By the time they made it back to the house, it was late. There was only one light on in an upstairs window, I.N recognizing the window as his stepfather's study. Walking up the steps with Felix and Bang Chan in tow, I.N reached out to ring the doorbell. Chris stood alongside Bang Chan, looking at him the house before him in sadness. It was a sadness that Bang Chan recognized himself as he too had experienced it. It was sadness that came with the desire to return home knowing that — even if you could — it would never be the same.

Bong Baek opened the door, shock on his face at seeing the three of them standing on the steps.

"What brings you all back at this late of an hour? Are your friends okay?"

"They are fine, thank you," said I.N. "We were wondering in my stepfather is still up."

As if knowing that he had been summoned, Mr. Chan suddenly materialized at the top of the stairs. They entered and Bong Baek shut the door behind them, Mr. Chan remaining at the top of the staircase the entire time.

"Why don't you three come up to my office?" suggested Mr. Chan as I.N nodded, walking upstairs with the others in tow.

Stepping into the office took Chris back, remembering the times he had been in there trying to convince his father that the weight of the world wasn't on his shoulders. The confrontation that was about to happen left a bitter taste in his mouth, realizing that his father's desperation to keep him safe would mean something completely different if what he thought was true actually was.

"I have something I need to ask you, sir," said Bang Chan, watching as Mr. Chan sunk into the chair behind his desk, ushering to them to get comfortable as well.

"Ask away," he said, his brows furrowing as he watched them all take a seat on various seats in his office. "Is it another question about Chris?"

"Yes," said Bang Chan as he waited a beat before asking, "How long have you known that Chris wasn't your biological son?"

- - -

Twenty-Eight Years Ago

With an umbrella hefted above his head in one hand and a bag of groceries in the other, Mr. Chan stood in the rain and looked up at the face of the semi-lit apartment before him. Hidden within the bowels of one of the rooms of the apartment was the woman who had enchanted him from across the street for the last month or so to the point she won his heart.

The first time Mr. Chan had laid eyes on Sari, he had been walking out of his office building and saw her struggling to open the door of the apartment across the street with a box in her hands. Even though there were people passing by her on the sidewalk, they all seemed to be minding their own business and not paying her any attention. It was almost as if she was invisible to them. Everyone seemed to be self-absorbed in their own bubble to the point where they couldn't notice that she was struggling. That was, except for him.

After having crossed the street, he had helped her into the apartment building, switching his briefcase for the box in her hands as he got to small talking with her about her move to the area. The apartment that she lived in was sparsely furnished when he had entered it with her box, but he made sure to change that over the next few days by buying her some furniture. Sari had argued that she didn't need it and couldn't afford it, and his response had been to ask for her friendship as payment. Never in the history of ever had he been this enchanted by someone, and he wasn't about to let this beautiful flower of a woman live in the shadows.

He had finally gotten the courage to ask Sari out after having known her for a month and was supposed to be on his first date with her tonight when she had called him to cancel their plans because she wasn't feeling well.

Entering the apartment building after putting his umbrella down, he made his way up the stairs to where her apartment was. When he reached the landing, he had to quickly skirt to the side to allow the young adult tenants in the apartment across the hall to run by, screeching their lungs out about something.

An eerie silence soon pervaded the semi-stale odor of the hallway as he leaned his umbrella against the wall by her apartment door before reaching up a hand to knock on it. No answer came to the first or second knock. By the time he knocked for a third time, he heard soft footsteps from inside. The door unlocked, but the chain link was still in place to allow her to peek out safely into the hallway. He locked his eyes on hers through the crack in the door, noticing despite the dim light in the interior, how puffy they were. It was as if she had been crying.

"What are you doing here? I told you I had to cancel our date..."

"I know. This isn't a date," he said as he lifted the bag of groceries she seemingly couldn't see into her line of view. "I came to deliver you some groceries to help you feel better."

"You didn't have to."

"I wanted to," he said. "Can I come in?"

"Just...please leave them at the door and go."

Mr. Chan could hear the tears laced in her voice, and though she asked him to leave and he knew he should respect that, he found himself rooted to the spot.

Her pain wasn't invisible to him, and he found that he wanted to help cure her of it.

"Please let me in," he said, "I want to take care of you."
        
He watched as a tear snuck down Sari's face before she reluctantly undid the chain on the door. Walking silently into the apartment, he saw the nest she had made for herself on the couch, a dark blue blanket bundled into a circle with a small pile of tissues beside it. After she had shut the door behind him, Sari made her way back over to said nest, grabbing the blanket and tucking herself into it like a human burrito. Carrying the grocery bag into the kitchen, he began to make Ramen noodle soup for her without waiting for permission. In the background he could hear the barely audible sound of the television.

When the soup was done, he brought a bowl of it out to her. He noticed the tears in her eyes again as he set it down on the coffee table in front of her.

"I don't know why you care so much about me," she finally whispered as he looked over at her. "You can do much better than me..."

Sinking down onto the couch beside her, he noticed her stiffen, refusing to turn her head to look his way.

"I don't know why you are saying that," he said as he looked at her.

During the time he had known her, she had kept her past a secret from him. He hadn't felt the need to press her into telling him about it, realizing full well that everyone had a past that they came from. It was clear to him now though that whatever it was that she had in her past had colored her perception of herself.

"I don't think this is going to work," she said. "I think we need to stop seeing each other, even as friends. It was a mistake for you to try to ask me out."

"I don't think it was a mistake," said Mr. Chan. "What's going on? Talk to me."

"It's heavy..."

"Good thing I'm strong then."

A flicker of a smirk crossed Sari's lips as she looked over at him.

"I'm pregnant," she said softly.

"You're...what?"

"Pregnant."

And then she started to tell him the relationship background he had yet to learn. It was a background of a woman with a pure and innocent heart who had been manipulated into love by a controlling partner. She had thought he was the one and had given him everything, only to find out the truth shortly after she had. Feeling she deserved better for herself, she took herself and the pieces of her shattered heart to try for a fresh start.

"I never expected to meet you," Sari said as she wrapped up her story, the tears already running down her face again. "I also never expected to be pregnant. Even though it's not something I expected, I want to keep this baby. It's not their fault they exist. I owe it to them to provide them with the best life possible, but you don't. You barely know me and should find a woman that doesn't come with baggage like I do."

"I don't want any other woman though," said Mr. Chan, "I understand that you'll need time to let this all sink in, but know that I'm going to be here waiting. Your child may not be biologically mine, but if you give me the chance, I will love him just as much as I love you."

"But..."

"Please stop," he said as he grabbed a tissue and wiped away her tears. "You deserve to be loved and so does your unborn child. Loving you both is my choice"

- - -

Chris stared at the man that he thought had been his biological father, trying to stop the pain that blossomed in his chest. In death, he seemed to be experiencing the pain of grief more than he had in life. Chris flickered his gaze from his father to the others in the room, noticing that I.N sat on the edge of his seat.

"I never told Chris that he wasn't actually my son because I never felt that way. I was there when he was born and I helped raise him alongside his mother. When she was murdered when he was four, I felt that he was entrusted to me to take care of and that's why I tried the best I could to do just that. I didn't want to let him or his mother down. I really did try my best by him."

"You did well," spoke up I.N. "He was a remarkable man that I was lucky to call my best friend and stepbrother while I was able to."

Mr. Chan's lips creased into a tight smile as he nodded, locking eyes with I.N.

"Just remember, family by choice is stronger than that of blood," Mr. Chan said. "Chris was my family just like you and your mother are, Jeongin."

Tears misted in I.N's eyes as he turned from Mr. Chan to look at where Bang Chan sat on the love seat in the office. Chris was beside Bang Chan, and even though he knew I.N couldn't see him, the two of them locked eyes for a moment.

"If you're not Chris' father though, who is?" asked Felix, unable to keep himself from speaking aloud the question that was on all their minds.

All of theirs except Chris'. Bang Chan turned his head to the side as casually as possible to look at the other. It was obvious to him that Chris had worked something out. There wasn't a chance to delve any deeper on the topic though as the lights in the house suddenly flickered before going out completely, plunging them into darkness.

"Where did the lights go?" asked I.N as the downstairs door banged open followed by a gunshot.

"All of you, get away from the door now!" said Mr. Chan as he got up from his desk and moved with surprising ease towards the door to lock it.

Obeying, Felix, I.N and Bang Chan all attempted to move behind Mr. Chan's vacated desk as he raced to lock the door.

"That question Felix posed," said Chris suddenly as he stood behind Bang Chan's shoulders. "I have a feeling you're all about to get the answer to that."

- - -

AN: You will not believe the amount of times I rewrote this chapter...😂

Special thanks to sunnyyy_bangtan and Mochi711 for helping me work out the specifics in this chapter. I'm so close to the end that I don't want to mess it up in the homestretch.

Can't wait to see what you all think. Thanks for reading and see you in the next chapter! 💜