When Minjun finally opened his eyes, he was greeted by an overwhelming headache and a wave of nausea that made it difficult to focus. Thomas brightened with relief. Seeing that his mama was awake and alive made him incredibly happy.
Still groggy, Minjun looked around and realised that he was in Daiki's bedroom. His confusion only deepened.
Why am I in Daiki's room?
He tried desperately to piece together what had happened. He vaguely remembered drinking some soju the night before, and then everything after that was a complete blank. No matter how hard he tried, he could not recall a single thing that followed.
Thomas interrupted his thoughts with an innocent question, his eyes still watery from crying. He asked why Mama had slept with Papa, and wondered whether it meant that Mama did not like him any more.
Alarmed, Minjun stroked the boy's head quickly and reassured him firmly that there was nobody in the world he loved more than Thomas.
Trying to ease the atmosphere, Daiki told Thomas calmly that Papa had simply wanted to sleep beside Mama, and then asked whether he wanted to play doctor. Thomas lit up with excitement and ran off to fetch his toy doctor's kit.
As soon as he had gone, Daiki began pulling aside one side of Minjun's pyjamas.
Panicking, Minjun demanded to know what he thought he was doing, so early in the morning and in broad daylight.
Remaining completely composed, Daiki told him bluntly to be quiet, insisting that he was not doing anything inappropriate, and asking whether Minjun intended to keep resisting.
A moment later Thomas came back carrying the toy medical kit, and handed it proudly to his father.
Daiki accepted it with a smile, patted Thomas's head gently, and thanked him for helping. Still completely confused, Minjun watched as Daiki opened the kit, took out an ointment, and carefully applied it to the bruises that covered Minjun's body.
Only then did Minjun realise how many injuries he had. He stared at the bruises in disbelief, wondering when he had been hurt.
His imagination immediately ran wild. For a brief moment he feared that Daiki might have beaten him for the whole of the previous night, though he quickly tried to convince himself that could not possibly have happened.
Before he could ask any questions, Kenta knocked at the door, greeted everyone, and announced that breakfast was ready. With a calm gesture, Daiki asked Thomas to go and eat with Kenta first.
Inside, Minjun panicked. He wished desperately that Thomas would not leave him alone with Daiki.
Once the boy had gone, Daiki stepped closer. Growing more nervous by the second, Minjun stiffened as Daiki rested his hands gently on his shoulders.
Then, without warning, Daiki asked him a question that caught him completely off guard.
He wanted to know whether Minjun liked him.
The question left Minjun utterly speechless. When he hesitated, Daiki repeated it in an even more serious tone, and told him not to make him ask twice.
Overwhelmed and sweating from nerves, Minjun was consumed by conflicting emotions. He was afraid that if he admitted his true feelings, Daiki might reject him.
After a long pause, he said quietly that he did not know.
Daiki studied him for a moment, then replied that if Minjun truly did not know, then he should think about it carefully, because he would ask again soon.
With that, Daiki left the room slowly, leaving Minjun alone with even more questions than before.
His thoughts drifted back to the previous night.
After returning home from a long day at work, Daiki had been resting quietly on the sofa when the peace was interrupted by hurried footsteps. A very drunk Minjun had burst into the room. Barely able to stand, he had looked around and demanded to know where the woman was.
Completely confused, he had then asked Daiki what was wrong.
Remaining unusually calm, Daiki had simply instructed him to go back to his own room.
Minjun ignored him. Instead he placed both hands on Daiki's shoulders and, with drunken determination, confessed that he had been thinking. Rather than waiting for Daiki to make the first move, he had decided it would be faster if he took the initiative himself.
Without another word, he began removing Daiki's clothes.
Daiki tried to stop him at once, telling him to quit, because he reeked of alcohol. Minjun paid no attention. While loosening Daiki's tie, he admitted proudly that he had been drinking. He had finished an entire bottle, he said, and it was because of Daiki, and then he rambled that he only ever drank soju.
Leaning so close that their faces nearly touched, Minjun suddenly asked Daiki whether he was drunk.
Partly concerned and partly frustrated, Daiki asked instead whether Minjun intended to sleep beside Thomas in that state.
Minjun denied it firmly. He declared that he planned to sleep with Daiki.
Still drunk, he complained that Daiki had brought another woman home. Even though Thomas was in the house, he demanded to know how many times Daiki had brought her over, and whether he had enjoyed himself.
Clearly irritated, Daiki grabbed him by the hair and warned him to be careful about the things he was saying.
Before Minjun could continue confessing his feelings, the alcohol finally overwhelmed him. Within seconds he was asleep in Daiki's lap.
The memory ended there.
Back in the present, Daiki let out a quiet sigh, shook his head as though trying to clear it, and continued walking toward the kitchen. The situation was becoming more complicated with every day that passed.