And Then There Was You

Seoul

The weather was drastically colder than what it had been a few weeks prior, but Baekhyun didn't know if he was shivering from the cold or the nervousness he felt as the train was beginning to approach the Gangnam station. Peering over to his side, he watched as Kyungsoo stared outside the moving train's window despite seeing nothing but darkness for the majority of the time, except for when the train was above the Hangang River, which had awed the boy. It made Baekhyun smile momentarily before his attention was caught by the slight vibration of the phone in his hand.

Without needing to clarify who it could've been, he answered, putting the phone to his ear. "Hi."

"Hey. I just wanted to check on both of you."

"Well, we're doing fine," Baekhyun replied, nodding to Kyungsoo when the boy pressed his finger against the window glass to point at the giant buildings on their side of the river. "We're a couple of stops from Gangnam. It shouldn't be too long."

"Okay. I already sent someone inside with a sign, because I can't--"

"I know, I know. We had this conversation a few hours ago."

"I'm just wanted to make sure I was being clear. It's been a while since you've been here." Judging by his tone of voice, Baekhyun could tell that the man probably rolled his eyes. "Anyways... Is he excited?"

"I think he's past being just excited." Realizing that the boy was nearly about to press his face against the glass, Baekhyun reached over and gently pulled him back to his seat. Briefly putting the cellphone against his shoulder, he shook a disapproving finger in front of the boy before gesturing to the window. "Soo. What did I tell you about the train? It's dirty."

Pursuing his lips together, Kyungsoo nodded quietly. "Sorry..."

"Your father won't be happy if you get sick on this trip. In fact, I'm sure he'll be really sad, so try to be more careful." When he was fully confident that his message was received and understood clearly, Baekhyun returned back to the call. "Sorry. I had to take care of something really quick. What were you saying?"

"Nothing much. I'm just happy you're both here. That's all."

"I'm..." As the train finally reached the other side of the river, it was then that it really hit Baekhyun how close they were to seeing Chanyeol again. As promised weeks before, they were--briefly-- reuniting for the holidays. Swallowing his pride, the dryness in his throat didn't go unnoticed either. "I'm glad that Kyungsoo will be able to spend some more time with you. Seoul's new and exciting. That old village really can't compare--at least, not to a six-year old."

"It'll be fun."

"Oh, I'm sure Soo will have the time of his life."

"For you, too," Chanyeol asserted firmly. "Don't think I forgot to put a little adult fun into our schedule."

Baekhyun was left speechless for a few seconds. "I don't recall signing up for adult fun," he whispered into the phone. "This trip is purely for you and Soo--"

"Let's discuss the family itinerary when we finish getting settled at the condo."

Frowning, Baekhyun prepared to argue the point, but was abruptly interrupted by the announcement on the train: "Approaching Gangnam Station."

Kyungsoo turned to him and put his hand on Baekhyun's thigh. "We're here. Tell dad we're here."

"Alright, I will."

"Is he waiting for us?"

"Um, yes." As the train slowed down, Baekhyun began mentally checking off if they had all of their bags and that they were all accounted for. "Chanyeol, we're here at the stop. See you in a few minutes. Bye."

"Sounds good."

He hung up on the call and shoved the cellphone into his back pocket. As he reached over to grab ahold of their suitcase and prepared to lift up the duffle bag next to their feet as soon as the train stopped, Baekhyun looked over to his side and watched the six-year old fit the shoulder straps on his backpack. It took him out of the things going on around them for a moment, but the screeching halt of the train drew his mind back to reality.

"Remember what I told you?"

Kyungsoo nodded. "Yes."

Seconds before the doors opened, Baekhyun got up and moved out of his seat. Carrying the duffle bag on one shoulder, he rolled their suitcase aside and ushered Kyungsoo out of his window seat and toward the aisle leading up to the door. "Be careful stepping out," he said as they neared the door. "Don't drag your feet."

Once they were on the platform, Baekhyun held only Kyungsoo's hand and looked around, orienting himself before turning left and following the arrows for the proper exit. After walking for a while, they finally reached their exit. Almost immediately, Baekhyun saw the big, broad man wearing a black tux and holding up a sign with his name written in bold marker-- as if Chanyeol couldn't have been more obvious.

"Hi," Baekhyun said, greeting the man as they approached him. "He sent you, correct?"

The man nodded. "Yes, Mr. Park's waiting in the car. Let me carry your luggage for you."

"Oh, um--" Before Baekhyun could even refuse, the man had taken the handle for the rolling luggage and looked at the duffle bag hanging on the brunet's shoulder. "It's okay. I can carry this."

"Mr. Park has instructed me to carry all of your bags."

Of course, he did.

Baekhyun nodded understandingly and allowed the man to do his job, shifting his focus of attention to Kyungsoo. They followed the man closely through the bustling underground subway station and eventually emerged onto the streets of Seoul with the bright sunlight hitting Baekhyun's face almost immediately. However, the discomfort was not enough to distract him from the black SUV parked on the street curb, specifically in an area where parking was explicitly said to not be allowed at any time.

Tending to Mr. Park's guests first and foremost, the man courteously opened the back door and gestured for the two to enter. It took a second for Baekhyun to realize that he hadn't even asked the man for his name, and yet he was so willing to just believe everything he was being told. Maybe staying so secluded in a village where everyone was a trustworthy face had its own negative side effects.

Just as he was about to question the man, he heard the front passenger side door open and was joined by Chanyeol, who wore a black cap and face mask to avoid being recognized.

"I'll take care of them, Mr. Choi. Just put their luggage in the back." Seeing that Kyungsoo still had his backpack on, Chanyeol knelt down and asked the boy if he could borrow it for a moment. After Kyungsoo had shrugged off the bag and handed it over, Chanyeol gave it to his bodyguard to put along with the others. Then, he turned to Baekhyun and raised his brows. Even with the face mask on, the brunet could tell he was smiling. "How was traveling?"

"Not too bad. Kyungsoo slept most of the way over here until we got on the train." Baekhyun's voice trailed off as Chanyeol approached him, putting a hand on his back. "Wait. Did you--"

Interrupting, Chanyeol shushed him with a simple shake of the head. "Yes, I got the booster car seat--specifically told my assistant to find the best one they have around here for someone Kyungsoo's age. Also, if it helps you sleep better at night, I found professionals to help me install it correctly. Happy?"

Baekhyun looked at him, somewhat impressed. "When I said that you needed to buy a booster seat, I didn't think you'd do all of that."

Gently giving the brunet a push, Chanyeol shrugged. "I wasn't sure about a few things here and there, and I didn't want to fuck it up or else you'd probably get angry with me."

"You're not wrong to think so," Baekhyun admitted. "I'm assuming they also taught you how to properly buckle him in and everything, too?"

"Yes, hon. They did."

"Ham..." Looking down, Baekhyun met Kyungsoo's eyes and sighed. "Fine, then. I suppose it's time for you to listen to Mr. Park-- ah, sorry. Dad, okay? I'm going to use the door on the other side. Listen carefully."

"Okay."

Reluctantly, he let go of the six-year old's hand and walked over to the other end, looking behind him for any oncoming cars before opening the door and sliding inside. Once settled in, he turned to his right and watched Chanyeol help their son into the vehicle, placing him carefully in the booster.

"Should I clip him in on this side?" Baekhyun asked, shifting his position to inch closer to their son. However, his offer to help was waved away.

"Don't worry. I got it. This'll be quick." Carefully checking if the boy was properly seated, Chanyeol then pulled the seat belt, dragging it over Kyungsoo's body clicking it into place. He gave a small tug on the belt just to make sure it was secure before double-checking its placement. "Okay, lap belt is just below the abdomen. Chest belt is going across the chest, not too close to the neck. I think we're all set."

Baekhyun nodded, leaning back in his own seat and adjusting his own seat belt. "Shouldn't we be going soon? Police might come ticket you if you keep your car parked here any longer."

"A small fine, maybe. Nothing that serious." When Chanyeol saw the look Baekhyun threw at him, he changed his tone--slightly. "But it's not good to break the law, isn't that right, Soo?"

Shaking his head, Kyungsoo weighed in. "No."

"Right, so we should listen to daddy and get out of here. Watch your fingers, I'm going to close the door, okay?"

Keeping his arms close to his body, Kyungsoo watched as the door was gently shut. A few moments later, Chanyeol entered the front passenger side and nodded for Mr. Choi to pull away from the area and head back home.

Chanyeol took off the face mask once the car rejoined the flow of traffic. Baekhyun watched him as he connected his phone to the car and began playing neutral, language-friendly songs on the charts, which was comical in a way considering the man's own musical preference. Scoffing quietly to himself, he turned his attention to the window, watching as buildings passed by in one big blur. Part of him missed the rush of life that came with Seoul. For a brief moment, he remembered stepping foot in that city for the first time, so naive with some big dream of becoming a teacher...

Seven years felt so long ago... Almost like it was another life.

"Baekhyun?"

Chanyeol's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Jerking his head back to the latter, Baekhyun blinked. "Yeah?"

"Can you lift up that center console between you and Kyungsoo? There should be an iPad in between the table trays."

Baekhyun grabbed the small silver latch and looked inside the storage area for the iPad. Once he spotted tablet, he took it out and tried handing it over to Chanyeol, but the latter waved his hand.

"It's for him," Chanyeol said, glancing over to Kyungsoo. "The Maybach has Wi-Fi and I had my assistant preload age-appropriate, educational apps on it beforehand. There's also a child-lock feature so he can't accidentally go on websites that are... you know. For you and me."

The sneaky grin on Chanyeol's face didn't go unnoticed as Baekhyun shot him a look right back. Nonetheless, he shut the center console and unlocked the iPad. After lowering the brightness and making sure the volume was at a moderate level, he gave it to Kyungsoo.

"Be careful with this. It's expensive so we should take care of it. Remember, just because we can replace something, it doesn't mean we should be irresponsible," he said, making it a point to glance over to Chanyeol as a way to let the man know that he was directly addressing his approach to money and buying. "It's touch screen, so just use your index finger to tap. Don't press too hard. If the brightness is too much, just let me know and I'll lower it for you--"

Chuckling, Chanyeol interrupted the brunet before the latter became too carried away with parenting. "Baekhyun, I think he'll be able to figure it out. He's smart."

"He's never even heard of an iPad, Chanyeol."

"There are kids younger than Soo who walk around here with smartwatches on their wrists," Chanyeol pointed out. "Give him a few hours and he'll probably know how to disable that entire thing."

"Hm." Judging by the way Kyungsoo seemed to have delved right in with his new toy, Baekhyun eased himself in his head upon realizing how tense he was. Chalking it up to nerves of being in Seoul again, he shifted his focus to Chanyeol who already looked distracted by his phone, briefly answering emails. "So, how far is your place from here?"

"It's only a 20-minute drive, mostly because of traffic. But I was thinking about relocating if I had to for, you know," he answered, eyes drifting over to Kyungsoo. "I looked into a few schools around Seoul, even asked my assistant to go visit some for me."

"You're already looking into schools?"

"Was I not supposed to?"

"No, it's not that. I just..." Baekhyun paused. "I thought it'd be something we'd discuss together. In the future."

"I'm just trying to organize all of this so it won't be so last-minute in the future. The last thing I want is for you to get upset if I don't look like I have my shit together." Chanyeol let out a soft gasped when he realized he just cursed in front of Kyungsoo, but Baekhyun only rolled his eyes at him. "So, uh, like I said. 20 minutes. Any music requests for the drive?"

"I don't really have a preference. Just make sure it's kid-friendly."

"Sorry, hon. Can't say my taste in music is kid-friendly..."

"Then--"

"But it's a good thing I had my assistant make me a playlist a few days ago." Chanyeol grinned. "Hey, Siri. Play 'Kyungsoo-ah's Playlist'."