Chapter Text
"Cut! That's a wrap on the wide shot. Moving to close-ups in ten minutes!" The director's voice echoed across the soundstage as Wan let out a long breath and rubbed his face. His eyes burned from the bright lights, which wasn't surprising after three takes of crying.
"Don't do that," his stylist scolded, catching his wrist just in time. She began gently dabbing beneath his eyes with a tissue, adding, "You'll ruin your makeup."
Wan sighed dramatically. "If they edit out my dark circles, my fans won't know how hard I work for them."
The stylist snorted. "They'll know you stayed up late playing video games."
"That's slander," Wan replied with a grin, though she simply shot back, "It's the truth."
Someone laughed nearby, and Wan looked over as the prop master walked past carrying a tray of coffee. "Hyung-nim! Please tell me one of those is for me."
The older man handed him a paper cup as Wan accepted it with both hands, complaining, "If Director Bong makes me cry one more time, I'm going to evaporate."
"You've still got close-ups left," the prop master reminded him, causing Wan to groan loud enough that several crew members laughed.
That was usually how breaks went on set. If someone looked stressed, Wan made a joke, and if the room felt too quiet, he would gladly make himself the punchline. It was always easier to laugh at himself than to let everyone else stay tense.
He dropped into his chair and pulled out his phone to find one message from his brother, Han-gyu. When Wan opened it, a picture filled the screen showing his nephew standing proudly in the middle of the kitchen. He was holding what was allegedly a model of the solar system, complete with gray paint covering his oversized shirt.
Wan laughed out loud just as another message arrived.
He insisted on using rocks from the driveway for the asteroid belt. His teacher is going to kill me. Dinner tonight? Jin-ah's making spicy braised chicken.
Smiling to himself, Wan typed back.
Tell him I want to see it too after work. Wrap's looking like eight. Save me a drumstick or I'm changing my will.
He hit send, and the notification read icon disappeared almost immediately because Han-gyu was already typing a reply.
"Wan-ssi! Back on your mark, please!" the crew called out.
"Coming!" Wan called back as he slipped his phone into his pocket and stood up.
He could still picture I-yun standing there with paint on his cheeks, looking impossibly proud of the beautiful mess in his hands. Wan smiled to himself, thinking it was just another Tuesday.
---
"Wan-ah," Hyung-sik called out, and something in his tone made Wan stop walking completely.
His manager crossed the floor not rushing his steps. The assistant director glanced between them and called out to the crew, "Let's take a ten-minute break."
A few people looked up at the sudden announcement but nobody complained. That in itself was strange. The crew members quickly drifted toward the coffee table while the makeup artists disappeared and someone turned off the background music. The room emptied around Wan so naturally that it took him several seconds to realize everyone was actively avoiding looking at him.
"Wan-ah," Hyung-sik said quietly, stepping closer. "Come with me for a moment."
Wan let out a short laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "If this is about Saturday's schedule, I promise I'll do the commercial."
Hyung-sik didn't smile causing Wan's own smile to quickly fade away. They stepped into the private dressing room together, and the door clicked shut behind them. Outside someone rolled a lighting stand across the floor, but then everything went completely silent. Hyung-sik looked at him for a second, then looked away as he delivered the news.
"There was a car accident."
Wan blinked, completely caught off guard. "Okay..."
"It happened on the expressway," Hyung-sik explained. He swallowed hard before continuing, "Your brother and his wife."
Wan nodded trying to process the words. "Right."
"They're at hospital right now," Hyung-sik said. "They called because you were listed as his emergency contact."
Wan just stared at him as his mind racing. "Is Han-gyu alright? Are they both alright?"
Hyung-sik closed his eyes for a brief moment before answering softly, "They need you to get there as soon as possible."
Wan nodded again, far too quickly. "Right. Sure." He reached out for his coat, but his hands missed the fabric entirely on his first attempt. He managed to grab it on the second try, adding, "I'll go right now."
"Wan—" Hyung-sik started to say, but Wan cut him off.
"I'll tell Director Bong I'll make up for today's missed scenes tomorrow," Wan insisted trying to stay practical. "He probably just crashed his car into the guardrail. I always laughed and told him he drove like an idiot whenever it rained."
Hyung-sik didn't answer him, leaving a heavy silence in the room. Wan shrugged into his coat, muttering, "I'll be back," as he opened the door to leave.
No one outside in the main studio was talking anymore and the coffee table sat completely untouched. The prop master stared straight down at the floor and one of the production interns quickly wiped at her eyes.
Wan frowned, wondering why everyone was acting this way but he kept walking anyway. Someone called out his name behind him, but he didn't turn around. If he got to the hospital fast enough, maybe he could prove everyone else wrong.
---
The emergency room was quiet which was the very first thing Wan noticed when he arrived. No one was running or shouting. Instead someone simply answered a phone behind the reception desk while someone else wheeled an empty chair down the hallway.
Wan walked straight to the front desk and announced, "I'm here for my brother, Lee Han-gyu."
The nurse looked up, and a brief flash of recognition crossed her face before disappearing just as quickly. She looked past his shoulder and called out, "Mr. Lee?"
When Wan turned around, he saw a detective standing in the hallway alongside a doctor, and neither of them was smiling. Wan forced a smile anyway, stepping toward them to ask, "Are you looking for me? He's going to be okay, right?"
The doctor didn't answer, prompting the detective to step closer and clarify, "Are you Mr. Lee Wan?"
"Yes, that's me," Wan replied.
"There was a major car accident," the detective explained.
Wan nodded quickly, adding, "My manager told me. My brother always drives way too fast whenever it rains, and I've been telling him to slow down for years."
The detective swallowed hard before continuing, "A truck crossed over the center divider into oncoming traffic."
Wan's smile remained frozen on his face as he asked, "So where is he now?"
The doctor stepped forward to deliver the news directly: "Your sister-in-law passed away at the scene of the crash."
Wan blinked in disbelief, whispering, "What?"
"Your brother was brought here to the hospital," the doctor continued gently. "We tried everything we could to revive him, but we were unsuccessful."
A heavy silence fell over the hallway as Wan frowned and shook his head. "No," he said softly. "That can't be right. I just talked to him earlier."
When no one answered, he urgently reached into his pocket for his phone, explaining, "He texted me and even sent me a picture." He unlocked the screen and held it up with a shaking thumb, adding, "See? Right here. We were just talking earlier."
The doctor looked down at the photo on the screen then looked back up at Wan and said, "I am so incredibly sorry."
Wan let out an almost embarrassed laugh and shook his head again. "No, I really think you have the wrong family."
The detective quietly closed his notebook, and the doctor turned toward the back corridor, saying, "Please, come with me."
Wan followed them down the hallway that felt much longer than it had just moments ago. Nobody said a word as the doctor pushed open a pair of double doors into a cold room containing two beds covered in white sheets.
Wan looked at the bed on the left and then slowly turned his eyes to the one on the right, where his brother was lying. Han-gyu looked like he was just asleep. His hair was still combed neatly, and there was only a small bruise near his temple.
Wan stepped closer very slowly, reaching beneath the white sheet until he found his brother's hand. "Hyung," he called out, but there was no response. Wan tried to smile, giving the hand a gentle shake as he said, "Come on, stop it. This isn't funny."
Nothing changed and his hand didn't move at all.
Wan stared down at it as his fingers slipped away, taking one step backward and then another until his back hit the wall. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "No."
His knees suddenly buckled beneath him, and he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. The doctor crouched down in front of him but Wan couldn't bring himself to look at her, he could only stare blankly at Han-gyu.
"He promised me dinner," Wan's voice cracked completely. "He told me Jin-ah was making dinner tonight."
There was a long moment of silence in the room, and then Wan finally broke down and cried.
---
Someone gently touched his shoulder causing Wan to look up and see a woman standing beside him, though he hadn't heard her come in at all.
"Mr. Lee?" she asked softly as Wan blinked up at her. She offered him a comforting smile and added, "I'm one of the hospital's support workers."
He nodded once in response before she said, "Your nephew is downstairs."
Wan froze completely at her words stammering, "I-yun?"
"Yes, he's here," she confirmed. After a long moment of silence, Wan stood up from the floor, his knees almost giving out beneath him before he quickly steadied himself against the wall and followed her out. Neither of them spoke a word as they walked down the hallway.
The waiting room downstairs was quite small furnished with just a low table, some coloring books, and a box of broken crayons. I-yun was sitting quietly in the corner with his backpack still on, his feet swinging back and forth above the floor. He was tightly holding a little stuffed dinosaur that Han-gyu had won for him from a claw machine, an effort that had taken six tries while his brother complained the entire time before buying more tokens anyway.
The door clicked shut behind them, causing I-yun to look up, his face instantly lighting up as he called out, "Samchon!"
Wan managed to smile, though he didn't even know how he found the strength to do it. "There you are," he replied softly.
I-yun slid off his chair and immediately asked, "Where's appa? We're supposed to eat dinner now."
Wan opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. His throat hurt terribly as he swallowed and I-yun added, "He told me you would come meet us after you finished work."
"I..." Wan started, but he couldn't finish the thought, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
The worker stepped in beside him and crouched down in front of the little boy. "I-yun," she said gently, and the little boy looked at her. "Do you remember what we talked about earlier?"
He nodded his head and whispered, "The accident."
"Your eomma and appa were hurt very badly," she explained softly as Wan closed his eyes, unable to watch. "The doctors tried everything, but they couldn't fix their bodies. They passed away."
An absolute silence filled the room and no one moved. I-yun stared down at his toy dinosaur, his small fingers squeezing it tighter and tighter until Wan could see the stuffing pushing hard against the seams.
The little boy whispered, "No," so quietly that Wan almost didn't catch it. "They promised," his voice cracked completely. "They said we were going to have chicken tonight."
Wan stopped breathing altogether as I-yun continued tears rolling down his cheeks, "I made the planets and everything. Appa didn't even get to see them yet, only a picture."
Wan dropped heavily onto his knees and reached out for him slowly, as though he were approaching something terribly fragile. "I-yun," he called out, but the little boy didn't look up. Wan gently rested a hand on his shoulder and choked out, "I... I'm right here."
I-yun finally let go of the stuffed dinosaur, his small hand searching around until it found Wan's hand. He held on as tightly as he possibly could, and Wan bowed his head and cried with him.
---
The next day disappeared completely, or maybe it didn't. Wan honestly couldn't remember because everything felt like a blur. He only remembered pieces of what happened.
A pen slid across a desk as someone instructed him, "Initial here." Wan signed his name, and the person pointed again, adding, "And here too." When he reached the section asking for his relationship to the person who died, Wan looked down at the form and wrote the word Brother, his handwriting shaking badly.
Out in the hallway, Hyung-sik stood with his phone pressed tightly against his ear, arguing, "No, he's not coming to set." After a brief silence, his manager's voice cracked with emotion as he snapped, "I don't care about the press conference right now. I said no."
Different people kept coming up to comfort him. Someone hugged him tightly though Wan didn't even know her name, and someone else told him that his brother was in a better place now. Another man patted his shoulder and urged him to be strong, but Wan just nodded along, unable to remember any of their faces.
Outside the building, the constant clicking sound of camera flashes could be heard prompting someone to pull the window curtains completely closed. Another person whispered anxiously, "The reporters are still waiting out there," but Wan didn't even bother to look.
He sat quietly on the floor in front of the funeral memorial portraits looking at how beautifully Han-gyu and Jin-ah were smiling. The picture had been taken during their trip to Jeju last summer and Han-gyu had insisted on retaking it five times because Wan kept blinking. His brother had laughed at him back then, teasing, "You've got one job, Wan. Just keep your eyes open, you punk."
Wan almost smiled at the memory, but the moment passed when his phone suddenly buzzed in his hand. His fingers moved automatically, and his heart hoped it was Han-gyu, but when his thumb unlocked the screen, he saw it was just a notification from his talent agency.
Statement approved. We have the media questions pending.
Wan stared blankly at the text before locking his phone again.
"Mr. Lee?" the funeral director called out softly, crouching down beside him. "We need you to make a choice regarding the burial spaces."
"Oh," Wan muttered as he stood up to follow him.
The information papers were spread out neatly across a large table, showing rows, numbers, and prices. The funeral director spoke in a very gentle tone, but Wan didn't hear a single word he was saying. He signed exactly where they told him to, circled the spaces they recommended, and picked the flowers that everyone else normally chose.
He ended up choosing white chrysanthemums, which made him think that his brother would have complained and said, "They smell like old people." Wan let out a tiny laugh at the thought, and the funeral director smiled back politely. It was only then that Wan realized he hadn't just thought those words in his head, he had actually said them out loud.
---
By the third evening, all the mourners had finally gone, leaving only the white chrysanthemums and the heavy smell of incense behind in the quiet room. Mr. Choi, the family lawyer, was waiting in one of the side rooms with his briefcase already open and ready.
"Wan-ah," Mr. Choi called out gently causing Wan to look up and reply, "Yeah, I know. This isn't the conversation either of us wanted to have right now."
Mr. Choi sighed as he untied the red ribbon around a thick stack of documents, noting, "Your brother always liked paperwork."
Wan almost smiled at the memory, agreeing, "He really did. If something needed signing, he would sign it a week early and then constantly remind me to sign mine."
"But you never did," Mr. Choi remarked softly, making Wan huff quietly and admit, "No, I didn't."
Mr. Choi slid a document across the table and explained, "This is his official will."
Wan nodded, rubbing at his tired eyes as he said, "The apartment, the insurance, whatever else is in there, just make sure I-yun is taken care of."
Mr. Choi looked at him for a long moment before saying, "That's exactly what I'm trying to do here."
When Wan frowned in confusion, Mr. Choi turned the papers toward him and instructed, "Read this section right here."
Wan lowered his eyes to the page and read the words stating that in the event of the simultaneous death of both parents, legal guardianship would be given to Lee Wan. He blinked in shock and read it a second time before asking, "...Me?"
Mr. Choi nodded and explained, "They updated it last autumn, though you're brother never told you directly. He almost did though. He actually came into my office three separate times saying he should probably tell his brother, but then he would just change the subject."
Wan stared back down at the papers, his voice completely disappearing as Mr. Choi folded his hands together and continued, "I asked him why they made this choice when they could have picked relatives with more stable lives. He just smiled and said, 'Wan acts like he only cares about work, but he's the only person we trust with our son.'"
The room fell completely quiet as Mr. Choi reached into his briefcase, set a pen beside the documents, and added, "They trusted you completely."
Wan stared at the pen, admitting honestly, "I don't know how to be someone's father."
"No, you don't," Mr. Choi agreed immediately, causing Wan to let out an awful-sounding laugh.
"I can't even cook," Wan protested, but the lawyer simply replied, "You'll learn."
"I barely remember to water the plants," Wan countered, to which Mr. Choi shot back, "Then don't buy plants."
Wan covered his eyes with his hands as Mr. Choi waited patiently for him to process everything. "I travel constantly for work, and I regularly work sixteen-hour days," Wan argued desperately, but Mr. Choi just kept repeating, "We'll figure it out."
"I don't... I don't know what I'm doing," Wan's voice cracked with emotion.
"I know you don't," Mr. Choi said pushing the papers a little closer to him. "But there's a little boy downstairs who doesn't know what he's doing either."
Wan closed his eyes for a long, heavy moment of silence before he finally picked up the pen. His signature shook across the page, looking nothing like the neat autograph he usually signed for his fans.
Mr. Choi took the papers back without even looking at them, keeping his eyes fixed on Wan as he said, "Congratulations." Wan frowned at the choice of words, but Mr. Choi just smiled sadly and added, "You've just become a father."
---
The drive home was quiet and neither of them turned on the radio as the busy city moved around them. People crossed the streets, buses stopped at their regular stations, and someone laughed outside a convenience store while Wan just kept driving. When he looked up at the rearview mirror, he saw I-yun sat curled up against the window with his backpack resting beside him and the dinosaur in his lap.
The little boy traced one finger along its tail before asking, "Samchon?"
Wan glanced up at the mirror again and replied, "Yeah?"
"Am I still going to go to my school?" I-yun asked softly. "The one with the soccer field."
Wan tightened both hands around the steering wheel because he honestly didn't know. He didn't know where the school district was, what time classes started, or if anyone would even be able to pick I-yun up after school.
The traffic light turned green, prompting Wan to press the gas pedal as he made a decision. "Yup," he said, his certain tone surprising even himself. "You're definitely staying at your school."
I-yun watched him closely through the mirror and asked, "With my same teacher too?"
"Yeah, with your teacher," Wan assured him.
"And my friends?" I-yun pushed.
"Of course."
"And the soccer field?"
Wan managed to smile and said, "Especially the soccer field."
The little boy nodded once, whispering a quiet, "Okay," before leaning against the window again with the dinosaur tucked safely beneath his arm.
Wan looked back at the road ahead, his grip on the steering wheel tightening just a little more. He knew he would have to figure out the school schedule, figure out breakfast, figure out bedtime, and figure out every single detail of this new life.
He would do it because he had already made a promise, and I-yun had believed him.
---
The front door chimed as Wan stepped inside and the automatic lights came on by themselves to illuminate the space. I-yun stopped right in the doorway to slip off his shoes, lining them up neatly against the wall before waiting.
Wan looked around the place, realizing the apartment looked exactly as he had left it. There wasn't a single toy or photograph in sight causing him to swallow hard before saying, "Come on, let's go inside."
I-yun followed him closely as their footsteps echoed down the quiet hallway, stopping when Wan opened the last door and announced, "This one's going to be your room."
I-yun looked inside to see a bed, a desk, and an empty wardrobe before walking over to the bed and pressing both hands into the mattress. "Wow, it's bouncy," he said, making Wan laugh.
"It's really big," I-yun noted, and Wan agreed, "Yeah, it is."
"I've never had a bed this big before," the little boy admitted, prompting Wan to lean against the doorframe and offer, "We can change things up if you want."
I-yun looked up, asking, "The bed?"
"No, the whole room," Wan explained, rubbing the back of his neck during the brief silence. "I mean, if you don't really like the way it looks right now."
"I like it," I-yun said quickly.
"We could even paint the walls a different color," Wan suggested, but after another quiet moment, I-yun countered, "Appa always said landlords really don't like it when you do that."
Wan blinked in surprise before chuckling, "You're totally right about that. We probably shouldn't do it then."
"We'll think of something else instead," Wan smiled, and when I-yun nodded, he added, "Maybe some dinosaur posters?"
The little boy looked around the space again and murmured, "Yeah, maybe."
Wan smiled a little wider at that response but the room quickly fell quiet again as I-yun set his backpack beside the bed. He handled it very carefully, acting as though he wasn't entirely sure he was allowed to make himself at home.
Watching him, Wan said gently, "Hey, you don't have to ask permission around here."
I-yun looked back at him, confused. "For what?"
"To touch things or move around," Wan clarified, but the little boy just frowned and pointed out, "But it's your house."
Wan shook his head instantly and told him, "It's your house too now."
I-yun didn't answer him. He looked around the bedroom one last time before walking back out into the main hallway. Wan followed him out, but the apartment felt entirely too quiet because neither of them knew what they were supposed to do next.
---
Wan opened the refrigerator only to find three bottles of sparkling water, a lemon, and some chicken that had already expired. He stared at the empty shelves for a moment before closing the door with a quiet sigh and muttering, "...Shit."
He had no idea what eight year olds actually ate, wondering if he should give him toast or rice, and suddenly panicked realizing he didn't even have any milk.
The front door chimed which made Wan frown since he hadn't ordered anything, but then the door opened and Hui-ju stepped inside.
She had three grocery bags hanging from her arms and a travel bag resting on her shoulder, using her foot to nudge the door shut behind her before looking straight at him and saying, "You look awful."
Wan let out a tired laugh, admitting, "Yeah, I feel like it too."
She set the grocery bags down on the kitchen island and began unpacking eggs, rice, milk, fruit, and vegetables without even asking. Wan watched her go to work completely surprised and asked, "Wait, how did you get in?"
"You gave me your door passcode two years ago," she replied simply, and when Wan muttered that he forgot, she added, "I know you did because you never changed it."
She opened a cupboard, asking, "Where's the rice cooker?"
"It's in the third cabinet," Wan answered, watching her pull it out as she remarked, "You haven't eaten anything, have you?"
Wan leaned back against the counter and said, "I had some coffee," though when she asked him when, he frowned and guessed, "...Yesterday?"
She looked at him for a long moment before nodding once and commanding, "Go wash your face."
"I'm fine, really," Wan protested, but she reached into one of the bags, pulled out a bundle of green onions, and pointed them right at him.
"No, you're not," she insisted. "You look like you've been dug up out of the ground."
Wan laughed despite himself even though it hurt to do it. "Hui-ju... thank you," he said softly, causing her to look away to hide her feelings as she replied, "I'm just making some soup."
"I wasn't thanking you for the soup," Wan told her gently, and she whispered back, "I know." After a quiet moment, she asked, "Where's I-yun?"
"He's in the guest room," Wan told her, adding that he didn't think the boy was sleeping. She nodded again saying she would check on him right after she started cooking the rice.
Wan stood there watching her rinse the vegetables beneath the tap noticing how she moved around the kitchen like she had always lived there. She knew exactly which drawers to open to find the knives, the bowls, and the rice cooker, and she even knew where he had hidden his good chopsticks.
---
Before bedtime, the apartment finally smelled like delicious scent of food in the air. The soup was completely gone, the rice cooker sat empty, and three dirty bowls now rested in the sink after their meal.
Wan reached over with his chopsticks and dropped another piece of beef into I-yun's bowl, telling him, "Hey, you've barely touched your food."
"I am eating," I-yun protested, but Wan countered, "That was only one bite."
"Well, it was a really big bite," the little boy argued, making Wan smile as he teased, "I still don't think that counts."
Across the kitchen island, Hui-ju snorted into her soup causing Wan to look over at her and ask, "What's so funny?"
"You just sound exactly like your brother," she told him, making Wan look down at his rice in surprise and ask, "...Do I really?"
"Yeah, you even used the exact same tone of voice," she replied softly.
A long moment of silence followed her words and during the quiet, I-yun picked up another piece of beef and then another. Hui-ju cleverly pretended not to notice his sudden appetite just asking him, "Is it good?"
The little boy nodded his head and said, "It's really warm."
"It's supposed to be," she smiled, and when he added, "I like it," she replied, "I'm glad."
Wan reached out to take another piece of food for himself but Hui-ju suddenly kicked him beneath the counter causing him to hiss in pain. "What was that for?" he complained.
"You've already stolen his dinner three times now," she pointed out, but Wan defended himself, saying, "I was just doing a quality check."
"No, you were just being greedy," she shot back.
"I was making sure you didn't put anything bad in his food," Wan joked, to which she replied, "Well, you ate it anyway."
"Exactly, I was protecting the kid," Wan grinned, and I-yun let out a small laugh at their bickering. It was a tiny sound, but it was finally there, and neither of the adults said a word about it as they simply kept eating.
Later that evening, Hui-ju washed the dishes while Wan dried them off. The faucet ran steadily and the plates clinked together in a comfortable rhythm because no one was in a hurry tonight. When the last bowl was finally put away, Hui-ju picked up her travel bag and stopped when she noticed I-yun standing just outside his bedroom door holding his stuffed dinosaur by one hand.
"Did you brush your teeth yet?" she asked, and when he nodded, she said, "Good job."
She walked over to him and very gently brushed his hair back from his forehead, telling him softly, "Hey, you don't have to pretend to be okay around us."
The little boy looked down at the floor and murmured, "I know."
"It's perfectly okay to be scared," she reminded him, adding with a small smirk, "Your samchon over here is a total mess."
Wan looked up immediately, protesting, "Hey! I'm right here."
"But he's not going to leave you," she finished seriously, and Wan didn't make a joke this time, promising the boy, "I won't leave, I-yun."
I-yun looked up at him for a second before whispering, "...Okay."
Hui-ju smiled gently at him and said, "Goodnight, Iyun-ah," to which he replied, "Goodnight, Imo."
She then turned her attention to Wan, warning him, "Don't stay up all night looking at your phone."
"I won't," Wan promised but she immediately shot back, "You totally will."
“Probably," Wan admitted with a smile, and she continued, "I already made breakfast for tomorrow and left it in the refrigerator so just heat it up."
"I know, I know," Wan said, but she stared at him judgmentally saying, "You're going to completely forget about it."
Wan smiled sheepishly, admitting, "...Yeah, you're right," to which she concluded, "I'll text you a reminder tomorrow."
With that she disappeared into the guest room, and the apartment fell completely quiet once again. Wan walked I-yun to his bedroom, watching as the little boy climbed onto the mattress and tucked his dinosaur safely beneath the blanket.
Wan waited by the open door, asking, "Are you alright? Do you need anything?"
After a brief silence, the little boy asked timidly, "Samchon? Can you leave the hallway light on?"
Wan blinked in surprise, asking, "The hallway light?"
"Yeah, just so I can see it from here," I-yun explained, and after a long moment, Wan replied, "...Of course I can."
Wan left the bedroom door open just a tiny crack and reached for the switch, filling the hallway with a warm light. The brightness stretched across the floor, reached all the way into the bedroom and stopped right beside the bed. Wan looked inside to see that I-yun was already staring peacefully at the light, so he whispered, "...Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Samchon," the boy replied.
Wan adjusted the door so it remained open just a tiny bit, making sure never to close it all the way. As he walked toward his own bedroom, he stopped and looked back down the empty hallway at the glowing light.
He decided to leave it on, and when morning came, the light was still burning bright.