Back to school day was a very exciting day for the kids.
Seonghwa stayed at home to watch Wooyoung and Jongho, while Hongjoong was tasked with taking the other three to school before heading to work.
Yunho and San were now in Year 2 and Year 5, so they were very excited to meet their classmates again. Mingi, on the other hands, was starting Year 1.
The moment the car stopped, Yunho and San jumped out and ran to their classes, not forgetting to give Hongjoong tiny kisses before sprinting away. Watching the kids running off, Hongjoong let out chuckles, proud tears swelling up his eyes. The kids were growing up so fast.
Turning around, Hongjoong was ready to go back into the car when he almost walked into his third son, Mingi. The parent stumbled backward in panic.
A hand on his chest, Hongjoong exhaled dramatically. "Oh dear, Mingi, you're giving me a heart attack." He was going to tease a bit more, but then he noticed Mingi's unusual quietness and stiffness. "Are you okay, bub? Why aren't you going to school?"
"Minmin scared." Mingi answered in the tiniest voice.
Hongjoong immediately knew that Mingi was not feeling good. The boy only started to call himself 'Minmin' when he was too anxious or frightened or shock.
Hongjoong pulled Mingi into his embrace and showered the boy with kisses all over his face, until the boy visibly relaxed and started to cackle loudly.
"School is not scary, Gi." Hongjoong tried to explain. "You're gonna meet new teachers, a lot of new friends and learn new things. Don't you always want to know why the dogs bark and the cats meow? Or why the sky is blue? School will teach you many new, interesting things."
The five-years-old looked up to his dad, his eyes slightly wavering but almost immediately still. He crossed his arms, lips tightening, head shaking vigorously like his life depended on it.
Hongjoong sighed as he watched his son in defeat. Like every other child, Mingi was stubborn, and unlike Seonghwa, Hongjoong did not have the parenting skills to persuade the boy.
"Do you want to go to my workplace today?" Hongjoong asked after a solid 2 minutes of a staring down contest.
The small boy visibly beamed with excitement. His dad was a famous fashion designer, and Mingi had seen his beautiful work when he snuck into Hongjoong's home office that one time. Ever since, he had been enchanted with the colourful design and creative, "out-of-the-box" patterns.
"But you HAVE to promise me that you will go to school tomorrow!" Mingi pouted. He did not like school. He just wanted to go to dad's workplace and see all the cool clothes and tall, beautiful people.
Weighing the pros and cons, Mingi finally agreed, even made a pinkie swear with Hongjoong. Satisfied, Hongjoong happily put Mingi into his booster seat and drove to work.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, other than that Seonghwa might not be so happy finding out about Mingi skipping school on the first day. But he would never find out about it. Hongjoong would make sure of it.
So, seriously, what could possibly go wrong?
***
HE LOST THE CHILD!
Hongjoong did not know how it happened. But it just happened. And now he had lost Mingi!
There was a crisis at work. Some interns spilled coffee over a dress that was supposed to be worn in the company's big fashion show this weekend. As the designer of the dress, Hongjoong was called over to solve the issue.
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The Story of Us (ATEEZ OT8 FAMILY)
FanfictionHongjoong and Seonghwa tried their best at parenting, but raising six children was not an easy fit. At this point, as long as these kids were alive, Hongjoong and Seonghwa could pat themselves on the back for a job well done. NOTES: - Will talk abou...
