They ate in silence at first.
The burger was warm greasy, messy, heavy in the best way and Tae hadn't realized how starving he was until the first bite hit his tongue. His fingers were sticky. His sleeves, wrinkled. His eyes still puffy. But he sat curled toward the car window like a cat with something to chew on, nibbling in slow bites while the warmth settled into his chest.
Joon sat beside him with his leg stretched out under the dashboard, the paper bag crackling each time he reached inside for another fry. The vanilla shake sat in the cup holder between them, melting slowly. They didn't speak.
Not until Tae broke the quiet, voice low and soft, almost a murmur.
"…She texted again."
Joon paused mid-chew.
Tae wasn't angry this time. Wasn't biting. He just looked ahead, eyes calm now, but distant.
"Before you came back. I saw her name again."
He held the last half of his burger in both hands like a child would. "…Just thought you should know."
Joon chewed quietly for a moment, then wiped his mouth with a napkin. He didn't react the way Tae expected. No tension. No defensiveness.
Just a soft sigh through his nose.
"Yeah," he said. "She's been texting a lot."
"…Are you replying?"
"No." A pause. "I haven't answered her in two days."
Tae's eyes flickered toward him. "She probably notices."
"I know." He reached for the shake and took a sip. "She'll use it eventually. Twist it. Make it look like I'm abandoning them. That I stopped being a father. That I don't care."
Tae swallowed hard. "She will."
Joon turned to him fully, face lit by the streetlamp outside the window. "But she's not going to ruin this. Not if we stay ahead of her."
Tae blinked.
Joon sat straighter, one arm braced on the wheel as he turned in his seat. "I've been thinking," he said. "About how to do this. How to make it fair. Legal. Safe. I have some money set aside — it's in my name only, untouched. If it gets ugly, I can use it for legal help. Or for you. Or Eun-woo."
Tae's breath hitched.
"I want to do this carefully," Joon said. "But I will do it. I just… don't want to make all the decisions alone anymore."
Tae's throat tightened.
"I want you involved, Tae. I want us to figure this out together. What makes you feel safe. What timeline you need. What to tell Seo-yeon, your parents. Everything. You matter in this. You're not just a secret I'm hiding — you're someone I want to build with."
Tae stared at him, stunned for a moment.
"You—" he started, but his voice caught. He wiped his fingers on a napkin. "You're serious about this?"
"I'm scared shitless," Joon admitted. "I know she'll try to destroy it if she finds out. She knows how to make me look like a villain. She knows how to weaponize kindness. And I'm… terrified that it'll work."
Tae stayed quiet.
"But even if it does," Joon said gently, eyes steady, "you're worth it."
Tae turned to him, lips parting just slightly.
"I mean it," Joon added. "You're not just worth the risk. You're the reason I even know what this kind of love feels like. I don't want to be married to comfort anymore. I don't want to be someone's habit. I want to fight for what I chose. And I'm choosing you."
Tae blinked quickly.
His throat ached. His chest, warm again.
"…Don't say it like that," he whispered. "Like I'm something good."
"You are."
Tae looked down, chewing on his bottom lip.
"…You want my thoughts?"
Joon gave him a soft smile. "Always."
Tae fidgeted with his napkin. "Okay. Then I think… we need to go slow. Really slow. Seo's already offering me a divorce if I want it, but I don't want to… throw everything out at once."
"That makes sense."
"She said she'd stay close. That she still wants me in her life. In our son's. But… I'm scared about my son. I don't want to be a weekend dad. I don't want to be someone who just shows up sometimes."
"You won't be," Joon said firmly. "You're not that type."
"And you? You… you really think you can leave her?"
Joon met his eyes without hesitation. "I know I can. It's not going to be easy. And I'm going to need you to be strong with me. But yes. I've made up my mind."
Tae breathed out slowly. "What if she tries to take your son?"
"She can try," Joon said. "But I'm not walking away from him. I'll fight for both of you."
Tae stared at him. For once, his chest wasn't caving in. It felt like it was expanding full of too much emotion, too much weight but not in a bad way. It felt like he could breathe again. That maybe… maybe they weren't doomed.
He sniffled, wiped at his eyes again, then whispered with a watery little laugh, "This burger's not even that good."
Joon gave him a look. "You're insane. That's the best thing you've eaten all week."
"I can still taste my own tears."
Joon snorted.
They sat in that strange pocket of safety a little longer, hearts still raw, fingers still greasy, and lives still messy beyond the windows of that car. But for now, it was just them. Just this.
And maybe… it was enough for now.
.
.
.
The car was quiet again, but not the kind of tense silence from earlier. This one sat warm in the air between them was calm, dazed, like the city had slowed down just for the two of them.
Tae's puffy eyes were half-lidded, one hand on the drink he hadn't touched since they left the burger place, his lips still a little swollen from all the crying. From all the kissing. From everything.
Joon-Won glanced at him again before turning onto a quieter street. Not toward Tae's house. Not toward his apartment.
He knew exactly where he was going.
He needed space to think. They needed space to breathe.
And he didn't want to put Tae in a bed that still was still stained with his tears.
⸻
The hotel rose like a sculpture of glass and gold, understated and modern. Too elegant for the way they looked, both in oversized hoodies and sweatpants, hair messy from the wind, from sleep, from the fight but Joon didn't care.
He handed over his card and booked a two-night stay without blinking.
The elevator mirrored them from all sides, flushed faces, sleep-deprived eyes. Tae looked at him once, brows gently furrowed, but didn't question it. He just stayed close, shoulders brushing, breathing soft.
By the time they stepped into the room, the air changed again. It was bigger than they needed cream-colored walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, a king bed with crisp sheets, and a bathroom that looked like it belonged in a magazine. Cool marble floors. Rainfall shower. Clean towels folded in perfect symmetry.
Joon slipped his wallet and phone onto the nightstand and finally turned to Tae.
"Go shower, baby."
Tae blinked, sluggish.
"We didn't clean up after… last night." Joon raised a brow, voice low. "Three rounds. You're probably sore."
A flush climbed up Tae's neck, his ears burning.
"I'll go in after," Joon added, reaching for his wrist and grazing his thumb across the inside of it, just once. "But you go first. Take your time."
Tae bit his lip and nodded quietly, heading toward the bathroom without a word.
"Oh —" Joon called after him. "Text Seo. Tell her you'll be staying here the next two nights."
Tae paused, glancing back.
"If you want." Joon added softly.
Tae stared at him for a beat longer, unreadable, then nodded again and disappeared into the bathroom.
⸻
The door clicked shut.
Joon let out a slow breath, leaning against the edge of the bed.
His thoughts came in waves now anxious, unstoppable.
What if Ha-Eun finds out.
What if she uses Eun-woo.
What if she burns everything down on her way out.
What if Tae regrets this.
What if Tae leaves—
He scrubbed both hands down his face.
"Later," he muttered under his breath, pushing himself upright. "Lawyer. I'll call first thing once I'm at work."
It had to happen.
There was no turning back now.
This thing with Tae it wasn't a fling, wasn't an escape hatch from a broken marriage. It was real, terrifyingly real, and it had settled deep inside his bones. It wasn't even about sex anymore. It hadn't been, not for a long time.
He thought of Tae's expression earlier in the car, the way he'd covered his face and screamed in embarrassment when he realized he'd said I love you.
Joon smiled faintly to himself.
His chest ached. But it wasn't a bad ache.
⸻
He started laying out the extra suit he always kept in the trunk.. pressed, navy, clean shirt folded with it, an emergency tie tucked into the jacket pocket. He kept a spare leather belt in the glove box. A fresh razor in the inner lining of his bag. Toothbrush, cologne, lint roller everything prepped like muscle memory.
Years of staying ready.
He heard the water running from the bathroom.. hot, steady, muffled behind the door.
He glanced at the clock. Nearly 7:40 AM.
He had to be at work by seven.
"Perfect," he muttered to himself, tugging his hoodie off along with the sweats and grabbed a towel.
⸻
The bathroom door cracked open just as he started to tie up the robe around his body.
Tae emerged in a white towel, flushed from the heat, droplets still clinging to his collarbone.
Joon glanced up, paused.
His heart fluttered painfully.
"You're next," Tae said, avoiding his eyes.
"You told her?"
Tae hesitated at the edge of the room. "Yeah. I told her I'd be here. She didn't even sound surprised."
Joon nodded slowly. "And work?"
"…I took days off."
Joon blinked.
Tae smiled sheepishly. "I was gonna surprise you last night. I wanted to… show up and ask if you wanted to spend the day with me. I had it planned."
His throat closed.
"You—"
"Didn't get to tell you," Tae added quietly, eyes darting away. "Since, you know… all that happened instead."
Joon walked up to him, gentle, then cupped his jaw.
"You're incredible."
Tae flushed pink. "Shut up."
"No." Joon leaned in and kissed his forehead. "You are."
Tae closed his eyes briefly, then pushed him toward the bathroom. "Go. Before I cry again. And hurry — I wanna use your shirt as a pillow while I sulk."
Joon laughed under his breath and pulled him into one more kiss before heading toward the bathroom.
"Don't fall asleep yet," he said, glancing over his shoulder.
"I won't."
"Good." Joon paused at the doorway of the bathroom. "When I'm back tonight… we can talk more."
Tae smiled, sleepy and warm. "Okay."
"And later this morning—" Joon's voice dropped. "I'm calling a lawyer."
Tae's eyes widened slightly.
"You're serious."
"I am."
"…Okay," Tae whispered, breath hitching. "Okay."
They didn't say it again.. 'I love you' .. not yet. But it hung there between them.
The hotel room was quiet now, dim with the soft pull of early sunlight against sheer curtains. Joon-Won stood by the bed for a long time, towel-drying his hair, shirt unbuttoned, his slacks already on. The steam from his shower still clung faintly to his skin, cooling fast.
Tae-hyun lay curled up under the thick covers, his damp black hair sprawled against the pillow, still glistening slightly. His face was puffy from sleep, lips parted, one hand gripping the fabric of Joon's hoodie like a child refusing to let go of a comfort toy. His long lashes twitched with dreams, and for the first time in a long time, Joon-Won felt that strange, heavy pull behind his ribs like he was watching something that didn't belong to this world, something too soft for it.
He leaned in, pressed his lips to Tae-hyun's cheek gentle, lingering, then gone.
Before leaving, he reached for his phone and left a short message for Tae-hyun to read when he wakes up.
Joon-won:
'Didn't want to wake you up, you looked super cute. I'll be back after work.. stay, rest and shower again if you want. And I meant it. I'll handle it all. For us.'
Then he grabbed his suit jacket, the one he'd brought in from the car, smoothed the fabric out with practiced hands, and left the room with one last glance over his shoulder.
⸻
8:37 AM – Office Lobby.
Joon-Won sipped the bitter coffee from the vending machine downstairs, jaw tight. His eyes were sharp today, but there was a weight behind them. His assistant greeted him quickly and fell quiet as he passed, everyone did. The tailored suit fit him like it always did, sharp lines, clean white shirt, pale tie but he looked a little undone around the edges. A little more human.
Between meetings, he leaned back in his office chair, the hum of the city below muffled by floor-to-ceiling windows. He opened his phone, two more texts from Ha-eun. One from last night. One from this morning.
Ha-eun:
'Are you mad at me? Why aren't you replying? And when is the break over Joon? Tell me I need to know?? Eun-woo misses you. I do too.'
Joon stared at the screen for a while before typing.
'How is Eun-woo today?'
That was all. Nothing else. He stared at the cursor blinking, then locked the screen. A call came in from her seconds later. He rejected it without hesitation and slid the phone face down on the table.
Then he opened a browser and typed slowly: 'Best family lawyers, discreet divorce process.'
He was doing this now, there's no turning back and no regrets. He sighed as he stared at the screen for a moment, not moving for beat before he started scrolling through the numbers and names.