I Hate The Way You Love

2 - Long Time No See

That evening, Mingyu stopped his Porsche in front of a familiar garage. He honked twice to signal his arrival, then turned off the engine, right on time—an hour before his mother had told him to be home.

Grabbing a paper bag from the passenger seat, Mingyu climbed out of his car and walked inside as a worker opened the door to welcome him. It was a big house he hadn't visited in almost five months.

Mingyu was climbing the stairs when the worker informed him that his mother was upstairs, packing some canapés for their dinner.

"Son, you're finally here," his mother greeted him warmly as he approached. She instructed the worker beside her to continue with the preparations and embraced Mingyu.

"You look great, Mother," Mingyu said after kissing her cheek and taking in her appearance, clearly dressed and ready for a homely dinner.

"Of course, I don't want to lose to my son who is getting more handsome every day," she replied with a smile. Mingyu placed the paper bag on the nearest table where the canapés were being prepared.

"What did you bring?" his mother asked, glancing at the bag.

"A welcome home gift for your neighbor," Mingyu answered.

"Such a sweet gesture. Good-looking and sweet, how come someone like you hasn't found a partner yet?" she teased.

Mingyu snorted. One of the workers approached him with a tray holding a glass of water. The staff knew exactly how to treat him when he was home. "You know I don't want to rush it and disappoint you again," Mingyu said before taking the glass and drinking the water, the memory of his ex-husband crossing his mind. His mother's face darkened momentarily at the mention.

"And maybe the universe just doesn't have someone as gorgeous and lovable as you for me." He said after gulping the water, making his mother smile widely again. "Give me half an hour to freshen up, and we'll be ready to go," he added, heading to his room.

"Take your time!" his mother called after him, returning to the table to finish the preparations.

 ***

Actually, Mingyu was walking to their neighbor's house with his mother, but just before she pushed the doorbell, he remembered he'd left his phone at home. Excusing himself by saying that someone might call about work, he rushed back to their house to retrieve it, leaving the packages for the neighbors with his mother.

Now, with his phone in hand, Mingyu was walking again to the house two doors down from his. Although it wasn't far, the wide yards of each house made the walk long enough to make Mingyu break a sweat.

As he took a step onto the neighbor's yard, the barking of two dogs caught his attention. He paused to look at a brown-furred dog and a white puppy chasing each other around the yard, the front door wide open.

"No! Bookkeu, come back! Bookkeu!" someone called from inside. A guy with light brown hair then ran to the dogs. As he caught the white puppy, Mingyu's focus shifted to him. But with the distance between them, the guy seemed unaware of Mingyu's presence.