APPA

16

'Do we know each other? You look familiar...

Hoseok gripped the handle to steady himself, tears streaming down. Others thought it was because of Jungkook, but whom should he tell? The man standing in front seemed like a stranger is husband, father of his child...

'Are you okay?' his sister asked. 'Do you see that brat? How much he is suffering because of you,' she said, looking at Jungkook.

'Momma,' Jungkook went near him. 'I am sorry. Sorry, momma. If you are angry, slap me,' he said, widening his hands. 'Slap me, momma.' Hoseok knelt down in front of him. 'Kooki, I am sorry. I am sorry. Momma is sorry, baby.' He hugged his son, crying his heart out. His child had found his father. Maybe after this, he could have a happy life. His thoughts went that way. Maybe he didn't want to cry after this.

'Hai, I am Soobin,' he said. 'He is our cousin. Thank you, sir, for helping him.'

'It's not me,' a police officer and his family helped him. 'I just came here to meet my friend, and then we met each other. He is a lovely boy. He came here to meet his father.' Namjoon walked towards Hoseok and knelt down in front of him, the child between them. 'If you tell me who his father is, I will help you find him.' Namjoon tried to smile at the man who was crying.

Hoseok stared at him. 'Did he forget me? I should tell him.' Hoseok stood up from the floor, carrying his child. Joon did the same. 'It's... his father....'

'Joon...' Jin burst open the door. 'Oh, sorry,' he said to the others. 'What are you doing here? Did you forget about the surgery?' he asked while clutching the man's hand. 'Dad is killing me.'

'I am coming... , Kooki.....' He took the child from Hoseok. 'If your mom hurts you, just call me. Do you know my number, right?' Jungkook nodded.

'Jinni, take our picture. This is my new friend, Kooki. Kooki, this is Jinni. I told you I have a small and big baby. This is the small baby.' Joon smiled, and Jungkook also smiled at Jin.

'Joon,' Jin called him. 'Just stand near the window.' He started clicking pictures."

Unnoticed, a shattered soul remained in pieces. His wishes, hopes, and reasons to live were all broken. Despite his firm belief that one day his husband would come for him, he could only lean against the wall, silently watching Jungkook and his Appa.

Joon kissed Jungkook. "Don't forget me. Just come to me when you want, okay?"

Jungkook also kissed his cheeks and bid farewell to them. Namjoon just looked at the man. "Hey, don't hurt the child. What did he do? Just love him, okay? If you hurt my Kooki again, I will take him away from you."

Hoseok simply nodded.

"Let's go," Jin and Joon walked outside.

"Let me see that policeman," Soobin walked outside.

"Momma," Jungkook walked towards his mother. Hoseok immediately carried him. "Let's go to our home, Kooki."

"Hmm," Jungkook nodded.

**************

It's 11 pm when they reach home. His sister asks him to stay with them, but Hoseok goes to his own home. Once they reach home, Jungkook puts his new backpack and other things on his bed. He receives many gifts from the Min family and Joon. Jungkook looks at Hoseok, expecting punishment. "Go and freshen up, Jungkook. I will make you dinner." Jungkook obeys his mother, heading to the washroom. He chooses a new dress that Joon bought for him and sits at the table for dinner.

"Momma will feed you, okay?" Hoseok sits beside his child. Jungkook is amazed.

"Hmm, open your mouth." Hoseok starts to feed his little one.

"Come here, Kooki. We can sleep together." Jungkook immediately climbs onto his momma's bed and hugs him. "I love you, ma."

"Love you too, baby. Kooki, listen. You should study well, don't depend on anyone for living, only momma, okay?"

"Oki," Jungkook immediately agrees.

"My Kooki must be good at everything. Do you want violin? Momma will enroll you in a violin class tomorrow, okay?"

"Okiiii," Jungkook shouts with a laugh. "I love you, love you, love you." Jungkook kisses his mom.

"And about your Appa, my Kooki doesn't need Appa because my Kooki has momma. If you want, call me Appa, okay?"

But the boy remains silent.

"Baby, your Appa doesn't want us. He forgot about us. He has another family. If we go to him, he'll hate us. I don't know whether he cheated on me or not, but baby, he doesn't want us anymore." Hoseok bites his lips to prevent himself from crying.

"It's okay, Momma. Kooki and Momma will be happy. Kooki only wants Momma. Momma wants Kooki." He mumbles in a small voice and falls asleep on his mother's chest.

***********

Namjoon wakes up in the middle of the night, sweating abnormally. He looks around, questioning, "What the hell is happening now?" Without making a sound, he walks outside, goes to Jimin's room, where the baby is sleeping peacefully. Joon spends some time there for comfort, then walks back to his room. However, sleep doesn't come to him. He takes Jin's phone, goes to his private room, and uploads pictures of Kooki and him to the PC to start printing the pictures. He takes one photo, murmuring, "I miss you already," as he stares at the pictures. He goes to the next room to grab an album and finds an old camera. "What is this? A camera... An old one." He takes the camera, discovering some rolls in it. "Let's do it," he shrugs his shoulders and walks to the darkroom....

**************

"Who is it this time?" Jackson sighed and walked towards the door.

"Maybe a ghost, thief, kidnappers," Mark said while following his husband.

"Did you invite your family here?" Jackson asked, opening the door. "Joon..."

The man standing at the door was a crying mess. "What happened? Hey..."

"Can you... Can you take me somewhere?" He asked Jackson, struggling to catch his breath.

"What the hell?" Jackson held his friend. "Call Jin."

"No... No... Please come with... now... Otherwise, I will die. Please... please..." He held Jackson's hands and knelt down. "Please..."

"Oh God... What are you?" Jackson said to Namjoon. "Let's go. Mark, go inside."

"Where are you going?" Mark asked in confusion.

"I will calm him. Take the car key and phone," Jackson said. He looked at his friend and felt a pang in his heart. The man looked like a mental patient who had spent years in prison....

Namjoon gazed at photos from his old camera—a boy who seemed like an angel, captured in 50 or sixty pictures. In the last few, the boy slept peacefully on Namjoon's naked chest. Those images were enough for him to comprehend the soulful connection he felt with the little boy. It unveiled why his mother cried so much when seeing them together. Blank spots connected seamlessly, and, finally, Kim Namjoon remembered his hidden past—his first love...