Chapter Text
Life has always been demeaning and unfair. That’s what Yeosang believed. He grew up in a strict household. One bad grade, punishment. One mishap, punishment. His parents dictated every movement he made. It wasn’t until he got older that the punishments became more violent. He took the brunt of the punishment so his older sister didn’t have to. He spent many mornings covering the bruises on his face with some concealer. There were nights that his sister would tend to his wounds as well.
He didn’t want to be questioned about it when he was at school. When he was sixteen, he got a part time job at a cafe to save up money. His boss also worried for him, saying he looked quite thin and the bags under his eyes were prominent. He promised he was okay. (His boss never woke him if he fell asleep in the break room though.)
When he finally turned eighteen, he signed up to be enlisted. He wanted to get as far away as possibly from home. He did his mandatory conscription and went to university once he was out. Unfortunately, not many places are hiring inspiring art students. So, he spent his time looking for part time jobs. He’s lucky and lands a job in the public library in Seoul. People are nice but it still doesn’t bring in enough money for all of his bills. So, on the weekends he lands a job at a restaurant.
It’s no surprise he’s a waiter. He’s been told he has a pretty face many times. Plus, he’s good at it. That’s where he’s been for the past year now. He works nearly everyday, needing the money.
The one good thing he’s got though is his niece who he took in after his sister died in a tragic car accident. The day he got the phone call, having been on his sister’s emergency call list, his entire world shattered in front of him once more. His sister is gone and now he will raise a little girl too. He didn’t think he was ready but he refused to let his parents be near the little girl.
When he showed up at the hospital that night, Haein looked up at him with wide eyes. He had walked over and crouched down to pull her into his arms, standing back up. “Where’s momma and daddy?”
“They went on a trip and you’ll be coming to stay with me, baby.”
Haein nodded, hugged him around his neck. “I get to stay uncle Sangie?”
“Yes, baby.”
Yeosang cried that night once she was sound asleep next to him.
-
He has a day off today but his alarm is still set to go off and he groans. He reaches a hand out, turning it off and checking the time. Thankfully, he has enough money to afford a place with two bedrooms and Haein has her own room. He looks up at the baby monitor. She’s four now but he’s still cautious. He puts his phone back down and rolls out of bed. He makes his bed and runs a hand through his hair.
He grabs a shirt off the floor, throwing it on and heads into the bathroom to brush his teeth and do his usual morning routine. Once he’s done, he goes to the kitchen. He grabs some things to whip up a small breakfast for his niece. He hopes this coming August he will be able to enroll her into school. If he has the money. He would also have to adjust his work schedule to take her and pick her up.
He lets out a sigh and plates her food. He sits it on the table before he goes to her room to wake her. Yeosang opens the door to see the four year old still sound asleep. He can’t help but smile at the sight. He sits down on the bed beside her, running his fingers through her hair. “Haein, time to get up.”
The little girl whines and turns to bury her face into her pillow. He only grins and starts tickling her sides. She giggles, trying to get away. Finally, she sits up and blinks tiredly up at him. “Hey, princess.”
She pouts, making grabby hands up at him. He chuckles and picks her up. He takes her into their small dining room area, sitting her down in a chair. He gets her a pair of chopsticks and hands them to her. She starts to eat, thanking Yeosang with a huge smile. He smiles himself and fixes himself a plate to sit down to eat with her.
It’s going to be a nice day. Just the two of them. He made a pretty nice paycheck this time so maybe he can take her out to get her some clothes?
He pulls his phone out to check his bank account. Yeah. He can spare some money this week.
“How do you feel about going out to shop for some clothes today?”
Haein stops eating and her eyes go wide, “Really?”
He nods his head. He will do anything to hear those happy giggles anyday.
-
The two take a bus to a nearby outlet mall. It’s one that has some of the stores he can afford on his paychecks. Haein has a tight grip on his hand, walking by his side as they enter the building. There’s not a whole lot of people there today since school is in session and it’s still early spring. They start off at her favorite store, where she lets out a happy giggle and goes to where she gets her clothes. Haein pulls him along and he follows willingly, a smile on his face.
In the middle of shopping, a little girl comes running up towards them. Yeosang is taken aback, not knowing where she came from. She couldn’t be much older than Haein who immediately takes interest in her. A man around Yeosang’s own age comes running up, his eyes widen.
“I’m so sorry!”
Yeosang only gives him a smile, “It’s okay.”
The man catches his breath before offering a bright smile. “I’m Wooyoung!”
Wooyoung is way more energetic than himself. His energy is contagious though. He can’t help but smile more. “I’m Yeosang.”
“Is she yours?” Wooyoung asks, motioning over to Haein. Yeosang hums, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.
“She’s my niece but lives with me,” he decides to answer with. Wooyoung doesn’t push for more and he’s thankful. “How about yours?”
“Oh! She’s my niece too! My brother had something come up last minute so I’m taking care of her. Nara, come say hello,” Wooyoung crouches down and opens his arms for the little girl. She comes running over, her arms wrapping around his neck and he stands back up. Yeosang feels something tugging at his pant leg and looks down to see Haein. He chuckles, scooping the girl up into his arms.
“Hi Nara. You must’ve gotten to talk to Haein some.”
Nara nods with a big smile. “She’s nice!”
Haein giggles, a smile of her own present. He hopes to see Nara again for Haein to play with, hopefully. Eventually, the two girls go about picking clothes out and the two men go with them. Wooyoung talks a lot, he realizes. He doesn’t mind though. He’s nice and sweet. He’s also cute. By the end of their shopping trip, Yeosang has made a new friend and has a new number in his phone.
-
The next day, Yeosang has to work his shift at the library. He yawns, getting out of bed to shower and get dressed for his shift. He’s allowed to wear pretty much anything, as long as it is appropriate. He finds a pair of gray slacks and a white turtleneck. He pulls both on. He grabs a cardigan to go with it and walks out of his bedroom.
Haein is already dressed when he walks into her bedroom and he lets out a chuckle at her choice of clothing. Her shirt doesn’t match her pants and she’s wearing knee socks. “Is that what you are going to wear to Heejin’s place?”
She nods with her bright eyes and he laughs. He grabs some shoes for her to wear and helps her to the door. He grabs his bag, where he keeps his things in when he works. His lunchbox is already in it along with keys and wallet. He pulls the cardigan on and slides his shoes on at the door. He helps Haein put hers on before they exit the apartment. They walk next door and he lifts a hand up to knock.
The door opens and an elderly woman greets them. She smiles and looks down at Haein. “I got some new games for you! The ones you asked about.”
Haein’s eyes are bright with wonder and she takes her own backpack off that has her things in it. Yeosang crouches down and she turns to hug him. “Bye Uncle Sangie. I’ll see you later.”
Yeosang nods, hugging her back and kissing her temple. “Be good for Heejin.”
“Always,” she kisses his cheek before running into Heejin’s place.
“Once again, thank you.” He bows his head to her and she chides him for doing so. She’s always been willing to take care of Haein while he works. He offers to pay her but she refuses, saying if he comes over for a meal every once in a while, that would be payment enough.
He finally leaves, heading to the library that is a short distance from their home. It’s still early in the morning and the library hasn’t even opened yet. He puts the code in for the back door and walks in. He waves to one of the librarians who is already at the front counter. He goes to put his things in the break room and comes up front. “Good morning, Yeonjun.”
The younger man nods his head, working on checking books in. “Good morning. How’s Haein?”
Yeosang smiles, thinking about his niece as he starts putting the books back onto the rolly cart. “She’s good.”
The two talk while they work, trying to get everything ready before they open. “Who else is working today?”
“Kai is. He will be here soon, but only half a shift since he’s got uni classes today.”
Yeosang hums, checking the time on his watch. He goes to unlock the doors for them to open before he goes to get the cart to start shelving the books.
-
The library doesn’t start picking up business until around lunch. It’s mostly uni students and those who enjoy coming to pick up a nice book to read. He usually mans the counter around that time, answering questions and checking books out for people.
“Did you find everything okay?” He asks as he checks out the next customer.
“Oh! Yeosang, you work here?”
He looks up to see the familiar blonde hair and brown eyes. It’s Wooyoung.
“Wooyoung? Hey. Yeah, I’ve been here for the past two years.”
The other man smiles. “I didn’t know and I come here often. I guess I never come when you’re here.”
Yeosang finishes checking his books out and hands them back over. “I guess you need to come by more then.”
A faint blush forms on the other's cheeks and Yeosang chuckles. “I’ll text you later, Sangie! I’ve got to get back to work!”
Wooyoung leaves and Yeosang’s own cheeks feel warm. No one really outside of Haein calls him by his nickname. He smiles to himself and puts his hands over his cheeks. He hears a laugh and turns to see a smirking Yeonjun. “Sangie.”
He pouts, “Shut up.”
“Someone has a crush,” Yeonjun teases. The younger man walks up to him and pats his shoulder. “I like seeing that smile on your face though. It's great to see you happy.”
Yeosang blushes and looks down bashfully. Yeonjun has a point. He rarely ever smiles, if any. It’s only when he’s with Haein. Maybe he should give it a shot. Only if he’s reading the signals right.
-
A month has passed since he met Wooyoung. The two text each other back and forth when time allows. He let the younger man know about his own life, how he works two jobs and raises Haein. Wooyoung seemed concerned when he said he worked so many hours, asking how he had time to even see Haein.
Yeosang had felt his heart warm when someone asked about his health and life. There weren't many people who did. He explained how he managed his time well, making sure he still gets to be with Haein a proper amount of time.
Wooyoung explained how he worked in a company as a team lead in the designing and production department for fashion. He was entranced by that, wanting to know more about his job. Wooyoung was more than happy to talk more about it.
They did make time to meet up, even if that meant Wooyoung coming out with him and Haein. Wooyoung didn’t mind, he loves children and he’d bring Haein a gift each time. Before long, one month turned to two. Summer was in full swing as June approached with hot weather. Yeosang had to break the bank a little to get some more summer clothes and get the ac unit fixed.
He was tight on money but he made it work. Now, he’s working a double at the restaurant. He is tired and his feet hurt. Not only that, but his head has been hurting since he woke up that morning. He’s sure he’s coming down with something. He’s feeling super nauseous too. It’s still one hour until closing and he’s trying his best to make it.
A big group comes in, many of them in nice suits and kind of loud. They seem nice though. He watches as they are seated and his boss tells him to take the table. He heads that way, bypassing some other people and arrives at the table. “Can I get you guys some drinks?”
They start listing off drinks and he writes them down. His eyes land on one of the men, lo and behold, it’s Wooyoung. He gives him his order with a smile forming on his lips. He just holds back his own smile before turning to go fetch the drinks. He stops for a moment when he arrives at the station for drinks, the room spinning.
One of the managers places a hand on his shoulder, seeming to notice his state now. “Are you okay, Yeosang?”
He takes in a deep breath and it comes out shaky. “I’ll be okay.”
The manager seems worried, but he slowly backs off and goes back to work himself. Yeosang plates all of the drinks and lifts the tray to take them. He passes them out, catching Wooyoung’s eyes again who gives him a concerned look. He shakes his head, putting the tray under his left arm and getting his notepad out to start writing down orders.
He goes to give the tickets to the chef and asks to go to the bathroom. He barely makes it into a stall before he’s on his knees, throwing up into the toilet. He’s not sure how long he stays hovering over the toilet. His throat hurts and he’s sure he’s crying. He hears someone knocking on the stall door, trying to get to him.
“Yeosang? Hey, are you alright?” It sounds like one of his coworkers and he’s unable to answer. He sits back against the wall, taking in shaky breaths. There’s some more talking and then he hears a gentle voice.
“Sangie, can you open the door?”
Wooyoung.
He reaches up to slide the lock over and Wooyoung comes into the stall with him. He has some wet paper towels and starts to wipe Yeosang’s mouth off. Wooyoung is gentle with him. He helps him off the floor, his grip firm but soft. He doesn’t hear what he says to his coworker, noticing it’s one of his managers. He leans into Wooyoung’s touch, being led out a back way and to a car. “Youngie.”
“Shh. I’m going to take you home, okay?”
Yeosang nods, getting into the passenger seat with some help. He’s thankful Wooyoung drove his own car here, not wanting to throw up in a taxi but also not in Woo’s car either. He buckles up and lays his face against the window. It feels cold to the touch and he feels his eyes falling closed. He feels safe, knowing he’s with someone who cares for him.
Yeosang is shaken awake gently, meaning they are probably at his place. Wooyoung helps him inside, putting his code in once they get to the door and into his bedroom. “Haein..”
“I’ll take care of it but first, you need to get into some different clothes and in bed.”
Yeosang sighs but listens. Wooyoung asks where his usual night clothes are and goes to get them. He helps Yeosang get them on and then into the bed. He leaves to go grab some things and comes back with a wet washcloth and a bowl. He works on wiping him down, his movements gentle. Once he’s done, he wets the washcloth again and squeezes it out before laying it on his forehead.
He picks a bag off the floor. Yeosang is confused but he was asleep on the way home. Wooyoung must have stopped at a store on the way here. He pulls some medicine out and makes Yeosang take some with a glass of water. Then, help him lay back down. “Now, you rest. I will take care of everything else.”
Wooyoung goes to get up but Yeosang grabs his wrist. The younger man turns to meet his gaze, concern written in his face. “Thank you, Youngie.”
Wooyoung smiles and leans down to press a kiss to his left temple. “Anything for you, Sangie.”
-
He’s not sure what time it is when he wakes up. He knows he feels a ton better, other than the fact that his throat hurts. He’s sure that’s from throwing up so much. He sits up in the bed and his eyes glance over to the baby monitor. Haein is sound asleep in her bed.
He hears the sound of someone else breathing and that’s when he looks down. Yeosang spots Wooyoung sitting on the floor with his head tucked into his arms on the bed and fast asleep. The smile that forms on his face has him even thinking he’s gone crazy. He reaches a hand out hesitantly, his fingers coming in contact with the fluffy blonde hair. He runs his fingers through it and his heart feels so so warm.
He’s fucking screwed. He’s fallen so hard for this man and has only known him for two months. He moves to take his hand away when the other man starts to stir. Wooyoung sits up, his head coming in contact to Yeosang’s hand. The older man blushes and moves it away quickly. Wooyoung blinks for a moment before he’s smiling and stands up, only to sit on the edge of his bed. He reaches a hand out to feel of Yeosang’s forehead and lets out a sigh of relief. “Your fever broke.”
Yeosang watches as Wooyoung sits back, letting his hand drop. “Want to tell me why you were petting my hair, Sangie?” Woo teases with a smirk.
The older man looks away, his fingers buried in the covers. He’s not going to say anything, beyond flustered. He’s not been in a relationship in such a long time so of course he doesn’t know how to react in this manner.
Wooyoung laughs softly, getting up from the bed. “I’m just picking on you, Yeosang. I don’t mind, either way. Anyway, I talked to your manager at the restaurant and told you to stay home today. Also, you need to contact your boss at the library and let them know you won’t be in tomorrow.”
Yeosang’s eyes widen and he looks up at Wooyoung. “But..”
“I know you are tight on money this month. You already told me, but let me help you. Please, Sangie. You need to rest,” Wooyoung pleads, sincere with his request. Yeosang chews on his bottom lip as he thinks. He doesn’t like owning anybody. It’s going to take a lot on him to let Wooyoung help him. At the same time, the only way he’s going to feel better is to get some rest. He lets out a sigh, nodding his head.
“I’ll do it.”
Wooyoung smiles, it’s bright and Yeosang feels himself fall even more for the younger man.
-
Yeosang is curled up on the couch with a blanket around his shoulders and Haein is sitting on the floor at the coffee table. She’s coloring in some coloring book that Wooyoung got for her. It’s around one in the afternoon. Shortly after he woke up, Wooyoung had to leave. He had a meeting he couldn’t miss despite it being a Sunday.
Wooyoung pressed a kiss to his cheek and ruffled Haein’s hair before he left with a smile. He promised to return after work. So, now, he was watching some show on a streaming service the Wooyoung had logged in for him and Haein was occupied with her coloring book.
He’s very glad that his niece is well behaved. She’s also very smart and he can’t wait for what she will be able to do once he can get her enrolled into school. He lets out a yawn and checks the time again. An hour has already passed with him just watching a series.
He wishes he could do some cleaning or something but he’s been put on couch rest by Wooyoung. He sighs, laying down onto his side and snuggling his head into the pillow.
“Look, Sangie,” Haein picks her coloring book up to show him her current work with a bright smile. He smiles, complimenting the work. she turns back around with a happy giggle and finishes coloring.
At some point, she climbs onto the couch and curls up beside her uncle. She watches the show with him, since it’s some cartoon she wanted to watch anyway. He smiles, holding her close and they watch it together until they both fall asleep.
This time when he wakes, he hears soft giggles filling the room and he opens his eyes to a sight. He smiles tiredly when he sees Wooyoung sitting with Haein at the table, both eating takeout and talking. He sits up and slides down to the floor to sit with them. Wooyoung turns his head to him and smiles, reaching a hand out to ruffle his brown locks. “Hey sleepyhead.”
He smiles, his cheeks warming. “Hey, Youngie.”
He lets out a deep breath, picking up a pair of chopsticks and starts to eat his small portion of food. As he sits there, listening to their giggles, he’s never felt so at home as he does now. Haein is happy. He’s happy.
All thanks to this man he met two months ago.
-
Yeosang is rudely awakened one morning by none other than Haein. He groans and pulls the little girl into the covers with him. She squeals and giggles, pushing his arms away. “Sangie! Let go.”
He laughs, keeping the cover over the both of them. “No. The sleepy monster will get us.”
She giggles more. He smiles before pulling the cover off them both. “Now, why’d you wake me?”
“It’s your birthday! Sangie is getting old!”
He rolls his eyes fondly and starts tickling her sides. She laughs, trying to get away from him. He finally stops once they are both out of breath and they climb out of the bed. He walks into the living room with her and she tells him to wait before she comes back with a piece of paper. She hands it to him and he reads what it says.
Hap
B day
Sagie
He smiles widely, knowing his time spent teaching her how to spell and read has paid off. When he had not been doing it, Heejin said she had. She even showed him the stack of workbooks she had gotten to work with Haein. His heart melts, his fingers trembling as he looks at the drawings she did. He can’t help but be confused when he sees what he expects is him, her and who is the other?
“Who is this, Haeinie?”
“Oh! That’s Woo!”
His heart skips a beat and he pulls her in for a hug, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. He’s so blessed to have such a cute niece. “Thank you, baby.”
“Of course, Sangie!”
The two of them get dressed. It’s been a week since he’s recovered from being sick. They still gave him his days off though. Today, somehow, he got it off. He usually has to work on his birthday but he doesn’t this year. So, they are going to go to the small water park that is thankfully free. He packs some water, snacks and their lunch. He makes sure they have sunscreen in the bag too.
He grabs his usual hat for outings, letting it hang from his neck and goes to grab Haein’s. It’s one they got to match each other. She loves it so he always wears it during the summer. He comes back, putting the hat on her head and she smiles up at him. “Ready to go?”
She nods and they head out.
-
The two of them spend most of the day at the water park. They’d take breaks to eat snacks and reapply sunscreen lotion. When lunchtime rolls around, they sit down to eat their lunch. It’s nice having an outing with just the two of them.
He loves seeing her so happy. It makes him happy too. She’s enjoying her sandwich and looking around with big round eyes. His sister had said that she got those from him. His boba eyes. He can see the resemblance and why so many people ask if she’s his.
His phone vibrates and he pulls the device out to check who it is. He can’t help the smile that forms.
Youngie 💜: happy birthday, Sangie! I wish I could spend the whole day with you but work called. I will still come by tonight! Any requests for dinner? I’ll bring it!
Yeosang: thank you, Youngie. 💜 and anything is fine. I can’t wait to see you tonight.
Youngie 💜: oh you can’t wait to see me? 😉
He rolls his eyes, a blush on his cheeks and puts his phone away. He should be used to Wooyoung’s flirty remarks. He and his niece return back to playing, soaking up more of the summer sun.
-
They are both exhausted when they return home. Haein had even fallen asleep in his arms as he carried her up to the apartment. Yeosang enters the code into the keypad and steps inside. He notices the familiar shoes on his shoe rack and he just smiles, taking his own off. He takes Haein’s off and hangs the bag up. He takes her to her bedroom first, sitting her on the bed. He gently wakes her for him to change her into her pajamas.
“Haein, baby. You need to eat some dinner then you can sleep,” she pouts but nods. He climbs off the bed and walks back into the dining room area. Yeosang puts her clothes away, knowing Wooyoung is in there with Haein. He finally walks into the room, seeing the two of them eating. He comes to join them at the table, plating his own food.
Wooyoung asks about their day at the park and Haein is happy to share about it. Yeosang asks about his day too, wanting to know how it was and if anything was difficult.
After they are done eating, Wooyoung collects their dirty dishes and takes them to the kitchen. “I can do that.”
“Nope!” He shouts back from the kitchen. A few seconds later, Wooyoung comes back with a cake in his hands and a candle lit. He starts to sing happy birthday and Haein joins in. He feels his eyes start to water as the cake is set down in front of him.
“Make a wish, Sangie!”
He nods, closing his eyes and clasping his hands together. He hears Woo let out a soft laugh. He opens his eyes and blows the candle out. Haein cheers, clapping her hands. Yeosang grabs his phone from his pocket, telling Haein to come sit in his lap. He then reaches his hand out and grabs Woo’s arm to pull him over. “Say cheese!” He says as he opens the camera app on his phone and clicks a few pictures.
Finally, they dish the cake out. He laughs when it gets on Haein’s cheeks and keeps having to reach out to clean them off. Once they are done, he has Haein go brush her teeth and get ready for bed. He goes to the kitchen to start washing the dishes.
“Sangie, seriously,” he hears Wooyoung chide him as the younger man wraps his arms around his waist. He leans into the touch, only smiling. “I would have done them.”
“It’s my house. You’re a guest.”
Wooyoung sighs, placing his chin onto Yeosang’s left shoulder. “I just wanted to help.”
“You did. You are always helping me. Just being here is helpful to me,” Yeosang responds, finishing up the dishes and drying his hands off. He turns around in Wooyoung’s arms and brings his hands up to cup the younger’s cheeks.
“You’ve brought so much joy into my life, Wooyoung. I want to thank you for everything you’ve done since we’ve met,” he smiles, running his thumbs over Woo’s cheek bones. Wooyoung leans into the touch, a smile forming on his lips.
“Anything for you, Sangie,” he whispers softly, his hands finding a spot on his hips.
Yeosang isn’t sure if he’s reading the atmosphere right. He’s so certain that Woo is feeling the same as he is right now and he finds himself leaning in to close the distance between the two of them. His lips meet Wooyoung’s, his eyes falling close.
He hopes he didn’t mess up.