the next day, Sunday, Taehyun woke up at 10am and lazed in bed after his shower until 5, scrolling through tumblr blogs on his laptop in bed, headphones on his head blasting Justin Beiber music.

he had decided to catch up with some extra work that he never managed to finish. Without his phone, he was unable to message any of his friends. usually on days like this he would receive a bunch of texts from Kai saying how he wanted to meet and have ice cream at the park and it always ends with Taehyun paying

how could he not when Kai keeps talking in those high picth voices

so thankfully, today, Taehyun could kick back and relax without his phone constantly blowing up with the youngest's texts. not that he didn't like it, it's just the fact that sometimes he never gets his work done when he has too much fun with his friends.

he had decided to continue watching a YouTube video, that was until Hyerin yanked the headphones off his head and looked down at him with her hands on her hips.

"What the h-" Taehyun looked up, about to start an argument with his sister for disrupting his peaceful Sunday. but she only jumped and flopped on his bed next to him, putting his headphones on her head

"Hyerin, oh my god," Taehyun whispered under his breath, and his sister replied with a giggle.

"Dad's coming home tonight," She said, "Mom wants us showered and ready for dinner right now,"

"Are we going out?" Taehyun asked.

Hyerin shook her head, "No, mom is preparing dinner, dummy,"

"He isn't supposed to be home until- until next month, though.." Taehyun trailed off, highly suspicious.

Taehyun's father- Kang Taeri, or better known as Doctor Kang- was a well known and skillful doctor in Seoul, he was the main reason why they had to move to Seoul in the first place. But the hospital he worked at was always busy as it was the most popular one in South Korea so Taehyun's father had rented an apartment nearby so he could always be on time for on calls.

Taehyun's father was close to his family, he was Taehyun's hero. Despite him being gone for months just because of his job, he always knew to come back and spend quality time with Taehyun and his sister. Often days he stays here for weeks. But Taehyun and his family understood that there were more people out there who needed his dad more than they do.

"He said he was given a few days off," Hyerin said, sitting in the bed placing a hand on her baby brother's shoulder, "let's clean up and help mom, yeah? oh and stop listening to Justin Beiber so much, aren't you tired of listening to 'yummy' on repeat? God, Taehyun ah, you're a music student,"

Taehyun only pushed his sister off the bed, pointing to the door, "Just leave already,"  and she sticks her tongue out, leaving.

Taehyun sits on the bed for a while and stares at his gray walls, his eyes trailing to the window where the curtains were slightly drawn and the golden hours of sunlight spilled through as if settled, the view from his window being the tall buildings of Seoul, and houses above the hills. There was a small playground just a walking distance from his house and the sound of happy children playing on their bikes were heard from his room.

"Taehyun ah!" the voice of his sister sounded through the thin walls, and Taheyun shouts back as he grabbed his towel

"Yeah, yeah, stop pestering me!

+×+

The smell of the cooking when Taehyun walked down the stairs in his hoodie after shower was mouth watering. Taehyun feels blessed to have a mother who was so skillful in cooking dishes that both smell and taste amazing.

wordlessly, Taehyun grabs the plates from the drawer and starts to set them on the table. his mother smiles lightly at the action her son did.

"When is dad coming home?" Taehyun asked, his eyes still looking at the way the plate reflects the light above their dinner table.

"Almost here, probably," Taehyun's mother replied. Her tone a little higher, like she was excited. she probably was. he was her husband, after all.

Taehyun sometimes wonder what it's like to be in love.

When Taehyun finished setting the table, he sat by the couch in the living room, staring at the blank TV mounted on the wall with a sigh. his reflection stared back at him.

"You excited to see dad too, Hobak?" Taehyun asked his cat that decided to join him by jumping on his lap, the brown haired boy reaching out to trace his finger into the cat's fur, "I thought he would be busy at this time..I can't believe he'd come home so suddenly.."

the cat only meowed in response, as it could only do. Taehyun sighs deeply, and at that moment, his sister calls out

"Taehyun ah, dad is here,"

+×+

Hyerin and Taehyun on one side and Taehyun's mother in front of his sister, in front of Taehyun was in front of the man himself. The dinner table was filled with light banter, laughter and questions.

"Why did you come home so early, dad?" Hyerin asked, slicing up the potatoes on her plate.

"One of my regular patients just came back into the ward, they've been stubbornly holding back on medication these days and it's giving me a headache," Taehyun's father said, "If he dies because of it I'll be the one to blame, I'm his doctor for almost a decade now, I'm worried for him,"

Taehyun couldn't help but flinch at how normally his father said 'if he dies because of it,' as if it happens everyday. as if dying in a painful, agonizing way, hooked with tubes and beeping electronics was a normal thing everyone went through. As if dying naturally isn't a choice for anyone admitted there anymore.

in a way, it was. but it wasn't a pleasant one to be a topic talked about over family dinner.

Taehyun's thoughts wandered as to why he'd return home just because of a reason like that. wouldn't he want to stay at the hospital? to make sure his patient is alright?

and then, Taehyun thinks, maybe he's doing it to escape for a while.

"How is school, Taehyun?" the voice of his father sounded, and Taehyun stopped spacing out at the sudden change of tone. Taehyun nearly drops his fork.

"Fine," he replies simply.

"Have you changed your subjects yet?"

and there it is. there was the golden question Taehyun had been asked countless of times by him. now Taehyun remembers the single reason he hates and always tries to avoid when his father returns.

"No," Taehyun said, eyes on his food, "I'm still studying music, and I'm not changing anytime soon," he felt his sister tense up at his side.

Taehyun's school adopted a system where they were given options for an extra subject to be slotted in their timetable every day. the extra subject would be extremely benificial for the career path student's would join in the future, and Taehyun chose his to be music. Taehyun wanted to be a singer.

But his father wanted him to choose Chemistry. his father wanted his son to become a doctor just like him. his father pressed and forced and pressed again and again for Taehyun to join Chemistry, or any science subject just so Taehyun had an opening to be exposed in the medical field,

but Taehyun doesn't want to work in the medical feild.

and that's when his father probably found out that Taehyun wasn't going to change any time soon.

"ah," his father spoke, pausing, "Okay, then,"

awkward silence followed suit, and then his sister declares.

"let's play games tonight!" she said, attempting to get rid of the awkward silence

"I have sch-"

"I said, let's play games, period," she said, turning to Taehyun with one of her 'older sister' glares

Taehyun shrinks. he hates his sister sometimes.