Chapter Text
Picking Woonhak up from kindergarten was one of the many parts of fatherhood that Jaehyun enjoyed. It was always fun to see the tiny human search through a sea of parents, staff, and children before his eyes finally landed on his father- a big grin spreading across his face before he made a beeline.
Today was no different. Woonhak searched and successfully found his father, flashed the sweetest smile known to man, and immediately wrapped his arms around his dad’s legs. A muffled “I missed you!” never failed to make Jaehyun’s heart soar.
Sometimes, the black-haired man would bring along his coworkers turned life-long friends, Leehan and Sungho, the two men always ruffling Woonhak’s hair and exclaiming that he’d “gotten so big!”
Woonhak always basked in it, the kid loved the attention.
Which is why Jaehyun really shouldn’t have been that surprised when the kid began expressing interest in dance. It was a small program the school had offered at a highly discounted rate if you signed up early- so Jaehyun did.
Because Jaehyun would do anything for his son, even if it meant having to budget a little extra on groceries every month.
He thought that would be it. He thought that the five-year-old would eventually grow tired of the extracurricular and Jaehyun could go back to buying the nice detergent again. He was wrong, clearly, because it had been months with the lower-quality detergent and Woonhak was still proudly dancing his way through kindergarten.
As soon as the father and son duo walked through the door to their homey one-bedroom apartment, Woonhak immediately began to shuffle inside his dinosaur-designed backpack before quickly waving a piece of paper in the air; jumping up and down excitedly exclaiming the words “ PLEEEAAAASE APPAAA!”
Jaehyun stared at the letter in his hand, trying to focus on the printed words with his- now glossy- eyes. He felt the all too familiar lump in his throat that seemed to be visiting him more and more recently; he never complained about the stress of living as a single dad, but sometimes things were harder- and with summer break growing closer and his options for babysitters being very limited, things were definitely getting harder.
“Appa?” Woonhak’s voice brought Jaehyun from his spiraling thoughts and back to reality.
Cold, harsh reality.
Jaehyun cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the aching feeling that was already beginning to fill his chest before he crouched down and pulled the 5-year-old into a tight hug.
Woonhak smiled against his father’s chest, wriggling against his arms. “ Appaa… ” The preschooler whined. Jaehyun laughed softly, clearing his throat one last time before he freed Woonhak from the hug. The tiny human was smiling ear to ear, his toothy grin somehow making the ache in his father’s chest worse; “Can I go?”
It was a simple question, an innocent one. Woonhak couldn’t have known- or understood- the financial stress he was putting on his father just by asking a simple three-word question.
Jaehyun opened his mouth and then shut it, struggling to find the words. What could he say? He knew he couldn’t afford it, even if he somehow smooth-talked his way into a discount. But he also couldn’t just…break Woonhak’s heart.
It may seem dramatic, and if he told Sungho or Leehan, the two men would probably roll their eyes saying, “He’s five , dancing is not his lifelong passion.”
But what if it was? What if, by going to this stupid kindergarten summer dance program, Woonhak became the next Jungkook? And what if by not going he ended up longing for an experience his dad couldn’t afford to give him?
The thought made Jaehyun’s stomach churn, would Woonhak grow up missing out on everything he wanted to do because of him?
“We’ll see, yeah?” Jaehyun’s throat was dry as he spoke, the guilt of lying to his only son already weighing heavily on his shoulders. “Really?!” The preschooler’s grin grew.
“Appa will try, but no promises. Okay?” Jaehyun could never fully lie to the boy, it wasn’t right- not how good parent-child relationships were formed- or whatever the hell the parenting forums said.
Woonhak’s face faltered for just a second and the black-haired man had to stop himself from crumbling into pieces right there. Woonhak knew . The five-year-old knew what the inevitable outcome was and somehow that hurt the most.
It didn’t take long for Woonhak to become distracted with some random toy he’d left in the living room that morning. However, it would take a whole lot more than a cheap plastic dinosaur to distract Jaehyun from just how much this summer program was. He knew if he asked his parents, they’d put themselves out just to see the preschooler dance but he just couldn’t do that to him. They were already chipping in on rent, which- according to an email he received earlier this week- was going to be increasing next month.
Which was just…fantastic. Great, even.
He couldn’t ask Sungho, the older man would try and help- but he had his own financial struggles. Plus he was nice enough to be Jaehyun’s go-to babysitter when the father needed a break, Jaehyun couldn’t keep asking favors from the man.
He also couldn’t ask Leehan, mainly because the man was nearly as broke as him- but also because Leehan too had mouths to feed- technically more than Jaehyun did. Even if they were just fish.
That left one person. One singular person, who just so happened to also be the only person on planet Earth that Jaehyun didn’t want to talk to; Woonhak’s mother. The thought alone made the father’s head spin and his hands clammy.
Looking towards his son, who was now eagerly attempting to follow along to whatever choreography was playing on whatever TV show that he’d flipped to- Jaehyun cursed and felt for his phone in the pocket of his jeans.
Was he really going to do this? Maybe he could pay for it himself. He’d have to seriously budget, probably pick up a lot more shifts at the restaurant and get a lot less sleep but…
Jaehyun sighed, looking back down at the paper in his hand- his brain was already rattling as he attempted to crunch the numbers mentally.
“HAPPY LAMB KINDERGARTEN SUMMER PROGRAM LIST.”
[ALL PROGRAMS RUN FROM 8:00 TO 6:00 - NO OVERNIGHT STAYS]
Arts ‘n Crafts with Miss Jennie:
Deposit of 774,751₩ required before Summer break begins.
Weekly payments of 292,359₩ will be deposited every Friday.
Introduction to Dance with Miss Lisa:
Deposit of 1,169,436₩ required before Summer break begins.
Weekly payments of 482,392₩ will be deposited every Friday.
Introduction to Instruments with Miss Rosé:
Deposit of 774,751₩ required before Summer break begins.
Weekly payments of 292,359₩ will be deposited every Friday.
Theatre with Miss Jisoo:
Deposit of 1,169,436₩ required before Summer break begins.
Weekly payments of 482,392₩ will be deposited every Friday.
4,063,788 won. Four million sixty-three thousand seven hundred eighty-eight won.
Yeah, he definitely couldn’t do this by himself.
Jaehyun let out a defeated sigh as he pat Leehan on the back, trying to soothe the coughing man’s lungs as Sungho scolded the blonde for spitting out his carbonated drink on the host stand.
The eldest of the group took Jaehyun’s damp dishrag from his back pocket, swiping it over the wooden surface before sticking it in his apron.
“I’m sorry- I just-” Leehan looked between Sungho and Jaehyun with wide eyes. “4,000,000 won?!” The blonde man seemed to take an offended tone just saying such a high number.
“4,063,788. To be exact.” Sungho said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest- earning an eye roll from the youngest. Jaehyun pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out an exhausted huff as he slumped over the host stand. “Charging that much has to be unethical.” Leehan stated, “I mean- seriously, my rent isn’t even that much.”
“Oh, don’t get me started on rent.” Jaehyun’s already defeated tone somehow got sadder as he triple-checked the reservations for the day. “Don’t tell me yours is going up too,” Sungho begged, only to be met with silence that counted as a response.
Leehan cursed under his breath, his eyes darting to the dining portion of the restaurant- making sure their manager didn’t hear his language before continuing. “That means I’m next.” Leehan sighed, a sullen look already on his face.
Silence fell over the trio before Leehan suddenly perked up, “D’you think we could ask Zico for another raise?” The blonde’s eyes darted between his hyungs. “All three of us? In our dreams .” Sungho laughed, shaking his head.
Leehan blew air from his mouth, back to the drawing board.
“Maybe there’s a cheaper dance camp?” Sungho suggested, placing a hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder. He could tell just how bothered the younger actually was by this and as the eldest in the group- he felt partially responsible for aiding in finding a solution.
Jaehyun shook his head, the frown that had been etched into his face since he clocked in a few hours ago somehow deepened . “None that take 5-year-olds, or if they do- it’s not all-day programs.” He grumbled as he took a sip from his third complimentary soft drink this shift.
“Why does it have to be a-” Leehan was cut off by Sungho turning towards him, “Summer. A job. No other parent. Seriously Leehan, keep up.” The eldest sighed, Leehan grumbled at the tone yet kept his mouth shut.
“If I don’t sign him up, I have nowhere else for him to go. I just… can’t sign him up.” Jaehyun explained, laughing out a humorless breath. “Damn.” Leehan sighed, bringing his thumb to his mouth and beginning to chew at the skin around the nail- Sungho swatted a hand at him, making the blonde let out a low grumble.
The three men were quiet for a few moments, it was a slow day at the restaurant- meaning the three could basically stand around and do nothing unless Zico gave them the “I don’t pay you to do nothing.” look.
After a few moments, Sungho stepped up behind the father- startling Jaehyun by placing a gentle hand over his right shoulder and leaning in slightly. Jaehyun jumped at the sudden touch, cursing under his breath and grumbling at Sungho about “always sneaking up on him”.
The eldest brushed the words off with a waving hand before he spoke, “I know you aren’t gonna want to hear this.” The brunette started, making Jaehyun instantly throw his head back as he let out an annoyed groan. “Then why are you saying it?” The shorter man asked, looking to Leehan for help.
The blonde simply put his hands up, deciding to stay out of the conversation. For now.
“Because I know you need to hear it,” Sungho said pointedly, leaning his elbow against the host stand to get a better look into Jaehyun’s eyes. The shorter man scowled, his shoulders tense with anticipation. “You aren’t…the only parent, Jaehyun.”
Just as the shorter man was about to protest, Sungho placed a hand over his mouth- making Jaehyun’s eyebrows knit together.
“I’m serious. I know that maybe Yejin isn’t the most… active mother, but she’s still responsible for Woonhak’s expenses.” The taller man finally uncupped his hand from Jaehyun’s mouth, only to quickly regret that action as Jaehyun began speaking.
“Someone should tell her that.” The father grumbled, angrily tapping away at the screen of the reservation tablet- he was doing a whole lot of nothing, but for some reason, it relieved his stress. “She couldn’t give less of a sh…” Jaehyun’s eyes briefly trailed towards where Zico was standing in the dining area before lowering his tone and continuing, “She couldn’t give less of a shit if we can afford groceries, she would laugh in my face if I asked for money for a dance camp.”
Leehan frowned, finally pushing off the wall and standing on the other side of Jaehyun, “It’s kind of your only option.” The tall blonde man said, it was clear that even he didn’t like the words- but that didn’t make the statement untrue.
Jaehyun stammered for an argument, but there wasn’t one. Whether he liked it or not, Yejin was his only option.
“I hate you two, seriously,” Jaehyun grumbled, his words carrying no actual weight. Sungho only gave him a gentle pat on the back before busying himself elsewhere, Leehan lingered for a few moments; thinking ever so loudly.
“If you want someone to go with you, I will.” Leehan always surprised Jaehyun in moments like these. His words were so genuine, it was a complete 360 from his typical sassy yet humdrum tone.
Jaehyun shook his head, “It’ll just make her more difficult, thanks though.”
The blonde nodded, understanding. Another pat was placed against Jaehyun’s shoulder before Leehan snuck off to continue wasting company time. The black-haired man ran a hand down his face, letting out a shaky breath as he reached into his pocket; feeling for his phone for a few moments before pulling it out.
With shaky hands, a text was sent.
‘ Jaehyun: Hey. Can we meet up soon and talk? It’s about Woonhak.’