Chapter Text
It was late-July when Jinyoung had invited his friends over for another sleepover. Guanlin was going to return to Taiwan for a few weeks, so this would be the last time their entire group of friends would be able to get together. Jaehwan had even built a fort in the living room once more, just so that the kids could have come privacy.
"Just knock on our door if you need anything." Jinyoung's father said as he passed by the fort. Samuel popped his head out of the fort and waved at the young doctor before Jinyoung's head also popped his head out.
"Goodnight dad! Say goodnight to Jaehwan too for me." Jinyoung smiled happily at his father before climbing back into the fort with Samuel.
"Why do you have to go back to Taiwan, Guanlin? I thought you were going to middle school with us!" Daehwi said, throwing some popcorn in the other boy's direction. Guanlin tried to catch the popcorn in his mouth, but sadly he missed each piece.
"I'll be back by the time school starts! My dad has some business thing to do and he wants the family to go with him." Guanlin said, defending himself. Daehwi's only reply was more popcorn thrown over in his direction.
"When are you leaving again, Jinyoung?" Jihoon asked as he stole some popcorn from Daehwi. He was laying on the floor with his head on Daehwi's legs.
"In like two weeks, I think." Jinyoung replied, thinking to what his father had told him earlier in the day. They were going to borrow Seongwoo's van, just like when Jinyoung moved to Seoul. This time, Jaehwan was going to come with them which meant that Jaehwan would be meeting Jinyoung's mother for the first time.
Jinyoung hoped things weren't going to be awkward between them.
"That means we only have two weeks left to see each other! Are you ever going to visit Seoul again?" Samuel asked. He was worried about not being able to see Jinyoung again.
"I have to ask my parents about that, but I think they'll let me visit a few times." Jinyoung replied. He still hadn't asked his father about visiting Seoul again, but he already knew that his father was going to visit him in Busan.
"You definitely need to come back on my birthday, okay? It doesn't have to be this year, but maybe next year! Or even the year after that..." Jihoon mumbled, staring at Jinyoung for a moment before turning his attention back to the bowl of popcorn Daehwi was holding.
"Or maybe you can visit during the next summer vacation! I wonder if my parents will let me visit you in Busan... Where's Busan anyway?" Guanlin said and everyone laughed when he asked where Busan was located. "I'm serious! I don't know where Busan is!"
"It takes a long time to get there if it's a car ride, Guanlin. It's kind of far." Jinyoung said, still laughing at what the young Taiwanese boy had said. Guanlin pouted and threw some popcorn at Jinyoung.
"We had a lot of fun while you were here, didn't we?" Daehwi said, smiling at Jinyoung, thinking back to all of the fun they had with Jinyoung. He was happy to have met Jinyoung and he wasn’t sure how middle school would be without him.
"Yeah, I had a lot more fun here than in Busan. Maybe it's because you guys are all so loud and fun." Jinyoung grinned, but his friends all let out groans of protests. They didn't agree with him at all.
"We're not loud!" Jihoon yelled, causing Jinyoung to throw a pillow at him.
"Stop yelling! My dad and Jaehwan hyung are trying to sleep!" Jinyoung whispered, trying to shush is friend. Jihoon laughed and threw the pillow back at him with a grin.
"What was it like living with your dad for almost a year?" Samuel asked. Jinyoung paused for a moment, thinking of what quite exactly to say. At first, Jinyoung was a bit nervous about being away from his mother and grandparents for so long. He lived his entire life in Busan and that was all he had ever really known.
However, thanks to his friends and everyone else met in Seoul, Jinyoung was able to enjoy himself and adjust to life. It was almost like he had lived in Seoul his entire life and that he was raised with his friends. He knew all about the area of Seoul that his father lived in and if allowed, he could even walk around by himself (though he knew his father would never let him do that).
He wanted to stay in Seoul, but he knew his rightful place was in Busan, beside his mother. He was all she had.
"Living with my dad was fun, but I really missed my mom. I'm excited to see her again." Jinyoung said softly, smiling at Samuel.
"I know this is a personal question, but I've always wondered... What's it like having a mom and dad that aren't married?" Jihoon asked, being as straightforward as ever. He didn't want to seem rude, but he just had to ask. He had been curious about Jinyoung's family ever since he revealed that his parents weren't married.
Jinyoung just shrugged, "I never really thought it was strange. My parents get along and stuff, but they aren't in love or anything like that. I don't think my mom struggled when raising me because my grandparents always helped her out."
"But didn't it feel strange not being able to see your dad all the time?" Guanlin asked, thinking about the doctor.
"A little bit, but my dad would visit me like twice a month. He tried his best to spend a lot of time with me." Jinyoung replied, shrugging once more. He knew his family was unusual, but it never bothered him at all.
He loved his family, regardless of how different they seemed. His parents made him happy and they always did their best to take care of him.
"I can't believe we're not going to the same middle school... Maybe we should just run away to Busan with Jinyoung!" Jihoon suggested, but everyone rolled their eyes. They all knew Jihoon was just kidding.
"We can still talk to each other, right? We can call! Then maybe we'll be able to get our own cellphones one day." Daehwi said, getting excited over the idea of having his own cellphone. He had asked his mother about getting a cellphone, but she hadn't said yes yet to him.
"I'm getting a cellphone when I start high school, what about you guys?" Guanlin asked. He looked around at his friends, waiting for their responses.
"My mom said I'm too young now, so I'll probably get a cellphone in high school too."
"I'm getting one in high school too!"
"I think I'm getting one when I turn thirteen."
"Me too, my parents said I can have a phone when turn thirteen."
Jinyoung smiled at his friends before yawning softly, causing them to stare at him in shock. It wasn't even that late yet, but the young boy was already tired. Daehwi threw a pillow in Jinyoung's face, trying to keep him awake.
"You're not allowed to fall asleep yet! We're having a pillow fight!" Jihoon exclaimed, throwing a pillow at Jinyoung as well.
Everyone quickly defended themselves with a pillow, getting ready for the pillow fight that was about to happen. Jinyoung grinned and readied himself with his own pillow before smacking Guanlin in the stomach. The children all cheered before hitting each other with the pillows as well.
Jinyoung knew it was going to be their last time all together for a long time, but he was thankful his friends were just being themselves.
He was going to miss them a lot.
He was going to miss Seoul a lot.
-
"Baejin, I know you don't want to pack your things right now, but I need you to get off me so that I can start making lunch."
Jaehwan smiled at the young boy that was laying on top of him. They were laying on the couch, watching TV together. Jinyoung had started clinging on him a few days ago and he even slept in between Jaehwan and Minhyun last night. The adults didn't mind, but they did think it was pretty cute.
"I don't want to move. I'm sleepy." Jinyoung mumbled, still laying on top of Jaehwan.
"Minhyun hyung! Your son won't get off me!" Jaehwan called and the young doctor soon appeared by the couch as well.
"Aw, you guys look cute. Let me take a picture!" Minhyun smiled and took his phone out to take a picture of his fiancée and son. Jinyoung smiled in the direction of the camera and Jaehwan tried his best to keep his expression neutral.
After taking the picture, Minhyun carefully lay himself on top of his son, causing both Jaehwan and Jinyoung to complain. There was no way Jinyoung could handle the weight of his father and Jaehwan definitely could not handle the weight of both Minhyun and Jinyoung.
"Get off! I can't breathe!" Jaehwan exclaimed, trying to get Minhyun off of Jinyoung. The young boy laughed at Jaehwan before trying to push his father away as well.
Minhyun chuckled and got off of the couch, picking up his son as well. He held Jinyoung in his arms and kissed his son's forehead softly.
"You need to hurry and pack your things, Baejin. We're driving to Busan next week already." Minhyun said and his son just frowned.
"Dad, I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you and Jaehwan hyung!" Jinyoung said with tears already forming in his eyes. Minhyun sighed and took a seat on the couch, letting Jinyoung sit on his lap. Jaehwan sat up and took his place next to Minhyun, smiling sadly at the young boy.
"We're talked about this before, Jinyoung. You have to go back to your mother." Minhyun said softly, as he gently pat his son's cheek. Jinyoung rarely got emotional, but it was evident to see that he really wanted to stay in Seoul. "I know It's going to be hard."
"I don't want to leave though! I'm going to miss all my friends here..." Jinyoung mumbled sadly. Jaehwan reached over and gently pat the young boy's head, trying to calm him down before more tears would fall.
"We're going to miss you too, but your mom needs you with her." Jaehwan said, staring at Jinyoung with a sad smile. He didn't want Jinyoung to leave as well. Life would be completely different without the young boy with them.
"You can always visit us here whenever you have a break from school. Jaehwan and I can even go visit you in Busan whenever we have free time." Minhyun said, reassuring his son as best as he could.
"Do you promise to visit me? I want Jaehwan to visit me too!" Jinyoung said, looking back and forth between his father and Jaehwan. They both smiled at him before nodding their heads.
"And I can come visit during vacation, right?" Jinyoung continued on, moving off of Minhyun's lap and onto Jaehwan's. Jaehwan smiled at the boy and cupped his cheeks, squishing them together.
"Of course you can. There's always going to be a place for you here with us." Jaehwan said, watching as Jinyoung smiled widely at him. His expression brightened immediately when he was told he could come back whenever he had time.
"Make sure you take care of your mother when she gets back! She's probably going to be working a lot more, so I want you to make sure she eats enough and gets a lot of rest." Minhyun said as he gently pat Jinyoung's hair. The young smiled at his father before getting off of Jaehwan's lap.
"I'm gonna go pack some stuff! I'll be right back!" Jinyoung said as he ran towards his room. Minhyun chuckled and lay back on the couch, pulling Jaehwan to lay next to him. The couple was silent together, just listening to the sound of their own breathing.
Minhyun ran his hand lazily through Jaehwan's hair before starting to hum a random song he had heard earlier in the day. Jaehwan chuckled a bit before kissing Minhyun's cheek.
"Does he really have to go? It's going to feel strange without him here." Jaehwan said softly as he sat up to look at Minhyun properly. Minhyun simply pulled him back down into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Jaehwan whined, trying to escape Minhyun's hold. The young doctor said nothing and only continued to hold Jaehwan close to him.
Jaehwan knew that it was hard for Minhyun to admit his feelings about his son leaving. He didn't want Jinyoung to leave as well, but he had to be strong in front of his son. It was clear to see that Minhyun had changed due to his son living with him. He became brighter and more energetic, which made Jaehwan extremely happy. It's not that Minhyun was gloomy to begin with, but there was definitely something that clicked in Minhyun when his son moved in.
"I don't want him to go... But I know he has to." Minhyun said softly before kissing the top of Jaehwan's head.
"We can start planning our visits to Busan and let's try to figure out when he has a vacation during school, because then we can bring him to Seoul for a few days." Jaehwan said, reminding Minhyun of what he had said earlier. Minhyun smiled and nodded his head, pleased with Jaehwan's answer.
"I'm going to go help him pack some things. Can you get started on making lunch?"
"Okay, I'll make Baejin's favorite food for lunch."
Jaehwan smiled and got off of the couch before pulling Minhyun off of the couch as well. Minhyun gently pat Jaehwan's head before walking over to his son's room to help him pack.
Things were definitely going to be different without Jinyoung's presence in the apartment. Jaehwan wasn't exactly sure how to feel about all of the changes that would be happening without Jinyoung around.
At first, Jaehwan was scared and nervous about having Minhyun's son living with them. He was worried about what Jinyoung would think of him and how he would act around him. However, Jinyoung had opened up to Jaehwan faster than he had originally expected. The young boy was always polite around Jaehwan in the beginning, but it didn't take long for the two to become close and comfortable around one another. Jaehwan was thankful for Jinyoung's willingness to get to know him. He knew it must have been strange for the child, meeting his father's boyfriend, but Jinyoung had an open mind about the entire situation, which was a bit unusual for a ten-year-old-boy. Jaehwan assumed Jinyoung's open mind came from his equally unusual family situation.
Jaehwan was sure Jinyoung was going to grow up to be a good kid.
-
One week later, Jinyoung found himself in the back seat of his Uncle Seongwoo's van. It was a long drive to Busan, but he was asleep for most of it. His father was driving the van with Seongwoo in the front passenger seat. Jaehwan was sitting next to Jinyoung, with a box of the boy's things on his lap.
"Are we there yet? I can't feel my thighs." Jaehwan complained. The box on his lap was heavy and there wasn't much space in the van to move around.
"O is it because Minhyun hyu- Ow!" Seongwoo pouted at the driver of the car after getting pinched. Minhyun glanced at the teacher and simply said, "Jinyoung's still in the car."
Jinyoung laughed at the face his former teacher was making before looking out of the window. They were finally in Busan, but it was going to take a few more minutes until he reached his mother's home. He stared out the window, recalling the place where he grew up. There were familiar buildings and stores all around him, but for some reason, something felt strange about it. Jinyoung felt as if he was in a new place, despite knowing everything about Busan.
It hadn't been a full year, but Jinyoung had already forgotten his home.
He felt guilty about wanting to stay in Seoul. He wondered if that was how his father felt when he left Busan to go to school in Seoul. Did he ever want to move back? Or did the city of Seoul become his home? Did his father hate having to come back to Busan just to see his son?
Jinyoung wanted to ask his father all of these questions, but now was not the time.
He was a bit nervous about meeting his mother again. They had talked to each other almost every day, but it had been a while since he had seen what she looked like. Her hair had gotten longer since she left and Jinyoung knew that she now spoke English almost fluently. Jinyoung wasn't sure if anything else had changed since the last time he saw her.
"Daniel told me that he has a bunch of performances lined up next month here in Busan. Is he going to be living here for them?" Jaehwan said, directing his question over to Seongwoo. The teacher sighed and nodded his head, turning back to reply to Jaehwan.
"Yeah, he'll be here again next month. He's not sure when he'll be able to return to Seoul though. Jinyoung, if you and your mom ever get the chance, maybe you should see one of his shows." Seongwoo said, smiling at his former student. Jinyoung nodded his head and smiled back at his teacher. "Only if Uncle Daniel gives me free tickets!"
Everyone in the can laughed and before Jinyoung knew it, they had arrived at his mother's home. Jinyoung looked over to Jaehwan and he looked extremely nervous. It was quite obvious Jaehwan was worried about meeting Jinyoung's mother.
"My mom won't hurt you or anything." Jinyoung said as he took off his seat belt. Jaehwan just smiled before taking off his seat belt as well to get out of the car.
"Where's my baby?" A voice called, saying 'baby' in English. Just as Jinyoung stepped out of the car, someone rushed over to hug him. He smiled brightly and looked up at who was holding him.
"Mom!"
"Jinyoung! I missed you so much!"
Minhyun smiled at the sight of Jinyoung and his mother. He felt Jaehwan's presense behind him and he carefully grabbed his fiancee's arm, pushing him in front of him. Jaehwan glared at Minhyun for a moment when he realized Minhyun was trying to introduce Jaehwan to Jinyoung's mother.
"Thank you so much, Minhyun. I really owe you." Jinyoung's mother said, smiling with Jinyoung still in her arms. She blinked in surprise when she caught sight of Jaehwan, but her smile widened even more.
"You must be Jaehwan! It's nice to meet you. Thank you so much for taking care of Jinyoung while I was away." Jinyoung's mother smiled and bowed politely to Jaehwan, who bowed back as well. He smiled a bit, shaking his head to say that it was no trouble.
"It was nice to finally meet Jinyoung. He's welcome back in Seoul whenever he wants." Jaehwan said softly and Jinyoung's mother nodded and she released Jinyoung from her hold to get a better look of him.
"And before you ask, yes he got a haircut when he was in Seoul." Minhyun said as he walked passed everyone. He and Seongwoo had started to unload the van of Jinyoung's things.
"You look so big now. I can't believe you're already eleven!" Jinyoung's mother exclaimed, pulling the boy into another hug. The young boy groaned but did nothing to stop his mother from hugging him.
"I said this once and I'll say it again, Jinyoung seriously looks exactly like his mother." Seongwoo said, smiling at the sight of Jinyoung and his mother.
"Are you trying to saw Jinyoung looks like a woman in her twenties or that his mother looks like an eleven year old boy?" Jaehwan said as he handed Seongwoo a box to carry. Minhyun laughed and gently nudged Jaehwan's hip. Seongwoo rolled his eyes and took the box from Jaehwan, carrying it into the garage.
It took about an hour to get Jinyoung's things organized in his mother's house. Minhyun had insisted that he, Seongwoo, and Jaehwan be the ones to fix everything. He wanted Jinyoung to spend some time with his mother, since they were separated for so long.
"Are you ready to say goodbye?" Jaehwan said as he set the last box in Jinyoung's room. Minhyun frowned and nodded his head. He took once last look around his son's room, counting the boxes to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. "Alright, it looks like it's time to go."
Minhyun, Jaehwan, and Seongwoo all left Jinyoung's room and they made their way over to the kitchen, where Jinyoung was with his mother. They were eating a snack together and were talking about all of the people they had met when they were apart.
"Alright Baejin, everything is in your room now. We have to get going now so that we don't get back to Seoul too late." Minhyun said, approaching his son. Jinyoung immediately got out of his seat and he ran to hug his father.
"You'll be back next month, right? With Jaehwan hyung too?" Jinyoung said, looking up at his father. Minhyun nodded and kneeled down in front of his son, cupping his cheeks.
"Of course. I'll see you every two weeks, just like before." Minhyun replied, kissing his son's forehead. Jaehwan smiled from behind Minhyun and stepped forward to pat the boy's head. "I'll try to visit as often as I can too. I'll let you know if I ever have a show in Busan."
Jinyoung smiled at Jaehwan before turning to his former teacher. Much to his surprise, Seongwoo had tears in his eyes. Jaehwan and Minhyun just laughed at the teacher's sudden emotional appearance.
"You definitely were one of my favorite students. It's going to be strange not seeing your face every day." Seongwoo mumbled, wiping his eyes. Jinyoung's mother handed him a tissue and he gratefully took it from her.
"I hope you have fun at your new job, Uncle Seongwoo." Jinyoung said as he hugged his former teacher. Seongwoo wiped his tears away and thanked the young boy. He was always a bit emotional when it came to goodbyes.
Jinyoung held his father's hand as they walked back over to the entrance of the house. With one last kiss to the forehead, Minhyun bid his son goodbye.
There were no tears in their eyes, because this wasn't a goodbye. It was a 'see you later'.
Jinyoung would see his father and all of his friends in Seoul again.
One day.