GARAM flinched when the cold ice pack touched his swollen cheeks.
Both Song Sihyuk and Song Gunwoo were holding an ice pack, taking care of each of his cheeks.
It was the left cheek for his husband, and the right cheek for his son.
"Does it sting?" Song Sihyuk asked worriedly. "Please endure for a moment, honey. This will help reduce the swelling of your cheeks."
"I’m sorry, Dad," Song Gunwoo said in a hoarse voice. His son lost his voice from crying too much earlier. "You hurt yourself because of me."
Garam almost burst into tears,
How could Song Gunwoo worry about him when his handprint was still on his cheek?
Well, not really.
But he couldn’t forget the feeling of his hand hitting his baby’s face.
It was a horrible, horrible feeling.
"I’m sorry, Gunwoo-ya," Garam said in a hoarse voice. Yes, he also lost his voice from too much crying. Then he gently caressed his son’s cheek. "I didn’t mean to slap you."
"I know, Dad. I’m not upset. And, even if you slapped me on purpose, I deserve it. So, please don’t apologize."
"You deserve to be scolded, but you don’t deserve to be hit," Garam insisted while shaking his head, his tears threatening to fall again. "Even if it was just your shoulder or back, I shouldn’t have hit you in the first place. I know this may sound like an excuse, but I lost my mind for a moment. But, rest assured, it won’t happen again. I’ll never lay a hand on you again, Gunwoo-ya."
"I’ll never give you a reason to get that mad again for something bad that I did, Dad."
As if promising wasn’t enough, Song Gunwoo suddenly dropped to his knees while looking up at Garam with teary eyes— eyes that were desperately asking for forgiveness.
It was clear that his son was deeply remorseful.
"I was wrong. I was consumed by my hatred for Kang Taehyun because of what he did to Jina," Song Gunwoo said in a cracked voice. "I was wrong for not just putting my life in danger, but by also putting the life of the poor puppy at risk. I was disgusted when I found out that Kang Taehyun was planning to use the puppy that way, and yet I did the same. I was no different from that cruel brat. I’m sorry for disappointing you, Dad. I promise to be a better human being from now on."
At least, Song Gunwoo knew what he needed to apologize for.
My son knows where he messed up, and I can see he’s already reflecting on his mistakes.
"Gunwoo-ya, an apology is only effective if you don’t repeat the same mistake," Garam said sternly. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, Dad. I promise I won’t make the same mistake again," Song Gunwoo promised while nodding. "Have you forgiven me now?"
"I wasn’t mad at you— I was worried. But, yes, I accept your apology. Do you accept mine?"
"Of course, Dad. You didn’t have to apologize in the first place. It was an accident."
Garam smiled, and then he opened his arms. "Come here, baby."
Song Gunwoo immediately stood up and ran to Garam’s embrace.
And then his son started crying again.
My poor baby...
Garam secured Song Gunwoo in his lap, and then he gently placed a kiss on his son’s slightly swollen cheek. "Let’s apply ice pack on your cheek, Gunwoo-ya."
***
AFTER GARAM made sure that Song Gunwoo’s cheek wasn’t swollen anymore, he asked his son to play with Shin Jina and Seulgi.
And, now, only he and Song Sihyuk were left in the study.
As soon as the door closed...
PAAAK.
That was the loud sound of Song Sihyuk punching his cheeks— hard.
As a result, the corner of the Alpha’s mouth bled when he hit it.
Aigooya.
"I’m sorry, honey," Song Sihyuk said immediately, even though Garam hadn’t said a word yet. "I failed to guide our son properly."
Haaah.
Garam crossed his arms over his chest. "Song Sihyuk-ssi."
His husband flinched when he called him by his full name instead of ’hyung.’
"Why did you let our son do all that stuff?"
"I know this may sound like an excuse. But even if I refuse to help Gunwoo, I know he’ll find a way to execute his plan. That’s how resourceful our son is," Song Sihyuk explained in a serious tone. "So, I figured that instead of letting Gunwoo do dangerous stuff behind our backs, it would be better if I knew about it."
"And, yet, our son still ended up in a dangerous situation."
"Our son was smart enough to hide the dangerous part of his plan from me. He knew that I’d withdraw my support had he come clean from the beginning," Song Sihyuk said, sighing. It was obvious that the Alpha was regretting everything. "Even so, I should have made my own investigation to make sure that his plan was safe. I’m sorry, honey."
"What are you sorry for, Hyung? Be clear."
"I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark."
Garam let out a frustrated sigh.
To be fair, he could see where Song Sihyuk was coming from.
Hyung knew that he couldn’t stop Gunwoo from exacting his revenge, so Hyung decided to support our son’s plan instead of letting him do it behind our backs. But Hyung was blindsided because our baby hid the dangerous part of the plan from him.
That was the problem, though.
"Hyung, we can’t let Gunwoo manipulate us into giving in to his plans."
"I’ve learned that lesson that hard way today, honey."
"I’m not saying that our son is a bad kid, but he’s still your son, Hyung..."
Song Sihyuk cleared his throat, and then he nodded, "Yes, I know that Gunwoo got his bad habits from me. I’m very sorry for setting a bad example for our son. I promise to raise him with more care from now on, honey."
"What else?"
"I promise not to keep you in the dark anymore."
"Okay, and?"
"I’ll never even think about solving any issue revolving Gunwoo on my own. As soon as a problem related to our son comes up, I’m calling you immediately."
"Keep your promises, Hyung."
Song Sihyuk immediately nodded his head. "I will."
"If you fail to keep your promises, I will take Seulgi and Gunwoo with me, and then we’ll go to the U.S and live there for good."
Song Sihyuk suddenly went pale. "Anything but that, honey..."
"Then you better not do anything that will make me mad again."
Song Sihyuk nodded his head as if his life depended on it. "I promise, honey."
Haaah.
It seemed like Garam scared both Song Sihyuk and Song Gunwoo enough for the two to be extra careful from now on.
This should be enough.
"I trust you, Hyung," Garam said, and then he gently cupped his husband’s face between his hands. "Let’s treat your wound."
Song Sihyuk nodded, and then he kissed the palm of Garam’s hand. "I’m really sorry, honey," he said softly, closing his eyes and leaning his face against Garam’s palm. "I love you."
***
<A DIAMOND SPOON with a golden heart...>

They own the biggest search engine in Korea, aka the country’s very own G*ogle.
Both locals and tourists can’t navigate our country without NAVI Map— that’s how big Naville Corporation is, earning them the status of a quasi-chaebol.
He’s also Baekya’s uncle, and Baekya is Wonyoung Hyung’s former foster son.
Gunwoo has perfect manners, but he’s still awkward in front of the camera. So, I want him to get used to it before the actual filming for the campaign.
Wonyoung Hyung’s family is a celebrity family, after all.

Wonyoung Hyung’s children are famous celebrities, just like Wonyoung Hyung and his A-list actor husband.
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