welcome home, yoonbum [k.s. au]

chapter five

That night, Bum stared at the ceiling of his new bedroom. Jieun was fast asleep; her little snore could be heard from across the room. Every now and then a car would pass the house causing headlights to fill the corner of the room. Maybe that's what kept Bum wide awake. Why can't I sleep? Why do I feel weird? He thought as he sighed and rolled over to face the wall. Maybe it was Jieun's snore or the light in the room that flashed by every ten minutes or maybe it was the muffled crying coming from the other room. Wait, what? Bum sat up and adjusted his hearing to focus on the whimper. He silently got out of bed and moved toward the door. His ear hovered at the door.

"Don't screw this up..." Sangwoo? Bum's pounding heart began to impair his hearing. Why is dad crying? Isn't he happy that we joined his family? Bum looked over at Jieun. She slept so peacefully, not a worry in her head about their new dad. Sangwoo had shown some interesting sides of himself that Bum wasn't too sure about.

Bum decided to investigate the crying. He slowly turned the knob until he felt the release of the latch from the wall and carefully widened the door just enough for his skinny body to slip through. The door suddenly creaked. Bum halted in panic. Please don't...! He waited for Sangwoo to appear from his bedroom. Their bedroom was right next door to his. His vision blurred as he stared at Sangwoo's door.

"Don't, don't, don't..." Sangwoo's voice followed by a pounding noise continued to slip under the crack in the door. A small breath finally released itself from Bum's mouth. He moved around his door and stepped closer to Sangwoo's. Now the words were clearer. Now the words were shakier. Now the cries were definite.

"Don't get any ideas, S-Sangwoo, don't do it. D-don't mess this up again. You c-can't af-ford it. Don't..." His voice cracked into a whimper and Bum could tell his face was in his hands. What does this mean? Don't do what? Can't afford what? Don't mess what up? Again? Bum backed up and tried to make sense of the situation. He tried to connect what Sangwoo was saying to current events. Nothing seemed too odd or out of place-- Wait... Bum froze. His breath stuck in the back of his throat.

The shoes.

A shiver went down Bum's spine as he tried to move, but couldn't. He tried to blink some sense into what he was thinking. Is this not Sangwoo's first adoption? What happened to the last kids? What did Sangwoo-?

The door creaked open to reveal Sangwoo. His face went from shocked to happy in a matter of seconds.

"B-bum! What are you doing up? Do you have any idea what time it is?" He whispered with a smile. Bum's body quivered. What do I say?

"I-I had to use the bathroom..." Nice save. Sangwoo's smile left his face gradually.

"You, uh, didn't hear me, did you?" Bum shook his head like his life depended on it.

"No! Not at all!" Bum tried to move to the bathroom, but Sangwoo's hand connected with Bum's shoulder gently.

"Bum..." Oh no, I'm caught!

"I love you." Sangwoo's voice felt like honey in Bum's ears. Those words. Bum's eyes widened. I've never heard those words... Sangwoo pulled Bum into a tight hug. Bum's face was buried into his chest. Sangwoo's hand cupped the back of Bum's head. It felt nice. Bum's fears went away. This feels....warm....

"Isn't that what dads are supposed to say?" His voice was shaky and sad. Bum didn't know, he never had a dad. All Bum knew was he should hug him back. He closed his eyes and inhaled the moment with Sangwoo. His scent was so fresh and comfortable. He smelled like a field of flowers. Sangwoo let out a quiet sniffle and reached up to wipe his face.