CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP WITH A SODA ON THE SIDE
The three boys are sitting beside each other on the couch and the two adults are sitting beside each other on chairs in front of the boys. It has been quiet for the past couple of minutes with the exception of a few so's and Seokjin asking questions that are unrelated to the topic that he's trying to avoid. Taehyung promised to speak but he has been awfully quiet. He's no help at all.
"You know what?" Seokjin says, experiencing a sudden boost of confidence. "I'm just going to say it."
"Finally," Taeyoung mumbles.
Seokjin clears his throat, takes a deep breath, and speaks. "Mr Kim and I—"
"—are dating," Taehyung says.
Everyone looks at Taehyung with wide eyes and Taehyung gives a small shrug.
"[Kor] Yah! Kim Taehyung, don't lie!" Seokjin rasps.
Taehyung snickers and the boys figure out he was just joking around to lighten the mood.
"Anyway, I can assure you that we are not dating. Absolutely not. Never, ever, ever," Seokjin says, freaking out all over again because he doesn't want to upset Taeyoung.
Taehyung frowns, offended. "What's so bad about dating me?" he asks.
Seokjin dismisses that question with a wave of his hand and looks at his kids. "The truth is, me and Mr Kim—"
"Seriously, what's so bad about dating me?"
"Taehyung, shut up."
Taehyung huffs and leans back in the chair with his arms crossed. The corners of Seokjin's lips threaten to curve upwards into a smile but he holds it back. He loves this playful side of Taehyung especially because it's very rare but this is a serious conversation and the last thing Seokjin needs is Taeyoung thinking he's dating somebody.
"Okay... so... long story short," Seokjin begins and takes a deep breath again before he continues, "I went to Mr Kim's office and I asked him if I can enrol all of you guys at his school and we discussed the fees and I asked him if he can extend the census date for me so that I have more time to settle the fees but he said no and I told him I'll figure something out but then he told me that there's an alternative where I have to work for him and in return he lets you guys study at his school for free and he also helps out with the rent."
The boys are quiet so Seokjin provides some more information.
"A—Anyway, that's not all," Seokjin says. He clears his throat, takes a deep breath, and goes on. "At first I rejected the offer because it's not right but something happened so I changed my mind and said yes and I signed a contract and a confidentiality agreement so I couldn't tell you guys about this earlier. There! I said it." Seokjin finally breathes properly once he gets all of that out.
The boys understand why their dad hid this from them but they're worried because they don't want him to overwork himself just so that he can send them to a good school. They're also quite shocked that their principal offered a deal which includes free education and rent coverage. This deal may have a lot of benefits but is it worth it? And was this solely their dad's decision?
"What made you change your mind, appa?" Taeyoung asks out of curiosity.
Seokjin pretends to seal his lips and throw the key away.
"Appa," Taeyoung whines, desperate to know now.
"That's between me and your appa," Taehyung says, casually sliding an arm around Seokjin's chair. "It's adult business."
"But—"
"No buts," Seokjin says. "I told you what I needed to tell you and before you start assuming things, I just want to let you know that this was my decision and I'm glad I agreed to this job because I can send you three to a good school and I've also made two really good friends."
Hearing this reduces the boys' worries and they feel more relaxed because if their dad can consider his boss a friend, then he must be working in a healthy workplace environment. The fact that Mr Kim is here with their dad proves that they are, in fact, quite close, but Mr Kim's unexpected appearance this morning shows they may be a little closer than they seem. The boys also trust their dad fully and they know he wouldn't be able to keep a secret from them for too long. He has proven to them time and time again that they have no reason to doubt him.
However, Eunho has a confusion by the mention of 'two really good friends'. "Wait, so... Who's the lady that gives us food everyday?" he asks.
"She's—"
"—no one," Taehyung cuts Seokjin off.
Seokjin rolls his eyes. "That's a lie. She's Mr Kim's f—"
"—family friend."
"Yah! Don't talk over me!" Seokjin yells.
Taehyung scowls. "Don't scream in my ear. If I go deaf then it's your fault."
Seokjin wants to say something but he has no argument so he just sticks his tongue out at Taehyung. Taehyung bites his lower lip to hold back a smile but his boxy grin ends up gracing his face. All he can think about is how cute Seokjin is.
Taeyoung giggles. "You guys are cute."
Seokjin's ears turn red and Taehyung blushes slightly. Jaemin and Eunho don't fail to notice this and they smile from ear to ear. Taeyoung's lips suddenly twitch to the side because he's worried that his dad's relationship with Mr Kim will go beyond a friendship. It's not that he doesn't like Mr Kim, but... he's just scared. He doesn't want to lose his dad.
"But you're not allowed to date," Taeyoung says, a serious look on his face.
Of course.
"Anyway, since we're done, why don't you three go back to your game?" Seokjin says to his sons.
Eunho has another realisation by the mention of the board game. "Mr Kim, does that mean you were the one who bought us the board game?" he asks for confirmation.
"Yes. Do you like it?" Taehyung says, a smile on his face.
"Thank you so much, sir! We appreciate it a lot," Jaemin says. He stands up and bows twice because he's so grateful. "We really like it. Thank you so, so much."
Eunho also stands up and bows 90 degrees with respect to express his sincerest gratitude. Taeyoung also does the same even though he wants to yell at Mr Kim for sitting too close to his dad.
"You don't need to call me Mr Kim outside of school. Just call me—I don't know—samchon?" Taehyung suggests, a hint of uncertainty in his tone.
Taehyung feels weird being called 'Mr Kim' since he knows these boys beyond school, and the boys feel weird calling their principal anything other than 'Mr Kim'.
"Or whatever you're comfortable with," Taehyung says by noticing the kids' conflicted expressions.
"Taehyung samchon," Taeyoung says to hear what it sounds like.
"I think it will take some time getting used to," Jaemin says, and gives a small smile.
Taehyung chuckles. "It's okay. Just call me whatever you want to call me."
"Can I call you 'old man'?" Taeyoung asks.
"[Kor] Yah! Kim Taeyoung! Don't say those things to your principal!" Seokjin says, frowning.
"But he said we can call him whatever we want to!" Taeyoung whines.
Taehyung just laughs and Seokjin sighs deeply.
"It's getting late. Pack up and go to bed," Seokjin says to the boys, and gets up.
A slight pout unconsciously forms on Taehyung's face because that's an indication that he should leave. He wants to stay for longer but he understands the kids may have a curfew and Seokjin might also want to get some rest. At least he'll be seeing Seokjin again tomorrow.
The boys and Taehyung wish each other a good night. Seokjin then walks with Taehyung towards the front door. They wait until the boys are occupied before Taehyung speaks.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Taehyung says, and glances at the three kids who're packing up their board game. "Your kids are understanding. You shouldn't worry so much."
Seokjin knows his kids are understanding but there were other things he was worried about. He's glad it's over now, though. He's also glad they're not looking at Taehyung differently.
"Thank you for being here," Seokjin says, looking right into Taehyung's eyes. "You didn't do shιt but having you beside me made me feel better. I wasn't as nervous as I would've been if I was alone."
Taehyung smiles with amusement but goes back to being serious. "I got you into this situation so it was only right for me to be here with you."
Right. Seokjin should have known that Taehyung only stayed because he was responsible for getting them into this situation in the first place. There's no other reason why he would have volunteered to be here.
"Well, whatever your reason was, I appreciate you being here," Seokjin says, trying his best not to sound disappointed. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow."
"Good night."
"Night."
They stand there for a few long seconds, as if expecting the other to do or say something more, but Taehyung leaves before the silence gets awkward. Seokjin sighs heavily and shuts the door as soon as Taehyung disappears down the staircase. He turns around and is about to walk over to his boys but he hears quick footsteps approaching the door before there's a knock. He knows who it is so he swings the door open and opens his mouth to ask what's up but before he can speak, Taehyung leans in and pecks his cheek.
"Sleep tight," Taehyung says with a shy smile before he runs off.
Seokjin bites his lip and stands there wondering what the hell is wrong with this guy, but he can't hide the smile that makes its way to his lips.
"Appa?" Eunho calls out.
"Hmm?"
Eunho walks up to Seokjin and wraps his arms around Seokjin's waist from behind. "Thank you for everything," he whispers. "I love you."
Seokjin smiles brightly and turns around to face Eunho. He leans downwards a little and kisses Eunho's forehead. He's so glad the boys aren't carrying any guilts with them because he just wants the best for them and he truly enjoys this job.
"I love you too, baby," Seokjin whispers, stroking Eunho's hair.
Seokjin was hesitant at first but he really has made two great friends and this job has relieved a lot of his stress as well regarding monetary concerns. He still feels like it's unfair on Taehyung's behalf but Taehyung is a rich man so all the financial benefits that he gives Seokjin probably don't even affect his bank account. This was Taehyung's idea after all, but that doesn't make Seokjin feel any less guilty. Seokjin hopes one day he can repay Taehyung for all of this.
-
Taehyung enters the kitchen from the garage after coming home from work and the first thing he notices is the pleasant smell of freshly made japchae. He finds Seokjin washing the dishes by the sink so he grabs a glass out of the cabinet and walks over. Instead of standing on the side, he stands right behind Seokjin and holds the glass under the running tap. Seokjin's heart beats faster because of the close proximity and he can feel Taehyung's front lightly brushing against his back but he tries to ignore it.
"Did Kriti come?" Taehyung asks, not moving the slightest bit.
"Y—Yeah. She left a while ago," Seokjin says, his body temperature rising rapidly. He also has no doubt his ears have turned dark red because they feel really hot.
"Good."
Taehyung knows that Kriti only comes here nowadays to see Seokjin and she leaves right before Taehyung arrives. Now that Seokjin has been hired to work, Kriti doesn't even stay here overnight. She has even been thinking about moving her belongings back into her actual home but then her parents would start questioning her and she wouldn't hear the end of it.
"Wanna have lunch? I bought a new chair so we can eat at the table," Taehyung says, and gulps down the water.
Seokjin bites his lip because he can hear the gulping loud and clear since Taehyung is right behind him. "I ate before I got here. You can—"
"Let me rephrase that. Lets have lunch," Taehyung says. He gives the rim of the glass a quick wash before he leaves it to dry. "I'll get the table ready. You can finish doing what you're doing."
While Taehyung's setting the table, Seokjin fans himself with his hand to cool down his extremely warm face. He can't even begin to wonder what the hell goes on in Taehyung's mind. Taehyung does the most unexpected things at the most unexpected times. They may be little things but Seokjin is aware of Taehyung's uneasiness when it comes to physical affection or just mere physical contact because he has noticed it himself and he has also heard from Kriti.
"Table's ready," Taehyung says once the food and new chair have been set up. "You done yet?"
"Hold on."
Seokjin cleans the sink before he washes his hands, dries them, and then heads over to the dining table. He purses his lips to hold back a smile when he sees that Taehyung has placed the bowls beside each other so that he and Seokjin will be sitting next to each other. Seokjin also notices a pair of rainbow coloured stainless steel chopsticks beside one bowl while the other pair is just plain stainless steel. He hasn't seen a single chopstick in this house before so he concludes that Taehyung bought them today.
"You do know people usually sit across from each other when it's just the two of them, right?" Seokjin says, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"So?"
"They do that so they can look at each other when they talk," Seokjin says.
"My neck works perfectly fine so I can turn my head to look at you."
"I know. I'm just saying—" he stops for a moment before he sighs. "Never mind. Let's just eat."
Taehyung looks confused but he shrugs it off and sits down. He pats the chair beside him and Seokjin sits down as well. Seokjin picks up the rainbow chopsticks that are beside his bowl and he smiles as he observes it.
"These are cute," Seokjin says.
"They're yours," Taehyung says, and picks up his new plain stainless steel chopsticks.
"You got them for me?" Seokjin coos, looking at Taehyung.
"Maybe."
"Aww, thank you! You're so cute, Taehyungie," Seokjin coos again, and pinches Taehyung's cheek.
Taehyung clicks his tongue and swats Seokjin's hand away but he's blushing furiously. Seokjin just laughs when he notices this and he holds his new chopsticks in between his fingers. The two soon dig into their lunch.
"How was work?" Seokjin asks after a short, peaceful silence.
Taehyung swallows the chewed food in his mouth before he speaks. "Same as always. Nothing ever changes in my work life. Taeyoung's been avoiding me, though. Usually he says hi to me and he tries to get my attention but he kept giving me these... angry looks? He seemed mad at me. I don't even know what I did wrong," he says, staring at his food with a frown.
Seokjin notices that Taehyung looks genuinely upset by this. "Did you try talking to him?" he asks.
"Why?"
Seokjin lets out a frustrated sigh. "If someone's mad at you and you're 99.9% sure that you haven't done anything to make them mad, then you should always ask them what you did wrong. How else are you supposed to find out?"
"He's always with his friends so I can't just go up to him and ask him if he's mad at me," Taehyung says.
"You're the principal. You can go up to him and tell him that you need to talk to him about an assignment or something and then ask him. It's not that hard."
It's always easier said than done. Taehyung is bad at approaching people and he's even worse at confronting them. He wouldn't even be able to ask Taeyoung what's wrong.
"If you want, I can talk to him when I get home?" Seokjin says after noticing the expression on Taehyung's face.
"Can you really do that?" Taehyung asks with hopeful eyes.
"He is my son, so..."
"Thanks. I appreciate it," Taehyung says, a nervous smile on his face.
Seokjin returns a warm smile and gives Taehyung's back a small rub. Taehyung stiffens at first but he slowly relaxes as he embraces the soothing feeling. Sadly it doesn't last for long because Seokjin removes his hand and continues eating.
"Can I ask you something?" Taehyung asks after a while.
"Hmm?"
"Why's Taeyoung against the idea of you dating anyone?" Taehyung asks, even though he has an idea since he was once overly possessive of Baekhyun.
"How did you know? Is it because he told us we can't date?" Seokjin asks.
"Yeah, and he told me I'm—actually, he said no one's allowed to date you," Taehyung says.
Seokjin isn't surprised that Taeyoung said that to Taehyung. Taeyoung has never directly said it to Seokjin's face but Seokjin has heard from Donghyun and other people that he has talked to/talks to. They've told him that Taeyoung has apparently set a dating ban. Seokjin finds it rather amusing because his little one is one possessive brat.
"Well?" Taehyung says when Seokjin doesn't answer.
This is a topic that Seokjin doesn't like talking about because the little information he reveals will only spark more and more questions. He's still not comfortable answering those questions because the answers are part of his past which he has been trying so hard to bury. He has changed, that's for sure, but he's ashamed of who he was. The person he was back then is the complete opposite of who he is today. He's not a hateful person but he absolutely loathes his past self.
"He's just scared I'm going to leave him. You know what kids are like," Seokjin answers vaguely. That's not necessarily a lie but there's a reason behind Taeyoung's fear and strong disapproval.
Taehyung hums in response. He has a feeling there's more to it but he won't push Seokjin into giving more information. He doesn't like constantly being asked questions that he doesn't feel comfortable answering so he won't force Seokjin to open up.
"Can I ask you something?" Seokjin asks.
"Yeah?"
Seokjin bites his lower lip for a few seconds out of nervousness but soon speaks. "Why did you kiss me?"
Taehyung's heart jumps by this question and he tries to avoid it as he shoves some noodles in his mouth with his chopsticks. Seokjin stares at Taehyung as he awaits an answer but Taehyung just keeps shoving more and more food in his mouth so that his mouth is always full. Seokjin eventually figures what Taehyung is doing.
"I asked you a question, Kim Taehyung," Seokjin says, scowling.
Taehyung is about to shove some more noodles in his mouth but Seokjin snatches his chopsticks.
"Why did you kiss me?" Seokjin asks again. "You did it, like, twice."
Taehyung shrugs casually to mask his shyness and reaches for his chopsticks but Seokjin doesn't give them back.
"You're not getting your chopsticks back until you answer my question," Seokjin says.
Taehyung groans out of frustration and gives up. "I don't know, okay?! It just happened! And it wasn't a kiss kiss. Lips to cheek don't count."
"As soon as you touch someone with your lips, it's considered a kiss. So, yes, it does count."
Taehyung clicks his tongue and successfully grabs his chopsticks. He doesn't speak on this topic any further so Seokjin decides to drop it and eats as well. They eat in a peaceful silence and Taehyung's first to finish, like always, but he remains at the table instead of getting up and leaving like he usually does. He lets out a long breath and leans back in his chair as he rubs his tummy.
"I swear I've been putting on weight since the day you came," Taehyung says with pouty lips.
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Seokjin says, smiling with amusement.
Taehyung huffs and gets up. "I'm gonna get more japchae."
"Do you want to finish mine? I'm a little full," Seokjin says.
"Only if you feed me."
"Deal."
Taehyung sits down with a big smile and Seokjin rolls his eyes before he picks up some japchae with his chopsticks and feeds Taehyung.
"Is it just me or does food taste better when someone feeds you?" Taehyung says, his voice slightly muffled because his mouth is stuffed.
"[Kor] Yah! Don't talk while eating!"
Taehyung swallows the chewed noodles before he speaks. "[Kor] Sorry, dad," he says with a cheeky grin.
Seokjin playfully smacks the back of Taehyung's head, making Taehyung laugh loudly. Seokjin sighs dramatically and feeds Taehyung again but with a smile on his face. He absolutely adores this side of Taehyung. He never wants this to change.
"Can I bring the boys over someday?" Taehyung asks out of the blue.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Seokjin asks, looking a bit conflicted.
"Why wouldn't it be?"
Seokjin wants to say it's because Taehyung is the principal but Taehyung obviously wouldn't find an issue with that.
"It's up to you. I have no problem with it," Seokjin says. It warms his heart knowing that Taehyung wants to spend time with his kids.
"How about this weekend?"
Seokjin smiles wider. "That's fine with me."
"We'll go out for a movie; the five of us. Then we can grab some fish and chips at the beach," Taehyung suggests. "Sound good?"
Seokjin is smiling from ear to ear but there's one thing he's really worried about, which makes his smile fade. "I'd love to but what if someone sees us? The news will spread fast and everyone at your school will end up finding out that we spent time together," he says.
"We're not doing anything bad, right? I'm just taking a friend and his kids out," Taehyung says, not the slightest bit worried about people finding out.
"Yeah, but—"
"Seokjin, in case you forgot, I own the school. It's not like people can file reports to me about myself. What would they expect me to do, anyway? Fire myself?"
Maybe Taehyung has a point but Seokjin's also worried about how this will affect his kids. He wouldn't want people to spread untrue rumours about his sons. He also doesn't want people to mistreat his kids because of those rumours. He doesn't want his sons to suffer the consequences of this harmless yet risky idea.
"Don't worry about the kids," Taehyung says when he figures it's the reason why Seokjin's still worried. "I'll protect them, okay? I won't let anyone hurt them."
For someone who's apparently terrible with words, Taehyung isn't the worst at giving words of reassurance.
"So, what do you say? Are we set for a movie and then dinner at the beach on Saturday?" Taehyung asks, the excitement clearly evident in his eyes.
Seokjin wants to spend more time with Taehyung and he wants his boys to have fun as well so he can't reject this. "All set," he says with a smile.
Taehyung's wants to spend a lot of time with Seokjin and the kids so he's glad that Seokjin agreed to this. A movie isn't Taehyung's ideal hangout but it's a decent plan for the first outing. Then they can have fish and chips for dinner at the beach and go for a walk to make up for the lack of conversation during the movie. Anything is fine with Taehyung as long as he has the opportunity to spend time with Seokjin and the boys.
"Seokjin?" Taehyung says.
"Hmm?"
Taehyung bites his lower lip nervously and takes some time to gather his thoughts before he speaks. "I—I'll protect you too," he says. "I won't let anyone hurt you either."
Seokjin's heart melts and he can't help but lean in and place a sweet kiss on Taehyung's cheek. "And I'll protect you. Always," he says softly and holds out his pinky. "I promise."
Taehyung looks at Seokjin's pinky and it reminds him of the days when he used to make pinky promises with Baekhyun. They've made a lot of promises but a few of them were broken, so he's afraid of history repeating itself. However, he's willing to give this a chance. He has seen the way Seokjin cares for the boys and after last night, he's certain that Seokjin isn't one to break a promise. So, Taehyung slowly hooks his own pinky with Seokjin's and they make a promise – a promise to protect each other. They promise to never hurt each other.
**
they are OFFICIALLY friends :D
i was going to make tae open up to jin about baek but it's too soon for that,,,,,,maybe next chapter?