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Woochan had not left his apartment for non-essential purposes in approximately forty-seven days—the outdoor purpose was only for grocery shopping.
Why did he know such detail? It's because his friend—Yongjun—kept a running tally on a whiteboard he'd hung on Woochan's refrigerator. The whiteboard was labeled “Days Since Woochan Touched Grass” with a crude drawing of a stick figure crying.
Yongjun found this hilarious. Woochan found it deeply offensive mostly because it was too accurate.
"Tonight, my friend…" Yongjun announced, erasing the number forty-seven and replacing it with a zero, "you are going to leave this apartment and talk to another adult who does not require diaper changes or pureed vegetables."
Woochan looked up from the floor, where he was attempting to wrestle Donggyu into a clean onesie while simultaneously preventing Seungmin from using a crayon on the wall, "what do you mean? I still talk to you."
"You talk at me while I hold your screaming infant. That doesn't count." Yongjun grabbed the crayon from Seungmin's hand with the practiced ease of a man who had been almost a full-time uncle for the past year, "I have arranged a blind date for you."
Woochan stopped mid-wrestle and Donggyu immediately used the distraction to escape naked from his omega dad, his tiny bare butt catching the afternoon light like a lightbulb.
"You what?"
"I arranged a blind date. For you. With an alpha. His name is Kwak Boseong and he's a friend of mine so I can make sure he’s a safe person—also very stable and very much employed. Definitely not a serial killer." Yongjun pulled out his phone, scrolling through what appeared to be notes, "he's thirty-two, six feet tall, has a kind smile according to my source—”
“Who's your source?”
“My own experience.”
“Fair.”
“He works in publishing. That's all I know."
"That's barely any information!"
"That's the point!" Yongjun pocketed his phone and fixed Woochan with a look that was equal parts fond and exasperated, "this date isn't to find your next mate, Woochan. You don't have to marry this person—hell! You might not even fall in love. It just a casual date when you're going to sit across from another human being for three to four hours and remind yourself that you exist outside of being ‘dad.'"
Woochan opened his mouth to argue, but Yongjun continued his yapping, "he's just another person, anyway. Maybe you'll hate him or you’ll gain a friend, or maybe you'll have a nice conversation and never see him again. There's no pressure. I just want you to unwind." Yongjun's voice softened, "you haven't had a break in eight months. Let me watch the kids. Let me feed them dinner and put them to bed. Go eat something nice while sitting down and not rocking Donggyu to sleep"
Seungmin, who had been listening with the intense focus of a three-year-old who understood far too much, tugged on Yongjun's sleeve, "appa going to moon?"
"No, buddy."
Seungmin blinked, "airplane?"
"No."
"Bus?"
"No, he's just going to eat food with a nice person."
Seungmin thought, "nice person have cookies?"
"I don't know. Maybe, yes."
"Appa likes cookies, appa can go." Seungmin nodded sagely, then returned to attempting to draw on the wall with his finger now that the crayon had been confiscated.
Donggyu, still naked, had discovered that the floor vent made a delightful echo when he babbled into it. He was currently conducting what appeared to be a one-man opera.
Woochan looked at his children, then moved his gaze to Yongjun, before looking at the whiteboard with its accusatory zero and its crying stick figure.
"Fine…" he said, "but if he asks about my 'omega parts’ still working after giving birth to two babies, like the last one, I'm calling you to come pick me up with a fake emergency."
Yongjun held up his hand in a scout's salute, "I have three fake emergencies pre-programmed into my phone. 'The cat is on fire' is still my favorite."
"We don't have a cat."
"Boseong doesn't know that."
The restaurant was not too fancy—much to Woochan's relief. Yongjun had chosen a casual Korean restaurant with communal tables and enough noise that any awkward silences could be comfortably ignored.
Woochan arrived ten minutes early, partly because he was anxious and partly because he'd forgotten how to estimate travel time without having to prepare for diaper bags and strollers.
He was wearing his least-stained shirt—a soft gray button-down that only had one small yogurt handprint near the cuff—and he'd actually brushed his hair for the first time in days! That's an achievement!
He was also—he realized as he sat down at the reserved table—absolutely terrified.
Which is weird because he kept telling himself that it's just dinner, with a casual conversation and he doesn't have to impress anyone and—
"Excuse me? Are you Woochan?"
The voice was warm, slightly breathless, and accompanied by the sound of someone sliding into the seat across from him.
Woochan looked up. Suddenly all the noise in his head quieted down.
The alpha—Kwak Boseong—was... not what he'd expected.
Yongjun had said "kind smile" and that was accurate, but he'd left out several other details. Like the fact that Boseong had the kind of face that made you want to trust him immediately—open, genuine, with laugh lines already forming at the corners of his eyes despite being the same age with him. He was wearing a soft cardigan over a simple t-shirt, and his hair was slightly mussed, as if he'd been running his hands through it.
"I'm Boseong," the alpha said, stretching his hand, "sorry I'm late. I got held up at work. Deadline situation."
Woochan shook his hand. The alpha's grip was warm and firm but not aggressive—just right, his omega noted automatically, "I'm Woochan—obviously. You already knew that. I'm just—hi."
"Hi." Boseong's smile widened, "Yongjun said you were nervous. He also said to warn you that he's prepared to set the cat on fire if necessary, but I'm hoping it won't come to that."
Woochan felt some of the tension in his shoulders release, "he told you about the fake emergencies?"
"He told me about all of them. Including the time he accidentally used the 'something's on fire' text during a work meeting and your client thought their logo was literally burning."
"I'm never going to live that down."
"You absolutely should not." Boseong picked up the menu, scanning it with casual interest, "so, Yongjun said we should keep this low-pressure. Just two people eating meat and seeing if they can stand each other."
"That was the pitch, yes." The omega nodded.
"I can stand you so far." Boseong said before adding, “you haven't tried to sell me cryptocurrency or asked about my 'alpha parts,' so you're already ahead of my last three dates."
Woochan snorted, "the same thing happened to me! Also, the last blind date, this guy spent forty-five minutes explaining why his image collection was 'the future of digital intimacy.' I didn't even know digital had intimacy."
The alpha leaned forward conspiratorially, "it's just a fancy way of saying he had images of poorly drawn wolves."
They ordered meat, side dishes and rice. Then went for a second helping by ordering more meat. And somewhere between the ssamjang and the second helping of bulgogi, Woochan forgot to be nervous.
This far, Woochan knew that Boseong worked in publishing, he explained, but not in the stuffy editorial way. He was a children's book author. He wrote stories about animals—bears and foxes and badgers—who had trouble sleeping and found their way through the dark.
"That's really lovely…" Woochan said, genuinely meaning it.
"I think it’s a little silly." Boseong countered, but he was smiling, "I basically get paid to make up bedtime stories for anxious kids. It's not exactly Nobel Prize material."
"Are you kidding? Bedtime stories are sacred!" Woochan thought of his own children, of the books stacked beside their beds, of the way Seungmin's eyes would go soft and heavy when the words wrapped around him, "you're helping parents to get a break. That's a Nobel Prize worthy if people care more about omegas and children."
Boseong's expression shifted, something vulnerable flickering across his face, "that's exactly why I do it. My dad used to tell me stories when I couldn't sleep. Nightmares, mostly. He'd sit on the edge of my bed and make up these worlds where the dark wasn't scary—it was just... a different kind of light." He shrugged, suddenly self-conscious, "anyway. Enough about me. Tell me about you… Yongjun said you have kids."
Woochan blinked, "Yongjun told you about them?"
"He told me you had two. He didn't tell me much else—said that was your story to share if you wanted to." Boseong's voice was careful, respectful, "I'd like to hear about them. Only if you want to talk about them."
And that was the moment Woochan realized he might be in trouble—it's not the kind that required Yongjun to set anything on fire, but trouble where someone looked at you like they actually wanted to know the messy, complicated parts of your life, and you found yourself wanting to tell them yet scared to overshare.
"The oldest is Seungmin, he is three now" Woochan said, and the words came out softer than he intended, "he's now obsessed with dinosaurs and Batman and asking questions I don't know the answers to.”
“Give me an example,ast week he asked me why the moon follows the car. I said it was polite, and he accepted that, but I can tell he's still thinking about it."
Boseong laughed. "What's the real answer?"
"I have no idea. Something about relative motion? He's three. He doesn't need orbital mechanics yet." Woochan smiled despite himself. "And Dongyu is one. He's currently in a phase where his primary form of communication is screaming and pointing. He's very effective."
"They sound wonderful."
"They're exhausting," Woochan corrected, but he was still smiling. "They're wonderful and exhausting, and I wouldn't trade them for anything."
The conversation drifted to other things like work, hobbies—including how obsessed Boseong was with Digimon. Three hours passed like nothing. By the time the restaurant staff began giving them pointed looks about closing time, Woochan had laughed more than he had in months and eaten more than he had in weeks.
"I should go." Boseong said reluctantly, signaling for the check, "Yongjun is probably about to actually set something on fire." He saw Woochan reach for his wallet, but Boseong waved him off, "I've got it. You can get the next one."
Next one. He implied there would be a next time.
Woochan thought about it for exactly half a second, "next one…" he agreed, "but I'm paying. No arguments."
Boseong grinned, "I would never argue with an omega who has to wrangle a one-year-old and a three-year-old simultaneously. You've clearly stronger than me."
They walked out together into the cool night air. The street was quiet, the city settling into its late-night hum. Boseong hesitated on the sidewalk, shoving his hands into his cardigan pockets.
"I had a really good time tonight…” he said, "more than I expected to—not because Yongjun vouched for you—but still. This was nice."
"Yeah…" Woochan meant it, "it was."
“I can give you a ride to home—”
“Oh, no.” The omega shook his head, “I have somewhere to go before going home.” He made an excuse.
Woochan didn't think it's necessary for Boseong to give him a ride since it's only their first meeting and it's not his responsibility. Also, privacy issues.
They stood there for a little longer, neither quite ready to leave. Then Boseong smiled—that warm, genuine smile again—and said, "I'll text you. If that's okay."
"That's okay."
Boseong turned and walked toward his car, glancing back once with a small wave. Woochan watched him go, then pulled out his phone to call Yongjun and check on the kids.
The first thing he saw was a text from Yongjun, sent twenty minutes ago.
Yongjunnie: Donggyu is asleep. Seungmin is watching cartoons and trying to convince me that he doesn't need to go to bed.
Yongjunnie: Also, I may have let him have a cookie after dinner.
Yongjunnie: Don't be mad!
Yongjunnie: How's the date???
Yongjunnie: Is he weird???
Yongjunnie: Should I light the cat on fire???
Woochan: No fire necessary. He's... nice.
Yongjunnie: Just nice?
Woochan: Really nice. Like, concerningly nice.
Yongjunnie: HA! I told you!
Yongjunnie: Kwak Boseong: walking green flag.
Woochan pocketed his phone and started walking toward the bus stop. He might not realize it yet but his chest felt lighter than it had in months.ocketed his phone and started walking toward the bus stop. He might not realize it yet but his chest felt lighter than it had in months.
The next date was coffee at a quiet café. The one after that was a walk through a botanical garden. The third was takeout at a park, sitting on a bench while pigeons circled hopefully.
Each time, Boseong asked questions and actually listened to the answers. He didn’t flinch when Woochan mentioned his late alpha. He didn’t offer platitudes or try to fix anything. He just… was there. Steady and kind and unfailingly patient.
Woochan found himself looking forward to their meetings. Not in a romantic way—he wasn’t ready for that, might never be ready for that—but in the way you look forward to seeing a friend who makes you feel like a person instead of just a parent.
“You’re different.” Yongjun observed one evening, watching Woochan actually fold laundry instead of just shoving it into a basket, “less… haunted.”
“I’m not a ghost.”
“You had dark circles down to your chin before.” Yongjun exaggerated, “now they’re only down to your cheekbones! It's progress!”
Woochan threw a sock at him while muttered ‘fuck you!’ under his breath.
At the fourth date, Woochan had more pressing things to think about. Like the fact that his children had started asking about “appa's friend”.
"Where's appa's friend?" Seungmin asked one morning, sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal he was eating one piece at a time.
"He's at work, buddy."
"Does he have cookies?"
"I don't think he carries cookies everywhere he goes."
"He should." Seungmin fished a piece of cereal out of his bowl, "then he would be the best."
Donggyu, strapped into his high chair, tapped his hands on the tray and gurgled something that might have been "alpha" or might have been "apple."—Woochan wasn’t sure. With Donggyu, it was hard to decipher what he meant.
Woochan sighed and started the coffee maker. He was running on four hours of sleep—Donggyu had woken up at 2 AM again, crying for his alpha's dad scent that weren't there, and Woochan had spent an hour rocking him while reading The Sleepy Bear's Journey twice in a row until the baby finally gave up and drifted off.
The books still worked—the omega thank everything, they still worked.
But Woochan was so exhausted and part of him—a small, selfish part that he tried not to listen to—wondered what it would be like to have someone else hold Donggyu during the 2 AM screams. Someone with a steady voice and calming pheromones. Someone like—no. He wasn't going there.
Boseong was just a friend. He was a really nice friend who made him laugh and didn't try to fix his grief.
That was all, and Woochan shouldn't get greedy.
What Yongjun didn’t know—no one knew—was that Woochan had found a secret weapon.
After his alpha died, the nights had been unbearable. Dongyu would scream for hours, searching for pheromones that weren’t there. Seungmin would lie rigid in his bed, eyes wide, too wired to sleep but too exhausted to cry. Woochan had tried everything. Warm baths. Lavender sprays. White noise machines. Co-sleeping. Nothing worked.
Then, in a desperate 2 AM scroll through a parenting forum, he’d seen a recommendation.
「 Have you tried Bdd’s books? I know it sounds crazy, but my alpha pup stopped night terrors completely. The cadence works like alpha pheromones.」
Skeptical but desperate, Woochan had ordered The Sleepy Bear’s Journey.
The first night, he’d sat between the two beds, voice cracking and trembling, and read, “in the deep, deep woods, where the pine trees whispered secrets to the stars, a little bear was having trouble sleeping…”
Something magical happened, Donggyu’s screaming softened to whimpers while Seungmin’s white-knuckled grip on his stuffed rabbit loosened.
By the end of the story, both children were asleep. Not just quiet—asleep. The way they hadn’t slept since their alpha dad died.
Woochan had sat in the dark and wept.
He’d ordered every Bdd book in existence. The Little Fox Finds His Den. Where the Moon Meets the Sea. The Quiet World of Night. They became their nightly ritual, to the point where Seungmin could recite passages from memory. Donggyu would stop crying the moment Woochan pulled out a Bdd's book.
Woochan never told anyone about how a book helped so much since it felt too fragile. Like he was so scared that if he acknowledged it, the magic might stop.
He didn’t know the author’s real name, not like he’d ever bothered to look it up.
Bdd was just… Bdd. A pseudonym on a children's book cover.
The fifth time Boseong came over, it wasn’t a date.
It happened because Yongjun had a work emergency—which Woochan was now certain was code for “I’m forcing you to spend time with this alpha”—so Boseong had offered to bring dinner to Woochan’s apartment instead.
“You don’t have to…” Woochan had said, “the kids are feral tonight. Seungmin is in a questioning phase. He’s been asking why the moon follows the car for three days.”
With a half-serious expression, Boseong replied, “that’s a valid question. I want to know the answer too.”
So, Boseong arrived with bags of takeout, a six-pack of juice boxes for the kids, and a patience that Woochan was beginning to suspect was superhuman, because dinner time was chaos, yet Boseong still looked really calm.
Seungmin hid behind Woochan’s leg for the first fifteen minutes, peering at the tall alpha with deep suspicion. Donggyu, who hadn't developed fear yet in his smooth brain, immediately crawled across the floor and attempted to climb Boseong’s pant leg.
“He’s friendly…” Woochan said, rescuing Donggyu before he could use Boseong’s shoelaces as a climbing rope, “kinda too friendly, like he’d go home with a stranger if the stranger offered him milk and snacks.”
“I have snacks…” Boseong said, as he took out a bag of teething crackers from his pocket, “does that make me suspicious?”
Woochan was left dumbfounded because why would this unmated alpha have a bag of teething crackers with him?!
“Extremely.”
“Ouch!”
Despite Seungmin’s initial wariness, the promise of rice and the sight of Boseong making silly faces at Donggyu eventually won him over. By the time the plates were empty, the three-year-old had migrated from behind Woochan’s leg to the chair next to Boseong, where he was explaining the entire plot of Batman in painstaking detail.
“—and, and then Batman do a flip…” Seungmin said, gesturing with both hands, “and the bad guy goes poof!”
“Poof?!” Boseong asked, nodding seriously.
“Poof! Because Batman is the best!”
“True.”
Woochan watched them with something complicated in his chest. The pups’ alpha dad should have been here for this. He should have been the one listening to Batman explanations and making silly faces at a one-year-old.
But he wasn’t here to witness, yet Boseong was.
With one person helping him with the kids, bedtime came too fast.
Woochan had been dreading this part. Not because he didn’t trust Boseong—he did, surprisingly so—but because bedtime meant the Bdd’s books. And Woochan was suddenly, irrationally nervous about someone else seeing them so attached with those books.
“I should probably get them down…” Woochan said, watching Seungmin’s eyelids droop. The boy was fighting sleep, determined to stay awake and keep talking to Boseong.
“I can head out...” Boseong offered, already shifting to stand.
“No. I mean—” Woochan hesitated, “you can stay. If you want. I just need to read them a story first. It’s part of the routine.”
“It's fine then… I can wait.” Boseong settled back onto the couch.
Woochan gathered Donggyu, who was doing the pre-sleep floppy movement with his limbs, and herded Seungmin toward the bedroom.
“Appa,” Seungmin said, stopping in the doorway, “can your friend read the story tonight?”
Woochan’s heart almost dropped, “what?”
“you're friend. His voice is… is nice. Like—like before.” Seungmin’s small face flickered with something that looked almost like hope, but softer, “please?”
Behind him, Boseong stood up, “I can read a story.” he said gently, “if that’s okay with you.”
Woochan could only nod, not trusting his voice. And led him to the kids’ bedroom.
It was small and cozy, filled with stuffed animals and glow-in-the-dark stars. The bookshelf in the corner held board books for Donggyu, picture books for Seungmin, and in the place of honor, a row of paperbacks with well-worn spines.
Seungmin grabbed one immediately and thrust it at Boseong, “this. This one.” he said, “read this one. Appa reads it every night.”
Boseong took the book and Woochan dreaded the time when he watched the alpha’s face change.
It was subtle—a slight pause, a flicker of something behind his eyes. The taller man turned the book over in his hands, running his thumb along the cover. The title was clearly visible “The Sleepy Bear’s Journey”
And on the bottom, the author’s name. Bdd.
“This is… this is Bdd.” Boseong said slowly, keeping his tone neutral, but Woochan could hear something underneath it like a little surprise and wonder.
“Yeah,” Woochan said, suddenly self-conscious, “Seungmin loves them. We have all of them, actually. They’re the only thing that—” He stopped.
“The only thing that?”
Woochan swallowed, “the only thing that gets them to sleep. I've tried everything to stop them being fussy but nothing worked, then someone told me about these books, and…” He gestured helplessly at the shelf, “they worked like magic.”
Boseong was staring at him. His expression was soft, almost incredulous, “these books helped your kids sleep?”
“Yes. Also my holy grail. I can catch some sleep thanks to these books.” Woochan said quietly, “honestly.”
Seungmin tugged on Boseong’s sleeve, “are you gonna read it or not? Appa does the sleepy voice wrong. You have to do the slow voice.”
Boseong looked down at the book in his hands. Then he looked at the bookshelf—at the worn spines, at the complete collection of every book he’d ever written. At the evidence that somewhere, in this small apartment, a single hard-working omega and his two pups had found comfort in his simple words.
“Okay…” Boseong said, “I’ll read it.”
He lowered himself to sit on the floor between the children’s beds. Seungmin hurriedly climbed into his bed, clutching the stuffed rabbit he’d had since birth. Donggyu was already half-asleep in his crib, lulled by the familiar routine.
Boseong opened the book and started, “in the deep, deep woods, where the pine trees whispered secrets to the stars, a little bear was having trouble sleeping…”
His voice was different from Woochan’s. It was warm and rhythmic, with an extra sprinkle of magic that seemed to wrap around the words like a blanket. Boseong knew exactly when to pause, when to speed up or when to drop a whisper—of course, he mouthed every single word while writing the manuscript. He know all the details perfectly.
Seungmin was asleep before the little bear found his den while Donggyu followed two pages later.
Then, Boseong closed the book gently and the room was silent except for the soft sound of sleeping children.
Both adults went back to the living room.
Woochan swallowed before he spoke quietly not to disturb the kids, “Those books are the only thing that gets them to sleep. After their alpha dad passed away, they couldn’t—” He let out a shaky breath before continuing, “they would scream for hours and it almost drove me crazy. Then I went online to find some alternative way, I read someone suggested Bdd's books.” He gestured helplessly at the shelf, “and without much thinking, I ordered one. Then, I don’t know how, but they’re the only reason any of us have slept in eight months.”
Boseong's face got pinker at Woochan's long explanation. He felt so warm. Not only the omega in front of him found solace in his book, but also praised his works wholeheartedly.
“I'm glad the books help you.” That was the only response Boseong could offer without making himself sound like a fool.
Then Woochan asked him, “are you the editor? You must’ve worked with these books.”
“Ah? Why would you say that?”
“Because you read the book in the way that no normal reader reads it. You gave the book soul. It came alive with your voice. You nailed the intonation and expressions.”
Boseong gulped, “I… might have a relation to those books—but I'm not the editor, I swear.”
Woochan racked his brain, then something clicked. Both names started with B, and it Bdd could be a pseudonym—almost all authors have that anyway.
“You wrote them, didn’t you?” the omega whispered,
“Bdd. That’s you.”
Boseong sat down on the floor with his back leaned back to the sofa, then his lips curled up, “yeah…” he said, “that’s me.”
Woochan slid down the floor to sit besides the alpha. Close enough that their shoulders touched, “I didn’t know. Yongjun didn’t tell me. He just said you worked in publishing.”
“I didn’t tell him to tell you. I don’t usually—I like to keep that part separate. But…” Boseong shook his head slowly, a wondering smile spreading across his face, “your kids have all my books. They love them. They sleep because of them.”
“They sleep thanks to you.” Woochan corrected, “you wrote those words.”
“I wrote them for kids like yours. I didn’t know—I never thought—” Boseong turned to face him fully, “Woochan. Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah...”
“Next date. Let me—come to my house.” Boseong’s voice was earnest, almost eager, “I’ll drive you, Seungmin and Donggyu there.”
Woochan blinked, “what?”
“I have a complete edition of every book I’ve ever written. First editions. Signed copies. Illustrations that never made it to print. The original manuscript for The Sleepy Bear’s Journey with my terrible doodles in the margins.” Boseong smiled, “I think your kids would like it very much.”
Woochan stared at him, “you want to show my children your entire collection of your own books.”
“I want to show them the magic behind the magic. And also—” Boseong’s smile softened, “I want to read to them again. If you’ll let me.”
Woochan’s throat tightened. His omega purred and he was too tired and too overwhelmed to even try to suppress it, “okay.” he agreed, “next date. Your place, with the chaos agents.”
Boseong laughed quietly, mindful of the sleeping children, “I can't wait.”
Two weeks later, Woochan stood in Boseong’s living room with a toddler on his hip and a three-year-old tugging at his sleeve.
The huge apartment was full of books. Bookshelves lined every wall, stacks of manuscripts covered the coffee table, and in the corner, a dedicated shelf displayed a complete collection of Bdd’s works—every title, all editions and every single of variation.
Seungmin’s eyes went wide, “Appa. Appa. These are the books.”
“I know, buddy.”
“All of them?”
“All of them.”
Seungmin turned to Boseong with an expression of pure reverence, “you have all of them?”
“I have all of them.” Boseong confirmed, kneeling down to Seungmin’s level, “I also have something special. Do you want to see?”
Seungmin, who usually was low in energy, nodded so hard, Woochan thought his head might fall off.
Boseong reached up to the shelf and pulled down a worn, slightly messy manuscript. On the cover page was a hand-drawn sleepy bear, a crescent moon, and the words “The Sleepy Bear’s Journey” in uneven lettering.
“This is the first one I ever wrote…” Boseong said, “before it was a real book. I drew the pictures myself. They’re not very good.”
Seungmin took the manuscript with the care of someone handling ancient treasure. He flipped through the pages, studying the crayon illustrations with intense concentration, “the bear looks like a potato.” he announced.
Boseong chuckled, “Yes. Yes, he does.”
“I love potato bear.” Seungmin declared, and climbed into Boseong’s lap without warning.
Donggyu, still on Woochan’s hip, began bouncing and pointing at the bookshelf, making urgent grabbing motions.
“He wants one too, it seems” Woochan translated.
“He can have as many as he wants.” Boseong stood up, Seungmin still in his arms, and walked toward the shelf, “let me show you my favorite one. It’s about a little fox who gets lost in the dark and finds her way home by following the stars.”
“Does she have friends?” Seungmin asked, excitement seeping from his voice.
Boseong nodded, “she makes one. A very anxious badger who’s afraid of everything but helps her anyway.”
“Like Batman.”
“Exactly like Batman.”
Woochan watched them—the alpha who wrote bedtime stories and the children who needed them more than anything. It felt so comforting and relaxing that it almost scared him.
“Woochan?” Boseong said, glancing over his shoulder, “are you okay?”
Woochan smiled. It felt strange on his face, like a muscle he hadn’t used in a long time, “yeah..” he said, “I think I am.”
Long story short, Woochan found himself asleep on Boseong's sofa, and when he woke up, he saw the alpha was sprawled on the carpet, Donggyu fast asleep on top of his chest and Seungmin curled beside him, using his arm as a pillow.