Just in case, Yi-hyeon opened his bag and slid the letter he’d written in advance through the narrow gap of the tightly shut door. Then, hoping his apology would somehow reach the owner, he turned and resumed walking.
From early morning, everyone at the Orphanage was bustling about. It was because of Minseo’s birthday party preparations. While the teachers and kids decorated the Orphanage, Yi-hyeon was assigned the mission of taking Minseo to the aquarium.
As Yi-hyeon helped him get ready to go out, dressing him in the pretty outfit the Director had prepared, Minseo beamed up at him.
“If it was my birthday every day, that’d be sooo good!”
“So you could get presents every day?”
“No! ’Cause I can see sharks!”
With one hand held stiffly against his head, Minseo ran around the room making a shark impression.
Is he really that happy?
Yi-hyeon was swamped juggling CSAT prep and part-time work, but seeing this made him think he should still carve out time to play with the kids whenever he could.
“Then shall we head out to see the sharks now, Prince Minseo?”
“Yeees!”
The small hand that looked like a tiny maple leaf slapped firmly into Yi-hyeon’s outstretched palm.
It was Yi-hyeon’s first time at an aquarium.
He started fumbling from the moment he tried to buy the admission tickets. Sweat poured down his face like rain from sheer fluster when a DM from Han Jun popped up.
Worried that Minseo might get swept away by the crowd while he checked his phone, Yi-hyeon crouched down, sat Minseo on his thigh, and then opened the messages.
[Louis paw photo] xxhanjunini
– – –
[Louis paw photo]
—[where u at?]
[Aquarium]
[It’s Minseo’s birthday today]
[Louis paw photo]
—[What, why didn’t you tell me]
[Louis paw photo]
—[Which aquarium?]
[Cox]
[Louis paw photo]
—[I’m coming now]
[Huh??]
[You’re coming here???]
[Louis paw photo]
—[It’s crowded on weekends]
[Louis paw photo]
—[What if your ears stick out]
[Louis paw photo]
—[With a kid too]
[That’s why I managed my condition today]
The DMs abruptly stopped.
Is he really coming?
Yi-hyeon hesitated, wondering if he should wait at the entrance for Han Jun, when Minseo grabbed his hand and shook it, urging him to hurry up and go see the sharks.
“Jun-hyung says he’s coming—should we wait before going in?”
“Sharks first! I’ll wait in front of the sharks!”
Showing a delicious cake to a kid and then telling him he can’t eat it yet would be pure torture. Agreeing with Minseo, Yi-hyeon nodded and decided to go in first and think about it later.
“Waa! Waa! Look at that, hyung! It’s Nemo, Nemo!”
The moment they stepped inside, Minseo’s eyes sparkled as he kept going “waa, waa” with his little chick-beak mouth. Yi-hyeon was busy pressing the shutter on his phone camera, trying to capture every second of it.
“Should we take a picture with turtles next? Your second favorite, Minseo.”
“Yeah! I like it!”
Holding Minseo’s hand tightly, Yi-hyeon unfolded the map he’d picked up at the entrance with his free hand. Just as he was checking where the turtles were, he heard someone call his name cheerfully. At first he thought he’d misheard and only glanced around a few times, but when the voice came again—familiar this time—he turned back.
“Huh? You—!”
It was Yeon-seo, smiling brightly and waving at him.
“What, you came to see the fish too?”
“Uh? Y-yeah. I did!”
“I see. That’s kind of amazing.”
“Yeah. Running into each other here is really surprising. Wow, he’s so cute. Is he your little brother?”
Yeon-seo bent down and greeted Minseo with a cheerful hello.
Faced with a stranger, Minseo—who was very shy—slipped behind Yi-hyeon. Yeon-seo looked a little flustered, then apologized for the late introduction and spoke with a gentle smile.
“I’m Kim Yeon-seo. I go to the same school as your hyung. Nice to meet you!”
Minseo stared blankly at the hand Yeon-seo held out, then finally mustered some courage and shuffled a step forward.
“Our Minseo is a brave prince.”
When Yi-hyeon said that with a smile, Minseo puffed out his tiny shoulders and tightly grasped Yeon-seo’s hand.
“I’m Minseo.”
“Wow, my name also ends with ‘seo.’ We’re the same, right?”
“Mm-hm!”
“I like fish too. Is it okay if I look around with you?”
The question seemed a bit hard, because Minseo blinked his big eyes and looked up at Yi-hyeon.
“Look together? What about the person you came with?”
“Uh? Ah… it’s okay, it’s okay.”
Yeon-seo vaguely brushed it off, saying they didn’t have to stick together the whole time anyway.
“I’m not okay with that.”
When Yi-hyeon turned his head, Han Jun was standing there stiffly with an irritated expression, holding aquarium ice creams in both hands. He was wearing his cap pulled low and hadn’t dressed up at all, yet to Yi-hyeon’s eyes, he still looked nothing short of handsome.
He got here really fast.
Did he want to celebrate Minseo’s birthday that badly? Warmth spread through Yi-hyeon’s chest at Han Jun’s kindness.
“Jun-hyung!”
The moment Han Jun appeared, Minseo let go of Yeon-seo’s hand, spread his arms wide, and ran straight toward him. Then he wrapped himself tightly around Han Jun’s leg. Whether he was happy about the ice cream or happy to see Han Jun was hard to say, but considering how shy Minseo usually was, it was an extremely enthusiastic welcome.
“Did you come to the aquarium ’cause it’s your birthday?”
“Mm-hm!”
Seeing this unexpected side of Minseo—who’d been so awkward with her—Yeon-seo straightened up with an embarrassed expression. Noticing that, Yi-hyeon explained that Minseo was usually very shy, making sure her feelings wouldn’t be hurt.
“You’re Han Jun from Yi-hyeon’s class, right? I’m Kim Yeon-seo from the class next door. We’ve seen each other a few times, haven’t we?”
Even as Yeon-seo greeted him brightly, Han Jun’s gaze was fixed solely on Minseo. When Yi-hyeon poked Han Jun’s side with his elbow, he finally responded with a belated, half-hearted, “Uh, yeah.”
“Can I hang out with you guys too?”
“Uh, no. Today’s kind of like a family outing.”
“Family? You and Yi-hyeon are family?”
Yeon-seo asked with her eyes wide in surprise.
“Why would you and I be family?”
Yi-hyeon’s eyes widened just as much. It wasn’t like his family registry had changed without him knowing. To the two of them staring at him in confusion, Han Jun answered while scooping Minseo up with one arm and bouncing him gently.
“Han Minseo, Han Jun. Cheongju Han clan. If the roots are the same, we’re all family.”
Faced with Han Jun’s absurd logic, Yi-hyeon pressed his lips together.
“And Yi-hyeon is Minseo’s hyung, so the three of us are family no matter what.”
Judging that it was rude to say things like that with Yeon-seo standing right there asking to join them, Yi-hyeon linked arms with both of them, determined not to indulge Han Jun’s nonsense any further.
“Fine. Let’s just look around together, all four of us.”
“What do you mean, together—”
“Anyone who complains can look around by themselves.”
“……”
Han Jun snapped his open mouth shut.
After glaring at Yi-hyeon’s arm hooked with Yeon-seo’s, Han Jun flicked his eyes toward her face. When he saw her ears red all the way to the tips, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, his brows twisted ever so slightly.
