Kang almost narrowed his eyes. The kid hadn't fallen asleep, which was to be expected after he slept for a full eight hours plus a few more hours and the whole fiasco with the catheter. It wasn't surprising that Squirt was no longer sleepy.
But what was surprising, was the fact that the kid wasn't making eye contact with him. Squirt, who had a very prominent habit of keeping eye contact with people, just wasn't. He would make eye contact with Kang, but after a split second, he was flicking his eyes away, breaking it off.
At the moment, Squirt was lying on his side, his back towards Kang, and Kang was sure the kid would be fiddling with the blanket again, picking at the threads. A nervous habit that Kang had no idea had developed, but it was a sign either way that something was making Squirt nervous. He just had no idea what was making his kid nervous.
The sudden words almost gave Kang whiplash. "I'm sorry."
"What?" It came out without thinking, and when he saw the boy stiffening up, Kang tried to smooth over the bad start. "For what? For being sick?" because that definitely was not a reason to be sorry about. Well, maybe Squirt should have been sorry about hiding his stomach ailment, but Squirt had already apologized. So, what was making him apologize again?
Without looking at Kang, the teenager pulled his shoulders higher, ducking down his head as if he was trying to hide. Something was definitely wrong if Squirt found the urge to hide like that. "No. just...I'm sorry." He repeated as if that did anything to clear it up.
He stood up, "I get that," Kang said as he walked around the bed to face the kid, but again, the boy made brief eye contact before he looked away. Something was wrong. "But I don't know what you're sorry for. Did something happen?" But what could have happened? Kang had been there almost the entire time, so was it with the hospital staff?
But that didn't make sense, because if it was something with the hospital staff, then why would the kid be apologizing? To him of all people? Squirt would have been telling him what happened instead of apologizing.
Squirt rolled onto his back, turning his head to face the window, his fingers picking and fraying at the threads and unraveling the hem. "Yeah." he said quietly, and Kang couldn't deny the anxiety that filled him.
So, something did happen? But what exactly happened? "Is that what you're sorry about?"
He nodded. "Yeah." which still didn't clear anything up. Just what the hell was the kid sorry about? What happened where he was acting like that?
He got straight to the point because he was getting concerned. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" Kang asked. Was it bad? Good? Concerning? Was something wrong with his body again? Was he in pain? What was he sorry for?
Unfortunately for Kang, that was enough to make the boy clamp up again. His fingers stopped picking at the blanket, his lips a thin white line.
Kang backtracked. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He didn't mess up, did he? Kang knew how his boy worked and he knew that if he had accidentally overstepped a boundary, then Squirt was going to withdraw into himself. If that happened, then Kang was going to have to coax the kid out of his shell just so he could be comfortable with him again, forget finding out what was making Squirt act like that. "I just want to know if it was something bad." That was all Kang wanted to know, he wanted to know if Squirt was harboring a bad experience, or if he was harboring bad thoughts. The last thing he wanted for his kid was for those thoughts to fester into something worse and plague his mind.
His mouth opened a few times as if he was trying to figure out a way to say it, only to fail every time. "I...don't know..." Squirt said slowly, a sigh deflating his frame as he admitted it.
That did nothing to clear anything up.
It wasn't a hard yes or no that it was something bad, and Kang didn't know how to feel about that. It meant that if it was something bad, Squirt likely didn't realize it was bad, and considering that the kid thought it was normal to know how to kill people in at least ten different ways, it was concerning.
But Kang couldn't force it out of him.
Trying to force it out would just make Squirt shut down on him, and like the common person, Kang didn't want that to happen. "Okay..." Kang said slowly, and he set a hand on Squirt's shoulder when he saw the way the kid had stiffened up. "Well, whatever it is, I promise I will be willing to hear you out." Hopefully, it won't be anything too bad. "You can tell me when you're ready." Thankfully, some of the tension left Squirt's shoulders, a small sigh escaping him.
"Sorry..." The boy repeated, and although Kang was still very much worried and wanted to find out the root of everything, Kang brushed it off.
"It's okay. I know sometimes you have a hard time explaining stuff." That situation was another example of it. Sometimes the kid had a hard time putting his thoughts into words, Squirt was just not used to talking about his emotions and thoughts like that, so Kang was not surprised in that aspect. All he could do was be a good role model and teach Squirt that he was safe to share his thoughts with Kang.
The problem was just finding out what was wrong.
Squirt nodded and then frowned; the soldier could see the kid chewing at his cheek, the flesh becoming indented every time he bit down on it. "Kang?" he asked after a few seconds.
His eyebrows went up. "Yes?" There was no way the kid was ready to tell him.
Kang was right. "I...um..." Squirt started out slowly, the blanket hem became undone under his hands. "I think..." he trailed off again, and that time, the blanket became balled up in his fists, his knuckles slowly turned white in the process.
Alright, Squirt was stressing out way too much. "It's okay," Kang said as he laid his hand on top of Squirts, trying to coax his hands to relax again. Kang didn't know what his kid was stressing about, but he knew it wasn't a good time for that additional stress. He needed to heal, not stress over whatever was making him stress out. "You don't have to tell me now, and as long as it's nothing major, you don't have to tell me ever." Squirt's hands relaxed ever so slightly, but with a bit more coaxing from Kang, he was able to get the boy to unclench his fists, his hands going back to picking at the threads. Well, it was better than nothing he supposed.
"But what if it is something major...?" Squirt asked quietly, his voice so uncertain and it was so out of character for him to be talking like that. Kang couldn't help but be concerned. Then again, it was out of character for Squirt to talk about his emotions and thoughts either way, so maybe it was to be expected.
He ruffled the kid's hair, smiling when he felt Squirt leaning into his hand. "Well, I would prefer that you would tell me." After all, no one liked to be blindsided and if Kang knew about an issue beforehand, then he would be able to adjust and plan for any problems should they arrive.
But that was the ideal situation and life was anything but ideal most of the time. "Do you think I need to know to take care of you? Something like us avoiding crowded places?" because Squirt didn't need to tell him the reasoning, if Squirt told Kang that he didn't like being with strangers, then Kang was going to adjust as much as he could. Squirt already lived a rough life of discomfort and abuse, Kang wanted to make sure that he broke that trend as long as he could.
There was a moment of deliberation.
Squirt shook his head. "No...You've done so much to help me, and I don't want to hide stuff from you..." Oh.
Oh, that was a problem. Did Squirt feel obligated to tell him just because Kang had helped him? Kang didn't want the kid to force himself just because of that.
"You don't have to feel indebted to me just because I helped you." Kang didn't need Squirt to try and repay anything. All Kang wanted was for his kid to be happy and healthy. He wanted Squirt to live the life he had been deprived of and that would be enough for Kang in terms of repayment. "You're allowed to have your secrets. As long as it isn't something to do with your overall health, mental health included, you don't have to tell me. But if you do, you can tell me when you're ready. I can't promise I won't get mad, but I can promise I will try my best to understand." Though considering that Squirt was the type to own his mistakes, Kang had a feeling it was something he wouldn't get mad at.
The teenager quietly nodded his head, "Okay...thank you, sir." He added onto the end, at last looking into Kang's eyes as he said that. But Squirt was still quick to avert his eyes, though at least he was maintaining eye contact longer, so it was the best they were going to get at the moment.
Kang just hummed, settling back into his chair. It wasn't enough to soothe his boy entirely, but it was a good start. "No problem. But if this starts to mess with you, please tell me. Whatever it is, I'm sure I can help you work it out." He got another nod.
His phone vibrated, and Kang only got a moment to process what Han-jae's text said before the door opened. There was no time to prepare either one of them.
In her five-foot glory, was Kang's mother. "You." She didn't even greet either of them when she walked in, her husband right behind her. "Wait outside." Kang, to his credit, tried to almost calm her down.
"Mom-"
"Now."
That was enough for the soldier and honestly, Squirt didn't blame him. With the way Ah-In looked, it was obvious that she was upset. "Sorry kid." Kang gave him an apologetic look before he stood up, making his way towards the door. The way Kang stiffened up when Tae-hyung clapped his hand on his shoulder did not go unnoticed, especially when Tae-hyung led his son out of the room. The teenager felt bad for Kang more than anything at that point. Though he was glad that the attention was redirected from their earlier conversation.
The door closed, and Ah-In wasted no time in moving. She must have been used to it because without missing a beat, she was moving the railing down, just as fast as the nurses did when they went to go and check on him. "Scoot."
He scooted, moving his legs enough so she could have space to sit.
Ah-In settled in on the edge of the bed and without any fanfare, she sighed. Her head tilted in a way that was almost identical to Kang. "I'm sure you know why I'm upset," Ah-In said, at last, her voice was firm, but yet, her tone was one that sounded almost saddened.
He nodded. He landed himself in the hospital after all, he knew he would be just as upset if Kang or Han-jae did the same thing.
She was getting straight to the point, showing an efficiency he had only seen among combatants. "Han-jae said that you didn't tell anyone because you thought it would go away?"
The teenager nodded again. That was the reason he had provided; it wasn't a big surprise that Han-jae had told her while he was picking them up. It's not like he had expected them to not tell their parents either.
He just wasn't expecting her to confront him.
Ah-In heaved out a sigh and just that alone was enough to show her frustration, if her prolonged eye contact wasn't enough. If it wasn't for years upon years of standing under the gazes of Mad Dog and other mercenaries, he would have given in.
When he didn't break eye contact, Ah-In did, and in a way that almost contradicted her demeanor, she grabbed his hand. Despite the fact that he had to remind himself that Ah-In was kind and she wouldn't hurt him, he found himself pulling his hand away instinctively. His nerves wound up tight, the voice in the back of his head nearly demanding that he had her let go.
Gently, she swiped her thumb back and forth over the back of his hand, holding his hand in both of her hands as if it was something precious, reminding him once more that Ah-In was safe to be with. Just that simple act was enough to make the ball in his chest get smaller. It was so reminiscent of Kang and Han-jae, reminding him that he was safe with all of the Kang family. Curling his fingers, he just barely squeezed her hand, prompting her to hold on tighter. He was safe.
Tension lingered in the air, he didn't know if he was supposed to say something, or if she was. Thankfully, it was Ah-In who started first.
She took a deep breath, "When Hamchan was younger," Ah-In started slowly, much to his confusion. Why was Ah-In bringing up Kang all of a sudden? But keeping his confusion to himself, he let her continue. "He was probably five years old, Han-jae was about four or so. The recession hit and Tae-hyung wasn't making enough anymore. I had to go back to work just so we could make ends meet. It was difficult, all of a sudden, I was part of the workforce and the boys had to go to daycare for most of the day. And Hamchan, he was a lot like you." She chuckled, but it sounded almost choked? Remorseful? "Hamchan stepped up. As much as a five-year-old could I mean. He would get himself dressed and he would try to get Han-jae dressed too, most of the time I had to help him, but he did help. The daycare workers always told me how Hamchan was such a good brother, humming to Han-jae exactly like I would whenever Han-jae started crying to calm him down. He did everything that was expected of him, more even. It went on for months." Ah-In eyes grew watery and he couldn't deny the panic he felt when he realized that.
Why was she crying? Was it his fault? How could he make it better? Out of everything, how was he supposed to explain making Major Kangs and Han-jae's mother cry?
His panic must have been visible.
Ah-In cleared her throat shakily, her hand patting his own as if she was telling him that it was okay, that she was okay. The teenager thought Ah-In didn't seem okay. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was when the daycare workers called me to say that Hamchan was on the way to the hospital?" Her question was whispered as if she was scared of asking it too loud, and when she looked up at him for an answer, he shook his head. "I was terrified. It's a parent's worst nightmare. For their baby to be admitted to the hospital like that." She clarified when she saw his confused look. "We panicked when Hamchan got a fever as a newborn, I was almost bawling my eyes out on my way to the hospital. It wasn't any different when the daycare workers called me. Except I wasn't there." Ah-In's voice cracked with that, and she had to rapidly blink away the tears. "I wasn't there to hold my baby boy; I wasn't there to let him know that I was there with him."
Oh...
He was starting to understand her message. He had called Kang out of desperation and after hearing Ah-In's story...He must have scared the living shit out of Kang.
The guilt that had been simmering inside of him suddenly exploded. Not only was he already a financial burden on Kang, but an emotional one too.
He was going to have to make it up for Kang. An apology for scaring him like that at the very least.
Unaware of his dilemma, she fanned at her face, trying to dry the tears before they fell. Not knowing what else to do, he let her, the two of them sitting in silence until she was ready to continue. "He was fine, thank God. He had appendicitis, and do you want to know what he told us after the surgery?" Dabbing away the tears and taking in a few deep breaths, Ah-In looked up at him again, her eyes boring into his soul, he almost straightened up under her gaze.
Somehow, Ah-In didn't look saddened anymore. She looked disappointed? Unapproving? He wasn't sure.
Her face became pinched, and he didn't know what to call the emotion other than something negative. "He said he thought the pain would go away, that it was just a bad stomach ache." He stiffened up.
She knew.
His realization, that Ah-In knew that he had lied to Kang and Han-jae, must have been visible on his face because she nodded before continuing. "Can you believe that?" She laughed humorlessly; it sounded like a scoff more than anything. "A five-year-old said that. But it's believable from a five-year-old, kids aren't that smart at five, it took forever for Hamchan and Han-jae to realize that my name was not Mama. When we asked again, why he didn't tell us his stomach was hurting in the first place, he said it's because he knew we were busy and he didn't want to bother us. So do you really expect us to believe that you, as a sixteen-year-old, thought you just had a bad stomach ache?" At that, Ah-In gave him a long and hard stare and her blotchy face made him want to fold. He had made her cry and he didn't know a lot, but he knew that Ah-In was one of the last people he wanted to see cry.
Her voice was watery, and he wanted to help somehow. Ah-In had never been so teary in front of him and he hated that he was the cause of her sorrow. "So, tell me the truth. Did you really think it was just a stomachache, or did you hide it because you didn't want to inconvenience the boys?"
He didn't know what to say and unfortunately for him, his silence was damning. Ah-In was right. He didn't tell Kang about his stomach because while it was partially him downplaying his pain, he didn't want to inconvenience Kang. He found himself wondering how she had managed to dig up the true reason from her past experiences alone, even though they hadn't known each other for more than a couple of months.
If it wasn't for the comfort that Ah-In was providing, he would have pulled away long ago. "You said the party was important..." He said lamely, almost flinching when she leveled a look at him. It was flat, and disapproving.
Though in his defense, Ah-In and Tae-hyung had emphasized that the brothers had to go to the party, that it was a requirement. When he woke up with nearly unbearable pain on the morning of the party, he just knew that he had to hide it so the brothers could go to the party. Ah-In and Tae-hyung said that they wanted their relatives to get off their back and in his mind, a little bit of discomfort on his part outweighed the discomfort of the Kang family, the family that had been so generous to take him into their home. He already didn't contribute much to the family, he at least didn't want to be a bigger burden.
As he expected, Ah-In was not amused by his answer. "Do you know what is more important? You. You will always be more important. I don't give a shit about a party." She stood up and cradled his face in her hands, forcing him to maintain eye contact with her.
It had been years since someone had grabbed his face, years since the older trainees bullied him in the camp before he learned how to protect himself and he had grown to hate people touching his face, his head. Until he grew strong enough to defend himself, the only time people touched his head had always been with the intent to harm. Yet, with the way Ah-In was cradling his face, her soft hands cradling his cheeks instead of rough hands trying to force rancid food down his throat, he almost didn't mind.
He could still feel the back of his neck prickling with the contact, urging him to get away, but he could try to overlook it for that short moment. Ah-In would never hurt him.
She continued, unaware of the battle the boy was having with his instincts and mind. "I care about you. I care about you being happy and healthy. And so do the boys. Hamchan, Han-jae, Tae-hyung, we all care for you. If you won't take care of yourself for you, at least do it for Hamchan until you learn that you are the most important thing in your life. And baby?" Ah-In swallowed thickly, her eyes welling up with tears, "You will never be an inconvenience." Her voice cracked and not for the first time, he hated that he was the one who made her so upset.
Not knowing what to say to make it better, if he could make it better, he just quietly nodded. She took that as an answer and tenderly, she kissed his forehead, lingering for a few seconds before she pulled away, her hand smoothing over his hair before she let go of his face. "Now," She forced her voice to be light and it was audible. It was obvious she was pretending to be okay after such an emotional discussion. "Get some rest. I need to talk to the boys." She smoothed over the blankets and gave him another kiss on his forehead before she walked away.
Wait. "Ah-In?" He called out to her and she paused, her hand on the door. The woman stood there, waiting for him to continue.
He faltered, doubt creeping up yet again. He had tried to tell Kang earlier, but again, hesitation was getting the best of him.
He should tell her, tell Kang at least. It was going to be the third time he tried, but each time he tried to just say it. It was like there was a vice grip on his throat, a small voice in the back of his head whispering to keep quiet. To keep it a secret until he gathered more information.
"Yes?" she prompted after a few seconds of silence. She was right there, he just had to say it. Ah-In said that they all cared for him, they would be happy. He just had to say it.
His hands turned into fists as he held onto the blanket. "I...I'm sorry." He said instead, guilt washing over him as he controlled his expression.
He couldn't do it. It was wrong that he was hiding it, but he just couldn't do it.
Ah-In gave him a small smile. "It's okay sweetie. Just don't let this happen again, okay?" At his nod, she returned it and then walked out. For a moment, he heard Tae-hyung's voice before the closing of the door muffled it.
The amount of guilt Ijin felt for backing out a third time was indescribable.
-------------------------------------------------
"Alright." Ah-In breathed out, exchanging nods with her husband when she saw the almost guilty look on her son's face, "I was right." That caused Tae-hyung to heave out a sigh, his hand going up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Kang frowned. "Right about what?" because just what was she right about?
His question was dismissed. "Nothing. Are you done?" Ah-In asked her husband, receiving another nod. Good. That meant that he was done scolding the boys for the time being. "You two go home to eat, wash up and get some sleep. Be quiet," Ah-In said before either one of them, Kang specifically, could protest. "Yes, you will go. He is fine and he is resting, it is your turn for both of you to rest. We will stay with him in the meantime."
"Now get a move on." Tae-hyung said firmly. "We will call you if anything happens and honestly, you two look like shit. Go clean yourselves up." Han-jae accepted their orders with little argument after that, because they were right. Kang on the other hand, kept on trying to insist that he should stay, but each time he opened his mouth, he was interrupted with an 'up up up no arguing.' From his parents. They knew they were annoying the soldier, but they didn't care. Kang had cared for his kid, and it was their turn to take care of theirs.
Kang heaved out a sigh. "Fine." The soldier somehow forgot that he had gotten his stubbornness from his parents. Really, it shouldn't have been a surprise. "I'll be back at five." Tae-hyung wasn't particularly surprised by that, though he was annoyed that Kang wanted to return in less than three hours.
"Eight."
"Four."
"Nine. Do you really want to play this game?" Tae-hyung asked with a raised brow, and not for the first time, Kang realized that he wasn't going to win the battle or the war.
"Okay okay. Fine. Eight. I'll come back at eight. Keep an eye on him, alright? There's something stressing him out." Well, they already knew that. It was probably something called surgery.
After a few farewells, the brothers were making their way down the hall. As soon as the boys were out of view, Ah-In heaved out a sigh. "He's almost exactly like Chan." And most of the time, Ah-In would have said that in a fond voice, but at the moment, it was out of disappointment.
Her words caused Tae-hyung to sigh, his hand going up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "We need to work on that boy's self-worth." Tae-hyung understood why his son had done it, Kang had been a child for god's sake, and to a child, being a good kid meant causing no trouble.
What he didn't understand was how a teenager could share the same mindset. How could a teenager have such little self-worth that he didn't tell his caretakers about his pain just because he didn't want to be an 'inconvenience'? The kid shouldn't even be calling himself an inconvenience in the first place. He was anything but an inconvenience, but apparently not enough to convince himself.
"I know that." Ah-In groaned out. It's not easy to do something like that and keep it on the down low. They knew the kid and they knew it was something they were going to have to slowly instill into his thinking. If it was as simple as telling the kid 'You deserve this as the bare minimum' then it would have been fixed long ago.
They had tried. With little hints in conversations dropped here and there, insisting that just like the rest of them, the kid deserved to have new clothes and belongings, that he was important enough where a single phone call would be enough to have them running back home. But it was clear that the kid was going to need more than gentle nudges in the right direction.
"Let's get him a therapist," Ah-In said suddenly, her words sounding more like a statement rather than a suggestion, causing her husband to look at her in surprise. "don't look at me like that. You know it's not normal for him to think so little of himself."
"Of course, I know it's not normal. But if he was stubborn enough to hide the fact that his intestine popped like a balloon, there's no way in hell he's going to talk to anyone about his feelings if he doesn't want to." It was obvious that the kid was not lacking in tenacity and pure and utter grit. How else could a sixteen-year-old boy manage to hide a ruptured intestine from both Kang and Han-jae?
Sure, Han-jae probably wouldn't have noticed that something was wrong with the kid. Han-jae just didn't know the kid that well, but Kang did notice, and the kid still lied to him. Kang was someone the kid trusted; he could imagine what would happen when a stranger wanted him to talk about his feelings.
And that was not even touching the subject of the boy's trauma and upbringing, which there had to be a myriad of both. All they were talking about was a result of trauma, diminished self-esteem and self-worth was often a result of childhood abuse. Who knew what exactly went through the kid's head when he was forced to work as a soldier, and who knew if the kid had even processed anything he had gone through.
Both Ah-In and Tae-hyung knew that with the kid's calm demeanor, with the way he was so calm and collected to the outside world, they knew it wasn't normal.
It was normal for a kid with that upbringing to act out. To show the result of their upbringing and lack of healthy coping mechanisms and if there was one thing they knew about their little teenager, the only coping mechanism he had was to shut down and just stop talking. Easily one of the worst coping mechanisms around because that meant that all of the kid's thoughts and emotions were just stewing inside of him, building up until the dam broke.
But there was nothing they could do.
They could love the kid all they want, they could help and try all they want, but if the kid didn't want to accept that help or the change, then it just wouldn't work. All they could do was instill the seeds into the boy and wait for him to take that first step.
And with anything, if the kid ever decided it was time to unwrap his emotions and process his trauma, then it was going to get worse before it got better.
Tae-hyung just hoped that the kid would take that first step while he was with them before he went off on his own and distanced himself from his support system.
"Yeah. Ugh," Ah-In crossed her arms, her gaze focused on the door to the teenager's room, "it's not like we could force him into it either." The kid had to be willing to go to the therapist, if they forced him into going, then they were more likely to make the kid avoid therapy for the rest of his life.
The kid already needed therapy, they couldn't afford the kid becoming resistant to it.
"Let's go." He motioned his head toward the teenager's room, "We can talk about it later with Chan when he comes back." Ah-In quickly fell into line with him and they entered the kids' room together. Kang was the kids' freshly appointed guardian and that meant that anything and everything had to go through him first for his approval.
The kid looked up at them from his bed and good lord did the kid look tired. His hair was flat against his head, not greasy but not as fluffy as it usually was, and his skin was paler than either of them liked.
Despite that, Tae-hyung still sighed in relief when he saw the kid wide awake. He didn't get a chance to greet the kid because he had to talk to the boys, but it was his chance then. "Hi, son." Carefully, he hugged the boy, smiling when he felt their teenager return the hug. "How are you feeling?" It was a bit of a dumb question because he was fully expecting the plain 'Fine' he got from the kid. "Are you really fine or are you just saying that?"
The boy huffed as if he was offended, but it was a very valid question, especially with his track record. "I'm fine. They gave me pain killers, so nothing hurts..." He said that, but based on the way the kid trailed off after that, Tae-hyung knew that there was more to say.
"But?" Ah-In prompted.
The boy's gaze went down to his lap, his hands fiddling with the blanket. "I...I just remembered..." He paused, his frown deepened before he finally said, "I remembered why I don't like painkillers." He said slowly, enunciating each and every word carefully as if he were admitting something deep and dark. "I don't like how drowsy I get with them." Well, color them surprised.
They exchanged looks without the kid knowing.
That had been surprisingly easy. They had been ready to coax the boy's true opinion out of him, but instead, they got an easy admission that it was the side effects of his pain medication that were making him uneasy. Along with the feeling of vulnerability of course. The point was that it was easier than they thought, they thought getting to the kid to admit what was really bothering him would have been akin to pulling out teeth.
"Where's Kang?" the boy asked, and they belatedly realized that they never responded to him actually admitting his insecurities.
"Oh, he and Han-jae went home to clean up and get some sleep. They'll be back around eight." Tae-hyung was quick to answer him and was equally quick to add on. "Also don't worry about someone walking in while you're sleeping. That's why we're here, to keep you company." Along with keeping him calm and safe, but there was no need to add that on.
Ah-In was quick to hop onto the train, her hand gently patting the teenagers as she added, "We'll be here until the boys come back and we'll wake you up if anyone comes in. You just focus on resting for now."
He huffed. "Everyone keeps on telling me that." Yet despite his words, he was getting comfortable, pulling the blanket higher.
Tae-hyung nearly snorted, "It's almost like you got internal surgery and you need to recover from that by sleeping." He snarked out, using the bed controls to lower the bed so the teenager could lay a bit flatter. Tae-hyung earned a sigh for that comment.
The kid rolled onto his side, pointedly giving them his back as he faced the doorway.
"Sorry."
Their eyebrows went up in surprise. "What for?" The kid already apologized for his mistake, they didn't know why he was apologizing to them yet again.
Their teenager just shrugged his shoulder. "Just 'cause." He pulled the blanket up to his neck, ducking his head down as if he wanted to hide from them.
He didn't even give them the chance to question why he apologized and while they would have loved to find out why he apologized, he cut off the conversation for a reason. It was obvious with the way he had given his back to them that he didn't want to talk anymore. Whether it was out of fatigue or nerves, they didn't know, but they were going to respect his boundaries.
Tae-hyung just ruffled his hair before they fell into silence.
-------------------------------------------------
Kang stared at his laptop, fresh out of the shower as the towel on his shoulders caught any remaining water droplets. The laptop seemed to be brighter than the sun in the dark room, and Kang couldn't look away from it.
Kyodong.
It was an elementary school. It was on the other side of the city, closer to the outskirts than anything, but it was an elementary school that had been in operation since his parents were children.
There was no way in hell Squirt could have known about it. They had never taken him to that side of the city and in fact, Kang was sure neither he nor his family had even passed by it. Squirt didn't watch the news or scroll through the internet so there was no way he could have heard about it from there.
The only way the kid could know about it was through his memories.
It was a lead. A true and genuine lead.
Kang could find the kid's family if he followed the lead. It was an elementary school, in fact, his own elementary school had planted a tree in a student's honor when she was killed, so there was no way in hell they would forget about a student who died in a violent plane crash. It had happened less than a decade ago, there had to be at least one teacher who would remember his kid and his sister.
The light flicking on made Kang jump and when he turned in his seat, he saw that Han-jae was standing by the switch, a frown on his face. "I told you to call me when you were out." That's right. Han-jae had told Kang to tell him when the shower was free, but he had forgotten.
"Right. Sorry." That was all he gave his brother before Kang turned back to face the screen. The school phone number was right there, it was past hours, but all Kang had to do was leave a message. A message requesting a call back first thing in the morning would get things rolling. All Kang had to do was call, provide the kids information and what he was trying to do and if, if, it was the kid's elementary, they would be able to tell Kang Squirt's name.
Then the kid would be able to go with his biological family.
Han-jae leaned over the back of the chair. "What are you looking at?" he was curious about the way his brother was staring at the computer screen, Kang had been doing it since before Han-jae had walked in.
Kang's mouth was dry. "Remember how Squirt said something about Kyodong? It's an elementary school." And it was a very viable lead that would help the kid reunite with his family.
"No way," Han-jae leaned in closer, excitement coloring his voice as he read off the screen, "That's on the other side of the city. Have you called yet?" When Kang shook his head, that was enough for Han-jae to get onto his case. "Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and call to leave a voicemail."
Right.
Right. Kang didn't know why he was hesitating. It was a lead that he had been wanting for so long, he had to take it.
Han-jae seemed to be the only one excited about it. "Great! Imma go take a shower real quick and then we can go! We so have to tell Mom and Dad about this!" the sound of the bathroom door closing ran throughout the house.
Kang just stared at his laptop, uncertain about the potential of reuniting the kid with his family. Reuniting the kid with his family meant that he would be taken from Kang's care, from his home.
He had no idea how he felt about that.
Dread filled him as Kang dialed the number into his keypad. He didn't know why, it was the lead he had been looking for, the one he had been looking for, for nearly two years by then.
But, with the lead right in front of him, so close it was nearly tangible, there was something that made Kang want to close the window, turn off his laptop, and forget the idea of searching ever again.
Doing something like that would be selfish. So so so selfish. He would be denying the chance for squirt to meet his family again, to live with them like he was supposed to.
Kang held the phone up to his face, and even though he knew that he was going to go to voicemail, he couldn't stop the sigh of relief escaping him when he went straight to voicemail. Good, that meant that he had more time to wrap his head around the idea of the lead.
The tone beeped, signaling for him to leave his voicemail.
He took a deep breath.
"My name is Hamchan Kang. I would like to ask you about a former student of yours."