"And you have to stay out of trouble. No drinking, no making anyone pregnant, and surely no driving!" Emiko continues on in her rant as they are standing in the airport. Haru turns and looks at her, lifting his eyebrow slightly.

"Wha-"

"That's what Korea does to you," she says and points her finger at him, "do not get wrapped up in it. We can't have a scandal on our hands this early in your career."

There's a much bigger scandal coming, I can assure you that.

Haru shakes his head slightly at his own thoughts, even though they might as well be true. If he manages to find his father and somehow convince the man to regain custody, there's a storm coming Emiko's way. The media is not going to like that too much and it will surely put a giant stain on the company's image.

Just picture it: 
The million-dollar corporation EYC lost its heir due to faulty upbringing.
Company loses spot in the big 5 because of unfaithful son.
Embarrassing loss for owners of EYC.

It's going to be amazing.

Emiko has not even once in the four months she has known about this trip worried about her son's well-being. Not asking him to stay free from alcohol, because it could end up with him getting hurt. No, simply to avoid anyone filming him causing trouble or being too stupid.

Just like everything else, it doesn't matter if Haru gets hurt - as long as no one sees it. 

But Haru plans on ruining this very perfect picture his mother has created around him. Like, how can you call it art without making a scene?

"Right..."

"I got a few people over there who will be able to get you out of any legal trouble, I texted the numbers to you," Emiko gently flips her long hair off her shoulder as she crosses her arms over her chest. As always, she looks cold and not sad in the least that her son is going away for 6 months.

Well, it's not like Haru expected her to... but something inside his chest still seems to sting a bit. 

"Fine, whatever," he rolls his eyes slightly and grabs a hold of the large suitcase he's bringing along on the plane. Jaekyung is standing not far away, giving his parents big hugs before his face gets propped with kisses. Haru's just about to head in his direction when he halts.

He tightens his fist slightly around the handle of the suitcase and looks back at Emiko, who is now paying attention to her phone. 

"Make sure to take notes, this is very important for your future," she says while she scrolls through some contacts, "I expect to hear from you occasionally."

She lifts her hand and gently taps Haru's cheek. Her cold fingertips against his skin feel foreign and uncomfortable, but for some reason, his face still drops slightly in disappointment when the contact is severed. 

Emiko lifts her phone and places it against her ear, "yes, Emiko speaking. Right, I will meet you there in 10 minutes." She snaps her fingers at her driver who bows at Haru, before the both of them start to turn around and walk in the direction of the exit. Haru feels his chest tighten as he sees his mother leave the area without anything as simple as a goodbye. Simply an order and a tap on the cheek.

Fucking witch.

Haru doesn't let the frustration show on his face as he turns his back to his mother and walks towards his friend. As always, he's immediately met with the warmth and love of a caring family which he could never get from home.

"Haru-san, let me give you a hug~" Jaekyung's mother, Seo-ah, says before she drags him into a tight embrace and almost squeezes the life out of him. The woman has always been very loving and touchy, but Haru doesn't mind at all. Actually, he happily returns the hug and smiles gently at the lady. 

"I'm glad to see you too, Seo-ah," Haru replies gently as they pull back and starts chatting away. Every time Haru is with Jaekyung's family, he understands why Jaekyung is such a goodie-two-shoes and does everything in his might to not cause trouble.

Haru, on the other hand, is a complete rebellious pain in the ass. And he takes pride in it.

However, if he received nearly as much love from his family as Jaekyung, he would probably be a prude too. That's often the case since love and care create strong bonds in a family that even the kids want to maintain. An unfair strict upbringing will most likely cause you more trouble than good. 

"You ready for this trip? Cause I'm not..." Jaekyung sighs slightly and Haru can't help but laugh at the tears forming in his friend's eyes. Compared to him, Jaekyung is sad to be leaving his family and home for so long. 

As the call for their flight sounds over the PA system, Jaekyung gets united in a group hug with his family. It lasted for at least a few minutes and a few tears were shed here and there, just like it should be. 

Haru just fondly looks from the side before throwing his arm around Jaekyung's shoulders as soon as he has escaped his family's loving goodbye session. They quickly enter the queue to the security line, which is where the nerves really start causing trouble for Haru. 

He didn't plan on being on the edge during the entire flight, but it's end up that way nevertheless. He has honestly waited for this opportunity for so long, he just can't believe it's actually a reality now. It's not certain how everything is going to go from now on, so of course he can't help but be slightly frightened about it.

It's not certain this Taehyung guy even wants everything to do with him... he did leave for a reason, so...

Haru shakes his head and pushes his thoughts to the back of his head. It will be fine! He's excited to be in South Korea, no matter what it might bring his way.

_________

"Fuck," Jaekyung collapses onto the bed that's going to be his for the next six months. They just stepped inside their dorm, which they were lucky to share. A few other students from their grade decided to go to Busan as well, which is great because now they are about 10 people who know each other and can go together for class.

And since Jaekyung and Haru can speak Korean fluently, they are bound to become favorites in the group when they go out. 

"I can't believe we're already here," Haru replies as he sits down on his bed as well. He doesn't have the energy to start unpacking his things, so he decides to just fall on his back and look up at the ceiling.

"So..." Jaekyung asks from the side, "what do you plan on doing now?"

"Go to the address from the folder, of course," Haru says without a care in the world.

"Isn't it stalking just showing up on his doorstep like that?" Jaekyung asks, rubbing his temples slightly. Even though the flight wasn't long, he's surprisingly drained from it. He probably regrets sparking up a conversation already. 

"Only if he tells me to leave him alone," Haru replies and places his hands behind his head with a small sigh, "I can't wait to see him... I wonder what he's like."

Jaekyung props himself up on one arm so he can look over at his friend, who's on the bed opposite him. The room isn't exactly big, but they have their individual bed on each side of the room, plus a desk each also placed against the walls. There are also two closets by the end of the small space, so it's more luxurious than expected. Maybe not for Haru, but it surely is for Jaekyung. 

"What if he doesn't want to have anything to do with you?" Jaekyung asks the question that has been on Haru's mind ever since this trip became an opportunity. He seems to struggle a little with the reply but musters up an answer.

"I guess I'll just go on with my life but... I have a feeling he's not like that."

"How so?"

"I don't know it's just... there's something in my head that tells me he's not a bad person," Haru explains. He knows he can't assume anything simply from a feeling in his gut, but he would rather stay positive. It might just give him false hope, but that's better than no hope at all.

Jaekyung hums a little and looks around the room as he thinks, "I just hope you'll find what you're looking for."

Haru smiles and looks over at his friend with a soft gaze. Jaekyung has given up a lot, simply to support Haru in achieving his goals. Sometimes, the younger has a hard time figuring out why Jaekyung would go to such lengths for him, but he doesn't complain in the slightest. He's simply lucky to have a friend who's willing to go along with all his crazy ideas.

"I'm sure I will... it will be closure one way or another," Haru replies with a determined tone in his voice. The two of them continue talking for a little, discussing what the next step in the whole ordeal is going to be. 

Since they will be starting school next week, they decide to settle down first and wait until the weekend to start their search for Haru's father. Even just being in the city is going to make Haru nervous, even though the chance of him accidentally bumping into his father on the street is little to none. And he doesn't even know what the man looks like.

But as Haru's lying there on the bed, his mind filled with thoughts, he can't ignore the blooming sensation of joy growing in his stomach. Wherever this leads him, he's glad he made this choice.

Maybe... just maybe, there's a person out there who can love him the way a family should. 

________

Sorry, a bit of a short chapter - but we are getting somewhere! Not a long time before Taehyung arrives!🖤