Archive of Our Own

Kim Geonhak was glad that he liked working out. Otherwise, he might not have had the stamina to run the way he was now, weaving through people in the Seoul underground, on his way to pick up his son from kindergarten. If he ran fast enough, he might be a little earlier than usual today.

Taking the subway steps two at a time, Geonhak glanced at the stainless steel watch on his wrist, groaning as he emerged onto the street and jogged past bewildered strangers. He really hadn’t meant to almost be late, but the kindergarten workers probably wouldn’t believe him. He often came close to closing time, and it would probably not be the last time he did this. When he could, he got off work earlier, but it was a rarer occurrence. The staff, of course, would not leave his son alone, even if he was late, but making them work more was not Geonhak’s intention. And all he could do every time was apologize profusely.

He was lucky in the first place to even afford to put his son, Seonyul, in a private all-day kindergarten that provided services that looked after the children after the school day was over. On the other hand, it was his well-paying job that kept him late in the first place.

Even so, being divorced from his ex-wife for almost all of Seonyul’s life (five years) meant it was a lot harder for him to find ways for his son to be looked after. Had she been with him still, one of them might have had more time to look after Seonyul. Yet she had no active role in his life at all, and Seonyul only knew of her existence vaguely. She had wanted nothing to do with Seonyul and Geonhak after the divorce, and that had happened when Seonyul was too young to even remember her. Geonhak didn’t even know where she lived now. His parents didn’t live in Seoul, and while his friends Youngjo and Dongju helped out when they could, they were both busy too. In the end, a private kindergarten felt like a better alternative than a babysitter, because Seonyul got the chance to socialize with other kids, and Geonhak didn’t know if he could trust the most important person in his life with a stranger.

Breathing heavily as he arrived at the kindergarten, he pulled open the door, ready to greet grouchy Mrs. Kim and feel the judgmental stares of the mothers that were friends with her and spent thirty minutes gossiping every day before taking their children home. What a hypocritical group they were: loudly whispering about how handsome they found him, but two minutes later criticizing him for his “bad parenting.”

To his shock, instead of seeing Seonyul drawing at a desk by himself, Mrs. Kim on her phone in the corner, Geonhak was greeted with a sight that made his heart seize.

Seonyul was at the usual desk that he sat drawing at, but an adult man sat next to him, drawing on the same piece of paper and smiling at Seonyul. The man had light blonde hair, bangs falling cutely into his large eyes that had deep creases under them when he smiled. He laughed at something Seonyul said, and it was then that Geonhak realized something.

Mrs. Kim was pregnant. She must have had her baby, and this must be Seonyul’s new kindergarten teacher!

“Ah, excuse me,” Geonhak said shyly, not having expected having to meet a new person today. At his words, the man looked up and shot a smile his way.

“You must be Seonyul’s dad!” The man stood up, his words making Seonyul’s head whip around, his face breaking into a smile upon seeing his dad.

“Dad!” Seonyul’s cute high pitched voice called. The teacher smiled fondly down at Geonhak’s child, ruffling his hair.

“Seonyul-ah, why don’t you clean up and then go show your dad what you drew today?” Seonyul nodded, gathering up the colored pencils he had been using. As Seonyul went about putting away his supplies and grabbing his stuff, the teacher approached Geonhak and bowed.

“Nice to meet you Mr. Kim. My name is Yeo Hwanwoong, and I’m Seonyul’s new teacher now that Mrs. Kim is on leave.” With Yeo Hwanwoong now standing directly in front of him, Geonhak noticed that he was on the shorter side, having to look down to meet him in the eye.

When the intruding thought of cute started making its way into his mind, Geonhak panicked, looking off to the side and mumbling a “nice to meet you too” while running his hand awkwardly through his dark hair. Geonhak knew he wasn’t great with strangers, but when it came to cute strangers? Geonhak was done for.

Luckily, Seonyul came running over to save Geonhak from embarrassment, waving the paper he held in his hand. “Dad, dad! Look what Mr. Hwanwoong helped me draw!” Geonhak naturally drew Seonyul into his side, crouching down and wrapping his arm around his kid’s shoulder so he could see the drawing up close.

He recognized right away his son’s scribbles, their apartment’s fridge covered in Seonyul’s drawings. Seonyul had drawn what appeared to be Geonhak, a tall man with dark hair and glasses, wearing the typical button down and tie outfit that Geonhak wore to work. Above the drawing of Geonhak, Seonyul had written “Dad” with a heart next to it.

Next to Seonyul’s drawing of Geonhak was another drawing. It seemed to be by a more skilled hand than Seonyul’s young one, although not by that much. This seemed to be a drawing of Seonyul, a short figure with a huge smile. There were some cute details, like yellow straps for the bright backpack that Seonyul had picked out last year, and little pink circles on his cheeks to make him look cuter. Above it, an unfamiliar handwriting had written “Seonyulie.”

“Mr. Hwanwoong had us draw our parents today, but I was the only one who had one person to draw,” Seonyul pouted a bit, “but I had more time to draw you dad! I wanted it to look just like you! And I wanted to draw us as a family, so I asked Mr. Hwanwoong to help me, and he drew me! Isn’t it so pretty?” Seonyul beamed up at Geonhak, and Geonhak couldn’t help the huge smile that spread across his face.

“It looks so good, Seonyul-ah!” Geonhak praised his son, giving him a squeeze. “This looks just like me! What do you think about putting this right in the middle of our fridge, hm?” Seonyul nodded wholeheartedly, smiling brightly at the words of his father.

Geonhak stood up, holding his hand out and Seonyul knew what he was asking for, handing his backpack over to his father. Geonhak slung one strap over his shoulder, adjusting the strap of his cross body messenger bag before taking one of Seonyul’s hands in his own.

“What do you say to Mr. Hwanwoong, Seonyul-ah?” Geonhak prompted.

“Thank you for helping me Mr. Hwanwoong! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Seonyul smiling and waved at his teacher with his free hand, and Hwanwoong waved back with just as much fervor.

“See you tomorrow, Seonyul-ah! And you as well, Mr. Kim,” Hwanwoong bowed to Geonhak as a goodbye. Startled at suddenly being addressed, Geonhak took a moment to collect himself before finally forcing himself to bow, sending a small wave in Hwanwoong’s direction before starting the walk home with Seonyul.

As they walked in the crisp spring air, Geonhak curiously inquired after Seonyul’s new teacher. “So Mr. Hwanwoong is your new teacher? Do you like him so far?”

Seonyul furiously nodded his head. “Mr. Hwanwoong is so nice! Mrs. Kim wasn’t very fun, she would never play with me,” Seonyul pouted. “Mr. Hwanwoong drew with me! I’m sad he won’t be here very long.”

“Oh, is Mrs. Kim gonna come back soon?”

“Mr. Hwanwoong said so, that he’ll only be our teacher until the summer.”

“Well, you’ll be going to first grade next year, so no more Mrs. Kim,” Geonhak laughed at the happy expression on his son’s face. He knew the teacher wasn’t that bad, but it seemed that in comparison to Seonyul’s new favorite teacher, she would never compare.

“Dad, can we go to a restaurant tonight? We haven’t in so long!” Geonhak tried to cook himself most of the time, because it was more healthy and cost-effective, but Seonyul was in a good mood and didn’t tend to ask much, so he decided to indulge his kid.

“Sure, Seonyul-ah. Hmm, what should we get?”

“I get to pick?” Seonyul seemed so happy, and Geonhak’s heart melted. It took all of his willpower most of the time to not just spoil the heck out of his kid. He figured he had done something right though, because Seonyul was becoming a polite and kind child, not whining much and asking for things nicely.

“Yeah, whatever my little artist wants.” Geonhak ruffled Seonyul’s hair, smiling as his kid started thinking extremely seriously about what food he wanted.

Being a single parent wasn’t easy.

But he would do it all over again, because of Seonyul.

***

After that day, Geonhak met Hwanwoong every time he picked up Seonyul. Seonyul’s affection for his teacher never wavered, his kid always going on about what he did that day in school or how Hwanwoong played with him while they waited for Geonhak to come pick Seonyul up. At first Geonhak just thought the other man was very cute, definitely his type. But after a month passed, it became more than that.

Seonyul’s tales of his teacher endeared Hwanwoong to Geonhak, and whenever they met in person, Geonhak was impressed by the other. He was completely comfortable with Seonyul, able to match him with a childlike energy that made Geonhak understand why Seonyul enjoyed playing with him so much. At the same time, he handled Seonyul really well, knowing when to stop being someone who Seonyul played with and start being a teacher and role model. To Geonhak, he seemed like someone who really cared about his students, and Hwanwoong’s personality became attractive to Geonhak as well.

Every other weekend, Geonhak’s family made the trip to Seoul and came to visit him and Seonyul, and watched over his kid at nighttime. It was then that Geonhak was able to go out with his friends Youngjo and Dongju for drinks, and finally lament about his growing feelings for his son’s teacher… a few drinks in, of course.

“Why is he so cute…?” Geonhak whined, startling his friends when he suddenly folded his arms on the table and plopped his chin on them.

“Eh, who’s cute?” Dongju asked.

“Ah, so you’re over that girl that worked in the coffee shop?” Youngjo’s question was met with an eye roll from Dongju.

“Hyung, keep up. Geonhak-hyung moved on from her months ago, and then briefly was talking with that guy on that dating app, but then he turned out to just be looking for a hook up.” He huffed, taking a sip of his peach soju. “This is why I’m the better friend.”

“You’re the less busy friend,” Youngjo corrected. “Anyway, you have a new crush Geonhakie?”

“Hm,” Geonhak grunted in affirmation, making Youngjo and Dongju share pointed looks.

“Elaborate.” Dongju prompted.

“Seonyul’s new teacher…” He trailed off, thinking about how small and cute Yeo Hwanwoong was, and how nice it would feel to just hug him, and how cute they would look with Seonyul standing between them, holding both of their hands…

Alarmed, Geonhak suddenly shot up in his seat, startling both of his friends. What type of thought was that?! Stop imagining weird things, Kim Geonhak!

“You… good?” Youngjo tentatively asked.

“No. Yeah. I don’t know,” Geonhak groaned.

“Well, we can’t help you if we don’t know anything,” Dongju complained.

“I just… His teacher is really cute. And really nice to me, when I pick Seonyul up. And I think I really like him. But I don’t think he’d ever be interested in me…” Geonhak pouted before taking another sip of his drink.

“Really like him? You’ve spent that much time with him?” Youngjo was bewildered, knowing his friend was on the shyer side.

“...Not yet,” Geonhak grumbled. “But he’s really bright, and so good with Seonyul, and he doesn’t tolerate any of those annoying mothers gossiping, and he always asks how I am and how my day was even though he’s probably definitely heard the rumors about me…”

“You sound whipped,” Dongju snorted.

“I don’t know… It’s not like I love him or anything, I don’t know him very well, but… I don’t know. I just have a feeling we’d be a good match. It’s just intuition or something.”

“You have it bad,” Dongju deadpanned, and Geonhak groaned.

“I want to talk to him more, but I don’t know how. After this term, he won’t be Seonyul’s teacher anymore.”

“So maybe, hmmm I don’t know, ask him for his number on the last day of classes or something? Come on hyung, it’s not that hard.”

Geonhak glared at Dongju. “For you, maybe.”

“Dongju has a point,” Youngjo soothed. “What’s the worst that will happen? He’ll say no? That’s literally the worst I can think of. You’re not harassing him by asking for his number, it’s not like he’s just some random stranger on the street. You know each other, even if it’s on a superficial basis right now. And if he says no, then what? He won’t be the teacher for the fall term anyways, you won’t see him anymore if all goes to hell. And if it does, we take you out and drown you in alcohol.”

“Hmph.” Geonhak could only grunt because he knew Dongju and Youngjo were technically right. It didn’t mean he was gonna listen to them, though. Confessing to Yeo Hwanwoong? Impossible. Well, asking for a number wasn’t really confessing, but for what other reason would he need Hwanwoong’s number? Unless…

“Hwanwoong also works as a babysitter. He mentioned it once.” His sudden new train of thought confused his friends, but Geonhak quickly continued. “He’s a kindergarten teacher year round, but during summers and on weekends, he babysits. If I asked him for his number under the pretense of wanting a trusted person I know to babysit Seonyul, then it won’t be weird!” Youngjo and Dongju almost simultaneously groaned.

“Hyung, no. One, you don’t need an excuse to ask for his phone number. Two, if you ask for it this way, he’ll have no way to know that you’re interested in him! He’ll think you’re just like, I don’t know, two adults on good terms. Or even worse, you’ll friendzone yourself! You’re just digging yourself a deeper hole, and besides, if he babysits Seonyul, that means you’ll literally never see him. It’s his job to be there when you’re not.”

“Gotta agree with Dongju on this one, Geonhak-ah. I know you’re not comfortable flirting or opening up sometimes, but asking for a number isn’t even equivalent to asking someone out.”

“Youngjo, don’t even bother. We tried telling him the same thing with coffee shop girl, and he literally couldn’t make a move after months of going in there every day.” Geonhak knew Dongju was goading him, but he couldn’t not rise to the occasion. Puffing his chest up a bit, he slammed his fist down on the table in determination.

“I’ll do it. I’ll flirt.” As soon as he said that, he felt himself flush, and knew it was going to take a lot more than just conviction to get him to actually stay true to those words. “Maybe.”

***

“Good afternoon, Mr. Kim,” the kind voice of Yeo Hwanwoong greeted Geonhak that Monday. He seemed a bit preoccupied though, bent in front of Seonyul and dabbing his forehead with some paper towel. Hwanwoong’s own forehead was sweating, and he followed up his greeting in explanation. “Today was such a lovely day out, so Seonyul and I spent some time on the swings instead of waiting for you inside today.” He pulled away from Seonyul, sending a radiant smile Geonhak’s way. Geonhak could only hope the blush on his face didn’t show.

“I had so much fun, dad!” Seonyul ran over to Geonhak, hugging him immediately. Geonhak could smell the faint scent of the outdoors on his son, and smiled fondly down at him while patting his hair, which was slightly sticky with sweat. It really had gotten quite warm out, since it was already May.

“I’m happy you had fun. We can go to the park and swing more sometime soon, if you want,” Geonhak offered. Seonyul nodded his head fervently, as Hwanwoong approached holding the kid’s backpack. He reached his hand out, but surprisingly it wasn’t to Seonyul. He was holding the backpack out to Geonhak, who must have had a confused look on his face.

“You always take Seonyul’s backpack for him, so I figured I would just give it straight to you,” Hwanwoong explained, a soft smile on his face. Geonhak hurriedly took the offered object, mumbling a thanks as he tried to meet Hwanwoong’s gaze. Really, he shouldn’t have been so shocked -- he really did take Seonyul’s bag every single day -- but for some reason, he hadn’t expected Hwanwoong to notice such a detail. Come on Geonhak, now’s your time! Say something flirty, wait no, you’re in front of your kid. Bad idea? But then, when will I ever have the time to say anything--

By the time Geonhak was done arguing with himself, Hwanwoong had already walked away and started cleaning up the room. Seonyul was staring up at his father, pulling at his hand.

Next time.

***

And Geonhak really did tell himself he would say something next time. Just say something, even if it wasn’t flirty. That was the first step, he tried to convince himself. Except every day Hwanwoong would smile at him and he’d get so flustered by how cute the other man’s smile was, and suddenly by the time he was ready to say something, it was already too late.

There was that one time he had managed to say, “Have a good night Hwanwoong.” Somehow, he managed to mess even this up, because he said it so lowly that the teacher didn’t even hear him. Embarrassed, and being stared at questioningly by Seonyul, he scurried out of the room.

By the beginning of June, Geonhak knew he only had a few weeks left until the school year would be over, and he might never see Yeo Hwanwoong ever again. He made another attempt here, thinking that talking about his son would be a natural topic of conversation, and something that even he felt confident talking about. Seonyul was a really smart and cute kid, so Geonhak couldn’t help getting a little braggy about him sometimes.

It had been another day when Seonyul and Hwanwoong had gone out to the swings, as Seonyul excitedly told Geonhak the moment he stepped into the room. Geonhak was internally preparing some question to ask Hwanwoong about Seonyul, and absentmindedly answered Seonyul. “Wasn’t it a bit too hot out to go outside today?” It really had been painstakingly humid and warm, the warmest day of the year. Geonhak didn’t really mind his son playing outside, he was just worried that Seonyul might have gotten a bit warm.

His words had the opposite effect of what he intended. Hwanwoong suddenly paused what he was doing, faced Geonhak, and bowed. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kim. It was irresponsible of me to take Seonyul outside while it was so hot. I apologize for failing to meet the expectations that are expected of me, and I will do better next time.”

Geonhak had not been expecting that at all, and stammered slightly before he forced himself to say, “N-no! I didn’t mean it that way! I’m sure the breeze on the swings was pleasant…” Scratching his neck awkwardly, he was relieved when Seonyul jumped in to agree with him.

“It was my idea anyway! I asked Mr. Hwanwoong if he would push me on the swings! I had a lot of fun,” Seonyul smiled brightly, and Hwanwoong let a relieved smile creep up his face.

“Ah, I’m glad it was just a misunderstanding,” Hwanwoong chuckled nervously to himself. Geonhak was surprised that Hwanwoong had taken his words so seriously, but it really did prove to him how much the other man cared for his students.

“Don’t worry,” Geonhak tried to make up for his blunder. “I know how much you care for Seonyul… I know you wouldn’t do anything that was unsafe for him.”

The beaming smile that Hwanwoong sent him at hearing those words was worth the embarrassment that Geonhak suffered afterwards, lamenting over and over why he had to make such a fool of himself sometimes.

***

Geonhak knew he had to do something today. It was the last day of the school year, and Mrs. Kim would be returning next semester, for Seonyul’s last semester of kindergarten. If he didn’t do anything today, he would likely never see Hwanwoong ever again.

As usual, he got off work pretty late, and had to fast walk to Seonyul’s kindergarten. By the time he arrived, Seonyul was drawing, as usual. What was weird was that today, Hwanwoong wasn’t drawing with him. The other male was talking with Seonyul, but stood a bit away, leaning against his desk.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Kim,” Hwanwoong greeted as usual, bowing slightly. Geonhak bowed slightly in return.

“Dad!” Seonyul looked up as soon as he realized his father was in the room. “Come here, come here! Look at what I’m drawing!” Smiling at his son’s excitement, Geonhak came up behind Seonyul, leaning down to stare intently at the art. Seonyul had drawn what looked like a swing set, based on the trapezoid outline in brown and the grey linked ovals coming down in pairs from the top. On one of the swings sat what Geonhak knew to be Seonyul, based on his kid’s countless drawings.

On the other swing was a slightly bigger figure. It didn’t take long for Geonhak to figure out it was Hwanwoong. The hair was yellow, replicating Hwanwoong’s blonde hair and typical style of bangs that completely covered his forehead. Seonyul had drawn the man smiling, and even added little lines under the big eyes to mimic the extra smile lines that Hwanwoong had when he smiled. The pink button up shirt matched the one that Hwanwoong was wearing today, the tie drawn cutely super wide in order to fit a little drawing of tiger inside of it. Hwanwoong’s own tie had a bunch of mini tigers all over it, and Geonhak was once again impressed with his son’s attention to detail.

“I just finished! I worked on it all day! I would have been finished faster, but I didn’t let Mr. Hwanwoong help or look, cause it’s a gift for him!”

“That’s so sweet, Seonyulie,” Geonhak complimented. He felt his heart swell in pride at how thoughtful and selfless Seonyul was growing up to be. It was moments like this when he let himself admit that maybe he had actually done some things right, when raising his kid.

Seonyul hopped out of his seat, hiding the piece of paper behind his back as he approached Hwanwoong. The teacher learned forward off his desk in anticipation, and when Seonyul handed the piece of paper over, the older male respectfully took it with both of his hands.

Hwanwoong looked down at the paper and a smile immediately appeared on his face. Geonhak was a bit far away, but to him at least, Hwanwoong’s eyes even looked a little bit shiny. The teacher crouched down and enveloped Seonyul in a hug that the kid returned right away.

“I’m so touched, Seonyul-ah, thank you so so much. This is so beautiful, I’m gonna hang it up right in the middle of my fridge!” He hugged Seonyul a bit tighter before letting him go and smiling at him, still crouched down. “I’m gonna miss you a lot!” His voice broke a bit, and Geonhak realized how close Hwanwoong and Seonyul must have been after spending time together every day after school.

“I was gonna draw you pushing me like you always do,” Seonyul said shyly, “but I remembered that you said your hobby was riding swings too. So I drew you playing on the swings with me!”

Hwanwoong glanced at Geonhak briefly, his cheeks slightly pink, and Geonhak could tell the other was embarrassed. He didn’t need to be, though, because Geonhak found that incredibly adorable. The sight made him relax slightly, giving him the courage to say something as Seonyul ran off to clean up and grab his stuff.

“Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you, Hwanwoong.” The teacher stood up, tilting his head to the side a little in confusion.

“Yes?”

“I wanted to say…” Even with Seonyul out of earshot, Geonhak still felt awkward. He had it all planned out, with the help of Youngjo and Dongju. Start out by saying he found Hwanwoong very nice and sweet, enjoyed their small talk over the past few months, say that he was interested in getting to know him better, and finish off by asking for his phone number. “That I really admire how good you are with Seonyul,” okay, not exactly the right words, but still starting off with a compliment, “And after talking with you these past few months,” yes, get yourself back on track Geonhak, “I realized that someone like you was exactly what I was looking for...” Almost there! Come on, just finish up, you can do this… “In a babysitter for Seonyul.”

Wait, what? No, that wasn’t what he meant to say!

It was too late though. Hwanwoong’s confused and apprehensive expression had blossomed into a bright smile. “I would love to! I can’t believe you remembered that I was a babysitter, wow. You have such a good memory, Mr. Kim, I mentioned that months ago! Here, let me give me my number, and we can talk about more details sometime. I’ll be free all summer, and weekends once school starts up again!”

At least I’m still getting his number, Geonhak thought miserably as he handed his phone over to Hwanwoong. He had practiced his moment over and over with his friends (He didn’t want to remind himself how embarrassing it was pretending to confess to Dongju and Youngjo) but somehow that stupid scheme he had thought of months ago came back to haunt him and take over his mind just when he was finally about to overcome his shyness.

Hwanwoong handed back Geonhak’s phone, oblivious to the other’s inner struggle, and Geonhak forced himself to say at least one thing that wouldn’t fill him with regret. “By the way, you don’t have to call me Mr. Kim anymore. It’s too formal, considering you’ll be over my apartment and we’re probably close in age, anyway…”

“Ah, I'm 23. What about you?”

“I’m 24. If you’re comfortable with it, you can call me hyung.” That was friendly, right? It wasn’t too awkward? We’re not strangers, after all…

“Ah, then you can just call me Hwanwoong!” Geonhak let out an internal sigh of relief at Hwanwoong’s willingness to use terms that signified a closer relationship. As Seonyul came running over, Geonhak taking his bag from him as always, he finally felt a little bit proud of himself. Things might not have gone the way he wanted them to, but he redeemed himself slightly, and something was better than nothing.

And no one had to know if he added a cute heart next to Hwanwoong’s name in his contacts or not.

***

Geonhak and Hwanwoong set up a schedule that had Hwanwoong babysitting every day of the week. Geonhak hadn’t expected to actually need Hwanwoong’s help as much as he did, but he was faced with suddenly taking over the work of a coworker that had been fired. He was supposed to have shorter hours in the summer, so he could pick Seonyul up from the daycare that was only open till late afternoon. Unexpectedly having to maintain his normal work hours put him in a bind, so he had turned to Hwanwoong to ask the other to pick Seonyul up from daycare everyday, bring him back to Geonhak’s apartment, and stay there until Geonhak got home, usually two hours later.

The day before this routine started, Geonhak invited Hwanwoong over, so he could show him where the daycare was, where his apartment was, and give him instructions on how to get in, and what he wanted the other to do while with his child. The three of them, Geonhak, Hwanwoong, and Seonyul, walked to the daycare together, with Geonhak letting Hwanwoong and Seonyul control the conversation. Lost in listening to them, he was surprised when Hwanwoong suddenly aimed a question toward him.

“So, hyung. You mentioned before that you work at a big company, right? Can I ask what type of company it is, exactly?”

“Ah,” Geonhak cleared his throat. “I work at a company that manufactures workout equipment. I’m part of the engineering team.”

“Wow, you must be really smart!” Hwanwoong was looking at him with wide eyes.

“Dad went to one of the best schools!” Seonyul bragged, earning a small smile from Geonhak. Most of the time it was him being proud of his kid, it was cute to see Seonyul being proud of him too.

“Wow, so we’ve got a genius here in our mix,” Hwanwoong teased, his lips curled up at the corners.

“It’s nothing like that,” Geonhak mumbled and scratched his head. “I just studied hard, got some good internships, you know…”

“Hey, don’t discredit yourself.”

“What about you, Hwanwoong-ah?” Geonhak turned the question away from himself. “What made you decide to be a kindergarten teacher?”

“I always kind of wanted to be one, since I was young. I really like kids, and I feel like I can get along with them well. For a while I actually wanted to be a dancer, or an idol.” Geonhak was shocked at the revelation. It was so wildly different from what Hwanwoong had ended up doing.

“Wow, really, Mr. Hwanwoong?!” Seonyul excitedly asked. “That’s so cool! Can you dance for us?”

“Now’s not the best time, Seonyulie,” Hwanwoong laughed, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Some other time I will, okay?”

“What happened to dancing, then?” Geonhak questioned.

“I suffered an injury when I was younger, in my knee. For a while I was so consumed with my aspirations that I just ignored all the physical therapy that my doctor was trying to get me to do, and the rest he tried to require that I take, and in the end I ended up doing irreparable damage by pushing myself too much. It was stupid of me, but at that time, I thought it was my only chance to debut as an idol. I can still dance a little, but… It hurts really easily.” The words came out confidently, as if it was a truth long accepted, but Geonhak could still see the melancholy in Hwanwoong’s eyes. He personally couldn’t imagine injuring himself so badly that he could never work out again. Certainly, he would be miserable, since working out was such a love and joy of his. Geonhak couldn’t begin to fathom how Hwanwoong must have felt at that time, and still must be feeling.

“You were almost an idol, Mr. Hwanwoong?! Like EXO or BTS? That’s so cool!”

Seonyul and Hwanwoong began chatting about idols, and Geonhak was thankful to his son for uplifting the mood. He was grateful that Hwanwoong was willing to be open to him, but at the same time, he hadn’t known at all what to respond to that. Although, he was quite sure that Hwanwoong was still happy doing what he was doing now. It was apparent by the way he interacted with kids, especially Seonyul.

The three of them soon arrived at the daycare, and after insisting that Hwanwoong stay for dinner (with the help of a convincing Seonyul), Geonhak picked up some takeout to eat and returned to his apartment with the other two.

“I’ll tell you the lock code again later, so you can make a note on your phone or something,” Geonhak told Hwanwoong as he input the passcode to his apartment. The other nodded as the three of them shuffled in, removing their shoes, with Geonhak taking out a pair of guest slippers for Hwanwoong. “Seonyul-ah, can you go wash up before dinner?”

“Yup!” The kid took off toward the bathroom, leaving Hwanwoong and Geonhak alone.

“Thanks again for inviting me over for dinner, you really didn’t have to,” Hwanwoong said with a slight bow. It was something Geonhak had noticed about him, that he always went the extra length to be polite. It even showed in the way he would listen when Geonhak talked, nodding his head and humming to show that he was paying attention. It was another small thing that had endeared him to the younger.

“It’s really no problem,” Geonhak said, smiling a little. He started walking toward the kitchen, motioning for Hwanwoong to follow him. “I’m sure Seonyul is really happy to have you here. We don’t really eat with other people often, other than my parents that come over every other weekend, and sometimes my friends.”

“What about-- ah, nevermind,” Hwanwoong flushed, but Geonhak could figure where the question had been going. He really didn’t mind, the smaller man obviously hadn’t meant any harm.

“His mother doesn’t have any role in his life, as you could probably tell. Seonyul doesn’t know really anything about her, and she doesn’t really want him to. It’s okay though, it’s long in the past.”

“It must be hard sometimes though…” Hwanwoong pouted a little, and Geonhak smiled at the other’s sympathy.

“That’s why I have you here, right?” He almost dared to put a flirty grin on his face, but embarrassed by his (probably) cheesy words, Geonhak stopped himself at the last second. Hwanwoong simply nodded eagerly, seemingly oblivious to any other connotations to Geonhak’s words other than that of Hwanwoong helping out with babysitting.

“I’m happy to be able to help! Seonyul is such a great kid, too,” Hwanwoong said fondly.

“Yeah, I’m honestly really lucky that he doesn’t give me much to worry about. He’s really thoughtful.”

“Hey, it can’t be all luck. He must have learned a lot of his thoughtfulness from you.” Hwanwoong said the words so casually, but Geonhak was taken back at the unexpected compliment, and turned around to hide his smile. Hurriedly, he motioned vaguely at the kitchen.

“You won’t have much to do here, but this is my kitchen. If you could just give Seonyul a snack when he gets home from daycare, that would be great. I keep some fruit in the fridge, so that’s usually my go to. If you need to cut anything, the utensils are here,” he pointed to a drawer, “and plates are here. Any dirty dishes, just leave them in the sink, and I’ll do them later. I’ll cook dinner for Seonyul once I get back, so unless I suddenly have to stay a lot longer at work, there’s no need for any cooking on your part.”

“That’s a relief!’ Hwanwoong grasped his chest dramatically, laughing. “I really can’t cook at all!”

“Oh? That’s kind of surprising to hear from someone who works with kids,” Geonhak said, but made sure his voice had a bit of teasing tone so that Hwanwoong knew he wasn’t actually criticizing him.

“It’s not my fault! The food just… never… cooperates…” Hwanwoong pouted, and Geonhak felt a genuine laugh bubble up in his chest.

Yeah, he had a good feeling about where this was going.

***

Hwanwoong started babysitting Seonyul every weekday after that. Every day, Geonhak would get home from work, greeted by an excited Seonyul who would talk about the thing’s he and “Mr. Hwanwoong” did that day. Hwanwoong wouldn’t be too far behind, lingering as he watched the father and son duo with a small smile on his face, before quickly excusing himself for the night.

His friends were right: it wasn’t ideal for Geonhak’s romantic plans, because they really only interacted for a few minutes everyday. At the same time, it allowed Geonhak to truly get more comfortable with Hwanwoong at his own pace, so he didn’t mind too much. By the time the first week passed, and July came ushering in, Geonhak no longer felt that shy around the younger. Strangers might not have pegged him as the shy type, since he gave off kind of an intimidating aura, and acted very comfortable around people he knew, but getting to that point was actually hard for some people. (He couldn’t help but laugh fondly, thinking of his childhood friend Wyatt, who had pursued a friendship with him doggedly just because the two of them had the deepest voices in their highschool. Geonhak hadn’t known how to reciprocate at first, but now Wyatt was one of the closest friends he had, despite them living in different cities now.)

It was with the lessening shyness that Geonhak was bold enough to ask Hwanwoong to stay for dinner the upcoming Tuesday. Geonhak had just got home after stopping by the grocery store to pick up some ingredients, and when he came back Seonyul excitedly asked him what he was making for dinner that night.

“Tonight is tteokbokkie,” he announced, knowing his son would be excited. Seonyul didn’t like spicy food yet, so he made a special cheese sauce for his son, and added some gochujang on top for himself. It was one of his son’s favorites, although he didn’t make it too often since the cheese wasn’t exactly the healthiest.

“Wow, homemade tteokbokkie, that sounds so good! I’m so used to the instant type, it’s kinda sad,” Hwanwoong lamented as he walked up behind Seonyul.

“Do you never go out and eat some at a restaurant?” Geonhak asked.

“Well, you know how places here are about eating alone…” It was true. Eating culture in Seoul was very different from other world cities, in that it was considered kind of strange to go to a restaurant and eat by yourself. No one really did it -- people would definitely look at you strangely if you did. “My two close friends both work weird hours so I’m not really able to get food with them, and I don’t have a boyfriend or anything, so…”

Boyfriend, huh? So Geonhak really did have a chance. He had been pretty confident that the other like guys in some capacity (he might have found some of Hwanwoong’s social media way back when his crush first developed and taken note of some tagged photos where Hwanwoong looked especially close to some other guys) but hearing the confirmation that the other was gay was a relief.

Hwanwoong seemed to have realized what he said though, and flushed slightly. Society was getting more accepting, thankfully, but Geonhak knew from personal experience that you could never be too sure. Still, the fact that it came out of Hwanwoong’s mouth so naturally meant the smaller boy felt comfortable with him, which warmed his heart. “Ah--” Hwanwoong seemed to be struggling for some words, probably unsure of what Geonhak thoughts were on the topic, but before Geonhak could cut him off and reassure him, Seonyul beat him to it.

“You like boys? Dad also likes boys! You should go on a date!” Geonhak balked at his son’s words, and Hwanwoong’s jaw just dropped open, looking back and forth between Seonyul and Geonhak in confusion.

“Seonyul, you can’t just say that!” Geonhak scolded, but secretly he watched for Hwanwoong’s reaction. He had been hoping to see something like happiness, maybe interest? Instead the other was still stuck in a state of shock.

“Sorry dad,” Seonyul pouted and hugged his father’s leg. “Uncle Youngjo does it, so I thought it was okay…” Geonhak cursed his friend in his head. One time he, Youngjo, and Dongju had been at a restaurant and brought Seonyul along. Youngjo had recognized someone he knew back in college who he knew for a fact was gay, and suggested that Geonhak go on a date with him because they were both interested in men. Geonhak had promptly smacked him in the back of the head, asking if Youngjo went on a date with any girl that liked men just because they liked men, and Youngjo had sulked and said he was just kidding. Geonhak hadn’t realized the incident had stayed with Seonyul, although he should have. Kids were impressionable.

“You -- huh?” Hwanwoong was finally getting out of his shock, now just looking terribly confused. “But Seonyul is your biological kid, so how…?” Ah, so that’s where the shock was coming from. Hwanwoong remembered Geonhak mentioning Seonyul’s mother once, and must have assumed he was straight.

“How am I gay? I’m not.” Geonhak began, and could have sworn he saw Hwanwoong’s face fall for a second. It had to have been his imagination though, he tried to convince himself. He couldn’t get his hopes up. He saw it because he wanted to see it, that’s it. “Bisexual people do exist, you know,” Geonhak teased. He wasn’t really upset about it, because he knew Hwanwoong didn’t mean anything wrong. Yeah, it sucked that a lot of people tended to assume your sexuality based on who you were currently dating or known to have dated. That was especially true if someone knew you had a biological kid. But Geonhak himself could admit to making some of the same assumptions from time to time, and he knew that Hwanwoong’s assumption wasn’t coming from a place of ill intent or maliciousness. It didn’t bother him, other than the fact that it made him worry that Hwanwoong might not have even considered liking him if he thought Geonhak was straight.

Still, the younger turned even a brighter shade of red, profusely apologizing. “Don’t worry, Hwanwoong-ah, it’s fine. If you’re really that worried, though, you can make it up to me by staying for dinner.” Holy crap, Kim Geonhak! What a smooth line! Where did that come from?

And so he stayed for dinner. As Geonhak cooked, Hwanwoong and Seonyul set the table, and hearing the two of them interact so naturally made Geonhak’s heart clench. What if things don’t work out with Hwanwoong, and we aren’t even friends in the end? Seonyul will be crushed… He’s grown so attached to him. Geonhak shook his head, refusing to think those kinds of thoughts. He should be using this opportunity to get closer to Hwanwoong, not to worry about a future that might not even happen.

“Do you like spicy food, Woong-ah?” Using nicknames is flirty… right? He could hear Youngjo telling him no, no it wasn’t flirty, that friends used nicknames too, that Geonhak was so freaking bad at flirting -- but really, this was Geonhak making an effort! What else could he do? Call Hwanwoong cute in front of his son? Yeah, no way was that happening.

“Ah, I can’t really handle it that well,” Hwanwoong said sheepishly.

“Me neither, Mr. Hwanwoong, so it’s okay!” Seonyul took his tiny hand and placed it on top of Hwanwoong’s hand, and Geonhak imagined him putting his hand on top too… How small Hwanwoong’s hand would be in his…

How the two of them could hold a hand of Seonyul’s each, and they could go on walks to the park, and Geonhak could push them both on the swings, and they could get ice cream afterward, Hwanwoong getting even more excited about the ice cream than Seonyul…

It was stupid, he tried to tell himself, imagining this sort of thing. They weren’t even dating. He didn’t know if he was remotely Hwanwoong’s type. Dating while having a young kid was super complicated. He had every reason to be cautious, but… he wanted to allow himself this. Even if in the end it didn’t work out, and all this daydreaming just hurt him even more… there was no way he could stop it. Hwanwoong was just too precious to him.

He couldn’t really say what it was about the other, exactly. He was cute, no doubt about it, and good with kids, and very kind. He listened well to Geonhak but also opened up about himself. He was fun, in that he didn’t mind teasing and could give it back equally. One of his favorite things about the other was how mature he could be one moment, and how like a kid he could be the next. But overall… he just liked him because he was Hwanwoong.

It had been awhile since he felt this way. He had almost forgotten what it was like.

Have you ever simply looked at someone, and thought that they were just amazing?

Yeah, that’s what Geonhak was feeling now, as he looked at Hwanwoong.

Yeo Hwanwoong was sort of amazing.

***

And so the summer passed with the two of them getting closer, but only really as friends.

It started off with Hwanwoong texting Geonhak cute photos of Seonyul while Geonhak was at work. One time it was of Seonyul drawing, another time it was of Seonyul playing with some Pokemon figurines. The next time Geonhak was in for a surprise, because it wasn’t just a photo of Seonyul, it was a selfie of Hwanwoong and Seonyul together, simply smiling, with a cute cat ear filter on the two of them. Hwanwoong had written as a caption that Seonyul wanted to try out Snow filters with him, and Geonhak had physically slapped a hand over his heart because of how cute his son and his crush were.

Hwanwoong regularly stayed for dinner at least once a week. Geonhak would lure him in with promises of home cooked food, and Seonyul would seal the deal by looking up at Hwanwoong with big, pleading eyes. The other man really had no option but to stay, although Geonhak was sure that he really wasn’t forcing him at all. Hwanwoong always declined at first out of politeness, Geonhak knew that by now, and in the end he could tell the other always was happy to stay.

Summer was only eight weeks long, yet by the end of it, Geonhak had a whole folder in his camera roll of photos taken by and of Hwanwoong. Dongju called him whipped, but he simply rolled his eyes and looked pointedly at Dongju's lockscreen -- a photo of his boyfriend Giwook -- and said that he was one to talk. Youngjo kept pestering him to flirt more, but it wasn’t really possible considering whenever he was around Hwanwoong, he was around his son too. Even if he did something subtle, like touching the younger’s arm or hand or whatever it was Youngjo suggested, it wouldn’t feel right in the situation.

Hence, why at the end of the summer, Geonhak thanked Hwanwoong for his hard work, but told him he wouldn’t be needed anymore. Geonhak had no need for a babysitter during the school year, and he would find someone else if he needed one for the future, because really -- he wanted to end the business part of his and Hwanwoong’s relationship.

Hwanwoong was shocked at first, asking if he did anything wrong, but Geonhak assured him and said that he would rather focus on them being friends than being employer and employee. Hwanwoong absolutely beamed after hearing that, and Geonhak let himself hope. Just a little bit.

This was how Geonhak and Seonyul ended up going to Hwanwoong’s apartment, a week after Seonyul started his last semester of kindergarten. The other man had invited the two of them over, to thank Geonhak for all the times he had had Hwanwoong over for dinner. (“Don’t worry though, I won’t be cooking for you! That would be more like a punishment than a thank you,” Hwanwoong had laughed. “I’ll order takeout for us from this place I love, promise!”)

That night, Hwanwoong opened the door to his modest apartment for them, Geonhak discovering that it was actually in the same apartment complex as Dongju’s boyfriend, Giwook. Seonyul was busy looking around the apartment with fascination -- it had been a while since he had been to a new person’s place -- while Geonhak asked Hwanwoong how his first week back to teaching was.

“It’s good! I have second grade this year, and they can sometimes be a bit tough to handle. After spending a summer with Seonyul, it’s easy to forget that not all kids are like him,” Hwanwoong smiled, gesturing Geonhak and Seonyul toward his kitchen.

While Seonyul immediately noticed the bags of food on the table, Geonhak’s eyes went straight toward the fridge. He wasn’t sure if he should have been surprised or not, but just like he had promised, Hwanwoong had hung up the drawing Seonyul drew of him and Hwanwoong right in the middle of his fridge.

It doesn’t mean anything, Geonhak immediately told himself. It only means that he really likes Seonyul, and of course he does. The two are really close. This means nothing about whether he might like you or not. Still, Geonhak felt a smile light up his face. Hwanwoong, following Geonhak’s gaze, noticed he was staring at the drawing.

“Ah, I promised Seonyul I would hang it up, so…” He blushed slightly, and quickly ushered Geonhak to sit down. Was he embarrassed about what Geonhak would think, as Seonyul’s father? Or was it for some other reason? Geonhak wanted to believe the latter.

The three ate dinner together, and Geonhak was struck with the feeling that this was strangely domestic. Not that their other dinners weren’t, but the fact that they were without a doubt doing this with no business implications made Geonhak more assured of the atmosphere. Geonhak and Hwanwoong would take turns helping Seonyul with his food and with cleaning up after himself when he didn’t notice he had food on his face. Hwanwoong inquired after Seonyul’s day with genuine interest, humming and commenting in all the right places. If Geonhak let himself be delusional enough, he couldn’t help but think about what a good father Hwanwoong would make to Seonyul.

And that made Hwanwoong even more attractive in Geonhak’s eyes. It was a bit strange, thinking about it. Geonhak hadn’t really thought about that type of thing when dating Seonyul’s mother, never pictured her as the perfect mother of his kids. He had dated a few people since having Seonyul, and most of them hadn’t had much interest in Seonyul, or even found him to be a dealbreaker. None of them had made it to the point where he was serious enough with them to introduce them to Seonyul, even. Hwanwoong had an advantage, he supposed, by being Seonyul’s teacher, but even if they had met in some other way, Geonhak was sure he would not have been like the others.

He was suddenly hit with the intense desire to want. For the past few years, Geonhak hadn’t allowed himself to be selfish. He was too busy trying to keep him and Seonyul afloat to think about himself, to want for himself. His failed relationships couldn’t be blamed entirely on the other person; no, it was also because he couldn’t put the proper amount of time and care needed to nurture a relationship. Even these past few months, he had spent time trying to convince himself that there was no way Hwanwoong would like him.

But things were different lately. He had a stable job, a good wage and accommodating hours. Seonyul was older, and while he still required a lot of attention, it wasn’t the 24 hour kind that he needed as a baby or toddler. And emotionally, he was more willing than he had been in a while to open himself.

He wanted Hwanwoong, so badly it almost hurt. Being friends was more than he ever could have imagined, and he thought that would have been enough. Instead, it made him want Hwanwoong even more.

Geonhak didn’t know how he was gonna do it. He wasn’t great at expressing his emotions, and was probably even worse at flirting. His high school friends set him up with his ex-wife, and while he had ended up working up the nerve to approach a few people over the past few years, this was different. The stakes were different. If he didn’t do things right, he wouldn’t just be losing a crush. He would be losing someone he had gotten close with, a real friend. And someone who was friends with Seonyul as well.

But he was going to do it. Somehow, he was going to pursue Hwanwoong, and not screw everything up. If there was only one thing he was certain of, it was that.

***

It just so happened that the next chance Geonhak really got to spend time with Hwanwoong ended up being a big outing. Geonhak asked Hwanwoong if he was free one night, when his parents were watching Seonyul, but Hwanwoong had already made plans to go out to a club with his friends Keonhee and Seoho. He invited Geonhak along though, and said he could bring his friends. So that was how Geonhak. Hwanwoong, Youngjo, Dongju, Seoho, and Keonhee ended up at a club on a Saturday night in September.

It had been a while since Geonhak had been to a club. It was a thing of the past, even though Dongju would sometimes invite him to go out with him, Geonhak tended to refuse. According to Hwanwoong, he also didn’t tend to go out much anymore, but his friend Keonhee was on the hunt for a boy, so the six of them ended up in a gay club in Itaewon. Geonhak had gone for something casual but alluring, a tight black tee shirt that showed off his muscles and black skinny jeans. Dongju and Youngjo had approved of his subtly hot look, but when Geonhak saw Hwanwoong, he felt blown out of the water and utterly underdressed.

Hwanwoong wore white skinny jeans with rips going up and down his legs, more skin showing than jean. White combat boots gave him a little bit of height, but the real scene stealer was his shirt. It was silky and light pink, with a v-line collar that dipped a bit dangerously low. The sleeves puffed out at the end, giving him a bit of an elegant and cute look, but the back made Geonhak’s jaw drop. It had a large cutout, with a few strips of fabric criss-crossing to make it slightly less scandalous.

Hwanwoong’s typically blonde hair looked like it had been temporarily dyed, with streaks of light pink, purple, and blue making him look ethereal, like a fairy. His bangs fell across his forehead, bringing attention to his eyes. Geonhak thought that the other normally wore a bit of makeup, some foundation and eyeliner and maybe some other things, but it was always very natural. Tonight, his eyelids shimmered with glittering pink, his under eyes lined with three different pastel colors, a bright highlighter accenting his cheeks right under that. His lips were parted slightly, and colored to a soft pink.

“You look stunning,” Geonhak complimented Hwanwoong as soon as he saw the other, and it was the first time he didn’t slap himself mentally over saying something stupid. (He had almost just said “Those are some real cool pants,” so honestly he had narrowly escaped that dangerous fate.) No, he meant these words down to his core, and he wasn’t embarrassed about saying them at all.

Hwanwoong smiled brightly back at him. “Thank you, hyung! I feel overdressed.” Geonhak took a quick glance at the others with him. Youngjo was dressed similarly to Geonhak, except he had a jacket and a few accessories, and more stylish pants. Dongju was dressed and made up more in the vein of Hwanwoong, but his hair wasn’t as showy, and his shirt wasn’t as revealing. The man Geonhak knew to be Seoho, from Hwanwoong’s Instagram, was dressed in a tight fitting black turtleneck, which he somehow made look sexy. Keonhee, the man of the night, definitely had come to impress, but Geonhak had to admit that Hwanwoong definitely was the most stellar looking out of all of them.

Of course, he was probably biased.

“Keonhee and Seoho made me dress up this much,” Hwanwoong went on to say, as if to excuse himself, “And wouldn’t let me leave unless I wore a revealing shirt like this. It’s a bit embarrassing… I mean, we’ve not old, but I’m not a college student anymore,” Hwanwoong laughed.

Keonhee and Seoho, who had been introducing themselves to Youngjo and Dongju, walked over.

“Hi Geonhak, I’m Keonhee and this is Seoho! We’ve heard a lot about you,” and Geonhak thought he heard a teasing tone in Keonhee’s voice. For some reason Hwanwoong hit the tall boy on the arm, muttering things under his breath. Oh, so Hwanwoong has talked about me a lot, in a way that makes Keonhee want to tease him…? That was certainly information to keep in mind.

“Nice to meet you,” Geonhak simply said, bowing slightly. Knowing they were Hwanwoong’s close friends made him feel a little more comfortable around them, but they were still strangers.

“Let’s get going, shall we?” Seoho suggested, and the six of them made their way inside, finding a table and sending Youngjo and Seoho off to get drinks.

“I’m probably gonna be on the dance floor all night,” Keonhee warned. “And I’m bringing Woongie with me to start off.”

“Why,” Hwanwoong whined.

“Because you look hot and you’re good at dancing, so we’ll get attention,” Keonhee said frankly. Hwanwoong pretended to protest more, but as soon as Keonhee had complimented him a smile had lit up his face, and Geonhak could tell the only reason he wasn’t going straight out there was to get on Keonhee’s nerves.

Eventually, Keonhee managed to “drag” Hwanwoong toward the center of the dance floor, and surprisingly, Dongju slid out of the booth they were in, saying that he was going to join them. Geonhak was left by himself for a moment before Seoho and Youngjo came back with drinks.

“So,” Seoho broke the silence after each of them had taken a couple sips of their drinks. “Hwanwoong’s pretty great, huh?” Geonhak was glad he had already put his drink down, otherwise he might have ended up spitting some of it out. He had just met this guy, what was with the random line of questioning?

“Uh… yeah, he is.” Geonhak shifted uncomfortably, Youngjo’s eyes shifting curiously between them. Geonhak glanced at the dance floor, but the group of three seemed to be hidden by other bodies, and he couldn’t get a glimpse of Hwanwoong dancing.

“I see,” Seoho hummed, taking a sip of his drink. Geonhak felt like the other was staring him down, so he returned the gaze, not wanting to back down to whatever intimidation tactic this was. Eventually Seoho turned away with a sigh, and Geonhak decided to change the topic.

“So how did you and Hwanwoong meet?”

“Huh?” Seoho jumped a little before a fond smile fell on his face. “Oh, we were trainees at the same company for a while.” The revelation shocked Geonhak for a second, but looking at the other, he could definitely see the idol-like looks. “I ended up going to college instead, and now I work in information security. I’ve always liked the sciences, so.” Seoho shrugged, as if he wasn’t bothered that the idol life hadn’t worked out for him.

“Did you meet Keonhee while training as well?” Youngjo seemed curious.

“Yes, actually,” Seoho nodded, pleased that Youngjo had figured it out. “He’s also a teacher now, though. How did you three meet?”

“Youngjo and I are childhood friends,” Geonhak explained. “I met Dongju during college. He had a crush on me for a bit,” Geonhak chuckled at the memory, “until he realized he was actually madly in love with his best friend. They’re dating now, thankfully. He’ll actually be joining us a little later.”

“Cool, cool,” Seoho said absentmindedly. Geonhak hummed, glancing out at the dance floor, this time spotting Hwanwoong. His fairy-like hair made him easy to spot, and Geonhak felt suddenly hot as he watched the younger dance to the sensual song playing. If he didn’t look away he was going to start having inappropriate thoughts about what he wanted to do to the other, but at the same time… Hwanwoong was too mesmerizing to look away from.

Thankfully the song ended soon, and Dongju and Hwanwoong made their way back to the table, both of them panting. Hwanwoong slid into his seat next to Geonhak, while Youngjo and Seoho immediately started questioning Dongju about the man Keonhee was with on the dance floor. Here’s your chance, Geonhak. The others aren’t paying attention. Time to say something flirty.

Geonhak leaned in close to Hwanwoong, so he was practically speaking into the other’s ear. “You looked really hot out there.” His heart beat quickly, excited at finally having executed a successful line.

Or, what should have been a successful line.

“I was! There were so many people and the lights were so intense, I could not stop sweating, ewgh!” Hwanwoong made a disgusted face that at any other time Geonhak would have laughed at and found endearingly cute.

All he could do was stutter out a reply he couldn’t even remember and wallow in shame for the following minutes. Where had he gone wrong? Was it the delivery -- did he not sound sultry enough? Now, Geonhak might not be the best at flirting, but he was pretty sure he wasn’t that bad. He wasn’t exactly a stranger to bedroom talk, either, so the tone shouldn’t have been a problem.

Was Yeo Hwanwoong just that oblivious?

Geonhak decided to try and find out. How else could he flirt with Hwanwoong? He would usually go to Youngjo and Dongju for some advice, but he couldn’t exactly do that with Hwanwoong and his friends around. He tried signaling toward Dongju with his eyes -- look at Dongju in the eyes, look toward the bathroom, look back at Dongju -- but the youngest just sent him a weirded out look before returning to the conversation he was in.

Ok, so Geonhak was all on his own.

“Do you want another drink, Hwanwoong-ah?” He decided to ask. That was something you did for someone you liked, got them drinks.

“Uhhhh….” Geonhak wasn’t sure why the younger responded like this until he looked away from Hwanwoong’s face and down at the younger’s drink. Which was still almost full.

“I-I mean… it seems you might not like that one that much, so…” Geonhak was facepalming so much on the inside.

“No, I just can’t hold my alcohol very well so I have to drink slowly,” Hwanwoong said a bit petulantly. Geonhak’s embarrassment was soon forgotten over how cute Hwanwoong looked while pouting. So freaking adorable, Geonhak thought, smiling.

“Heh, that’s cute.” Now that had to be obvious, right?

Geonhak couldn’t be more wrong.

“Yah, just cause I can’t drink alcohol well doesn’t mean I’m a child!” Hwanwoong’s pout turned into an (adorably) enraged expression, the younger weakly hitting Geonhak across the chest in a scolding manner. Geonhak laughed it off, but on the inside, he was starting to worry.

Maybe it wasn’t that Hwanwoong was oblivious. Maybe he just didn’t like Geonhak that way, and couldn’t even fathom liking Geonhak that way, so he never interpreted Geonhak’s words as flirty.

Geonhak prayed that wasn’t the truth.

***

Geonhak tried again the next time he and Hwanwoong hung out alone, grabbing dinner while Seonyul was over at a friend’s place. Geonhak had been busy lately, so it was already November, and the night was particularly cold. As Geonhak was walking Hwanwoong back to the subway, he couldn’t help but notice the younger shivering, despite the peacoat he had on.

“Here,” Geonhak said, sliding his arms out of his own wool coat. He tried to place it around the smaller’s shoulders, but Hwanwoong immediately protested. Geonhak clicked his tongue, wrapping it more forcefully around Hwanwoong. “Just take it. Give it back to me next time.”

“Fine, fine, Mr. Grumpy…” Hwanwoong mumbled his breath. Huh? Did I sound agitated when I said that? Dammit, I just wanted him to be warm… Isn’t this what romantic guys do in dramas or something? Still, Hwanwoong pulled the coat tighter around himself, and Geonhak couldn’t lament his failure for that long. Hwanwoong simply looked too cute drowning in Geonhak’s XL size coat.

***

It really was too cold to be playing outside, being late November, but Seonyul kept begging Geonhak, and finally he relented. Making sure to bundle his kid up to the point that Seonyul resembled a marshmallow, he called Hwanwoong on his way there, since the park was by his apartment. Hwanwoong was available, and met up with the father-son pair.

“Just for a little bit, okay Seonyul? Then we’ll go get dinner.”

Seonyul ran right toward the swing set, and Hwanwoong ran after him, the pair giggling as they sat on the seats right next to each other. Heaving a fond sigh, Geonhak walked slowly after them. Hwanwoong was already pumping his legs slightly, but Seonyul was waiting for his dad. Geonhak, knowing his duty, started pushing his son, the little kid giggling as soon as he started gaining air. “Higher, higher!” Geonhak obliged, shaking his head as he could do nothing but follow his kid’s whims.

After a bit Seonyul wanted to swing by himself, so Geonhak took a step back and just watched. Hwanwoong was just swinging back and forth idly, and Geonhak suddenly recalled that it was the younger’s hobby to ride on swings as well. Smiling to himself as he formulated a plan, he approached the other from behind, pushing on his back in order to help him swing.

It would have been nice -- even romantic, maybe? -- if that’s what happened. Instead, Hwanwoong, surprised by the sudden push, fell face forward out of the swing, barely managing to land on his hands and knees with an indignant squawk.

“Hyung! Why do you have to bully me like that!” Hwanwoong got up and started chasing after Geonhak with murderous intent in his eyes. Geonhak laughed as he ran away, letting the younger man chase him. He hid behind Seonyul playfully, his kid giggling along as Hwanwoong tried to reach around the kid to grab onto Geonhak.

The playfulness almost made Geonhak forget about yet another failed attempt of his.

Almost.

***

It was early December when Geonhak and Hwanwoong went out to coffee, on one of the days when his parents were watching Seonyul. The two of them were bundled up for the cold, and Geonhak couldn’t stop staring at Hwanwoong’s pink dusted cheeks. It felt a bit mean of him to think, since Hwanwoong was shivering and suffering from the cold, but Hwanwoong looked really cute like this. Then again, I always think Hwanwoong is cute. Geonhak smiled to himself, holding the door open for Hwanwoong as they entered the coffee shop.

”Oh!” Hwanwoong let out a noise of surprise when they entered.

”Hm?” Geonhak looked to the other man inquisitively, watching as a fond smile crept up his face.

”The barista, I recognize him!” Geonhak turned to look at the man behind the counter, a very tall man that Geonhak had to (begrudgingly) admit was quite good looking, especially when he smiled. “Mingi was my junior during college. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him!”

Now, it should have been completely unreasonable for Geonhak to feel any form of jealousy. And he didn’t, not really. He just felt a little… disgruntled that Hwanwoong was so excited to see another man, a very handsome man, when he was supposed to be spending time with Geonhak. He wasn’t proud of it, but Geonhak swore it was natural to feel a little threatened by someone that seemed like competition! Not that he knew if this guy was even interested in Hwanwoong in the slightest, but hearts didn’t exactly operate with the same type of logic that minds did.

”He had mentioned that him and his boyfriend Yunho had wanted to open their own coffee shop, but I never would have imagined they’d have such a successful one so quickly! Come on hyung, let’s go say hi!”

Geonhak immediately felt much more willing to be friendly to this guy upon hearing that he had a boyfriend, a thought that he felt a little bad about. He promised to buy an extra pastry to soothe his guilt and support this guy’s shop.

After Hwanwoong caught up with Mingi a bit, their drinks and food were ready, and Geonhak insisted on paying for it and carrying it all over to their table for them. Hwanwoong rolled his eyes but relented, because if there was one thing that the both of them were, it was stubborn once they set their minds on something.

”One bubble tea for Hwanwoong,” Geonhak said with a smirk as he placed the large drink in front of his friend. He sat across from the other, adjusting the plates of pastries they got so they were in between the two, and ready to share. Geonhak himself didn’t actually like coffee, and preferred sweet drinks, so he had gotten himself some fruit juice.

”Do you not like coffee, hyung?” Hwanwoong asked, sipping his drink eagerly. Geonhak had known of the other’s love for bubble tea for a while (Hwanwoong was in the habit of bringing bubble tea with him over to Geonhak’s house or whenever they met anywhere), but he himself mostly just had water if they were together.

”Hmm,” Geonhak grunted in denial. “Too bitter.”

”Ha! You have the palate of a child, hyung.”

”Ya, Yeo Hwanwoong! You’re not drinking coffee either.”

”Do I see correctly, hmmm? Are you pouting, hyung?” Hwanwoong’s tone was obviously teasing, but Geonhak couldn’t help but rise to the bait.

”I’m not pouting…” He proceeded to sink lower into his chair and cross his arms, and only realized how sulky he must’ve looked when Hwanwoong laughed.

”Hey, aren’t you always saying you’re not cute? I don’t know~ You look pretty adorable to me right now~!”

”I’m not!” How could I even be called cute when I’m sitting across from you, the cutest person in the world after Seonyul?! “Yeo Hwanwoong, if you don’t stop this right now--”

”What are you gonna do? Everyone knows you’re not actually scary, hyung!” Hwanwoong’s brilliant smile had alleviated any of the irritability Geonhak might have felt at being provoked, but he still wanted to tease the younger.

”If you don’t stop, I’ll drink all your bubble tea!” At this Hwanwoong’s mouth dropped, looking affronted.

”You wouldn’t! Not my precious bubble tea!” Hwanwoong’s eyes widened and the inner corners of his eyebrows turned up, his tone whiny, and Geonhak’s heart just about collapsed. Does he even realize how adorable he is?

”Watch me,” Geonhak straightened up and lifted one corner of his lips in a smirk, his signature cocky visage overtaking his face. Before Hwanwoong could do anything, he snatched up Hwanwoong’s drink, and started sipping at it. The taste wasn’t exactly his style, but for the sake of pestering the other, he kept drinking it until Hwanwoong stood up and reached across the table, pulling his cup back from Geonhak and sitting down with a “hmph!”.

”Meanie,” Hwanwoong pouted, sipping at his drink sulkily.

”Now who’s pouting?” Hwanwoong stuck his tongue out at Geonhak. Staring at Hwanwoong’s mouth (which he really wanted to just devour, but that was neither here nor there) and thinking over what just happened, a sudden thought came to Geonhak. Here’s my chance! “You know… We just shared an indirect kiss, Hwanwoong-ah."

”Hyuuung,” Hwanwoong drew out the word, reaching across the table and pushing at Geonhak’s shoulder. “Stop it! You really are like a child! I thought we were done with the teasing.”

So Hwanwoong thought he was just being playful? How was that something that Geonhak could even correct?! Nothing he said was being taken seriously! Geonhak groaned to himself internally, but just shook his head and sighed. Picking up a pastry, he split it in half, placing the larger half on Hwanwoong’s napkin.

Hwanwoong’s face softened, and the look he was giving Geonhak was filled with affection and softness. “Thanks for always taking care of me, hyung.

”Don’t mention it.” That’s all I want to do in this world, Yeo Hwanwoong. Take care of you, because you deserve the absolute best.

***

That Friday, Hwanwoong unexpectedly asked Geonhak and Seonyul to the movies with him. Apparently Seonyul and Hwanwoong had drawn Disney princesses once before while Seonyul was being babysat (Geonhak vaguely recalled the drawing because Seonyul’s Rapunzel and Belle looked really cute while Hwanwoong’s Mulan and Elsa looked a little… questionable). At that time Seonyul had talked about his favorite Disney movie, Tangled, since Geonhak had watched it with him for the first time recently, and Hwanwoong had remembered how much the kid enjoyed the film. He apparently missed Seonyul, and a local small theatre was screening Disney movies on weekends, and this week’s was apparently Tangled.

They met at the cinema, getting some popcorn to share between the three of them. Seonyul tried to convince them to get a large and both Geonhak and Hwanwoong were weak to the boy so they almost said yes before they came to their senses. Seonyul pouted though, so Geonhak ended up buying some candy for him anyway.

They sat with Seonyul in the middle, dutifully keeping the popcorn in his arms. “Seonyul-ah, don’t eat it all before the movie starts!” Hwanwoong had to remind him. Geonhak felt a little bad, they didn’t go to the theatre that often so Seonyul must have been craving the buttery snack. Although thinking about it, even if they came here every week, Seonyul would probably be diving into the popcorn right away, the little food fiend that he was.

Geonhak felt like a teenager again, because every time his and Hwanwoong’s hands brushed while reaching for popcorn, he instinctively flinched away and felt a flush rise. To be fair, Hwanwoong also flinched away, but it was too dark for Geonhak to be able to tell if he flushed as well. And he couldn’t just spend the whole movie staring at Hwanwoong, anyway. That would be way too obvious. (That doesn’t mean he didn’t want to, though.)

The movie was realy cute, Geonhak had to admit it was one of his favorites as well. Seonyul seemed to enjoy it a lot, humming under his breath along to the songs and swaying side from side as he watched. As they loitered outside the theatre, talking about the film (Seonyul’s hot take that Tangled was better than Frozen despite being less popular was particularly cute just because of how adamant his son was), Geonhak ended up indulging his son when Seonyul started making requests of him and Hwanwoong.

”Dad! Mr. Hwanwoong! Can you please sing When Will My Life Begin for me? Dad’s voice is so good, and Mr. Hwanwoong yours must be too if you were training to be an idol! I wanna hear you sing it!”

”Hmmm, but there’s two of us, and that song is only made for one person?” Hwanwoong teased Seonyul (Geonhak thought Hwanwoong was meaning to ask Seonyul to take Rapunzel’s role and sing it for them instead), but his kid took it seriously and paused for a bit, thinking with a stern expression on his face.

”That’s okay then! You can do a different song! How about I See the Light? Dad, you can be Eugene, and Mr. Hwanwoong can be Rapunzel because he has pretty blonde hair just like her!”

”What!?” Geonhak and Hwanwoong managed to exclaim at the same time, and both of them had lit up bright red at Seonyul’s suggestion. Even though Geonhak theoretically would love to sing a romantic duet with Hwanwoong, there was no way he could actually do that!

”Huh? What’s wrong with it?” Seonyul tilted his head to the side innocently.

”It’s a confession song, Seonyul-ah,” Hwanwoong explained. “It’s kind of embarrassing to sing out of nowhere!” Wait a second, Geonhak thought. This is another chance for me! It’s a perfect set up! I can play it off as a joke if it fails!

”Hm? Are you saying you’d be embarrassed if I sang a confession song to you, Hwanwoong-ah?” Geonhak had to admit he felt a little proud of himself for that one. Even Youngjo would probably tell him he was getting better at flirting, he was sure of it.

”I-ehhh?!” Hwanwoong sputtered. “What type of greasy nonsense are you spitting, hyung! In front of your son, no less?! Stop fooling around!” Hwanwoong went to hit Geonhak on his arm, but Geonhak was used to the younger’s antics, moving out of the way before he could, laughing as Hwanwoong started to chase him around.

”And at last I see the light~” Geonhak sang as he ran, Hwanwoong shrieking once he heard.

”Kim Geonhak!!!”

The smacks he received on his arm when he finally let Hwanwoong catch up to him were entirely worth Hwanwoong’s flustered reaction. Afterwards, the three of them walked to an ice cream place nearby, and Geonhak couldn’t help singing a few lines of I See the Light every now and then, because Hwanwoong would let out a high pitched shriek every time and Seonyul would laugh.

”What type of ice cream do you want, Yul-ah?” Geonhak asked his son, the kid staring into a display case full of colorful ice cream.

”Can I pick two?”

”Sorry kid,” the words pained Geonhak to say, “you already had popcorn and candy. Just one scoop tonight, ok?”

”Okay dad!” Seonyul didn’t even sound upset, and Geonhak once again felt so proud of his son. A lot of other kids would have just continued whining. Hwanwoong seemed to be of the same thought.

”Seonyul-ah, you’re so mature. When I was around your age, I hadn’t had ice cream in months but when my father offered me some, he said I could only have one bite. I wanted more, so my dad took the ice cream away and ate almost all of it in one bite by himself! I cried so much back then.”

”It’s okay, that won’t happen again! I’ll always share mine!” Seonyul promised Hwanwoong with a bright smile, and Geonhak could tell Hwanwoong was touched by the fond smile he sent Seonyul and the way that he ruffled his hair. Geonhak felt that pride rush up in his heart again (and then he tried to stop himself from imagining how adorable little Hwanwoong must have been, crying over ice cream).

”Have you decided, Seonyul-ah?”

”Mhm!” Seonyul skipped up to the counter, where a teenage girl had been waiting for them to place their order. “One scoop of strawberry ice cream, please!”

”We’ll have a scoop of cookies and cream.” Geonhak told the cashier on behalf of him and Hwanwoong. They had decided to just share a scoop, since neither of them was that hungry.

A bit later, the teenager slid the two cups of ice cream with three spoons over the counter, accepting Geonha’s credit card with both hands. As she pulled the receipt from the register, she hesitated. “Sorry if this is intrusive, but I just wanted to say… You three make such a cute family!”

Taken aback, Geonhak felt his jaw drop, having no idea how to respond. On the other hand, Hwanwoong held out his hands in protest. “Ah, we’re not --”

”Oh!” The girl exclaimed, and started bowing profusely. “I’m so sorry for my assumption!”

”It’s okay, don’t worry,” Geonhak managed to say. Honestly, he was really flattered that they gave off that vibe. It had to mean something good, right? “Have a nice night,” he bowed slightly, taking Seonyul’s hand and walking over to one of the tables, out of earshot from the cashier.

”Ah, how embarrassing!” Hwanwoong was using the back of his hands to pat his cheeks, which were vividly pink. “I wonder why she thought that…” Another chance to flirt! Geonhak thought.

”Probably because you look like a dad.” Only after the words left his mouth did Geonhak realize how absolutely stupid that sounded. Facepalming internally, he could only wallow in regret as Hwanwoong’s jaw dropped.

”Eh?? Do I look old or something? Is my fashion sense really bad? Am I starting to develop a beer belly? I don’t even drink beer!”

”Hwanwoong…” Geonhak’s embarrassment was quickly replaced with fond exasperation. “What type of stereotypes are those? None of those apply to me.”

”Yeah, but saying I look like a dad… what else is that supposed to mean?” Hwanwoong grumbled and shook his head as he stabbed his spoon into the cookies and cream.

”Thanks so much dad! This is so delicious!!” Seonyul interrupted their conversation, and Geonhak and Hwanwoong looked over to see the kid with pink ice cream all over his mouth. The two laughed, with Hwanwoong grabbing a napkin and helping Seonyul wipe up the mess. Once again, Geonhak was struck with the thought that Hwanwoong really would make a great dad.

Geonhak spent most of his time cleaning up after Seonyul after that, so he ended up taking his half of the cookies and cream to go. Seonyul was starting to get tired, so he would just eat it on their way back. After walking a bit, Seonyul holding both Geonhak and Hwanwoong’s hands in between them, his kid started walking slower and slower.

”I think the sugar is making him crash,” Hwanwoong lamented as they slowed down.

”Here, take my ice cream. I’ll carry Seonyul back and just finish it later.” Geonhak held out his cup to the younger, but Hwanwoong glanced between it and Seonyul before shaking his head.

”I got this. You finish your ice cream, hyung!” Hwanwoong bent down and picked Seonyul up, hefting him up in his arms with one arm under his thighs and one around his back, Seonyul’s chin resting against Hwanwoong’s shoulder.

”Cute,” Geonhak said under his breath, but it seems that Hwanwoong heard him.

”Isn’t he?! Although next time we really need to be more careful about the sugar, no matter how much he begs.” Geonhak hadn’t been talking about his son (although of course he was cute!), but he let that slide. Hwanwoong had said “next time,” and the domesticity implied by continuing to go out with Seonyul together warmed Geonhak’s heart.

Yeah, Hwanwoong would make a great father. And partner.

***

Hwanwoong and Geonhak’s friend groups were getting together to do a small Christmas party, including Dongju’s boyfriend Giwook and their other friends Dongmyeong, Harin, Yonghoon, and Kanghyun. It was a big enough group to do a secret santa, and even though Geonhak got Seoho as the person he had to get a gift for, he still decided to buy a gift for Hwanwoong (and Youngjo and Dongju) separately.

During the party they all got a bit tipsy, and maybe some of them even drunk. Geonhak got to witness firsthand Hwanwoong’s lack of tolerance for alcohol, but honestly found it super cute when the younger’s cheeks lit up with a bright pink alcohol-induced blush.

He also couldn’t help but noticed that someone had set up some mistletoe under the door between the kitchen and the living room of Yonghoon’s (very nice and very large) apartment. So far only Dongju and Giwook had gotten caught under it (and Geonhak suspected they purposefully did so) but Geonhak couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if he happened to be under there with Hwanwoong.

He didn’t particularly want their first kiss to be under some weird circumstances like this, but at the same time, it would probably accelerate things, and… Well, Geonhak had to admit that he really just wanted to feel Hwanwoong in his arms. His large hands would be settled carefully around the younger’s small waist, Hwanwoong’s small hands gripped tight together around Geonhak’s neck, the younger standing slightly on his tippy toes as Geonhak pressed his lips to Hwanwoong’s softer ones…

Geonhak lost himself in the daydream, and missed another opportunity to cross paths with Hwanwoong as he emerged from the kitchen again. He must have been being a bit obvious with his staring, because Youngjo came around and pushed him lightly in the shoulder. “Just ask him out already, come on.”

“I don’t even know if he likes me.”

“So? You’ve never been scared of rejection before.”

“I just… like him so much.” The words brought down Youngjo’s lighthearted mood, and the older sat down next to his friend on the couch, throwing an arm around his shoulder. Geonhak smiled at the comfort, letting himself lean into his best friend a bit as he watched Hwanwoong dance crazily with Keonhee, the two of them drunk off alcohol and happiness.

Geonhak let himself sober up in his sadness.

***

Christmas Eve was a few days later, and Geonhak was hosting a smaller affair at his place. His parents were out of town on a trip, Dongju was spending time with his boyfriend, and Youngjo was spending time with his family who had come into town. Geonhak originally thought it would be just him and Seonyul, but Hwanwoong had told him a few weeks back that all his friends had plans with their significant others or family, while Hwanwoong’s family lived too far away to visit. Geonhak had immediately invited Hwanwoong over to his place, and this was when he planned to give Hwanwoong his gift.

Hwanwoong came over dressed in a cranberry oversized sweater, and Geonhak wanted to tell him how cute he looked, but chickened out once he remembered his previous failures.

Instead, he just focused on having a good time with Seonyul and Hwanwoong. Hwanwoong had brought over dessert (“I didn’t make it though, sorry! I picked it up from a bakery,” the younger had said sheepishly) while Geonhak had prepared some traditional Korean food that he knew all three of them liked.

“Mr. Hwanwoong,” Seonyul asked during dinner, “What did you ask for from Santa this year?” Hwanwoong seemed a bit unprepared for the question, but chewed his food thoughtfully before answering.

“I actually forgot to ask for anything.” Seonyul gasped, and Hwanwoong nodded his head knowingly. “I know, how crazy right? But actually, there wasn’t really anything I wanted. This year has been pretty perfect, so I didn’t think I needed to ask Santa for anything else. What about you, Seonyul-ah?”

“I asked Santa to give Dad a new husband or wife, and me a new parent!”

Geonhak promptly choked on his food.

“E-excuse me?”

“All the other kids have two parents, and it’s not that I’m jealous, because I love you so much! But I don’t want you to be lonely. You always spend time with only me.” Damn his kid for being mature and smart for his age.

“I spend time with Dongju and Youngjo too!” Geonhak protested.

“Hey, don’t forget me!” Hwanwoong pouted, slapping Geonhak lightly on his arm.

“Yeah, but none of them are your special someone! ” Seonyul emphasized.

“Hwanwoong is really special to me,” Geonhak said, flitting his eyes to the peripheral to check Hwanwoong’s reaction. The younger stared at him in disbelief.

“Huh, what are you doing, comparing me to a lover like that!” Hwanwoong hissed. His tone was joking, but Geonhak felt his heart crush just a little more in his chest.

“What, so it’s really that bad to imagine dating someone like me?” Geonhak said moodily. How did Hwanwoong not get the freaking hint, even after he called him special like that?!

“I- that’s not what I said! I just said it’s out of place…” Hwanwoong crossed his arms, but Geonhak felt slightly redeemed at the words.

“Fine fine,” he grumbled, shoving another forkful of food in his mouth.

“So what was your Christmas wish, then?” Hwanwoong asked.

“Can’t say,” Geonhak grunted. “If I do, then it won’t come true.”

Seonyul and Hwanwoong groaned, while Geonhak repeated his wish in his head.

I wish that Hwanwoong would like me back. It reverberated from his head down to his heart, causing it to ache with how badly he wanted it but how impossible it seemed.

Hwanwoong excused himself to go to the bathroom later, and Seonyul took the opportunity to lean in closer to his father.

“Hey dad?”

“Hmm?” He responded absentmindedly, thinking about how cute his son looked dressed up in a Christmas sweater with a snowman on it. His son really was the cutest of all the kids!

“Do you like Mr. Hwanwoong? As in, like like?” Wait, what?

“Huh?” Geonhak sputtered. “What makes you say that?” His child simply smiled back at him.

“So you do! You said Mr. Hwanwoong was special, so I thought so. I really like Mr. Hwanwoong too. If he makes you happy, I wouldn’t mind if he was my dad.”

The words were said so nonchalantly, and to Seonyul it was just another instance of a child’s brutal honesty. To Geonhak, it almost drove him to tears. Here his kid was, telling him he would accept the man his father liked as a dad.

It really seemed to be a Christmas miracle.

***

Unfortunately, there was only room for one miracle a night.

After Seonyul had been sent to bed, and Hwanwoong was about to start wrapping his long pink scarf around his neck, Geonhak stopped him. He pulled out a small box, handing it to the younger.

“Merry Christmas, Woong-ah.”

“H-huh? But I didn’t get anything for you!”

“It’s okay.” Geonhak scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t expect anything. I just wanted to get this for you because… Well, open it first.”

Hwanwoong looked apologetic still, but gently unwrapped the ribbon tied carefully around the box, sliding his finger under the creases in the gift wrap in order to get it open. Placing the wrapping on the counter nearby, Hwanwoong slowly opened the small jewelry box in front of him, pulling out a dainty bracelet with a single small gold circle hanging off it. If one looked closely, they would see that the indents and embossing of the circle were in the pattern of the continents of the earth.

“I meant it when I said you were special to me,” Geonhak said. He had prepared this whole speech earlier, with the help of Youngjo and Dongju. Honestly, if it had just been him, he would have fumbled and probably said something gruff (“such a tsundere,” Dongju always called him), but his two friends helped him work out his emotions and open up for once in his life. “You’re precious to me, and…” The words got stuck in his throat. He wasn’t used to opening up like this. It sounded so unnatural. He felt slightly self conscious -- what if Hwanwoong called him out for being so out of character? Still, he cleared his throat again, trying to remember the words he had planned out. “You’re a big part of my world, so, uh…”

So what?! What was next? Crap, why didn’t he write this down! “So, uh, I just wanted to. Tell you that. You know.” No, no, that definitely wasn’t it! There was supposed to be something about liking Hwanwoong in there, and asking him out and-- Geonhak took a deep breath. He could still fix this. He had to just open his mouth and say--

“Thank you so much hyung!” Hwanwoong cut him off before he found the chance, throwing himself at Geonhak and wrapping his hands around his neck. Geonhak stumbled a bit backward. He reflexively wrapped his arms around Hwanwoong’s torso, steadying the younger. “You’re precious to me too!” Hwanwoong squeezed him tighter, and then lowered his voice so it was no longer excited, just sentimental. “I’m so thankful you’re my friend.”

Geonhak grunted in agreement, and squeezed his eyes tighter to fend off the tears of frustration. Not only did he fail once again, but Hwanwoong basically just confirmed he thought of Geonhak only as a friend.

“Me too,” he forced himself to say. “Me too.”

***

“I give up.”

“Huh? What? What happened, hyung?” Dongju’s relaxed mood immediately turned frantic at hearing his hyung so dejected.

“Hwanwoong said he was thankful that I was his friend. His friend!”

“Idiot,” Youngjo sighed, but it was fondly and with sympathy in his voice. “What’s he supposed to say? That he’s glad you’re his crush or something?”

“Fine. But he’s never flirted back, not once!”

“Seoho and Keonhee said he’s pretty oblivious,” Dongju attested.

“So? If he liked me, wouldn’t he have confessed or something by now?”

“By your logic, you should have confessed to him long ago,” Youngjo pointed out. Geonhak groaned.

“Why are you two like this? You just want to set me up for some more hurt?”

“No, stupid,” Dongju rolled his eyes. “We want to get you together with Hwanwoong.”

“But I’ve tried!”

“You’ve done literally everything except actually confess, hyung,” Dongju said flatly.

“But on Christmas--”

“You didn’t actually confess. You forgot what to say. It sucks, yeah, but the point still stands that you never actually confessed.”

Damn Youngjo for always being logical.

“Fine. One last try, and then I’m done.”

“You got this hyung,” Dongju’s voice softened. Youngjo squeezed his hand.

He loved his friends.

***

It was early January when Geonhak was finally able to meet Hwanwoong again. The younger was very busy, and only had time to stop by Geonhak’s apartment for a bit, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to meet up again for another few weeks. Geonhak couldn’t wait that long, so he settled for it, even though it was far from an ideal atmosphere.

Telling Seonyul to stay in his room, Geonhak greeted Hwanwoong at the door. It must have been snowing out, because the younger had small snowflakes dusted across his cheeks and nose like freckles, and was sniffling cutely from the cold. Geonhak couldn’t help the fond smile that crawled up his face, helping the other out of his scarf and jacket (it happened to be the coat he had lent Hwanwoong that one time, and the younger looked way too cute in it so Geonhak had conveniently just forgotten to ask for it back), and guiding him to the couch.

“You said you had something important to talk with me about, hyung?” Hwanwoong questioned, his head cocking to the side like a curious puppy might. His eyebrows were furrowed in worry though, and Geonhak immediately went to reassure him.

“Yeah, nothing’s wrong though.” Hwanwoong relaxed slightly and Geonhak fidgeted in his seat. “I called you over because I wanted to talk about… this past year. It’s been almost a year since I met you, that is.”

“Huh,” Hwanwoong said, contemplating this. “Time really does fly by. And you only look a little bit older, hyung,” the younger teaser, jostling Geonhak’s shoulder gently.

“Very funny,” Geonhak deadpanned. “Anyway, I wanted to say that… Over this past year, I uh, really appreciated you being there for me. And for Seonyul.” God, this is so awkward… He cleared his throat, not letting himself falter like last time. “I have a hard time saying things like this. But it’s better to just be clear about this. So here it goes.” Geonhak sat up straight, looking a puzzled Hwanwoong directly in the eyes. “Yeo Hwanwoong, I like you.”

“I like you too!” Hwanwoong smiled back brightly, but the response didn’t fill Geonhak with any warmth. Instead, he felt a heavy weight in the pit of his stomach. “I appreciate you just as much, hyung. I think it’s really good to be open about this type of things with your friends, I know how hard it must be for you since normally--” Hwanwoong cut himself off, noticing that Geonhak had turned away from him and was giving him the cold shoulder. “H-huh? Hyung, what’s wrong? Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry if saying that you’re not as open emotionally hurt your feelings, I thought that that’s what you were acknowledging but I guess it was really insensitive of me…”

Hwanwoong sat fretting in his seat while Geonhak could only take deep breaths, trying to calm himself. Their tense silence was only broken by the pitter pattering of small feet.

“Mr. Hwanwoong!” That was Seonyul’s voice, coming from a few feet away from them. Geonhak looked up to see Seonyul running up to grab onto Hwanwoong’s arm.

“Seonyul, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay in your room?” His voice sounded unusually gruff, even to Geonhak himself.

“I couldn’t help but eavesdrop dad, I’m sorry! But Mr. Hwanwoong misunderstood you.”

“W-wait, Seonyul--”

“Misunderstood?” Hwanwoong asked over Geonhak’s attempt at intervention.

“Yeah! When dad said he likes you, he didn’t mean as a friend! He meant he like likes you!”

“W-what!?” Hwanwoong jumped up out of his seat, sputtering. “Hyung, is that true?!”

Geonhak paused for a moment before steeling himself and looking Hwanwoong in the eye. He nodded.

“No. There’s no way?!” Hwanwoong started pacing and tugging at his hair, looking to be in the middle of breaking down. Geonhak could only stare on in confusion. “You mean to tell me, this entire time, you actually liked me? I wasn’t just deluding myself?”

“Wait what?”

“Hyung!” Hwanwoong finally stopped pacing, spinning around and sitting in front of Geonhak again. His hands were trembling and his eyes were wet, and Geonhak instinctively reached out and grabbed the smaller’s hands to comfort him. Hwanwoong tensed at first but quickly relaxed into the hold. “I liked you for so long. Since I met you, I thought you were so handsome, but… After I got to know you, I really, really liked you. But I tried flirting a few times and you just, never responded, so I was convinced you didn’t like me at all.”

“You tried flirting?!” Geonhak’s mouth fell open in disbelief. When had that happened? He certainly would have noticed that!

“Yeah! I smiled at you a lot, and blinked my eyes in that flirtatious way they always do in dramas, and I brushed my hand against yours every time I handed you Seonyul’s bag!”

Geonhak blinked once. Twice. Letting out a scoff of disbelief, he could only shake his head and say, “Yeo Hwanwoong, you’re an even worse flirt than me.”

And then he finally, finally, leaned in, and kissed Hwanwoong.

On the cheek, of course. Seonyul was still there!

***

Geonhak and Hwanwoong wasted no time after that, because they had already, mistakenly, wasted so much, convincing themselves that the other didn’t like him. They started seeing each other, to the cheers of their friends (“Finally I don’t have to deal with you pining all the time,” Dongju huffed, but sent Geonhak a proud smile anyway) and the happiness of Seonyul as well. The three of them enjoyed many trips to the park, with Geonhak finally successfully pushing Hwanwoong on the swings. The younger’s cries of joy were so worth it.

The two were moving in together now, after two years of being together. As Geonhak helped Hwanwoong arrange photos of their little family (some of him, Hwanwoong, and Seonyul, some of just him and Hwanwoong) around their new apartment, he smiled fondly back upon the memories that the photos invoked. There had been some rough patches, but Hwanwoong was still as amazing as he had been to Geonhak almost three years ago. Seonyul was busy arranging his drawings on the fridge, and as Hwanwoong hummed cheerfully to a Christmas song, Geonhak was reminded of Christmas last year.

It had been much better than the Christmas two years before, when Geonhak had been supposedly friendzoned. Much, much better, Geonhak smirked to himself, remembering the new toys he had tested on Hwanwoong that night. But if Geonhak had to pick his favorite moment of their relationship, there was only one clear option, and it had only happened a few days ago.

Geonhak, Hwanwoong, and Seonyul were setting up the Christmas tree, which Seonyul had insisted had to be one of the first things in the new apartment. And Geonhak and Hwanwoong both agreed -- whatever Seonyul says, goes.

As the three of them took a break and sat on the floor eating Gingerbread cookies (more like nibbling on them -- Hwanwoong had been trying to bake and these were one of his newest creations, and neither Geonhak nor Seonyul wanted to hurt the other’s feelings by mentioning how strangely flavorless they were), Seonyul brought up the question that he had become accustomed to asking every Christmastime.

“Dad, what do you want for Christmas?”

“Hm,” Geonhak pondered. “I want to go on a vacation with Seonyul and Woongie.”

“Eh???” Hwanwoong looked up in shock, and Geonhak laughed before fondly wiping some cookie crumbs from the corner of his lover’s mouth.

“Seonyul has time off soon. I think it would be a nice treat.” Geonhak hadn’t meant to spoil the surprise, but when Hwanwoong and Seonyul piled themselves on him out of pure joy, he didn’t regret it one bit.

“How about you, Seonyul-ah? What do you want this Christmas?”

“Hmmm...” The boy pretended to contemplate, but the shy look on his face told the adults that he had already made his mind up. “I want another dad!”

“Huh?” Geonhak felt his mood suddenly shift, worry overtaking him. What did Seonyul mean? Seonyul, unperturbed, turned toward Hwanwoong, scooting closer to him looking up at him with big, pleading eyes. Hwanwoong, totally unsure of what was going on, could only stare back.

“Can I call you daddy?”

Geonhak and Hwanwoong were both shocked by the words that came out of Seonyul’s mouth. Hwanwoong’s eyes immediately teared up, and he reached forward, engulfing Seonyul in a large hug.

“Only if I can call you my son!” Seonyul nodded profusely up and down at that, and Geonhak silently cried as he watched his son and his lover -- no, his son and his other father. Geonhak’s other half.

Yes, if Geonhak had to pick a favorite memory, this would definitely be it. Just a son and two fathers, spending Christmas together like a family.

***

“I love you," kiss, "and I love that I can officially call you Seonyul's daddy now,” Geonhak whispered to his lover, as Hwanwoong lay snuggled up to him. The smaller was curled into him almost like a cat, and grinned just like one.

“Ooh, so you want to call me daddy, is that how it is?” Hwanwoong teased. Geonhak rolled his eyes, although he was used to the younger's jokes by now. Leave it to Hwanwoong to joke during a serious moment, he thought exasperatedly, but fondly.

"There's only one name for you in this bedroom, and it's baby," Geonhak smirked, kissing the other on the nose.

"Yes sir," Hwanwoong played along instead of replying sarcastically, even though he knew they weren’t doing that type of play tonight. Geonhak rolled his eyes, and decided to tease back.

“Look at you, calling me sir, just like the very good boy you are.”

“Hyung,” Hwanwoong whined, slapping him slightly. “Why do you have to tease me like that!”

“You teased me first!” Geonhak huffed, but said it with a smile on his face.

“Yeah, but you know how much even the littlest bit of praise gets me riled up,” Hwanwoong pouted, turning away and pretending to be petulant.

Geonhak rolled his eyes at the other one’s antics, wrapping his arms around the younger from behind and spooning him.

“By the way, Woong-ah,” he whispered into the smaller’s ear, causing him to shiver. “If you thought last year’s toys were fun, just wait till we try out this year’s.”

Hwanwoong fell off the bed so loudly that Seonyul came running in, scared that something was wrong. Hwanwoong just sulked to himself as Geonhak laughed, Seonyul diving onto their bed and demanding that his dad tell him what was so funny.

“Nothing, nothing,” he giggled, ruffling Seonyul’s hair. “Now go back to sleep quickly. Christmas is tomorrow, and we can’t open presents unless you get a good night’s sleep!”

“Only if daddy reads me a bedtime story!” Seonyul demanded, pouting for good measure. Hwanwoong grinned, standing up and brushing imaginary dust off of himself.

“Of course I will. Let’s go, Seonyul-ah,” Hwanwoong said and reached out his hand. His son grabbed it, and Hwanwoong swung their arms playfully as they left toward Seonyul’s room. His heart was filled to the brim with how much he loved his partner and their son.

***

Now that Geonhak thought about it, that’s what being with Hwanwoong was like. He had a hard time putting how he felt into words, but of this he was sure. Being with Hwanwoong wasn’t just one best memory. No, it was a whole treasure cove of them.

With more awaiting to be discovered every day.