At that moment, he felt out of place. Not that it wasn't that hard for Ijin to feel out of place. Adjusting to the city and civilian life was difficult at times, especially when he was surrounded by kids his age, laughing and acting what was expected of a sixteen-year-old. They were different from him on the most basic of levels, they hadn't grown up as a soldier, and he did and that was more than enough to make Ijin feel like an outsider.
But right then and there, standing in front of a gym full of grown men running drills and sparring, Ijin felt strangely at ease.
It was an odd feeling because he wasn't reminded of the camp, not at all, because in the Camp, there would have been at least five people puking their guts out because of the drills.
He also wasn't reminded of the military base, because while the training seemed to have a rigid structure to it, it wasn't as strict as the military or the camp. Instead of having multiple drill instructors watching over the men with a critical eye, it was just a single man standing at the front of the room.
Ijin couldn't quite put it into words, but he felt at ease watching the men work out like that, and deep down inside, there was a part of him that was itching to join them.
When was the last time he had run drills like that? Three, four months? At the very least?
Was he still as fast as he remembered, or had he gotten rusty from the lack of drill in the past few months? If he was, how long would it take him to get back to his original baseline? One, or two weeks? A month?
Would they let him join?
A hand nudged against his side. "This way." Kang said, motioning for Ijin to follow him and the man, Mr. Park as he had introduced himself, further into the building, away from the training area. "Interested in the training?" Kang asked once Ijin caught up, once they were further into the building and as the sounds of the men training slowly faded away.
He nodded. "It's been a while since I've trained like that."
An interested noise came from Mr. Park. "Oh. You used to do training like that?" Ijin didn't know how to take his tone, but it sounded like the man was a mix of surprised, and also doubtful. His eyes raked over Ijin's form, no doubt taking note of Ijin's small and almost unassuming stature.
Ijin stared back, and that seemed to take Mr. Park out of his staring mode, especially when Kang gave a small laugh. "Yeah. Believe it or not, he would keep up with me and my men when we did our training drills. To be young again." he said when Mr. Park gave him a confused look, and Ijin wondered what was confusing. That Ijin used to run drills like that, or that he was able to keep up with soldiers.
Either way, Mr. Park continued. "I see. Do you know how to fight?" Ijin nodded. He knew how to fight, rather well at that, but there was no need to say that. Mr. Park gained a thoughtful look at that. "I don't know if you noticed him, but there's a kid here about your age. Seokju." He led them through another door that required a keycard, and Ijin had to split his attention between what Mr. Park was saying, and their surroundings. Everything looked modern, professional, and devoid of warmth. Nothing he wasn't used to, but Ijin greatly preferred the homely feeling of the Kang home. "Seeing that you're going to be spending more time here, it wouldn't hurt if the two of you get acquainted."
He was going to be spending more time there?
What was that supposed to mean?
Kang smiled nervously at his questioning look, and the clearing of his throat got Mr. Park's attention. "I-uh. Haven't told him." Mr. Park's eyebrows went up, and his eyes were wide as he flicked his eyes between Kang and Ijin.
"Oh." He said, at last looking uncomfortable. He averted his eyes and bowed his head forward. "My apologies. I was under the impression that you had."
Ijin hoped that his eyes were boring holes into the side of Kang's face, especially with the way Kang was refusing to meet his gaze or to look at him overall. "That's why I brought him today. I figured it would be better if they met...Stop staring at me like that, would you? I'll explain right now..." Kang mumbled out, continuing to avert his eyes as they stood right outside of a door, a door that Mr. Park had slipped behind.
Ijin tried to ignore the two bodyguards that stood on either side of the door as he tried to get some answers. "What is he talking about?" because what hadn't Kang told him? What did it have to do with Ijin's future in that building, where he would apparently be spending more time?
What hadn't Kang told him?
Kang almost withered under his expecting gaze, but after clearing his throat, and picking up his chin, he got to it. "Well," He started slowly. "Do you remember that night where me, Mom and Dad left for a dinner?" Of course, Ijin did, because although Ijin was relieved that he was able to stay home, he had also found it odd that Han-jae hadn't tagged along. But he also hadn't questioned it much at the time.
That earned him a nod, "Right. Well. Um." They could hear footsteps coming from behind the door, and the door opened just as Kang spat out the explanation, just as a woman in form-fitting business apparel revealed herself.
Ijin paid little to no attention to her, only looking at her long enough to take note of her appearance and existence before he turned his attention back to Kang. A nervous smile had appeared on his face, in fact, his nervous energy increased tenfold, even more so when Kang motioned to the woman, "This is my fiancée. Jiyeh. Jiyeh," Kang continued as if he hadn't just introduced a complete and utter stranger as his fiancée.
When did Kang even get a fiancée? Did he always have one? Ijin felt like he would have remembered if Kang told him that he had a fiancée, Ijin didn't know much about social norms, but surely Ijin would have met her far earlier.
Kang didn't notice his confusion. "This is Jangsu." He finished, still looking nervous as his apparent fiancée smiled pleasantly at him, giving him a small bow, one that Ijin had to be elbowed into returning.
"Nice to meet you. I hope we can get along."
It took another elbow for Ijin to remember that staring wasn't polite, and even though Ijin wouldn't have cared usually, he did. Considering that he was meeting Kang's fiancée, the one he hadn't heard a single thing about. "Likewise." The word felt flat in his mouth, and Ijin couldn't find it in himself to care much. All he did was turn his gaze to Kang, waiting for an explanation because at the very least, Ijin wanted to know why Kang never told him about his engagement.
They had known each other for almost two years, almost two entire years. And yet, that was the first Ijin was hearing of a fiancée. A fiancée of all things.
The amused hum from Jiyeh didn't make it better. Ijin didn't appreciate the way she seemed to be taking joy from their discomfort. Or at least, his surprise and Kang's discomfort. "Mr. Park, can you bring us some coffee, please? I think we're going to need it." that earned her an affirmative from the man, but it most definitely didn't spare Kang from his staring.
Speaking of Kang, the soldier was scratching his cheek with his index finger, a habit of his when he was nervous. "C'mon, kid. I'll explain everything right now." And whether Ijin liked it or not, if he wanted to get answers, he had to listen to the beckoning motioning that Kang was doing and follow him. He followed the adults into the office and perched himself on the edge of the seat that was offered to him. Kang sat next to him, and Jiyeh was sitting across from the two of them, her leg crossed as her elevated foot bounced to some slow beat.
"If it makes it any better. We haven't been engaged for long. We met two weeks ago, and just confirmed the engagement just last week." Jiyeh said plainly, leaning back in her chair as if they were talking about a casual conversation. Ijin supposed that it made it a tad bit better, however he was still upset that he hadn't heard about it prior to being taken to the building.
Kang was relieved that his fiancée had taken the lead like that. His shoulders relaxed some, and he took a grounding breath before he faced Ijin again. "Yes. This wasn't a secret that I was keeping from you, and I never planned to. Which is why I arranged this meeting." He said in one breath, it sounded like he had run out of air towards the end. "The dinner I went to with my parents?" Ijin nodded his head, showing that he was following Kangs train of thought. "Yeah. Well-the reason we went to that dinner was because my grandfather wanted to have a talk with me about a few things..." Kang trailed off, his face pinching as his eyes roamed the room. As if he was contemplating adding onto the details but decided against it at the last second. "It's something that's common with families like ours," he said instead, vaguely referring to something that Ijin didn't quite grasp. "Heirs will marry heirs to give their families more power and well." He motioned between himself and his new fiancée, "We're getting married to do that."
Oh.
Oddly enough, it wasn't until then that it finally clicked that a fiancée meant that Kang was going to get married. He was going to marry Jiyeh, in an arranged marriage that would grant more power to their respective families. Ijin didn't know a lot about normal lives, but from what he had seen on the missions the Camp sent him on, he knew that people did not like partners with baggage.
He was considered baggage. A rather undesirable one at that. Ijin didn't know how the Korean customs worked, but outside children were always burdens upon marriages, especially when it came to money.
His chest seized at the intrusive thought of Kang pushing him off to the side in favor of Jiyeh, and while Ijin would have loved to think that he was being irrational, he knew he wasn't.
Kang was sitting straight up, a habit instilled from the military, but he straightened up some more whenever he spoke to Jiyeh, an uncertainty appearing in his voice that Ijin could only chalk up to nerves and anxiety. Kang was damn near head over heels for Jiyeh.
Likewise, he could see that Jiyeh held at least some fondness, her eyes softening some when she saw the way she made Kang fluster.
They had a fondness towards each other, and Ijin didn't dare to wonder who Kang was more inclined towards, himself, a kid he found in the Middle East, or the woman he was set to marry.
He batted the thoughts out of his head. He needed to stop thinking like that. Ijin needed to put more trust in Kang because, despite the contrarian thoughts in his head, he should have trusted Kang to not disregard him like that. It was Kang, he trusted Kang, and he trusted Kang to not just abandon him like that.
He just hoped that Kang wouldn't send him away completely, that he would be allowed to stay a part of the Kang family in some way. The thought of being forced from all of them, from Kang, threatened to make him fall apart more than Ijin liked to admit.
Ijin kept his emotions at bay, and after taking a grounding breath, nodded his head. "I understand." He more than understood. "Am I going to stay with Han-jae then?"
All of Kang's nervousness had been replaced with confusion. "What?" he asked with furrowed brows, completely taken aback by Ijin's question.
The room fell silent, and the only sound that broke the silence was Mr. Park returning with the beverages, the cups clinking quietly as he set them on the table. "Why would you go with Han-jae?"
His stomach dipped some, and his heart started to beat faster. Not Han-jae. That was fine. "Your parents then?"
It only got worse.
His voice dropped further. "Why would you go with my parents?" his throat started to tighten, and his hands threatened to turn into fists as he tried to contain himself.
Not Han-jae, and not Kang's parents, or Kang himself...
He could hear the blood rushing in his ears, his heart thudding against his chest because he wasn't going to stay with any of the Kang family. Not Kang. Not Han-jae. Not his-
Jiyeh cleared her throat. "Hamchan was very firm that you were his ward and very adamant that you two were a packaged deal." She had a smile on her face, though it was one that Ijin wouldn't exactly call pitying or kind. Still, she continued. "He also told me that the reason he picked me was because I was one of the few women who would be okay with their fiancée already having a kid."
It seemed to click for Kang, and his confusion quickly turned into horror. "Oh god-! No, you will be staying with me-us," He added after a moment, "No. No. It's nothing like that Squirt. You're stuck with me-unless you don't want to-"
"I want to stay with you."
"Good! Good! Because you're not going anywhere!" his voice ended on a higher pitch and an awkward silence filled the room. One that Jiyeh seemed to take joy from.
"Energetic," Jiyeh said with the same smile, only that time, it was hidden behind her cup as she took a sip from it. "Isn't he?" Yet, her tone showed her fondness, or perhaps it was amusement at the way Kang flushed, muttering under his breath about how it wasn't that funny.
The silence that came around that time was more comfortable, and less tense after Ijin found out that they weren't going to cast him out, and that they were instead willing to accept him into their next stage in life.
Really, that was all Ijin could have asked for. He didn't care if Jiyeh was a bad person, he had dealt with bad people before, and all he cared about was Kang's happiness, and his ability to stay with Kang. That was all he cared about.
His voice was loud in the silent room.
"Thank you."
All he got was an acknowledging hum from the woman.
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They met a few more times after that.
Well, more like Ijin had tagged along with Kang whenever he was meeting up with Jiyeh. They still had to get to know each other as a couple after all, and then on top of that, Ijin and Jiyeh had to get to know each other as well, considering that she was going to be Kang's wife someday.
Jiyeh was nice. Ijin didn't trust her. He wouldn't trust her for a long time. But that was normal. Ijin didn't trust a lot of people, and Kang knew that Ijin wouldn't trust her for a long time, so other than the little meetings, Kang didn't force their meshing too much.
Considering the meetings, and the way Ijin gave them some privacy to talk after their conversation died down, it wasn't surprising that it was on the third visit to Jiyeh for Ijin to spot the teenager that Mr. Park had mentioned. Seokju if Ijin remembered correctly.
It hadn't been hard, Seokju looked to be a bit smaller than him, and considering that he was surrounded by full-grown men, all of whom were taller than both him and Seokju, it was easy to pick him out.
Perhaps that was why it had always been easy to pick him out among the numbered.
As the second youngest, Ijin definitely wasn't the tallest, and considering that everyone else was in their 20s, with the exception of 032, it was no wonder Mad Dog could pick him out easily. Or maybe it was because of his hair because it wasn't like his hair had been a normal color that would blend in with the others.
Either way, it had been easy to spot him, and it had been easy for Seokju to spot him. He must have been trained well considering that he had sensed Ijin looking at him and had spotted Ijin by the doorway within the same minute.
Ijin didn't stop staring, and the only reason Seokju stopped looking was because the drill started again, and he had to give his attention back to training.
Deciding that the training had nothing else of note, he walked away from the gym. Although that was only his third time being there at the S.W. building, Ijin had formed something of a habit of wandering around the public areas.
Granted, all it had done was reaffirm the fact that Kang's fiancée had Money, but it kept him moving, it gave him something to do.
Word must have gotten around on who he was, or at least why he was there, because no one stopped him from wandering around, and by that point, he was starting to see familiar faces. Just a few, mostly bodyguards that Ijin saw on rotation while they were guarding Kang's fiancée, but he recognized them.
Granted, Ijin wasn't saying that he knew everyone in the building. He just knew the common demographic. Adults in business formal clothes, that was the most common demographic.
Which was why Ijin noticed the girl in a school uniform lingering from a distance.
It hadn't been hard, considering how terrible she was at being discreet. Ijin made eye contact with her from down the hallway, still managing to get a decent look at her before she hid behind the corner she had picked as her safe place.
Just like Jiyeh, she had blue eyes, black hair, and facial features that suggested a genetic connection between herself, and Jiyeh. Family probably. She looked to be around Ijin's age.
For a brief second, Ijin had half a mind to just move on with his life. It would be easy for Ijin to lose his tail, really easy considering how bad she was at following someone.
But, at the same time, considering how similar she looked to Jiyeh, the woman who was due to marry his guardian, it looked like they were going to be some kind of family soon.
Not to mention, Ijin didn't fancy the idea of being followed by the girl every time he tagged along with Kang for his visits.
He decided to get it over with.
She made a noise of surprise when Ijin walked to the corner she had hidden behind, though it didn't take long for a smile to appear on her face. "Hi." She straightened up, squaring her shoulders as she faced Ijin properly. She had a surprising amount of confidence considering that Ijin caught her watching from a distance. "I haven't seen you around." She said in some type of explanation.
Ijin didn't offer anything up and instead, stared at her, waiting for her to give up more information. Silence was a better tactic when more information was needed.
She picked up on his energy. "I'm Yeona Shin." A polite bow accompanied her introduction. That was the same last name as Jiyeh, so they were related. He wondered how that was going to make the two of them related.
"Jangsu Yu." Kang had influenced Ijin more than he realized, considering that he had returned the greeting almost without thinking. Ijin briefly wondered if there would ever be a point in time where he would be able to introduce himself as Ijin and not as Jangsu.
Yeona took his introduction in stride, seemingly taking it as a sign to continue the conversation. "Yu? Is your mom Mrs. Yu from the front desk?" her hair swung with her head motions, swinging to the side as she tilted her head to the side.
Definitely not, considering last he heard, his mother was dead. "No." He paused, briefly wondering if he should reveal that he was there with Kang. "Are you related to Ms. Jiyeh?" he asked instead, taking her aback.
She blinked in surprise, and some of that initial confidence had been replaced with wariness. "Yeah? She's my aunt." So he was right. Well, considering Kang was getting married to Jiyeh, her aunt, there was no need to play coy. Ijin was going to have to get to know her like he did Jiyeh. Kang would probably make sure of that as well.
"My guardian is going to marry your aunt."
Her mouth made an "oh" shape. Then it turned into the distinct shape of a frown in disappointment. "Wait. Really?" Kind greetings. She didn't look too happy to find out that Kang was getting married to her aunt. Whatever. Ijin didn't need her to jump for joy with that information, they were going to be stuck with each other either way.
She had something of a pout, and when a "Yeona?" drew their attention to the approaching person, Seokju, her pout remained. He was shorter than Ijin thought, a couple of inches shorter than he and Yeona.
"Seokju!" She dragged out, the pout still on her face as Seokju approached them, "his dad is the one marrying Jiyeh!"
And unlike Yeona's disappointed reaction, Seokju actually looked pleasantly surprised. "Oh really?" Seokju's demeanor changed from a wary one to one that was a bit more welcoming. "I'm Seokju Koh. Nice to meet you."
Ijin reintroduced himself to him, and he just watched as they went back and forth, occasionally answering a few questions.
"So, you're the one Yeongho told us about. Is that why we've seen you around lately?" Ijin filed the name away for later. Yeongho. That must be someone else on the shin side of the family.
"Kang wants to get to know Ms. Jiyeh. I've been coming along so I can get to know her too." They nodded their heads in understanding. Seokju looked approving of his words as if he also thought that it was a good idea for Ijin and Jiyeh to become acquainted with each other. Meanwhile, Yeona looked apprehensive.
"And she...doesn't mind?"
An eyebrow joined his words. "Mind what?"
Her mouth opened and closed. The girl was floundering as she tried to spit out whatever was on her mind. Waffling back and forth before she at last said, "That your dad has you." her bodyguard seemed to choke on air.
Seokju was quick to intervene, "Yeona. She wouldn't have said yes if she cared."
"True." And just like that, they were moving on from the topic. They kept on talking and asking questions. Ijin answered a few of them, telling them that he moved to Korea not too long ago, and was in the process of going to a study school so he could start applying for high schools. They didn't get to ask about much else beyond simple introductions.
Yeona and Seokju went to the same school, Seokju was her bodyguard and had been since they were younger. And that Yeona was upset that Ijin was going to be something to her aunt, for some odd reason. Ijin didn't understand why she was pouting over that fact, but he also wasn't going to worry about it too much. She seemed to be nice.
He perked up at the voice. "There you are bud." Was it rude? Probably. But without a second thought, Ijin went over to Kang when he heard his voice, Kang ruffling his hair once he was close enough. "Went exploring?" Mr. Park was nearby, and he went up to the pair to talk with them.
He hummed, ignoring the idle chatter behind him. "I met Ms. Jiyeh's niece and her bodyguard." His eyebrows shot up for a moment before he spotted Yeona and Seokju, Yeona waving when he did. "Oh. Hi. You must be Yeona and Seokju. Hamchan Kang." A crease briefly appeared between their eyebrows before they smoothed out their expression.
As the others did, they frowned at the difference in their last names, but they also decided not to comment on it. "Pleasure." They both said, both of them adding a small bow with it.
Kang turned to Mr. Park. "We're going to head out. Thanks for helping me find him." Mr. Park nodded as Kang once again swiveled his head to Ijin. "Make sure you turn on the ringer for your phone. I called you when I saw that you weren't in the training area." Oops.
He patted himself down for his phone, giving Kang a bashful look as he turned the ringer back on. That earned him another chuckle from Kang, and with that, they made their way out of the building and walked home in a comfortable silence.
"So," Kang said halfway through the journey, breaking the silence and adding to the noise of the city. "What do you think about them? Seokju and Yeona." He added when he saw Ijins blank look, an expectant look on his face.
Ijin mulled over it briefly. They didn't seem like bad people. Seokju did seem a bit uptight, but as a bodyguard, that was normal.
"They seem nice."
He perked up. "That's good." and really, Kang was truly relieved that Ijin had said that about the pair. "You and Yeona are going to be cousins, or is it step-cousins? Either way, the two of you are going to be seeing each other more once we get married." He paused. Ijin recognized that pause. Maybe-" He knew it.
"You want me to be friends with them."
Kang wanted him to be friends with everyone but criminals at that rate. Ijin should have expected Kang to make that suggestion ages ago.
They kept on walking, and although the sound of the cars driving by, and the pedestrians talking nearly took over the silence, it still didn't cover up Kangs lack of answer.
At last, Ijin looked over at Kang, and his face fell into a neutral expression when he saw Kangs bashful look. Ijin could hear the "I'm not saying you have to be friends with them! I just think you should try!" Almost vividly. Anymore, and Ijin would think he was experiencing an auditory hallucination.
He huffed to himself. "Fine." He ignored the way Kang's cheery grin made him smile.
Kang went over the list in his head, there was quite a bit to do between Sunny's upcoming arrival to Korea along getting his boy registered to take the high school entrance exams, he had to figure out how he was going to surprise the kid with Sunny. Then after the entrance exams, they were going to have to go shopping again for school uniforms and maybe an updated wardrobe. Kang wouldn't be surprised if the kid had managed to grow a bit more since the three months they had gotten there.
It was a good thing that the wedding wasn't going to happen for at least another year. So that gave him plenty of time to figure everything out.
Maybe he should bring Sunny before he started high school so the kid's mood would perk up with the arrival of his loyal companion. Then again,
Yeah, he would probably do that.
Squirt caught his eye because of the motion, and he gave the young man his full attention. The kid had popped his head around the corner, the rest of his body hidden behind the wall. "Kang." He had a serious tone and his expression matched his voice. It wasn't like the casual tone the kid used when it was a menial matter, like needing to run an errand or asking where something was.
No, it sounded like it was something serious, and Kang found himself sitting up straighter in his chair. What was wrong? Did he do something at school that got him in trouble? God Kang hoped he didn't do anything too bad.
He had a feeling that it was going to be something bad. He wouldn't have used that tone if it was something menial. "Yeah? What's wrong?" Did something bad happen? Or did the kid just have that look on his face as a default emotion, Squirt did have something of a resting bitch face, and a strong one at that.
There was a moment, and the anxiety in his chest swelled as another one passed before the kid finally said, "I need to get better at games so the others can stop making fun of me." Oh.
Oh, he felt like a dork for anticipating the worst.
The sigh he let out made all of the tension leave his frame. Man, Squirt made it seem like something had happened, not something as simple as him needing to get better at playing video games so his friends could stop making fun of him. He was expecting another medical problem at the very least, or maybe another situation where the kid got into a fight at the study school again.
Kang blinked in surprise. Wait.
His friends?
He looked up, "The others? You're playing games with other students?"
The squirt nodded, coming out from behind the wall to sit down at the table with Kang. He was dressed and ready to go to study school, which was the only place where the kid could have made friends. It wasn't like Squirt could have made it anywhere else, other than them going out for errands and their jogs, he didn't leave the house for the most part. It definitely wasn't Seokju and Yeona either, considering that the kid had only met them once so far. "They invited me to play games with them the other day. Hyeokjin's younger brother made fun of me for dying so often." Kang had to remind himself to close his mouth. Good lord.
The kid made friends. Friends. And it didn't even sound like the kid had befriended another adult. No, it sounded like he had actually become friends with kids who are his age.
Kang was damn near over the moon because the squirt, the same kid who had insisted that he didn't need any friends, had actually managed to make some friends. And friends that he gamed with, nonetheless. It was the pinnacle of normalcy for ordinary kids, but for his kid who grew up as a soldier, it was a damn near milestone.
Grabbing the chair leg, he physically pulled the young man's chair closer to him, too excited to really care about the way his boy wobbled precariously after his chair was moved like that. "That's the kid you helped out right? Is that who you're hanging out with? Him and his brother and that redhead? Are those their names?" It had been a while since Kang had seen those students, and he couldn't remember their names that well. The squirt's face started to turn colors, a faint red tint appearing on his cheeks, though Kang didn't stop. "Do you hang out often with them? Is that why you asked to stay out later last time?" Oh, wait didn't that mean that he was going to need some cash for the pc cafés? It probably did, Kang should get him a wallet, and maybe a debit card for him to use. Even though Squirt probably wouldn't use it, it would be better if he had it. Just in case he needed to buy something. "Hang on, let me give you some cash for the pc café." That would do for the time being.
Squirt had only turned redder through Kang's rambling, but when Kang started to take out his wallet, more than ready to give the boy some cash for the outing with his friends, he finally spoke. "Wait, no it's fine." He choked out, reaching forward to push Kang's hands down to try and reject the money. "Your parents gave me some money already. I don't need more."
He almost pouted hearing that. "Why do my parents get to give you money but not me?" That was just plain unfair, Kang had always offered to give the boy some cash, which had always been refused, but he accepted money from his parents?
The flush had only deepened, the squirt averting his eyes. "Ah-In said that it would hurt her feelings if I said no..."
He pounced on the opportunity. Kang did not and would not have any shame about it. "Well, it hurts my feelings when you say no." If it meant the kid would carry cash on hand, he would guilt trip his boy into taking it.
The squirt faltered, his eyes flicking up to Kang before he lost the argument to himself. With the blush still prevalent, he held out his hand, at last willing to accept the money. "You're exactly like your mom..."
"Thank you." He was going to take that as a compliment because his mom was the best. He placed the cash into the boys' hands, a few thousand won just in case the boy needed enough money to get home from almost any place in the city. Since he had finally gotten the kid to take the money, he was looping back to the topic that started the conversation. "So, what was that about needing to practice video games? You've been playing games with them?" The flush started to fade as the boy pocketed the money, putting it into the wallet that his father had gifted him.
He nodded, quietly clearing his throat as he started to explain why he said he needed to get better at games. "Hyeokjung makes fun of me for being the first one to die. Even though I barely learned how to play a few days ago." Oh, so the kid going to play with the other students wasn't a one-time thing?
He had to keep the glee off his face. If he kept on making a big deal over it, then the kid would just stop telling him and updating him about his friends, he had to play it cool. Play it cool.
He struggled to keep his words from getting out in one, frantic sentence. "Do you want to practice together?" it didn't work much. Smooth. Just as smooth as sandpaper, it was just another reminder of how shit he was at lying. He decided to try and move on as fast as possible. "What game did you play?" Was it a PC game? A console? He needed to know so he could help the kid improve.
The kid gave him a shrug. "I don't know. It was on a computer though. They made me make an account and write it down." He tried to not pull a face. Instead, Kang stared at the kid for a few seconds, waiting for him to remember that because they made him write down his account info, they would be able to figure out what game they made him play.
The squirt stared back at him, and another moment passed before Kang finally saw the lightbulb turn on. "I'll be right back." He said before he was slipping away from the table, running back to his room to get his info.
Kang watched fondly. Dork
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The hangers scraped against the rod as he pushed the clothes around, extracting the blazer and dress pants once he found them. They looked like they would fit the kid just fine, maybe. The squirt had gained a bit of weight since his surgery, though Kang wouldn't be surprised if the kid was back at his pre-surgery weight.
It should fit though, he just needed the kid to try on the clothes to see if they were still the right length. The pants looked like they were going to be just a tad bit short on him. They still had the tag on them, so hopefully Kang would be able to go and get them exchanged if they didn't.
The sound of keys jingling caught his attention, and upon checking his phone, yeah it was about time for the kid to come back from study school. Perfect timing, he could have the kid try on the pants before he forgot. He wanted to make sure the kid had clothes for interviews before realizing last minute that he didn't.
The door opened and like always, he entered the home silently. The kid had never been in the habit of announcing when he was home, a habit that Kang had always assumed came out of his desire to be quiet out of self-preservation.
"Excuse me." He blinked in surprise at the voice.
"Thanks for having me."
"Sorry for the intrusion." The voices came in a row, ranging from a slightly deeper voice of a young teenager to the voice of someone who sounded like they had yet to enter puberty.
All of whom were most definitely not his kid.
He had frozen in his position by the closet, holding up the clothes in front of him when the kid walked into the doorway. "Kang." He looked a tad bit bashful that they had arrived without warning, but also a bit happy that they were there. "My friends came over. Is it okay if we use the console?" He just stared for a bit. Did the kid really just bring some friends over?
He didn't even care if he did it without warning. The kid's friends, the friends that Kang had been so stunned to hear about, were at his home. The same ones that were his age. Friends.
"Kang?" oh right. He hadn't answered his kid, all he had been doing was staring at him like a brainless fool.
He shook his head as he brought himself out of his trance. "Yeah. Yeah, of course. Let me move it to the living room. Have you eaten?" he knew what the answer was, the kid usually ate after getting home, and at that time of night, Kang had no doubt that the other children were going to be hungry as well.
As he figured, the kid shook his head no. "Ask the others what they want to eat while I get it out." He nodded and stepped out of view as he walked down the hallway. Kang could hear him asking if they were hungry, and just as he stepped out of the room, the console and controllers gathered in his arms, he heard one of the older boys saying that they weren't hungry.
It was the kids Kang had met earlier, on the day he registered his kid in the study program. He recognized the kid that the squirt had saved from a couple of bullies, his older brother, and their redheaded friend. "Nonsense." He set the console down on the living room table, it was an old Atari console. The squirt and he had played for hours just the previous day. They had been playing almost daily along with the PC game since Squirt had asked if Kang could help him practice. The kid had actually gotten pretty good at playing games.
Well, Kang thought so, according to Han-jae, who had thoroughly destroyed them in both games, they were shit at playing, but that was neither here nor there.
"I'll get you guys some food. If you're anything like him," Squirt almost pouted at the way Kang was pointing at him. "You're always hungry. How does pizza sound?"
Silence lulled in the living room, the three young faces staring at him from their position on the sofa. The two older ones looked at each other and had a silent conversation before they turned to the youngest.
As expected, the youngest had the least amount of shame, and Kang admired him for that. "My brother is allergic to ham."
A hand was quick to smack him. "Hyeokjung!" The older brother said harshly, looking near mortified that his younger brother had so openly accepted the offer. "I'm sorry Mr. Yu. It's fine, really." He had to fight the grin.
Mr. Yu, huh? The kids must have thought that he was the squirt's father, an understandable misunderstanding considering that they lived together. They weren't quite family yet, at least, not officially, Kang needed to adopt the kid first. "No worries. I'll get regular pepperoni and veggie lovers. And please, call me Kang." Regardless of whether the kid was going to be part of the Kang family soon, he still wanted to honor the kid's family by at least recognizing the fact that they had different last names.
The older ones, the redhead, and the older brother's eyebrows went up momentarily before they schooled their expressions again, no doubt noticing their different last names. "Oh. Mr. Kang. Sorry, thank you. I'm Hyeokjin." His introduction was welcome because Kang certainly didn't remember their names after weeks. His introduction prompted the already-identified Hyeokjung and the other one to introduce themselves, and he gave them a warm smile. He didn't know much about the teenagers standing in front of him, but they looked like good kids, ones that would do his boy some good to socialize with.
Gosh, it was like a dream. The kid made friends, and he made friends with young men who looked to be good people.
Kang hoped his smile portrayed how grateful he felt towards the trio. "No problem. I'm going to be in my room working on some stuff. Tell me if you need anything." That part had been directed to the squirt, and he nodded in return.
With that, Kang went back to his room, making sure to keep the door cracked open a bit, open just enough so he could hear if something happened, but also so the kids could feel open to knock if they needed anything. He hoped he came off as welcoming because Kang wanted the house to be just that. Anything to encourage the kids to return, so Squirt could continue to develop the forming friendship.
The pizzas were ordered and arrived, and in a house that had been devoid of teenagers for almost an entire decade, hearing the rowdy boys laugh and poke fun at each other was welcomed. It filled the house with life, one that was unlike the quiet and cozy energy that they usually had.
"HA! Beat you-Hey wait, how did you do that?!"
"Skill issue."
"I just won. How is that a skill issue?"
It was a good thing that his parents and brother were out getting their clothes tailored because even though it was a welcomed change, "Bro you're just asking for it at this point!!" His parents didn't have the tolerance for rambunctiousness anymore.
Pushing away from his desk, Kang stood up. The sound of the boys playing got louder the closer he got to the living room. He kept his footsteps light, and carefully calculated to avoid the squeak floorboard that was on the right side of the hallway.
The kid was the only one still sitting down on the sofa as they played the game. Jaehyung and Hyeokjung were standing up, bouncing in place every time they got a win or a loss. Hyeokjin was on his knees in front of the sofa, and the three of them were talking smack to each other.
At the end of the couch, Squirt sat, a controller in his hands as he had a small smile on his face. He wasn't talking smack like the other three boys, but he was still laughing at their jokes, his shoulders shaking briefly after one of them said something that was particularly funny.
It was good. It felt so rewarding to see the young man who had eyed anyone who got too close to him, playing with his friends like that.
Snapping a quick picture for the group chat, one that the kid promptly noticed and smiled for, Kang retreated to his bedroom again. After that, the few times Kang had left his room for either a drink or a bathroom break, the kid had a small, but ever-so-present smile as they played. Except for one time, and that was because Hyeokjung was poking fun at Squirt for being so bad at the game.
Kang just engrossed himself in work. He still had plenty of paperwork to do. Between the paperwork he needed to do for his own squad, paperwork for work and reports, along with the paperwork for getting his boy registered, he had plenty to do.
Absent-mindedly, he heard the conversation in the back of his mind, merely taking note of it more than listening to it. "Hey," Hyeokjin, if Kang remembered his voice correctly, called out and Kang could barely hear their voices over the sound of the video game. "Can you ask your dad if it's okay if my dad calls him? He wants to make sure it's fine if we stay a bit longer." That made him blink. Kang's heart warmed at that.
Clearly, the kids were accepting of the fact that they had different last names, and yet the squirt's friends still thought he was the kid's father. He wondered if they looked alike, or if they just assumed that Kang was his father since he lived with him. Kang hoped that he didn't look old enough to be the father to a sixteen-year-old.
Alternatively, it just meant that they really had become a family.
Kang waited for the squirt to correct them, to inform his friends that Kang was not his father and that he was just a simple guardian for the young man. As much as Kang wouldn't have minded, he would also understand if the kid didn't see him like that. Kang wasn't his father, and it would be wrong of him to expect Squirt to see him as one.
Instead, "Kang. Hyeokjin's dad wants to talk to you on the phone." the kid poked his head into the bedroom and parroted off what Hyeokjin had just told him. He didn't correct them, he didn't tell them that Kang wasn't his father and that they had misunderstood.
He let his friends think that he was his father. That meant that his boy didn't care if they mistook Kang as his father.
The thought went over and over in his head, it didn't leave his head as he spoke to the brother's father to confirm that it was fine for the boys to stay for a bit longer. It didn't leave his head when it was time for the boys to leave, and it was time for them to clean up and it most definitely didn't leave his head when it was just the two of them.
They were standing in the hallway when Kang finally said something about it. "Your friends call me your dad." It came out wrong, accusing as if he was upset with being mistaken as the kid's father, and Kang was kicking himself in the side for saying it like that.
Though he just decided to be quiet. Squirt's expression tightened in that way of his when he was getting a tad bit embarrassed. His expression was reminiscent of the face he made when Kang had to carry him into the house. "They do." That was all he said.
Awkwardly, he cleared his throat. "You didn't correct them."
Squirt averted his eyes, turning his head to hide his face. "I didn't." If that wasn't enough for Kang to know that his boy was embarrassed, a blush slowly started to creep up his neck. A deep blush that turned his pale skin a dark red.
His face threatened to split into two with the way he was smiling. The kid truly hadn't corrected his friends on purpose, and he was completely fine with his friends thinking that Kang was his father.
He didn't mind being Kang's kid.
The squirt peaked up at him and quickly averted his eyes once again when he saw the smile on Kang's face. It reminded Kang once again that staring was not polite. "It's okay kid." He pulled the kid into his side and kissed the top of his head. "I love you too." Kang knew his kid well enough to know that he was never going to hear words of affection from him. It was too direct, and with the way the kid had grown up, he just knew that he had never had anyone tell him something like that.
It was the closest 'I love you' Kang was ever going to get from the squirt, and he was okay with that.
Squirt leaned into his side, his head tipping over to lean onto Kang's shoulder. The kid didn't have to say it, no words had to be said.
Just as much as the kid had wormed his way into Kang's heart, Kang had wormed his way into his.