Work Text:
1. Meeting Teacher [April]
Wooyoung's daddy has a job called Cleaner. He goes out very early in the morning to clean places like 'the office' before the people who work there get there and mess it up all over again, which Wooyoung thinks is rude, but he's also not very good at keeping dinner off his t-shirt or remembering to put all his Legos away, so maybe daddy is just helping them the same way he helps Wooyoung. Wooyoung doesn't have to pay money for daddy to clean up for him though; daddy says it's his job to take care of Wooyoung too. So really daddy has two jobs. He's very busy.
Maybe that's why he still hasn't met Wooyoung's teacher, Mr Kang. Mr Kang is really cool! He tells these jokes that you don't always know are jokes until his face stops being serious and he starts laughing, and then Wooyoung and all his classmates start laughing too. He's really patient when he's teaching them hard stuff like letters and numbers, and he will crouch down beside your desk to help and pay attention to only you, which Wooyoung loves. Daddy calls Wooyoung a thing called Attention Seeker, but he always smiles when he says it, so it can't be a bad thing.
Wooyoung has an Important Letter from Mr Kang though, and it says he'd like to meet daddy. It's not just Wooyoung's daddy he's going to meet, but everyone's daddies, or mummies, or both. Or none! Kia is bringing her grandma because she doesn't have a mummy or a daddy, but Mr Kang said that's great too.
"Did he?" Daddy asks, and Wooyoung realises he's been explaining so much he hasn't had a bite of his dinner for like two whole minutes! He shovels his noodles into his mouth and nods. "You look like a little chipmunk with your cheeks full like that," daddy says, and then he reaches over to try and squeeze Wooyoung's cheeks so all the food will squirt out of his mouth! Wooyoung squirms away, but he also laughs, and snorts, and some of the noodles come out anyway!
This is why daddy has to clean up after him; he makes the messes himself!
"You have to come daddy," Wooyoung says. He makes sure to say it sternly so daddy knows it's important! "Mr Kang wants to tell you what a good boy I am!"
"You?" Daddy raises an eyebrow. "A good boy? No, Mr Kang is going to tell me what a troublemaker you are!"
"No he's not!" Wooyoung shakes his head and even his whole body. "Mr Kang told me he would tell you I'm a good boy! And smart!"
"Maybe Mr Kang told you that so that you'd be sure to tell me to go," daddy says. "And then he's actually going to tell me all about how naughty Wooyoungie is, and how he talks too much in class!"
Wooyoung can't really argue with that one because he does talk a lot in class. But still!
"Daddy! He won't! Mr Kang won't, and even if I talk a lot I'm a good boy! You have to come to the meeting, I'm not getting in trouble because you don't go!"
Daddy laughs. His hair falls into his face and he even wipes at his eye; sometimes his eyes water when he laughs too much.
"Alright, little bean, I'll make sure to finish work early that day just so I can come and talk to your teacher."
"Good," Wooyoung folds his arms across his chest.
"And I'll be sure to thank him for putting up with my Wooyoungie."
And he even does say that! Wooyoung walks into the classroom holding his daddy's hand, and he feels a squeeze when daddy looks at Mr Kang for the first time. Wooyoung finds himself looking at daddy, then at Mr Kang, and then back to daddy again - why aren't either of them saying hello? That's rude!
And then daddy shakes his head and smiles, and offers a little bow when he says, "Hi Mr Kang, I'm Park Seonghwa, Wooyoung's father. Thank you for putting up with my little troublemaker."
Mr Kang bows back and he's smiling too. "He's certainly trouble," he says - Wooyoung can't believe the betrayal! - "but he's worth it. Call me Yeosang."
"Mr Kang, be nice!" Wooyoung says. "You always tell us to be kind to each other!"
"He always remembers the rules when he's using them against you," daddy says, and then they both laugh.
"I promise I'm only going to tell your daddy good things," Mr Kang says. He's doing his very kind, serious face, which means it's true. He looks straight at Wooyoung and doesn't blink or go red or anything, like Wooyoung's classmates do a lot when they lie. "Why don't you sit at your desk and play while we talk?"
Wooyoung has a tablet he's allowed to play on sometimes and daddy said he could bring it for Mr Kang's parent-teacher meeting, so he pulls up a game and gets stuck in. Adults only talk about boring stuff anyway; Wooyoung heard something about the "curriclum" and nearly fell asleep right on his chair in the middle of his game!
It could have only been five minutes or it could have been absolutely forever that he was sat there, but Wooyoung isn't the only one startled by the knock at the classroom door.
"Oh, I've kept you," daddy says, getting up out of his seat immediately. Wooyoung watches; he thinks that means it's time to go.
"No, it's my fault," Mr Kang says. He stands up too. "I arranged these meetings with ten minutes in between in order to prepare the classwork and reports I wanted to show each parent; I should have stuck to my time limit."
"Why didn't you?" Daddy asks. He sounds funny; his voice is kind of like when he's teasing Wooyoung, but not exactly. Mr Kang's cheeks go red.
"Did Mr Kang tell you all the good things about me?" Wooyoung pipes up. Mr Kang looks at him as if he'd forgotten Wooyoung was ever there. That means he must have been really quiet like a good boy! Wow. Daddy will probably get him sweets!
"Yes," Mr Kang agrees. "I was so busy telling your daddy all the good things about you I completely ran out of time."
It sounds right to Wooyoung, even if he doesn't remember his name coming up for ages while they were talking. But then again, he wasn't really paying attention. Adults are boring.
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2. School Trip [July]
"Mooseum! Mooseum!" Wooyoung sings the morning of the school trip. He and his classmates are going to the Children's Museum today! And - even cooler - daddy is coming along too! Mr Kang said a school trip is too many children to take on his own, and the other teachers will be with their classes so they can't help, so he asked everyone to take a letter home asking for 'shap-rowns'. And daddy read the letter, and Wooyoung thought he would say he had to work, because he always has to work when Wooyoung has school, but he got out his phone and arranged the day so he could not-work, and instead go with Wooyoung and his classmates to the museum!
"Daddy, what's going to be at the mooseum?" He asks, holding daddy's hand nicely. Daddy is coming to school with Wooyoung and staying with him before they get on a big bus to the museum to help with all the other kids. Wooyoung is good so he doesn't need to be watched, but some of his classmates are naughty and they do.
"Well," daddy had looked it up for Wooyoung but he needs reminding because he already forgot because he's excited. "There's learning about water and wind, and animals, and lots of things about space."
"Wow!" Wooyoung says. Space is cool! He tells Mr Kang as much and Mr Kang reminds him that they all have to stick together in the exeebishuns and so they might not do Space first. Mr Kang is going to look at the map and see where they need to go. Wooyoung doesn't mind, so long as they get to do space at some point.
They end up going up to the third floor first; Mr Kang says if they do the main floor last they will already be near the exit ready to go home when they are done. He says everyone will be tired by then so it's good to be nearer to the bus. Mr Kang is pretty smart.
Wooyoung tells daddy this and daddy says, "yes, Mr Kang is pretty and smart."
That's not exactly what Wooyoung said, but he guesses it's true so he doesn't argue. Mr Kang has pretty blond hair he dyed, and pretty eyes and a pretty smile.
The first place they go is called, "Future World Citizens!". They all get help pronouncing it and asked about what it means. A citizen is a person who lives in a place, like a city, like Seoul! And Wooyoung and his classmates are citizens of the future, because they will grow up to have jobs like daddy and Mr Kang do. They get to try out all different kinds of jobs! Wooyoung helps his classmates build using bricks, and he examines a sick animal toy, and there's even a runway to walk down! There are lights and it's all pretty, and daddy and Mr Kang sit in the seats below and watch Wooyoung. He tries to do walks like he's seen the men and ladies on TV do on the runway and daddy and Mr Kang laugh a bit but they also clap and cheer!
When it's Wooyoung's turn to make a business card daddy asks him what he wants to be when he grows up
"Did you get any ideas from what you did today?" He asks.
Wooyoung wants to dance! And sing!
"That's called being an Idol," daddy says. "You can definitely do that if you want to, Wooyoungie. I think you'd be really good at it."
On the third floor is also the Wind and Water area, it's called science! Wooyoung gets to play with a pulley, and pipes, and a fan, and help the water and wind move where it needs to! Mr Kang even praises him for good turn-taking and good sharing! Wooyoung is so good, and daddy is even there to see it too! In fact he's right next to Mr Kang when he praises Wooyoung. He's right next to Mr Kang most of the time when Wooyoung looks for him.
The adults only help when someone gets stuck or they won't share nicely, so it makes sense that they stick together otherwise.
On the second floor is Space! And it's awesome! Wooyoung stands on a feet marker and runs so fast his rocket takes off into space on the screen! And then he jumps on a Space Flying Board to escape a Black Hole - that's a thing that sucks everything into it, which is scary, but Wooyoung saves everyone because he's cool! Maybe he should be an astronaut when he grows up?
After that everyone is hungry and ready for lunch. Wooyoung and half his classmates sit at a table with daddy and Mr Kang, while the other half sit with the other parents.
When Wooyoung is talking to his classmates, and they are all talking to each other, daddy talks to Mr Kang. Suddenly Wooyoung realises they must have made friends! And it's all due to him making daddy go to parent's evening. It's harder for adults to make friends because they don't go to school. And daddy's work is before the office workers get to the office, so he doesn't see anyone! Wooyoung helped daddy make a new friend, and when was the last time daddy made a new friend? Wooyoung has some uncles who are daddy's friends, but they all have jobs too so they don't come round a lot. Uncle Hongjoong especially is always working, like everyday! He never seems to have a day off, not even the weekend like daddy does so he can spend it with Wooyoung. Maybe Uncle Hongjoong even works Chuseok! Ew!
"Daddy, does Uncle Hongjoong work even on Chuseok?" He just has to know.
"What?" Daddy asks. "What made you ask that?"
"I was thinking how we never see Uncle Hongjoong because he's always working," Wooyoung says, "and then I thought if he's always working does that means he works on Chuseok?"
"It wouldn't surprise me if he did," daddy replies. "But, remember, I made him come to us last Chuseok? And you helped me convince him, because he'd do anything for Wooyoungie?"
Wooyoung doesn't completely remember, but he was younger then, probably just a baby. Maybe he even cried like a baby and Uncle Hongjoong came so Wooyoung wouldn't be sad.
"Is that your brother?" Mr Kang asks daddy, and Wooyoung giggles.
"Noooo, he's not my real uncle!" he tells Mr Kang. "Daddy and Uncle Hongjoong used to have sleepovers!"
Daddy goes very pink in the face and Wooyoung isn't sure but maybe he said something wrong? Are sleepovers a secret? Wooyoung has been to sleepovers before and they weren't a secret!
"Uncle Hongjoong is far too busy to have sleepovers anymore," daddy says eventually. "That's why he and daddy decided it was best not to try and have them, it just didn't work."
Wooyoung thinks that's really sad. Uncle Hongjoong is so busy he doesn't have any fun anymore!
But maybe, now that daddy has a new friend in Mr Kang... they can have sleepovers instead?
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3. Lost in the Supermarket [September]
Once a week Wooyoung and daddy go to the supermarket to buy food for their meals. Wooyoung is big enough now that daddy doesn't make him sit in the cart if he doesn't want to, so Wooyoung mostly holds onto the side every time they go and helps daddy pick things up from off the shelves. He's a good helper!
He especially likes helping when it involves getting the fun stuff, like cookies and treats, and not boring stuff like vegables.
Wooyoung is trotting something helpfully back to daddy and their cart when he catches sight of someone he knows turning down a different aisle. Mr Kang!
Now daddy would say not to bother Mr Kang outside of school, but daddy is being really slow about making friends with Mr Kang, so Wooyoung decides not to tell him Mr Kang is even in the supermarket.
"Daddy," he says, tugging at daddy's shirt. "Can I go get the ice cream? Pleeeeeeease? I'll bring it right back!"
Daddy thinks about it, and he doesn't say no right away. This is really important, so Wooyoung stands very nicely with his hands behind his back and his eyes big and paying attention.
"Hmm, okay," he says. "When you get it you stay there, I'll be there to meet you when I've got the fish."
"Okay daddy!" Wooyoung yells behind him as he dashes off. He has to be out of daddy's sight before he turns--
Yep, there's Mr Kang!
"Mr Kang!" Wooyoung says, and then when he has Mr Kang's attention he takes a deep breath, really trying to make his voice sound like a wail. "I lost my daddy!"
All he has to do is think about it really happening and he starts to cry.
"Oh no," Mr Kang says. He crouches down and wipes the tears from Wooyoung's cheeks. "Were you two shopping together?" Wooyoung nods. "Well then I'm sure he's still here, he's probably looking for you. Let's find him together. Take my hand?"
Daddy is probably still in the aisle Wooyoung left him in, or else he was following Wooyoung to the freezers for ice cream before Wooyoung slipped so off to follow Mr Kang instead. And Wooyoung doesn't want daddy to be worried - he just needed an excuse to go get Mr Kang!
"I was getting ice cream and I got lost," Wooyoung half-lies. He was getting ice cream but he didn't get lost! He's been to the supermarket a million times! It's fruit-and-veg, then meat, then tins, then--
"Daddy!"
Wooyoung runs over to daddy, who is looking a little worried, but not too much, phew. Daddy grabs him and hugs him close.
"You were supposed to come here to get the ice cream, what happened?" He asks. That's good, right? Daddy doesn't know Wooyoung was pretending to be lost, so he doesn't have to be scared!
"I must've went the wrong way," Wooyoung says, "but I found Mr Kang so it was alright!" He turns around and points, so daddy will see. If only they would get it together and realise they could become friends Wooyoung wouldn't have to see Mr Kang in the supermarket and then make sure they saw each other!
"Thank you, Yeosang," daddy says. "I must look really irresponsible, letting my little boy go off on his own."
"Wooyoung said he was getting the ice cream," Mr Kang says, "I would have given him an important task like that too; he's always looking for more responsibility in class. All parents want to give their children independence, a little at a time. It doesn't make you an irresponsible parent."
"I'm just glad it all ended well," daddy says. "Maybe from now on you only get things in daddy's sightline until we're sure you won't get lost again, hm?"
Wooyoung knows he won't get lost again, but he had to play pretend so this is what happens. He sighs and nods his head in agreement. Maybe if he can tell daddy every aisle in order next time daddy will believe he won't get lost after all.
"Mr Kang, will you shop with us so I don't get lost again?" He pipes up. He got Mr Kang here, now he needs to keep him with them so daddy and he can get friendlier!
"Uh, sure," Mr Kang says, "as long as it's okay with your dad."
"It's more than okay with me," daddy smiles. Of course it is. He wants to be friends with Mr Kang! Why doesn't he just ask things like Wooyoung does? It's not like it's hard.
He tugs at daddy's shirt again to get his attention, and once he has leaned down Wooyoung cups his hand around daddy's ear and whispers loudly, "can Mr Kang come to dinner with us because he helped me? It's nice to say thank you with a present."
"What do you think, Yeosang?" Daddy asks Mr Kang, "do you have plans tonight? Or can I invite you to dinner? As a thank you for looking after Wooyoung?"
"I'd love to," Mr Kang replies.
He does have to take his own shopping home first, but Wooyoung knows he's coming to their house afterwards to eat dinner with them! He really doesn't know what adults like to talk about, but he knows if he ducks his head down and focuses on eating they will fill the silence with boring adult stuff. And talking is an important part of being friends! Wooyoung talks to his classmates all the time, so much that Mr Kang often has to shush him. And they're all his friends.
"Thank you for having me to dinner, Wooyoung," Mr Kang says. "It means a lot to me to know you're happy to have me in your home."
Wooyoung doesn't know what Mr Kang is on about, but he sounds serious so Wooyoung gives him a big smile to agree.
"I'm happy to see you anytime Mr Kang!" He chirps happily. Mr Kang is really cool, after all. When Wooyoung sees him outside class he doesn't try and make Wooyoung learn stuff, so they can be friends too, right?
"Did you mean that, Wooyoungie?" Daddy asks, later on as Mr Kang waves goodbye and leaves.
"What?"
"That you'd be happy to see Mr Kang if he ever came to visit?"
"Sure!"
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4. Picnic in the Park [November]
"So, who has somewhere they are going or something they are doing this weekend?" Mr Kang asks the class. "Hands up! Heejun, what about you?"
Wooyoung listens as some of his classmates say they are going to visit family, or going to the waterpark, or even the zoo. Wooyoung's birthday is really soon and he knows daddy is going to surprise him with a trip - probably with some of his uncles too! - so he isn't jealous of any of his classmates. He might not be doing anything this weekend, but the next one definitely!
"Mr Kang, what are you doing this weekend?" Kyungmi asks, shooting a hand up into the air.
"I'm going to be looking after my friend's little boy," Mr Kang says. "So I thought if the weather was good I would take him to the park."
Now Wooyoung has no way of knowing which park, but Mr Kang was at their supermarket, so maybe he'll be at their park too? He can try! It's not a big thing to ask daddy if they can go to the park at the weekend.
"If the weather is good," daddy says, which is exactly what Mr Kang said, so that's fine because if it isn't Mr Kang won't be there anyway!
So daddy makes a picnic and Wooyoung helps; he gets out the tubs and lunchboxes to put the snacks in, and he puts the little fruits like berries that don't need chopping up in all by himself. Daddy cooks the rice, and some meat, and he makes really pretty lunches that look like teddy bears in a garden! Wooyoung has seen daddy find videos for how to do them on Naver.
The weather isn't warm in November, but Wooyoung says he'll wear his coat, and his hat and his gloves, it can still be fun! And it's not raining, and they made all the food (though daddy said they would use it for an indoor picnic), so they get to go! Wooyoung gets to play on the swings and daddy pushes him, and then they play tag! And then they sit down for their picnic.
That's when Wooyoung sees him.
"It's Mr Kang!" Wooyoung yells so that not only daddy, but Mr Kang hears too. "Hi Mr Kang!"
My Kang is with a little boy, just like he said he would be. And they're dressed in their coats and hats too. Wooyoung keeps waving until they come over to say hi.
"This is Jongho," Mr Kang says. "He's a little bit younger than you, Wooyoung, so you'll look out for him, won't you?"
"Hi!" Wooyoung says. "I'm Wooyoung and I'll look out for you. Want to play on the slide?"
Wooyoung offers out his hand, because maybe Jongho needs to be shown the way, or maybe he would wobble when he walked if not; if he's younger than Wooyoung he's practically a baby. Jongho takes it, and it's not even sticky like most babies' hands! Jongho smiles. He's nice. He's a bit slow climbing the steps to the side, but thats okay, Wooyoung can be patient.
"I'm five!" Jongho tells him. Wooyoung gives him a smiles.
"I'm seven - next week!" He tells Jongho. That's impressive, and that's why Jongho looks at him with big eyes. "I don't mind playing with you though," Wooyoung adds, because he's a nice boy. He even lets Jongho go down the slide first! And then the next time he climbs up the climbing wall, and Jongho is pretty good at it for a baby! He holds on well and he pulls himself up - he's strong!
"Can you do the hanging bars?" Wooyoung asks. There are really high ones for bigger kids, but lower one that he can help Jongho with. So he wraps his arms around Jongho's waist and lifts him up, up, up until he is holding the bars. "Can I let go?" he asks. Jongho says yes so Wooyoung does. Jongho just hangs for a bit like he doesn't know what to do so Wooyoung giggles - he looks funny!
"Jjongie, you have to let go with one hand and reach out to the next bar!" Wooyoung says. Jongho scrunches up his face and lets go with one hand, and-
He does it! And once he has done the first one he gets how to do it, and he goes from one end to the other as Wooyoung claps for him. Jjongie is really good for a baby! Wooyoung knows daddy and Mr Kang have been watching because they were clapping and cheering Jjongie on, but after Jongho climbs down from the bars and is deciding what he wants to do next (Wooyoung has to let Jongho decide sometimes, that's kind after all) Wooyoung looks over to see if daddy and Mr Kang want to come and play too.
When Wooyoung looks he sees daddy offering Mr Kang something from their picnic with his chopsticks, and Mr Kang is leaning in while daddy holds a hand under his chin - that's to make sure if any of the food falls it doesn't go all over Mr Kang's clothes, daddy does that all the time.
Mr Kang is all pink, and they keep staring at each other and not looking away, and daddy is smiling. Then he brushes his thumb over Mr Kang's lips, to wipe away the sauce that got on them obviously, and then they are leaning even closer to each other than they already are, and-
Wooyoung turns around at the sound of a big THUMP, and Jongho is on the ground, right off the end of the slide, he went back on the slide but he went so fast he slid right onto the ground! He starts to cry, really loudly, so Wooyoung has to shout, "Daddy! Mr Kang! Jjongie fell off the slide!" and hold Jongho's hand and pat it and say, "you'll be okay, Jjongie," until daddy and Mr Kang come running over to help.
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5. Sick Day [January]
One day Wooyoung wakes up with a stuffed up nose, and his head hurts, and his eyes even hurt, and he doesn't want to move. Daddy asks him to get up for school, and usually Wooyoung shouts out, "no!", but he's only joking! Because when he says no daddy comes and does wake-up tickles with him.
But this time he really doesn't want wake-up tickles because he thinks they will hurt too, so he doesn't say anything. If he pretends to be asleep maybe daddy will just leave him alone.
But daddy doesn't, because daddy thinks he's going to take Wooyoung to school as normal. Wooyoung really doesn't want to go, and he's not making it up.
"Youngie?" Daddy asks. "You awake?" He sits down on the bed next to Wooyoung. "You usually yell when I tell you it's time to get up."
"Dabby, I hurt," Wooyoung says, and his voice sounds funny. Daddy puts a hand on his head and that feels really nice, really cool. Wooyoung hums happily.
"You're burning up, pumpkin," daddy says. "No school today, you're sick. I'll see if Uncle Yunho can come and stay with you this afternoon while I'm working."
Daddy also does his Cleaner job in a place called a hotel. He goes there after he takes Wooyoung to school. He's always home before Wooyoung finishes school though. Wooyoung is sad that daddy won't be around while he's feeling sick, but he ends up asleep on the couch before Uncle Yunho even gets there. He was in the middle of watching Disney.
When he does wake up Uncle Yunho is with him, and he's really nice. He's happy to see Wooyoung, even though he's sneezy and snotty. Uncle Yunho gives him more medicine, and rubs his back and even runs him a bath, and Wooyoung does feel better with the steam going up his nose and down his throat, and in clean pyjamas afterwards; they're Iron Man. Uncle Yunho is actually really good at Iron Man impressions!
He stays even after daddy gets home, and then Uncle Mingi comes over too and they all have dinner together, although Wooyoung can't eat very well because when he closes his mouth to chew he can't breathe. Daddy and his uncles are really nice about it though, even when Wooyoung sneezes and sprays rice all across the table. Uncle Mingi laughs a lot. Maybe because Wooyoung also got snot across the table.
Yeah, that's definitely why Uncle Mingi laughs so hard he falls out of his chair.
Wooyoung feels like he's the one who fell out of his chair after dinner; he's so tired and everything aches! Daddy tucks him back under his blanket on the couch with another movie, this time a Ghibli one.
"Hey Wooyoungie," daddy is speaking quietly and Wooyoung realises he must've fallen asleep again. "Mr Kang is here, he brought you something because you've been feeling sick today. Is it okay for him to come and see you?"
"Mr Kang is here?" Mr Kang has never been to Wooyoung's house without Wooyoung inviting him before! And that was only once.
"Yeah," daddy says. "He knows you've been really sick today so he wanted to come and make sure you were alright."
"Hi Wooyoung," Mr Kang says. "I brought you some sweeties for when you're feeling better." Wooyoung looks at them hopefully. Mr Kang looks over at daddy. "But maybe one now will help Wooyoung feel better sooner?"
"Go on then," daddy smiles. Mr Kang picks a sweetie out for Wooyoung, who sneaks his hand out from under the cover to take it. He's trying to work out what flavour it is when daddy says, "can we put the movie you were watching back on? And Mr Kang could stay and watch with us?"
"Yes please," Wooyoung says, and yawns. Daddy gets the TV remote and then sits so that Wooyoung's legs are in his lap. Mr Kang sits next to daddy on the other side, and he even reaches out to tweak one of Wooyoung's toes through his blanket, which makes him smile, but he's too tired to laugh.
Wooyoung thinks all he's done most of the day is sleep. He doesn't even know what happened when he wakes up again and he's not even on the couch anymore. Daddy must've carried him to bed.
"Daddy," he croaks. His clock says nine and that's not daddy's bedtime yet so he must still be awake. Daddy peeks in around his door.
"Hi pumpkin," daddy says, "you need a drink of water?"
He already has one in his hand. It's nice and cool down Wooyoung's throat.
"I think you're going to have to have tomorrow off school too," daddy says. "I'll tell Mr Kang."
"Mr Kang still here?" Wooyoung asks.
"Um, yeah," daddy says. That's good; daddy and Mr Kang have been spending time together as friends, and Wooyoung didn't even have to help! He wouldn't have known how to today, his brain hurts so much he couldn't have planned anything.
"Hey Wooyoung," Mr Kang shows up in Wooyoung's doorway too. "I hope it's okay that I stayed to watch the movie with your dad. Did you pick that one? It's really good."
"I like the magic," Wooyoung says and yawns again.
"You think you can brush your teeth before you go back to sleep?" Daddy asks. "It'll make your throat feel better."
"I should go," Mr Kang says.
"...Unless Wooyoung would like you to read him a bedtime story," daddy suggests. Wooyoung didn't know he could ask that, but Mr Kang does all the voices when he reads to them at school so he says yes. That'll make him feel better!
When daddy scoots Wooyoung back to bed Mr Kang has picked out three books for Wooyoung to choose from. He picks the story about magic; he thinks Mr Kang picked it on purpose because he said he liked the magic in the Ghibli movie.
Daddy sits on the other side of Wooyoung's bed and holds his hand while Mr Kang reads to him. Wooyoung doesn't fall asleep before the end of the story, which is cool, but it's also sad because he has to say goodnight to Mr Kang.
"Will you come visit me again while I'm sick?" Wooyoung says. "Like tomorrow?"
"That would be okay with you?" Mr Kang asks. Wooyoung nods. "Well I'd like that. I would like to come round anytime you'd like." He smiles at daddy and says, "and anytime you'd like too."
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+1: Daddy and Mr Kang's Sleepover [February]
Mr Kang comes over at least once a week for dinner now, and Wooyoung likes having him around. Mr Kang and daddy have a lot of fun together, and they play games with Wooyoung and then read to him together before bed. They are a good team!
Daddy talks about Mr Kang a lot. He's always asking Wooyoung if he's happy for Mr Kang to come to their house, and Wooyoung really likes it and he always tells daddy that. Daddy also said it might be nice to go to Mr Kang's house sometime, and Wooyoung thinks that would be cool. He wonders what Mr Kang's house looks like. Will he have cool toys for Wooyoung to play with? And movies Wooyoung hasn't seen before?
"And what if maybe we did a sleepover with Mr Kang?" Daddy asks one day. "He could stay with us the whole night and then be here for breakfast!"
"What kind of breakfast?" Wooyoung asks, and daddy laughs.
"Whatever kind you feel like," he says. "I was hoping you'd focus on the 'Mr Kang sleeping over' bit a bit more. Is that okay? For Mr Kang to sleep over?"
"Is he going to sleep on the couch?" Wooyoung asks. That's where his uncles sleep if they ever need to sleep over. Sometimes they are a thing called 'drunk' and they're not allowed to drive a car if they are drunk, it's a LAW. If you break laws the police take you away, and Wooyoung cried when he thought the police might take one of his uncles away so they have all promised him they will never break LAWS.
"He might," daddy says. "Or… He might sleep in my room with me for the sleepover. Do you think that would be alright?"
"Daddy and Mr Kang's sleepover," Wooyoung says. "Okay."
"You wouldn't mind if Mr Kang and daddy had a sleepover?"
"No."
"You wouldn't mind if Mr Kang and daddy had sleepovers regularly?"
"No," Wooyoung says. "I wanted daddy to be friends with Mr Kang! I like that you are friends."
"I like Mr Kang a lot," daddy says. "Maybe I like Mr Kang as more than friends."
Wooyoung blinks. He's not quite sure what daddy means by that, but he's gone into the kitchen already so Wooyoung will ask later.
It makes sense to ask at dinner, when daddy and Mr Kang are both right there.
"Mr Kang," he says, "do you like daddy as more than friends?"
Mr Kang stops moving when he has his food midway to his mouth and it looks really silly. Wooyoung puts a hand over his mouth to hide his giggles. Then Mr Kang looks at daddy, like daddy is going to answer for him! Well, Wooyoung can help there.
"Daddy told me he likes you as more than friends, Mr Kang," Wooyoung says helpfully. Mr Kang just puts his chopsticks down entirely. He's smiling now too.
"Oh, did he?" He asks, but he's looking at daddy, not Wooyoung.
"He did," daddy says. "He thought it was time Wooyoung knew that Mr Kang has become an important person in his life."
"Your daddy is an important person in my life too, Wooyoung," Mr Kang says, and this time he's looking at Wooyoung but now it feels like he's not quite speaking to Wooyoung. "We like each other a lot, more than friends. Do you know what that means?"
Wooyoung shakes his head.
"It means we want to…" Mr Kang puts a hand up to hide his mouth from daddy and whispers to Wooyoung, "kiss!"
"Ewww!" Wooyoung yells, but he doesn't mean it. It's funny! Everyone laughs.
"Ew?" Daddy says. "Kissing me is not ew!"
"I'll give you a kiss daddy," Wooyoung says, hopping out of his chair to kiss daddy on the cheek. "Not ew."
"Thank you," daddy says. "Now, when two grown ups kiss it's on the lips. Mr Kang and I want to do that. And spend more time together, with you too. Maybe one day we could even all be a family together."
"Uncle Mr Kang?" Wooyoung asks. Daddy laughs.
"No," daddy says. "Wooyoung, daddy, and daddy's boyfriend. And you can't call daddy's boyfriend 'Mr Kang'."
"You know, soon you're not going to be in my class anymore," Mr Kang says. "how do you feel about maybe calling me... hyung?"
That sounds okay to Wooyoung, so he tries it out.
"Hyung," he says. "Hyung, can I please have some?" He points to the bowl in the middle of the table.
"Sure Wooyoung," hyung says, and lifts some onto Wooyoung's plate.
"Sounds okay, right?" Wooyoung nods. But there's something else.
"So," Wooyoung says. "I will call Mr Kang hyung. Can I call him daddy's boyfriend to other people?"
Daddy and Mr Ka- hyung look at each other.
"I'd like that," hyung says. "I'd really like that, Wooyoungie."
BONUS:
Meeting Wooyoung's Teacher [April]
"Oh my god, we've run out of time. I completely forgot to tell you how Wooyoung is getting on in class!"
"I mean, I can assume really well? You wouldn't have forgotten to tell me if it was bad."
"Yeah, yeah. But I really should give you more details, I promise I am actually good at my job."
"I trust you; Wooyoung adores you. And my first impression of you hasn't been bad either."
"Perhaps we can arrange another meeting, then?"
"My number is in Wooyoung's file... Text me."
-
The School Trip [July]
"I know you're busy, but I have a way we could see one another…"
"What's that?"
"You think you could get a day off work to be a parent volunteer? The kids' museum trip is coming up. We do encourage the parents to come on at least one trip per school year."
"Helping to chaperone my son's class trip; is that really going to be our first date?"
"The Children's museum is really distracting, I promise we'll have plenty of time to hang out together."
-
"I am so sorry Wooyoung brought up my…"
"Ex?"
"Well, we weren't really in a relationship."
"Fuckbuddy?"
"I was going to say 'friend with benefits'."
"Look, it's in the past, why would it matter?"
"Because Hongjoong and I are still friends?"
"...Without the benefits, right?"
"Of course!"
"Then it doesn't affect us."
"There's an 'us'?"
"I sure hope so."
-
"Lost" in the Supermarket [September]
"Hwa, I can hear you worrying through the phone."
"I just don't want you to think I'm a bad parent."
"I don't-"
"No, I mean, Wooyoung knows the supermarket like the back of his hand! I'm certain he didn't actually get lost."
"What are you saying then?"
"I think he pretended as an excuse to get you to come over… and see me?"
"Hwa, are you saying your son is trying to set us up?"
"Well, when you say it like that it sounds crazy!"
"At least it scored me a dinner date with you."
"Wooyoung's acceptance of this is really important to me, I'm sorry we're taking it so slow."
"Don't be; the kiss goodnight was worth the wait."
-
Picnic in the Park [November]
"So?"
"So. you may be right."
"How on earth would he have known we would be at the same park?"
"You didn't mention it in front of him when we were arranging to meet?"
"Yeosang, of course not."
"I can't believe our second kiss was interrupted by a crying kid."
"Let's just hope it doesn't become a habit."
"The kissing?"
"Oh no, I hope that definitely becomes a habit."
-
Wooyoung's Sick Day [January]
"That went really well. Where he's sick I wasn't sure if he'd just be really fussy and disagreeable and not want you here."
"But it turns out he wants me to come over tomorrow too. I'm very popular in this household."
"It's such a great step, I'm feeling really reassured about us telling Wooyoung."
"What do you want to say to him?"
"I don't know yet really. I haven't had a relationship that he can ever remember."
"But two of your friends are together, he knows what couples are. We've talked about that sort of thing in class."
"Yeah, but this is different. What if he gets jealous because I'm spending time with you?"
"You've been asking him every step of the way if it's okay, I think it'll be fine. I get why you're worrying, but Wooyoung is a sweet kid. He just wants you to be happy."
-
Attempting a Sleepover [February]
"It's just us."
"Yeah."
"Wooyoung is finally asleep."
"Underestimated how excited he'd be about our 'sleepover', didn't we?"
"Shush, he doesn't need to know what we're doing now."
"I thought you wanted to wait for that until you could get one of your friends to take him overnight?"
"Not that! ...But we can do other things. Touching things."
"You wanna touch my thing?"
"Only if you'll touch mine."
"It's a deal."
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