other dad?
the ferry rocked gently against the waves as it approached the dock. mingyu stood near the railing, hands gripping the edge, salt air teasing strands of his dark hair. he hadn’t slept much, since his mind was still tangled in the words of that letter
i think you might be my father
every time he blinked, he felt wonwoo’s presence in the boy’s handwriting and now, with the island coming into view, all the questions he’d buried for twenty years clawed their way back up
“you look like you're gonna pass out” a voice said from beside him and mingyu glanced over. the man next to him was dressed in breezy linen, sunglasses perched on his head, long hair tucked behind one ear. he had a kind, distant smile, a little too calm for mingyu
“just nervous” mingyu muttered.
“let me guess, coming back to a place you thought you’d never return to?” the man said, as he was leaning against the rail
mingyu blinked “...something like that”
“junhui” the man held out his hand
“mingyu.” they shook hands, a moment passed between them, familiar in a way that made no sense.
“i used to live here, about twenty years ago. i left without any plans to return” junhui said, eyes tracing the coastline.
“yeah, same” mingyu let out a humorless chuckle.
they didn’t speak for the rest of the ride, but neither moved away.
sunoo kicked at a stone on the path leading from the beach, he was fidgety and jake noticed.
“you’re not gonna combust, y’know” jake said, slinging an arm around him.
“i might” sunoo muttered.
“if your dad’s anything like you, it’ll be impossible for him not to love you” jake grinned.
sunoo opened his mouth to argue, but then he froze.
he recognized the man immediately, tall, broad shoulders, unsure eyes scanning the shore. his clothes too city-sharp for the island, but it was the way he looked around, like he was searching for a piece of himself and that made sunoo’s breath hitch.
“go love, that’s him, right?” jake nudged him and sunoo nodded slowly, stepping forward.
“mr. kim?” mingyu turned to where the voice was coming from, eyes wide.
“you must be... sunoo?” his gaze softened the moment it landed on sunoo
“yeah, thanks for coming mr. kim” he offered a small, nervous smile and looked down.
“i wasn’t sure I should, but i couldn't take my mind off of your letter” mingyu admitted, but before sunoo could say anything, another man followed behind, sunglasses perched in his hair, linen shirt fluttering.
junhui.
“well... this place hasn’t changed at all” he said lightly
“sorry mister? but do i know you?” sunoo blinked curiously.
“i doubt it, kiddo” junhui smiled faintly, but then he stared at sunoo's face for a second. like he's trying to remember a face somewhat similar to sunoo's. but before the tension could thicken, someone stormed down the hill like the wind had summoned him.
“of course you’re here.”
jeonghan.
his voice cut the air like a blade, his eyes normally full of mischief, were sharp and seething as they locked onto junhui.
“you have some nerve showing up now.”
“wait—you know him, jeonghan-ssi?” sunoo turned, startled, that his daddy's best friend here on the island is arguing with someone.
“he’s my cousin” jeonghan didn’t even look away from junhui.
“don' act like i'm the bad guy here, jeonghan hyung, you're fully aware that i'm a victim too” junhui sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
“don’t, please--junhui don’t say anything more” jeonghan’s voice dropped, pleading to his cousin
“huh, still siding with wonwoo like he's your cousin" junhui said directly to his cousin, voice laced with malice and hurt
"you and i both know, that you only came to wonwoo because you know you can manipulate him after seeing his broken state back then" jeonghan raised his voice
"if i didn't interfere back then, god knows where wonwoo and sunoo are right now" he added
"i told you hyung, i would've raised that kid in his belly as if it's my own!" junhui now shouting in the dock
"only a fool would believe you, bless the heavens because i know you too well" jeonghan gritting his teeth
junhui went quiet.
mingyu, silent until now, looked between them “wait—what are you two talking about?”
“my cousin here, was the one wonwoo clung to after you disappeared. he was hurting and junhui thought he could be the cure” jeonghan turned to him slowly
sunoo’s mouth parted in shock, still can't process everything he had learned in just a few seconds of people fighting in front of him.
“you were with my papa?”
“not really, not… fully. i was just a shadow your papa tried to stand in, when the light got too bright” junhui looked down.
“that’s enough, he both buried you in his past and now you show up, a week before his son’s wedding, like this is some sort of fairytale reunion?” jeonghan said, voice trembling now and not with anger, but something closer to heartbreak.
“i didn’t know, i came back for him and you told me in this very place that he’d moved on” mingyu said
“and you didn’t even ask him? you didn't even try to walk past this dock and find him on this small island? you just turned around and left again, like a coward accepting a trashy fate” jeonghan’s eyes blazed
the silence that followed was heavy, laced with too many years of pain, betrayal, and almosts. then sunoo stepped forward, eyes glassy but clear.
“i don’t care why you’re here, mr. junhui” he said quietly.
“i don’t even care who’s right or who's wrong, but if either of you is going to hurt him again… leave!" tears falling uncontrollably from his eyes.
"please don’t let this wedding be the reason why he falls apart for the third time” sunoo shouted at them, then storms off running. jake trying to match with his pace, following him