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~The door to the office slams open."Mom, I am freaking out and Woo is not helping."There is a snort behind him before Wooyoung walks into the room, his wedges thumping on the floor as he slumps on one of the long sofas in front of the desk."Not my fault you are being stupid. Your date is not even until seven."Jongho lunges for his brother but a stern 'Boys' stops the tussle that was about to happen. They both look over to the man at the desk.He stands and, in the light, his red dress shimmers. Their thin rimmed glasses are pulled off their face and he walks around the desk to the sofas as well, motioning for his youngest to join him on the opposite onw. Jongho does, slumping into his side with a pout."Now can either of you tell me why you are at each other’s throats this time?""I asked Wooyo to help me get ready for my date and he keeps making fun of me."Wooyoung popped up. "I was not! Mom, he is lying!"Jongho squinted at him. "You literally just said I was being stupid about my date.""But-"Seonghwa glares him quiet. "Wooyoung, I will send you to your father's office. Let him talk."The youngest Kim picked at his sleeves, continuing. "I just want this date to go well. I really like Mingi.""Awe," Hwa kissed their son's temple, "I know you like him a lot baby, and it was wrong of Woo to make fun of you for it. Especially when he was the same way when he met San."Suddenly their other side warmed as Woo appeared, sitting next to him. "San is different. I am just trying to protect my little brother!"Seonghwa was surprised. Both him and Hongjoong looked through the boy's file, he seemed perfectly fine."Protect him? From what?"Jjong rolls his eyes. "He thinks Mingi is sketchy.""Yeosang believes me!""Sangie-hyung goes with you to watch you crash and burn." The teen deadpanned. "He is not a reliable source."Indignant, Woo continued. "But I am right! There is something about that Mingi and you do not see it because you are lost in his lips!""I'm not!""Alright, alright, enough with the yelling."Hwa flicked up their wrist to check the time. "I have to go to a meeting with your father soon but let us at least solve the first problem here. Wooyoung."The boy sat straighter."It was not nice of you to try and ruin the date even if-" He spoke over his son opening his mouth. "-you think that his date is not good enough for Jongho. You also hurt his feelings in the process, which is also not a good thing."Woo deflated as he conceded that point and went over the to other side of his younger brother to hold his hand. "I really did not mean to hurt your feelings, Bear. I really just wanted you to be safe and not get hurt again." Jongho pulled his brother in for a hug. "It's okay, Kit, but I really like this one and he treats me well. I think things will work out with Mingi." "If he does not I will beat him to a pulp. No, I will make Sannie do it so that we can make sure he hurts."The younger boy giggled. "Alright, deal."The elder boy seemed to perk up then. He yanked him up Jongho, heading for the door."Great! Then come on let's get you sexy for your date, maybe a dress? You never wear them often and your legs look fantastic.""Wait Wooyoung-"Their voices got lower and they kept running down the hall.Seonghwa chuckled to himself as his children ran away, standing to grab his bag and some files.A loud "Bye dad!" echoed and soon his husband was at the door with his own binder of files.He pointed at the open space behind him. "Why were our kids here?"

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There was not much more work done as the kids came rather late during the day.Seonghwa packed up his office and made his way to his husband’s. They called Yeosang earlier to pick up their truck since they decided to leave with Hongjoong. Usually waited for him iin his office, but he was surprised to see the man locking up.“You are done already?”Hongjoong smiled and put a hand around them as they walked to the elevator. “Of course, the rest I can do at home while I pack for our vacation.”Seonghwa tripped and if it was not for his husband holding him up, would have eaten the floor.“Tripping up for me already?”“Shut up.” Seonghwa pushed him away and strutted forward.“Hey I am okay with being left behind; the view is amazing back here.”
“Oh my gods.”
The man he married.Hwa was tempted to leave the man behind but they knew the elevator would not allow it. They settled for leaning against the opposite wall of the shared space and pretending that they were not being stared at by the love of their life. They made it to the car with no more issues but he found himself distracted with the way Hongjoong removed his jacket to place it in the backseat. His car was much smaller than the other’s truck so he could smell his cologne as he turned.The man noticed them and laughed. “Not now, Star, you said Jongho had a date tonight? You know that the other two will refuse to stay at home- well Wooyoung will and drag Yeo along- for that.”He placed his hand on Seonghwa’s conveniently exposed thigh to calm him down.It was not long after that they were pulling into their garage and opening the connecting door. They could hear music playing throughout the house which meant that Woo was in his complete fashionista mode.Given it was little less than an hour before the supposed date, poor Jongho must have been going through it.They slipped off their shoes and made their way pass the living room to greet and give hugs to their eldest and headed upstairs.Pausing at Woo’s door where the music was extra loud, Hongjoong knocked on the door.The sounds of Take Me Home was turned down.
“Come in!”
The door was opened and the pair of siblings were at Woo's vanity as he did his younger brother’s makeup."How's it going, Kit, Bear?" Hongjoong.Wooyoung huffed and went to wipe his brother’s eyes. “Can you help me with his eyeshadow, mom? I cannot get it right.”“Of course honey.” Seonghwa moved closer and sat on the offered chair. They took a look at what was out and what was already done to their son’s face. It was a soft and slightly dewy look, and there was less makeup than Woo would usually put, which probably lent to his struggle, but he had done a good job so far.Hwa smiled at his baby boy. "Still nervous?"Jongho sighed. "Mostly tired of sitting here.""Well, you look great darling."He got to work and in a few minutes, his child had a baby pink ombre look with a touch of glitter at the edges. "There, all done."Wooyoung hung on his mother's shoulder. "He looks amazing!""He does, doesn't he?"Jongho blushed. "Stop it.""Why? Come on now, put on the outfit." His brother urged. "I don't know," he trailed off getting self-conscious suddenly. "A skirt? Are you sure? My legs-""Look great as I keep telling you! We cannot help that we have all been blessed with mom's thunder thighs!" He slapped his own for emphasis.A cleared throat made them turn back to their mother who was red in the face. "Moving on, what do you both have so far, in terms of the outfit?""Just the top and the skirt." They looked at the outfit laid on the bed. It was a pretty pink pastel combo. Something simple and not over the top.The youngest still looked unsure. “Do you think I look good in pink?”“I think you would look amazing.” Seonghwa fussed with his hair a bit. "Remember we our Pink Day? Your pink sweater and beret combo got so many compliments and you came up with that yourself."Jongho finally smiled. "I do like that hat a lot. I was glad I found a reason to wear it." "How about some white socks to go with it to make you feel a bit more comfortable?" Wooyoung dug around and pulled out some white thigh highs.He looked a bit more relieved. "That could work."Hongjoong, ever the critical eye, looked over the outfit from the door. “What if you added a headband and your bear necklace you mother got you?”Both of his kids’ eyes widened. Woo squealed. “Omg dad that would look amazing!”He ran out of his room and came back with a simple gold necklace and a thick headband that had faint pastel flowers etched on it, dragging his father inside on the way.Wooyoung pushed his younger brother into his bathroom to change, then when he came out, plopped the headband on his brother’s head and latched the necklace before stepping back.                                                                                               “Look at my baby! So cute!”There is a chuckle behind the teens. “I thought I carried him.”“But he is still my only baby brother!” Wooyoung had been saying that since the boy was born. He basically adopted Jongho from the moment he saw him, claiming that he would be the bestest big brother to his baby.Away from the chaos, the father and son smiled at each other. “You look great baby bear.”“T-Thanks dad. I hope he-”“Hey, none of that, Precious.” He knuckled the boy’s cheek, careful of his makeup. "You will be the best bear of the bunch. If he does not think so we can always get rid of him. No trouble. "
“Dad!"
The man held his hands up with a chuckle. “I am just saying. I could. I never want you to hurt like that again.”They hugged and Jongho rested his cheek on his father’s chest. “Not you too. I really do think that he is a good one.”“I think so too.” A pause. “But you do have options.”“Daaad.”Hongjoong laughed. “Okay, I am done. Finish getting ready, Bear.”“Okay.”The parents left while the two finished getting ready. Soon there was a knock at the door and Seonghwa went to answer it as they were already downstairs and Yeo went up earlier to help with some final touch ups and encouragement.“Hello I’m-” The boy seemed to swallow his tongue. “I-”Was something was wrong with him?“Mingi.” He stated.“Hm?” Seonghwa leaned on the doorframe to give the poor child time to gather himself.He cleared his throat. “I-uh I am Mingi.”The mother smiled. "Song Mingi, I presume?""Y-Yes-"A shadow seemed to draw his attention and he squeaked when he met eyes with The Kim Hongjoong.He did not look happy.Seonghwa turned and smiled. “Ah, Joongie, this is Mingi, the date that Jjongie’s been talking about.”Mingi finally seemed to shake off what ever was making him pause and he did a proper bow.“I-I’m Song Mingi. I am here to t-take Jongho on a date.”Finally taking pity on him, he was invited in. “Come in, sweetheart you look like you are about to faint.”“T-Thank you.”“Would you like some water?”Mingi shook his head. “N-No thank you, too nervous.”Hongjoong chuckled darkly, drawing closer. “At least he is honest.”“I, um, brought this for you.” He held out a bag that was clearly made for wine. “My mother recommended it when I told them you guys like wine.”Seonghwa was surprised, they pulled out the bottle and gasped. It was a very good vintage. They showed their husband who hummed appreciatively at it. “Thank you, we do enjoy wine and I do have a nice collection where this will fit well.”Thundering footsteps and slightly more sedate ones came down the stairs and everyone turned to see Woo slide into view of the doorway a dark look on his face that mirrored his father from moments ago. The boy stomped right between his parents and his elder brother only shrugged when they turned to him.“Now listen here, if you hurt my little brother, I’ll ruin you. Let it be clear that Kim Wooyoung does not trust you and if you break his heart, I will make sure you-”“Back off, Kit.” Hongjoong. He sounded.. amused. Maybe a little proud. There was a low thump behind him.He looked back at his dad but turned back to Mingi. “I’m watching you.”The boy glared at him as he backed up until he ran into his father behind him, smiling sheepishly up at his weak glare. Wooyoung slinked behind him and settled for glaring next to his shoulder, using two fingers to point to his own eyes then Mingi's.There was a soft laugh before Yeosang moved to the side as his brother came into view, he looked serenely at the taller boy. "I second that."His smile was sharp.Jongho was finally close enough and Wooyoung helped him with his shoes so he would not have to bend down. "Second what?""Nothing! You are going to kill it, Baby Bear!"The younger looked oddly at his second eldest brother then caught sight of his date's pale face."Oh no, did you guys threaten him? Again?"Woo huffed. "Not again, just gave him a reminder.""Ugh I cannot wait until you graduate." Jongho turned back to Mingi. "Are you okay? I promise Woo is mostlyharmless.""Mostly?" Mingi's eyes turned to him. "Whoa. Uh, you look-" his eyes glanced behind him. "g-great. Beautiful."A gummy smile made the other teen a little breathless. "Thank you. I am trying something new.""Uh, should we um," the taller trailed off pointing back to his car."Go? Yes please." Jongho grabbed his arm and turned back to his family- who were all still looming in the doorway. "Please go inside I promise I will be fine. I will be back soon!""Before ten." Seonghwa corrected."Okay! Bye love you!" Woo and Sangie disappeared the moment they started walking down the path, and the Parents watched their son and his date walk up to his car. Mingi opened the door for him and even put a hand above him incase he hit his head on the doorframe, unbeknownst to him.They drove off and the two moved back to shut the door.Seonghwa worriedly looked at their husband. “Do you think it will go well?”“I hope so, for that Mingi’s sake.”

"Joongie.” Hwa admonished.“We have done all the vetting we could, it is up to them to see if the date goes well.”The elder's arms came up to hug himself. “I just do not want our baby to get hurt again..”Hongjoong went up to the his arms down and wrap him in a hug in place of them, kissing his cheek. “He won’t we will make sure of it this time, my love.”They put their heads together for a moment, just breathing in each other.“You are right.” Hwa pulled away his usually large doe eyes were low, dark, and dangerous. “He does seem like a sweet boy, but for his sake I hope it goes well. No one is hurting my baby again.”His husband grinned, eyes equally as dark. “There’s my Star.”They kissed and separated.“I am going to get something to drink, you want anything?”“No, I am fine, thank you.”Hongjoong nodded and headed for the kitchen while the other headed for the stairs.Their remaining two children paused as they passed their mother in the hallway, already dressed to leave. Yeosang, seemingly realizing something gave him a confused look.“Wait why are you still wearing your work clothes? You usually would have taken a shower by now.”Curse his children and them knowing his habits. He would normally have jumped in the shower by now but-“Gross is this like a you and dad thing?” His middle child looked him up and down. "Oh, red. The red dress."Yeosang gave them a judgemental look. "Red is no longer my favorite colour as of this moment. Thanks, mom."They both made sounds of disgust before running downstairs, ignoring the “YAH”.Soon they were out the door and Seonghwa started towards his room.He paused near the room, hearing footsteps on the stairs.They should not sound that scary.

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Seonghwa leaned over the banister and called out."Hey, Bear?" There was the sound of feet against wood and Jongho appeared from the living room holding a pillow. They were the only two resting at home today. "Yeah?""Would you like to go out with me today? I need to run some errands.""Sure, I just need to change and freshen up." He went to go put his pillow back and started towards the stairs. His mother flapped a hand at him. "Take your time honey, I am still getting ready.""Okay."After freshening up, Jongho decided on a wide sleeve white shirt with a cream and black vest pairing them bell bottoms to match. Thinking of the black on his vest, he decided on a black bag and beret to go over his fluffy hair. He belatedly added a thin double chain necklace.His mother, on other hand decided, on a brown one shoulder top and beige wide legged pants he cinched with a wide brown belt at the waist. Seonghwa decided on simple accessories, some dangly gold earrings and thin bracelets, grabbing a brown bag Wooyoung bought him as a gift a few years back. They kept their makeup light, adding some gloss to their lips and fluffing up the curls in their hair.                                                                                                      The pair met downstairs and Seonghwa chuckled at their matching choice of fluffy hair, lightly petting the back of his son's head. They each put on their shoes- Jongho with his black boots and his mother with his brown pumps, and headed out to to Seonghwa's truck.It really was only a few errands today, starting with some things for the house as theyr were in the middle of redecorating their home, then it was shopping around for clothes and accessories that everyone in the house needed at the moment- mostly replacements and fixing clasps- then they took some time to treat themselves to a few things as well. They picked up Woo's cheerleading unitform from the dry cleaners and then they headed to a cafe to eat some lunch and rest their legs and arms.They locked arms as they walked down the strip, their steps falling in sync. Hwa hugged their son's arm. "Been a long time since it has just been us two. I miss you baby."Jongho leaned into him. "I miss you too, mom.""Talk to me, how have you been since our last outing?""I have been okay, I guess? School has been fine, though Woo still  tries to hang out with me. Do seniors really have so much time on their hands?"Seonghwa giggled. "It has been a long time since I have been in highschool, Bear, but it seems so these days."They paused as they entered their favorite shop and sat down, someone coming almost immediately to their table to take their order."What were you like as a senior?"Unprepared for the question, Seonghwa stuttered. "V-Very studious, for the most part. I was head of the disciplinary committee for two years at that point, and very proud of it. Your father was my main culprit.""Oh yeah," Jongho hummed, not questioning that. "You guys do not talk about your highschool years much.""I was a rough time for the both of us." Seonghwa played with his wedding ring, eyes going a little dull. "We hated each other and I judged Joongie before I really knew him."The conversation was interrupted for their lunch."But you two are so in love now?" Jongho said after a few bites of his lunch. He pinkened a little when his mother wiped his face."A lot happened in college and we both eventually got tired of fighting, which is a story you all know since it led to our marriage. We were fools and realized that when we decided to stop going for each other's throats, we actually meshed well together and had a lot of the same interests, things fell into place after that." Seonghwa paused. "What we never said was that it was almost too late.""Why?""Your father was going to leave the country and move to America.""OMG."Seonghwa chuckled. "If I had waited another day to apologize he would have been gone."The youngest of three sat on that as he finished his food. "Mom?" Hwa hummed around his chopsticks. Are you happy now?"Seonghwa smiled wide, putting his utensils down and grabbing his son's hand. "Of course, Bear. I would not trade my past or my current life for anything because it gave me the family I have always wanted. But enough about my past," He leaned forward with a grin, "we should be talking about your future. You still have not mentioned that date you went on."Jongho groaned. "Mooom.""Can a mother not be curious? What if this Mingi had horrible date etiquette?""No! He was the perfect gentleman!" The boy covered his mouth.Hwa burst into giggles. "Oh-Oh r-really?" They said in between theit laughter.Jongho stood to leave. "I am calling a car to take me home.""And miss the dessert I ordered for you?" His youngest paused. "It's espresso, your favorite."He sat back down.Internally, Seonghwa was fist pumping.Not long after he said that, their desserts indeed came out, Jongho getting his espresso mousse and Seonghwa with his strawberry panna cotta.                                                                                                         The mother took a bite of his dessert before Jongho could take a picture of them and was rightfully(?) repremanded because the picture was for the teen's social. They still got a good picture though so Jjong was satisfied. After a bit more teasing the mother and son dug in happily.Familiar wide eyes looked across the table when they were almost done eating, both enjoying their desserts too much to continue speaking. "So?"Happiness was fleeting.Jongho rolled his eyes, getting a smack on the arm for it, finishing his spoonful. "Promise not to tell dad?""Awe sweetie, you know he is just looking out for you. He loves you.""I know and I love him too but-" The teen struggled to find a way to say what he wanted to."I get you, honey. I will not say a thing until you are ready.""Thank you." The boy sighed. "I-It was really nice. He took me out to eat at this place that was outdoors and had a large screen set up like in those old movies. Then we walked around The Eight for a while.""Sounds romantic." He smiled. "It was, he was so perfect and sweet. Too sweet even."Seonghwa stood and moved his chair over to his son, wrapping him in a hug. "What's wrong baby?"The teen started to tear up. "Do I deserve this?""Oh, of course you do. There is no reason you for you to not deserve happiness, Bear.""B-But I almost caused our f-amily to g-go under." He was properly crying now."Honey, none of that was your fault okay? That boy- that family had been after us for some time and they used you as a pawn and they failed. Because of you.""Yeah, but-"Seonghwa shook his head, pulling back to look into his son's eyes. "If anything it is mine, and your father's fault. We are the ones who are supposed to keep you safe." He wiped his cheeks."No! You both were amazing you-"His mother shook his head, indicating the public space they were still in.He flushed, embarrassed for forgetting himself. "Yeah." He finished lamely. Hwa chuckled. "Sweetie, what our family motto?""Never Dream Small?"A laugh. "No the other one.""No Matter Where We Are Placed, We will-"-Always Be At The Front." They finished together.The mother smiled. "Exactly. You did just that and believed in yourself and our family and look what happened. The past has already been dealt with, and you continue to move forward. You are free and perfect as you are and no one can take that from you. Now, I will hear no more of what happened, today. Alright?""Okay."Even more embarrassingly, Jongho got a kiss on the forehead, but he was feeling rather raw at the moment so he leaned into the affection. "You are free and perfect as you are. Never forget that.""Thank you mama.""Anytime, I will always be here for you, my baby."They separated and Jongho wiped his face, but this mother stopped him and gave him some wipes, fussing over him until he was cringing away and laughing. Soon they gathered the rest of their bags and headed out. On their way to the truck, Seonghwa turned to his son. "Oh, I just remembered, it is up to you but you can invite Mingi to the gala next month." The boy almost dropped his bags in shock. "I can??"A nod. "I will allow it since you seem smitten. Don't worry about your father, he will need some exposure to get used to you two anyway.""Gods, I feel so sorry for Cat when he finally starts dating."Hwa sighed. "We might need an intervention."Jongho just laughed.They made it to the truck and finished the day with a short grocery trip to replenish some food items in the house. "Hey mom?" Jongho called as they walked inside. "Thank you for today. Can we-Can we not wait as long to do this again?"Seonghwa beamed and kissed his son's head again, wiping off the gloss he left there. "Of course baby, you only need to ask."

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"Baby, you ready?""One sec!" Seonghwa put some final things in their Saint Laurens bag, picking it up and heading out the door.The house was quiet this morning as the kids were already over at their friend's house, more excited than their parents were as apparently Soobin's parents were already on a trip as well and he invited more of their friends over in the interim.Since it was such a short break they would not throw a full party, thankfully, but they would probably have a house party amongst themselves, which is still quite a few kids. Between Wooyoung, Changbin, and Soobin's boyfriend- Yeonjun, they had more than a couple close friends.Hongjoong, holding his own Balenciaga bag and stuffing his phone, wallet, and keys in his pockets looked up and smiled when his husband appeared at the top of the stairs. "Gods, you are beautiful."Seonghwa blushed, waving a hand. "You are too much."The man downstairs laughed, "I mean it. I have not seen this dress in a minute. It is cute and I am glad you found your hat with the large bow. It fits well. Hwa was in a red spaghetti-strap sundress that cut off at his mid-calf and had a slit up the left side, showing off the golden butterfly chain that rested on his thigh. The dress was patterned with pink pretty flowers and had a square collar that could be cinched to fit multiple bust sizes. A simple gold band, rings, and necklace with matching gold hanging earrings decorated their form. Hwa's long hair was in the style he usually preferred at home, simply parted to one side and in fluffed loose waves, and he covered it with a sunhat decked in a large red bow to match the dress. Some cute strapped heels matched the colour of the hat.Hongjoong was dressed comfortably as well, dressed in an olive green button-down with his sunglasses resting in the unbuttoned portion, white harem pants, and black doc marten sandals, matching his dark glasses and the accents on his silver watch. His other accessories were also silver and plentiful as always, earrings of multiple styles making gentle sounds in his ears and rings glinting in the early sun. His short blond hair was simply styled, messed with a bit of hair cream and pushed off his forehead.                                                                                           Seonghwa finally made it down the steps and let Hongjoong take their bag to take it outside. "Thank you. You look rather comfortable today."The man rolled his shoulders. "So glad to be out of a suit for more than a day."His husband kissed his cheek. "Well, when we get to where we are going how about I give you a massage?"Joong groaned at the thought of Hwa's magic hands. His love was excellent at giving massages. "Gods, I love you.""I love you more, go on out." Hwa shooed him off. "I will lock up.""Aye aye."Seonghwa did a quick sweep and then pressed the pad on his keyring, locking all the mechanical locks in the house and stepping outside to hit the keypad again after locking the door, hearing the secondary locks set into place.They hummed a song as they headed to the door their husband held open, greeting their driver before getting in the car. **The pair had a bit of time before they got to wherever they were going, Seonghwa still subtly trying to find out with expert questions that got shot down. When he realized he- again, was not going to get any answers the topic shifted to their kids."I think something is going on with Bear and Kit." They rubbed under their lip as they did not want to smear their lipstick. "They have been a little off recently." "Off like how?" A glint appeared in Joong's eye. "It is not that boy, is it?"Seonghwa huffed and shook his head, resting his hand on his love's arm. "No not him. It is something else, I think something personal.""Why do you say so?""I don't know, but Bear has been giving me his 'I have something to say but I don't know how to bring it up' eyes and Kit knows it too from the way they look at each other. He has also been twitchy like he also has something to say"Hongjoong pulled him closer in a half hug, soothing both their concerns. "Well, they usually come to us eventually, so maybe soon? Or do you want me to ask Cat?" Hwa shook their head. "No, I do not want to pressure them. Maybe I am overthinking it because I am worried." "Does it seem like anything dangerous? Your instincts have not been wrong often.""That's the thing, I don't feel anything telling me something bad is happening." Saying that out loud made him perk up a bit. He waved a hand to dismiss the thought. "As you said, they will come to us eventually. Let us just wait.""Alright." Hongjoong kissed the side of his head. "I am sure it will be fine."The man hummed. They stayed pressed together like that for a while, just enjoying each other's presence. A thought made Seonghwa smile against his husband, who saw and felt a grin stretch his lips because he knew that devious look."What?" His husband looked at him just under the rim of his hat. "I brought the pearl set you brought me." Joong's hand slid down from his arm to his trim waist, pulling him closer. "Oh really and what else?""Just, the pearls."He was momentarily struck dumb. "Oh." "Mhmm."There was a growl before Hongjoong pulled the other into a rough kiss. They both pulled away with heavy breaths and Seonghwa had to wipe the lipstick from the side of his lips. "You are too good to me." A smile. "I know. I also brought something of yours I thought was appropriate.""Mine?"His arms around his neck pulled them so he could whisper something into the man's ear. Hongjoong pounced on him and he squealed. 
~~
Not much actually happened in the back seat of their family car, just some slightly heavy panting, and it was still early so when their driver opened the door and Seonghwa smelled the salty air, his eyes widened.Their head snapped over to their smiling husband. “Joongie, you didn’t?”“I did my love.”Seonghwa made an unintelligible sound and practically pushed his husband out of the car so that he could get out too. They were at the docks. They both loved the sea, but with their busy schedules, there was never really time for them to go on any kind of boat unless they made time for it. It seems like Hongjoong did just that.“Two nights and two days on the water.”He turned around. “Two days?”“I may have also shuffled our schedules so that we only work a half day on Monday.”The force Seonghwa hit Hongjoong with sent them into a small spin. They both laughed, lost in their joy and love for each other and the ocean. Joong set his love down and took both of their bags from the driver, thanking him and sending him off for his own vacation, before following his husband up the ramp to the cabin cruiser. He put their things down and went to the cockpit, taking the keys off their caretaker’s hands with a thank you. He did a cursory walkthrough- having already checked the boat a few days prior, and nodded at the staff to unmoor the boat. After a call down to down to Seonghwa once starting the engine and hearing his affirmative, he steered away and they were off. Hongjoong took them towards a good swimming spot and breathing in the salty air and hearing the seagulls made him smile, relaxing fully for the first time in a while. It truly has been too long since they have done something just for themselves. They would have to ammend that.There was the sound of footsteps, and Seonghwa appeared with a tray. Had put together a meal for their brunch since they missed out on breakfast for the drive and some last-minute things cropping up. He pulled out an attached table and sat in the other bolted chair, picking up the chopsticks to feed Joong while his hands were busy steering. “Thank you for this. Really, Joongie.”Joong smiled. “Anything for your continued happiness, my love.”Seonghwa flushed with happiness and giggled, placing a strawberry in his mouth and bringing it to his husband for a sweet kiss. Their food was fresh and delicious, filling them well and they enjoyed the sights as they went out to open water. After some time the driver nudged Hwa's head that was on his shoulder."There is still a small bit left to go. Why don’t you go lie down and I will come and get you when we get there?"They shook their head. "I think I will stay here for a bit longer."Hongjoong kissed his head and focused back on the front. They spoke quietly amongst themselves as they continued along. When they finally get there, the two are excited to enjoy themselves while they still had daylight. They played in the water, having fun and playing water games like they are not both business owners with three teens at home. 
They finished the afternoon with a shower and Hongjoong finally got that massage and gave his thanks to his husband until they both fell asleep. When they woke the sky was darkening and the view was lovely, so they made dinner together (Hongjoong only in charge of cutting and stirring) and ate under the stars as the whales broke the surface for a surprise visit. 
Seonghwa woke him up the next morning with a water-gun fight that ended with them both tipping into the ocean when they ran too close to the swim platform. They sunbathed a bit after breakfast and Joong fished for their lunch. Afterward, then they went diving and Joong got a hilarious picture of the elder's leg being hugged by a friendly octopus, then they collected some pretty shells and pebbles to maybe use to reform with later. It had become a hobby of sorts for some in the family. For their final evening, they went to the nearby island and ate dinner out wanting gourmet seafood and this island was famous for quality and quantity. The evening sun gave them plenty of light to do a bit of sightseeing. The pair were back at the boat by the time the sun fully set. As their final night approached they fell into bed together as they had for over the last twenty-some-odd years.Yet it felt different.A weekend finished with no plans and no one to look after. They took their time, remapping each other as if they had not drawn the lines themselves, following them until late in the night. It was just them, not CEOs, not public images, not parents, just Kim Hongjoong and Kim Seonghwa.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

This was 3 years before the present story, the boys are 16, 15, 12

"So as you boys know the Kim's are invited to the yearly gala-"

There were three answering groans.

"-but this year they are doing a family event so we are going as a whole family."

The three children perked up. They had been to a few galas before but they were too young to remember much other than the fact they were boring. Their parents tried to keep their children away from that toxic environment as much as possible, but some events could not be avoided, sadly.

This one was meant to be a large-scale event which meant that there was more fanfare. That, the kids were interested in. As well as the free, expensive food that is.

If there was one thing the rich indulged in, it was good food at events.
~~
Present Time
"This year they are to celebrate some famous actor's achievement and he wants to go back to a simple black and white event."Yeosang slid down in his seat a bit. "Black and white events are so boring."Wooyoung jumped up. "Wait! It has been too long. We need to go shopping! Mom, can we?""Woo, most of your wardrobe is black." Yeosang."But it is not gala event black!" The middle child corrected his elder brother. "There is a difference!"Seonghwa put his hands out. "We can go shopping Kit, how about we make a family day of it?"Jongho sat up at that. "Dad will come too?""How about we find a day and ask him? If we do it early he can call out."Three cries rang out. "Yes!"The four Kims put their heads together and found a nice day that would work.~~                                                                                                          ~~On the day of the shopping trip, they all piled into Seonghwa's truck and went to the markets."Sangie I swear if you get that chocolate on my pants we will be fighting." Even as he said so Wooie pulled some wet wipes from the cute little travel chest they carried in the back seat for various things and wiped his brother's face. "Why are you even eating chocolate so early?""Soobie sent it to me from overseas and I wanted to try it.""Soobinnie?!" The boy yelled right in his face. "He is still in Europe right?""Mh."A pause. "Let me try.""Absolutely not.""Sangieeee."Their argument was drowned out by their willfully deaf brother who was on his phone and parents.Hongjoong glanced at his husband and smiled, bringing the hand he held to his lips as he drove."Do you know where you want to go?"Seonghwa shook his head. "No, I did not want to limit the kids options so I figured we could window shop for a bit before checking out our usual shops.""Sounds good. I blocked out the entire day so how about we have lunch in the area?""That sounds nice."Soon they were pulling into the shopping district and hopped out together.Seonhwa turned to their boys. "So as we normally do, we will look around for each of you first: starting with Woo, Jjongie, then Sangie. Of course, if you guys see anything you like in the meantime, you can get it."This method worked for them as it helped Wooyoung decide early on what he wants as, like his father, he had a wide range of styles he liked to try. Jongho was the next hardest as the poor boy had developed some self-worth issues that they were dealing with but he was starting to experiment with his clothing choices more- which was amazing,  and Yeosang was a big contender for comfort clothing so he was the easiest to shop for since he usually knew what he wanted.With a resounding 'Yes mom', the family was off.The morning passed rather quickly with the family going to different shops and stores, their universal love for fashion made the experience fun (for them and not the poor employees who were inexperienced with their critical eyes). Wooyoung still had not chosen his event outfit though he had gotten distracted and came back with some other outfits he refused to show them. "These are for my dates with San and my class review, I will not have you guys spoil them!" Yeosang had chosen a simple dress he found it in a newer store, the family quickly loving their selections and picking out a few simple items to wear at a later date. It looked as if the owner would cry in happiness by the time they walked out of there. They decided to take their already accumulating bags back to the truck and pause for a light snack since it was not quite lunchtime.The first store that they went into after the break made Seonghwa stop in his tracks."Oh, it is so beautiful."The dress was a deceptively simple white gown. It had spaghetti straps and a cinched waist. A high slit domineered the front of the skirt which would show off plenty of leg and the best part was the over-fluff on the bust, made of soft thin material so as to not irritate the skin.It really was lovely, and with his wide chest and thick legs, he would be a vision.A hand came up to his back. "Is this the one, love?"They nodded, still petting the fluff on the dress. "Yes, I-I have to try it on.""Then you will." Hongjoong called over the near attendant who led Seonghwa to the changing rooms with one of the dresses in his size.Moving aside the curtain, Hwa, could not help but smile at the gasps he received."Mom, you look amazing!""Wow!""That dress was made for you."The mother flushed in happiness, hiding his wide smile behind his hand. "Thank you." He turned to his husband with a giggle. "Well, Joongie? I guess the children have spoken."The man stepped forward. "Not only them." He turned Seonghwa around to the full-length mirrors outside the rooms and held him by the waist, peering over his shoulder. "You look amazing. Like my very own dove that I plucked from the sky."They could not help but turn to peck Hongjoong on the cheek.Audible gags were heard behind them."Please do not be gross." Yeosang.A sigh from both of them before the father turned around. "Let me appreciate your mother in peace.""Parental figures we are in public." Wooyoung."Hush, at least with Hwa's outfit makes two we started with you and you still have yet to pick an outfit.""Neither have you and that was because Bear did not want to match with me and Cat!""We have yet to go to my store and excuses, Kit."Seonghwa turned to the attendant as they continued their banter. "We will buy the dress."Funnily enough, Wooyoung found his outfit in the second store after that and continued to push until Yeo again decided to match outfits again. They would each most likely change part way through the event anyway and the teen had yet to ask Joong to return his outfit. Jongho found an adorable off-the-shoulder pantsuit combo in the store where Hongjoong picked up his suit. A simple black suit he paired with a white dress-shirt with thin, black stripes. Feeling rebellious, he chose a tie with a faded red design and matched a pocket square with it.Seonghwa shook his head, but Hongjoong did not get where he is in life by following all the rules so he just grinned.The father treated them all to some ojingeo-bokkeum (less spicy for Hongjoong and Yeosang) and smoothies and the five of them headed back home.
~~

The Past

Wooyoung was tugging his hand. "Momma, who is that?"

The three men looked over to a family of four who looked rather uncomfortable and slightly underdressed for an event like this. There was clearly a mother and father and their two children: an older daughter and son about Wooyoung's age.

Jinyoung answered being the social butterfly he was. "Ah, those are the Choi's, they are new to the scene. Their son apparently won a big taekwondo event and so they were invited as a guest. The father is Mr. Choi, the mother is Mrs. Choi, and two children, Haneul and San."

Seonghwa observed the stiff conversation the father had with an announcer- Park-something, before the other awkwardly excused himself. "Oh, poor things, they look so uncomfortable should we invite them over before they get eaten alive?"

Minho nodded, looking at the group of younger children who were still seated with them. "We should. Kids, take a friend if you want to leave, alright?"

"Yeess."

The three men made their way over to the family, the crowd's eyes pinning on them as they approached the Chois. Whispers seemed to rise in volume.

Ignoring them, Seonghwa smiled at the family, glancing at the show host that paused in approaching them, ensuring that they did not.

"Congratulations on your son's competition win."

"A-Ah," the mother replied, "thank you." She brought her son forward who looked rather uncomfortable. "San-ah, say thank you to the nice person."

Seonghwa turned to the boy as Minho mentioned how his husband watched the competition, a fan of Mr. Choi's skills.

San was extremely shy, face flushed and picking at his stiff suit. He looked like a reed that was tempted to blow away in the wind, a surprising difference between the boy who beat his every competitor on the big screen. "T-Thank you, um-?" His voice was tinny and a little confused.

"Does not matter which you use, whatever you are comfortable with," Seonghwa smiled at the adorable boy, the look seemingly relaxing him. "-and, you are very welcome. I have a son about your age. Would you like to make some friends at this boring event?" He pointed to the table they came from and San's eyes seemed to get stuck on the other fifteen-year-old that sat at the table playing on his phone, dark curly waves in his face.

"Oh. Friends?" He echoed, trying to be polite, yet his eyes strayed back to the table.

Seeing the look, Hwa grinned slightly. "Mmhmm, how about we ask your momma and see if we can meet him?"

The boy nodded a faint smile stretching his round cheeks and showing off a bit of his cute dimples.

It was when the mother stood that they parsed the whispers of the crowd slightly drawing closer to try and hear a crumb of their conversation, looking for gossip.

"What are those poor people doing with the biggest families?"

"They are just trying to hang on to anyone they can, they obviously do not know their place."

"They are so popular that they probably do not know of that family."

"But you can just tell they are low class, those outfits? To a gala? How could they not know?"

Minho turned to his friends and said rather loudly. "Should we move back to our table with the Chois? They seem like the only good company in this place."

"Hm, yes we should, it seems like the air around here is suddenly a lot less tolerable." Juyeon.

The three men escorted the family back across the hall, the waiters already adding chairs to their reserved table.

Mrs. Choi had a look of heartbreak in her eyes but she smiled. "We should not impose. You seem like important people."

Mr. Choi nodded to his wife's words, face hardening as he lead his daughter. "We know we do not belong here."

The youngest of the friends paused as he sat. "Oh, we did not even properly introduce ourselves. I am Banhg Minho."

The eldest followed. "Lee Juyeon"

"Kim Seonghwa."

As they spoke, the couple's eyes got wider and wider. It seems their names even reached as far as the countryside.

"Uhm, I really don't think-"

Mrs. Choi tapped her husband's arm. "Honey, your accent."

"Ah, I-"

"There is no need to be so formal with us, it should be us who are, as you both are our elders. If it helps, I am from Sacheon." Seonghwa added.

"I am from Gwangju." Juyeon.

"We should all speak comfortably, we are all parents here." Minho smiled at everyone.

Seonghwa quirked a brow. "Comfortably?" He asked, falling into his home dialect.

"Yes, I think it would be more comfortable for our guests, no?" He turned to the four Chois.

The mother flushed. "Admittedly, it would."

"Then comfortably it is." Minho stood and motioned over a waiter. He pulled the glasses off the tray and served everyone a drink, pink bubbly ones for the young children. "It is just juice." He clarified with a wink.

Juyeon motioned to his kids. "These precious babies are some of our children. Closest to me are my middle children, Hyunjae, New, and Sunwoo."

The other two chuckled.

"Some, says the one who refuses to keep popping them out." Minho spoke between giggles.

"Hey! Six is a good number!"

Mrs. Choi gasped. "Oh my, you have six children?"
Juyeon puffed up like a peacock. "I do! My youngest is a hoot, even at the age of 8. His name is Eric, but he is not here tonight because he decided to try a dance he saw online in a tree. "
"Is he alright?"

"Yes, just a fracture, thankfully." He chuckled. "I am good with six as it seems the energy of all of them is contained in that little boy."

"Oh my."
Moving on, Minho hugged the freckled boy now sitting contently in his lap. "This is my little Lixie- he is shy, and his younger brother Jeongin. The other one- my eldest, is hiding somewhere around here."
The family said their hellos and turned to Seonghwa. "Ah, these are- Wooyoung, what are you doing?"

The boy froze, halfway in the seat next to San, he looked at his mother with a small smile.

"I... was just trying to say hi up close?"

His mom just sighed. "That impolite boy is my middle child, Wooyoung," He sheepishly slid off the seat to do a proper bow, "and the one sliding into his previous seat here is my youngest, Jongho. They are not as sneaky as they think they are."

Even as he made the preteen blush, he pulled the boy closer into the half hug he wanted, pulling his chair closer.

"As you may already see," Juyeon shamelessly started, "there is a family already showing signs of  having their own wildcards."

That sent the parents into a round of laughter and they settled into a nice conversation learning about each other and their reasons for being at the Event (San turned as red as a beet when the mothers congratulated him again). The children seemed to be getting along genially as well, however, t
he parent's conversation was interrupted by a groan.

Wooyoung was standing, turned towards the crowd with the intent to leave. "You are boring."

"Kim Wooyoung," His mother chastised, "do not be mean."

The other boy spoke up before Woo could, playing with his hands. "S-Sorry, but you are really pretty, it is hard to talk to you."

The other boy paused, flushing a pleased pink but tried to not act like the compliment affected him. "Okay, maybe you are not that boring. Wanna go get some food? Trust me, it is good."

San looked at his parents who looked at Seonghwa.

He smiled and nodded. "Truly the best things about these events is the food and there are plenty of people watching, he motioned around the men in black unassumingly lining the walls and the few waiters dotted about with slightly different vests than others, "the kids will be fine."

San's mother motioned him away. "Don't go too far."

"Okay."

Having his approval Wooyoung grabbed the other boy's hand. "Come on, I will show you how to sneak the best pieces after we find my older brother."

The two were quickly lost in the crowd.

Seonghwa turned back to the couple. "So where were we?"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

~~

Present Time

The family talked amongst themselves as they made their way into the large decorated building after having come off the red carpet. There were many familiar faces and some dear friends who also were not able to avoid the invitation to be there.
For some reason, they really wanted a small interview from them, especially when they noticed the straggler that they had who clearly was not a family member and hanging in the middle near Jongho.
The interviewers were chomping at the bit to question why a small, but rather successful production company's son was in their presence. They had not seen a new person since the last "Unfortunate Incident" that surrounded the boy. The family explained that they merely became friends as they attend the same school, but the questions veered into dangerous territory by some bold, yet stupid souls so the family excused themselves promptly so the next people could be spotlighted. 
Seonghwa attempted to keep his husband calm, though the man already had his phone out, eyes dark and night already ruined before they even entered the door. 
A soft hand slipped into Hongjoong's from the other side. It was his youngest. "Forget it, dad, let us try to enjoy the night."
"Are you sure, Bear?"
He nodded with a sigh. "As much we want to, we cannot stop people talking about it."
"We do have a-"
"-an order not to speak of it in public." The boy finished. "Someone probably already recorded it so no dismantling families until I have at least had one dance tonight."
The man huffed, pulling his son close. "Fine, but if anything happens tonight, I am shutting this event down. You, Song Mingi." The boy was already looking their way but he went rigid at the attention. "If anyone says or tries anything with my son while we are in there when I am not around, you report it directly to me, got it? This one will not tell me." He ignored the elbow in his stomach.
"Y-Yes Sir."
"Good. Now-"

~~

[Pretend the grey is white please ^^]
~~
He was cut off as Wooyoung launched himself at someone ahead of them.
"Sannie!"
San let out an 'Oomf' at the impact. "H-Hello Young-ah." The teen set him down, helping him lower his skirt back down to a proper level, and bowing to his parents. "Mr and Mr Kim, it is lovely to meet you again." 
Seonghwa pulled San in for a hug. "Sannie, sweetie how many times do we have to tell you it is okay to call us mom and dad?" 
"S-sorry, eomeo-nim."
He chuckled. "Close enough."
Hongjoong looked around, the conversation was seemingly forgotten for the moment. "Where are your parents, San-ah?" 
The boy motioned to a crowd where Mr. Choi just peeked over the heads. "Over there, they were called away moments before you came."
Hongjoong kissed his husband's cheek and pulled away from him and his son after one more squeeze, patting the boy's shoulder as he passed. "I am going to say hi."
Seonghwa nodded fussing with San's all-black suit. "Alright." 
The patriarch gave one more look at Mingi over Jongho's head before disappearing.
The boy shuddered but tuned into the conversation with the family.
"Sannie, is your sister still sick?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "She apologizes but your recipe is helping."
"She has nothing to apologize for, we cannot help it when our bodies need us to take a rest. I am glad it is helping as well, my mother swears by it, even with the delicious flavor." He giggled at the gags from his kids, including San's green pallor, all having experienced it.
"R-Right."
"Not like she is missing out." Yeosang huffed.
The mother said nothing but tilted his head, conceding the point. "I hope she feels better soon. Let her know I will give her a call tomorrow."
"Will do." He looked over and smiled wide. "Mingi? Is that you?" San grinned. "Dude I have not seen you in a suit in years, why did you not say you were coming?"
"You two know each other?"
He nodded. "Our friend group is pretty small. I met Mingi about half a year after he transferred?"
The younger nodded. "Yeah, so like two years?"
Seonghwa put a hand on his face and groaned. "San-ah, you should have said so earlier, it would have been so much easier convincing my husband if I just told him you were friends for that long."
Wooyoung piped up, still hanging on his confused boyfriend's arm. "I said I knew him!"
"You do not count, you have too many friends. Anyway," He clapped happily. "it is good to see that you will have friends here, Mingi-yah!"
He nodded with a slight smile.
**
The family mingled as a group for a little while before separating into their respective circles with kin and friends. Even the married couple finally broke apart, Joong going to some big names to chat and talk shop while Hwa found his friends and other gossiping mothers, getting the finest tea one had to offer at these things. The kids were all over, Wooyoung more than the rest, all snacking on plates and drinks before the sit down and speeches, hanging with their groups, and introducing Mingi to names unfamiliar to him. 
Partway through, Something told Seonghwa to look for his kids and he stood to make a loop around the room, intending to end at his husband.
He spotted Mingi almost immediately and it was only a glance to spot his baby bear next to him, giggling at the face he was making at what looks like a platter of hors d'oeuvres they were sitting and trying. He was secretly happy the boy got a taller boyfriend, their kids had the ill-fate of being vertically challenged like their father. 
Yeosang's blond hair and white outfit were also easy to spot in a group of some similar-aged college kids. 
Yet there was no sight of his middle child. He paused to survey the room again and no sight of the black mane and identical black version of his eldest's outfit. No San either. His parents seem to be speaking at length about something with his husband, but their sweet boy seems to have been kidnapped by a little gremlin. 
He sighed. 
That boy is definitely the cause of a good thirty percent of his parent's stress.
Seonghwa grabbed his son as he conveniently made his way in his direction with some friends. "Yeosang, where is Wooyoung?" 
His eldest gave him a look.
Okay, fair he deserved that one. Eighteen-year-olds, he swears. His mother had never been more correct that their second child would be a terror since Yeosang was so calm- though he had his moments. They just desperately hoped she was wrong.
"..Alright, just please try to find him before his father does."
"Okay, but if I get scarred you owe me ice cream."
They locked their pinkies and pressed their thumbs together to close the link. "Deal."

He ended up owing his son ice cream.
They avoided letting Hongjoong know what they discovered but Wooyoung was given a time limit to return to the party and agreed on the terms of his possible grounding if he did not. At a party? Really?
San always goes home with them for a few nights whenever there is a mutual event they attend (like he does not basically live in their home anyway) but Wooyoung could not even wait a few hours and drive back to the house so as to not risk his mother's heart? Ungrateful really. Even after both sets of parents willingly went deaf and blind when they both turned eighteen.
It seemed Yeosang had had enough and when he returned to sob in his mother's arms about how he needed to bleach his eyes, he was in the first outfit he bought. It was an adorable long black dress with a modest thigh slit. It had these attached shoulder ruffles that showed off the tops of his nice shoulders and collar bones (thank you mom), decorated with a simple gold necklace. He paired it with some dangly earrings, a white bag, and black heels with a white buckle. His long blond hair was still loose as it had been earlier, but seemingly fluffed and refreshed. He did not bother changing his light makeup, only refreshing that as well. 
When Wooyoung finally graced their presence, he had changed into a short black cocktail dress that had a simple gold chain around the top of the bust as the detail. He paired it with some black and gold jewelry and gold-accented black and white stilettos that matched his chained purse and his father's white suit coat he stole from his closet. His black hair was still loose on his shoulders, but he pulled some strands into a ponytail and stuck a gold butterfly pin in the band. His previous light makeup was now dark and smokey, setting off the now bright red of his lips.
It seems San sadly did not get the memo of the alternate fits as he was still in his black outfit, though now the jacket was removed and his sleeves rolled up. His hair was still up, though he pushed it all back from his forehead, likely hiding it was ruined in the 'kidnapping'. Though the look may have been on purpose to draw attention off of him, seeing as he was not quite good at removing the results of his disappearance from the room if one was looking. 
There were already murmurs and people flocking around Woo to compliment his drastic new outfit, so maybe it worked... for the most part.
Sighing, the mother handed off his son to one of his friends and made his way over.
~~
                                                                                                           
~~
Jongho chuckled as he saw the crowd that had formed around his brother. 
"Could not even wait until the party was halfway over. Woo owes me two-hundred bucks."
His father turned to look at him, pausing his conversation, then at the crowd, realizing his child stood center. 
"Is that my jacket?"
"Looks like it pops."
Hongjoong hummed, then his eyes squinted at something off to the side. "I think I know why they decided to change."
They both looked over to see San off to the side of the crowd not quite as invisible as he might think he is. His coat was off and his sleeves rolled up, but he looked visibly less put together than his boyfriend. It did not help that even from here they could see the red blemish peaking from under his collar.
Jongho stepped into his line of sight. "So! Dad, Mingi wanted to know if you could listen to his tracks sometimes since you used to do music. He would really like a professional opinion that was not his family."
The said boy looked at his boyfriend, confused. "What-" Mingi unsubtly winced at the pinch he received from him, though the shorter's eyes never left his father's. "O-Oh yes p-please, I would like that a lot, Mr. Kim."
The CEO hummed, but his husband moving towards the crowd in his periphery made him turn fully to his child and his boyfriend.
"Music you say? Ah, you are a budding musician if I remember correctly."
Their talk got drowned out by the many voices.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

~~
BREAKING NEWS

KIM JONGHO SEEN WITH GROWING PRODUCTION COMPANY HEAD'S SON!

Kim Jongho seen with a new potential lover? The youngest Kim finally entered the dating scene after his last scandal!
Kim Jongho (15), the youngest of the Kims was seen last night at the gala with the heir of the Song Production company, Song Mingi (16). Reporters were told that the boys were merely class friends but a picture has surfaced of the teen feeding his "friend" and holding hands. Has the family finally allowed their youngest back into the pool after the event that nearly broke the family of five? Or is there something bigger happening in the background?WaySongs (WS) Entertainment has been having a rough start to its rise to fame and even though they seem to be gaining traction in South Korea and becoming well-loved by the public, it is slow going. Has the company president met with the patriarch of the Kims for some kind of arrangement? Is someone making new connections to solidify their place in the industry?
The only place where you can get updates on the Kim family's daily life, BREAKING: Kim Family News!

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Hongjoong was in his home studio messing around on a rare day off when there was a knock on the door."Come in."It opened to his smiling husband holding a tablet. "Joongie! We got another movie premier invite!"He continued cutting some fabric. "Okay, we can just say no like we always do or give our tickets away."It went quiet and he turned around only to come face to face with wide shiny eyes and jumped."Hwa! Jesus fuck.""We have to go to this one Joongie." Seonghwa showed him the tablet and his email was opened to a bright invitation to a movie that he was actually somewhat interested in seeing, however, a premier could be so taxing. If he wanted to watch a movie, he would rather just wait for it like everyone else. He looked back up at Hwa then turned back to his work, picking up a needle and thread. "Why this one? You know people hate how honest my reviews are.""But the directors love you for it! You literally have your name in credits for giving pointers on how their films could have been better, no matter your blunt reply. The masses do not matter." His husband pulled him upright, hands going to his shoulders and absently massaging the tense muscle and making Joong groan in relief. "Pleaassee? I have really been wanting to see this one and you might even like it too! The movie is a perfect mix of your and my loves."He did not know that. "Baby," he started, "you know that trope never works.""It is practical this time!""I highly doubt that, babe. Remember the last time? We both literally walked out of the theater and that film bombed.""Okay, fair, but-" Seonghwa ran their hands over his shoulders and down his arms, rubbing them. "-I will wear that dress I bought for you." Hongjoong immediately did a full one-eighty in his chair. "The black one that you told me you had no occasion to wear it for?"A grin. "Yes.""Deal."Seonghwa squealed, pulling his husband to his chest in a big hug. Well, if saying yes got him a face full of tit Joong might say yes more often.  Seonghwa squirmed in their seat, happy to finally be able to see the movie that he has been talking to his friends about for a while now. He was stilled when a hand landed on his leg, calming the jitters a tad. "Nervous?" Hongjoong smiled. "Does that mean we can blow this off and go back home?" He slapped the spoilsport's arm. "None of that, we are practically here already. Plus, I am telling you this movie will be good. You might even cry."Their beloved scoffed. "I have never once cried at a movie."Hwa only hummed, leaning into his side. Joong gave him a look but he only responded with a smile.Soon the sound of a crowd and announcer became louder and then their car was up next.  
"Now, the hard-to-please, loving couple, Kim Hongjoong and Kim Seonghwa! Rumor has it that this premiere was heavily anticipated by Kim Seonghwa so we may have the movie of the year!"
There was a loud round of cheers as the pair stepped from their car, Hongjoong first, then helping his husband out. The two were dressed impeccably, as usual, Seonghwa in a black leather spaghetti-strap dress that hugged their every curve, offset by the bright pink shawl and pink Louboutins. He had on some simple crystal jewelry and makeup, his hair curled and styled to the right, falling over their eye.Hongjoong went completely with comfort as he went with his usual, a monochromatic black outfit with a white high-neck shirt. It comprised of a black leather suit jacket to match his husband and slacks, completed with a set of simple chains and some white laced, black boots. He carried his husband’s crystal clutch, handing it to him when they were walking up the carpet. 
~~

~~They waved at the cameras and posed in front of the populated theater, the announcer coming up to them to ask a few questions.She turned to the clearly excited man first. "Kim Seongwha-ssi, this movie release seemed to be one you had an eyes on from the beginning. Was there any particular reason? You look stunning by the way."Seonghwa beamed. "Thank you and yes, I am very excited to watch this film, the director is one we previously worked with and took my husband's critiques to heart. Many of their films have been brilliant since." He leaned towards her as if he had a secret. "I think everyone knows my preferences, but the genre is one my husband favors as well."The announcer tittered. "Does he? So we are expecting a thorough reaction?""Maybe so, if I can make him agreeable. It was so hard to get him to come out tonight.""Ahh yes, the the nations Homebody CEO, though we thank you for whatever struggles you had to face for us waiting fans."Hwa ran their free hand down his side and hip over the dress. "Yes, such a struggle."They laughed together and she turned to the shorter of the two."Kim Hongjoong-ssi. There are many talks about your review tonight, will you be changing your critical method for the audience?""As I have said before, I cannot please the audience with an untruth review. In a business where we must improve continuously, dishonesty helps no one. I will give my critiques as usual.""Well said. My wife and I for one admire this quality. There are too many lies and deceit in our industry. Honest, yet polite reviewers like you both are a godsend and I am sure the directing team thanks you for it."Hmm, bold statement. This must be a new announcer, they liked this one. "Mr. Kim! Mr. Kim!" Someone called from behind the rows of cameras, "What about the-"The woman cut them off, her smile a bit more strained than before. "I think we have kept you two long enough. You should get inside before they get to the announcements!"The pair said their final statements and were escorted to their seats. It was not much longer that the seats around them were filled and the speeches began.Then they finally watched the movie.  "Darling, are you crying?"Hongjoong quickly wiped his face. "No, I-I was just staring at the screen for too long."Seonghwa chuckled, reaching into his purse to give his husband some tissues they brought for this purpose. "You can cry, Joong."He took the tissues. "I’m not."Another chuckle. "Alright."~~Hongjoong helped him put back on his shawl when they pulled apart once the lights came on. The credits were done and the final speech was over, sending everyone off to the after party for mingling and formal reviews."Do we have to stay for the after party?"Seonghwa bat at the arm he was reaching for, handing off their purse when the other motioned for it then properly linking their arms. “We might as well, Joongie. You did like the movie.”“I did," he groaned, "however with how I give approvals, this is a rare event. I do not want to change my email again if they start sending me a bunch of mail.”Hwa rubbed his arm. "I will take care of that don’t worry." Suddenly the other smirked, pulling them closer. "Oh yeah? You are going to take care of me?Seonghwa slapped his chest. "Stop that.""Kim Hongjoong-ssi!"Fuck, it was the producer of the movie. The pair stopped and turned to the voice."We wanted to know if you and your.. wife would ride with us to the venue so we could speak privately about the premier."This man. He always had a wierd view of the couple and always claimed he was not homophobic but would puposefully only use female terms for Seonghwa, even after the embarassing moment where he realized that the other was in fact, not a female by birth. He also only mainly spoke to Hongjoong which was a tad insulting, however even if Seonghwa was not genderfluid, he never cared enough about the man to try and figure out his mind and so told they did nothing about the odd yet harmless behavior.He was good at what he did, even if he was a little homophobic and sexist, so the two had whoever he worked with keep a loose eye on him."Sure, let me call our driver and tell him to follow us.""Perfect, we will wait for you by the East doors."The man walked off and Joong sighed, pulling out his phone."I do not like him.""He is harmless.""I hope he stays that way.""For his sake, of course?""Of course. Of course."

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~~Hongjoong's phone beeps twice before his office doors are pushed open and a bond blur rockets onto one of the sofas in his office. The employee he was talking to quickly excuses themselves and closes the doors firmly behind them.The CEO taps a button on his desk to make sure it is locked before heading to his baby. He sits next to his head and runs a hand through his hair."Yeosang?"There was a moment before he responded but the CEO waited him out, letting him gather himself.When the teen finally did speak his words were wobbly. "I'm so stupid.""Why would that be, Precious?""I embarrassed myself in front of my crush."Ah, so it was finally his turn. If Hongjoong was being honest he hoped his eldest never fell in love. Yeosang was his first child, his baby, and he somehow he never outgrew his innocence. The kid reminded him so much of his mother when they were both young, even though he carried a lot of his own traits.The poor boy often thought he got left in the other two's shadows, but the father never let Yeo believe that for long. He was sensitive, quiet, and very shy, though he often got mistaken for the opposite. He also has a mischievous streak probably worse than his younger brother, but he only played with people he trusted and it took a lot for them to gain it. The entire family had a soft spot for him, often not denying him much, but he carefully picked his battles. Yeo's personality was somewhat opposite of his father's but they were like two peas in a pod. The man never took more time off than he did after Sangie was born because he had horrible separation anxiety, and when he could walk he would try to follow him everywhere. He even found a way to unlock the front door as a toddler and ended up halfway down the street looking for his father before he was caught by their guard(ian) (who was also fired that same day because he thought he could leave their baby in his pen and sleep on the job).Hongjoong was reminiscing too much. He returned to his child, clearing his throat."- and who, might that be?"Yeosang's head turned just enough for a dark wet eye to peer at him. " 'm not telling because you are going to do your weird file search thing." He turned back to the cushions. "It does not matter anyway he does not like me."A flick to the boy's head. "I do it to keep you all safe and as you can see it works for the most part."A whine traveled up. "I knowww. But I came here to cry and hide from the world so let me do that."Hongjoong laughed and picked his son up under the arms to pull him up to his shoulder. Yeo moved with him, placing his legs over his and leaning into the offered arm, just tickling his chin."Now you know I cannot bare to see any of you in tears. There would be none in my presence if I could help it. At least tell me what happened if you will not give me the person's name"Slim hands grabbed at his jacket, tweaking the material and playing with his buttons as he curled more into the warmth. "I s-sang in front of him."Joong hummed. "I see. I am guessing you did not want him to hear you yet?" A nod. "Why, Cat? I thought your lessons were going well?""But I am not good enough yet!""Says who? You showed me your improvement last week and I am sure you have gotten even better since."The tears were back. "I am not good enough as Woo, Jjongie, or even mama.He pet the blond locks. "Why are you comparing yourself to them, Love?""Well mama used to sing and the others are just naturally good.""You know that is not completely true at all. Your mother was a professional, yes, but he was not always where he is now. They could not always sing and were probably more insecure about it than you are.""He was?""Yeah, I will not say much because I feel it is something for them to tell you personally, but he struggled for a long time." Hongjoong chuckled. "Funnily enough, I also caught him singing in the piano room where I used to play when we were in school.""Oh, what did they do?""Ran away." Yeosang groaned, hiding his face again. "Did you run away too?"His silence was telling.The man laughed, but he continued where he was going earlier. "Your mother would get a kick out of not being the only one. Also, speaking of Kit, we all know that boy may have a nice voice now, but he could not carry a single tune when you guys were younger." They both giggled at that. "He got better singing them songs from that group you kids listen to all the time- what was it again?"Ateez.""Yeah, them.""That is true.""Bear... well Bear I have absolutely no idea where he got his voice from. Probably your halmeoni. She had a great singing voice."The teen huffed. His father had not even considered himself again, which was a fruitless conversation. Their father had a great singing voice though he has never had formal practice. Everyone loved whenever he sang at home as he was distracted. They learned to not mention it, lest he stops singing.A good placement of tears and/or puppy eyes can sometimes get a small show out of him. Sometimes."So you see? You cannot compare yourself to them. You should not be doing that at all really, because the only person you need to compare yourself with, is your past self.""I guess you are right.""I could also show you the videos your teacher sent me?" Hongjoong offered.
"No!"
He got a chuckle and a squeeze. "Then take a look back and see that it might not be so bad that this happened. Who knows, this person might have liked your voice.""Yeah right, Yunho-" he slapped a hand over his mouth.The CEO grinned. "So his name is Yunho, is it? Does this Yunho have a last name?""Dad, please. If he actually does like me you can do your whole thing but please not right now.""Fine, but the second I hear of things going up, I get a last name.""Deal."They shook on it.Yeo pressed further into his side afterward. "Thanks, dad, I always feel better after talking to you.""That is what I am here for, Kitty Cat. Do you want me to take you back home?""C-Can we stay like this for a little? I am sorry I-"Joong shook the teen in his arms a bit. "No need to apologize, Cat, you know that. You can always ask anything from me and if it is within my power you will have it.""Then a hug, please?""Of course baby."They wrapped around each other and snuggled further into the couch. "Though I might want world domination later."They laughed together and the man began to smooth his son's hair."I really think that you should tell him soon. Your mother is much more similar to you than you think.""I'll try."He kissed the top of his son's head. "That is all I ask."A few days later Yeosang burst into his office again."Dad! He said he said he liked my voice!"

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BREAKING NEWS

KIM WOOYOUNG INVOLVED IN DATING SCANDAL!

Kim Wooyoung said to be cheating on his boyfriend with someone else's!
Recent sources have said that Kim Wooyoung (19) of the KIm family has been the center of a scandal at XXX University.  It seems the young adult has been lying and cheating his way- quite literally to the top of the School. Our sources say that after stealing a young girl's boyfriend, and ruining hs relationship with his long term boyfriend, the taekwondo athlete who is sweeping the nation, Choi San (20), he manipulated the results of a competition to embarass his competitors- all with no remose. As the world knows the second youngest Kim wanted to follow in his elder brother's footsteps to be the Cheer Captain of his year, though no one thought it was to this extent.Has the couple, self-proclaimed "Soulmates" finally broken their red thread? Or was it torn apart deliberately?We have yet to hear from Choi San on the matter of the relationhip, as he is currently across the country training for the national competition, however we have heard that Kim Wooyoung has been resigned from his University Cheer Team in light of the news breaking out.
The only place where you can get updates on the Kim family's daily life, BREAKING: Kim Family News!

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"So anyway that bitch-""Language, Kit.""Sorry, that girl thought she could undermine my fair and square audition for head cheerleader. Yeosang helped me so much with the routine! She ruined both of our efforts! Now there is this big thing happening with the coach, and I am pretty sure they are going to call you at some point."Seonghwa flipped a page in the file they were reading. "That is fine, at least we would get the full story, aside from what you are telling me of course."Wooyoung huffed, feet kicking lightly on the edge of the desk. "I do not get what her deal is, I have done nothing to her."
"This was the girl that ruined your chiffon coat?"
Wooyoung rolled his eyes, earning a sharp glare. "You are not listening, mom""I am, I am just trying to confirm my facts. Paitiently."The boy sighed, repremand deserved. "No that was the girl from the Cho family, though she is a friend of this girl. She is from the Baek family." "Okay, continue, honey."Wooyoung jumped back into his story. "Anyway, I got a text from Yeonjun two days ago. He did some snooping and found out that she did all of this because she was upset that her boyfriend tried to hit on me. I barely even remember brushing him off! I already have a boyfriend! Whom I love very much!" He boomed, hands waving.He paused as his mother’s secretary entered the room and accepted the cake and fruity drink after he gave files and a smoothie to his mom."Are you really busy today?" He asked after a few bites. "I can hang out with dad until you are free.""No." The CEO sat back in his seat, taking off their glasses and rubbing his eyes. "You are fine, sweetie, just some new staff coming in so I am just double checking everything.""Ooh, how fun." Seonghwa snorted, taking a sip of his drink. "You always seem to have a beacon when they come in. Don't terrorize them too much.""No promises. It is my job to make sure they are up to our standards.""Neither I nor your father gave you that task.""But you have to admit it helps." The boy sing-songed."Unfortunately it does. Be careful.""Aren't I always?"Seonghwa leveled a look at their kid who shrugged because fair point. Careful was boring anyway.He did a double-take, giving Wooyoung's bright outfit another look. "Since when do you wear all this colour?"Woo grinned now that his mother finally noticed. He hopped off the desk and did a spin. He was wearing a see-through star long-sleeve he covered with a lavender dress that matched his currently long, lavender hair to a tee. He paired it with pink Naked brand chunky heels and a white bag, the gems on each matching his earrings, and for once was wearing his prescription glasses, the pair with a chain that did not look dissimilar to the ones his mother currently wore. He even had his nails done and his usual plethora of rings on his fingers. "Sannie’s favorite colour is purple and we have a date later, it is our anniversary."~

~"Oh, right that was today, wasn't it? Then what you are here instead of spending the day with him?"At that, the boy slumped, leaning against the wood of his mother's desk and crossing his arms with a pout. "He had training he could not miss.""Ah, the national league competition?""Yeah, dumb sports." He perked up. "Ah, do you think dad would let me borrow his car?""You would have to ask him." Seonghwa turned away from the desk completely and crossed his legs. "Before that, however, where were you going with your story?"Wooyoung soured even more remembering what he was going to say, though it was less in anger and more upset. "She showed up with her friends when I was at the mall yesterday and made a scene, throwing all of that in my face. S-She called me a whore in the middle of the mall, mom. There were so many people and now they probably think I did something wrong." His voice began to wobble. "Yeonjun's family was able to bury the articles and I told everyone else not to say anything until I spoke to you and dad. I know I cause you and dad a lot of stress but I don't- I'm not-"  Seonghwa stood and hugged his son, letting him cry on his shoulder. "Hey hey, calm down baby. Your dad and I have never ever thought you were a problem, okay? That girl was wrong for doing that knowing how it would affect your image."
"I d-don't know wh-what to do. W-What if San s-sees-"

"Hush, my baby. You did more than you should have. You should have come to us immediately but you did the right thing and thought this through. Also, San would never believe anything like that. You two have been attached at the waist since you met. He knows you better than some child with an inferiority complex."

As if they spoke him into existence, Wooyoung's phone rang. It was San's ringtone.

When the boy hesitated, Seonghwa brought the phone closer to him, hugging him closer to reassure him futher. "He knows you."

He answered.

"Woo?" San's voice came through. "Baby, I am so sorry I just turned my phone back on, are you okay? Where are you?" 
"San." He held onto his mom, breaths evening out as they squeezed him."Wooie are you crying?"  San sounded heartbroken. "Please tell me where you are so I can come and get you.""I-I am with momma, a-at the of-fice."
"That's- good. Give me ten minutes, I will be there soon okay? I love you, always."
"I-I love you too."They hung up and Wooyoung dropped his hand. His mother took the phone from him and guided them to the sofas. They took the throw off the back of the couch and wrapped it around him. Seonghwa cleaned his son's face and gave him some extra tissues for the tears that were still falling. "Mom, w-what do I do now?"His mother held his cheeks. "You are going to try to enjoy the rest of your anniversary with your boyfriend. Spend the night at his place even.""I can?" A nod. "What about-""Your dad and I will take care of that, you just need to enjoy your day. You deserve it. You deserve happiness, my love." They kissed his forehead. "Then you are going to go on another date in three days.""What?"He grinned wide. "I told you. I and your father will take care of it."His son smiled back.—Three days later, San and Wooyoung were on another date when Daya showed up. She had on an ugly dress and caked-on makeup and with a man that was clearly not her said-to-be boyfriend."Wow I cannot believe that you can still come here, your face must be really thick." San stood up "Listen-""No!" She spoke around him, glaring when he blocked her view again. "So you are the boyfriend. You obviously must not know what he did." She puffed up in dark glee at getting to explain her story. "That- Thing thought he could just delete those articles and make everything go away, but I will just tell you now. He stole the head cheerleader position from me, and my boyfriend. He is just a conniving little-"Kim Seonghwa's voice cut through the restaurant. "- and who are you to accuse my son of this?"Both Kim's were standing not eight feet away, dressed to the nines and both looked furious."M-Mr Kim." She stumbled. "A-And Mr. Kim." She bowed and flinched when the both of them only huffed.Hongjoong calmly walked up to her. People often spoke of his short stature compared to his family, but they also often forget he was not as short as he seemed. He towered over the teen. "Your words were so strong a minute ago, what happened, child?" She was quiet. He continued. "Contrary to popular belief, I am not the impatient one, that title goes to the mother of my children. Answer my husband."Her eyes darted over to the man, elevated by his six-inch heels and looking directly at her. "I-I- He stole my-""- Position for a sports team?" He finished for her. "So you decided to slander his name, our name in a public place, rather than dealing with this privately? You do know that slandering and defacing someone's image is illegal right? Are you so above the rules that this thought did not cross your mind?""I am not- I'm- I did not-"Seonghwa finally stepped forward. "I have observed the cameras that you kids assume to no longer work in schools these days and talked to both your teachers and the coach of the cheerleading team. They all seemed to have the same story. They all say that you were the sole one causing problems for multiple people in the school, Baek Daya. That you were the one that approached his long-term boyfriend that we approved of in hopes of stealing him away." His eyes lit on the young man Daya was with who shrank away. "This also clearly is not the boy who also told us that had intentions toward my son." His slitted eyes turned back to the girl. "I was also made aware that the fair voting system the held for the head cheerleader that I personally had a part in crafting was undermined by you, yourself when you attempted to record a routine my eldest created and failed when you got caught."Hongjoong took over. "Nothing but lies seem to come from you but we will give you one last chance before we sue your family for everything they own. What do you have to say for yourself?"She fell to her knees. "Please you have to believe me. I was just-"Paitience gone, Seonghwa sighed. "Enough, I do not wish to hear your voice anymore." They turned to the men behind the pair no one seemed to realize was even there until he spoke to them. "Arrest her. The only place I want to see her is in court."A quick, polite jab to the back of the girl's neck quieted her cries after she was read her rights, and they took her away. "Well!" Hongjoong clapped his hands, bringing the attention to himself and turning to the two on their date. "Sorry to interrupt your date kiddos. We will go back to our own over there." He nodded to the opposite corner of the restaurant, "Enjoy."He took his husband's hand and lead them back to their table. Seonghwa looked over his shoulder and met his son's eyes.This time, Wooyoung's grin matched his mother's.  Back at their table Hwa thanked their husband for pulling out his chair and slipped off the fur shawl around their shoulders, picking up the fresh pour of wine that was left there to take a sip. "Were we that bad as kids?"Joong shook his head. "No, if I remember correctly, you talked with your lovely hands and I verbally eviscerated them, dear. People got the message much faster than all of this plotting."He swirled the glass in his hand. "Makes you think about the future minds.""Mhmm. Bright kids, but a little quick to jump into things."Seonghwa went to take another sip when he paused looking over Hongjoong's shoulder. "Is that Yeosang?"They both looked over and in the opposite corner, their eldest son was indeed pretending as if they did not exist with a slim dark-haired boy facing away from them.

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~~“Babe?” A voice called out.“In the kitchen!”There was the sound of padding feet before Hongjoong appeared in the kitchen doorway. He took a moment to look at his husband. Seonghwa was in their sixth month and round and glowing with their first child. Though he was just washing dishes, he was a vision with silky black hair, fluffed from probably a recent nap on the couch. He was wearing one of his sun dresses as he refused any maternity wear- saying they were hideous and ill-fitting for pregnant people, the dark to light black-white ombre one with stars painted on it. It was paired with a white bunny house shoes and looked very cute with the light pink frilly apron he had on to protect the dress from getting wet.Large doe eyes looked over their shoulder, cheek faintly tinting pink."You are staring again."Joong straightened up and walked over. "Can you blame me? I am just so thankful.""For what?" Hwa smiled softly as a kiss was placed on their cheek."For you. I never thought I would have this life.""Yes you did."Hongjoong shook his head. "I knew that I would be here, yes, but I thought I would be alone. I never thought that I would be married, live in a house like this, and even have a child of my own on the way. And it was all because of you." He wrapped his arms around his husband. “You are the one who literally put a baby in me.” “Hwa! You know what I mean.” “I do, but I need to get my fun somewhere if I am going to be working less.”Joong chuckled. “‘Working less’ I saw your laptop on the coffee table.”“My secretary just needed some files. Besides, you would run everyone out of the company if I stopped working completely, Mr. Pok-Joong.” He teased.Hongjoong huffed into their shoulder, looking up at those sparkling eyes. “I’ll give you Pok-Joong.” He mumbled into the skin.Seonghwa rubbed his arm as he hummed. “Not today dear, the baby is already taking after you and terrorizing my spine.”The man perked up. "Ah, speaking of, since you have been working so hard baking this baby, let me do this for you.""Do wha- oh, gods above." From behind them Hongjoong hands went under the mound of Seonghwa’s stomach and lifted it up in one motion easing all the pressure on his body and the bit of pain he was feeling at the moment. The feeling was euphoric and Hwa went a little weak in the knees, leaning back heavily on his love who readily took his weight, expecting it."Gods, Hongjoong," the pregnant man said after a long moment of just being able to breathe , "how did you-" he could not even finish, his words trailing off. "I saw a video about it." Joong kissed his cheek again, chest filling with pride because finally, this one little thing that had such a big impact was something he could do for his husband. "I am sorry it took me so long to find. I wish I could have given you this help earlier."Hwa shook their head, eyes still closed in bliss. "I don't care how long it took to find, we are doing this for the rest of this pregnancy and the next ones.""Next ones?"He got a side eye for his question. "I said I wanted babies, Kim Hongjoong, and you said you would give them to me."Hongjoong pulled them just that bit closer. "I am with you, my love, I only thought that maybe you would have changed your mind now that we are here."Seonghwa shook their head. "I knew what I was getting into and barring the trying moments I adore being pregnant. As long as I am able, I would love to expand our family."Tears sprang to Hongjoong’s eyes. "I love you so much, my star.""And I you, my universe. Now stand here for ten more minutes while I get back the feeling in my legs."Their first child, Yeosang, made Seonghwa gain a bit of weight around the baby. He craved sweets constantly, and nothing was too sweet for them. It slipped off slowly afterward as his diet returned to normal but he retained a bigger chest and wider hips, accompanying marks dark and noticeable but lightening over the months after birth. He liked them as proof of what he just did, even if others did not. They did not matter as Joong was of the same mind since before Yeo was born, and now that he could properly appreciate his husband’s body once the child was out his hands were all over him.Which led to their second child.While carrying Wooyoung, he was very affectionate, not wanting to be out of his husband's sight for very long but also having moods where he was overwhelmed and pushed him out... only to call him back in a few minutes to an hour or so later. His morning sickness (the name is very much a lie) lasted until one day in their second trimester it just did not come. He celebrated it with the wide range of cravings he was experiencing.Then came the last child. Jongho was his smoothest gestation yet. He was almost suspected to be a twin with how early Seonghwa's stomach popped, but he was just a big baby. The pregnancy was not a difficult one though, his stomach was large but he felt energetic and often did his workouts and yoga and it took a strong push for him to slip right out.It was after that that he had complications.

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Fuck fuck fuck

.

Yeosang knew his habit to frequent his favorite places would bite him in the ass one day.

Yunho had finally asked him on a date! His excitement lasted until they were deciding what to do. He was a little nervous about listing his interests as they really consisted of

inside, sleep, play games, draw, inside, gym, sleep, scroll on phone- inside.

Yunho only laughed and called him adorable and mentioned the one topic he could talk for hours about. Food. They both had very healthy appetites and loved meat, though Yeo favored desserts, namely chocolate. Since his date was still pretty new to the city and Yeosang was a little hopeless, the pair decided on something that was simple and fun, a date at the fair that was in town and going out to eat afterwards at 'wherever your favorite place is, Yeosang'.

The fair was an excellent choice after Yunho coaxed Yeo into a few rides and games he seemed to be interested in. The shy boy came out of his shell as his competitiveness and show did a few choice words that he blushed about later. They each left with something, a little puppy charm won by Yeosang for Yunho, and a little maltase puppy Yunho won for Yeosang- though Yeo left with a little extra after pouting dangerously.

“You could have at least gotten me a moberman puppy.” The younger one choked on his slushy trying not to laugh in his surprise.

The snake plushie was even better though.

It was safe to say that part one of their date ended well, and they sufficiently built up an appetite, so they went to Yeosang's favorite restaurant. Yunho was a little daunted by the simple yet extremely expensive restaurant that had the 'best fried chicken in all of South Korea', but Sangie only smiled and said they did not have to pay "... so don't worry about it".

Yunho put down his menu. "Huh, why?"

The young man looked even more embarrassed, tucking his blonde hair behind one ear. "My mama may have… accidentally bought this place years ago."

"Accidentally?" How does one

accidentally

buy a restaurant??

Yeosang covered his pink face. "I

know

. My dad told me that when mama was pregnant with me he was craving chicken really badly and went out to eat here while he was out. Alone.” Yeo softly motioned around. “This place used to just be a small local business but when dad found him here surrounded by empty plates he was told that mom

already

bought the restaurant so he would 'always have his favorite chicken'. Dad can never tell him no, so, um, yeah.”

Yunho burst out laughing. "I swear the more I hear of your family the more you all seem like a regular family who just happens to have a ton of money."

Yeo smiles softly. He liked that Yunho saw past his parent's fortune for who they really are. He watched him blink at him for a moment, then clear his throat, going to pick up the menu "Well, since it is

free

, let's order until they have to roll us out of here." He grinned.

He also liked that he loved food as much as him. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

Just as they had fun at the fair, the meal was also enjoyed with laughs and Yeosang blushing as Yunho cleaned food off his face. He tried to be clean! Towards the latter portion of their meal the teen choked on his food as his younger brother walked in with his boyfriend.

He never said he was coming today!

"Whoa, you okay?" Yunho stood up to pat him on the back and give him water.

Unfortunately, that caused them to be noticed and Wooyoung's grin stretched wide as Cheshire's at seeing the two. Rather than bothering them though he sat at his table across the restaurant, which confused the eldest Kim sibling. His view was briefly blocked by their waiter who brought their desserts and more water, and then glanced at him and then his date. Yeo shook his head minutely as he responded to Yun that he was okay and they walked away like the interaction never happened.

No need to tell him about the family that had been working here before he was born.

As Yunho reseated himself after confirming and dug into their treats, the younger of the two glanced at his brother's table, noticing him tapping on the surface repeatedly. He blinked as he realized what was happening.

MOM. DAD. HURRY. LEAVE.
His younger brother told him in morse.

Oh this could not get any worse.

"Is Wooyoung okay?"

Yeosang snapped around. "What?"

"You keep looking at his table." Yunho pointed with his spoon as he spoke. "Is he in trouble or something?"

The teen is just going to stop thinking at this point because he just realized what was happening

today of all days

. The young man wanted to disappear into the floor, but he also did not want to leave his brother alone for this.

His scheduling really was terrible. Or, good?

"He.. should be fine." He glanced at Woo again, biting his lip. "M-My parents are coming though."

The elder raised his eyebrows. "Uh, why? Is he in some trouble?"

"No, but-" Yeosang paused, biting his lip.

Yun looked away, finishing his sentence for him with a light tint to his cheeks. "-they are parents?"

"Yeah, and overprotective ones at that."

The other sighed, relieved. "Thank someone you think so because I was not prepared." He watched Yeosang giggle and then looked at his unfinished plate. "How about we finish our desserts and if they are still not here we leave?"

His date similarly sighed. "Gods you are the best. I am sorry, I ruined our date."

"Yeosang, this is the most fun I have ever had on a date but-" he smiled wide and Yeosang's heart skipped a beat, "- if you feel that bad, how about another sometime soon?"

The teen wiggled in his seat, pleased. "I-I would love to."

They had just finished their food and were about to leave when it started.

Baek Daya pushed her way into the building and started going off on Wooyoung almost immediately. When San tried to stop her and she rebuffed him and then continued, Yeosang's face darkened, hearing the lies she was spewing about his little brother. He almost stood from the table but from his peripheral vision he saw his parents walk in and notice her scene immediately, making their way over with a few of their family's security and lawyer, Min Yoongi. Nothing got past that man and he went for the throat every time.

Also, his mother was clearly

pissed

.

Kim Hongjoong's anger was one that was somewhat predictable to the public. He had a lot of patience and simmered until he decided to make his displeasure known. Like a thunderstorm, it could roll in or be sudden as a downpour, and whomever his anger was directed at was left scrambling until the storm passed. Kim Seonghwa was the one that was the unpredictable one, and the one that was more dangerous. Unlike their husband, their anger was a switch, and one that was extremely volatile. Seonghwa worked hard on his…. unpleasant behaviors while upset. As a young man, they had a rather potty mouth and often used more actions than words. He has calmed down with age, although his patience had its limits.

Yeosang watched his mother take off his sunglasses the longer Daya spoke and their normally wide eyes were narrowed as he seethed in silence, making the teen shiver. Wooyoung glanced at him and he could tell his brother was feeling the same way.

This will be good.

He struggled not to break out into a wide smile and terrify his date.

“Whoa.”

The teen snapped out of his head. He realized he was leaning on an arm as he watched the spectacle. “Hm?”

Yunho looked a bit… ruffled? Like he was- nervous? Or something? “Your face, it got all dark.”

Sangie straightened up. “A-Ah, sorry.”

“No, it's... fine.”

“Oh. Well um-” Before it could get more awkward, the young man was cut off as his father's voice sounded around the restaurant that quieted the moment they walked in. Not that the girl noticed.

"- and who are you to accuse my son of this?"

Daya seemed to notice they had company at this point and the girl paled all the way down to her fake Louis Vittons. "M-Mr Kim." She stumbled. "A-And Mr. Kim." She bowed and flinched when the both of them only huffed and turned their noses up at her. His father calmly walked up to her and the brothers plus their dates watched as Kim Hoongjoong towered over her and spoke next, his face a halestorm. "Your words were so strong a minute ago, what happened, child?"

She was quiet.

He was not done. "Contrary to popular belief, I am not the impatient one. No, that title goes to the mother of my children. Answer my husband."

The teen responded and it all went downhill from there. She eventually was dragged away, her hands being cuffed behind her. The Kims spoke to their middle child briefly before- to both of their son's horror, went to sit at their table on the far side of the restaurant.

Yunho subtly watched them head to a table and were, oddly, not seen to immediately. He looked down and had to pull his lips together to not laugh out loud at seeing his date breaking his neck to ogle his parents. He cleared his throat to get his attention.

“That was,” he started, however was unsure how to finish that sentence.

Lucky for him Yeosang understood the sentiment. He shrank a little. “Yeah,” he breathed, “my parents. Don't say their name, pop's ears are something else.”

Yun thumbed at the door. “Um, then, should we go? Maybe we could still sneak out.”

“Oh absolutely.”

Yunho froze like a deer in headlights.

Yeosang paled, then sank down onto the table. “They are looking, aren't they?”

“Yes, but... Yeosang I think they were here the whole time.”

“What? Why?”

“Because when they sat down the table already looked occupied.”

Yeosang turned his head, and yep. Looking right at them.

He smiled, a small, pained looking thing, and waved.