JUST SWEET

삼 (3)

"Look Daddy! Cookies!"

Seungkwan shrieks in excitement as he points at the food isle, at the shelves full of variety of cookies and other pastries while trying to free himself from his father's grip but of course Jeonghan didn't let go. It's already half past 9 and also way past the child's bedtime but he couldn't risk his baby boo contracting Seokmin's fever that he came down with just after dinner earlier.

Jeonghan took his temperature to make sure and the thermometer confirms that his son has indeed came down with fever as his temperature read 38.5°C. So with Jihoon taking care of Seokmin while also making sure he won't go near the baby in the mean time while Jeonghan brought Seungkwan with him to the nearest drugstore to buy paracetamols for his other son.

It only took a fifteen minute drive to reach the nearest drugstore which was the Xu-Wen store that was a cute combination of a drugstore and a grocery store.

"Sweetie, remember what we came here for," Jeonghan said with a smile as he softly tugs Seungkwan away from the pastries and sweets, the child pouted but did not complain.

They wander around the store, Jeonghan having to pull his son away from the foods section a couple times more because they really need to buy Seokmin's medicine first. Jeonghan sighs in relief as they finally came upon the counter where a handsome man greets them with a smile and his nametag read 'Junhui' .

"Good evening Sir and little gent" Junhui continues to smile as Seungkwan giggled and greets the pharmacist back. "What can i do for you?"

"Uh my son come down with a fever an hour ago and we already ran out of paracetamols. Uhm this is what his pediatrician prescribed last time he had a fever. Here," Jeonghan hands the handsome pharmacist the prescription and Junhui briefly reads it before nodding his head.

"We still have this, wait here and i'll go get them for you." With another smile, Junhui left and Jeonghan sighs in relief again.

Had it been a regular paracetamol then there was nothing to be worried about because it can be bought it any drugstores but Seokmin's prescribed paracetamol was far different from the regular ones and it also has a higher dose content. At the age of 3, Seokmin was diagnosed with Leukemia and as he battles the illness, his immune system weakens making even the simplest of colds fatal to him.

When Seokmin won the fight against cancer at age 4, his immune system remained weak and only through medications and check ups was he able to maintain a healthy living. Now three years passed and Jeonghan thanked the heavens that his son hasn't relapsed and the chance of the cancer reoccuring was now low and continues to lessen as years pass.

Still there was Seokmin's weak immune system and Jeonghan's panic was an understatement when the child came down with the fever, he didn't want anything to happen to his eldest son. If a cold is considered fatal for his son's weak immune system, how much more if it was a fever.

His phone buzzing on his pocket snaps Jeonghan out of his thoughts, he sniffles and felt embarrassed as he realized he was almost crying in the middle of the drugstore. Jeonghan momentarily lets go of Seungkwan's hand and fished out his phone from his pocket while wiping a few tears that managed to escape.

Jihoon had texted and for a moment Jeonghan felt panicked, thinking that something bad happened, he quickly opens the message and felt a huge relief wash over him on what he read.

🍚SmolGodson🍚
Seokmin's fever already went down. Still buy the paracetamol though, just in case.

Still smiling, Jeonghan types in a reply before shoving his phone back in his pocket just as Junhui returns with the medicine. Junhui made the older recheck the medicine from the prescription and when it was a match, Jeonghan took his wallet out of his bag and payed for the medicine. Junhui then hands him the medicine in a paperbag with his change. They bid each other goodnight.

"Okay sweetie, we got your brother's medicine. Now let's get you some–" Jeonghan wasn't able to finish and panic struck him when he turns around and the child was no longer standing beside him.

Jeonghan frantically looks around in hopes that Seungkwan didn't wander far but felt his heart drop when he didn't see the child anywhere. Jeonghan felt himself began to tear up as a worried looking Junhui came to his side. Jeonghan told Junhui what happened and the latter immediately alerted the bodyguards. Junhui lead the panicking and near to tears blonde male to the front desk where another bodyguard sat with a microphone beside him.

Jeonghan sat down and was asked to describe Seungkwan so that they could broadcast it to the whole store to make the search easier.

As Jeonghan describes to the officer what his son was wearing and what he looks like, one thought was running through his mind and that is he's never going to forgive himself if something bad happens to his baby boo.

            .....................................

Seungcheol had just payed for the boys' medicine when Vernon began squirming in his arms meaning he wants to be set down and Seungcheol sets him down, making sure he was gonna stay close and not wander off. The store was quite big that a small child like Vernon could easily get lost into and Seungcheol doesn't want that.

After dinner, the family went to the nearest drugstore to buy the boys' medicines and drinks. Soonyoung stayed in the car because Mingyu had already fallen asleep. Poor child, his rhinitis reoccurs because of the cold weather. Vernon was becoming whiny and fussy, partly because it was already past his bedtime. So to spare Soonyoung and himself a tantrum fit, Seungcheol brings his five year old son with him into the store.

When he was given the medicines in a paperbag, Seungcheol bid the pharmacist, whose name was Jimin, a goodnight and held Vernon's hand as they left to the food isle to buy juice boxes for the two little boys and vitamin drinks for his teen son. When they arrive at the beverage sections, Seungcheol lets go of his sons's hands to open the big fridge and started putting the selected items in the shopping cart.

When done, Seungcheol shuts the fridge door close and turns around, opens his mouth to speak but paused when he didn't see Vernon beside him anymore. Panic immediately sets in and Seungcheol began searching through the food isle.

Minutes that passed with still no sign of his son, Seungcheol's panic heightens and he decided to ask help from the staff but before he could actually ask for help, he walks past a fruit stand and hears his son's voice.

Seungcheol walks back and walks around the fruitstand, a big relief washes over him as he found his son sitting on the tiled floor with a half eaten banana in his hands, but his son was not alone because sitting beside the child was another child, about the same age as Vernon and Seungcheol had to resist cooing at how adorable the second child look. His chubby cheeks all shiny and round as he munch on a peach fruit.

Just then Vernon notices his father standing next to them and he smiled a toothed smile with bits of banana on his teeth and again Seungcheol tried not to coo outloud.

Suddenly an announcement came from the intercom and Seungcheol felt himself froze for a moment.

"Good Evening customers. We have a parent here who lost his child in the store. If any of you had seen the child, please bring him to the front desk where his parent is waiting for him. The child is wearing a pastel pink sweater, blue jeans and white sneakers. He's 5 years old, brunette with chubby cheeks. Thank you."

Seungcheol listened carefully and his eyes widens in realization as he stared at the second child who didn't seem to even have heard the announcement as he was busy eating his peach fruit.

His son's new bestfriend is the missing child from the announcement.