The car rolled to a stop beside the glowing stretch of the night market, lights spilling across the windshield in streaks of gold and pink.
Before Jaehyuk could even reach for the door handle, Minho had climbed onto his lap — then promptly onto his stomach.
Tiny palms pressed against the glass.
He bounced in place, tapping excitedly at the window, eyes wide at the sea of lights and moving colors outside.
"Ow—" Jaehyuk exhaled a breathy laugh, one hand sliding to steady the boy's waist. "Easy." He winced slightly as Minho's heel dug into him. "I'm still human."
Minho ignored the complaint completely, too mesmerized. He let out a soft, eager sound and bounced again.
Jaehyuk sighed, though the corner of his mouth betrayed him.
"You're going to crack the window at this rate," he murmured, brushing a hand gently through Minho's hair.
Minho turned suddenly, eyes bright, as if asking without words.
Jaehyuk held his gaze for a moment.
Then, quieter—
"…Alright."
Minho beamed.
And Jaehyuk, despite himself, smiled fully.
Jaehyuk stepped out of the car with Minho balanced securely on his arm. The door clicked shut behind him.
The night market pulsed with noise — chatter, laughter, the sharp clang of metal spatulas against griddles. Warm air rolled over them, thick with sugar, oil, and spice. Neon lights reflected in Minho's wide eyes.
"Fuu~ fuu~," Minho puffed excitedly, both hands stretching toward a nearby stall.
A man pressed dough flat against a sizzling pan, the brown sugar filling melting inside. The scent drifted over immediately — warm, sweet, impossible to ignore.
"You want that?" Jaehyuk asked, following Minho's gaze.
Minho leaned forward dangerously, fingers opening and closing in desperate little grabs.
Jaehyuk shifted him higher against his chest before he could lunge.
"You're very demanding tonight," he murmured, though he was already walking toward the stall.
The vendor handed over a freshly made hotteok wrapped in paper. Steam curled into the air.
Jaehyuk stepped aside, tearing off a small piece carefully. The filling oozed slightly, glossy and hot.
He blew on it gently.
"Fuu… fuu…" he echoed, glancing at Minho.
Minho watched with complete focus, lips parted.
Jaehyuk tested the temperature against his own lip first.
Satisfied, he brought the piece toward Minho.
"Small bite."
Minho leaned in, taking it clumsily. A bit of sugar stuck to the corner of his mouth.
He froze.
Chewed.
Then his eyes widened.
Jaehyuk huffed a quiet laugh. "Good?"
Minho nodded rapidly, bouncing slightly in his arms, reaching for more.
"Slow down," Jaehyuk said, though he tore off another piece anyway. "It's not running away."
Minho made a soft, pleased sound, clutching the front of Jaehyuk's coat with one sticky hand.
Jaehyuk didn't comment on the sugar smearing into the fabric.
He just adjusted his hold and continued feeding him, one careful piece at a time.
For a moment, the noise of the market faded.
It was just warm light, melted sugar, and a child trying very hard not to drop his treat.
Minho was still chewing happily when something bright caught his eye.
A sharp little gasp left him.
"Wahh~!"
His whole body turned toward the glow of another stall. Under the lights, rows of strawberries shone like glass — glossy, red, almost unreal.
"Fuu? Fuu?" he pointed urgently, nearly dropping the remaining piece of hotteok.
Jaehyuk followed his tiny finger.
Tanghulu.
The strawberries were coated in hardened sugar, reflecting the market lights like jewels. When the vendor tapped one lightly against the tray, it made a delicate crack.
Jaehyuk let out a quiet laugh. "Ah…"
For a second, something in his chest softened too quickly. The way Minho looked at it — like he had just discovered magic.
A faint sting gathered at the corner of his eye. He blinked it away, smiling.
"Finish this first, kid," he said gently, nudging the hotteok back toward him.
Minho didn't even look down. His eyes were still wide, fixed on the shining fruit like it might disappear.
Jaehyuk paused.
"Tanghulu," he said slowly.
He pointed toward the stall. "Tang-hu-lu."
Minho's brows furrowed in intense concentration.
"Tu… tu?" he tried, eyes sparkling.
Jaehyuk made a dramatic thinking face, tapping his chin.
"Hmmm…" He tilted his head. "Not quite."
Minho blinked at him.
"Taaaang," Jaehyuk exaggerated, stretching the word out.
Minho copied immediately, determined. "Taa—!"
"Hu."
"Uu."
"Lu."
"Wuu!"
Jaehyuk made a playful frown. "Hmm. That's not—"
Minho went quiet.
His lips moved again, slower this time. Careful. Like he was assembling something fragile.
"Ta…ng…"
Jaehyuk stilled.
"…hu…"
The noise of the market felt distant all of a sudden.
"…lu."
It was soft. Slightly uneven.
But it was clear.
Tanghulu.
Jaehyuk didn't move.
Minho looked up at him, unsure why he'd gone so quiet.
"…Tanghulu," Minho tried again, smaller this time.
Jaehyuk blinked.
For a second, his brain didn't catch up. Like he'd misheard it.
"You—"
His voice came out thinner than he expected.
"You said it."
Minho tilted his head.
Jaehyuk swallowed.
Three years.
Three years of silence, of half-sounds and unfinished syllables. Three years of doctors saying give it time.
And under neon lights, in front of a candied fruit stall—
"Tanghulu," Minho repeated, a little brighter now.
Jaehyuk let out a short breath that almost trembled.
He adjusted Minho higher against his chest — not tightly, not desperately. Just secure. Like he needed to feel the weight of him there.
"Yeah," he said carefully.
His eyes were glossy, but he didn't let it spill.
"That's right."
Minho smiled, pleased with himself.
"Tanghulu!"
Jaehyuk laughed — soft, controlled. The kind that sits in your chest instead of exploding out.
"You've been holding out on me this whole time?" he murmured.
Minho touched his collar lightly, unaware of the earthquake he'd just caused.
Jaehyuk pressed his lips together briefly, steadying himself.
Then, gentle, steady, adjusted —
"I heard you," he said quietly. "I heard you, Minho."
And this time when Minho pointed toward the stall and said it again, clearer —
"Tanghulu!"
Jaehyuk smiled.
"Okay," he said. "Let's get it."
He stood, shifting Minho on his hip, and walked toward the stall.
Under the bright lights, the tanghulu looked even more unreal up closely. Sugar shells catching every flicker of neon.
Jaehyuk bought one skewer.
He held it up between them.
Minho stared at it like it was sacred.
Jaehyuk tapped the sugar lightly with his fingernail.
Crack.
Minho gasped.
"Careful," Jaehyuk murmured, breaking off a small piece instead of handing over the whole stick. "It's hard."
He blew on it instinctively even though it didn't need cooling.
Minho opened his mouth obediently.
The sugar cracked between his tiny teeth.
For a split second, he froze.
Then—
His eyes widened even more.
The crunch.
The sweetness.
The strawberry inside.
Minho made the softest, most delighted sound.
Jaehyuk didn't realize he was staring at him until Minho reached for another piece.
He swallowed, smile gentler now.
"Slowly," he said.
But his voice had gone quieter.
Because under the market lights, with sticky fingers clutching his coat and sugar crystals catching in Minho's hair, Jaehyuk felt at peace.
End Of Bonus... ...