Chapter Text
The evening air was warm, a hint of tropical humidity lingering in the quiet house. Soft golden light bathed the living room, casting long shadows on the walls as Shin carefully arranged the final details for the dinner. He stood over the dining table, adjusting the silverware for what felt like the hundredth time. The small, intimate setting was perfect—just the two of them and their son, Blue, celebrating ten years of marriage. He had planned everything with meticulous care: candles in the center, a floral arrangement of pale roses and lilies, their favorite wine chilled in a decanter.
"Just like we talked about," Shin murmured to himself, his fingers lightly grazing the edges of the tablecloth. "Perfect."
He stepped back, surveying the room. It was exactly how he had envisioned it. A quiet, elegant celebration at home—a night that should’ve been perfect.
Blue was bouncing excitedly in the living room, his small hands grasping a dinosaur toy that Shin had bought him as a surprise. The boy was all smiles, dressed in a clean, casual outfit, not quite understanding the significance of the evening, but excited by the unusual grandeur of it all. The anticipation of seeing his father was enough to make Blue forget everything else.
"Dad’s going to be so happy!" Blue exclaimed, jumping from the couch to run over to Shin. His eyes sparkled with innocence. "He’s gonna love the dinner, right?"
Shin smiled, kneeling down to meet his son’s gaze. "Of course, he will. We’ve been planning this for weeks, remember?"
Blue nodded enthusiastically, as if they were partners in a secret. "I think it's the best dinner ever. And Dad’s gonna say ‘wow!’ and hug me!" He clasped his little hands together, imitating what he thought a surprise hug would look like.
Shin chuckled softly. "I’m sure he will."
He glanced at the clock. 6:30 PM. Saint was supposed to be home by now. Shin’s hands paused in their movements as he took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. It was their tenth anniversary. This should’ve been a perfect evening, but the uncertainty of Saint’s tardiness weighed heavily on his chest.
"You want to help me set the table, Blue?" Shin asked, his voice laced with a forced cheerfulness.
"Yes! Yes!" Blue ran over, his excitement bubbling over as he began to place plates on the table, his tiny hands trying to handle the delicate china. Shin couldn't help but smile at the sight. His son was always so full of life, so full of hope. If only things could stay simple and pure, like that.
As the minutes passed, Shin's hope began to flicker and fade. By 7:00 PM, there was still no sign of Saint. Shin stood by the window, watching the rain begin to fall, the droplets streaking down the glass. He took a slow breath, trying to control the growing frustration inside him. Saint had promised. He had promised they would celebrate their anniversary together, but now...
Blue had stopped playing with the toys and was sitting at the table, his little legs swinging back and forth. "Papa, when’s Dad coming?" His voice was soft, full of innocence and anticipation.
Shin forced a smile and sat next to him. "He’ll be home soon, Blue. He’s just finishing something important at work."
Blue nodded but didn’t look convinced. He looked at the empty chair across from him, where his father was supposed to be. "I want to eat with Dad," Blue said, his voice small. "He said we’d have dinner together."
Shin’s heart ached at the words. He reached out and gently squeezed Blue’s hand. "I know, sweetheart. He’ll be here. We just have to be patient."
The sound of the clock ticking was the only thing that filled the silence. Tick… tick… tick. It was now 7:30 PM, and Saint still hadn’t called. Still hadn’t arrived.
Shin glanced at his phone again. No messages. No missed calls. The waiting was starting to wear on him, and he couldn’t help the growing worry gnawing at his gut. Something didn’t feel right. Saint had never been this late before, not without letting Shin know.
"Should we start without Dad?" Blue asked, his little face looking up at Shin with a mixture of confusion and disappointment.
Shin’s eyes softened. He wanted to tell Blue that everything would be fine, that Saint would walk in the door any moment, but the truth was, he didn’t know.
"Let’s wait just a little longer, okay?" Shin said softly, though his own doubts were now becoming impossible to ignore.
8:00 PM.
By now, the candles on the table had melted halfway down, the glow casting flickering shadows across the room. Shin’s nerves were taut. He had done everything right for this evening, prepared everything with love, but now he was left in an empty house, waiting. His eyes occasionally flicked to the door, as if hoping it would magically swing open.
"Papa…" Blue’s voice broke through the silence. "I’m hungry."
Shin’s heart clenched as he looked at his son. "I know, sweetie. Me too." He stood up and walked to the kitchen, his footsteps heavy, though his heart felt even heavier.
He opened the oven, checking the dish he had carefully prepared for hours, but the food didn’t taste the same anymore. The anticipation of Saint’s arrival, the anticipation of a perfect night, had begun to feel like a cruel joke. It was almost as if the night itself had turned on him.
Blue followed behind Shin, his small hand tugging at his sleeve. "Papa, will you tell me a story about when you and Dad got married?" he asked, his eyes wide with innocent curiosity.
Shin paused. He thought back to the day they had gotten married—how Saint had held his hand and whispered promises of forever. It seemed so distant now, like another lifetime. A time when love felt secure, certain.
He bent down to Blue’s level, offering him a sad smile. "It was a beautiful day. Your dad and I were so happy. We promised to always love each other, no matter what, but I think, it would be better if your dad is here so you can get the full story."
Blue’s face brightened with a grin. "That’s nice. I hope Dad gets home soon, too."
Shin hesitated, his chest tightening. "Maybe soon, sweetheart." But something in his voice, something in the way his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, made Blue pause and look up at him.
"Papa, are you okay?" Blue asked, his innocent gaze searching Shin’s face. "You look sad."
Shin took a deep breath, pushing his emotions aside. "I’m just a little tired, Blue. I’ll be fine."
But inside, Shin knew the truth: he wasn’t fine. And something was terribly wrong.
9:00 PM.
The empty house echoed with the sound of a clock ticking relentlessly. The table was still set, the food growing cold, and Saint’s absence was becoming unbearable. Shin stared at his phone, willing it to ring, but it never did. No messages, no calls. His fingers tightened around the phone, frustration surging through him.
"Papa, I’m sleepy now," Blue murmured, rubbing his eyes. "I want to sleep."
Shin nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Alright, Blue. Let’s get you to bed." He led Blue up the stairs to his room, tucking him in tightly. As Blue snuggled under the covers, he smiled up at Shin, his eyes already heavy with sleep.
"Will Dad be here tomorrow?" Blue asked, his voice slurred with sleepiness.
Shin’s heart ached, but he forced a smile. "Yes, sweetheart. He’ll be here tomorrow."
Blue nodded and drifted off to sleep. Shin stood by the bed, watching his son’s peaceful face, and for the first time that night, he allowed himself to close his eyes.
But deep down, he knew: tonight was not the night he had envisioned.
The night stretched on in unbearable silence, the minutes ticking by, each one dragging Shin further into his doubts. He stared out the window, watching the rain fall steadily outside, feeling the weight of the world press against him.
Saint hadn’t come home.
Shin finally picked up his phone again, this time calling Saint, his fingers trembling as he pressed the numbers. The call rang… and rang… but no answer.
His thoughts were racing. The beautiful night, the hopes he’d held onto, were all slipping through his fingers.
As he set the phone down, a sudden wave of realization hit him.
Saint had forgotten. And somehow, Shin couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was happening. Something that had nothing to do with a dinner or an anniversary. Something that had nothing to do with love.
The clock on the wall ticked steadily, each second dragging on as Shin sat alone at the kitchen table. The candles flickered weakly, casting long shadows over the dinner table, where the plates sat untouched. His mind raced with the thought of Saint’s unexplained absence, the evening having slipped into silence long after they were supposed to have celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary together.
It was then that his phone buzzed. Shin’s eyes snapped to it, and his heart gave a sharp jolt as he saw Po’s name flash on the screen. Po, his best friend, was always someone Shin could rely on—his voice a comforting constant in his life. Shin’s thumb hovered over the screen for a moment before he opened the message, anticipation and dread mingling in his chest.
The picture Po had sent was clear. It was a photo of Saint at a hotel restaurant. Sitting across from him was a woman, laughing at something he had said. Shin’s stomach dropped as his eyes traced the image. The woman had her hand on Saint’s arm, leaning in too closely, too casually.
Po’s accompanying message appeared beneath the photo:
“I saw them together. A woman's with him at the restaurant. You need to come here.”
Shin’s fingers shook as he re-read the message. His stomach twisted in knots. No, he thought. This can’t be real. He didn’t want to believe it. But the image staring back at him made everything feel too real, too painful to ignore.
His breath caught in his throat. He was paralyzed, not knowing what to do, not knowing how to process the information. Was this just a misunderstanding? Or was it exactly what it looked like?
Po’s next message buzzed through, more urgent this time:
“I'm near your house. I'll drive you there.”
Shin didn’t respond immediately. He just sat there, staring at the phone, feeling every second of the painful silence. It felt like his world had just tilted, the reality he had known with Saint slipping through his fingers like sand.
Shin didn’t waste any more time. He couldn’t. He was consumed with a need to know the truth, to see it with his own eyes, even though a part of him wished he could just forget about it all.
He grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and stepped outside into the cool evening air. He didn’t even bother to lock the door behind him. All he could focus on was the image of Saint and the woman, their closeness, the intimacy that should have been reserved for Shin alone.
Po was already waiting for him by his car, leaning against the door, arms crossed. He didn’t say anything, just gave Shin a silent nod when he approached. There was no need for words. Both of them understood the weight of what was happening.
Shin climbed into the car without saying a word. Po started the engine, and the low rumble filled the silence as they made their way through the quiet streets. Shin’s hands were clenched tightly in his lap, his mind spinning. His heart beat painfully in his chest, the anticipation nearly unbearable.
As they neared the hotel, Shin could feel the tension in the air growing heavier, thick with uncertainty and dread. The lights from the hotel glowed in the distance, blurring into an ominous haze as they approached.
Po pulled into the hotel parking lot and parked the car, but Shin didn’t move. He just stared out the windshield, the lump in his throat making it hard to breathe.
“I’m here,” Po said quietly. “We don’t have to go inside. We can leave. But you know what’s at stake here.”
Shin swallowed, his voice a mere whisper. “I need to know. I need to see it.”
Po said nothing more. He simply opened his door and stepped out, and Shin followed him, his legs feeling like lead. Each step felt like it was taking him deeper into a nightmare.
The hotel lobby was warm, almost suffocating in its quiet luxury. The soft glow of crystal chandeliers overhead bathed the polished floors in a soft, golden light. Shin’s breath caught in his throat as they walked toward the restaurant section, where he could already hear the faint sound of laughter and low conversation.
Shin’s heart raced, the sound of it drowning out the soft murmur of voices around him. He had to fight the urge to turn and run, but his feet carried him forward, following Po’s steady steps.
When they reached the restaurant area, Po stopped. He motioned to a table near the back where Saint was sitting. His face was familiar, but something in his posture seemed... wrong. He was laughing at something the woman across from him had said. The woman was leaning in, a little too close for comfort, her hand brushing against Saint’s arm in a way that made Shin’s stomach churn.
Shin could feel the blood rushing to his face, his hands growing cold. He didn’t want to see this. He didn’t want to believe it. But the scene unfolding before him was undeniable. Saint’s relaxed smile, his easy affection toward the woman—it was all there, plain as day.
“I knew you’d want to see it,” Po muttered under his breath, his voice laced with an unspoken apology.
Shin didn’t respond. He just stood there, frozen, his heart sinking with every passing second. His thoughts were in chaos, his mind screaming at him to stop looking, to turn away, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the image of his husband with someone else.
Then, it happened. Saint reached over the table, his hand gently touching the woman’s cheek. There was a softness to the gesture, an intimacy that sent a sharp pang of pain through Shin’s chest.
And then, to Shin’s horror, Saint leaned in, closing the distance between them, and kissed the woman.
The world around Shin seemed to blur as his vision swam. The room spun, and his breath hitched in his throat. No, he thought. No, this can’t be happening.
The betrayal was more real than anything he could have ever imagined.
Shin stumbled back, his legs giving way beneath him. Po caught him by the arm before he could fall, steadying him. Shin’s heart pounded in his ears as he gasped for air, feeling like he was suffocating.
Po’s voice broke through the haze of pain. “Shin... come on, let’s go.”
But Shin couldn’t move. His eyes were locked on the scene in front of him, his chest aching with every breath. He had never felt this small, this insignificant. His world, the one he had built with Saint, was falling apart before his eyes.
“I need to get out of here,” Shin whispered hoarsely, his voice shaking.
Po didn’t argue. He simply guided Shin back toward the exit. The walk back to the car felt like an eternity, the weight of the betrayal crushing Shin with every step. He didn’t know what to think, what to feel. The raw pain, the heartbreak, everything mixed together in a storm of emotions he couldn’t control.
As they reached the parking lot, Shin’s vision blurred. The sound of the hotel’s quiet hum seemed muffled, distant, as if it were all happening to someone else. His body felt heavy, as if his limbs had turned to stone.
Before Po could even open the door for him, Shin’s legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to keep himself upright any longer.
Po knelt beside him in a flash, his voice desperate and panicked. “Shin! Shin!”
But Shin could hardly hear him. His body felt like it was dissolving, like everything was slipping away into darkness. The pain in his chest—both physical and emotional—was too much to bear. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out. His eyes fluttered shut, the world around him vanishing into blackness.