Three days and Johnny couldn't take keeping up with that secret anymore. Not to mention how he tried to mislead Yuta with lies, such as going to visit him at work because he didn't see him often when he actually went to pick Jinwoo up from school. Luckily for him, the little one got permission from the teacher to wait for Johnny in the school's playground, with the other kids.

Jinwoo wasn't so difficult to deal with, he even obeyed Johnny's requests and didn't behave badly in public places, at least that hadn't happened yet. However, the boy had his difficulties in socializing with his older brother, being rude whenever he felt pressured. Even though he didn't seem to like Johnny at all, the seven-year-old boy couldn't let his brother alone, as if begging for attention.

TV was on the sports channel while Johnny times to times focused on the basketball match that was televised in a rerun of last night. The Seo brothers ate dinner quietly until the older one noticed Jinwoo sneakily trying to escape by sliding off his chair.

"Hey, permission to leave the table only when you're done eating" the right hand was holding his chin.

"It's just... It's just that I don't want to eat anymore."

"These aren't my rules buddy. Come on, there's only one bite last, you can handle that."

"I'm going to explode like that!" Jinwoo made an outraged grimace. "Do you want me to die?"

"Like that could happen. It's just a piece of tofu, it's not gonna kill you."

Johnny had already finished his dinner while waiting for Jinwoo so he could wash the dishes. The child clearly expressed his discontent with that rather tasteless and depressing meal, even if in a sufficient portion. However, nothing could be done, unfortunately it was the diet their mother made them follow.

"I didn't like your food... It doesn't taste like anything."

"Of course you don't like my food, you never ate anything I cooked before" still on the chair, Johnny straightened his back. "This is from a restaurant on the back street, I didn't cook it."

Jinwoo fiercely glared at him.

"Don't even try and blame me, I didn't impose all this nonsense. If it was up to me, we would have had fried chicken or Chinese food for dinner."

Johnny, too, was somewhat irritated, this wasn't a Johnny-style meal, mainly in quantity. At least he could have a beer when Jinwoo went to bed and, who knows, even eat his barbecue chips hidden in the kitchen so that the little one wouldn't indulge himself. It was absurd not to let him be a child, but it would be better not to ignore his mother's rules. The consequences would be severe, and Johnny was very aware of that.

"Come on, they probably have hidden cameras all over the place" he pointed to the upper right corner of the ceiling.

"But I can't eat anymore!"

"You want our mother to haunt you at night?" impatient, Johnny grabbed the water glasses in front of him without breaking their eye contact.

"Stop it or I'll go tell m-" Jinwoo stopped his speech with a distressed expression.

"That's right Jinwoo... How are you going to tell mom that I'm scaring you when she's the one who scares you the most...?" almost whispering, Johnny left the water glasses in the dishwasher.

"You keep confusing me, you dumb!"

Jinwoo's cheeks turned red quickly.

"It's you who didn't understand, but the dumb one is me?" hands on hips, Johnny ended up laughing briefly.

"I just don't want to eat anymore..." he lowered his gaze as he squeezed his patterned T-shirt. "But I don't want mom to haunt me at night..." he murmured.

Pressing his lips together, Johnny wouldn't deny that he really wanted to pamper his brother right now; however, he preferred to eat the remaining tofu on the little boy's plate in one bite and prepare to put the dishes in the dishwasher. Shaking his head, Johnny tried to understand how he became so soft-hearted even having his mother's influence in his life.

"Okay, enough food for today. Now go get your pajamas, time to bath."

With a childish laugh followed by an open smile, Jinwoo got out of his chair with a little difficulty, due to the height, and ran to his room. Johnny calmly turned off the TV and went to the bathroom to fill the tub. This was exactly why the younger brother was so fond of bathing in that apartment; the huge bathtub for two that was in Johnny's suite. Already with another countenance, Jinwoo had fun alone in his room awaiting his older brother call him. He was dancing even without music, bending his knees sometimes jumping, swinging his arms, shaking his hips in a funny way while humming a song he had listened to on Johnny's car radio.

"Jinwoo, the bathtub's already..." Johnny stopped at the door coming across that scene.

Seeing the little boy hadn't noticed his presence, he reached for his phone in the back pocket of his jeans and started recording his brother dancing and singing in that weird way.

"Hey, Michael Jackson" Johnny couldn't help but smile when he saw his skinny little brother shaking his ass. "The water is getting colder."

"Can we make bubbles again?"

With a quick turn, Jinwoo was already facing Johnny up close with some difficulty due to the height difference.

"Okay..." he put the phone back in his pocket still smiling. "But it's for you to bathe properly, got it? Last time, you splashed water everywhere and I had to dry the whole bathroom after."

"Then bathe with me!" he stuck to his brother's leg laughing in a lovely way. "Mom never took a shower with me, nor did dad. They were never home."

How would Johnny deny such a request now? He looped Jinwoo's waist, lifting him with only one arm and took the laughing boy and his striped button pajamas to the bathroom. He helped the youngest to undress and put him get into the bathtub after checking the temperature. Soon the Seo brothers were bathing together.

"Look, you fit in here!"

Jinwoo laughed amazed to see Johnny sitting so comfortably and not squeezed in the bathtub.

"You were going to laugh at me, weren't you? Well sorry to disappoint, I bought a suitable one for myself." Johnny seemed quite proud of himself. "Now come here, let me rub your back."

Johnny gradually bathed his brother while also relieving his nerves of that busy day, with his boss complaining about his delays and having to leave so early. Sadly, there was nothing Johnny could do about that, Jinwoo needed to attend elementary school and waking the child up earlier than usual wasn't an easy task. However, for Johnny's surprise and relief, that moment together was being pleasant and relaxing after so much complaining and falling out over the days they shared so far. The younger one quietly played with the shampoo's foam without wetting the floor or spreading it everywhere.

"Hey, Jan... No, it's Jon..." Jinwoo was trying to say something, but he made a frustrated face. "Wait, it's Dio... Hm... Oh, I can't say it!"

"What?" he was removing the hair conditioner from his brother's hair.

"Your name, is too hard for me to say it...!"

"Really?" Johnny ended up laughing. "So just call me hyung."

"But mom said that..."

"You're my little brother, period."

Even though Johnny couldn't see, Jinwoo smiled brightly at what he had said.

"Hyung."

"Hm?"

"Why you don't like mom?"

Johnny dropped his hands to his knees and tilted his head slightly to the side in an attempt to see the face of the youngest.

"Jinwoo, I like our mother, why don't you think I do?"

"When we talk about her, you look sad."

Johnny became speechless.

"Did she yell at you?" made a tiny pout. "Is that why you were never at home?"

With all those questions, the eldest son in the Seo family felt he was being pushed down a precipice's edge. His heart was so tight that he could have sworn to feel a brief urge to cry when he remembered everything that had happened in the past and what, unfortunately, the child must have had to deal with all alone. However, he couldn't tell the whole truth to a seven-year-old boy. Not now. He wouldn't understand.

"I like her..." he started with a weak smile. "I just couldn't visit because of my school and now because of work. It was too far..." Johnny didn't want to, however, ended up lying.

"You didn't want to see me, right?" Jinwoo turned to Johnny with a penetrating look.

"Of course, I wanted to!" his words escaped automatically impressing even himself. "Of course, I wanted to..."

Before the youngest could stress Johnny with more questions, the older one reached for a towel and tried to hide his shyness in exposing his feelings so openly.

"Okay, now you're clean."

Johnny got up leaving first and after drying himself briefly, wrapped the towel around his hip. Now, with Jinwoo's towel in hand, he helped the little one out of the bathtub by drying him with affection and agility. He took the opportunity to tickle his brother who, that day, smiled sincerely for the first time, in three days together, for some reason hitherto unknown to Johnny. He put on his little boy's pajamas and picked him up straight up, standing up straight.

"What should we do now?" in front of the mirror, Johnny was waiting for Jinwoo's answer.

"Brush our teeth!" stared at his brother, feeling amazed by the distance he was from the ground now in the other's arms.

"Oh, you're so smart!" Johnny handed Jinwoo's brush to his small hands. "Let me see if you do it the right way" spread some toothpaste on the brush of the youngest.

"Aren't you going to brush yours?" Jinwoo commented when he saw Johnny changing his toothpaste.

"I use another one" one smile.

As soon as they were ready, the two brushed their teeth, with grimaces everywhere while the older brother helped little Jinwoo to do it properly. Soon they were both ready to go to bed, Johnny in his comfortable gray sweatpants and black t-shirt and Jinwoo in his button pajamas.

It had been a pleasant evening for the Seo brothers. Jinwoo was so tired that he fell asleep quickly while Johnny read aloud one of the books that their mother demanded Jinwoo to read each week. And how boring they were. Even Johnny was barely being able to keep his eyes open, which didn't take long to force him to throw himself in his bed forgetting the chips and the beer he planned to eat earlier. However, before he could relieve the fatigue, Johnny received a message from the apartment manager in the condominium group chat.

"A new neighbor will be moving in early tomorrow. Please do not use the service lift until noon." Johnny read more asleep than awake. "A new neighbor, huh...?" and the tiredness beat him.

There was a little time left for them to be late again. Johnny finished changing as he called out the youngest so he could get up. His sleep had been so heavy that he had turned his phone's alarm off five times without even noticing. Now, in addition to running to help the child get dressed, he would have to prepare himself psychologically to receive chides from his boss. Maybe this wouldn't end well.

"Come on buddy, you'll be late for school...!" he reached Jinwoo's backpack putting the boy's homework inside it before helping the little one put on his sneakers. "Did we forget anything?"

"Today we can take a toy with us!"

"Ok, so which one do you want to take with you?" he pointed an action figure from the XXXG-01W Wing Gundam and another from the Evangelion Unit 01.

"Evangelion!"

"You like anime, huh..." laughing Johnny handed the action figure to Jinwoo. "Mom letting you watch this? Now that's new."

They were already in front of the apartment door with Johnny putting on his sneakers.

"She doesn't know. Jinyoung watch it with me when she's not home."

Crouched, Johnny tied his little brother's red sneaker.

"Wow, she lives dangerously" he ended up laughing. "I remember her, Jinyoung. When I returned to Korea she was already working at the house" got up. "Ok, time to go to school, let's go."

It's needless to say again that Johnny would be late, but he managed to get Jinwoo on time. Now at work, he had to deal with a boss and his supervisor putting pressure on him and complaining about the delays.

"Johnny, we can't keep things like this. You have clients here, but you are wrecking our gym's image and reputation" even if he wasn't shouting, Kim kept his expression serious and his tone steady. "Right now, I'm wasting my lunch time to remind you once again that you're being irresponsible. It's been four days already; will you ask me to leave early again?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Kim, but I need to leave early again..."

"Do you think this is a joke?!"

"No sir."

"I'm sorry Johnny, you've left me with no choice. I've already referred Siwon to your customers. We'll pay for the days that you worked at the beginning of the month until Friday. Give me your name tag and go home.

"Wait, Mr. Kim I really need this job, I really have a reason to-!"

"Johnny, I don't want excuses. This business is all I have; I can't take chances like that. You were the one who took care of most of the customers. We don't have a lot of staff, but it wasn't just my decision. I'm sorry. Please hand over your name tag and leave."

Now Johnny's wave of bad luck was really starting. First his mother's secrets, then hiding the truth from Jinwoo and his friends. Now he lost his job. No longer able to discuss, having no opportunity to solve the problem, Johnny withdrew feeling like a loser. He didn't want to expose his frustration or his defeat at being fired to his friends, however he didn't want to be alone. With his car, he followed the street with only one destination in mind, the Jung's mansion.

"Johnny?" Jaehyun opened the door with a confused expression. "What are you doing here, shouldn't you be working at this hour?"

"Can we talk inside?"

"Sure, get in..."

From the other's expression, Jaehyun felt that something had happened.

"Is your father home?"

"Yes, he's in his office talking to customers in China."

"Bogum?"

"School. Gayeon is presenting some of her paintings in the local museums and I, well, am finishing designing the plans of the apartments of the buildings that my father is going to build in Thailand."

"So, are you busy?"

"No, I'm taking a break. We can talk as much as you want."

Since they had already arrived in the living room, Jaehyun sat on the sofa inviting Johnny to snuggle too.

"So... I have a problem. It's nothing so serious tho, but you were the only one I knew would be home now."

"What kind of problem?"

"My mom visited me again."

Jaehyun was silent, he didn't want to express his concern yet he was apprehensive.

"She asked me a favor. I'm doing my part, but it cost me my job. I just got fired" sighed. "I can't borrow money from her when the apartment where I live was bought by her, even though I pay for the rest of my comfort there. Actually, I can ask, but I don't want to be indebted with her again."

"Yeah, her prices are always too expensive. My curiosity to know what the favor was is huge, but I know you can't tell me, then... If you need to, I can help you get a job."

"That would be a huge help, man. Please, I would be very grateful" Johnny ended up smiling even though he was restless.

"My father is going to open a resort outside the city. It's a bit far from here, but I know it has a sports area and they haven't hired all the staff yet. But as this will only happen towards the end of the year, I can get you some casual works with some of my mother's friends. They prefer home care, if it's not a problem. Until we get an answer from my dad, that can be an initial help."

"My God, you are a genius!" now the smile was wider. "With that I can also find time to look for a better job, if I cut off some expenses."

"Certainly. Even though I don't talk to my mother much now, since she moved in with her new husband, I know from experience that her friends like young men working at their house."

The two made a disgusted face, but ended up laughing.

"And to think that you let the opportunity pass by saving your body for Gayeon."

"Shut up" laughed again. "They are my mom's friends, for God's sake. It's not even for the age, it's just weird... And they are very horny, I felt abused."

"You are so innocent."

"Keep saying that, then when you get there and got a taste, you tell me if you haven't been harassed."

Laughter was not lacking in conversation.

"They grabbed your ass, didn't they?"

"I was sixteen, give me a break" Jaehyun pushed his friend's shoulder.

"Okay, I'll prepare myself psychologically for this..." Johnny checked the time on his phone. "So, how are things going with Gayeon? Did you make up?"

Jaehyun's expression became a little sad with that smile. Something he was trying to hide.

"We're good. I even followed your advice; I'm trying to control my jealousy" he scratched the back of his neck.

"Jaehyun, you're really bad at lying and you know it."

"Ok..." he expelled the air before starting. "You told me I was jealous, so I tried to look at things in a new perspective. Maybe I'm reading too far into it, or our relationship has really become lukewarm" he looked down briefly. "It's as if I like her more than she likes me."

"Hey, I'm sure that's not it" Johnny touched the other's shoulder. "You're are a little distant because of work. She doesn't like anyone else but you, pay attention to the way she looks at you and you'll see."

"Yeah, I must be imagining things" now a thin and sincere smile. "It must be because I miss her."

"Of course. Why don't you confess to her again? It'll make her happy. And then, heat things up a bit after..." a mischievous smile.

"Oh my God, Johnny" Jaehyun was a little embarrassed, but seemed to like the idea.

"So that's it..." he stretched his back. "I need to buy some stuff. Now that I'm unemployed, I will have the opportunity to cook a decent meal without getting lazy."

And maybe even surprise Jinwoo by making the boy try something new.

"Wow, for you to want to cook, you're really depressed, huh?"

"Being honest, I'm feeling even more relieved that I have nothing to do all day. Well, now I'm going" got up.

"And I'm going back to work."

Johnny felt more relaxed after talking to Jaehyun. The weight on his shoulders seemed to lighten up a bit and he possibly saw a light approaching on the way. It would be all right, he thought.

Before he could get in the car, Jaehyun called him one last time.

"Hey...!"

The tallest stopped to look at him.

"I know you still remember what happened... So, be honest with me, are you really okay?"

With a welcoming smile, Johnny nodded.

"You know, right? I'll be here for you."

With nods, the two said goodbye and Johnny returned to his lonely thoughts. In fact, seeing his mother brought back bad memories of both his childhood and his life in Chicago. This matter was still fragile for his heart and no matter how many times he tried to fill that void with dates or even girlfriends of a few weeks, Johnny always found himself thinking about her. He hated being fond to a person that much.

While he looked for what he needs to make dinner, Johnny could overhear some teenagers, probably skipping class, talking about Rebecca. The singer really had entered a hiatus, in addition to moving to a luxury building with high security. Because he was so busy taking care of his own life, Johnny didn't listen to exactly where that building where the singer had moved to was located.

Johnny still had a lot of spare time till he had to pick up his brother from school. For that, he decided what he would cook and prepared himself so as not to do anything wrong. It had been a long time since he had cook anything but instant noodles. With that, Johnny killed some of his time watching movies and other TV shows until he had to go pick Jinwoo up.

With his phone in the pocket of the black jeans he wore, Johnny went on his way with the keys in his hand. He was whistling casually when the elevator stopped before Johnny's destination and a girl entered.

"Good afternoon" Johnny had been polite without looking too much at her.

She had her arms crossed, hiding her eyes with sunglasses while standing on the black heels she wore. She briefly looked up at the taller to answer him, yet she felt her heart racing with a sudden surprise. She continued to stare at him until the other returned the gaze feeling uncomfortable. Open-mouthed now analyzing all that male face, she removed her glasses quickly.

"Johnny?!"

At that very moment, the now unemployed personal trainer felt nothing less than confusion. Why was Rebecca in the same elevator as him and, more, how did she know his name?