a better life // hwang hyunjin ✔️

chapter nine

don't be afraid to express your feelings

"i love the weekend!" daehyun exclaims happily as he scribbles on some paper with colored pencils.

"me too." seulgi chuckles, smiling as she watches him fill the paper with color.

"mom, i know you don't like it when i sing, but can i play karaoke? please?" he suddenly begs, dropping his colored pencils. seulgi furrows her brows.

"i love it when you sing, what do you mean?" she chuckles, already flickering the t.v. over to karaoke.

"you always cry when i sing." he pouts. seulgi felt her heart shatter.

"daehyun... it's not because i don't like when you sing, you just, you sound a lot like your father." she tells him, trying her best to keep her composure.

"really? do you have any videos of him singing?" he asks, eyes bright with excitement. seulgi gulps.

"i do."

"can we listen to them?" he clasps his hands together, looking up at her with pouty eyes.

"sure baby, just let me go find them." she smiles at him, pushing herself off the couch. but before she could go to her room, there was a knock at the door. "let me go get that, but i promise we'll listen." she tells him, now making her way towards the front door. she was a little confused, she wasn't expecting anyone. but her confusion quickly dissipated when she saw hyunjin standing there, sheepishly grinning at her.

she quickly looks over her shoulder, happy that daehyun seemed to be preoccupied with the karaoke on the t.v. she pushes herself out of the door, carefully closing it behind her before she addresses hyunjin.

"what are you doing here?" she asks, crossing her arms. not that she wasn't happy to see him, but she still kept in place the boundaries when it came to her son.

"i know i should have called, but i was in the neighborhood, and i missed you." he tells her, not really having thought through a plan for when she did answer the door. he really just wanted to see her face. and he knew it was well worth it when he saw a pretty shade of pink coat the apples of her cheeks.

"why were you in the neighborhood? you live on the other side of town." she questions. it was hyunjin's turn to blush.

"i uh- work." he stutters, clearing his throat immediately after.

"oh, should i expect to see you in any magazines anytime soon?" she teases.

"yes actually." he says with fake arrogance, making seulgi laugh.

"i'll keep my eye out. did you need anything?" she asks, preparing to go back inside.

"i was actually wondering if you wanted to hang out again?" he asks quickly, not wanting her to leave.

"when?"

"tonight."

"i can't get minho to watch daehyun on such short notice-"

"you can bring daehyun." he adds. seulgi cocks an eyebrow at him, checking over her shoulder to make sure the boy in question isn't peaking in on their conversation.

"hyunjin..."

"i know what you said, but after our first date... i'm ready seulgi, really." he tells her, and seulgi couldn't find any hint of uncertainty in his tone, because there wasn't any. hyunjin was certain.

"you can break my heart a million times, but the minute you break my sons heart, i won't hesitate to never speak to you again." she tells him sternly.

"i don't plan on breaking either." he says honestly, reaching out to clasp her hand between his. she stares down at their hands, and hyunjin could see the hesitance in her eyes. but he understood why, only, he was determined to prove to her that he meant every word.

"please don't make me regret this..." she says, voice barely above a whisper, but he heard her loud and clear. she hated how quickly things seemed to be moving, but she couldn't deny the way she felt for hyunjin, and the way daehyun felt for him. he made daehyun happy. seulgi is a sucker for anything that makes him happy, and she felt she's been cautious enough with hyunjin.

the fact that they haven't even properly kissed yet and he's saying he's ready for everything that comes with her. she could tell he wasn't in it for her body, or the fetishization of a single mother, he was in it for the long haul. she couldn't help but feel excited, having not met anyone since daehyun's father who was in it like this. it was new, but she would try to welcome it with open arms.

because she knew that's what he would want.

"hyunjin! why are you holding mom's hand?" daehyun finally pops his head out of the door, looking between his mom and hyunjin. seulgi giggled at hyunjin's slightly panicked state as he racked his brain, looking for something to tell the boy.

"because hyunjin likes me." seulgi explains casually.

"oh! i hold her hand because of that too!" daehyun smiles widely. "can hyunjin come in and sing with me?" he asks.

"sing?" hyunjin questions, looking wide eyed at a now smirking seulgi.

"yes, hyunjin would love to sing with you." she winks at him, pulling him inside of her house. he gives her a playful side eye before daehyun drags him away, handing him the extra microphone.

"can you sing?" daehyun asks. hyunjin chuckles, arrogantly running a hand through his long black hair.

"of course i can sing." he says, now sending a wink of his own towards seulgi. she sat on the couch, crossing her arms in amusement, eagerly waiting to hear him sing.

"yay! let's sing this one! do you know it?" daehyun asks, pointing to the song on the screen 'i know i love you' by txt. seulgi knew this was one of daehyun's favorite songs to sing. the chorus constantly stuck in her head because of his little angelic voice singing it all the time.

"are you sure buddy? it's a little difficult to sing." hyunjin tells him, earning a laugh from seulgi. she knew he wasn't aware of just how talented her little boy was. of course, a talent that he definitely got from his dad.

"i sing it all the time!" daehyun exclaims, clicking on the song, already impressing hyunjin as he began to sing the first few words. hyunjin looks back to seulgi with wide, impressed eyes. she nods, mouthing an 'i know right' before motioning for him to turn back around and sing with daehyun.

seulgi was equally impressed when she heard hyunjin take over, daehyun allowing him to sing the next few lines. he also had an amazing voice, and for a moment, she felt happy, knowing that daehyun could grow up with someone who maybe liked music almost as much as his dad did.

she couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed, things she only imagined in her dreams coming to fruition right before her eyes. there was something about the way hyunjin shamelessly interacted with daehyun that made her believe she had nothing to worry about. she felt overwhelmingly grateful for this blessing that seemingly popped into her life out of nowhere. she never thought she would feel grateful that daehyun decided to talk to a stranger that day in the grocery store.

she felt a sort of happiness she hadn't felt in a long time, not since before daehyun was born. and she couldn't help but wonder, if maybe this blessing,

was sent by him.