"I'll be back soon, okay? It's just really important."
Rei adjusted Min-ho in his arms. The baby was bundled up tightly, small fists gripping Rei's coat as he cried.
"I'll come with you. I can take care of him, you know," Kai said quietly.
Rei hummed. "I know you can. But you've got work to finish, mm? It won't take long."
He rose onto his toes and pressed a quick kiss to Kai's cheek.
"An hour. Okay?"
Before Kai could reply, the bedroom door opened.
"Then we'll come with you," Rei's mother said gently, stepping inside while holding her husband's hand.
"Why can't old ladies calm down? He can handle it on his own," Rei's father muttered, adjusting his tie.
"You're not even dressed properly, Dad," Rei chuckled.
"It's raining," his mother said firmly. "And you can't manage the baby alone in this weather."
WAAH! WAAH!
"And he won't stop crying," she added.
Rei sighed, rocking Min-ho slightly. "…Alright. Fine."
—
The rain was relentless by the time they stepped outside.
Kai opened a large black umbrella and held it over Rei and the baby, keeping them shielded as they walked down the driveway. The wind pushed against the fabric, rain splashing around their shoes.
Rei's parents hurried ahead toward the back seat of the car.
"You're sure about this?" Kai asked quietly, his voice almost lost beneath the rain.
Rei adjusted Min-ho higher on his shoulder. "I'll be back before you know it."
Thunder rolled somewhere in the distance.
Kai reached up with his free hand, brushing damp strands of hair from Rei's forehead. "Take care."
"I will," Rei replied softly.
For a moment, they just stood there beneath the umbrella, the storm roaring around them.
Then Rei stepped away.
Kai followed, still holding the umbrella over him as Rei opened the back door and placed Min-ho at his mother's lap.
Rain soaked Kai's sleeve as he held the umbrella steady.
Rei shut the back door and walked around to the driver's side. Kai moved with him, keeping him covered until the very last second.
Their eyes met.
"An hour," Rei reminded him with a faint smile.
Kai nodded.
Rei slipped into the driver's seat.
The door closed.
The umbrella lowered.
The engine started.
Through the rain-streaked windshield, Rei lifted a hand in a small wave.
Then the headlights disappeared into the storm.
.
.
.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEECH—
CRASH.
—
Kai jolted upright in bed, his breath uneven.
Sweat clung to his skin despite the cold air in the room. The sheets were tangled around his legs, damp beneath his palms.
"Fucking hell…"
He sat up straight, swinging one leg off the bed as he ran a hand through his hair.
"God."
The sound still echoed in his head. The screech. The crash.
He reached for the glass on his nightstand and poured himself water, the faint clink of glass cutting through the silence. He drank it quickly.
Still dressed in his black pants and black t-shirt, Kai stepped out of the bedroom and walked straight to his office.
He picked up his phone and dialed.
"Pick up. Fucking pick up," he muttered under his breath.
Beep.
"—Hello?" Her voice was small. Alert. Already nervous.
"Yoon Ara."
There was an immediate shift on the other end.
"Y-Yes, sir."
"Call my sister. Now."
A beat.
"Tell her she has thirty minutes to get here."
"Yes, sir."
"Now."
The line went dead.
Kai lowered the phone slowly, jaw tight.
The rain outside continued to fall.
And he hadn't stopped shaking.
25 minutes later
Kai lay back in his chair, a law book draped over his face.
The door clicked open.
Clack.
Clack.
Clack.
Heel boots at three in the morning.
Annoying.
Kai didn't flinch. Slowly, he lowered the book and set it on the table. His eyes were tired. Desperate.
Alaena dragged a chair across from him. The scrape echoed through the room. She adjusted her oversized black fur coat, then crossed her legs with effortless poise.
"Even if the world ends, she'll still show up dressed," he muttered.
"As if you're not the one who demanded I appear out of nowhere at three in the fucking morning," she replied smoothly, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"I want you to bring me someone."
Kai sat up properly now. His voice was firm. This wasn't a request. There were no options.
Alaena nodded once. "Alright."
She didn't ask who. She never did.
Kai opened his drawer and pulled out a blue file. He tossed it onto the table. It slid open, papers spilling slightly.
"The lady Rei's with," he said.
Alaena flipped through it lazily. "With-with? Or just living with?"
Kai's gaze darkened. "Do you think she'd still be alive if it were that kind of relationship?"
Alaena looked up at him.
"…With your obsession?" A slow smirk curved her lips. "No. Never."
"I want her brought to me." His fingers tapped once against the table.
She closed the file with a deliberate thud and slid it back toward him.
"And what's in it for me?" she tilted her head.
Kai exhaled through his nose. "What do you want?"
Alaena's expression softened into a sweet, almost innocent smile. She tapped a finger against the file.
"Her."
Kai followed her gesture, then looked back at her.
"What you do with her is none of my business," he said evenly. "I only want Rei back. Safe." He straightened slightly. "And he trusts this girl."
A pause.
"She is not to be hurt."
Alaena rose, smoothing down her suit as she walked toward the door. She opened it, then glanced back over her shoulder.
"Can't promise the goods," she said lightly. "Any message?"
"None."
Her eyes relaxed — that quiet signal he knew too well.
She'd taken the job.
Click.
The door shut.
Silence swallowed the room.
Kai leaned back, tilting his head against the chair. He stared blankly at the ceiling.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
A quiet whisper slipped from his lips.
"When will I get you back?"
Silence settled back into the office after Alaena left.
Kai remained still for a moment, staring at nothing.
Then—
A faint shuffle outside the door.
Not heels.
Not boots.
Something smaller.
He ignored it.
Another shuffle.
A soft bump.
Kai's gaze shifted to the door.
The handle moved.
Not fully.
Just… trembled.
He frowned.
The handle went down halfway—
Slipped.
A tiny frustrated breath sounded from the other side.
Then—
Thud.
Like someone had jumped and failed.
Kai straightened.
Again.
Thud.
The handle jerked lower this time.
Slipped again.
A soft, breathy sound of frustration followed.
Not crying.
Just… determination.
Kai walked toward the door quietly.
Right as another jump hit the wood.
Thud.
The handle pressed down properly this time—
Too heavy.
It wouldn't turn.
Silence.
Kai could almost picture it.
Tiny brows furrowed. Lower lip bitten. Calculating.
Then the soft scrape of something being dragged across the floor.
Kai opened the door before the next attempt.
Minho stood there.
On top of a small overturned laundry basket.
One hand gripping the handle. The other braced against the door.
His hair was messy. His pajama sleeve half twisted. Cheeks slightly red from effort.
He froze when the door opened.
Kai looked down at him.
Minho looked up at Kai.
The basket wobbled.
Kai instinctively steadied him with one hand.
A long pause.
Minho blinked.
Then very casually let go of the handle and lifted both arms.
Not embarrassed.
Just… transitioning to Plan B.
Kai stared at him.
"…You were asleep."
Minho shook his head once.
No.
Kai glanced at the basket.
At the door.
At his son.
"…You were going to break in."
Minho blinked again.
No shame. No denial.
He leaned forward slightly, small fingers catching onto Kai's pant leg.
Kai sighed.
Without another word, he lifted him.
Minho settled against his shoulder immediately, as if he hadn't just attempted a solo mission.
Kai felt the small, warm weight relax against him.
Minho's breathing was slightly uneven from all the jumping.
Kai adjusted his hold.
"…You're three."
Minho pressed his face into Kai's collarbone.
One small hand reached up and lightly touched Kai's jaw.
Not grabbing.
Just checking.
Kai stilled.
Minho's fingers lingered there for a second before sliding down to grip his shirt.
Kai's expression softened despite himself.
"You couldn't sleep?"
Minho didn't nod.
Didn't shake his head.
He just tightened his hold.
Kai exhaled slowly.
"Next time," he murmured quietly, "you knock."
Minho made a tiny breathy sound that might have been a suppressed laugh.
Or maybe just air.
Kai glanced at the laundry basket still abandoned in the hallway.
"…We're installing higher handles."
Minho froze.
Slowly, he pulled back just enough to look at his father.
Big. Wide. Offended doe eyes.
A silent protest.
Kai narrowed his eyes slightly. "What?" A faint smile tugged at his lips. "You don't want that?"
He waited.
Minho's lips stretched into a dramatic pout first—testing the effect.
No reaction.
So he switched tactics.
He smiled sweetly.
Then shook his head. Hard.
Absolutely not.
Kai stared at him.
"So you'd rather I find you standing on laundry baskets, one breath away from falling, instead of installing higher handles so you can sit still and learn to knock?"
Minho blinked once.
Then nodded.
Shamelessly.
The smile on his face widened, proud of his decision.
Kai let out a disbelieving huff.
"Unbelievable."
Minho pressed his forehead lightly against Kai's shoulder, clearly confident he had won.
Kai adjusted him on his hip.
"You're three," he muttered.
Minho's fingers tightened in the fabric of his shirt — stubborn confirmation.
Kai shook his head, but a quiet chuckle slipped out anyway.
"Fine. You're the boss."
Minho's shoulders lifted slightly in what could only be described as a victorious wiggle.
Kai sighed.
"I'm raising a tyrant."
Minho smiled against his collarbone.
And somehow—
Kai didn't mind at all.
Kai closed the office door behind them and carried Minho down the hallway.
His mind had already shifted.
The guards.
How did a three-year-old slip past six trained men?
There would be consequences.
Severe ones.
He turned the corner—
And stopped.
Five doors down from his office, six guards stood stiffly in a line.
All of them.
Very much awake.
Very much sweating.
Kai's gaze swept over them slowly.
"…Explain."
No one spoke.
One of them cleared his throat nervously.
Then pointed downward.
Kai followed the direction of the trembling finger.
Across the polished white marble floor—
A red, wobbly line.
Uneven.
Crooked.
Clearly drawn by a very small, very determined hand.
It stretched from the far wall…
All the way past the guards' feet.
Like a boundary.
Kai looked at the guards.
They looked back, deeply humiliated.
"…He told us not to cross it," one muttered under his breath.
Silence.
Kai blinked once.
Slowly.
Then he looked down at the tiny criminal currently hiding his face in Kai's shoulder.
Minho had buried himself completely now.
Only the top of his messy hair visible.
Kai adjusted his hold slightly.
"Looks like someone didn't want company," he said calmly.
Minho pressed his face further into his father's collarbone.
Shy.
But not regretful.
Kai's eyes returned to the red line.
Crayon.
Of course.
He imagined it now—
Minho waddling down the hallway.
Stopping.
Turning around dramatically.
Drawing a line.
Pointing at it.
Silent but authoritative.
And six grown men… obeying.
Kai exhaled slowly.
"I really do raise a tyrant."
One of the guards almost nodded.
Kai's gaze snapped to him.
The man straightened immediately.
Kai looked back at Minho.
"But I can't seem to get mad at you."
Minho slowly peeked out.
Just one eye.
Testing the atmosphere.
Kai's expression softened.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Minho's round cheek.
The guards collectively pretended they weren't witnessing this.
Kai stepped over the red line without hesitation.
"Clean it," he said calmly as he passed.
A pause.
"And next time?"
The guards stiffened.
"Do not let a three-year-old establish territorial law in my hallway."
"Yes, sir."
Minho's shoulders shook slightly.
Silent laughter.
Kai felt it.
"…You're enjoying this."
Minho hid his face again.
Kai smiled slightly. Enjoying his kid's little mischiefs.
________________________________________________________