umbrella { sunjay }

19.

"i'll see you later, okay? be good for your mom and dad." jongseong patted heera's hair as she held on tight to him.

"bye uncle jay..." her tone was quiet and deflated as she released the man from the hug. she knew she had a lot of fun these last two weeks and that it would be no time before they seen each other again. she was happy to see her parents again after so long. 

luckily, no tears were shed.

"thank you again, i owe you so much. just say it and you've got it." heeseung was extremely appreciative. jay was one of the most reliable people in his life and he was glad to treat him like a brother.

"i'll hold you to it, hyung." jay chuckled as he watched the two of them walk further and further from his door with a wave.

a hollow feeling almost simultaneously returned into his heart.

the house was quiet once again. 

sena had left to do some shopping or whatever she wanted. jongseong hadn't had a real conversation with her for the last two days since their argument. 

back to square one. 

he wondered why he felt so depressing all of a sudden. now, he had no more ballet classes to attend to, he had no dinner to cook that matched a four year old's pallet, he had so much free time again. 

and it felt like shit.

he stared at the clock on the wall for what seemed like forever until he was tired of doing nothing. 

jay figured that a walk in the park could clear his mind. bringing a book and some music also wouldn't hurt.

after putting on his shoes and beige trench coat, he adjusted his rimless eyeglasses and exited the door. 

his walk in the mostly empty park brought him serenity as the soft music sounded in his ears. well, that was until he felt a soft tap on his shoulder.

bringing the wireless buds from his ear, he turned to see the sweet face of kim sunoo.

"sunoo?" his feet came to a halt as he faced the younger with furrowed eyebrows.

"we tend to keep bumping into one another." the smile he received was rejuvenating, like the cold water you're rewarded with after running a long marathon. 

"yeah, it seems like it." jongseong had been infected with the contagiousness of sunoo's beam. "what brings you here? i see you don't have eunjoo with you." jay tilted his head slightly. it was rare to see the male without a three feet girl on his heel.

"i went to visit my family like you suggested and my parents wanted to keep her for a few days. they say i need to 'get out more', so here i am." the younger chuckled, a little embarrassed. 

"would you like to join me? i'm kid free now too and have nothing better to do." jay laughed awkwardly as he glanced around at the scenery. he could definitely use some company right now.

"of course!" he accepted immediately. sunoo didn't realize how much a simple invitation to walk in the park could make his day. "you said you're kid free now? where's heera?" 

"my best friend picked her up since he came back from his trip. i feel kinda sad knowing my days of being a ballet parent are over." he jokes with a dramatic sigh, causing sunoo to laugh along with him.

"if it makes you feel any better, why don't you come with me and eunjoo sometimes? since you just love sitting there and talking with me for an hour while we wait." sunoo appreciated how they were on the level of humor in their friendship now. it was nice.

"hmm. i may have to take you up on that offer." jay raised his eyebrows up and down with a grin playing across his lips. his second nature was playfulness. however, that side of him rarely came out anymore in the last few months. 

the two came up to the same bench they had sat on when they got ice cream with the girls. but this time, they sat next to one another, rather than separated by eunjoo and heera with their ice cream mustache covered faces.

"i don't mean to intrude, but how are things with your wife? has anything changed for the better these past few days?" sunoo asked as he stared off to the calm landscape. the trees shook and leaves fell with every gust of wind. causing sunoo to pull his jacket a little bit closer.

he thought it may have been a little impolite to ask about jongseong's relationship but he knew it was really stressing the older out and maybe talking about it could help. talking about what he feels to someone he trusted always made him feel seen.

jay pushed up his glasses while in thought. it wasn't that he didn't trust sunoo now, their talk from a few days ago made them form a small bond. he was hesitating to say anything because he didn't want to worry him.

"it actually got worse." jay laughed dryly. "i don't know if our marriage can last anymore." he decided to just go with the truth. it was no use in hiding anything, he couldn't possibly lie to the younger.

sunoo turned his gaze towards the older who's side profile was on display. if there was one thing he could say without shame, it would be how handsome jongseong was. he was physically attractive, yes. but it was also more than that. the way he presented himself, the way he cared and thought deeply, the way he was naturally a nurturer, those attributes were what made him even more alluring in sunoo's eyes.

"do you want it to last?" after those words slipped from his mouth, he mentally slapped himself. why would he say such an idiotic thing?

jongseong's softened eyes turned their attention back onto the man next to him and he stared in silence for a moment while thinking about the question he was asked.

does he want his marriage to last? was he willing to fight for it?

sunoo searched the older's eyes in hopes of reading his mind. why was he so hesitant on answering? it should be an easy, yes. 

his silence was an answer in itself.

sunoo watched as jongseong swallowed the saliva in his mouth.

"i... i don't know." jay's brain began to work in overdrive. no one had ever asked him about such a topic in such a manner. a blunt question with a yes or no answer seemed to be the most complex of them all.

"i'm sorry, i shouldn't have said anything..." 

"no- it's not a big deal. i just..." his words trailed off as he peered into the now-panicked-eyes in front of him. 

sunoo's eyes were captivating.

"let's stop talking about things like that, hm?" sunoo tried to change the mood as he stood onto his feet and moved in front of the sitting man.

"do you wanna go do something fun?"

❀

did anyone else see how jay looked at sunoo in the 'behind en-o'clock episode 87'? he has such a soft spot for him it's so cute.