Everything Seventeen

Seungcheol (ft. Dino)

I slammed the bench as the tears came bursting out. I gritted my teeth and gripped the edge of the bench. My heart ached and I felt like my chest was about to explode. This pain had already been foreshadowed but I chose to ignore all the signs and hints.

He who had now chosen another. What did I lack? Was there something I could have done better? Why did he even drag this on and keep hurting me when this could have ended months ago?

Did he even love me?

My tears flowed non-stop. I kept wiping my cheeks with my hands even though I knew the tears would not stop. Passers-by could not help but to look on in pity. They could tell for sure I was heart-broken. Pathetic.

"Excuse me?" A high-pitched voice asked.

I looked to my left to see a little boy holding out a tissue packet to me. My heart was now broken and melting seeing how adorable he was. I could not reject his offer. I took the packet from him with thanks and wiped my tears.

The boy hopped on the bench and took a seat next to me. He looked at me, wide-eyed and curious.

"Don't cry..." he said, tapping my shoulder.

He's so cute and so nice! I nodded. "I'll try," I said without any promises.

The boy wrapped his small frail arms around me and I hugged him back.

"Where are your parents?" I asked the boy, figuring that he probably ran off.

He grinned. "I came here with my dad to eat lunch! I ATE CHICKEN NUGGETS THEY WERE DELICIOUS! Then after we ate lunch, we went to look at toys. After that, we went out. And then I saw you and I took tissue from my bag and give you," he told me, smiling from ear to ear.

"Chan! Chan where are you- Chan! There you are!" I heard a man shout.

A man who seemed to be in his early 30s looked our way and ran towards us. He bent down and scolded his son for running off.

"I'm sorry if he disturbed you miss-" he apologised.

"It's fine. He helped me actually. He saw me crying, gave me a tissue packet and consoled me. He's so cute and so kind!" I ruffled the boy's hair with a wide smile.

The man looked at the child in wonder.

"Is this true, Chan?" he asked the little boy.

He nodded and beamed. In return, the father gave him a big hug and praised him. Well, they sure are happy. Seeing them mess around left a bittersweet feeling in me.

The man sat down next to me and put Chan on his lap.

"If you don't mind, perhaps you can share with me why you're crying out here in public?" He asked with a small smile.

His son was such a dear and this man seemed so calming. It made me more open to sharing. I told him about how my 2-year relationship ended in such a heartbreaking way. How my ex-boyfriend fell for another woman over me and lead me on for a few months before I found out and we ended things pretty harshly. Now, I was doubting myself and wondering where I did wrong.

The man was silent and listened to me the whole way. Once I was done telling him about how I ended up on a bench, crying in public, he spoke up.

"I... Had that happen to me before too. So I understand the pain and doubts you have. I thought what we had was amazing. I loved her with all my heart- even married her and had this child right here. 2 years into our marriage, I found out she had an affair. Why? I don't know. I gave her all my love and attention. Was it not enough? But I looked past that for the sake of my child. He was the one who needed attention and love the most," he shared, still able to smile through the pain.

I was pretty shocked to learn of his past. I glanced at Chan who was playing with a toy his father gave him. I felt more sympathy for the child who was innocent yet had to live his first few years without a mother already.

"Your situation's worse because you have a child in the mix. I'm so sorry to hear that," I said to him. He smiled and pat Chan's head.

"It's been 3 years since our divorce. I've gotten over it. This boy helps me look ahead. He's pretty mature for age too. The fact he saw you crying and knew to get a tissue packet and comfort you. I'm really touched by that," he said.

The boy turned around and frowned at his father. He knew his father was talking about him.

"Oh, I'm Seungcheol by the way. Hahaha, we shared something deep like this without knowing each other's names," he introduced himself.

"Carat, " I smiled.

Chan then looked at me and introduced himself as well. "Hello, Carat! My name is Lee Chan but you can call me Chan."

Afterwards, he whispered to his father and they had a mini discussion before the both of them looked at me.

"Chan wants to make your day better, will you be willing to spend the rest of the day with us?" Seungcheol relayed Chan's request to me.

Chan's unwavering smile was impossible to say no to.

"Yeah, sure! That would be nice!" I agreed and Chan instantly got off the bench and dragged me away.

... And that was how I met the father-son duo who made my days brighter and life better.