𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅'𝒔 𝑴𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 (9)
Best Friend's Mother Masterlist
Chapter: Nine
Milf!Park Seonghwa X gn!reader
Summary: The Christmas party is finally here, and you get to meet the family. The good and the bad.
WC: 8k (I'm so sorry 😭)
CW: Fluff, party antics, all of the Ateez members are here, mentions of eating a lot of food, alcohol consumption (not done by the reader), angst, arguing, screaming, crying, comfort, hugs, kisses
AN: I knew this would be long but not THIS long, I'm so sorry about that, and I'm sorry this took so long, but it's finally here. 🥰
Disclaimer: The bio mom in this story is NOT based on anyone irl. Her character is made up and her name was chosen at random.
With that said, this might be a triggering chapter for some of you who have dealt with abusive parents, but that content is towards the end of the chapter. Please keep that in mind as you read.
With that being said, most of the chapter is still fun and fluffy, and as always, I hope you enjoy. 💜
Tag List: @hyunjinsjeans @malldreamprincess @unlikelysublimekryptonite @becauseilovedyou @kittkat44 @babyxhoiz @asleepylilcat @mxnsxngie @rxnexxi @mommahwa1117 @acciocriativity @anxiousskylar @h3arteyes4mingi @jus2passtime @asjkdk @soso59love-blog @i-love-ateez @cb97s-laptop
Wooyoung came to your side at the decorative table that Seonghwa had by the Christmas tree, carrying a plastic bag of assorted candies. Some of them were the usual Christmas themed ones, like Christmas Hershey kisses and M&Ms. But there were a few you didn’t recognize.
You pulled out a box that had a small tray of what looked like Neapolitan ice cream on it. Next to it was a kid with a green hat eating some of it. The word “Duvalin” was written in big yellow letters above the candy and the kid.
“What’s this?” You asked, looking over the box again. Wooyoung looked up from where he was laying out the other candy in fancy glass plates and bowls.
“Oh, Duvalin. It’s kinda like pudding, but thicker.” He took the box from you and opened it, offering one to you. “Here, try it.”
You took the small tray from him and peeled off the plastic. Like the box, it had the three flavors of “pudding” laid next to each other. You were about to dive in when Wooyoung offered you a small stick.
“If Eomma sees you eat it like that, he’ll have a heart attack.”
You looked over Wooyoung’s shoulder, seeing Seonghwa in the kitchen working on setting the food up in the kitchen. He paid no mind to either of you, he was busy making sure everything was set up for when people would be arriving.
(Even though they wouldn’t be here for another hour)
You still took the spoon from Wooyoung and scooped up a generous portion of the three flavors before you took a bite. And it tasted like Neopalitan ice cream, as you expected. But it was sweeter, and the chocolate tasted more like Nutella.
Wooyoung went back to his chore when he saw you nod and continue to happily eat the candy. “My friend introduced me to that, and a few others.”
“Do I know this friend?” You asked, going back for another scoop.
“No, she’s from high school. She went to another college, so you’ve never met her.”
“Is she coming to the party?”
“I asked her.” Wooyoung poured the Christmas M&Ms into an intricate glass bowl before he put the lid on top. “But apparently she’s with her own family right now, and she said that they probably would let her leave.”
You were befuddled at the idea of an adult visiting their family would suddenly have their rights revoked like that. But then you realized that your parents probably would’ve done the same to them if you still talked to them.
“I’ll introduce you someday.” Wooyoung looked up at you and smiled. “You’d like her.”
“Wooyoung!” Seonghwa called from the kitchen. “Please come here, I can’t hold all these things at once!”
Wooyoung quickly ran off to help Seonghwa, and you were left there by the front door with your cup of Duvalin. You were surprised when you felt a little hurt that you weren’t asked to help.
As you stood there slightly stunned, there was a knock at the door.
You stared at the door like a deer in headlights for a few moments before you finally shook yourself. Just answer the door, you thought, but you couldn’t. You were stopped by questions you didn’t have answers to. Questions that needed to be answered.
How did you introduce yourself? You and Seonghwa hadn’t discussed if you were going to tell his family that you were “together.”
But if you didn’t tell them now, and just introduced yourself as Wooyoung’s friend, when would Seonghwa tell the others? How would they take it after knowing they���d been sold a lie?
How would they accept the relationship at all? Would they? Would any of them approve of a relationship between someone much older and younger?
What if-
“Why are you frozen?” Wooyoung asked, walking past you to the door. You shook yourself out of your thoughts as he went to open the door. You did your best to swallow back the anxiety and put on your best fake smile.
Then you remembered your cup of Duvalin, and you quickly put it aside on the candy table.
Wooyoung pulled open the door, and his eyes lit up with stars. “Hongjoong!” He threw his arms around the man standing there, who returned the hug with one arm, a warm smile on his lips.
“Hi Young-ah,” he said, and his voice was higher than you expected, but he sounded safe. Even just from that, you knew this man was safe.
Wooyoung pulled back and led Hongjoong into the house, where he stopped and smiled at you. Now you got a better look at the older man, who wasn’t much taller than Wooyoung.
He wore a flowy white shirt and black dress pants underneath a brown fur coat. The top of his shirt left open to show off a little bit of his chest. His blond hair was combed back away from his face, but there were a few strands left out to frame his face.
You’d be lying if you said you didn’t blush a little.
“I’ve never seen you before,” Hongjoong said as he slipped his shoes off, looking at you as he spoke. Anxiety pumped inside you as you tried to figure out the correct words to introduce yourself.
“Oh, I’m Wooyoung’s friend,” you said simply, adding your name afterwards, flashing the best smile you could. Hongjoong nodded as he slid the coat off his shoulders, a warm smile still on his face. His comfort and ease made you relax a little.
“I’m Hongjoong.”He bowed to you, which left you a little confused before you remembered to return the gesture. Hongjoong came back up and smiled at you. “We’ll talk more in a moment, I just need to talk to Seonghwa first.” He turned to Wooyoung the next second. “Is he in the kitchen?”
“Yeah, he’s dealing with the food.” Wooyoung was holding onto Hongjoong’s coat, looking for the moment he could yank it away. You bit your lip to keep the laughter in.
Hongjoong caught it too and smiled, pulling away the coat. “Thank you, I’ll go talk to him.” Wooyoung pouted as he watched Hongjoong hang his coat up in the closet before he went to the kitchen.
“I wanted to do that,” he whined, and you finally laughed.
“It’s a jacket, Woo.”
“And I wanna steal it.”
“Good luck with that!” Hongjoong called from the kitchen. Both you and Wooyoung burst into laughter at that.
Not long later, you and Wooyoung were setting out appetizers on the dining table when there was another knock on the door. Wooyoung ran over to open the door again, and there were two men instead of one this time.
The blond one was only slightly taller than the brown haired one. They were dressed similarly to Hongjoong, but they wore knitted sweaters instead. The blond’s was cream colored, and the brown haired one’s was black.
They both looked up at you and smiled. “Wooyoung, who’s this?” The blond one asked, motioning to you. Wooyoung looked over his shoulder and waved you over, to which you smiled back as you walked over. Wooyoung put his hand on your shoulder as you stood next to him.
“This is my friend, they came with me this year.”
“You’re not spending Christmas with your family?” The brown haired one asked, sliding his coat off. The blond haired one took it and started putting both their coats away, but not without a disapproving look. Wooyoung’s hand tightened on your shoulder.
You panicked for a moment, because you expected this question, but you weren’t sure how to answer it. You didn’t need to tell all Seonghwa’s friends all the reasons why you didn’t talk with your parents, but you knew some people would still press for answers.
But what came out was simple and to the point:
“No, I’ve been with Wooyoung and Seonghwa since Winter Break started.”
The brown haired one looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but the blond grabbed his hand and squeezed, giving you a sweet smile. “Well, we’re glad to have you.” You smiled back and nodded in thanks. “I’m Yunho, this is Mingi.”
Mingi smiled now and nodded too. “Or you can just call us “uncle”, since that’s what Wooyoung calls us.”
Looking at the two men, they looked nothing like Seonghwa, and Wooyoung looked nothing like them. You deduced that they were uncles in the “friends with your parents” way. You just nodded, knowing you very well might forget their names.
Your eyes drifted down and you noticed a band of gold on Mingi’s left hand. Your eyes flicked back to the men’s joined hands and saw a matching one on Yunho’s finger.
To be honest, you could sense it from the moment you saw them.
“Eomma’s in the kitchen,” Wooyoung blurted, breaking the short silence.
“Alright, we’ll go see him,” Yunho said as he smiled at Wooyoung, ruffling his dark hair. He added a short sentence in Korean as he and Mingi made their way to the kitchen, which made Wooyoung shoot something back as he laughed.
“What was that?” You asked as Wooyoung turned back to you.
“He told me to behave and not drive Eomma crazy.”
“And you said?”
“I said no promises.”
“I don’t expect any less from you.”
You both burst into laughter all over again. The four men in the kitchen couldn’t help but smile at the lovely sound.
“Wooyoung’s never brought a friend home for this long,” Mingi said as he leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms. “Are you sure they’re “just a friend”, or are they more?”
Seonghwa bit the inside of his cheek, knowing the obvious answer, but he wasn’t ready to tell his friends he was involved with someone about half his age. Even though Wooyoung was okay with it, the relationship itself was still looked down on.
His friends hadn’t judged his relationships, his lifestyle, the way he dressed, or his job. His friends had been incredibly supportive of him, and Wooyoung too.
But he wasn’t ready to tell people yet.
“No, those two aren’t together,” Seonghwa said, leaning on the kitchen island on his arms.
“How are you so sure?”
“Because Wooyoung wouldn’t be able to keep it hidden.”
The four men laughed to themselves. But with that revelation, anxiety prickled across Seonghwa’s skin. Hopefully Wooyoung wouldn’t accidentally let anything slip about you and him.
“He can’t keep secrets to save his life,” Hongjoong added, leaning back on the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “Once when we were still dating, I told Wooyoung I had a surprise for Seonghwa, and we hardly made it five minutes before Wooyoung said something.”
“Did he outright say it?” Yunho asked, leaning against the counter next to the sink. Mingi was next to him, his arm around the other’s waist.
“No, he didn’t directly tell him, but it was obvious enough that Seonghwa figured it out.”
Seonghwa smiled as he thought about it. Hongjoong had surprised him with a date night, where they’d go to a restaurant and then the newest Star Wars movie at the time.
Wooyoung, who was coming with, couldn’t stop talking about the movie for the rest of the time between when he got home with Hongjoong and the time Seonghwa got his surprise.
Hongjoong stopped telling Wooyoung his plans for surprises after that.
“I still enjoyed it,” Seonghwa smiled at Hongjoong, to which Hongjoong returned it.
Sometimes, Seonghwa considered trying again. Opening the door back up and seeing if they could make it work one more time.
But Hongjoong had found a girlfriend a year prior. And now Seonghwa had you.
The four looked towards the living room when they heard Wooyoung’s voice again, along with a few new ones. Seonghwa stood up and excused himself to go see Wooyoung’s friends, two of whom he knew already.
But as Seonghwa reached the front door, he met the one he was unfamiliar with. He was taller than Wooyoung by a few inches, with broad shoulders and massive arms. He stretched out the material of his dress shirt thin when he put his arms around Wooyoung to hug him.
He had dark, slicked back hair, with sharp facial features, and eyes that could kill.
Honestly, he was incredibly intimidating.
But then he watched you and Wooyoung take turns hugging him, and all the intimidation melted away. He spoke brightly, with his dark eyes turning to little slits when he smiled, and little dimples on his cheeks.
“Wooyoung, who’s this?” Seonghwa asked as he walked up to his son.
You looked up and ducked out to talk to Yeosang and Jongho as they were putting away their coats, but all of you were watching the three of them out of the corner of your eye.
“Do you think he knows?” Jongho whispered, in reference to Seonghwa knowing about Wooyoung and San.
“How could he not?” Yeosang whispered back, side eyeing the two boys. “It’s not like they’re very good at keeping the ‘secret’.”
You and Yeosang tried to stifle the giggle that threatened to come out by covering your mouths, but Wooyoung heard it, and shot you both a dirty glare before he turned back to Seonghwa with a smile.
“Eomma, this is San. San, this is my mom, Seonghwa.” San smiled brightly at Seonghwa, his eyes turning to slits again before he gave a small bow. Seonghwa returned it, as he began to see his son’s taste more and more.
And he was approving of the man he chose.
“Thank you for letting us come to the party,” San said as he came back up.
“Of course, you’re always welcome here.” Seonghwa put his hand on San’s shoulder, and that was the moment that San realized that Seonghwa knew.
As if Seonghwa couldn’t tell from how San’s arm was still around Wooyoung’s waist, or how Wooyoung had his arm on San’s shoulder. The way Wooyoung looked at San with stars in his eyes and the sweetest smile.
“I trust you with my son,” he said softly before he pulled back.
Wooyoung’s eyes went wide before his face turned tomato red. San’s cheeks began to turn red and he looked away, his arm tightening around Wooyoung. Seonghwa still just smiled as you were giggling with Yeosang and Jongho by the door.
The tension in the air disappeared. It was warm instead, as it should be on Christmas.
And then Wooyoung interrupted.
“How did you know?!”
All of you burst into laughter. The three men in the kitchen were laughing too.
With all the joy and laughter, with the happy arrival of your friends, with meeting the uncles, you managed to relax. In the comfort of your friends, everything seemed bright and happy.
So much so that you almost forgot that the night was far from over.
Seonghwa had excused himself to change into something more fitting for the party. And when he came back, you nearly fell to your knees.
He wore a strapless, floor length, red velvet dress. The bodice was similar to a corset, with jewels over where the boning would be, and all over the waist line and top of the dress. The skirt was form fitting, hugging his body just right and showing off everything.
He’d done his hair and makeup too, letting the dramatic looks out for once. He’d curled his hair, but put half of it into a ponytail, letting the rest fall free.
He’d worn red sparkly eyeshadow with large eyeliner wings, with glossy red lips to match and a little bit of pink on his cheeks.
He looked at you with his eyes half closed and smiled softly before he went to greet some of the guests that had arrived when he was gone.
You could’ve shattered the glass of the drink you were holding.
You wanted nothing more than to grab him and hold him so tight, to kiss his stupid shiny lips and tear the gorgeous dress off his body. Wooyoung was giggling beside you as you loosened your death drip on your glass.
“What are you laughing at?” you spat, looking at him instead.
“You, idiot. You look like you’re about to explode.”
You smacked his shoulder, which only made him giggle more. “Maybe I am,” you mumbled before you took a sip of your drink,
Wooyoung had changed too, but he just wore a big blue and white striped sweater with nice pants. You were wearing something similar, valuing comfort over fashion tonight. Seeing Seonghwa’s outfit now, it felt like you both were underdressed.
The party had been amazing otherwise. Wooyoung had introduced you to the other aunts, uncles, and cousins that had come to the party. Thankfully, most of them didn’t ask why you weren’t with your own family.
Wooyoung dragged you along to talk to Hongjoong, Yunho, and Mingi as well, which you were hoping to do anyway.
You hung onto Hongjoong’s every word as he talked about the many artists he’d worked with, the songs he produced, and he even let you and Wooyoung hear sneak peeks of some unreleased projects.
Yunho and Mingi were both lawyers at the same firm, but they both insisted that they’d rather talk about anything else than their job on Christmas. So you talked about a great deal of things, and even eventually asked how they met each other.
The two gave each other a smile before they looked back at you. “We were on opposite sides of one case,” Yunho began, with a storyteller type tone, far off and dreamy. “We ended up meeting each other after it was settled, and the rest is history.”
“Who won the case?” Wooyoung asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear the answer again anyway.
Yunho sighed as Mingi smiled proudly. “Mingi did.”
Mingi reached over and squeezed his hand. “It wasn’t an easy win.”
“Of course not, I worked my ass off for that case!”
You and Wooyoung couldn’t help but devolve into giggles like little kids.
But for most of the time, you stayed with San, Yeosang, and Jongho. You all naturally gravitated back towards each other when you were pulled away, so you all ended up sticking together. Laughing, yelling, messing with all of Wooyoung’s family, stealing the food.
Then Seonghwa came back and nearly turned you into a puddle in front of everyone.
You were trying to clear the redness from your face, Wooyoung still giggling beside you, when you heard a knock at the door.
The part you’d forgotten about. The catch to everything. The rain for the parade.
You almost didn’t hear it over the chatter of the party, but Wooyoung definitely heard it. His face instantly fell and body went rigid.
You put your drink down and grabbed Wooyoung’s hand. He shook himself out of his frozen state to look at you, and you saw that scared little boy again. The same one from those weeks ago when he opened up to you about the villain who was on the other side of the door.
You’d promised him many weeks ago that he wouldn’t be alone. You’d be by his side, you wouldn’t let him go through it alone. Especially not now.
“I’ll go with you,” you said softly, squeezing his hand. Wooyoung squeezed your hand back.
“Okay,” he mumbled, staring at the floor, his shoulders drooping, his hands growing slick.
You knew this feeling all too well. This internal battle. This anxiety that threatened to consume you completely. You began to feel your heart pounding against your ribs. You were hoping you’d have more time before you had to confront something like this again.
But you’d do it for Wooyoung. You’d shove your fear aside to support Wooyoung.
You walked with him to the front door. You kept your fingers laced with his as he hesitated to open the door. You squeezed his hand again, and he squeezed back.
You could hear your heartbeat in your head now. Breathing was growing more difficult.
You both took a deep, long breath. And then the door was open.
At first glance, she didn’t look like much. She was shorter then Wooyoung, about your height, with long dark hair done in a braid down her shoulder, with a dark green knee length dress.
But everyone knows this song and dance: Looks can be deceiving.
“Wooyoung!” The woman squealed, throwing her arms out to hug him tightly. Wooyoung used his free arm to hug her back, still keeping his hand locked with yours. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much! It’s been months!”
“Yeah, it’s been a while,” Wooyoung said flatly, patting her back.
The woman hugged him a few seconds too long before she finally pulled back and came inside the house. “Oh, who’s this?” She asked, her tone teasing, clearly hinting at more as she saw your joined hands. Instinctively, you wanted to pull your hand back and tell her it’s not what she thought.
But you shoved that aside as you just smiled and squeezed his hand. “I’m his friend. I wanted to spend Christmas with him this year.”
“Not with your own family?” She cocked an eyebrow as she looked at Wooyoung, as if he’d somehow have the answer. He just looked at you.
You could’ve said a lot. You were already thinking of venomous retorts you could throw at her. Her, who you knew despite her pretty face and sweet voice, was exactly like the people you’d escaped years before.
But all you said was: “Nope.”
Wooyoung’s mother blinked in confusion, expecting more, but when she realized you weren’t going to say anything else, she forced a smile. “Alright, well, I hope you’ve had a good time with him.”
“I have,” you said simply, giving her the same fake smile she gave you.
You were already growing exhausted of this facade. Your heart was pounding so hard, you could hear it in your head. Your hands were slowly growing slick.
She simply nodded before she bowed only her head. You returned the gesture. “My name is Hajoon. Yours?”
You gave her your name. Begrudgingly.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Hajoon said dismissively before she turned back to Wooyoung. But you stayed beside Wooyoung, holding his hand that was tightly gripping yours.
“Woo, honey,” she cooed, reaching up to hold Wooyoung’s cheek. It took everything in him to not flinch and not move away from her hand. “You haven’t answered me in months. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” he said. He shifted his weight around and swallowed, his throat bobbing. “I’ve just been busy this semester.”
“Aww, my poor baby.” Hajoon pouted. “You can always ask me if you need help, you know.”
“I know, but I have help already.” Wooyoung raised his hand which was joined with yours. “If I didn’t have their help, I would’ve been kicked out a long time ago.”
Hajoon looked at you as you looked away, a blush creeping into your cheeks. He was giving you a little too much credit, but it wasn’t a complete lie. He did need your help sometimes, and you were willing to help.
“Isn’t that sweet?” Hajoon gushed with a big smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m glad you have help, baby, but I’ll still be here if you need it.”
Wooyoung nodded once. “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Hajoon stayed silent for a moment, but when she realized Wooyoung had nothing else to say, she just nodded too.
She hugged him again, and like before, Wooyoung just patted her back with one hand. She pulled back and pressed a kiss to his cheek before she let go. “I’ll go say hi to everyone else, and then we’ll talk more, okay?”
Wooyoung mumbled an “okay” as she walked away. As soon as she was far enough away, he rubbed his cheek with the sleeve of his sweater.
You let out a huge sigh of relief as you finally let go of Wooyoung’s hand. You both wiped your hands off on your clothes before you turned to each other.
“That was exhausting,” you said as you watched Hajoon make her way through the people with that goddamn fake smile.
“Exactly.” Wooyoung took a deep breath before he hung his head. “I just hope she doesn’t start anything.”
“I’ll be here.” You rubbed his shoulder. “You’re not alone.” He still didn’t look up at you, but he nodded.
She took everything out of him. It was only a little over a minute, but Hajoon just being here exhausted Wooyoung. You felt it too. The exhaustion from just being stressed that this person might do something, from keeping up the mask that you tolerate this person.
Your heart ached when you saw it. But it was a different ache. It was painful. It hurt so badly.
You pulled Wooyoung into a hug and held him tight. He hugged you back instantly, leaning his head on your shoulder.
“You’re not alone,” you said softly, rubbing his back. Wooyoung nodded again. You couldn’t see it, but he was fighting tears.
You’d say it until you couldn’t anymore. You’d be there for him. You’d be at his side tonight.
He wasn’t alone. And he never would be.
Seonghwa saw the two of you locked in the hug and went over, putting his hand on Wooyoung’s back. Wooyoung pulled back and looked up, wiping his eyes.
“If she says anything to you, I’ll take care of her,” Seonghwa said softly. Wooyoung nodded, blinking back the rest of the tears. You reached up and rubbed his arm, leaning your head on his shoulder.
Seonghwa leaned in and pressed a kiss to Wooyoung’s forehead. Wooyoung returned the kiss with one on his cheek before Seonghwa pulled back. “You know, Hongjoong was telling me he had some artists you’d probably like to meet before you go back to college.”
Wooyoung’s face lit up and his smile melted away any of the tension that was there. “Really? Where is he?”
“He’s on the couch, I told him I’d go get you.”
Wooyoung took off running for the couch, leaving you and Seonghwa alone by the door. He looked at you, and you looked at him.
As badly as you wanted to hug him and kiss his Christmas red lips, you’d have to restrain yourself until the party was over.
“Are you enjoying the party otherwise, dear?” Seonghwa asked, his mother voice coming in thickly. You gave him a small smile as you nodded.
“Yeah, I’ve been having fun.”
Seonghwa smiled back. “Good. I hope it stays that way,” he added, trailing off. You could only nod in answer, hoping for the same.
If only you knew.
It’d been only an hour after Hajoon arrived, and everyone already wanted her gone.
Not because she was fighting with anyone, but because everyone knew her “rot your teeth sweetness” was a bald-faced lie.
She stayed close to Wooyoung most of the time, being touchy and huggy, talking about herself more than talking with him about anything else.
You were with Wooyoung through it all, and you were both bored to tears hearing about her jobs, her friends, her latest ex boyfriend. It’s like she was gossiping like a teenager, but she was in her forties.
It didn’t help that Hajoon was the biggest drinker there. She was already halfway to hammered by the time the first hour was over.
Her conversation topics started becoming more nonsensical and inappropriate. Most of the time, neither you nor Wooyoung had any clue what she was trying to say.
It was mostly tame until Seonghwa came up behind you two. You were sitting on the couch, and Hajoon was sitting in one of the chairs. She scowled as he put his hands on Wooyoung’s shoulders, but he ignored the look, focusing on you two.
“You can eat dinner now if you’re hungry,” Seonghwa said, looking between the two of you. “Some people have already gotten theirs, so it’s not as crowded.”
“Thanks Eomma-” Wooyoung started, then instantly shut his mouth before he spoke again. “Dad.”
But Hajoon heard it.
Wooyoung tried to cover it up and flash a sweet little smile, but his death grip on your hand told you otherwise.
“He’s not your eomma,” Hajoon slurred, her words barely discernible from each other. “You never call me eomma, Wooyoung.” She was trying to be serious, but the slurred speech just made her sound ridiculous.
“Hajoon, go eat something, you’re drunk,” Seonghwa spat, more forcefully than you or Wooyoung expected.
And that was the moment you both realized that it was time. The event you were both mentally preparing for, this was it.
You both braced for Hajoon to spit back at him, but she just stared. But if looked could kill, Seonghwa would’ve been dead and buried.
She kept up that stare for a few seconds before she got up and stormed into the kitchen.
You and Wooyoung looked at each other in bewilderment. Even Seonghwa was stunned.
“Take it and don’t say anything,” you whispered. Wooyoung and Seonghwa both nodded in agreement. Don’t push her, don’t say anything else that might piss her off.
She was already a bomb with the fuse lit. But the length of said fuse wasn’t anything the three of you knew.
“Why don’t you two wait a minute, then go get food, okay?” Seonghwa offered. You and Wooyoung nodded, to which Seonghwa nodded back before he walked away.
The two of you sat in silence the minute you waited to go get food, your hands still interlocked. Why hadn’t Hajoon said anything? It was the perfect excuse for her to go off, but she didn’t. Why? Did she think it wasn’t worth it?
Wooyoung knew her far better than you did (obviously), and he knew that in all Seonghwa and Hajoon’s years of being broken up, she’d always take a chance to start a fight or say something to him that she didn’t need to.
She wasn’t always the instigator though. Sometimes, Seonghwa would start it. If Wooyoung happened to overhear or be present, he’d apologize for it. But the point of the matter is that the two had countless spats over the years.
So why Hajoon stayed silent was a mystery to him and Seonghwa, and you by extension.
You didn’t need to know their history to know that an abusive narcissist loved to fight, especially if they thought they were correct. Especially when she was drunk, no less.
Whatever the reason, it made you both tense for whenever she would actually start something.
You both tried not to think about it as you went to grab food. By that point, you were the last two besides Seonghwa who had to eat. Thankfully, because of Seonghwa’s wonderful planning, there was still plenty of food for you to grab.
You loaded your plates up with as much food as you could, as you both hadn’t eaten for hours. Wooyoung especially was stacking food on top of itself.
“Are you sure you’re gonna eat all that?” You teased. Wooyoung just gave you a sly smirk and said nothing.
You were both ready to make your way back to the couch, but as you were ready to leave the kitchen, San, Yeosang, and Jongho were already at the dining table, calling you both over.
Wooyoung happily went to sit with them, and you were about to follow, but Seonghwa gently grabbed onto your arm. You didn’t even realize he’d come into the kitchen.
You looked up as he pulled you back a little, smiling warmly at you with half closed eyes. “Stay back with me for a second, please? I need some help with something.”
You knew by the look in his eyes that he didn’t actually need anything.
Except for you.
You set your plate on the kitchen counter and let him lead you to the back of the kitchen, to a walk-in pantry, of which Seonghwa pulled you into and closed the door behind him.
“We’re not going to-” You started, but Seonghwa was already shaking his head as he pulled you into his arms.
“No, not now,” he murmured against your hair, holding you tight against his chest. “I just wanted to hold you.” You gladly melted into his arms and hugged him back.
You’d been waiting for a moment where you could sneak off with Seonghwa and be with him for just a few minutes. To be in his arms, to just be you two again away from everyone else. Being around other people and pretending he wasn’t anything to you was torture.
But now you two were alone, and now you were wrapped up in his arms, just like you always wanted to be.
“You look gorgeous,” you said softly. Seonghwa couldn’t help but smile as heat rushed to his cheeks.
“Thank you, jagiya. You look adorable.” You smiled bigger and nuzzled into his chest. His velvet dress felt wonderful against your skin, so soft, just as you imagined it would feel.
You both needed this. Just a couple minutes alone, relaxing in each other's warmth.
You knew you were going to be back in Seonghwa’s bed by the end of the night, but you couldn’t wait that long to hug him again.
You wished you could’ve been by Seonghwa’s side all night. His arm around you while you were pressed against him, leaning on his shoulder. Your gorgeous boyfriend, keeping you with him, showing you off as his cute little partner.
Maybe someday, you’d get there.
You pulled back and looked up at Seonghwa, giving him your own half closed, loving gaze, similar to the one he always gave you. He held you even tighter as he came up to hold the back of your neck to pull you into a soft kiss.
His gloss tasted like cherries.
It was meant to be a soft and quick kiss, but one kiss turned to two, three, four needy ones before you knew it.
Four turned into who knows how many, with you both gripping onto each other desperately, Seonghwa’s tongue pushing it’s way past your lips to deepen the kiss. You were addicted to his soft moans and heavy breaths, the way they were swallowed up by your kisses. You ran your hand down his body to keep them going-
“What the fuck?!”
You both jumped away from each other at the screech, You whipped your head to the door and your heart sunk to your feet.
It was Hajoon.
Seonghwa quickly stepped in front of you and held his arm out to keep you back. “Hajoon, this is none of your-”
But she cut him off, screeching like a wild animal. “You’re disgusting! Forcing yourself on someone your son’s age!”
“He wasn’t forcing-” You tried to interject, but Seonghwa pushed you back a little more as Hajoon continued.
“You couldn’t find anyone else our age to tolerate you, so you’re going after our son’s friends?! Were you just gonna go down the line and take your pick?!”
You reached out and held onto Seonghwa’s hand. It was hard to get air in, like your lungs had shrunk. Your heart felt like it was about to explode. Your clothes were clinging to your body with sweat.
“Hajoon, enough.” Seonghwa’s voice had dropped lower and his head was tilted down, staring at her through his brows. “You don’t know everything-”
“I don’t need to know anything, I can see it all right here!”
“Hajoon-”
“Pretending to be a woman wasn’t enough for you, now you’re a predator?!”
Just like that, the fear disappeared, and white hot anger washed over you.
But as you opened your mouth to tear her to shreds, another voice popped up.
“You do NOT get to call him that.”
Wooyoung stormed up to Hajoon and stood in front of her, staring her down, his eyes dark and devoid of anything else but pure rage.
But she just stared at him with the same anger she had for Seonghwa.
“Oh, so you’re defending this?” She spat, motioning to you and Seonghwa as the this. “You’re okay with your father forcing himself on your friend?!”
Wooyoung’s hands were clenched into fists at his sides, shaking a little. His jaw was clenched tight like a vice.
You’d never seen him more infuriated.
“He’s not forcing himself on anyone,” Wooyoung all but growled out. “You don’t know anything about this, Mom.”
“Why would I need to?! This is wrong! What if I started dating one of your friends, would it still be okay then?” Despite being shorter than Wooyoung, Hajoon still seemed like she was larger. Like an unstoppable force, an immovable object.
Wooyoung stared at her for a few moments, turning the words over in his head before he finally spit them back out at her.
“No, because I wouldn’t want my friends to date someone as bitchy and abusive as you.”
There it was, the spark that finally set off the bomb.
“How dare you?!” Hajoon screamed, then began to sob. Your hands shook with anger as memories came up again. “It’s not true, but you keep saying it! What did I do that was so cruel to you, what made me so abusive?!”
But despite her crying, her begging, her drunken, wild craze, Wooyoung didn’t flinch. There was no sympathy in his eyes. There was nothing.
“Do you really want a list?” He asked flatly. Hajoon wailed again.
“You’re such a liar!” She cried, wiping away some of the crocodile tears off her cheeks. “What made you like this?” She started to reach out to hold his face again. “What happened to my sweet Wooyou-”
He stepped away before she could touch him. Hajoon doubled over as if she’d been punched in the stomach, and she let out a painful sob with it.
You and Seonghwa finally stepped out of the pantry now that you had space to. Everyone was standing in or just outside the kitchen, thanks to Hajoon. Shame washed over you and Seonghwa, but everyone was more focused on Wooyoung and Hajoon.
“You did,” Wooyoung ground out. “YOU happened to me, Mom.” His voice cracked as his eyes filled with tears. “You taught me that screaming at people was a good way to get them to listen, you taught me that apologies don’t matter, you taught me EVERYTHING YOU NEVER want to admit to!”
The tears spilled down his cheeks the more he spoke, until all his words were just sobs and gasps. The scared little Wooyoung was back.
The scared little boy who just wanted to be loved.
But Hajoon didn’t see it. “Wooyoung, I have never-”
“Hajoon,” Seonghwa interrupted, his own voice now shaky. “Leave my house.”
She looked up at him in bewilderment, hoping he wasn’t serious. But he was giving her a similar cold look to the one Wooyoung gave her. But Seonghwa’s was more desperate. More tired.
“Seonghwa-”
“Don’t ever come back.”
You squeezed Seonghwa’s hand. He finally squeezed back.
With one final cry, Hajoon stormed out of the house, pushing past everyone else to grab her things and slam the front door behind her.
No one said a word. The house was filled with a tension so thick, it was suffocating, like it was invading your lungs and forcing out the air.
There was a lot that needed to be said. Looking at everyone’s confused and worried faces, there was an imminent and long conversation that needed to be started, but you didn’t know what to say.
But you looked over at Wooyoung, who’d pulled himself back against the wall with his face covered, trying to stop crying, and you couldn’t stop the tears from spilling over yourself.
You pulled away from Seonghwa and nearly ran to Wooyoung, throwing your arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. He hugged you back instantly, and you both cried in each other’s arms.
“You did good,” you whispered, not being able to speak any louder.
Wooyoung tightened his arms around you. “I’m a mess.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Your throat closed up and another sob shot from your lips. “You did good, Wooyoung.”
You didn’t know it at the time, but your words meant more to him than you knew. Wooyoung’s heart swelled hearing the words, and thankfully, he believed you. Even if he did look like a mess, he believed you when you said he did good.
Because he did. From the way they spoke, it sounded like Wooyoung had tried to confront Hajoon, or make her see how she hurt him.
But he properly stood up to her this time. Even if she didn’t take a single word of his and think about it, he got it off his chest.
Wooyoung did it for himself.
Hongjoong stepped through the crowd of people and walked over to Seonghwa, and his hands began to tremble.
Seonghwa fully expected criticism from everyone. From not being told up front to how disgusting his current relationship was. Countless lectures and people talking down to him, telling him how wrong he was to pursue someone his son’s age.
But Hongjoong’s eyes were sympathetic, and his body was relaxed. Seonghwa looked behind him, and Yunho and Mingi were at the front of the small crowd, with the same sympathetic look.
San, Yeosang, and Jongho were right behind them. San was looking at Wooyoung, his face contorted into pain like he was being stabbed.
“Do you want to tell us the truth, and not what Hajoon said?” Hongjoong asked, his voice soft. Seonghwa took a shaky breath before he nodded.
“Yes, I’m in a…relationship of sorts with them,” he started, his eyes falling to the floor. “It’s been going on for a few weeks. I didn’t force them into this, everything, I made sure they consented.” Seonghwa’s vision grew blurry as his throat closed up, cutting off his words.
Even as he spoke, he couldn’t get the thoughts out of his head. He couldn’t stop hearing Hajoon’s voice. Predator.
It’d been his fear since the beginning. Isn’t that what he was? An older man pursuing someone much younger? A predator?
“I believe you,” Hongjoong said softly, putting his hand on Seonghwa’s arm, sliding down to hold his hand. “Did you initiate this because they’re younger?”
“No,” Seonghwa instantly spit out. “No, never.” His eyes drifted over to you. “At first, it’s because I found them attractive. But they’re sweet, and funny, helpful, respectful, patient, understanding...” He trailed off and looked back at the ground. “And they didn’t want me as just a perverted sex doll.”
A whimper left his lips as he finished his sentence, his hand coming up to try to keep the rest of the tears inside. Hongjoong’s eyes grew heavier as he held Seonghwa’s hand tighter.
“Then you’re not a predator, Seonghwa. I know you’re not. Please believe me when I say you’re not.”
Seonghwa didn’t want to think he was. He didn’t want to believe he was.
But hearing himself talk about you, and never bring up your age once made him realize it.
He didn’t want you because you were younger. He wanted you for you.
You pulled away from Wooyoung as your crying tapered off. You both wiped your faces off with the sleeves of your sweaters as you turned to Seonghwa.
Neither you nor Wooyoung hesitated to hug him. The tears turned into full blown sobs as he hugged you two back. It was his turn now.
And just like you’d known the night before, you three were together. You were still together.
The ache in your heart was back, all over you, in every part of you. It made you squeeze Seonghwa tighter as you pressed your face back into his velvet gown.
Unbeknownst to you, Seonghwa was feeling it too. But so was Wooyoung.
That moment solidified to you that you really had found a family. A family who cared. A family who would protect you.
A family who loved you.
Seonghwa closed the door as he said good night to Hongjoong, then turned back to you.
Thankfully, everyone else was mostly accepting of the revelation that you and Seonghwa were in a relationship, but it killed the mood of the party, so everyone instead finished their food, exchanged their gifts, and agreed to call it a night.
A lot of them agreed to help clean up, those being Hongjoong, Yunho, and Mingi, mostly helping clean up the kitchen. You and Wooyoung worked with San, Yeosang, and Jongho to freshen up the living room and dining room.
“You two are really dating?” Yeosang had asked. You just nodded. He looked at Jongho, who looked back at him, and then at you.
“How do you even start that?” Jongho added.
Wooyoung piped up then when he grabbed your shoulder. “When you can’t stop drooling over the other.”
The boys started laughing as you tried to smack Wooyoung, your face burning up remembering your first night. You were grateful that they were accepting too, but now that meant you’d get teased about it endlessly.
But you’d rather take that over no friends at all.
Because it was late by that point, the boys decided to stay the night (and definitely wasn’t because Wooyoung convinced San to stay first), so after clean up was done, Wooyoung took them upstairs to show them to their rooms.
So here you were, alone again with Seonghwa.
“I should’ve been more careful,” Seonghwa said softly. “It wasn’t a very good spot to hide.”
“Don't beat yourself up.” You walked over to him and slipped your arms around his waist to hug him. He hugged you back, holding you tight. “You didn’t know she was going to follow us.”
“I still regret it.”
You knew you wouldn’t be able to convince him otherwise, so you didn’t try. You just squeezed him instead before you looked up at him.
“Let’s go to bed,” you offered. Seonghwa nodded, and held your hand as he led you back down the familiar route to his bedroom.
You quickly changed into an oversized t-shirt and shorts, like you usually did, and were going to wait in bed for Seonghwa to be done.
But you still wanted to be with him. So you went to the bathroom, where he’d already changed out of his gown and into a small pink robe, and was preparing to wash his makeup off.
“I wanna help,” you said softly as you grabbed onto his arm. Seonghwa looked at you and couldn’t help but smile. That might’ve been the most adorable thing you’d done since you’d gotten here.
He sat down on the toilet, and guided you through how to take off his makeup and wash his face before bed. You were gentle in everything you did, going over his face like he was made of glass.
He gratefully leaned against your hand when you held his cheek, smiling in a tired little daze as he thought about how lucky he was to have you.
You, who was so gentle and sweet to him, who wanted to spend so much time with him, who helped him unasked because you wanted to. You wanted to help him.
It’d taken so many years for him to find someone again who actually wanted more from him than sex. And he found it in the most unexpected way.
Once you were done, you both went back to bed and curled up under the covers, holding each other like you had every night before.
You didn’t know how you were going to sleep without his steady heartbeat anymore. Without his arms holding you tight.
You didn't want to think about it, especially as your eyes were falling closed from exhaustion. You were spent, and you were finally willing to listen and give in to the tiredness.
Seonghwa pressed a kiss to your head as he slowly rubbed your back. “Good night, jagiya,” he whispered, closing his eyes.
“Good night, Mommy,” you whispered back, finally succumbing to sleep in Seonghwa’s arms.
Thank you for reading! Please reblog if you enjoyed! 💜
This is a work of fiction written by me. This does not represent the idol(s) in any way. Any re-upload is not allowed and will be reported.
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