, sniffling. “I didn’t, Teacher Hana!”
Teacher Hana sighed, “Taeyong, a lot of your classmates are saying you did.”
“But–”
“He’s lying.”
“That’s enough,” Teacher Hana scolded the other students. “I will handle it. Now, who can tell me honestly what happened here? Who saw what happened?”
“But Teacher Hana, it was really Taeyong!” the girls insisted.
“Actually,” Jaehyun up from the bench, putting the trash of his sandwich back into his lunch box. He made his way through the crowd to see Taeyong near tears with their teacher. “I saw the girls take the magnifying glass from him.”
The girls gasped, sending death glares towards Jaehyun. He met them with an even stare.
“But Teacher Hana–” one of the girls insisted on arguing.
“That’s enough,” Teacher Hana silenced her. “Jaehyun wouldn’t lie. And it sounds like you three were not being so nice to our new friend here. Is that the truth?”
The girls bowed their heads in shame. Understanding there was no use arguing with their teacher.
Teacher Hana helped Taeyong to his feet then looked at Jaehyun, “Jaehyun, please take Taeyong to the nurse.”
Jaehyun nodded as he started to make his way to the infirmary. Taeyong followed after, sniffling. Jaehyun frowned, feeling suddenly annoyed at the sound.
He stopped in his tracks then reached for Taeyong’s palms. They were mostly clean aside from a small cut near his thumb. He looked at Taeyong then, “don’t cry. It’s just a little cut.”
“But it hurts,” Taeyong whimpered as he pulled his arm back, trying to cover his palm with his other hand. “And–and my magnifying glass is broken.”
“You shouldn’t be bringing something like that to school if you don’t want it to be broken,” Jaehyun reached out for Taeyong’s wrist to continue guiding him on their trek to see the nurse.
“But… no one plays with me at the playground and no one wants to be my friend,” Taeyong said embarrassed. “At least the bugs are nice to me.”
Jaehyun said nothing for a moment. They continued walking. Once they were in front of the correct door that belonged to the nurse, Jaehyun said softly, “Well, from now on, I’ll be your friend. So stop crying.”
“Jeong Jaehyun,” a boy comes bounding up to him one day. It was a few days before their elementary school graduation so Jaehyun was relieved he didn’t have much homework. Since he was officially a blue belt in taekwondo, he had to go to practice more times throughout the week. It was his father’s request that Jaehyun receive his black belt before he went off to university.
“Yes?” Jaehyun looked up from the book he was reading. Classes had just been dismissed, so the courtyard was filled with students waiting for their parents to pick them up.
“Jeong Jaehyun, I am Byun Dae.” The boy introduced, “we’ve never had classes together but my father mentioned that it would be a good idea to invite you to my graduation party.”
Jaehyun was about to ask why on Earth his father would think that but then Jaehyun remembered what his own father said. How connections were important. So he shrugged, “Okay. When is your party?”
Dae handed him an invitation that read the details. Jaehyun would give it to his mother and then she could decide if he was free or not. He didn’t particularly care if he attended or not.
“Jaehyunie! Mr. Cho is coming!”
Jaehyun and Dae turned to where Taeyong was waving an excited hand in the air. He was already waiting by the curb where the cars were pulling up. Jaehyun nodded, gathering his things back into his backpack.
“I’ll see with my schedule but most likely, I’ll be free,” Jaehyun replied, still holding onto the invitation.
“Great,” Dae nodded, eyes darting over to where Taeyong was watching them from the curb. “And by the way, that invitation admits only one person.”
Jaehyun, who was about to walk off, stopped in his tracks. He turned around, “what do you mean?”
“Well, um, you’re friends with Lee Taeyong, right?” Dae gestured for Taeyong with a tilt of his head.
“Yes,” was Jaehyun’s response. He never cared who knew he was friends with Taeyong.
“Right,” Dae shuffled on his feet unevenly.
“What?” Jaehyun asked again, hating to keep Taeyong waiting.
“Well, he’s not invited,” Dae said quickly, like pulling a bandage off a wound. He cringed when he realized that Jaehyun was staring at him. Hard.
“Why?”
“Well,” Dae looked nervously. “He’s kind of weird, right?”
Jaehyun tried not to react to that. Over the years he had been Taeyong’s friend, he had heard his fair share of statements about him. That he was weird. Strange. Dorky.
“Why is he weird?” Jaehyun asked, feeling an annoyance grow in his chest. Jaehyun heard a familiar honk of his driver’s car behind him. He turned to see Mr. Cho opened the door for Taeyong but Taeyong was gesturing for Jaehyun across the courtyard.
Jaehyun raised a hand to signal that he would be there in a minute. He turned back to Dae, eyes hard as he waited for an explanation of some sort.
Dae sighed, “look, you’re pretty popular and well-liked at school. But Taeyong? He’s kind of weird. He likes talking to animals. He wears weird clothes. He talks on and on about those weird shows he watches. Don’t you wonder why no one wants to be his friend?”
Dae scoffed, malice lacing his tone, “he’s a loser.”
Jaehyun glared at him. He crumbled the invitation in his hand as he said clearly, voice never wavering, “he’s not a loser.”
With that, he turned on his heel to march over to where Taeyong was still standing outside the car to wait for him. He looked at Jaehyun in concern, “Jaehyunie? Is everything okay?”
Jaehyun met his eyes then. All irritation dissolved in an instant. How could anyone think Taeyong was a loser? Those stupid kids didn’t know anything.
So instead of explaining the truth that would hurt Taeyong’s feelings, Jaehyun shook his head dismissively, “you shouldn’t wait out by the curb, Taeyong. There’s moving traffic.”
Taeyong blinked. “But you were taking long.”
“You could have waited in the car,” Jaehyun cleared his throat, looking over at Mr. Cho with a nod. A signal that they could leave. Mr. Cho nodded as he rounded the corner to the driver’s side of the car.
“But I wanted to wait for you,” Taeyong said honestly. And Jaehyun knew his intentions were never full of deceit. A lot of people at his school only wanted to talk to him for selfish reasons. But never Taeyong.
Jaehyun just nodded. Never able to really stay mad at his friend for too long, “thanks for waiting, Taeyong.”
“No problem, Jaehyunie! Hey, I have some money that my parents gave me for cleaning around the house. Can we ask Mr. Cho if we can get ice cream before we go home? It’ll be my treat.” Taeyong’s mega-watt smile returned.
The day Jaehyun learned he was an alpha was the same year he started high school. It wasn’t much of a surprise since his family line was a tell tale sign that he would present as an alpha. He was sure that when he first visited his pediatrician, they already knew.
Jaehyun knew that the coming of age was a very serious matter for some people. Families doing full celebrations and announcements as the scrawny teenagers navigated their new lives. The alphas got taller and broader. The betas grew more mature. The omegas became more beautiful.
But for Jaehyun, it didn’t really matter.
He had always known he was going to be an alpha. His parents had spent most of his life preparing him for it. To Jaehyun, it wasn’t news but he was dreading what it all meant. All the responsibility that would come with it.
That summer he had presented as an alpha, his parents had informed him that he would spend his summer at a retreat with family. They were very secretive about it but Jaehyun assumed it had something to do with his new title as an alpha.
Jaehyun hated to be gone for the summer. Especially since he spent most of the break preparing for the start of classes and his taekwondo where he was working his way towards his black belt. Summer break was also the time Taeyong’s birthday came around.
“Taeyong is presenting this year,” Jaehyun’s mother said one evening that Jaehyun was packing his bags for his four weeks out in the mountains.
Jaehyun looked up. He nodded, “can you make sure he gets the gift I got him?”
Mrs. Jeong nodded as she helped fold his shirts in thin rectangles. “Jaehyun, now that you know you’re an alpha, we need to start talking about your future mate.”
Jaehyun dropped the bag of toiletries he was packing. He looked at his mom in confusion, “are you telling me that I need to start dating?”
“No, of course not!” Mrs. Jeong responded, “you’re still so young. But the years go by quickly and we need to make sure you’re ready. So after this summer, I want you to consider the idea of having a mate, okay? Not for now but for the future.”
Jaehyun readjusted the items in his luggage to make room for his toiletries bag. He hated that his future was lined out for him. Most times he was obedient. His parents never gave him a reason not to be. But the idea of a mate was preposterous if Jaehyun wasn’t sure he was ready.
“Can we talk about it when I return?” Jaehyun reasoned. He didn’t even want to know who of his mother’s friends’ children she had gotten in contact with.
Four grueling weeks later at his camping trip, Jaehyun returned. A little taller. And slightly stronger. The four weeks weren't as bad as he thought since he met Johnny, Mark, and Doyoung who had presented as alphas around the same time he did. And Jaehyun knew from his father that these three were who he was supposed to form lifelong bonds with.
It was a fun four weeks but Jaehyun was glad to be back home. While he was away in the mountains, he had learned to crochet. He crafted a crochet bear that was a little lopsided with some stitches coming unfurled. But he figured a certain someone would like it.
When Taeyong’s door opened, it was to Mrs. Lee. She smiled warmly when she saw him, “Jaehyun! You’re back from camp. Hello.”
“Hi Mrs. Lee,” Jaehyun bowed, “is Taeyong home?”
“Yes. Just a moment. Taeyong! Jaehyun is here.” Mrs. Lee called behind the door. She then turned to Jaehyun, “thank you so much for the gift. Taeyong loved it.”
“I’m glad,” Jaehyun nodded. Since it was a big birthday for Taeyong this year, he had decided to gift him a necklace with his birthstone. It was quite an expensive gift but he had saved all his birthday money over the years to purchase it. His parents couldn’t say anything about it.
“Jaehyunie!” Taeyong popped up behind his mother.
And Jaehyun had known Taeyong for a very long time at that point. A little over a decade. Jaehyun could recognize his large eyes, elfish ears, and thin lips anywhere. Jaehyun even knew the outline of the scar Taeyong had by his eye because of a climbing-tree-incident that happened when they were eight.
But here, Taeyong looked a little different.
“Um,” Jaehyun blinked, remembering that Mrs. Lee was there. “I wanted to let you know that I’m back. And happy birthday.”
He extended the monstrosity that was the bear he made for Taeyong. It was ugly. But Taeyong looked at it as if it weren’t. As if it was special and deserved to be looked at fondly. “Jaehyunie, this is so sweet! Did you make it?”
Jaehyun nodded.
“This is so nice. You already gave me so much with the necklace though,” Taeyong looked at his mom. She laughed, ruffling Taeyong’s hair that Jaehyun had noticed was longer since he last saw him. Mrs. Lee excused herself to give the two privacy.
“I’m wearing the necklace,” Taeyong pulled at the chain that was safely tucked under his shirt. “It’s really pretty, Jaehyunie.”
Jaehyun nodded. Finding himself pleased to have the chain adorn Taeyong’s neck.
“I made you something too!” Taeyong said suddenly, hugging the bear to his chest. “My parents enrolled me in art class this summer. I learned how to paint. Come to my room.”
Jaehyun followed curiously. He had been to Taeyong’s room many times. They would play there throughout their childhood since Taeyong had far better and more toys than Jaehyun did. Since his parents usually gifted him books to spend his time with.
When they entered Taeyong’s room, the walls were covered with different art pieces. All striking in color and design. Very Taeyong.
“Here!” Taeyong placed the bear gently on his bed before moving to get a painting. It was of sunflowers in a vase.
“Thank you,” Jaehyun smiled when he saw the bright colors.
“Will you hang it in your room?” Taeyong asked expectantly.
Jaehyun hardly had anything in his room. Only a few family photos. His room was professionally decorated by an interior designer. All neutral and cool tones. Taeyong’s painting would be so out of place in his color palette. But he figured he’d hang it anyway.
After a good hour catching up, Mrs. Jeong was calling Jaehyun home to help her set up for dinner.
“Did Taeyong give you that?” Mrs. Jeong eyed the painting curiously.
Jaehyun looked up from the dinner napkins he was folding. “Yes.”
“Hm,” Mrs. Jeong nodded then said suddenly, “Jaehyun, one of my friend’s sons presented as an omega recently. He lives in the city but goes to a different school from you. He seems very nice and is around your age. Would you like to meet him?”
“An omega?” Jaehyun repeated as he set down the napkins.
Mrs. Jeong nodded, “I can schedule something for you to meet before you resume classes.”
Mr. Jeong came in then, taking off his coat, “good evening, everyone. What’s for dinner?”
“Beef soup,” Mrs. Jeong replied as she greeted her husband with a kiss. “To celebrate Jaehyun’s return.”
Mr. Jeong smiled as he took his seat at the head of the table, “was it fun?”
“We did a lot,” Jaehyun responded, taking his seat as his mother began setting the table. “You didn’t tell me we would be dragging logs up a mountain though.”
Mr. Jeong chuckled, “I wanted to surprise you just like how my father surprised me. Think of it as an initiation. Was your time acceptable?”
“More than,” Jaehyun responded proudly. He then looked from his mother to his father, “why am I starting to meet omegas?”
Mrs. Jeong shared a look with her husband. Mr. Jeong cleared his throat, loosening his tie, “Jaehyun, there are some responsibilities you’ll need to take now that you’re an alpha. We explained this to you.”
“I don’t want to meet omegas,” Jaehyun said. He had never outwardly disobeyed his parents but he would be vocal about this. Especially since he had spent most of his life doing as his parents pleaded.
“Jaehyun, you can’t be an alpha without a mate,” Mrs. Jeong scolded, “especially since you’ll be out of high school soon. Most alphas have an idea who their mate will be by the age of twenty.”
“It’s still four years away,” Jaehyun responded.
“Jaehyun,” Mr. Jeong said, folding his hands together, “we just want you to be prepared.”
Prepared. That was the word his parents used often when regarding his future. And Jaehyun was compliant for the most part. It wasn’t overly demanding but slightly annoying. But Jaehyun wouldn’t budge in regards to his mate.
He cleared his throat, looking at his father and mother with a seriousness that was a little too much for a sixteen-year-old, “I refuse to meet other omegas.”
“Jaehyun, you–” his mother started but was abruptly cut off by her son.
“Taeyong is an omega,” Jaehyun said simply. He didn’t know it when Taeyong first opened the door earlier that evening. But after spending a few minutes in close proximity in Taeyong’s room, he realized why his scent was different.
“Taeyong?” Mrs. Jeong repeated in confusion. She and her husband shared a look as they communicated silently.
Jaehyun waited patiently. He’d wait as long as he had to. He wouldn’t budge for this.
Eventually, Mr. and Mrs. Jeong shared a nod. Mrs. Jeong then looked at her son, “very well.”
Jaehyun nodded, the corner of his lip rising slightly.
After dinner spent catching up with his parents, Jaehyun made his way to his bedroom carrying the painting Taeyong gave him. He’d try to find a frame large enough to fit it but for the night, it would lay on his desk.
Right next to the action figure Taeyong gave him all those years ago.