Work Text:
Wooyoung’s work as a real estate agent is demanding, but it also offers him a unique sort of flexibility that he wouldn’t trade for anything. He puts in lots of time when he works, and often goes above and beyond to meet clients last minute or outside of regular business hours and attend extra meetings when that’s needed. He does all of this, but on the weeks when Minji stays with him, he works only while she is at school just so he can meet her on the steps outside and walk home with her when it is done.
Even now, most of Minji’s friends walk home or to their hagwons on their own, just like he did when he was six. Wooyoung knows that it won’t be long before she shuns him entirely at this part of the day, so he’s determined to make the most of every day that he can get with his precious little girl. It’s worth all the work he’s done for the past two weeks while she’s been with her mother when he sees her smile.
“Daddy!” Minji shouts excitedly when she spots Wooyoung waving up at her, and her little uniform skirt bounces as she races down the stairs and hops up into his waiting arms. It isn’t that they haven’t seen each other over the past two weeks. In fact, Wooyoung is very proud of how well he and Yoohyeon co-parent. The first day of a custody period is always special, though, and Wooyoung knows she’s just as excited to see her mother after their weeks end.
As Wooyoung swings Minji around she giggles happily, and he gives her a quick kiss on the cheek before he sets her down. “Hi sweetie,” he greets her warmly as she slips her hand into his. “Do we need to make any stops on the way home today?”
In truth, this is a dangerous question, but it is also their tradition. “Well, we have to go to the grocery store,” Minji begins, and Wooyoung nods in agreement as he shifts the strap of his messenger bag. This stop is always a part of the list, and sometimes it is the only one. Sometimes, though, Minji asks for a treat or a special stop of some sort on so-called free evenings (that is, the evenings when she does not attend hagwon), and Wooyoung can always tell when it’s going to happen.
Just like he knows it’s going to happen today.
“And?” Wooyoung smiles knowingly down at his daughter who giggles and winks right back up at him. It isn’t that he ever doubted her paternity, but there is no doubt in the world that Minji is his when she pulls looks like this.
“Welllll,” Minji draws out the word as she swings her hand and Wooyoung’s back and forth where they are linked. “You know Halloween is a little over a month away, Daddy, and the school is doing a candy and costume festival!” Wooyoung oohs and ahs and nods with an impressed face at the way Minji excitedly reveals the name of the event.
Halloween wasn’t celebrated all that commonly in Korea when he was growing up, but perhaps between a stronger influx of foreigners and the influence that comes with international influence and the constant exposure of social media, it is beginning to leak out of clubs and celebrity circles and trickle down into the common world. It won’t be the first time Minji has dressed up but it is the first time the school has held an event for it. “So, let me guess, you need me to help you make a costume out of candy corn?” Wooyoung’s words are absolutely teasing, and he smirks as he says them, but Mini still rolls her eyes and stomps her foot at such a ridiculous suggestion.
“Daddyyyyyyy! That’s not funny!” Wooyoung really wants to laugh at the way Minji sticks out her bottom lip, but he holds it back and schools his face into one of sincere humility, which she takes as enough of an apology to tell him what she actually wants. “We need to bring candy and wear a costume, not both together. Jeez, Mommy said you were getting too old to know what was what, but I thought she was just kidding,” she spills and Wooyoung knows that wasn’t meant for his ears, but it riles him up just a little, anyway.
Imitating Minji’s frustration in a way that doesn’t harmfully make fun of her, Wooyoung huffs a little and pouts down at her. “Hey, I’m not getting old! Your mom is older than me,” he points out, and Minji giggles at the look on his face. “Besides, do you really think I would ever let you wear something made out of candy corn when we could eat all the candy corn, instead?"
Laughter bubbles between the pair as they turn the corner. "So, my little mandu, what is it that you want to be for Halloween?"
The look on Minji's face should serve as a warning, but really she’s so much Wooyoung’s daughter that there is no possible way to prepare for the exuberance with which she launches into her explanation.
“Well Daddy, you see, Haneul and I have been having a lot of fun reading all the Genshin Impact mangas and watching his dad play and oh my god the characters are so cuuuuuuuute! I mean they’re like really pretty and their outfits are so cool! And Haneul’s tall you know so we thought heeeee could dress up as Xingqiu and I really really really want to be Diona because she’s CUTE and has pink hair and Dad, Daddy! Diona has kitty cat ears and a pretty calico tail please please please! It’s gonna be so perfect you have to let us do this! Oh oh! And we thought you should be a Springvale hunter like Diona’s dad and Yunho should be a Liyue merchant because you know the whole commerce guild thing. An-”
As Minji rapidly rattles off her detailed plans, Wooyoung walks them to the side of the walkway and stops by a wall so others can pass and he can take in all the information. He knows Minji will be upset if she has to say it all over again, and he also knows that he will, indeed, get the entire explanation rather than the few points he needs reiterated if she does. He’s following along pretty well, despite the fact that he’s only vaguely familiar with the Genshin Impact world, until she mentions someone named Yunho.
Wooyoung hears Haneul’s name regularly, because he is Minji’s best friend in the entire world. They’ve never had play dates because they have a slightly different hagwon schedule and although they’re clearly destined for one another, they also only met earlier this year. Yunho, though?
“Wait wait wait wait wait,” Wooyoung interrupts, holding up both his hands in a stop motion, and when Minji does stop talking it seems like she’s only just realizing that they’ve also stopped walking. She is definitely Wooyoung’s child. “Yunho? Who’s this? Did you two make a new friend while you were with mom?”
Okay, so Wooyoung is a little slow on the uptake sometimes. He’s witty and sharp, sure, charming and chatty and moves a million miles a minute as much as if not more than Minji, but he’s busy. He picks Minji up from school when he can, but Yoohyeon attends most of the parent involvement hours and events because foreign investors and wealthy folks who want to peruse high end listings away from the hours where they might draw attention don’t care about their realtor’s children. Minji doesn’t really know all that though, she just knows that her dad has missed a clearly important detail and he can tell by the way she tilts her chin down and look s up at him through her lashes with the most annoyed look of disbelief he’s ever seen.
“Seriously? Daddy. Yunho is Hanuel’s dad. I texted you his phone number like a month ago because we were supposed to go to the splash pad together before it got too cold, but I guess that’s why it didn’t hap-pen.” Minji’s admonishment is already on par with a teenager, but Wooyoung also hears a note of irritation that she definitely picked up from her mother. Even people who get along have things that they don’t like about one another, and Wooyoung’s tendency to miss or forget things like phone numbers that have been sent to him is definitely on that list for Yoohyeon.
Frowning, Wooyoung squats down to Minji’s height and folds his arms over the tops of his knees. “Shoot, I really messed that up, didn’t I?” Minji nods and crosses her arms over her chest, and Wooyoung pulls out his phone and brings up their message thread.
A simple search brings up Yunho’s phone number and a note about the plan, but there are about twenty tik-toks of cats right after that so Wooyoung thinks he knows how he missed it. “Yup, right there,” he nods, and when he tucks his phone away he tilts his head to the side.
“I probably would have been pretty disappointed if I’d been looking forward to going somewhere like the splash pad with my best friend and our dads and my dad had messed it up, so I can imagine you must be, too. I’m really sorry, Minjiyah.” Wooyoung makes a point of talking about his own feelings and thoughts about Minji’s rather than just assuming her thoughts, and he takes the responsibility onto himself. He thinks it’s important for her to know that grownups aren’t perfect and they don’t have all the answers, even if it is important to respect and listen to elders and superiors. He thinks that respect can be mutual, and he wants his daughter to be strong and confident and know that she deserves to be treated well, especially when she has been let down.
Minji looks across at Wooyoung, and their eyes meet in silent communication and understanding. Between the two of them, the chatter almost never stops, so it’s even more meaningful when they share moments like these. “It’s okay, Daddy,” Minji relents, and she shuffles forward before leaning in for a hug.
Wooyoung wraps his arms around his little girl and kisses her forehead lightly before he scoops her up and brings her to rest on her hip. “So, back to the point. You want to dress up as a pink cat-girl, Hanuel is going to be some tall -”
“Desciple of the Guhua Clan!” Minji provides excitedly, and Wooyoung nods slowly with an impressed face, as if he has any clue what a Guhua is.
“Ah, yes, of course,” Wooyoung says to emphasize the understanding that is absolutely not there. “So you two are these wonderful characters, and you want for Hanuel’s dad and I to be.. NPCs, essentially?”
Once again Minji sighs, but this time she wraps her arms around Wooyoung’s neck and snuggles into his shoulder. “Well I said that maybe you could be Diluc because you have a fiery personality, but Haneul pointed out that that you’re not really tall enough to pull that off and he wasn’t really wrong so we -”
“Hey!” Wooyoung stops and looks at Minji with every bit the same affrontedness she had presented earlier. “I will have you know that my height is right in with the national average for men,” he defends himself, which brings just the smile he wanted to her face.
Sighing, Wooyoung enters the grocery store and bows to the clerk as he sets Minji down and collects a basket. “Still, maybe being a Spring Hunter -”
“Spring vale , it’s a town in Mondstat, Daddy,” Minji corrects.
“Okay, being a Springvale Hunter might be nice, though. I bet hunters wear comfy clothing.”
Minji smiles at that, and there’s another sparkle of mischief in her eyes. “Yeah, and some of them have cat ears, too!”
“A hunter with cat ears! Well, what’s not to like about that? Let’s get these groceries, and once we’ve got them unloaded I’ll get in touch with Haneul’s dad.”
As it turns out, Wooyoung doesn’t get a chance to text one Jeong Yunho until after he has put Minji to bed. He smiles as he thinks of her yawned reminder and hopes that this man isn’t an early sleeper who will be woken by a text at this hour.
When the phone rings a couple of minutes later, Wooyoung finds himself both relieved and nervous. “Hello, Jung Wooyoung-ibnida,” he speaks clearly as he answers, and then immediately cringes at the formality of his greeting.
“Ah, I’m so sorry. Is this Yunho-ssi, Haneul’s dad?”
There’s a deep, warm laugh on the other side of the line followed by a pleasant baritone that settles in Wooyoung’s auditory system like honey on toast. “It is, please don’t apologize, Wooyoung-ssi. I usually only make phone calls for work, too,” Yunho explains kindly.
“Oh, that’s a relief, really. I work a lot outside of regular hours, so I’m quite in the habit of being turned on all the time. I mean!” Wooyoung’s eyes shoot open wide as he catches his slip. “That is that I’m always ready to do business. Real estate business!” Honestly, he should stop while he’s ahead.
Yunho’s laugh is just as warm and amused as it was at the greeting though, and Wooyoung thinks maybe that slip came from somewhere, afterall. “I can relate, Wooyoung-ssi. I’m a social worker. I work at a hospital on regular shifts, now, but I have done plenty of field work at odd hours, myself.”
The mixture of amusement and pride in Yunho’s voice is honestly impressive, and Wooyoung is suddenly feeling a lot more interested in taking on the scale of the project his precious child has set out for them.
“Oh,” Wooyoung agrees and nods. “Well, I appreciate you calling. I’m usually fine with texts but sometimes when I’m trying to organize days it’s easier to be able to put the call to my headset so I can deal with calendars.” Wooyoung is doing just that, and he sits down on his couch, opens his planner, and clicks open the expanded schedule on his computer. “Sorry, I feel like I’m making this sound like a business deal,” he laughs nervously.
Yunho hums, but he doesn’t seem offended. “No offense taken. I’ve seen how serious Haneul is when he talks about this costume idea, so I’m sure the kids think it is a business transaction of sorts,” he chuckles.
That makes Wooyoung laugh, because for all her excitement, Minji did have things planned out to a T, so he was sure that was true. “Honestly. So look, I’m not sure about your family schedule, but Minji’s mom and I share custody, and she’s with her two weeks on and off. I’d try and book a time while I’ve got her right now, but honestly our evenings are full of hagwon and dance class and lots of other things. I think we should get the ball rolling on this, though, so would you maybe be able to meet up for a lunch - say Thursday? I’ve got an open block that day.”
“Oh yeah, Mingi is always over at Yoohyeon noona’s place when Minji is with her. That’s a great set up the two of you have,” Yunho drops casually, as if he has just dropped an information bomb on Wooyoung.
“I’m sorry. You. know Mingi?” Wooyoung’s brain is trying to catch up and put all the pieces together, but it’s like slogging through mud. He pictures Yoohyeon, her brother Mingi who Minji absolutely adores, and the rest of their family, but he can’t place Yunho. He should be able to, because Yunho speaks of them so informally and yet...
It’s on the third round or so that everything clicks for Wooyoung.
“Oh, OH! You’re - ah, Yunho-ssi I am. Wow I’ve really been dropping the ball, haven’t I? You’re Mingi’s friend Yunho! That moved up here with your son at the end of the year! Wow okay I cannot believe that I didn’t put those things together, or, you know, that Yoohyeon and Mingi didn’t think that was pertinent information when our kids started hanging out all the time, but wow I -”
Yunho is laughing again, and the rich, hearty nature of the sound draws Wooyoung right out of his frustrated rant. “I’ll have to tell Mingi he owes his sister whatever they bet that you didn’t know. It’s really okay, Wooyoung-ssi. To be fair, Mingi gave me your number right after Haneul and I moved up, and I haven’t reached out. So I’ll take some of the blame on that.”
It’s a relief to talk with someone who’s so patient, understanding, and frankly charming. Wooyoung might have to give Mingi a good forehead flick the next time he sees him, but it’s nice to know that he isn’t the only one who’s received a phone number and not followed through. He tries to stop his brain short of the thought that the way they’re finally connecting does seem a little clandestine. Because that would be absolutely ridiculous. Completely absurd. This is about their kids and Halloween.
Wooyoung clears his throat and taps his pen for a moment before he finally asks, “so, are you good for lunch Thursday, Jeong Yunho-ssi, best friend of my daughter’s uncle?”
Okay, so Wooyoung is definitely trying too hard to hear that laugh again, but it works, so who’s the real sucker? “Yeah, Thursday will be great.”
The thing about this being Mingi’s Yunho is that Wooyoung has been hearing about him on and off for years. They did their service together, and even though they lived at opposite ends of the country for five years after that, Mingi has always maintained that Jeong Yunho is his best friend.
Oh, and there’s also the part where Mingi kept trying to set up blind dates between them before Yunho moved to town, but Wooyoung didn’t want to date someone even remotely long distance.
When Wooyoung sees Yunho - tall, well dressed in a sport coat over a fine looking green sweater, thick legs on full display in a pair of fitted black slacks - wave and walk toward him, he doubles down on his vow to exact revenge on Mingi. Three years of trying to set them up, and he’d stopped trying when Yunho actually started living in Seoul? Yeah, that kid was going to pay. Nevermind that the kid was Wooyoung’s age and had on more than one occasion held the few months between them over Woo’s head. Literally.
It’s bad enough when Yunho is just walking and looking like a model, but then he breaks into a smile when Wooyoung waves back, and the dimples pop, and Wooyoung? Yeah, he can’t decide if he wants to climb that man like a tree or feed him treats and pat him on the head. It’s a very strange combination, but both seem like good plans, honestly.
“Wooyoung-ssi, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” Yunho greets him with a bow. After a moment of hesitation, he holds out his hand. His enormous, well manicured, hand that is so soft yet so strong as it grips Wooyoung’s. It’s not like Wooyoung’s hands are particularly tiny, it’s just that he kind of feels like a tiny, helpless damsel who needs saving.
Fortunately, Wooyoung has plenty of experience masking his amorous thoughts and turning them into business-like charm, because it keeps him from just absolutely melting on the spot over a man he’s just met. Hey, there’s a time and a place for that, but given all of their many connections, Wooyoung thinks maybe he shouldn’t try to turn this into a one-afternoon-stand.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Wooyoung replies, returning the bow and taking the offered hand. It might not be usual, but then again they’re sort of old-friends by proxy, aren’t they? And who is Wooyoung to turn down an opportunity for skinship of any sort?
Once they’ve ordered their food in the restaurant, Yunho pulls a tablet out of his bag and pulls up an image before he sets it on the table between them. “So the word that came through the grapevine is that you aren’t super familiar with Genshin Impact, so I thought it might help to have a picture of what we’re looking at here,” he explains.
Wooyoung appreciates the effort, that is, he appreciates it until he looks at the costumes. He’s seen the characters, sure, because Minji reads the manga, but he somehow didn’t put together how complex these costumes were going to be. “Of course,” Wooyoung sighs as he picks up the tablet and zooms in on the costume of the cat-girl. “This is exactly up Minji’s alley, but I have no idea how we’re going to get these costumes put together. My kid doesn’t like those tacky costumes you can order online,” he admits as he sets the tablet down and looks across at Yunho.
“It’s times like these that I find myself regretting how much like me she is. I like nice things, I just don’t know how to make nice things, not like this,” Wooyoung confesses, and he earns a sincere smile from Yunho.
“Lucky for us then that my other closest friend is a designer and a tailor, and he’s already started working up plans for the patterns,” Yunho reveals, and his smile grows as he deals the hidden card.
It’s a look Wooyoung recognizes, and it stirs something just a little feral that he has to tamp down forcefully. “Why, I’d say it almost seems like you’re trying to impress me, Yunho-ssi,” Wooyoung accuses playfully with his eyebrow raised.
The only answer he gets is a shrug and a faint blush dusting Yunho’s cheeks, but that’s enough for Wooyoung to count it as a win.
The food comes out then, and Yunho tucks away his tablet before they dig in. Wooyoung thinks it’s nice that Yunho eats well and audibly enjoys the meal. He can hear his mother in the back of his mind cooing over what a good man he is to eat well and show his appreciation so clearly. Plus, it removes any hint of uncertainty Wooyoung had about being able to enjoy his own food to the fullest. Maybe this is what it’s like when the people you spend time with are also parents.
After they’ve eaten, Wooyoung picks up the bill and Yunho holds the door open on the way out. “So, how old are you, Yunho-ssi? I’m 29,” Wooyoung offers first.
“Same!” Yunho smiles brightly at the new information. “A few months older than Mingi,” he explains further, and Wooyoung makes a mental note that he will absolutely forget to find out Yunho’s birthday.
“Mm, my birthday’s in November,” Wooyoung replies. “Now that we’ve actually made use of those phone numbers we’ve had for months, maybe I’ll have to invite you to the party,” he tries.
It’s a hit, Wooyoung is relieved to see, and he definitely doesn’t stare too long at the way Yunho’s hand brushes through his soft-looking hair. “I think I might enjoy that. I think I probably owe you at least a drink or twelve,” he laughs.
They walk without words for a bit until Yunho points to a dessert truck and Wooyoung nods in affirmation. “So, does Hanuel’s mom not really dig the whole Halloween thing, or?”
The question comes as Yunho is handing over his bungeoppang, and when it causes his generally happy expression to falter, Wooyoung feels instant regret.
“Ah she doesn’t mind it, but this is my year,” Yunho explains, but it seems like there’s something else coming, so Wooyoung fights his instincts and holds his tongue while they walk toward a bench. “I wish our whole arrangement was as amicable and happy as everything seems to be with you and Yoohyeon, but that isn’t the case.”
It’s nice to know that Mingi and perhaps Yoohyeon have been complimentary in whatever they’ve told Yunho, but Wooyoung can’t help the bit of sadness that touches his heart at those words. “I’m sorry to hear that. Relationships are tricky when they’re going well, they definitely get harder when there’s a break up.”
Yunho snorts and rolls his eyes as he chews on his pastry, and Wooyoung turns to face him more fully as he takes another bite of his own.
“Yeah,” Yunho starts around the last of his mouthful before he swallows. “To make a long story short, she fell in love with someone else while I was finishing my service. Haneul wasn’t even one and she - it wasn’t a very good situation,” Yunho grimaces. Wooyoung admires how he seems committed to not speaking poorly of his ex.
“Were you married?” Wooyoung doesn’t mean to pry, but he’s curious. That same feeling is there again, the one that says they’re finally meeting, so there must be something worth looking at more closely.
A short nod confirms that, and when Yunho finishes his treat he takes the time to explain. “So I married Suran right out of high school. My um, my folks are really religious and I was, too, but we’d been dating for a long time so uh, you know. Expectations and all,” Yunho tries to explain without explaining, and he uses his eyebrows and hands to emphasize the point.
“Right, so you were horny teenagers who wanted to fuck without pissing your parents off,” Wooyoung supplies, and Yunho almost chokes on his own spit in his surprise. “Sorry, kind of blunt sometimes,” Wooyoung shrugs, and he’s so happy to see a little of Yunho’s smile again.
Once he regains his composure, Yunho leans back against the bench and looks up at the sky. “To be honest, I thought if I got married right away maybe I could make some of the feelings I was questioning go away, but even uh, fulfilling my marital duties didn’t really keep my eyes and heart from straying to pretty boys. Honestly, I can’t entirely blame her for finding someone else while I was gone. It was devastating, especially because I didn’t know what would happen with Haneul being so young, and because she was the last thing protecting me from the truth, but I felt freer when it was all done. Our relationship now isn’t the best, but we both put him first, and that’s really what matters,” he sums up, and it leaves something warm and fuzzy in Wooyoung’s chest.
“Huh. I met Yoohyeon after my service, actually,” Wooyoung reveals, figuring he can at least offer his own story in trade. “I um - I mean I wasn’t out necessarily, but she knew right away that I wasn’t only interested in women, you know? We had fun together but I don’t think we were ever really in love, and honestly it was a pretty casual relationship that just gave us both the freedom to explore and have fun. And uh, then miss Minji came along. I quit school, we bought a place together, and six months later I was renting a few blocks away.”
Wooyoung knows his story is simpler and a lot less common and traditional than most of the parents around him. He figures that both he and Yunho are a little on the fringe, though. It feels nice to know someone else who understands the complicated feelings and arrangements of a family with more than one home.
They sit there for a few minutes after that, and while Wooyoung isn’t a big fan of silence, he doesn’t mind the opportunity to more closely examine Yunho’s handsome features as he looks off into the distance. “We actually moved up here because Suran’s husband got a new job in the city. Since Hanuel lives mostly with me, I wanted to be sure he could still spend lots of time with his mom, so here we are.”
“Here you are,” Wooyoung smiles softly, and Yunho looks at him like something hidden has just been revealed.
“You’re probably going to laugh at this, but uh, Mingi didn’t actually give me your number after we moved up. He uh, actually gave it to me, I dunno, maybe a year and a half ago? He said I needed someone fun in my life, as if he isn’t enough fun for a hundred lifetimes,” Yunho smirked, and Wooyoung felt his heart flutter. It wasn’t necessarily good - he couldn’t tell what it was that Yunho was getting at.
Chuckling lightly, Wooyoung decided he could be brave. “I know you two are pretty close. You uh - have the two of you ever dated?”
It was stupid, really, for Wooyoung to go there, but at least the way he finds out is through witnessing Yunho break down in a full fit of laughter. “ME? DATE MINGI!?” His laughter booms so loudly that passersby turn to look, but Wooyoung finds it infectious, and soon he’s giggling, too. “I love that guy, but we’re. We’re always on around each other, does that make sense?”
Yunho’s laughter has slowed and he’s wiping the tears from his eyes as he continues to explain. “Mingi is absolutely my best friend, and I mean, let’s not pretend that family doesn’t have good genes in the looks department,” he admits, and Wooyoung nods in agreement, because, well, obviously. “We have a really hard time settling down, though. If he were here right now instead of you, we probably would have run three laps around the park and would be wrestling while we talked about the deeper meaning of life. Or games. Or anything,” he smiles.
Wooyoung nods in understanding - he knows Mingi well enough that the picture makes perfect sense. It’s nice to know that Yunho has some of that energy, but he sees something there that sets him apart from Mingi. Maybe it’s that Yunho is a father. More likely it’s that plus a little bit of a difference in their temperaments.
“Have - you haven’t?” Yunho suddenly asks, making Wooyoung’s deep thinking stop completely.
“With Mingi? I mean, we kissed once while playing spin the bottle like, ages ago, and yeah. No. That’s definitely not a thing that ever has been or ever would be,” Wooyoung snorts.
“Okay, cool. Good.”
“Good?” Wooyoung quirks his eyebrow at Yunho, who winks back but still blushes like a kid with a crush.
Shrugging, Yunho bites at his lower lip before he replies. “Yeah. Good. Mingi and I share a lot of things, but beautiful men aren’t really on that list,” he offers daringly.
“Oh? So I’m a beautiful man now, am I?” Wooyoung smirks, but look, he’s human, and even he isn’t so talented a flirt that he can keep the blush out of his face entirely. “Well, I guess it’s lucky for you that I happen to be very intrigued at the thought of a little courtship with a tall, handsome, single dad. And you know, I suppose it’s a plus that my daughter cannot get enough of your son.”
The date - because this definitely shifted from a meeting between parents to a date around the time they picked up the bungeoppang - ends after a little more laughter and a lingering hug, and Wooyoung might be as excited about Halloween as Minji is, now.
In the month between that first meeting and Halloween, Wooyoung and Yunho spend a lot more time together. Most of that is with their kids, and often at the little clothing warehouse where Yunho’s friend Hongjoong is making the costumes. It’s sort of funny when Wooyoung realizes how strangely intertwined their friend group is, and he wonders how they managed to avoid each other for so long.
Then again, maybe the timing is just right. The universe works in strange ways, and Wooyoung knows that even one little cog out of place can ruin a relationship. When he shares quick, hidden kisses with Yunho at the warehouse or cuddles up to him on the couch on the one night when both of their children are with their mothers, he thinks the various puzzle pieces must have been turned just the wrong way before, and now they’re fitting together nicely.
They decide it’s best to meet at the school on the night of the festival, and while Wooyoung is working on getting Minji’s wig onto her wiggly little head, she takes the chance to ask a question.
“Daddy, are you bumping uglies with Hanuel’s dad?”
Wooyoung spits the bobby pins in his mouth halfway across the room, and he thanks the stars none of them smacked Minji in the eye, but honestly, can he be blamed? “Am I - WHAT? Jung Minji, who did you pick that up from, young lady?”
Minji might be full of fire and sass, but she knows when she’s in trouble, and crouches down a little at the heat in Wooyoung’s words. “Um, well, I heard uncle Mingi talking to Mommy while they were making dinner on Saturday and he said he bet you and Yunho were bumping uglies. What does that even mean? Is that a video game?”
It’s something about the sincere innocence of the question and the wide, precious look in Minji’s eyes that does Wooyoung in. He shuts his eyes tight and groans behind closed lips, but ultimately he has to laugh at least a little. “It’s not a video game, and no, we aren’t. I think, though, that Mingi might have just been noticing that Yunho and I have been spending a lot of time together.”
This seems like it must be new information to Minji, and Wooyoung is glad, because he didn’t want to tell her until he’d had at least a little time to get to know Yunho better. It’s been fast, but their chemistry is electric, and honestly it is nice to know to be with someone who understands what it’s like to be a single dad in a co-parenting relationship.
Wooyoung takes the wig off of Minji’s head and spins her around on her vanity stool so that he can look at her. “Minji, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Yunho since we met. Some of that has been with you and Haneul, and we really have a nice time when we’re all together, don’t we?”
Minji nods in agreement, but for once she doesn’t launch into a story about her favourite memory from the past month, so Wooyoung knows she’s taking it seriously. “Sometimes, though, when you and Hanuel are with your moms, Yunho and I have been spending time together alone, and I really like that, too. Actually, I really like him. I think he’s really handsome and nice, and he makes me feel really happy when we’re together.”
The information seems to be processing in Minji’s head, and eventually she tilts it to the right, as if she’s literally flipping the circuit on the lightbulb in her head. “Sooo, are we gonna move in with Haneul and his dad, then? His mom lives with her husband. Is Yunho gonna be your husband?”
Wooyoung chuckles fondly but shakes his head as he takes Minji’s hands into his own. “I really like Yunho, but we’re still just getting to know each other. We would have to date for a long time before we would even think about moving in together. Besides, I’d always ask you before I made a big decision like that,” he smiles.
Minji thinks for another moment before she tries to put it together. “So, you’re dating now?” Wooyoung nods. “And you’re only dating each other?” Wooyoung nods again. Although Minji has never met most of the men he and Yoohyeon have dated over the years, she’s at least vaguely aware that they have both had romantic connections. “Does this make Haneul my brother?”
Laughter is shared between them as Wooyoung turns his daughter back around and explains a little more about the situation. He also makes sure to tell her how he feels, which is that Haneul is her good friend, and if she feels close enough to him to think of him as a brother, that should never depend on whether or not their dads are dating. “It’s like me and uncle San,” he explains and Minji nods, making her pink wig bob as much as she can.
Of course, this all means that they’re a little late to the festival, but Yunho and Haneul are waiting at the front for the counterparts to their costumes. Hongjoong has really done a wonderful job, and with Wooyoung’s makeup skills, Minji looks every bit the pretty little cat-girl Diona. She is right, he realizes, about how tall Haneul is. He practically towers over her in his quaint little schoolboy-esque outfit, and Wooyoung can’t help but hope maybe his daughter will end up with more of her mother’s genes in that department, but it’s something they won’t know for years to come.
“Haneul!” Minji shouts before she runs up and jumps into the arms he barely manages to open for her. “Did you know that our dads are dating and someday we’re gonna move in together?”
Wooyoung cringes at how badly Minji seems to have missed the point, but Yunho laughs and Haneul starts to explain just what Wooyoung did as the kids start into the school and toward the festival in the courtyard.
“Had a big talk tonight, did you?” Yunho presses a little kiss to Wooyoung’s temple before he takes his hand and links their fingers together. “Hanuel asked me after we had coffee last week. I had asked him to give you time to talk to Minji, so I’m glad to hear that he did.”
“Well, he’s your kid. I’m not surprised that he’s so respectful and considerate,” Wooyoung replies as he nudges his shoulder into Yunho’s arm lightly. “She’s mostly excited, I think. A little confused, but her heart’s in the right place,” he explains.
Once they see the kids join their friends, Yunho tugs Wooyoung into a little alcove out of sight of the other families and brings his right hand to rest on Wooyoung’s waist. He brings his left hand up to the soft cat ears that are clipped into Wooyoung’s hair and smirks in a way that is nowhere near innocent enough. “Now, the most burning question I have for you. Do you think a little kitten might come out to play the next chance we have for alone time?” Yunho tugs lightly on the ear, which also tugs at Wooyoung’s hair, and something stirs that if he isn’t careful, he’s going to need to rearrange things to cover.
There’s room enough for a little teasing, though, and Wooyoung runs his tongue across his bottom lip before he leans up and drags it over Yunho’s Adam’s apple. “That all depends. Do you think you can make me purr?”
Wooyoung’s lips are pressed against Yunho’s ear, but just then a teacher sounds an alarm indicating that one of the games is going to start, and the two jump apart and quickly straighten themselves out.
They’re still a few feet away from the kids when Yunho leans close enough to whisper, “make sure you bring the tail on Friday, too. You can ditch the hunter costume, though.”
Really, above all else, it’s the way Yunho makes him laugh that has Wooyoung so smitten. And to think, all it took was three years of avoidance, one video game with a pink haired cat-girl, and the candy and costumes festival to help them come together.