Dark to Baby: A Changjin Story

Chapter 14

Hyunjin crept into his house, almost tripping on the box of shoes they had failed to unpack over the past week.

Since when does his mother come home early from work? And on a Tuesday!

Hyunjin kicked off his shoes and ambled through the dining room, absently glancing at the three place settings on the table.

Wait, three?

"Hey, Honey! How was school?" His mother came out of the kitchen carrying a large pot and placed it in the center of the table on top of a pot holder.

Hyunjin gave her a generic reply as he contemplated the extra plate and his mother's physical appearance.

Gone was her usual serious face and instead she glowed. A youthful smile played on her lips and a slight bounce characterized her step as she arranged the utensils on the table. Her dress barely passed her mid-thigh, the deep purple fabric wrapping around her waist and cinched in a tight bow. She had topped off the look with a few silver bracelets on her right wrist and a delicate chain around her neck that Hyunjin had never seen before.

It was obvious that she was avoiding the real topic as she mindlessly asked Hyunjin about all things school related. Hyunjin wanted to appreciate it, since he hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her during his first week, but the current situation was too distracting.

Was her hair that important? Hyunjin asked himself after she fixed it for the millionth time.

After a few minutes of meaningless talk, his mother's smile went from soft to anxious.

"Um, so, Honey, I have something to t-" Her statement was cut off by a hard knock on the front door. She exhaled and looked uncertainly at the door before sending Hyunjin a quick smile and speed-walking so their guest did not wait.

The creak of the door muffled the breathless exchange of 'hey's, but didn't quite hide the sound of two people pulling away from a kiss.

"Not now, my son can hear us!" Hyunjin's mother giggled out as the door closed.

"He's here? I thought we had the place to ourselves?"

"I told you we were having dinner together so you could meet him!"

"Mm, I guess I forgot," the voice mumbled almost too softly for Hyunjin to hear.

"As if!" Hyunjin's mother walked briskly into the dining room with a man hot on her heels. The man's hand chased her waist, but he abruptly slid it into his pants pocket at the sight of Hyunjin.

Having heard everything, Hyunjin had an idea of who the man was but he stood up politely anyway and waited to be introduced.

"Um, Baby? I was trying to tell you before, but I have a new boyfriend and I wanted you to meet him," she stepped to the side, giving Hyunjin a full view of the newcomer, "his name is Taehyuk. He's an executive at my company. Love, this is my son, Hyunjin."

"Nice to meet you, Hyunjin." The man smiled, creating small creases around his eyes, and offered his hand to Hyunjin. The boy stared at the hand for an awkward second before cautiously taking it.

"Oh this is so exciting! I've been waiting for ages for you two to meet!"

For ages? How long has this been going on?

"Anyways, food is ready, so let's eat and get to know each other, shall we?" Hyunjin pulled his hand away and nodded, shuffling towards his normal seat at the table.

"Have you not told him yet?"

"Let him get used to you first, okay?"

Hyunjin's eyes flitted around the whispering couple before landing on his mother's left hand. Blinking a few times, he turned around and lifted the lid of the pot on the table, releasing the savory aroma of the food inside.