puzzle piece | jeong jaehyun

27

"You've gotten so good at it!" Yunhui said with a toothy grin, catching up to Minhyuk as he pedalled down the path on his own without the training wheels. She didn't give him the same confidence boost as Jaehyun but Minhyuk had now started to trust himself a little, enough to remember what the older man said.

"Do you want to cycle towards the playground? You can go play on the swings after and I can mind your bike" she said and he nodded. She patted his helmet and watched him take off slowly while she turned back to her phone, keeping her steps up to eventually meet up with him again.

The tension surrounding the current economy was growing everyday and it was impacting her work life—almost every business was starting to see the immediate struggle, there was even talk in the office about certain people being laid off, especially those working in foreign companies, primarily American.

She sighed as she slid out of her unofficial and more relaxed work groupchat that didn't have her boss on it, shoving her phone into her jacket pocket and jogging lightly towards the bike that was now further up the path and left unattended. Her brows furrowed as she reached the bike, picking it up off the grass and turning towards the playground, her eyes squinting to see if Minhyuk was there, but he wasn't.

She had almost began panicking until she heard the familiar laugh from behind her and she whipped her head around to see Jaehyun who was dressed in a relaxed pair of camo pants with a hoodie, kicking a ball around between him and Johnny with Minhyuk piggybacking him. She couldn't even remember the last time Minhyuk let someone give him a hug that wasn't her, let alone piggyback them.

"Hyuk...I got worried!" She said loudly, catching their attention as she placed her hands on her hips with a light scowl on her face

"Looks like you're busted" Jaehyun said with a light chuckle to Minhyuk before setting him back down onto the grass. Yunhui picked up her steps to walk towards Jaehyun and Minhyuk who look at her innocently

"You told me you were gonna be by the swings, you're meant to tell me before you run off somewhere—"

"Hey, relax. He's just with me" Jaehyun said, chuckling a little as the boy gripped his leg by his side

"I wasn't talking to you" Yunhui said with a sigh, her eyes grazing over Jaehyun's faltering smile at her response before she looked back at Minhyuk

"Sorry" Minhyuk mumbled and Jaehyun felt a little more upset about how the innocent and playful situation had turned out

"It's fine...just don't run off like that again" she said, dropping her hands as the boy slowly nodded

"Can I play with Jae?" He asked looking up and Yunhui lightened up, still wondering when the two had gotten so close before nodding her head at him.

"Just be careful okay...you might get hurt" she said. Her eyes met with Jaehyun's again as he held their stare for a little longer as if he was attempting to see through her. She looked away sooner than he had hoped before turning back towards Johnny who waited for the patiently. Yunhui sent a small wave to Johnny before she saw Jinah skipping towards her, eventually settling herself onto the grass beside Yunhui

Jaehyun watched Minhyuk with a grin, egging him on as he kicked the ball towards Johnny, his steps still a little clumsy but more confident each time he made contact with the ball. Minhyuk's laugh echoed across the park, his excitement lifting the spirits of everyone nearby.

Yunhui sat on the grass, her arms folded around her knees as she watched her son play, a soft smile on her face. Jinah, sitting beside her, fidgeted with daisies in her lap, her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to weave the tiny stems together.

"Look, you loop it like this" Yunhui explained, her hands deftly forming a daisy chain as Jinah watched intently, her eyes wide. She held out her newly crafted loop of flowers, and Jinah's face lit up as she reached for it.

"It's so pretty!" Jinah exclaimed, slipping the chain around her wrist and admiring it with a proud grin. Yunhui chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Now you try—just take one at a time and be gentle" she said, watching the girl try again, patting her back every now and then and offering words of advice or encouragement whenever she needed it

Suddenly, a piercing cry split through the laughter and chatter of the park. Yunhui's head snapped up, her smile fading as she saw Minhyuk clutching his mouth, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Jaehyun was crouched beside him, a concerned but casual look on his face, while Johnny took a step back, uncertain of what to do in such situations but still hoping to be of some help. Yunhui rushed over, heart almost pounding in her chest from his cries.

"Let me see, is it just a bit of blood?" Jaehyun cooed from beside him in a more calm manner opposed to Yunhui who was joining him

"Hyuk, what happened?" She dropped to her knees beside her son, gently prying his hands away from his mouth. A tiny, baby tooth lay in his palm, a little blood on his lip where the tooth had fallen out. His lip was grazed and it was clear that the blow was from the football

"It hurts!" he whimpered, burying his face in Yunhui's shoulder as she hugged him close.

"I told you, you might get hurt!" She hissed, hearing his muffled cries in her neck. Jaehyun chuckled lightly as he gave him a pat on the back

"Come on Hyuk, you won't feel the pain if you keep playing" he said laxly, the ball in his hand as he straightened up. Yunhui shot him a sharp look, irritation flashing in her eyes as she stood up to her feet as well with Minhyuk now in her arms.

"Absolutely not! We're going home—"

"Oh come on Yunhui, it's not a big deal" Jaehyun shrugged, seeming unfazed and she scoffed

"It is a big deal, Jaehyun! You were too rough with him, and he's hurt now. He's still little, you know" she said with annoyance dripping in every word Jaehyun sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Yunhui, he's a kid, these things happen. He'll be fine. The tooth was going to fall out anyway. You're being overprotective—"

"Overprotective?" Yunhui bristled, her voice low but firm.

"You kicked a ball into his face—even if it's an accident don't just say it's 'no big deal.' He's really hurt" Yunhui said, advocating for the child whose cries had slowly subsided. Jaehyun rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he looked at Minhyuk, who was still nestled in Yunhui's arms.

"He's got to toughen up sometime, Yunhui. You can't shield him from every little bump. He needs to be a kid." He argued and she shook her head with a scoff at his words

"You're being an asshole" she said, looking away from him and biting back another retort as she focused on Minhyuk.

"Come on, Hyuk. Let's go home," she murmured, turning away from Jaehyun and leaving him there with an irritated expression as if he just wanted to reach for the boy in her arms and release him. He always thought Yunhui was protective in a way a mother naturally was, but recently he was starting to see how overbearing it was for the little guy in her arms

Yunhui didn't glance back at Jaehyun, but she could feel his gaze lingering on them, a mixture of frustration and something else she couldn't quite place.