Hot damn has it really been almost an entire year since I updated this??? I had no idea, but uhhhh I have a reason.
For one, my ao3 is the first thing I post on, I post on ao3 at least once a month, while wattpad is more of 'If I remember'. I took a 6 month hiatus last year, it was great, I learned how to love writing again. Uhhh, I wrote like 3 or 4 more tm stories on ao3?? I'm just not gonna post them here bc fuck wattpad lmao, its a pain that I don't want to do anymore.
Tm stories that I wrote, that are on ao3, but you need an account to read
Continuation to the distance fic
h2o and tm crossover that is 100% self indulgent lol
Fic about 006 and 032
fic about the fried chicken chapter from the manhua. And then other non tm stories lol
But in good news, this Au is now finished. I hope yall enjoy the rest <3
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The scream echoed in his ears. He was up and moving before he realized it, he was rolling onto his feet even though he couldn't see a single thing. The blanket had been ripped away, and something had hit the floor, and the light was flicked on-
The nightstand on the other side of the bed started to tip forward. "Hey hey hey," Kang struggled to keep his tone calm, practically throwing himself across the bed to keep everything on top and the nightstand itself from tumbling onto the kid. Squirt flailed under the blanket, heavy breathing accompanying the sound of the kid's limbs hitting the floor as he tried to escape the blanket. "Squirt it's okay-!" Han-jaeâKang didn't even know when Han-jae had entered the roomâpulled off the blanket that Squirt had been struggling with in a smooth motion.
The wood thudded against the wall as at last, Kang had pushed the nightstand back onto its feet. Squirt had pressed himself into the corner, his shoulders heaved up and down, his mouth pressed into a thin line as he looked at Han-jae.
He was crying.
Tears streamed down his face, and every other inhale had a slight stutter to it. His eyes flicked to different points in the room, but they always returned to Han-jae, who was kneeling in front of him, his hands hovering in front as if he was ready to grab the kid at a moment's notice. Just the slightest movement forward was enough to make the squirt recoil, his knees drawing in closer to him.
Han-jae looked to him for help, his eyes quietly pleading for Kang to step in, to help him figure out how to help their teenager.
Right. "Squirt?" He called out gently. His kid hadn't calmed down in the slightest and the moment Kang called out to him, his head was snapping over to Kang. Kang wasn't sure what was going through the kid's head, he didn't know what made Squirt scream and panic like that in the first place.
But he could see the utter relief fill the kid's body. His shoulders slumped down at the same time as him bringing his legs under him so he could get to his feet. It was clumsy, panicked, so unlike him that Kang couldn't help but be worried.
The kid must have been trying to knock Kang onto his back, Kang let out an 'oof' at the impact. Squirt buried his head into the soldier's shoulder, his body trembled against Kang and it was like the kid was trying to suffocate him with how tight he was holding onto Kang. It was desperate, and heartbreaking all at once.
It took him a few seconds to return the hug. "It's okay," Kang mumbled, gently patting his back, it was sweaty, almost soaked, he was going to have to make sure the kid changed after calming down. The teenager only squeezed him tighter, and turned his head into Kang's neck, pressing his cold and damp forehead against Kang's skin. "You're okay. It was just a dream." Whatever he dreamed had to be bad if his kid was reacting like that. The nightmare had really done a number on him that time around.
The bed creaked as Han-jae sat next to them. Even the gentle hand on his shoulder was enough to make the kid jolt, "Its just me." Han-jae murmured quietly. That was all the invitation Squirt needed. Han-jae didn't get a chance to settle before the kids' arm shot out and pulled the researcher into the hug. Even Han-jae shifting so he could be closer was enough to make Squirt tighten the hug, all but telling them to stay, to not go. "We're right here buddy." Han-jae leaned his head against the kids, "We're not going anywhere." Squirt squeezed them tighter, a small noise escaping him as he nodded into Kang's neck. With a slight hitch to his breath, Squirt took in a full breath, holding it for a few seconds before he let it go, finally gaining some semblance of a calmer breathing pattern.
They exchanged looks. Just that simple act was enough for both of them to know that beyond their teenager needing comfort from a nightmare, neither of them had any idea what to think about everything. What did their kid dream of where he was acting like that?
The door opened again. "What's going on?" his father's voice rang through the room and Squirt was jerking his head up, looking between Kang, Han-jae, and Tae-hyung. "What happened? Is something wrong?" His eyes flicked from him, to Han-jae, and then the doorway, where his father was. Even though the kid had relaxed once he realized that it was Tae-hyung who was standing there, there was something else that made him stiffen up and start looking around again.
Kang was going to suggest that they get some privacy, some peace and quiet so Squirt could calm down because oh boy did the kid need it.
Instead. "Where's Ah-In?" Squirt rasped out, looking at all of them for answers and thoroughly throwing all of them off. It was too early in the morning for any of them to give an answer, their awakening far too chaotic for their brain to keep up. They didn't answer fast enough because he was pulling away from Kang and Han-jae, the agitation that they had managed to soothe away had returned in full force, Kang felt anxious just looking at him.
The corner of the blanket that the kid stepped on slipped out from under him and Kang had to keep him from falling by grabbing him, but that didn't faze his boy. All Squirt did was brush off Kang's hand before walking towards the door. "Where is she?" He walked past Tae-hyung into the hallway, his head on a swivel as he tried to find the matron of the Kang family.
Tae-hyung looked between the teenager and the boys, giving them a confused look that they could do nothing but return. Good to know that they were all equally confused by the kid's behavior. On top of him being upset like that, it was the first time their teenager was actively, and anxiously looking for each member of their family like that.
"I'm right here." His mother said gently, out of view from Kang's position. Squirt's head snapped over to her, his shoulders relaxing before he also walked out of view. Tae-hyung looked between Kang, Han-jae, and the hallway. He, like everyone else, was struggling to figure out what happened. "Aw," Her voice was quiet, but it rang out in the house, "It's okay baby." At last, Kang finally got the bright idea to stand up and follow his boy out into the hallway. "I'm right here. I'm okay. Nothing bad happened." He should probably go and help calm the kid down.
Tae-hyung kept him from walking out of the room. "Give them a moment." His father whispered, and Kang was just going to have to trust his judgment. Tae-hyung stepped further into the room, closing the door halfway as he dropped his voice. "I think he had a nightmare about us." He started, pausing for a moment when he heard Ah-In continuing to soothe their youngest, gentle reassurances that everyone was fine streamed in from the hallway. "I heard him say something about it."
"Yeah, no shit," Han-jae looked surprised, not even blinking at the way their father flicked his arm, "he was screaming for you." he said as he pointed at Kang, his lips pressed into a thin line. Kang couldn't help but stare. "Scared the hell out of me. I thought something happened."
The kid had been screaming for him?
Kang didn't hear that. Or at least, he hadn't been awake enough to process that the kid had been screaming for him. All Kang really remembered was hearing screaming and then getting up right after.
The sound of footsteps approaching the bedroom cut the conversation. "Hamchan," Ah-In walked into the doorway, Squirt lingering behind her. His boy was pale, his eyes downcast and if Kang looked hard enough, his eyes were slightly red, no doubt from the crying. His palm was working at wiping away the tears, though the moment Squirt saw Kang, he was walking around Ah-In to get to him. Like earlier, he wrapped his arms around Kang, squeezing him tight enough to make him short of breath. Kang hugged him back, earning a relieved sigh. "Sit with him for a bit, while I make everyone tea." If his father or brother had something to say about that plan, her glare shut them up.
They stepped out of the room, the three of them leaving the door halfway closed so they could have some type of privacy, but still open so they could come at a moment's notice. Kang looked down at Squirt's head, gently cupping the back of it. "Do you want it to be quiet?" Squirt nodded. Silence it was.
"Go sit down on the bed for a bit." A pause. Squirt stiffened up, his breath hitching, and Kang was quick to smooth it over. "I won't leave. It'll be quick." His words lingered in the air, and just as Kang thought his kid wasn't going to move, he did. Squirt stepped away, his hands wrapping up in the hem of his shirt as he turned towards the bed.
Kang made sure to be quick. He picked up his pillow and phone, he had knocked both of them off the bed in his rush to make sure that the nightstand didn't fall onto his boy. His phone was alright and once he set that down, Kang turned on the bedside lamp in favor of turning off the overhead lights. The warm light of the lamp filled the room, giving it a more homely, comfortable feeling that would hopefully help the kid settle down some more. It seemed to have worked because although hesitantly, Squirt settled down on his side of the bed.
Kang passed the kid a clean shirt, and he took the hint, quickly peeling his sweaty shirt off and putting on the new one. He would have preferred if the kid washed up first, but with the way he had reacted earlier, that was going to have to be a thing for the morning.
Squirt fidgeted, his hands rolling the hem of the blanket as he took discrete glances towards the door, and Kang. Though the moment Kang was sitting next to him, Squirt was scooting closer, and Kang was the one who pulled him into his side. He let him get comfortable, and when Squirt did, he nearly melted into Kangs side, his head resting on Kang's shoulder.
He didn't say anything, all Kang did was comfort his boy, letting Squirt lean his head against Kang's shoulder for as long as he needed. Squirt let out a small sigh when he did so, the teenager rubbing his eye with the heel of his palm. He was still trembling against his side, so Kang knew that Squirt was nowhere near okay. He didn't say anything when he heard a small sniffle, and he didn't say anything when Squirt wiped his face again. He just waited.
Outside of the room, he could hear the gentle clinking of mugs and spoons, the low baritone of their voices as they talked. He couldn't hear what exactly they were saying, but Kang knew that it was probably about the kid and the nightmare that had made him scream like that.
Squirt hadn't moved an inch from his side. "Do you want some tea?" Squirt shook his head. "Do you just want to go back to sleep?" He shook his head again, which was fair. Kang didn't blame the kid for not wanting to go to sleep after something like that.
"Alright." Kang pulled away, sending a text that he would go with them after he got the kid settled to the family group chat. "Would a run help?" maybe getting some of that anxious energy out would help. Hopefully, it would help the kid reset and settle down. The kid had always used exercise to deal with his stress anyway.
He paused, picking up his head to look between the door, where their family was just on the other side, and Kang, trying to decide if he wanted to go or not, added, "They'll be fine." He squeezed the young man a bit tighter, "it was just a dream."
One hell of a dream, but a dream nonetheless.
The kid nodded, his hands scrubbing at his face, a soul-weary sigh escaping him. Kang knew that the kid was tired, he was tired of the nightmares, tired of waking up from them, and tired of the way his past left him. It wasn't a good time to try and convince the kid to talk about his nightmare, it would be better if he just went to sleep. He didn't seem to have the energy both physically and emotionally. "Let's just watch some show." Kang suggested, trying to hide his disappointment in himself.
He knew the kid wasn't going to let him in, and probably not for a long time, but it was still disappointing to know that the kid would rather struggle by himself than confide in Kang. Sometimes it felt like some type of flaw within himself as if there was some type of aspect to Kang that kept the kid from confiding in him, even though he knew that wasn't it. Squirt just needed time, and if not time, then at the very least, Kang needed to respect his decision. He couldn't do anything about it, and trying to force it out of him would just guarantee Squirt never doing it of his own accord.
Though, after a scare like that, Kang had no idea if anyone would be able to go to sleep. Even after years of serving in the military, Kang could feel the adrenaline lingering, urging him to stay awake and alert. Kang wouldn't be surprised if the kid was in the same state.
He turned on the TV, putting on a drama before he started to rearrange the pillows a bit more. Kang would just sit in bed and watch the TV for a bit, or at least until they fell asleep, however long that took.
The drama showed some typical drama, an old one that Kang had seen before when he was a child. At the same time, he smoothed over Squirt's hair, ignoring the way the sweaty strands stuck to his hand. He hoped that it would bring comfort to his boy just like it did when he was a child and his father had done the same. "It was a bad one this time huh?" it had to be. Most of the time the kid woke up from his nightmares silently, so quiet, it was usually up to chance that Kang even woke up in the first place to help the boy calm down afterward.
It had to be something about them, considering that the kid didn't calm down until he confirmed that everyone was okay. Just the fact that the kid was openly seeking comfort like that, hell just the fact that he had been crying, showed how much it had affected him.
Squirt nodded. Confirming that his nightmare had done a number on him. And he left it at that. Kang knew that the kid wasn't going to talk about his nightmare, not with the way it left him. It would be better for the kid if he just got some more rest.
It took some time, Kang had no doubt the adrenaline that had filled them was the culprit, but at last, he was settling down. Kang could feel it as the sleepier the kid got, the more he leaned into Kang. It was oddly childish of the teenager, but Kang wasn't going to question it. Him acting more childish was probably some psychology thing that only a professional would be able to give a definite explanation. He should probably tell Han-jae to pass him the number of his psychologist friend.
The door creaked open. His parents smiled at them from the doorway, though while his father made his way down the hall, to his own bedroom, his mother didn't. Ah-In stepped into the bedroom, quietly making her way to the bed.
Kang covered his boy's ear. "He just fell asleep." He kept his voice low, and thankfully, the kid didn't react to his voice. He really must have been exhausted for him to be in such a deep sleep so soon.
She nodded, and carefully, sat on the edge of the bed, sitting right next to Kangs hip. "He said the nightmare was about us." The low volume of her voice did nothing to hide the sorrow, "I can only imagine what he dreamed to scream like that." Kang agreed. After the life his kid had lived, Kang just knew that the nightmare had shown the four of them getting hurt at the very least.
Kang had more than a few dream like that, and he wished that his kid didn't have them at all, but such was life, all he could do was try to help. "I wish he trusted me enough to talk about it." Kang had those nightmares like that after his first tour, and like the kid, he had gone to make sure that each member of his family was safe. He knew what it was like having those dreams, and he knew how much it helped to talk about it with someone. He just wished the kid would actually talk to him, or anyone about it. "Sometimes it feels like I'm not getting anywhere with that. With the emotional aspect." He clarified when she raised her brow.
That made her snort. She had something of a wistful tone in her voice, "You think after so many years together, your children would trust you, would let you in. But you know how it is, it's hard talking about emotions." Kang agreed. Even he had struggled with admitting he needed help after his first tour, and even though Kang knew his parents would have supported him no matter what, it had been difficult. It had taken a near panic attack for him to confide in his parents.
Was it just as difficult for the kid to admit he needed help? Or was it something else?
Kang wished he knew the answer.
Gently, she smoothed over Squirt's hair, the bed creaking quietly as she leaned over Kang to place a kiss on his temple. Squirt didn't even twitch, and as soon as she was done with him, she was doing the same to Kang. "You're doing a great job." She said once she pulled back, pulling the blanket higher onto both of them. "You make him feel safe and as long as he feels safe," she smiled when she saw the way Squirt curled in closer next to Kang. "he'll let you in one day."
His throat tightened. Hearing his mother praise his efforts, and reassure him that he was doing a good job, threatened to make him weepy. "I hope he does." He hadn't realized just how much he needed reassurance that he was doing right by his boy. It felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders to hear that even though he was stumbling over himself trying to do the right thing, he had managed to find his way. "Thanks mom."
She smiled, taking the time to smooth over Kang's hair before she stood up, heading towards the door. "Go to sleep. We'll talk about this in the morning. Goodnight."
Kang settled into the bed, carefully shifting to avoid disturbing his boy. "Goodnight."
Thankfully, that time, there had been nothing to interrupt his sleep a second time. He was able to take his time in waking up, and eventually, despite the fact that it was just over six am, he could hear someone in the kitchen. Whatever, it was probably best if he got up as well.
After managing to extract himself from the bed, without waking up the teenager who had rolled over to his side at some point in the night, he made his way to the kitchen. "Mom?" Kang's eyes ached with the light, his eyes not yet adjusted to light so soon after waking up, "What are you doing?"
Ah-In looked up from the table, a somewhat bashful smile on her face. "I'm writing lunch notes." Lunch notes? Like the ones she would write for them when they were kids? The ones she would put into their lunch boxes?
He closed the door behind him, taking care that the doorknob quietly clicked into place. "Okay...why?" As far as he knew, none of them needed to pack lunch anywhere.
"What do you mean why?" She returned, looking up at him just long enough for Kang to see her confused look before she looked back down. "Your kid is going to go to school, right? We probably won't be here for that, so I'm writing these notes for him."
"Ah." Kang sat down at the table, reaching for one of the spare pens. That was a great idea. Kang remembered how much he loved it when his mom left him notes in his lunch box. In fact, Kang was rather sure that he still had some of them saved in a keepsake box somewhere. The kid would probably appreciate them at the very least, "pass me a notepad."
He tried to ignore her grin as she passed him a notepad. "Your boy is still sleeping?"
"Yeah."
"I figured."
"Yeah. He's tired."
"I'm sure."
They quickly lapsed into silence. The occasional sip of their coffee accompanied the sound of the pen going across the paper. The pile of notes in the center of the table only got bigger as time went on, and as the others woke up, it wasn't long until the pile of notes were composed of Ah-In's neat handwriting, and the near chicken scratch of Kang, Han-jae and Tae-hyung.
"This is probably enough for a few months." Tae-hyung chuckled as he gathered the notes into a neat stack, earning mumbled agreements. "How did everyone sleep?"
"Good. I didn't wake up after going to sleep."
"Same."
"And the kid?"
"Still asleep."
"That's good." The coffee pot went around the table again, most of them refilling their cups. "Oh yeah." Tae-hyung said suddenly, dragging the creamer over to him as he did so. "Your grandfather called last night."
That caught the brother's attention, and they perked up, Kang sitting up straighter. "Grandpa? Did he need something?" His grandfather, who was already up in his years, was not the type to make calls at night. The elder was usually asleep by nine at the latest and he had always made a point of not accepting or making any calls after seven.
For some reason, that question seemed to be enough to make his father slightly nervous. Tae-hyung sighed, his hand going up to scratch the back of his neck. "Well. If you remember, when the kid was in the hospital. I had to call in a few favors to get your paperwork expedited..." He trailed off, and he looked uncomfortable as he waited for the others to connect the dots.
Kang connected the dots immediately. "You called Grandpa for the favors." Kang said with a groan, at the same time as Han-jae. The brothers both ran their hands down their faces because that meant that they, or Kang at least, were going to owe the elder a favor.
It wasn't like their grandfather was a bad person...
But he definitely believed in fulfilling and calling in favors, and if his father had called in a major favor, one that somehow got Kang's guardianship paperwork approved by the government in the middle of the night. His grandpa was definitely going to have a request, one that Kang was going to have to listen to. Whatever the request was going to be, he had to listen to it. He had to, his grandfather had kept his boy out of the hands of the government after all.
Kang didn't let himself dwell on it. What's done was done, and although Kang would have preferred that he didn't owe a favor of that magnitude to his grandfather, it was too late.
Besides, it meant that he gained custody over his boy, and really. That was all that mattered to Kang. "What did he say?" it had to be something related to that favor and like Kang thought.
He was right.
His father shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure. He wants to meet with you for dinner next week."
"Me?" His grandfather wanted to meet with him?
Tae-hyung nodded. "Along with me and your mom."
Why?
What was the reasoning behind it? Was it because the kid had been the reason for the favor? Or did he want to know what had incited Kang kicking his cousin in the stomach?
They turned when they heard the sound of bare feet against the floor, and oddly enough, they were met with the sight of the squirt, with a blanket wrapped around him, walking towards them. "Kid?" Kang called out, which did not get much of a reaction.
Squirt stared blankly at them for a few seconds, seemingly trying to comprehend who he was looking at through the exhaustion. "Is everything okay?" That was his mom, and it was a very valid question, he didn't seem to be very alert at the moment.
The kid hummed, yawning widely as he made his way to the couch, plopping himself onto it. He curled into a small ball, almost disappearing under the blanket he had wrapped around himself.
They stared at the lump for a few seconds. If that wasn't odd, Kang didn't know what was.
The chair scraped against the floor as Han-jae confirmed that their teenager was asleep by getting up to pull the blanket back, "Alright," He put the blanket back in place, walking over to them soon after. "I guess he didn't want to be by himself." adorable, but they had bigger problems at the moment. The bigger problem was that their grandfather wanted to meet with him and his parents. Specifically him, not Han-jae.
"I know, I don't know why either." Tae-hyung heaved out, idly swirling the coffee in his cup, "But your grandfather won't do anything bad. You know him."
"That doesn't make it any less weird." And it really didn't. They knew their grandfather wouldn't do anything cruel, he wasn't like that, he was nice in his own way, but it was still odd.
At the same time, Kang didn't want to leave the kid at home. Not with what happened last time.
Kang heaved out a sigh, "Fine. I'll talk to the kid." They didn't have much of a choice if his grandfather wanted it. He had no idea how his grandfather managed to get the government itself to expedite his paperwork, but he did, and all that meant was Kang owed him a favor and then some...
"Pass me the coffee." He was going to need it. Until then, he was going to sit on the sofa with his boy and enjoy the rest of the morning.
Thankfully, despite his height, the kid had curled up into a ball small enough that Kang could sit by his head. He carefully lowered himself onto the couch, wincing at the way the kid stirred, blearily lifting his head. "It's me." Kang soothed, smoothing over his hair. Like he figured, the boy quickly went back to sleep.
Granted, it was a bit surprising when Squirt moved his head to rest on Kang's thigh, but he stayed still until the kid got comfortable again.
Slowly, he looked at the others at the table, almost unsure of what to do. He hadn't expected the kid to put his head onto his lap like that, he just thought the kid would take comfort in his presence before going back to sleep.
A pointed look from his mother told him to get over himself.
He looked back down. The teenager was curled up on his side and with the way his blanket was piled on top of him, Kang could only guess what lump was human and what was blanket.
With some hesitation, Kang ended up resting his arm on the kid's shoulder, his hand smoothing over the messy gray hair. It seemed to be a day of firsts because just like the previous night had been the first time the kid openly sought affection like that, it was the first time they were sitting like that. It showed that they had developed a new level of trust between them, something that Kang was struggling to contain his joy about.
Carefully, Kang started to run his hand through the boy's hair, slowly and gently as he tried to make sure that it would be soothing and relaxing. Squirt stirred a bit, a confused noise escaping him through his drowsiness, but he didn't tell Kang to stop. The little tension that had been present melted away, and whether he did it consciously or not, Squirt was leaning into his touch.
Kang couldn't help but smile. Squirt truly trusted him, enough to put himself in that position and fall asleep like that, and it made him happy to know he had gained that level of trust.
Quietly, Kang started to hum, humming like his mother would do to him when he was a child. His voice rose and fell in intonations, his fingers threading through the boy's hair. He didn't get much of a reaction with the humming, and Kang didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad sign.
Curious, Kang stopped moving his hand, and leaned forward to check that his boy was still asleep.
Squirt made a small noise, his head turning into Kang's hand as if he was upset that Kang had stopped. Kang was quick to start moving his hand again, soothing the boy once more, he almost chuckled when he saw the way Squirt settled down. Kang knew that his boy was asleep, that much was evident by his slow and steady breathing, but it was endearing to see the kid seek affection like that, even if he wasn't awake.
"I've never seen him do that before." Kang nearly snorted.
"This is the first time he's done this," Tae-hyung walked into the living room, a mug in his hands. His father just hummed, reaching down to tug the blanket over a foot that stuck out after the squirt shifted a bit, a fond smile spreading across his face when he saw the way Squirt almost snuggled into the blanket.
Tae-hyung chuckled. "Well, we better be quiet then." As if they weren't being quiet already. They had started being quiet since the kid walked in and plopped himself onto the sofa.
The conversation fell away. It wasn't long until his mother and brother were streaming into the kitchen, a rare soft moment where they were able to enjoy a quiet morning together as a family.
Just as Han-jae handed Kang his cup, one that he had refilled so generously, his brother reached down to pull Squirt's blanket higher afterward, Kang's phone started to vibrate with an incoming call.
Almost instantly, Kang was annoyed because who in their right mind would call anyone before eight in the morning?
Kang, who had been so ready to jab at the decline button, had his heart leap into his throat when he realized that it was a local number calling him, even more so when he recognized the number. Of course he did, he still remembered the way his stomach ached when he had been dialing it into his phone.
He answered without thinking. The sound started to wake up his kid, and Kang almost regretted answering. "Hello?" Squirt settled once Kang lowered his voice, and his hand continued to thread through the boy's hair.
"Hi." The voice was gruff, having the distinct bass and worn tone of an older man. "I'm looking for Hamchan Kang in regard to the voicemail that he left a few days ago." Kang's mouth became impossibly dry.
It was the elementary school he had called, the same one they had connected the squirt with. "That's me." He nearly choked out, earning curious looks from his family. Kang took the time to mouth at Han-jae that it was the school and left it up to Han-jae to explain to their parents.
A sigh. "Pleasure. You said you wanted to ask me about a former student?" Kang almost wanted to hang up, but he already had the principal on the line, so he might as well try.
He nodded as if the principal could see it. "Yes." He said when he remembered that he couldn't. "I wanted to know if there were any students of yours that died about seven years ago." Maybe he should have asked if the man had even been the principal seven years ago. That would have been a good first step in the conversation.
It didn't matter. Principal Kwon made a confused noise. "In our care?"
"No. not while at school." Han-jae must have finished explaining everything to their parents because they started to lean forward in their seats, their coffee and phones deserted on the table as they started to listen in.
"I see..." Principal Kwong trailed off, a pondering tone in his voice. "Seven years ago...why are you asking?" His family were watching him eagerly, no doubt straining their ears to try and listen in.
Most of the time, Kang would have put the call on speaker so everyone could hear.
That time. He didn't.
"I'm a guardian for a teenager who was displaced from his family in an accident overseas and the authorities assumed he had died. I'm trying to track down his family, and he mentioned your school. I think he may have been a student of yours. He was about eight or nine when he was displaced." His heart was beating in his throat at that point. He was just about to find out who his kid was.
"Alright. I think I can help. Please hold on for a moment." There was a click as Kang was put on hold.
At the same time, Squirt stirred, his hand going up to rub at his eyes, "Kang?" he muttered out, his voice was rough, laden with sleep, rolling onto his back as he did so.
"Go back to sleep." Kang whispered to him and thankfully, the kid listened. Turning onto his side, Squirt nearly buried his face into Kang's stomach, quickly falling back asleep soon after. Kang had to admit that he was surprised yet again. Squirt had rarely sought affection, but that had to be the first time Squirt had been so cuddly so openly. Sure, they shared a bed, but Squirt had always stayed on his side of the bed, and never had he wanted prolonged contact like that. At least, not until the prior night.
He didn't even think about it.
Maybe he should have, maybe he should have had second thoughts about what he was doing, but for some reason, he didn't. It was wrong. What he was going to do was wrong, and he knew that. But at the same time, Kang didn't care, he didn't care to think about any possible consequences of his actions. He just did it.
He was still on hold. "I understand." What he understood, Kang didn't know. He wasn't talking to anyone; Principal Kwon hadn't taken him off hold. "Thank you for checking anyway." He was talking to no one. Kang made sure to avoid looking over at his family as he spoke to no one. "Thank you again." Kang ended the call and put his phone on mute before he set it down. He made sure to put his phone off to the side where no one would notice if he got another phone call.
"He couldn't help?" Han-jae asked, an almost relieved tone in his voice.
Kang picked up his cup, his hand cradling the back of Squirt's head he started to massage the boy's scalp once more. "No. They didn't have anyone like him in his records." He was lying through his teeth, yet somehow, he was not nervous.
He was lying to his family, the ones who could always tell when he was lying, but somehow, he was able to keep a straight face, he was able to stay calm. Calmer than he ever had before.
Squirt made a noise that almost sounded disgruntled, the boy curling into a tighter ball, his forehead pressing into Kang's stomach. Kang lowered his voice. "Are we too loud?" the teenager nodded, yawning into Kangs side in a way that reminded Kang so much of a child just trying to get some sleep.
Well, he was just sixteen. Compared to his nearly thirty years, and his parent's near sixty years of life, the squirt was still a little boy. He was still very much a child.
Kang moved his hand to cover Squirt's ear, earning a sigh as he kept his voice low. "It was a dead end. They didn't have him as a student." As far as Kang knew. He never truly confirmed if they had the kid there as a student or not. He also wasn't going to try and find out.
There was a moment of silence before his mother broke it. "Is it bad that I'm relieved?" Ah-In asked nervously, a chuckle slipping past her lips. "I already consider him to be part of our family." Tae-hyung snorted, and so did Han-jae.
But none of them said it was bad. If anything, they were nodding in agreement, none of them insisting that Kang had to keep on looking. They were all on the same page.
"Are you going to keep on looking?" Tae-hyung asked, and Kang knew his father well enough to hear the distinct 'I hope not' in his voice.
Kang shook his head. "No. I've looked long enough." It had been nearly two years by that point. Kang had tracked down almost every trail and had dedicated hours upon hours to trying to find the kids' family. He had tried long enough and no one, him included, would ever know if the principal would have been a viable lead either way.
Smiles went around the room, his father hiding behind his mug as he took a sip of coffee.
Han-jae stood up, moving closer to the two of them. "Are you going to tell him?" his eyes were focused on Squirt, who still had his head buried in Kang's shirt.
That was a good question. "Should I? I want it to be a surprise when I show him, you know." Kang lowered his voice further as if they hadn't been whispering already. "The papers." He said vaguely.
"Do you know if he wants to find his family?" Ah. That was a good question.
There was a difference between letting Squirt stay with them and forcing him to. Stopping the search when the kid wanted to be with his biological family would be forcing Squirt to stay with them. That wasn't something Kang wanted to do, he still wanted to give the boy a choice.
Han-jae answered the question for him. "Actually," Han-jae said as he pulled away the blanket, Kang smiled at the sight, he didn't notice, but the kid had grabbed the hem of his shirt, the fabric in a loose grip in his fist as he slept. "I think he already found his family." Kang nearly snorted, that was an understatement.
The Squirt had long stopped asking about his family after all.
Squirt curled into a tighter ball, leaning more into Kang more to leech off his body heat. "Let him sleep." Kang pulled the blanket back over Squirt, covering the teenager and he felt Squirt relax once more. He was already home and that was all that mattered.