He pushed past Jongdae and ran out into the narrow hallway, calling out the young boy’s name. “Eunwoo?!” he cried repeatedly, each call becoming increasingly distressed. The walls seemed to close in around him, it was a physical manifestation of the increasing feeling of hopelessness that was encasing his entire body, crushing his heart.

Chanyeol glanced around at the stage managers and directors that were scattered about the backstage area, each packing away a piece of equipment or talking amongst one another. He ran up to a makeup artist and anxiously asked, “Have you seen a toddler? HIs name is Eunwoo, he’s about this tall,” he explained, lowering his palm half a metre above the ground. The makeup artist shook her head and apologised before continuing to pack away her items into a large suitcase.

Chanyeol groaned in frustration and quickly spun on his heels. He looked towards another hallway and instantly bolted down, consequently running into two rigid bodies.

“Sorry,” blurted Chanyeol before continuing to run.

“Chanyeol, wait,” called a familiar voice. Chanyeol turned around faced the two men who turned out to be Sehun and Kyungsoo.

“What?” growled Chanyeol.

“The manager said that we’re leaving now, why are you going down there?” asked Sehun.

“Eunwoo’s missing!”

“What?” said Kyungsoo in slight disbelief.

“Oh so now you care about him? That’s a first,” quipped Sehun.

“Shut up,” snapped Chanyeol. “Have you seen him anywhere?”

“No,” replied Sehun and Kyungsoo simultaneously.

Chanyeol groaned. “Where could he be?!” whined Chanyeol running a hand through his hair.

“You know, maybe if you had treated him better, this wouldn’t have happened,” remarked Sehun condescendingly. That hit Chanyeol hard, Sehun was telling the truth and the truth hurt. Kyungsoo scolded the youngest member before calmly saying “We’ll help find him”. He and Sehun both walked away promptly.

Chanyeol sighed deeply and allowed time to recollect himself before continuing down the hallway until he reached the first unlocked room. He almost kicked down the door in his rush and scanned the room, repeatedly calling out the toddler’s name. The room was empty.

He proceeded to the next room, and the next, but they were all empty as well. Chanyeol’s heart sunk further, and each empty room anchored his feelings of regret and dejection.

“Chanyeol, we have a flight to catch,” remarked the group’s manager, interruption Chanyeol’s self-loathing. “We can get the security team to find him but we need to make this flight.”

“I’m not leaving without my son!” rasped Chanyeol, his voice cracking from his heightened emotions. Tears began to brim at his eyes as he verbally admitted what he had been denying for months.

As he made his way back into the main backstage area, he saw the rest of the members darting around, asking the staff if they had seen the child. Jongin sent Chanyeol an unconvincing smile of reassurance as Baekhyun could be heard belting out Eunwoo’s name from another section of the backstage area.

Chanyeol felt all hope drain from his body. What if Eunwoo had found his way out of the building and he was wandering the streets alone? What if a piece of equipment had fallen onto him and injured him? “Please,” begged Chanyeol under his breath. “Please God, no.”

Chanyeol made his way into a different section of the backstage area, one that wasn’t being used during the concert. He found an ajar door that opened to a staircase, supposedly leading up to the offices within the building. Chanyeol, who was now desperate, quickly bolted up the stairs, even though it was unlikely Eunwoo could’ve found his way to this area.

Tears began to cloud Chanyeol’s vision and his nose began to run. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and continued to glance into each dark room. The office at the furthest end had its lights on, and Chanyeol followed it like a disembodied soul chasing after The Light.

The door was ajar, and he reached for the handle, but the sound of a small voice stopped him. The voice was familiar, and it seemed to pry Chanyeol’s sunken heart from the depths of hopelessness. He remained quiet as he inched open the door, listening to what the voice was saying.

“…didn’t mean it. I’m sorry for stopping you from your dancing. You’re a really good dancer by the way. And a good singer.”

A tremendous wave of relief washed over Chanyeol’s shaken body as he spotted Eunwoo seated on the floor in front of a cardboard standee of himself. This office probably took care of all the promotional aspects of the concert as several standees of the other members were scattered throughout the room.

Chanyeol silently stepped closer to Eunwoo, who was still rambling.

“Mummy never sang any songs for me. She said that if I wanted someone to sing for me, then I should go find hyung. She also said that you weren’t handsome, but I think hyung is very handsome.” Eunwoo said that last part with a slight giggle.

Chanyeol felt his chest flood with endearment as he silently stood behind the toddler, listening to his every word.

“Even though you don’t like me, I still love you. I think hyung is a nice person, even though you get mad at me sometimes.” There was another long silence. “I should go now,” said Eunwoo to the Chanyeol standee. “Everyone will be wondering where I’ve been.” The child stood up to his feet and gave the standee a wave before turning around.

A sharp gasp sounded from Eunwoo as he saw the real Chanyeol standing behind him. There was a tense silence before Eunwoo spoke, “Hyung, you’re here?”

Chanyeol’s throat seemed to collapse. He was completely lost for words as he stared at the boy he had tried his best to ignore for months now. He wished he could take back every moment of it.

“Yah,” cracked Chanyeol, thinking of nothing better to say. “Do you know how many people are looking for you?”

Eunwoo shifted his eyes downward and jutted out his bottom lip. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

Chanyeol winced in pain at the sight of Eunwoo’s saddened face. The toddler’s cheeks were glossy, a clear indication that he had been crying. Eunwoo was a sweet and innocent child who meant no one harm. He was unfortunate enough to have been born into a broken family and having both parents reject him must’ve been unimaginably painful. Chanyeol scolded himself for not realising earlier, and for treating such an innocent being so poorly.

“It’s alright Eunwoo,” said Chanyeol. “No one’s mad at you.” The toddler didn’t look up, he instead shuffled his feet and nodded.

“Hey,” Chanyeol spoke softly. He crouched down onto his knees and levelled himself with Eunwoo. Chanyeol ground his teeth and swallowed, trying to piece together what he was going to say. Eunwoo finally looked up at him curiously.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” mumbled Chanyeol in a depressed voice. “And I’m sorry for treating you so badly.”

Chanyeol stopped thinking and simply spoke from the heart.

“I didn’t want to believe it at first so I just ignored you. I don’t know, I guess I was just scared, scared of the past. You’re mother, she…she broke my heart.” Tears pooled at his waterline and began to glide down his face. “I’m so sorry for everything Eunwoo, I was stupid. You’re a good kid and I shouldn’t have treated you like I did, even if you weren’t my…” he trailed off at the last word.

Chanyeol coughed and inhaled sharply, trying to form coherent sentences through his sobbing. He suddenly felt Eunwoo’s small hand on top of his head, gently stroking his hair. Eunwoo spoke up, his words piercing straight through Chanyeol’s swollen heart.

“Appa.”

Chanyeol froze, his crying momentarily ceasing.

“It’s ok Appa, don’t cry.”

Chanyeol glanced up at Eunwoo, and he smiled back at him. Chanyeol lost all control as he quickly pulled his son into an embrace, hugging him like there was no tomorrow. “My son,” sobbed Chanyeol into the boy’s shoulder as he held him tight. Eunwoo wrapped his own smaller arms around Chanyeol’s neck and squeezed back equally as hard. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” repeated Chanyeol.

“I love you,” mumbled Eunwoo into his chest.

“I love you too,” replied Chanyeol with the most genuine emotion he could muster.

A solid five minute passed before Chanyeol released Eunwoo from his embrace. He stood up and took the child’s hand into his. “Come on,” he said. “We’re going home.”

***

1 month later…

The joyous squeals of Eunwoo echoed through the house as Chanyeol playfully spun his around through the air. Uncontrollable laughter escaped from both of them as they finally stopped spinning.

“Again!” demanded Eunwoo excitedly.

Chanyeol sighed. “Appa is too dizzy, we should stop for a minute.”

“Aw, you’re no fun,” teased Eunwoo.

The sound of the front door opening was the next thing to be heard, followed by Baekhyun’s voice and the sound of eight pairs of feet entering Chanyeol’s house.

Eunwoo leapt up in joy and quickly ran towards the doorway just as Baekhyun appeared, quickly whisking the toddler up and into his own arms. “You missed me?” cooed Baekhyun, lightly pinching the smiling boy’s cheeks.

Chanyeol beamed at his son and the affection the rest of the members had for him. He spotted Junmyeon in the doorway, beckoning him. Chanyeol stood and followed him into the kitchen.

“You missed practice again this morning, the manager isn’t going to be happy,” said Junmyeon, although, his tone didn’t indicate any sort of disappointment. “You know, Eunwoo has a nanny for a reason. She can look after him.”

“Yeah but, I feel like I need to make up for lost time,” he explained.

“Fair enough. Eunwoo seems a lot happier nowadays.” Chanyeol grinned at that statement. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do about his mother?”

Chanyeol scrunched his eyebrows together. “Hwayoung doesn’t deserve him. She sent Eunwoo to me, and I intend to love him and care for him.”

“She could ask for custody if she wants him back.”

“Then she’ll have to go through me.”

Junmyeon smiled and nodded approvingly. “I’m proud of you Chanyeol. You’ll make a great dad.”

Chanyeol thanked Junmyeon, and for the first time, he truly felt like his life was complete as he looked at his son and his pseudo brothers surrounding him and supporting him. His family was now complete.

Chanyeol returned his face to the duvet and groaned. There was no escaping Eunwoo. Thankfully, some of the managers had taken care of him for the majority of the flight, but Eunwoo had apparently been frightened by the turbulence and started crying, not stopping until he was brought over to Chanyeol to be comforted. Eunwoo had held onto his arm for the remainder of the flight and Chanyeol swore that there were bruises on his forearm considering how tight Eunwoo was holding on.

Chanyeol turned his anger towards the adoption agency. Why couldn’t they have rescheduled the adoption? Was it really that difficult? He probably could’ve gotten them to comply if he told them his real identity, but that would’ve risked a scandal. So instead, Chanyeol was forced to drag Eunwoo along to Japan for a few days. Thankfully, the staff had agreed to help him, but the child was still being forced to share a room with Chanyeol.

“You know, your bed is over there,” groaned Chanyeol, pointing to the second bed on the other side of the room. Eunwoo made no attempt to move, so after a few minutes, Chanyeol shrugged himself out of Eunwoo’s hold. He picked up the child and walked him over to the second bed before placing him down on the duvet. Eunwoo’s bottom lip jutted out into a pout, but Chanyeol ignored him.

He dug through his bag for some fresh clothes and went into the bathroom to change into something more comfortable. He wanted to have a good rest before rehearsals the next day. Chanyeol slipped on a baggy sweatshirt and some track pants before making his was back to his bed.

Chanyeol sighed for the 200th time that day at the sight of Eunwoo snuggled up and seemingly asleep on his bed. The child was curled into a ball under the blankets, motionless except for the constant rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Chanyeol pinched the bridge of his nose and convinced himself to just cop it. He didn’t have the energy to yell at Eunwoo right now.

The older boy trudged over to the second bed and pulled the covers back before climbing onto the mattress closing his eyes. He felt like he was finally at peace.

The rustling of the duvet interrupted the silence and Chanyeol felt a small body now laying next to him. “Uggghhhh,” groaned Chanyeol. He spun around, now prepared to scold Eunwoo.

The toddler looked like he was asleep again. He seemed serene and calm. Chanyeol glared at the boy, his head throbbing with annoyance. He watched as Eunwoo drifted off to sleep properly, the sound of quiet breaths rhythmically being exhaled filling the air. Chanyeol glanced at Eunwoo’s chubby cheeks and large ears, to which he finally admitted that they did resemble his.

Chanyeol pulled the duvet over Eunwoo and pulled him closer, keeping his arm around the child in case he rolled off the bed. It was impossible not to think that Eunwoo looked adorable when he was asleep, and Chanyeol felt a small smile tug at his lips before his eyelids closed.

Chanyeol fell asleep quite quickly, allowing the exhaustion of travel to wash over him.

***

The coloured lights and lasers paired with the deafening screams of the audience fuelled Chanyeol’s energy and confidence as he continued the choreography to completion. The music in his earpiece cut out and the auditorium rang with cheers and shrieks along with the occasional Japanese phrase that was yelled out. A wide grin spread across Chanyeol’s face as he gave his fans one final smile before the stage went dark.

Chanyeol hurried off stage, pausing only to give Baekhyun and Jongdae a pat on the back for their solo stage. He pushed past the stage assistants and makeup artists to the dressing room backstage.

Chanyeol swung open the door and quickly found his bottle of water on the dressing table, gulping down every last drop. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, careful not to smudge his eye makeup. He turned towards the rock to his left where his next stage outfit was hung up, but a quick round of applause stopped him.

“Hyung you’re a really good dancer!” praised Eunwoo who was seated on a chair, ceaselessly clapping. “I watched you on the TV,” explained the child, referring to the monitor that was fixed near the ceiling.

“Uh huh,” quipped Chanyeol carelessly before stepping behind the screen and changing into his stage outfit.

“Are you done with your dancing now?” asked Eunwoo expectantly from the other side of the screen.

Chanyeol finished buttoning up his shirt before replying. “No,” he stated, not bothering to spare Eunwoo a glance. He promptly made his way back to the wings of the stage where his makeup artist was waiting to touch up his makeup.

Chanyeol allowed the artist to apply more eyeshadow to his eyelids and dab away the sweat with absorbent paper. He listened to Jongdae and Baekhyun end their song, and when the transitional video began to play, he felt a new wave adrenaline consume his body. His mind focused on the stage as he began to run through the choreography in his mind.

Chanyeol suddenly felt his pants being tugged and looked down to find Eunwoo.

“Hyung, when you’re done can we get some food?” yelled the toddler over the music. Chanyeol was quickly snapped out of his trance as he crouched down with a finger to his lips, silencing Eunwoo. Eunwoo paused for a second, acknowledging Chanyeol’s gesture. He gasped and clasped his hands over his mouth before mumbling “sorry” through his hands.

Chanyeol pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. Eunwoo shuffled closer to him and cupped his hand over Chanyeol’s ear.

“Hyung can we get food when you’re done?” he repeated. “The lady said that we could go after you finished dancing,” he explained, the lady probably being one of the stage managers.

Chanyeol groaned and was about to silently scold Eunwoo, but his makeup artist tapped him on the shoulder, indicating that she needed to finish. Chanyeol stood back up and allowed her to complete her work, ignoring the persistent tugs of his pants.

He made his way to the side of the stage where Junmyeon and Kyungsoo were standing, Baekhyun joining them seconds later with his makeup artist following behind. Chanyeol watched the tape as it played on the stage projector, psyching himself back up for the performance. He heard a voice in the back of his head, seemingly calling him, until he realised that it was coming from below.

“Hyung! Hyung!” called Eunwoo. Chanyeol heard Baekhyun patiently shush him, but he’d had enough of this. Anger coursed through Chanyeol’s veins as he roughly picked up the toddler and rushed back to the changing room. A few stage managers warned that he didn’t have time to go anywhere else, but he ignored them.

Kicking open the ajar door of his changing room, Chanyeol stormed in and harshly slammed Eunwoo back onto the chair, causing the toddler to squeak at the impact.

“Now sit here and don’t move!” boomed Chanyeol, his enraged voice reverberating off the walls. “I have a job to do, a job that I love and I am not letting you interfere with it any longer!”

Chanyeol’s eyed had widened and veins began to protrude from his neck. Eunwoo shrank back into the chair in fear.

“Do you have any idea how annoying you are?! Not only that, but you could ruin my career if people think that you’re my son. You are not my son and I am not your Hyung!” screamed Chanyeol. “I never wanted you in my life so could you at least act like it?!”

Chanyeol growled in deep frustration and knocked a pile of makeup off the dressing table, the clattering sound causing Eunwoo to shiver. Chanyeol dragged his hands down his face, breathing heavily to calm himself down.

Baekhyun walked into the room, beckoning Chanyeol to leave, but he stopped when he saw Eunwoo’s face. “Eunwoo, what’s wrong?” he asked, quickly rushing to the child’s side.

Chanyeol glanced over at the chair and took in Eunwoo’s expression. He looked like he was about to cry, his eyes dejected and brimming with tears, his bottom lip quivering as he sucked in breaths through his mouth. IT looked like he was trying his best not to cry in fear of being scolded further.  Chanyeol had no time to feel guilty as a stage manager practically dragged him and Baekhyun out of the room and back into the wings of the stage.

As the tape ended and the lights began to brighten, Chanyeol saw Baekhyun’s disapproving glare before the band stepped onstage as the music began.

It was clear to everyone that Chanyeol had a hard time focusing for the remainder of the concert.

***

Chanyeol pushed open the door to his dressing room and carelessly collapsed into the chair by the table. His limbs ached and his throat was sore, but he was satisfied with the overall concert. The high of the adrenaline began to fade away, and Chanyeol was brought back to reality.

There was a nagging in the back of his mind which had stayed with him throughout the remainder of the concert, and it finally went away when he asked himself where Eunwoo was. The dressing room was empty except for himself, the only trace of the toddler being his backpack.

Chanyeol stood up and looked under the dressing table and behind the changing screen to find Eunwoo, but he wasn’t there. Chanyeol suspected that he may have just gone to the bathroom.

He sat back into the chair and closed his eyes for a couple minutes, allowing his mind to relax after three hours of performing. He thought back to when Eunwoo first appeared at his house dressed in his fluffy coat and boots. How he played with his Transformers act figures by smacking them into each other and mimicking the voices. It made Chanyeol laugh.

He thought about the time at the playground and how they’d gotten ice cream together. Chanyeol would never forget Eunwoo’s smile as they ate together. It was too bad that he dropped the lollipop the lady gave him, Eunwoo’s sad face had done something to Chanyeol that day.

Guilt began to seep into Chanyeol’s chest. That sad face was something he had caused just a few hours ago. Chanyeol felt a sinking feeling in his stomach at how Eunwoo must’ve felt. He knew he should apologise to Eunwoo when he got back. Even though Eunwoo wasn’t his child, the poor kid didn’t deserve to be yelled at.

Stage managers and bandmates came into the dressing room at times to check on Chanyeol and bring water, but Eunwoo still hadn’t returned. Chanyeol eyed the child’s backpack. Thinking that it may contain some indication of his whereabouts, Chanyeol reached for the bag and unzipped it.

Eunwoo’s sketchbook was inside along with a small pencil case. One of his action figures was tucked into the corner next to some spare socks and a water bottle. There was nothing bout of the ordinary.

Chanyeol noticed another compartment that was closed with a zipper. He’d never noticed this before, so he opened it and reached inside, feeling around for something. Chanyeol pulled out a few photos and looked at them all one by one.

The first few were of Eunwoo dressed in his fluffy jacket, another on the couch of an apartment Chanyeol seemed to recognise, and another standing in front of a playground holding his Transformers action figures. He wasn’t smiling in any of them, just blankly staring into the camera. It made Chanyeol’s heart ache.

The next photo made Chanyeol freeze with shock. He sucked in a sharp breath before dropping the rest of the photographs onto the floor. Seeing this photo stirred countless emotions, some emotions he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

There, pictured in the photo, was Eunwoo in hospital after being born, held in the arms of his ex-girlfriend, Hwayoung. Chanyeol swallowed the lump in his throat as he recalled their breakup. It had been ugly. She had accused him of cheating which Chanyeol found ridiculous as he barely had enough time to himself due to busy schedules and practices.

Looking at the date on the picture, Chanyeol calculated that Eunwoo must be around three and a half by now. The timing matched up, Eunwoo must’ve been born around six months after they broke up. He couldn’t have been anyone else’s child as the problems in the relationship only began three months prior to the breakup. Chanyeol’s hand began to shake, but he managed to turn the photograph around. Scrawled in black ink were the words “You did this to me”.

A tsunami of emotion came crashing down on Chanyeol, drowning him in reality. Eunwoo was his son, that was an indisputable fact. Anger was the first thing he felt. Why hadn’t Hwayoung told him she was pregnant? Why had she left Eunwoo to live with him? And judging by the angry words written on the photo, Hwayoung still hated Chanyeol after all these years, which made Chanyeol think about how badly she must have treated Eunwoo considering the fact he wasn’t smiling in any of the previous photos. Eunwoo’s behaviour also indicated mistreatment. He always stayed silent when being yelled at and did his best not to cry.

Chanyeol was infuriated. He quickly stood from his chair, consequently knocking it over. His mind spun from the thousands of thoughts and questions that he had conjured. He leant against the table for support. His heart felt like it might explode from the strong palpitations. His vision clouded and his breathing deepens as he tried his best to accept this new reality.

Chanyeol began searching the room for any sign of Eunwoo. He had to find him immediately and apologise for everything he had done. He needed to find his son.

Jongdae suddenly burst through the door and quickly scanned the room. “Is Eunwoo here?” he asked.

Chanyeol shook his head. “Why?”

“The managers can’t find him anywhere.”

“Oh!” exclaimed a very confused Yixing as he stepped through the doorway, only to have his leg constricted between two small yet determined arms.

“You’re back!” called Jongdae from the couch. He stood to greet Yixing and the other members followed, gathering in the entrance hallway.

“How was China?” asked Minseok.

It took a moment for Minseok’s words to register. “Good, it was good,” replied Yixing, blinking as he spoke. “But, who is this?” he asked, reaching down to take the mysterious child’s hand into his.

“That’s Eunwoo,” answered Baekhyun before bending down to face said toddler. “Eunwoo, this is uncle Yixing, say hello,” he instructed the toddler. Eunwoo let go of Yixing’s leg and bowed respectfully at Yixing like the good child he was. He stumbled slightly, causing Yixing to immediately crouch down to steady him.

“Hi Eunwoo!” greeted Yixing in a soft voice, gently squeezing the hand of the child. Eunwoo beamed up at Yixing, causing his heart to swell. A wide smile spread across the man’s face as he continued to take in Eunwoo’s features.

“Don’t you think he looks like Chanyeol?” mentioned Yixing, noting Eunwoo’s large ears and round doe eyes.

“That’s what everyone thinks,” laughed Jongdae.

“It is Chanyeol and Hwayoung’s child?” asked Yixing innocently, his train of thought leading him to that conclusion.

There was a deafening silence. It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Everyone knew that Yixing meant well, but it still didn’t prevent the suffocating awkwardness that enveloped the group.

Everyone shuffled around to look at Chanyeol who was flicking his eyes between Yixing and Eunwoo, grinding his teeth together.

Yixing realised what he’d done wrong. “Sorry Chanyeol, I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s fine,” said Chanyeol monotonously. His voice gave away no emotion, but his eyes displayed his internal struggle.

“Chanyeol hyung!” squeaked Eunwoo, letting go of Yixing’s hand. “Are you okay?” The toddler began to waddle towards Chanyeol, which caused him to flinch.

“I’m fine,” snapped Chanyeol before his long legs took him out of the room in three strides.

The eight remaining members exhaled the breaths they were holding in unison.

“Dammit Yixing you know we’re not supposed to talk about his ex girlfriend,” breathed Jongdae.

“Hey give him a break,” sighed Baekhyun. “He’s just got off a flight.”

“Can you tell him that I’m sorry,” Yixing asked Baekhyun to which he nodded.

“Anyway,” interjected Junmyeon, finding a scapegoat out of the awkward conversation. “We’d better get ready for the interview this afternoon. Baek, can you arrange for someone to look after Eunwoo?”

“No problem,” said Baekhyun.

“Perfect,” sighed Junmyeon. “Eunwoo, are you alright with that? We won’t be here so someone else will come look after you.” Everyone’s attention was on Eunwoo who was currently staring at the floor, shuffling his feet. Junmyeon walked towards the child and kneeled to match his height. “Eun? Are you alright?”

Eunwoo glanced up at Junmyeon with teary eyes, his bottom lip quivering before he spoke. “Why does Chanyeol hyung hate me?”

***

“So I’ve heard that Chanyeol is really good with kids,” stated the MC of the interview. “He begged his manager to go on the popular show The Return of Superman, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Chanyeol answered with a smile.

The MC continued. “Do you think you’d make a good father in the future?”

Chanyeol paused to think for a moment, but he was interrupted by Sehun’s snickering which eventually spread to the rest of the members. Chanyeol did his best to ignore them.

“Yes, I think I’d make a good father,” Chanyeol replied, less confidently than he intended.

“Are you sure about that?” teased Sehun.

“Yeah, you were on Return of Superman for about three hours, parenting isn’t that easy,” added Jongin with an equally mischievous tone of voice.

Chanyeol glanced behind to where the two younger boys were sat and shot them death glares away from the view of the recording camera. He turned back to the MC and forced a smile on his face.

“I’m sure I can handle it,” insisted Chanyeol.

The interview finally ended about fifteen minutes later, and Chanyeol was glad to relieve himself of the happy and sweet façade he had to upkeep. He grumpily stormed out of the recording area and into the dressing rooms. He half expected Eunwoo to be there like he usually was, ready to torment him further. He was glad to remember that he was with a nanny for today.

Chanyeol placed his hands flat on one of the dressing tables and leaned against it, needing to steady himself out of frustration.

“Are you okay?” asked a semi-concerned voice from behind. Chanyeol turned to find Sehun standing behind him with the other members trailing inside, giving him anxious looks.

“Am I okay?” barked Chanyeol at the youngest member. “What the hell was that?! Do you want to ruin my career?”

“Calm down, I didn’t even mention Eunwoo. I was just critiquing your parenting style.”

“Well I can do without it,” snapped Chanyeol.

Junmyeon came up behind a defensive Sehun and placed a hand on the younger’s shoulder. “It probably wasn’t a good move,” calmly stated Junmyeon. “But nothing was revealed. Let’s just put this behind us.”

Chanyeol narrowed his eyes at Sehun before shifting his gaze to Jongin who shrugged with a look of guilt on his face. Chanyeol scoffed and was about to spew another round of outraged words before his ringtone broke the tension.

He snatched up his phone and answered. “Hello?”

The members watched curiously as Chanyeol’s frown began to disappear. He continued to utter one worded responses into the phone before eventually hanging up with his mood significantly improved.

“What is it?” asked Junmyeon.

Chanyeol considered telling his members. He knew they would be mad, but they would find out sooner or later, Plus, this was for the good of everyone, not just himself.

“That was one of the adoption agencies. They’ve agreed to take in Eunwoo.”

“What?!” exclaimed half the members in shock.

“You’re giving him away? Why didn’t you tell me?” scolded a bothered Baekhyun, offended that his close friend never gave him this information.

“You can’t give him away,” protested Jongdae. “Eunwoo was sent to your house which makes you responsible for him.”

“Not anymore,” corrected Chanyeol.

“You can’t do this to Eunwoo,” Baekhyun insisted. “He’ll grow up without anybody to look up to, it’s not good for a kid that young and-“

“It’s not my problem!”

“It is if you’re his father,” remarked Sehun.

“I’m not his-“

“Well then get a test and prove it!” bellowed Sehun, taking a step closer to Chanyeol and sizing him up.

Junmyeon immediately attempted to pull Sehun away, but the younger brushed him off. “Why don’t you just find out for sure,” spat Sehun. “You won’t, because you already know that Eunwoo is your kid. He’s a good kid, and I won’t let you ruin his life. You already treat him like shit.”

“Sehun!” scolded Junmyeon.

“So what if he’s mine!” argued Chanyeol, his veins beginning to become visible through the skin of his temples. “I can’t raise a child, none of us can. If you want your careers and reputations to remain intact, then we need to get rid of him. And since you insist that I’m responsible for the kid, then I decide what happens.”

Sehun and Chanyeol continued their tense staring contest while every other member watched, waiting for one to continue berating the other. “Forget it,” sighed Sehun, before briskly walking out of the room. Yixing and Kyungoo followed after him, not wanting to be involved with any more conflict. Junmyeon waited until the door was closed before speaking.

“So, what day would we be giving him over to the adoption agency?”

“They said the 12th of next month,” replied Chanyeol, more calm than he was a few seconds ago.

“That’s the day of our tour in Japan,” Jongdae stated.

“Shit,” cursed Chanyeol. “I’ll see if they can make it sooner,” mumbled Chanyeol, reaching for his phone.

“But if they can’t,” began Junmyeon, “He’ll have to come on the tour with us.”