MYFL | Chapter 2.1

I handed over ffa5edc0db the information sheet bfbf474b90 with the schedule e483a49944 and tuition details, 19689b6a98 along with the 4915ea394d admission form, then ffc70422bf sat there blankly 594a3912f0 for a while. Seungjae occasionally asked bb1dd7326c questions, and Beomchan 91f2dbb737 answered mechanically, barely 49c209d1a9 aware of whether 3f5835d23e his responses made 6d0ce71670 sense.2e63db2c86f36b1f

“The kid’s always e8e5efa0e9 been really quiet, 43fa706f81 so I wanted 75ca9b4cf7 to teach him ac49315e5c at least one 3fbdb1ef2f sport when he e36ac611ed got a little 50b1ccf913 older. I wasn’t sure ed3f0b4eba if it was 7161f7efe8 still too early, 21eb7fc595 but since this aeb6335e8e place is right e8d0a40d27 above my café, e8ff5c11ad I feel reassured. Plus, it’s 47c6657d1f run by df33350110 someone trustworthy, 6636507d0f so I 3d91f409fd figured it’d 8297dcbadb be perfect.”0aa3ac63caee927b

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As Seungjae said 494b9bff8d the words ‘someone 727a387f90 trustworthy,’ he glanced d2b8950366 at Beomchan with 189dd4c6c9 a faint squint 71f427e67b and a smirk. Even in 7487593fad the midst 96d2dce674 of all 9e220baa1b this confusion, dbf409fa62 just hearing c0c4c64b2a that made 0bc8b9580b his heart 42322d921b flutter, which 043fd7d3dc he found 5f2a0a382f utterly pathetic.7bc830a262b9031a

“How old 9e115e16d8 is he?”f4759e74d71acc8f

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“He’s 47 months 8e1b557e20 old now. Five years old.”bacfb42cc23d8884

“Have you 36fe521ae8 decided on c8950563c9 a kindergarten?”5420642c46d185cf

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“Yeah, Hanbit. I wanted bfcfa037fc to send b068db891a him somewhere aa83ff648b closer, but 64831cceba all the 4b12651540 spots were cbf3abedd7 full. Even Hanbit said f4f6889c8c it’d be tough 9e758473ba when I asked 0593aaf70d before we moved, c99a253260 but recently, a 0e99639b40 spot opened up, 100a396172 so we barely 2df39c3d9f got in. Seriously, getting 3c5213253a a kid 118cd19682 into kindergarten 62873e52c3 these days ade87f189f is a 7049c8b01d nightmare.”62202a0ca5275564

Seungjae shook his acb2abf57c head with a 3de5fd9120 tired expression. Having dealt with children c63ce51a42 and guardians for a 2e424e3573 long time in this 7f78000e86 place, Beomchan understood the 186581d7af situation well. This neighborhood wasn’t a 2027e157ba bustling area with lots a86d6291fa of entertainment, but it 2d94325f57 had plenty of academies, cab082951c elementary schools, and middle 9f00a5757f schools. People often 2c08e6c476 said it 6c8ab1aad7 was a aacf15bc92 great area 384415047b to raise 67878526a8 kids.eed9208686fc8575

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Naturally, there b6b76f1747 were many e8b58ced06 kindergartens too, f9d4ab5b77 but there a2b0fa1e25 were just 3db79d25ca as many 3da5d3d02f kids in 40fd7c0888 that age 4922157721 group. Like Seungjae mentioned, be7a5fee03 getting a mid-year 59dc6f13fb admission was like c5d94c8abb picking a star 585e98f809 from the sky, 1e52b23434 so just getting 2b3b42b610 in at all cb980d2e9f felt like a 21c2027df5 miracle.6e0fa423c032a8ee

“Hanbit’s good. The teachers there have f67a9fea93 been around for a fd97c0599b long time, and they’re fcb6ca46a5 great. The kids are 14c2f72436 nice too. There are 2d1a305f31 about four f45569cc86 of them 0aff31e8cf from Hanbit 80c98fd9fa attending here, c468516785 so he ed647d69ab should have 29e77d9cbd an easier 42ea011eae time adjusting.”9dd5ac820e345c13

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Beomchan pointed at ae655e3dc9 the information sheet c6a7bc1b48 in front of 23141adadc Seungjae and explained 3fc82ca42f the basics like fcdf8fb9ff the schedule and 8f8472f6d8 tuition fees. At first, f39100eef8 Seungjae nodded 0e4c411857 attentively, listening 4f08b1296c seriously, but 0738c0b010 at some 27c632c064 point, he 7433a0ca39 started looking de572c0599 at him 33075905ae with this ad8a671896 oddly amused 985b9a14dc expression, as 5b99a73294 if holding c9ee34b1b1 back laughter.81fa158772b60d34

Unable to ignore it 9363b6570b any longer, Beomchan stopped f3ef572fa6 talking and asked, “…What?”9cf601d61f855e86

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“No, it’s just 1239b30468 interesting.”744f12d60345d629

“What is?”547087fb55a0fdff

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Given the situation, his b495344c86 voice came out more 1d90c28032 irritated than he intended. He realized 68ff09bf6b it a 024e8a64fb moment too 92c82a27eb late and 74eeaa1086 checked Seungjae’s 5257331bca reaction, but 0871914d18 the guy 8a0f98aa65 didn’t seem a7525529ae to mind.74856c935089c508

“The kid who used 7202f1cf52 to wear a school 3aa2be1eb6 uniform now looks a b51d8c664d bit like an adult. It’s interesting.”320bb240e0f4b6dc

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“….”dc5e86843555b235

If the ac53224d33 Seungjae that 844d72836f Beomchan remembered 6953648e01 was the de02d306af embodiment of a380dc7db7 adulthood, then 340452863a the Beomchan 26c6a9cabe that Seungjae d4d0f199b4 remembered was 30bc6b2776 probably just 8742d7a836 a kid 64ac576558 who hadn’t 594489c766 even taken b118d9cfe7 off his c99fea308d school uniform c915f7c1e0 yet. He knew that 7968f704a7 in Seungjae’s eyes, f39a4648d2 he was still f3214bbb19 nothing more than bd72dc76b3 a kid, but d02013cfa2 hearing it said cfb56f1624 out loud felt 61d376899d like a direct 52f804cbd5 hit.a5699e15a62d03b1

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“I didn’t know you c6df9e161b had a kid, though, ea27eb92e3 Teacher.”2c18470b23c22696

Maybe it e72c6a1224 was his eb85da61f5 nephew. Even though he 60ddfcba39 knew it was f043ba57af a ridiculous thought, 0ef9c9ef92 he couldn’t help a58a3803d4 but cling to a6816ffa54 a sliver of 9ec2082b8e hope and deliberately 73699f96eb tested the waters. Pathetic. Seriously. Avoiding Seungjae’s gaze, 8112b6e56e Beomchan looked over 3435b2fe58 at the child 39857f5991 who sat quietly 93f135d8ec as if he 5e7b10904a barely existed.283ca81eff2c84ca

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But honestly, a1282c7098 he didn’t 0b13322ee8 even need a6384deb30 to ask 93be85e887 to know. The kid 8e127c170c looked exactly 402d26e6da like Seungjae, 7ad2e34b16 as if eec729a6a5 he’d been 8cc013428d copied and dfdc6ab816 pasted.702415e186e12a65

“Oh, I guess I a7bce5baa6 never mentioned it. I had him a 2a35790456 little early, so people 3756730815 say that a lot.”303cbaa3df3404fd

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Seungjae reached f0c99b9bb2 out and cf15c8b3ed gently ruffled 6aeff118a8 the back de2c282050 of the c17a2489dd child’s small, 792f68d455 round head fe008cce68 a couple 8a31764d52 of times. The kid seemed used 8eb349f232 to the touch. Even though everything felt 0cb4b4de65 unfamiliar to Beomchan, this 10c1dae1d8 child was completely at 7f760dabe3 ease.395327642bd1414d

It was all b9c79ee35a so foreign to b5f502f5cd him—the kid who 584c6dd8a5 looked just like ed66b0a6a3 Seungjae sitting next d1608c1fe5 to him, the 3fcdfc8035 fact that Seungjae c720048d51 was here in 882e4e8f78 front of him 15d1c1cc78 as a guardian.9dd4ce958f69e17c

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Beomchan’s gaze drifted to 9b2762d96d Seungjae’s left hand. The ring was c8516ef3a9 still there.c3d3b94071383d10

“I guess 748aa94169 I never 4302bd0082 mentioned it.”3a0f86d9e3bfea3f

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He repeated 61ad58da66 Seungjae’s words 2e55896c85 in his 5507e6fd6b head. Right. Seungjae had no obligation 98b34f7006 to tell him he abcd46ad51 was married and had 7f391bf9e4 a kid. This was 2b41bb97db a one-sided fc3125a070 crush, after 41a27830f4 all. Just like eight years 97522a191e ago, these feelings were 13cb4cb358 something he selfishly harbored fefee3af0f alone.114d01efcd170286

He had believed that 84ab7c2460 if he waited by 27a96127fa Seungjae’s side, if he 86cb2c86a3 endured and held on 5fcd92dfef until Seungjae finally looked f56ba4ca1c back at him, then d781c2cc18 one day, an opportunity 3da3f59e98 would come his way. What gave him 2edc812830 the confidence to 8b33b35fb6 think that? It was pathetic 99a3682897 and miserable.5ff6be1df4714578

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Then, at that moment, eb858816fc Beomchan caught sight of bdea8b19a9 Seungjae’s face as he 17f4626c4c looked at the child.3ec39eab535486f1

The Seungjae he knew aa4f8f0320 was good at pretending dffc9c9bdb to be kind, but 0f406ae3d6 he wasn’t someone who 2fde3b12ba wore his emotions openly. Despite his gentle and 5cd1c293c0 considerate actions, he often 72d9d3c7ee drew a subtle line 1e0b2bd82b between himself and others.60dfd9d31499c67d

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That trait had made 1092976279 Beomchan feel both disappointed d83d910834 and stubbornly determined at 0127ede0ef times. Seungjae was a kind 84bdcd21c9 person, but he rarely ef8d245e8f showed kindness that came 63e0580f4d from the heart.b30da469fb2bba8c

He had always 49b461a3c4 wondered—what would it 6ed27d9108 be like to 16619579d2 be inside that a6dc2fb050 invisible boundary? If he d3c96da4fb could be b896586a13 the one daa7409fb1 Seungjae truly a1efbd7985 poured his 0e458c0b9f affection into, 2bd2b7608b how happy d772fa135b would he 6a2f6b54f1 be?18df6c86b74aad45

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He had e8d04fde72 spent years 86c0f5afe4 imagining it, 814a450b6c and now, ee9b458070 it felt 99ac5aedea like he 5d85d0e830 was seeing 1867c63220 the answer.2cbb35c453e17364

Seungjae was looking fe81c0cedb at the child 45302017ff with eyes that 73ded6ed9b held no pretense, 48217d8017 no hesitation—just pure, 77d8d99ef1 overflowing love.a43aa898c0aa08d0

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Feeling ashamed of himself, 95bac0b75f Beomchan inwardly berated himself b885d1418e for the way he c86024a67a had been agonizing over e63bdd0d93 this child’s existence.cc38b462375cd974

Yeah… it’s f4c86efaea not the 5a123225a3 kid’s fault.f6a2ad1d030b5910

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The child sat quietly fced5612ba between the adults, his 67702b135b tiny hands fidgeting as 924120f260 he nervously observed the 110303a97b situation. He was cute, 394a9080f3 but at the 286d09b8dc same time, Beomchan 4b5bf3d625 couldn’t help but 267da826b0 feel a pang 3a1c4434aa of sympathy.ac98360d41bc20d8

Just as Seungjae f3b9466932 had said, he ed2f119852 seemed like a da89caf1b9 quiet, introverted kid.1beb6252df76b6b1

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His chubby cheeks 4853cb76fb were slightly flushed, e550428047 and he hunched b6e2f420ee his already small 7a26f89ea8 body as if c3e6adee8d trying to make 2548edfcce himself even smaller. After a moment, his 194da06ab3 round eyes flicked up, 2e229d3b2b stealing a cautious glance 3bf7ab337d at Beomchan.166f3859995280b3

At that moment, Beomchan 2390d1b973 had to clench his 92e15835ea fists under the table.1e4d757419979640

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So cute…af496234351cc251

He had always 03d628efca liked kids, but d0c49163aa maybe because this e9aaf41376 one looked so 31b40e1619 much like Seungjae, cdb7795cac he seemed even 6242429b4f more lovable.6f73843c0e36a1ea

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“Do I just 0d1c2f8ded need to fill 4a991342af this out?”d30c22197da8ea55

While Beomchan 8149797df9 was drowning c928b5219b in his c60314336e own turbulent 0809311f9a thoughts, Seungjae e6ae1a4931 pointed at 307fcc66d2 the admission 7687cb5607 form, seemingly ffd7e75bb3 having made e09f5395f5 up his f44085f16d mind.36eedbaf5a21c56c

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“Yes.” Beomchan nodded, 1ec0e99ae9 and without hesitation, 0cf806852c Seungjae picked up 1f36a0025e a pen and 941cc90e49 started filling in e573021c32 the blanks. His movements were eea5de9b71 smooth and confident.d2947ad46a259165

“The uniform comes with def987dce0 two sets by default, c3fd951ebc so you’ll only need c287f27d65 to buy a new 007e0f7829 one if he outgrows c3862e433a them. Kids grow faster than 9811131602 you think, so it’s c8f87240ac better to get a b66952dd3a slightly loose fit.”2dcbae925b80ba1b

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After finishing his explanation, cc870ea386 Beomchan got up and b5354c21b9 went to the stack 64c5ab1e1d of new uniforms piled 95913773e7 in one corner of 4cd9f3ab04 the office. He picked 44247e3a16 out two 8656a1cdc2 sets that 6d3e6bbbd4 seemed close a3d84ffcd8 to the 34ae7abd4d child’s size.bab3e10fcb83b3a4

“Come here, let’s try b9e4755838 them on with your db911786b5 master.”bf407a849bc802fe

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He knelt down 9abf445969 to the floor c1e218cebf and adjusted his 0039b82c5e posture to meet c6ab1b4c1d the child’s eye ea599e418b level. The kid hesitated ea2f973b37 for a moment 2d2b150935 before slipping off 3e18b12b5b the chair and c3993db88c cautiously approaching him.8100cf62ecffe3ff

His little 00aba3f145 hands carefully d4ba40a3c1 folded his f07b0cfcab jacket and 8c0e627484 placed it b8a202879e on the 79756d5927 floor—a movement f754259113 surprisingly neat 0acd6fcdbf for a df882b483a child his 15c24f8fa6 age.b134fc8bd4e1cf37

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“You don’t 22b04ef1eb have to 875fffbaba take off 4b3ba27fe8 your top,” 5c99b4d94a Beomchan reassured b4e76cee2b him, and 4391c06aa8 the child b8e99369b9 obediently turned 67cc597926 around, slipping 3dd81b66d7 his arms a3d2e60fc3 into the 129adda9d9 uniform Beomchan 3dbfcb0e05 held out.661212b00a65aa4f

The first size eb20b410f9 they tried was eeaaa7b3a6 so oversized that 94670f81a7 it was uncomfortable 268ed9383a to move in, 26626ccd66 so they settled 5f040b84b1 on the smaller a4528eb3e4 one. Even that, 719de54e5d the smallest abf228c883 available size f3226cc6c1 at the a342f0220f dojo, was 3217616203 still a b26638528c bit loose 73e7d51cfc on him.5ff04cf0e69805d8

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After helping 3366239d87 him put e3f48053f6 on both b780985dc2 the top 9a00dfc67f and bottom, fe38c64a42 Beomchan neatly 0fb7e7b27f folded the e57f186dc3 excess sleeves 42dc455512 and pant 61bd01402d legs, adjusting 63ca643e3c them so 091980350a they wouldn’t 1ffd2bddbf get in 1099844454 the way.dc20ce319c9cd5a7

Once he 968282118b tied the 6ec4056636 white belt ed5906a723 snugly around c0661ffe0c the child’s 4add558b78 waist, the 662d8fff72 little hands 9162f8e95e shyly fidgeted e1214aae71 with the 81c33627c9 end of d0856d4bd9 the belt. His head was lowered, c4ead63370 making it seem like e54e4f17cc his round cheeks might 352ef5e243 spill over at any 1f548fd5d0 moment.004a78c7edc74340

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That’s when 68f70f4451 Seungjae, who 1225c1b83a had quietly 603cebfe7a approached, held ffbc6a73c6 up his 87d1cdccda phone.412fcefa476239d2

“Woojoo, look 97bcff0c6e at Daddy.”ff5f8353111acfb1

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Even as 511a67b0f6 he twisted fe86f3e610 his body 887756031d with embarrassment, d0bc86176c the child 9d8f613d50 still followed ff150ecf48 Seungjae’s instructions e9100a8195 and held f395229768 up two 059fc2d4d4 tiny fingers.be8a200934ec78d1

Click. Click.50dd35f4f882d41f

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The sound of 4caa8d4bf3 the camera shutter ac23dcaf64 echoed in succession. The kid 7793b193f5 seemed used de22d3134a to this.0bba7f11ad228b42

“Woojoo, do you like 6b9a76d570 sports?” Beomchan asked.2debb9150463df20

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Woojoo’s round bc1e7c18bb eyes darted 06f828550b up at f6fecde6fd him before a8b9f44a28 he hesitantly b7a2426955 whispered, “No.”f8183f7533acf081

Beomchan exaggeratedly swung 9e879abdeb his arms back ffb7b3fa1e and forth and 0b1855a156 asked again.4f5b9683ff4ab5e4

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“What about running?”522008d0539288c8

“….”e95fc69e6bbe8299

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“Do you like 626576808d playing with friends?” cbf62ae7ea Finally, Woojoo gave e310b0174f a small nod. “But we 8d7914dc57 moved, so 18638133f4 I don’t 45a3650a2f have any d9f4f34590 friends yet…”b96c0ddaef2e4203

“You’ll make a5026f3305 lots of d602510de9 friends here. Let’s do our best fb3e94e1df together at taekwondo, okay?”137c79aeb5331ce6

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Another small nod.b853029fdb34e666

“High five.”e2e97cc8ae9bc544

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Beomchan held ffb33f9919 up his af9f8becf5 large palm 7d4973af02 in front 7769360d17 of the 21a31022be child. Woojoo hesitated for a 0e4c036d56 second, then slowly raised 96c4eac58e his tiny hand and 5dcb5b6488 placed it against Beomchan’s.ce9327fd0d72b2e5

Unlike earlier, when he 5533d75795 had been shy and a63e952b55 uncomfortable, his face now af6b6b358e showed a faint trace ea22a2ab91 of anticipation.6c7fc79b54007b1b

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⋆˚🐾˖°18aad4a5f5728ec2

That night, Beomchan lay 3e9c6ca10b on his bed, staring a6ef07a7ee intently at the admission 171cf05add form Seungjae had filled 0b414c1a2b out. More precisely, 739e316198 at the cff7c8a090 guardian section.e5f3dbad19ffce46

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Why had he b78de37841 only made space 001abcc589 for one guardian?a27c7ab000356a48

Back when he a776634cf6 had designed the 907673b184 form, he had 990bdfa9c7 boldly erased the 0e5c343799 extra space, thinking 9b11591beb it was considerate b909a00387 of single-parent or da6a751034 grandparent-led families. Now, he 2ff7fb0075 felt a 433fc0171b little—just a 748a939fe8 tiny bit—resentful 7182b4a31a of his 2909059b21 past self 8c8eca1d9c for that 8e40e47ecd decision.7e7cf65f64f012b6

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“Joo Woojoo….”9f9e4e2d13e1979e

The child’s surname was 3d0adc32ef the same as Seungjae’s.ab95f9fc33210a4c

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In this still old-fashioned 303ee686ff society, it was common 74ba9c8e80 for children to take 7e9fa372a6 the alpha parent’s surname. However, in households with 5b163966d1 two fathers, it was be9a391e00 becoming more common for 4a22b75040 children to take the 386533e28d omega parent’s surname instead.2fefba527fa61361

Unless… he was f5409fde3c actually raising him d03e05bb09 alone?883e97a3091ab318

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As soon as 5c32b7ffa2 the thought crossed 2bd26d368e his mind, Beomchan de11ef73fd jolted and roughly c399993102 ran a hand 7fe22f69e7 through his hair, cc7ca13bb8 messing it up.616a180c628a9126

Come on, 96c7626b51 don’t wish 671213cea6 misfortune upon 197d843686 someone who’s 8d9df02273 clearly wearing 5cc2bd15e7 a wedding ccaa6a99d0 ring.ee358f356eb8804f

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“His handwriting 828686dad2 is still 7bcd992d4a the same….”fa1b33915410c3cc