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Kihyun has heard the wail of a baby since he steps out of the elevator. His ears perk up, knowing for sure whose wail it is. He steps faster to the apartment unit which is Minhyuk’s, then opens the door at once.
The door is not even locked.
“Kangwoo? Kangwoo, are you alright?” Kihyun calls out for his nephew. Worry is creeping up his spines rapidly because the baby sounds like he’s under torture. He notices that there’s a foreign pair of shoes in the entryway and he might need to be more cautious in proceeding inside, but his worry for his nephew overwhelms him. He dashes to the nursery, scooping up a vase on his way to be used as a weapon in case he needs it, and abruptly opens the door.
What greets Kihyun behind the door could be classified as a war field.
Baby Kangwoo is sitting on the floor, crying so loud that his face is turning red. His little hand is gripping one of his toys and his bib is only half-tied. Next to him, there’s a toppled down bowl of rice. The rice itself is sticking everywhere; on the floor, on the feeding table, on Kangwoo’s face. The red stain of tomato soup is adorning the broken-white-themed nursery as well, making it look like blood has been spilled.
Kihyun puts aside the vase he’s been holding once he sees another figure crouching in front of Kangwoo. He doesn’t recognize the man, but the person in question is stretching his arms towards Kangwoo, trying to get Kangwoo into his arms despite the baby throwing grains of rice towards him. He looks desperate and his expression resembles a rejected puppy; Kihyun could tell that he means no harm.
“Let me.” Kihyun bends down to pick Kangwoo up and starts patting the baby’s back softly, startling the other man as he does so. Kangwoo is a bit warm to the touch and Kihyun realizes what the problem is. “Kangwoo, baby, what happened? Are you feeling sick, hm?” Kihyun asks, ducking his head down a bit to have eye contact with Kangwoo.
Kangwoo cries louder and buries his face on the crook of Kihyun’s neck.
Kihyun turns to the other man. Worry is painted on his face. “Sorry, who are you?” Kihyun asks first.
“I’m... uh— I’m Im Changkyun from next door,” the man answers, standing up and bowing a bit.
Kihyun guesses that Changkyun must be younger than him, judging from how he looks and behaves. “Changkyun, I think Kangwoo is having a fever. Could you get me a fever pad from the cabinet?”
Changkyun looks genuinely surprised by Kihyun’s statement. Looking a bit lost, he rushes to the wrong direction first before detouring towards the kitchen. He comes back not a minute later with the whole box of medicine, tripping over a toppled glass before reaching Kihyun and handing the box over.
“The package is blue. No, not that one, the other one,” Kihyun directs while bouncing Kangwoo softly in his arms. Once Changkyun finds the correct one, Kihyun turns around so that Kangwoo is facing him. “Could you help putting it on him?”
Changkyun fumbles with the packaging. His hands are shaking a bit but he’s doing his best to keep them steady. “Kangwoo, I’m going to put this on you, okay?” he says to Kangwoo.
The way Changkyun speaks to Kangwoo is surprisingly soft and gentle, minding that his deep and heavy voice sounds like it could be very intimidating. Kihyun thinks that Changkyun’s voice could be perfect for bed time stories and lullabies—all the things that kids would love dearly—but too bad, Kangwoo doesn’t seem to think the same.
Kangwoo wails and thrashes about the moment Changkyun touches him. He screams, pushing Changkyun away and hiding in Kihyun’s embrace.
Once again, Changkyun looks like a rejected puppy.
Kihyun sways his body left and right while whispering comforting words to Kangwoo. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he says repeatedly, pressing the words to Kangwoo’s top of the head, “It’s okay, baby. He’s not a bad guy. Uncle Changkyun just wants to give you a sticker that will make you feel better, okay?”
Kangwoo’s tiny hands grip Kihyun’s shirt tightly. He talks something that resembles no and don’t wanna, and Kihyun could see from his peripheral vision that Changkyun is saddened by the reaction.
“He’s just shy and not feeling well,” Kihyun lets Changkyun know. “Kangwoo doesn’t hate Uncle Changkyun, right?”
The kid is still crying and thrashing about. Kihyun moves to a sofa and sits Kangwoo on his lap, pulling Kangwoo gently so the baby is leaning back against his chest. Changkyun follows and stands next to them, holding the fever pad and looking like a lost child. Kihyun takes the fever pad and carefully applies it on Kangwoo’s forehead, dodging Kangwoo’s hands that are trying to keep the fever pad away.
After that, the only sound that is heard is Kangwoo’s sobs and Kihyun’s soft hushes.
Changkyun starts to fidget awkwardly and finally he steps back. “I’m sorry I made a mess,” he murmurs, “Kangwoo wouldn’t stop crying and I really don’t know what to do. I— I’ll clean and go back to my place.”
Kihyun eyes Changkyun as the younger turns around and starts picking up the spilled food. The young man looks upset, and for a split second Kihyun thinks that he’s somewhat angry, but then Changkyun steals a short glance towards Kangwoo and Kihyun catches it—the loving, longing gaze that is directed to Son Kangwoo.
“Why are you here, exactly?” Kihyun asks, deciding that Kangwoo has calmed down enough for him to spare his attention for Changkyun.
“Minhyuk hyung asked me to watch over Kangwoo because he had to go somewhere and there’s no one home,” Changkyun answers
Kihyun sighs, internally scolding Minhyuk for troubling someone else. He is about to apologize, but Changkyun beats him to it.
“I’m really sorry, I didn’t expect it to be this hard.”
Kihyun sighs softly. Kangwoo whines and tries to pull Kihyun closer to him so Kihyun turns him around, letting the child to hug him and snuggle to the crook of his neck. Kihyun hushes again, whispering calming words to Kangwoo’s ears, then turns to Changkyun once again. “It’s not your fault,” he says, not wanting the younger to beat himself up, “Maybe he’s just not familiar to you yet. Once he’s warmed up to you, it will get better.”
Changkyun doesn’t look convinced with Kihyun’s words. He keeps picking up the grains of rice and cleaning the splatters. Silence is filling the room and it feels strangely relieving and awkward at the same time. It finally becomes unbearable for Changkyun, so he breaks the silence. “I know this is so late but, who are you?”
Kihyun snorts a laugh and it startles Kangwoo. The kid almost cries again but Kihyun apologizes in time while hugging the kid tighter, effectively calming Kangwoo down. “I’m Kihyun. Yoo Kihyun. Kangwoo’s uncle.”
“You’re Minhyuk hyung’s brother? Or Hyunwoo hyung’s?”
“Minhyuk’s, unfortunately—”Changkyun snickers a bit at this and it’s making Kihyun smile“—I’m his cousin. You come here a lot?”
Changkyun takes a moment before answering, “Not really. Once or twice a week, I think. I work part time right next to Hyunwoo hyung’s office so some times we walk home together. They often invite me for dinner. It’s... usually past Kangwoo’s bed time, though.”
“Ah, that’s why,” Kihyun nods. It also explains why he has never seen Changkyun before. Kihyun comes there a lot, true, but it usually during his lunch break, since his office is only two minutes away by foot. He rarely visits at night or on the weekends, remembering that it takes approximately two hours to get there from his own place.
That’s the reason why Minhyuk keeps pestering him to just move in with them already, even though Kihyun has said no a million times before.
“I feel close to him because I’ve seen him a lot,” Changkyun gives a bitter smile, “But it seems that I’m no more than a stranger to him.”
Kihyun doesn’t know how to respond to that. His first instinct is to make Changkyun feel better, but Kangwoo does seem to see Changkyun as a stranger, so Kihyun couldn’t think of any assuring words. At the loss of topic, Kihyun decides to steer the conversation a bit away. “By the way, has he eaten enough?”
“Is half bowl of rice enough?” Changkyun turns to see at Kangwoo. The concern is coloring his eyes. “I only managed to feed him that much.”
Kihyun pushes Kangwoo away from him slightly to see the baby’s face. “Kangwoo, are you still hungry?”
Kangwoo shakes his head. His hands are reaching Kihyun’s shoulders, wanting to get back to his previous position.
“Let’s eat some more, okay?” Kihyun coaxes. “Just a bit more. A biiiiit more. Okay?”
Kangwoo shakes his head harder. His face contorts and he starts to cry again.
“Oh, why? Why, why?” Kihyun hugs the baby and rubs his back up and down. “You want to sleep instead? Kangwoo is sleepy?”
Kangwoo nods.
An idea pops up in Kihyun’s head. He stands up from the sofa and moves closer to Changkyun. “I’ll take care of it,” he says, referring to the mess Changkyun is trying to clean up, “Kangwoo wouldn’t be able to sleep before it’s clean and I’ll definitely do it faster than you.”
Changkyun’s face is decorated with apparent guilt and helplessness.
“I don’t mean that you don’t do it well,” Kihyun realizes how he sounded, “It’s just that I know the house better than you. Meanwhile, could you hold Kangwoo?”
“But—,” Changkyun looks terrified. Probably he’s afraid that Kangwoo would reject him again.
“Kangwoo, darling, be with Uncle Kyun while I prepare your bed, okay?”
Kangwoo moves around and whines, but he’s not crying.
“Uncle Kyun will sing for you. Right, Uncle Kyun?”
That is unexpected. Changkyun’s eyes widen comically and he waves his hands. “No, no, I can’t—”
“Any lullaby will do, Uncle Kyun,” Kihyun insists. “Right, baby? You want to hear Uncle Kyun sing, yes? He has a good voice.”
Kangwoo peeks from where he’s hiding and looks at Changkyun. Softly, he asks, “Sing?”
“Yeah, sing,” Kihyun confirms, even though Changkyun’s face is everything but a confirmation. Kihyun continues to talk to Kangwoo, “Just like what your daddy does. He’ll sing you to sleep. You like that, right?”
Kangwoo hesitates but nods in the end. Kihyun smiles at the kid and turns to Changkyun, ordering the younger to wash his hands and removes his dirty apron. Changkyun does exactly those and comes back to the nursery room, standing in front of Kihyun and Kangwoo with nervous stature.
“Sit here,” Kihyun says. Once Changkyun has seated on the sofa comfortably, Kihyun hands Kangwoo over to him. Kangwoo doesn’t cry this time. The baby looks a bit tense, but he doesn’t push Changkyun away and Changkyun seems really relieved because of that. Kihyun stands up, looking contented with the setup, then starts picking the dishes up, bringing them to the kitchen. “You better start singing, Changkyun,” he says as he walks past the door.
Kihyun settles by the sink and washes the dishes. Faintly, he hears Changkyun starts singing and it sounds nice, making him proud of his own idea. Changkyun’s voice is low and heavy but solid and comforting. It’s lulling—very lulling—and Kihyun could imagine how Kangwoo would definitely love Changkyun after this. Kihyun deliberately does the dishes slower, trying to give more time for Changkyun and Kangwoo to be alone.
Approximately fifteen minutes afterward, Kihyun pads gently to the nursery. He doesn’t go inside, though. Instead, he stops in the doorway and admires the scenery that is across the room.
Kangwoo is asleep. His cheek is rested on Changkyun’s shoulder while his hands are holding on Changkyun’s shirt. He looks serene—tired, but serene—and peaceful all over. Meanwhile, Changkyun is still singing softly, humming next to Kangwoo’s ears while running his hand up and down Kangwoo’s back. His eyes are gazing at Kangwoo’s face with admiration, looking gentle and loving at the same time.
Kihyun’s heart flutters at the sight. Everything feels warm and soft. He feels like he’s melting—a surge of fondness is overwhelming him. It’s obvious that Kangwoo has opened his heart to Changkyun and it’s even more obvious that Changkyun loves and adores Kangwoo. Only that fact is already putting Changkyun on the good side of Kihyun. The fact that Changkyun looks like Kihyun’s very definition of a perfect guy is a bonus point Kihyun tries to put aside for now.
The main door is opened and someone is walking inside. Kihyun turns while pressing a finger to his lips, gesturing Minhyuk to be quiet. Minhyuk is curious, so he puts down the groceries he is holding and joins Kihyun by the doorway.
“They look like a piece of art in the middle of chaos,” Minhyuk comments in a whisper.
“Kangwoo is sick, he threw a tantrum,” Kihyun says, feeling the need to explain for Changkyun.
“Changkyun is holding up unexpectedly fine, though.”
Kihyun chuckles. “Oh, believe me. He wasn’t this fine before. You’re mean, Minhyukkie. He was clueless. How old is he, anyway? He looks like a kid himself.”
Minhyuk leers to Kihyun, throwing a meaningful glance that Kihyun doesn’t want to decipher. “Old enough,” Minhyuk answers. “Last year of college. Not that much of a gap between you and him.”
Kihyun punches Minhyuk’s shoulder. His cheeks are warming up and he doesn’t want that. “Don’t even think funny.”
“I don’t!” Minhyuk defends. “What do you think I think, hm?” Minhyuk laughs a little, delighted in teasing his cousin.
The commotion catches Changkyun’s attention. He looks up and finds Kihyun and Minhyuk by the door, then nods at them as a greeting. He stops singing and his face is reddening, he seems to be shy of his voice even though Kihyun thinks it’s beyond amazing.
Minhyuk steps in and takes his son from Changkyun, careful not to wake the baby up. “I’ll take him to my room,” he informs, already leaving Kihyun and Changkyun alone in the nursery.
Changkyun looks disappointed that Kangwoo is taken away from him, but he smiles to Minhyuk anyway. Once Minhyuk is out of sight, he stands up and starts cleaning the mess up again.
“Just leave it be,” Kihyun says, “I’ll take care of it later.”
“Ah, okay,” Changkyun stands up straight again awkwardly. After a beat too long, he scratches the back of his head and bows a bit to Kihyun, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For... helping me getting closer to Kangwoo, I guess,” he murmurs. “It means a lot. I love him.”
Kihyun smiles. That much, he already knows. “Come visit when it’s not his bedtime so you can play with him.”
Changkyun nods. He walks towards the main door, passing Kihyun in the progress and turning around just in front of the door. “So... Uh... See you around?”
Kihyun freezes for a moment. There’s a havoc in his brain before he smiles softly, nodding while replying, “See you around, neighbor.”
Changkyun smiles back and bows before walking through the door and closing it behind him.
If Minhyuk later asks what changes Kihyun’s mind about living together with them, Kihyun would say it’s because of Kangwoo.
Definitely because of Kangwoo.