Ba Reum had put up with a lot of things in his childhood. The abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother and stepfather had formed his whole character and even after they had died when he was a young teen, it still haunted him.
Living with his aunt seemed like a blessing at first, released from the endless pressure of his parents, knowing that whatever he did, it would never been good enough.
And with his now guardian, it had been better, that was until she started to notice that he wouldn't be a base or a caregiver, but a little and the disappointment and disgust she felt about that was clearly portrayed.
It was something that destroyed Ba Reum's confidence, and made him realise his family was right when they said he was a nuisance and a bother.
But even though his aunt showed her dislike for his designation, living with her was still better than having no-on, or so Ba Reum thought. He clung to the thought of family, still trying to get her approval and hiding everything about him that revealed he was a little in the hope to earn her love.
The hardest part was to hide the fact that he was incontinent, but his watch helped with that. It was the only fancy thing she had ever bought him, and with regular alarms he kept dry enough to pretend.
He did have to learn to do his own laundry, because his aunt had refused to touch his. It was a good thing though, seeing his underwear often ended up slightly wet, and it would just serve as a reminder that he was a little.
Doing the laundry was something that didn't bother him. It was a good task, just like cleaning the house. It kept everything neat and ordered, and it soothed Ba Reum when everything was neat and ordered and had a clear place.
Just like he had his clear place, keeping as much as he could out of his aunt's way, and pretending to never have heard the phone calls to ask if she just couldn't leave him already.
He just smiled in public, glad to have Chi Kook and Dong Koo near him, and wondering if they would look at him with the same disgust as his aunt if they discovered he was a little, something he would desperately try to keep for himself.
"Hey, Ba Reum, happy birthday," Chi Kook said when he saw his friend at school, and earning himself a bright smile in return.
"Thank you," Ba Reum said shyly while Chi Kook slung his arm around his friend's shoulder, "finally 18, allowed to vote and all,"
"Typically you to think about the responsible things," Dong Koo said, appearing on his other side, "I was thinking booze,"
"Of course you were," Chi Kook said, grinning, "but you're still 17,"
"Soon enough I'll be an adult too," Dong Koo said, making Ba Reum smile at him.
"Yeah right," Chi kook said in the background, earning himself a glare from Dong Koo and a laugh from Ba Reum.
"I don't feel any different though," Ba Reum confessed, making his friends laugh.
"I think you're the most adult from all of us," Chi Kook said, "how about we do something tonight? It's Friday anyway, so we don't have to get up tomorrow,"
"I got my weekend work," Ba Reum said, referring to the job he needed to get because his aunt said she was done with paying all his food and clothes, and he wasn't allowed to get to his inheritance until he was eighteen.
"After? Or before?" Chi Kook asked, never having like the fact that Ba Reum needed to work from his family, but understanding that not everyone was well off enough to have the luxury of just being a kid and nothing more.
"I got the late shift, so perhaps we could do something fun in the morning," Ba Reum suggested, glad that his friends proposed it, "if it isn't too much a bother,"
"No, it isn't at all. We'll do breakfast. Do you want to do it at your place? Or perhaps I can ask my mum to prepare something special," Chi Kook said, seeing Ba Reum perk up with that suggestion.
Chi Kook had long ago noticed that his friend preferred going to his house, and both him and Dong Koo had noticed that the relationship with his aunt was rather strained whenever they went over.
Ba Reum never said anything, but Chi Kook tried to get Ba Reum over to his place as often as possible because of that. It was probably his caregiver side, but he liked to make sure his friends were happy.
"You don't have to bother her," Ba Reum said, deflating a little, not wanting to make the woman get up and do work just because of him. It made him feel as if he was taking advantage, and he didn't want the woman starting to resent him.
Before he knew it, she might tell Chi Kook to never invite him anymore, and that was the last thing that Ba Reum wanted.
"No, she loves it," Chi Kook said with a grin, "she likes having people over,"
"Yes, and she cooks wonderfully," Dong Koo said, having been raised by his single dad, and practically only eating microwaveable food. The man did try, but he was a disaster in the kitchen.
"I'll arrange it," Chi Kook said with a grin, sending a text to his mom on his phone before hiding it in his backpack, not wanting a teacher to take it away.
Ba Reum was pleased when the man affirmed the appointment with his mom when it was their lunch. Trying to contain himself, Ba Reum couldn't help but like that his birthday would be celebrated tomorrow at least.
At least the day would feel a bit like a special day, seeing as his aunt never did anything special for him, and Ba Reum's parents had always ignored it as well.
It had been embarrassing when he had been a young child, that he only found out which day his birthday was when the school teacher announced in the class.
The woman had been so surprised when Ba Reum hadn't known it and she had shown some concern. But his parents had played it off as if he was just too dumb to remember the date. Ba Reum still remembered the night he had spent sleeping in the hallway closet, both of them telling him how stupid he was, and that there was nothing special about that day.
The paper crown he had gotten from school had been ripped in pieced and thrown in the garbage, and Ba Reum had been the most sad about that part at that age.
But now it felt nice to know that Chi Kook's mom was going to do something special for him, and he was certainly looking forward to it. During the walk home, Ba Reum couldn't help but smile, wondering if there was going to be cake. But then he calmed himself down a little.
He shouldn't expect cake. It was already fun that people were going out of their way to celebrate his birthday. He shouldn't wish more than that.
But it was his birthday, and Ba Reum smiled to himself when he walked home, feeling in his pocket for the loose change he had in there, just enough for a treat. Normally, he had to give all the money he earned to his aunt, so she could buy groceries for them and he never kept anything for himself.
But these coins , he had found lying on the street every so often and during the past few months he had been saving them up, and he was more than pleased that the would be enough to get himself an ice cream at the park.
He did feel as if he was being selfish by using it on something like that, but it *was* his birthday, so it should be okay. Trying to ignore the guilt, he made detour before going home, glad that the weather was nice and warm.
Quickly tucking in a stray shoelace, he didn't bother with tying it, feeling a bit too fiddly for it at the moment, too much looking forward to something as rare as a treat, even though he hadn't done anything exceptional to earn it.
Almost feeling nervous, he joined the small queue to the ice cream seller, checking the price of a scoop of ice cream and taking out his money and then it was finally his turn.
"Can I have just a scoop of vanilla, please," Ba Reum said, the man nodding.
"Sure thing. You want a cone?" the man asked.
"Yes please," Ba Reum answered, trying to not sound too eager. He was feeling a little headspacey right now, the pleasure of having an ice cream making him just happy enough to slip.
For once, he allowed himself to embrace the fuzzy feeling, but not too deep. Just enough to feel the extra joy of a treat, but not enough that people around him would notice.
Eagerly he handed over his coins when the man handed him the cone. Stepping aside for the next person, he licked it gently, happy when the sweet taste entered his mouth.
Trying to hold in a giggle, he walked further through the park, licking the cone and looking at the people. Stepping aside for a running couple, he hadn't noticed that his lace had gotten out of his shoe again.
Stepping on it, Ba Reum tripped himself over, falling half to the ground and half to a man sitting on a bench looking at his phone. The ice cream in his hand smeared across the bottom leg of his suit, before falling into some grassy gravel, and Ba Reum could only feel horror about what he had done.
Hyuk was more than happy to step out of the office for a few moments, taking in some fresh air at the park. The meetings had run out today, and he only managed to take his noon break now. The warm weather was nice though and he walked to the nearby park to enjoy it.
Taking out his phone, he went through several pictures Tae Il had send him from some new equipment he had bought for the gym, and Hyuk send his approval.
He had told Tae Il that he didn't have to run it past him every time, but the man felt it necessary seeing that Hyuk paid for a big part of his gym. It didn't matter that he told his friend that it was a gift, and that it was selfish as well because he liked somewhere friendly to work out at, Tae Il kept involving him in the decisions.
But it was a nice gym, and even though a lot of the people gawk at him because he was so big and muscled, he was sure that if they made a problem that Tae Il would just throw them out.
Another picture was sent, and Hyuk gave sigh, looking at it in scrutiny again, wanting to give his honest opinion, when suddenly someone fell against him. The cold of the ice cream the young man had been holding went through his pants and the half melted vanilla left a big white smear on them, but Hyuk didn't pay attention to it.
"Are you okay?" Hyuk asked worriedly, getting up and looking at the man who was lying on the gravel, a sniffle sounding for a moment, before he pushed himself to his knees.
"I'm sorry," Ba Reum said, trying to hold back a sob and trying to look at the man he had fallen against, "oh no, your pants is dirty!"
Ba Reum looked at the big man, standing in front of him, the suit he was wearing looked expensive, and he had managed to ruin it. Ba Reumm swallowed, knowing that the man would be rightfully pissed at him.
Ba Reum winced when he tried to move up, the gravel digging in his knees, where he was sure a bruise was forming, but looked up at the man.
Surprised he couldn't help but stare at just how big he was, and the frown on his face made Ba Reum feel scared. A small drizzle of pee escaped him for a moment, but he couldn't even pay any attention to it, vaguely hoping it wouldn't be visible.
"It's okay," Hyuk said, not caring about his dirtied pants, instead, he bended over to look the younger man in the face, "did you get hurt?"
The young man stared at him, blinking as if the question wasn't coming through, and with a small sigh, Hyuk hooked his hands underneath the armpits and lifted him on the bench. The wide-eyed stare wasn't uncommon to Hyuk, and he long ago learned to not take offence to it.
"Here, let me see," Hyuk said, swiftly changing position to kneeling on one knee in front of the bench, taking in the scrape on the hand. He took out his handkerchief and dabbed it gently.
"Ouch," Ba Reum couldn't help but say, before trying to collect himself and pulling his hand back slightly, "you don't have to do that sir, I'm okay,"
"You're bleeding," Hyuk said, looking slightly concerned.
"It's okay," Ba Reum answered, taking back his hand and pulling his sleeve slightly down, "just a scrape, it'll stop soon. Thank you for your concern, sir,"
"You sure you don't want to check it out now?" the big man said, and Ba Reum shook his head, surprised at the obvious concern. It was weird that this stranger would care more about a wound like this than his family had ever done.
"I'm sure, sir. Uhm, about your pants, uhm. I don't have any money with me, but I can give you some tomorrow? For drycleaning or something," Ba Reum said, hoping that his aunt would give him some money if he explained the situation. He would need to leave out the ice cream though.
He could always offer to skip one or two meals for a couple of days in case she protested. Most of the time she didn't mind handing him the money then if he needed it, if only to avoid any scrutiny to how she treated him.
"No, it's fine," Hyuk said, getting up, and Ba Reum stood up himself, suddenly feeling extremely small, "where is your ice cream?"
Flushing, he wrung his hands, before suddenly bending down and picking up his cone. The ice cream was dirty now, and had managed to melt a bit as well. The cone had a piece broken off and Ba Reum looked at it mournfully for a moment, before fixing his face.
"Best throw this away. No use littering," Ba Reum said, plastering a smile on his face again, "I'm sorry about this again, sir,"
"It's okay," Hyuk said, shifting awkwardly, "the ice cream car is still here, why don't you get a new one?"
"Oh, no, that's fine," Ba Reum answered, flushing again. He didn't want to admit that he only had money for the one scoop. The man might just think he was trying to take advantage of the situation or something.
"Why not? You barely had touched that one," Hyuk said, frowning now. A part of him realised that he was probably taking too much interest in it, but his caregiver instincts were going haywire for some reason.
It had been a long day at work already, and now being confronted with someone who obviously got hurt and lost his ice cream, made Hyuk not want to step away.
"Oh, it's fine," Ba Reum edged, the flush traveling to his neck, "I already wasted one,"
Hyuk stared at the man, thinking the explanation was just silly and wrong. For a moment, he stood still, and then remembered how he had said he had no money for drycleaning. Taking in the young man, Hyuk thought the clothes looked a bit threadbare, and his backpack was on the older side.
A sad smile appeared on his face when he realised that not everyone had the luxury of having money enough to buy multiple treats.
"Here, I'll buy you one," Hyuk said, and before Ba Reum could protest, the big man was off.
His eyes widening, Ba Reum hurried behind him, wanting to stop the man, but he had been taken by surprise. The shoelace, which was still undone, made him trip again and by the time he gained on the man, the order was already given.
"Two scoops of vanilla on cone," Hyuk ordered, seeing the man behind him, his eyes wide and looking on the verge of protesting, but the ice cream guy had already started to scoop.
Smiling, Hyuk paid the money and turned around, presenting the cone to the smaller man, who looked at him with a mild form of panic.
"You should keep it," Ba Reum said, knowing it would be more than rude to accept it. He had caused his own ice cream to fall, and he certainly didn't deserve a new one. Hell, he barely even deserved the first one. And this one had two scoops. It was positively gigantic.
"I ate too big of a lunch already," Hyuk said, pressing the cone in his hands, and Ba Reum reflectively closed his hands around it, looking at it in surprise.
Frozen, he could only stare at it and then he felt the man softly pushing him back to the bench and pressed him down until he sat.
"Let's get this lace closed, before you fall again," the big man said, and took Ba Reum's foot against his upper thigh, taking the lace in his hands and making a knot, "you should eat it before it melts. Don't want it to go to waste,"
"Oh, okay," Ba Reum said, feeling a little fuzzier. He started to eat the ice cream cone, noticing that it had indeed been melting already. He felt a bit embarrassed when the man just went to sit next to him, smiling.
"Is it good?" Hyuk asked, glad that he was finally eating his ice cream.
"Yes, it's wonderful," Ba Reum said, still feeling embarrassed, "thank you for buying it. You know, I can pay you back soon. I can pass here very school day,"
"No, that's not necessary," Hyuk said, "so, a high school student? The free student life, no adult responsibilities yet,"
"I'm still in high school, but I just turned eighteen today, so the adult responsibilities will start," Ba Reum said with a small shy smile.
"Oh, today's your birthday," Hyuk said, smiling down at him, "happy birthday,"
"Thank you," Ba Reum said, flushing again and feeling pleased to receive a happy birthday. He turned a little towards the big man, somehow feeling comfortable with him. The fuzziness of his mind was still strong, and it didn't seem to want to dissipate for some reason, "I'm going over to my friend's home to celebrate tomorrow,"
"That's wonderful," Hyuk said, groaning when his phone went, "just a moment, need to get this,"
Hyuk answered his cell, standing a little away from the bench in case it was about a sensitive topic, and like suspected, he was needed to go back to the station. Swearing, Hyuk wondered if there was a possibility to only work half time or something soon, because such meetings and problems for full days were soon going to grow on his nerves.
"I'm afraid I have to go. Enjoy your ice cream, and hopefully you'll get lots of nice gifts," Hyuk said, patting the man on the hand, before he even realized how inappropriate it was.
"I will, thank you," Ba Reum said, "thank you so much for getting me an ice cream,"
"You're welcome. Perhaps I'll see you again," Hyuk said, waving while he hurried away, vaguely wondering if the man was a little or just a base who seemed rather young.
Not that it mattered. At just eighteen years of age, he was probably taken care of his by his family. Not that Hyuk was that much older, but the few years did make a big difference at their age.
Looking back one more time, he smiled at the seated man, who slowly finished his ice cream, glad that he was enjoying the treat on his birthday, and glad that he had bought a new one for him.