Taeyong grips his brother's hand as they step inside a closed room. He has imagined every possible scenario of him meeting his father again. But never did he expect to see him wearing a grey jumpsuit, shaven head and a worn out face. Even though it was years ago when he last saw him, he can still recognize his face, despite the obvious effect of his aging.

"Is that him?" Mark asks in whisper and he nods.

They both walk slowly towards the booth, a transparent glass separating them from their father. The old man just stares at them, as if he doesn't know them. Taeyong gulps down, taking a seat infront of him. Mark does the same. Neither of them speaks. They just look at each other, gauging their reactions.

"Taeyong?" The old man finally speaks, his voice is husky and deep, but that's exactly what Taeyong remembers it to be. "Is that you?"

He takes a deep breath and nods. "Dad." It's been a while since he last uttered that word. It almost feels like a new word to him.

"And you must be..." The old man's voice trails off, trying to recall something.

"Mark," Taeyong finishes for him, glancing at his brother whose eyes are just focused on their father.

"I know, son." The old man confirms, his face remains stoic. "So that must be why I suddenly got visitors today. But, you shouldn't be here."

"Dad, we already know everything. Miller wants to have your money that's why you're here," Taeyong answers. "He's the one who put you in here, right?"

The old man looks away, but his expression depicts sorrow and pain. "You shouldn't be here," he repeats it to them.

And those words are the last ones they heard from their real father. Not exactly the kind of reunion that Taeyong had in mind.

****

"So you've met your real father?" He hears Traze ask beside him. She's the only one he has ever told about his encounter with their dad. And right now, she's also the only one who can ever make him forget he ever did. "What happened? You don't look too happy about it." He still doesn't answer her. He just looks at her, hoping to get lost in her eyes. "Taeyong, talk to me."

"Let's not talk about that. I just want to focus on you right now," he tries to divert her attention.

Traze sighs. "Fine. But stop saying all those cheesy remarks."

He chuckles. "I don't want to."

She grunts, burying her head on the book she's holding. "What are you even doing here? You hate the library."

"Yes. But I love you," he blurts out unconsciously, making him stop as well to gauge her reaction.

She doesn't speak at once, just looking at him, probably to see if he's kidding or not. But he's absolutely positive on what he feels for her. So instead of taking his words back, he just says, "You know what, I'll leave you here for a while. I'll meet you later after class." He flashes her a smile before finally exiting the library.

****

Taeyong has just finished his last class that day and he's about to call Traze. But when he sees a message from his brother saying, "Blud, can you come at this address now? 29 Forest Road, Sutherland." Confused, he quickly types that address in his maps, but he doesn't recognize the place. The first thing that pops in his mind is Mark going to meet their fake dad and he can't let that happen. So he presses his number to call him and know for sure that he's not in danger.

"Blud, are you here?" Mark's voice sounds calm and there's no obvious sign of anxiety.

He exhales a sigh of relief. "No, not yet. Why do you want to meet there? Is that a pub?"

Mark chuckles, which he hasn't heard for a while - at least, not after they visited their real father, which gave them a bad memory of him yet again. "You'll see. Just come quick."

The way Mark said that makes him even more curious. He wonders what this is all about. Mark can just tell him through the phone, but he wants to meet somewhere - an unfamiliar place at that.

Without any more questions, he hangs up his phone, proceeds to the parking lot and steps into his car. Before starting the engine, he sends Traze a message telling her that he's meeting Mark and that he'll come and see her later.

When he finally arrives at the address, he finds himself standing infront of an apartment complex, almost like the one where Traze used to live in. He steps out of the car and immediately sees Mark standing on the foot of the stairs and waving at him. "Over here!" His brother calls out to him.

"What is this place?" He questions him, but Mark just smiles at him as the younger one leads the way inside. He follows quietly, ascending a long flight of stairs before reaching a door. The walls are probably thin because he can already hear loud noises coming from inside the room.

Mark knocks on the door and a familiar person welcomes them. It's Traze's bestfriend. "Hey! Come in!" She greets enthusiastically, motioning them to step in. "Hey chaps! Taeyong is here!" She exclaims and as soon as she says that, two guys come running towards his direction and drag him by the arms. He's stronger than them but he doesn't want to start punching them in the face either. After all, they are Traze's friends.

They push him down on a chair in the middle of the lounge area so everyone's eyes are on him. He doesn't know what these guys are up to, but he certainly doesn't want to give off a bad impression.

"So Taeyong, do you swear on your mother's grave not to hurt our friend no matter what?" Izzy starts to question him, walking back and forth, as if she's inside an interrogation room.

He clears his throat first and nods. "I won't hurt her."

"Good. Because if you do, we're going to cut your balls while you're asleep," one of the guys remarks, making the others laugh at him.

"Doyoung, shush!" Izzy throws the guy a glare, then turns back to him. "So, are you willing to take part in this?"

His eyes wander around, not really sure what she's talking about. "And what exactly is this?"

Before anyone can answer him, the door swivels open, revealing Chelsie with bags in her hands. "Sorry. I'm late. I had to make sure Traze doesn't get a hint." She pauses, when she notices what's happening in the room. "What are you doing to him?" She asks as a younger guy comes running to her to help with the bags.

"We were just asking him," the guy helping her answers.

"I'm so sorry, Taeyong," she tells him, but he just lets out a chuckle.

"So what is happening here? Why is Traze not here?" He asks, hoping that Traze's sister can finally shed some light on him.

"It's her birthday next weekend and we want to surprise her," Chelsie finally answers and it suddenly made sense to him. "You want to be a part of it, right?"

He smirks. "Of course. I'm in. Let's start planning!"

****

"Taeyong, what is this?" He hears Traze ask him for the nth time, but he just keeps his mouth shut as he holds both her hands and guides her way. "If you want to wish me a happy birthday, just do so. You don't have to surprise me. I hate surprises," she continues to babble, which he realizes to be a habit of hers whenever she's anxious.

"Just trust me, alright? You'll love it," he assures her.

"And if I don't, I swear I'm going to smack you-"

"Happy birthday, Traze!"

He finally removes the cover from her eyes and he watches her as she tries to soak in what's infront of her. Their mum, Chelsie and all her friends are there inside the restaurant where they always go to. He rented the entire place for the day which the owner was delighted to do so.

He lets go of her hands to let her walk towards her mum and friends, who are already waiting for her. Planning for her birthday didn't take much effort because her friends were really cooperative. They've been wanting to make a grand surprise for her birthday for years but they didn't have the budget for it. He's just really glad that he's able to take part in it now with her.

After all the singing, dancing and a lot of eating, he finally makes a move towards Traze, who is still eating on the table with her mum. Slowly, he approaches them with caution, not wanting to appear rude by interrupting them. "Hi, Mrs. Collins. I'm sorry, but can I just take Traze out for a bit?" He asks, looking at her mum intently and when she nods, he thanks her and leads Traze out of the restaurant.

"So you planned all these with them?" Traze asks him, the moment they're out of the restaurant.

"Your friends were really the one who initiated it," he answers her. "But this is actually my present for you."

She narrows her eyes at him in confusion. "Which one?"

He takes her hand gently and squeezes it. "It's over here." Walking into the tunnel, he remembers the first time he took her there with him. They didn't know each other well at that time, but he remembered it clearly because it was the first time he felt something for her. It was only a vague emotion at that time compared to what he's feeling for her now, but this place was the start of it all.

When they finally reach the end of the tunnel, the sparkly lights of the fireflies come into view. They are hovering on top of the tent, which he set up for them to sit on. "Taeyong," he hears her mumble. He pulls her hand and motions her to go inside the tent, which she does. "It's beautiful," she comments, sitting on the soft cushion inside. "Thank you for this."

He stares at her face and smiles. "It's nothing."

Her eyes suddenly fall on his shirt and stifles a laugh. "I didn't know you like Spongebob," she says, but he just remains silent and continues to hold her gaze. It takes her a good few seconds before realizing something. "Wait... you're Spongebob?"

He nods. "I thought you've forgotten."

She swallows hard, shaking her head. "How can I ever forget the lost kid looking for his mum? But... why didn't you tell me? You knew this all along?"

"No. I thought it was Zia at first. That's why I asked you about the handkerchief," he explains and she just blinks at him.

"But you should've told me sooner," she whines.

He chuckles. "Why? Would you have treated me better if I did?"

"Of course. You're Spongebob!" She exclaims. "God! I can't believe it."

"And do you also remember what you did before?" He asks teasingly, remembering exactly what it is.

She pauses, thinking about it. Then, she shakes her head. "Not really."

Out of impulse, he leans towards her and gives a peck on her left cheek. "That's what you did," he mumbles, his face remains close to hers. He notices her eyes blink a couple of times. She doesn't say a thing though so he speaks again, "And this is my actual present for you." He tilts his head to meet her lips. She stays still so he moves his lips to deepen the kiss. "I love you, Traze," he finally says, when he pulls away from her.

She takes a breath, looking at him. "I... love you too, Taeyong."

And his dead heart finally feels alive again.