After The Dance

❁13❁

Yeosang knew that Jongho would be dedicated to finding the 'mystery stranger', but he didn't know that he would be that dedicated. The younger took every chance that he could get. He asked the other students that he knew to wear the mask, while sometimes he would just hold the mask above a person's face as they passed by. He's been doing that for about a month now. Meaning that they only had a month and a half of school left. And Yeosang didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing that Jongho hasn't found out that it was actually the older who was the 'stranger'.

Though it was true that the guilt inside of the babysitter grew from time to time whenever he saw the younger struggle with his investigation, but it was the price that he would pay so that he could keep his other identity at bay.

However, Yeosang did managed to convince Jongho to stop his little investigation. It was just for tomorrow since tomorrow was going to be a special day for a special someone.

Tomorrow would be Sungho's birthday.

The boy would be turning 7 and Yeosang would be lying if he said that time didn't fly by so fast. He could just about remember everything that they did together, and it made Yeosang's heart swell with happiness.

"Okay bud, which book are we going to read? Or would you rather talk about your birthday tomorrow?" The babysitter giggled, sitting beside the boy as he laid on his bed, cuddling one of his many stuffed animal plushies.

"My birthday!" Sungho had an adorable and contagious smile on his lips, his face lighting up with excitement and happiness.

Since the boy was still in love with animal related things, it was pretty obvious on what his birthday theme was. But, there was a twist to it. Last year, the theme was a safari birthday, and they celebrated Sungho's birthday in the zoo with their parents being able to rent a party room in the zoo. So to change things up, this year's theme was an aquatic birthday party.

Tomorrow, they would travel to an aquarium that also had a water park and hotel in it, and spend the boy's birthday there. Sungho also choose to not invite his classmates this year.

His parents were concerned when they first heard of it, but the boy did tell them that he was still on good terms with the kids at his kindergarten. And that he just wanted to spend his birthday with his family and his Yeosang hyung, and his Yeosang hyung's friends. The parents hesitated to approve the idea, but they eventually allowed it.

"I'm super excited to go on all of the slides" Sungho squealed a little, the older ruffling his head.

"Then you better get a lot of rest so that you can slide down all of those slides" The boy smiles at his hyung, but his smiles suddenly falls and turns into a small pout. Yeosang notices and holds the kid's hand, gently rubbing his thumb on the younger's smaller hand.

"What is it, cub?"

"Did you and Jongho hyung fight?" The babysitter was taken aback by the younger's words. What made the boy think that his babysitter and brother had a fight?

"W- what made you say that?"

Yeosang and Jongho definitely didn't have a fight, that's for sure. And the babysitter couldn't think of anything that they did in front of Sungho that made him think that they were fighting.

"I don't know, it's just that when the two of you play with me, hyungie doesn't talk a lot" Sungho then opens his mouth to let a yawn, indicating that his sleepiness would soon take over him. Yeosang takes the initiative to lift the boy's blanket so that it covered the rest of his chest.

The older then understands what Sungho was indicating when he meant 'fight'. Granted that Yeosang was albeit more quiet since around last week, but it wasn't because he held anything against Jongho. It was his guilty conscience that was acting up that made him like that. Whenever he was near the male his thoughts would come alive like it had a mind of his own. He would wonder on how close Jongho was from finding out the truth, how many people he had talk to, or if he had already figured it out but was keeping quiet about it.

God, Yeosang felt like he would go insane from all the voices that echoed in his head about the matter. But, he decided to tolerate all of it, leading him to be more quiet. And it seems that Sungho picked up on it. The babysitter only let out a sigh, feeling his guilt grow a little. He didn't want Sungho to be affected by all of this, yet here he was, getting confronted by the kid.

"Me and your brother didn't fight, I was just tired with all of the schoolwork that I've been doing, that's why I've been talking less" The older combs his finger's through the boy's hair, helping him enter dreamland much faster. And before Yeosang knew it, Sungho was now fast asleep. Giving the boy a light kiss on the forehead, the babysitter quietly exits the room.

He checks his phone to see that it was now 9:30. Since the brothers' parents were home, Yeosang didn't have to stay the night.

Walking down the stairs, the babysitter spots the said parents in the living room doing some last minute work stuff. The brothers' mother then catches sight of Yeosang when she looks up from her laptop. She stands up carefully to not disturb the papers that were next to her, and disturb her husband who was in a phone call. The woman heads over to Yeosang.

"Sungho is now asleep I presume?" Her voice was soothing, yet it was also laced with authority that she had accumulated while doing her job.

"Yup, and I hid the presents that came earlier in your guys' bedroom just as you told me. Luckily, Sungho had fallen asleep for a nap when it arrived" When the babysitter went down to the living room after he had put the boy down for a nap that afternoon, a delivery truck honked outside the home. And Yeosang was just thankful that it wasn't loud enough that it woke the boy up.

"That's great, and Yeosang" The woman pauses for a minute as they stand at the home's entrance. She looks at the babysitter with this motherly gaze and a smile that was so genuine. It makes Yeosang think of his own mother, she wasn't really around much to spend time with him. Always busy with work along side his father. So for the male to see someone else's mother give him that motherly gaze, it really means a lot to him.

"Thank you, for everything that you've been doing for us. Me and my husband know that we haven't been beside Sungho and Jongho a lot, so I'm really thankful that you're here to take care of them and make them feel loved. I could only imagine what you had to go through while taking care of those two" The two of them laugh at the woman's statement.

"It was a challenge, but it's fine. I mean, babysitting is my job, and I'm just as thankful to you guys since you feel like family to me"

"Sweetie, you are part of this family. Even if you don't end up getting together with Jongho" She snickers while Yeosang's ear turn into a light shade of pink.

"H- how?"

"A mother's instinct is a powerful weapon"

The two of them then decided to leave it at that, and Yeosang headed home for the night. Feeling slightly more excited for tomorrow's events.