THE LITTLE COPY ⋮ markhyuck

Chapter 𝟳

Donghyuck was so stressed about his brother's betrayal that he forgot to tell his family about Dongchan's possibility of dyslexia. He only remembered it when he got to Donghee's and walked into them doing homework together. His sister looked at Donghyuck with a wide smile as Dongchan read a few sentences out loud. She was happy and proud of her nephew's skills. So would Donghyuck if he didn't hear his son struggling.

He thought about telling it to Donghee, but he wasn't sure if she wasn't a snitch either. Sharing such a thing as a hereditary learning difficulty would give more fuel to Dad's hatred toward Mark. So, fearing getting betrayed once more, he kept it a secret. After all, his sister didn't have kids—she wouldn't notice Dongchan having difficulty. Their parents raised four kids and had already forgotten was it meant when a kid was just learning how to read. They wouldn't notice it either. And maybe they would never see it if Donghyuck gets help as soon as possible.

Late in the evening, when Dongchan was long in bed, Donghyuck surfed the internet and looked for places to bring his kid for a checkup. He found a few and even saw the expense of a few consultations. Donghyuck didn't care how high it was. As long as it related to his Little Channie's well-being, Donghyuck was ready to do everything possible.

He didn't tell his son about dyslexia for a while. Maybe he was scared, or maybe he still needed time to accept the fact that Dongchan wasn't like him. Even when called to the places he did it all when Dongchan wasn't around. So, during the break from work or in the car on his way to pick the kid up. He thought about telling Dongchan when everything was already planned.

He was nervous as he stared at his son, running with other kids and actively participating in Physical Education class. Donghyuck didn't know how Dongchan would react to this. When they usually had to go somewhere, his papa would always tell him beforehand. Mainly because Dongchan didn't like doctors.

When Dongchan got into the car, he began sharing his experience throughout the day. He talked a lot about Math class but never forgot to say something good about Teacher Lee.

"He compliments me a lot when I read!"

This clenched Donghyuck's heart. Of course, Mark did. If he struggled with dyslexia before, he knew what it felt like.

"Oh, and after class, Teacher Lee asked me about your university. He asked me which year you graduated."

Mark was getting bold to even ask Dongchan such a question. Like, he didn't feel like he needed to cover it up by telling the kid about the missing information about his papa.

Donghyuck tried his best to hide his anxiety. Turning to his son, he smiled naturally, as he asked a very important question, "And what did Channie say?"

"I don't know, so I just told you how old you are."

Shit.

Knowing his age, Mark could easily connect the dots. Actually, knowing his goddamn age, the teacher could easily compare it to Dongchan's and find out how old Donghyuck was when he got the kid. And that was risky. Especially if Mark knew his student's birthday. He could dig so deep that he may find out the exact date of Dongchan's creation. Which was... his graduation day.

But there was no way he knew it! And even if he did, there were lots of other kids with their birthday in November, so...

"Chan, please listen to me," he said to the kid, changing the subject and getting straight to the point. "We have an appointment to meet a few specialists who'll ask you about your learning abilities. I want you to be considerate."

"Why?" Dongchan asked innocently.

"Well," Donghyuck paused. "When I talked to Teacher Lee, he told me about a procedure all kids have to go through. It's like a little test."