Chapter Text
Chapter 10: Days of Our Lives
Waiting for a response from Yeji’s family didn’t stop the flow of chaos around the house, nit with six boys who are. . .well boys. So what followed the news of Hyunjin’s sister was just the normal in the Bang house, at least normal for them.
. . .
Minho dragged himself through the front door at nearly nine o'clock, exhausted and covered in more animal hair than he cared to think about. It had been one of those days at the clinic—a cat with an abscess, a dog with separation anxiety who'd needed sedation for his examination, a rabbit who'd somehow gotten into paint, and a parrot with a broken wing who'd had very strong opinions about the treatment process.
He'd barely gotten his shoes off when he heard the first sneeze.
"Achoo!"
Then another.
"Achoo! Achoo!"
"Oh no," Minho muttered, looking down at himself. His scrubs were covered in a fine layer of cat hair, and his arms had telltale traces of dog fur clinging to them.
"ACHOO!"
That was definitely Changbin.
"Minho?" Chan's voice called from the living room. "Is that you?"
"Don't come over here!" Minho called back, but it was too late. Changbin appeared in the doorway, took one look at Minho, and immediately doubled over in a sneezing fit.
"Dad," Changbin managed between sneezes, "you look like—achoo!—like you wrestled—ACHOO!—with a—ACHOO ACHOO!—zoo!"
"Where are your allergy meds?" Minho asked, already moving toward the bathroom.
"Kitchen—ACHOO!—counter," Changbin wheezed between sneezes.
The commotion had attracted attention. Jeongin poked his head around the corner, saw the situation, and immediately ran toward the kitchen yelling, "CHANGBIN NEEDS HIS ALLERGY PILLS!"
This, of course, brought everyone running.
"What's happening?" Felix asked, appearing with flour in his hair from whatever he'd been baking.
"Dad's covered in fur and Changbin can't stop sneezing!" Jeongin announced dramatically.
"I'm fine," Changbin protested, then immediately sneezed again. "I just—ACHOO!—can't stop—ACHOO!—sneezing!"
Jisung skidded into the hallway, took one look at the scene, and declared, "Dad, you look like a walking lint roller commercial!"
"Where are the allergy meds?" Chan asked, appearing with a pill bottle in hand.
"Here," Felix said, also holding a bottle of antihistamines.
"I've got some too," Seungmin added, emerging from the kitchen with a third bottle.
"How many allergy medications does one kid need?" Jisung wondered aloud.
"As many as it takes!" Jeongin said seriously.
Meanwhile, Hyunjin had materialized at the edge of the chaos, watched the entire scene with wide eyes, and promptly disappeared back up the stairs. The noise and commotion was clearly too much.
"Everyone stop helping!" Minho called out, backing toward the bathroom. "Changbin, take your allergy meds. Everyone else, stay away from me until I can shower!"
"But Dad," Jeongin called after him, "what happened to you?"
"Emergency surgery on a Saint Bernard," Minho replied, closing the bathroom door behind him. "And then Mrs. Kim brought in all four of her cats for their check-ups!"
"At the same time?" Felix asked through the door.
"AT THE SAME TIME!" Minho confirmed over the sound of running water.
In the hallway, Changbin was finally getting his sneezing under control with the help of his antihistamines, though his eyes were still watery and red.
"You know," Seungmin observed, "we should probably vacuum the hallway now."
"And maybe burn Dad's scrubs," Jisung added helpfully.
"We're not burning anything," Chan said firmly.
"What about disinfecting?" Felix suggested. "I could make a baking soda paste—"
"No baking soda paste," Chan interrupted.
"Febreze?" Jeongin offered.
"Just... everyone go wash your hands and give your dad some space to clean up," Chan said tiredly.
Twenty minutes later, Minho emerged from the bathroom in clean clothes, his hair still damp from the shower. He found Changbin in the living room, the antihistamines having done their job, though his eyes were still slightly red and puffy.
"Come here," Minho said softly, settling on the couch next to his oldest son. "Let me see."
Changbin turned toward him, and Minho gently tilted his chin up to examine his face in the lamplight. His eyes were clearer now, but there were still faint red marks around his nose from all the sneezing.
"How are you feeling?" Minho asked, his voice carrying that particular tone he used when he was in full parent-doctor mode.
"Better," Changbin said, though he sounded tired. "My nose is still stuffy, and my eyes feel scratchy."
"That's normal. The reaction should be mostly gone by tomorrow morning." Minho reached over to feel Changbin's forehead, checking for any fever—an old habit that Changbin had long since stopped protesting. "Any trouble breathing? Tightness in your chest?"
"No, just the sneezing and stuffy nose," Changbin confirmed.
"Good. That means it was just a surface reaction to the dander, not a deeper respiratory response." Minho's fingers moved to check the lymph nodes under Changbin's jaw, a gesture so automatic that neither of them really thought about it anymore. "You took the antihistamine about twenty minutes ago?"
"Yeah. Felix brought me water and everything."
Minho smiled. "Of course he did." He studied Changbin's face for another moment, then seemed satisfied. "You might want to take another dose before bed if you're still feeling congested. And if your eyes are still bothering you in the morning, we can try some eye drops."
"Okay." Changbin leaned back against the couch cushions, looking younger than his fourteen years.
“Sorry about that, honey”
"It’s okay, but dad?"
"Mmm?"
"Maybe next time you could text ahead? Like a fur warning system?"
"A fur alert," Jisung said, perking up. "We could make it musical! Like an emergency broadcast!"
"This is Fur Alert Radio," Felix announced in a dramatic voice, "broadcasting live from the Bang-Lee household—"
"No," Chan and Minho said simultaneously.
"But it could be catchy—" Jisung protested.
"NO."
Hyunjin reappeared on the stairs, apparently having decided the chaos had died down to acceptable levels. He looked at Minho critically, then nodded his approval at the clean clothes and lack of animal hair.
"Better," he said simply.
"Thanks, buddy," Minho replied. "Sorry about the drama."
Hyunjin shrugged, as if to say these things happened, and continued down to join the family.
"So," Chan said, settling onto the couch next to Minho, "how was work?"
Minho looked at his family—Changbin still slightly red around the eyes but breathing fine, Jisung already drumming a "fur alert" rhythm on his knees, Felix no doubt planning emergency cleaning protocols, Seungmin reading quietly, Jeongin curled up with a book, and Hyunjin drawing in his sketchpad—and smiled.
"It was a day," he said finally. "But coming home is always the best part."
"Even when you trigger a medical emergency just by walking through the door?" Chan asked with amusement.
"Especially then," Minho replied. "Keeps life interesting."
. . .
"It's just groceries," Chan muttered to himself as he pulled into the parking lot of the supermarket, six kids in tow. "How hard can it be?"
In the rearview mirror, he could see the usual chaos: Jisung drumming on his knees, Felix reading ingredients off a granola bar wrapper, Changbin trying to referee some argument between Seungmin and Jeongin, and Hyunjin staring out the window with that focused expression he got when something caught his attention.
"Alright, everyone out," Chan called, grabbing his reusable bags from the trunk. "We stick together, we get what's on the list, and we're out in thirty minutes. Got it?"
A chorus of agreement followed him as they trooped toward the automatic doors.
The first five minutes went surprisingly well. They managed to grab a cart, and Jeongin even volunteered to help push it. Chan was mentally congratulating himself when he realized the background music had changed to something with a prominent drum beat.
"Where's Jisung?" he asked, doing a quick headcount.
"He was right here," Felix said, looking around. "Oh. There he is."
Chan followed his gaze to find Jisung three aisles over, using a pair of bananas as drumsticks on the edge of a shopping cart, completely absorbed in keeping time with the store's music.
"Jisung!" Chan called, but his voice was lost in the general hum of the store.
"I'll get him," Changbin offered, jogging over to collect their wayward brother.
"Thanks. Okay, everyone else stay close," Chan said, consulting his list. "We need milk, bread, and—Hyunjin?"
But Hyunjin had discovered the freezer section, and was standing transfixed by the way the frost patterns created geometric shapes on the glass doors. He traced one with his finger, completely oblivious to the world around him.
"Felix, can you—Felix?"
Chan spun around to find that Felix had somehow migrated to the bakery section and was deep in conversation with an employee about the difference between French and Italian bread techniques.
"The hydration level of the dough is really what makes the difference in the crust texture," Felix was saying earnestly.
Meanwhile, Seungmin had wandered toward the seafood counter, drawn by the colorful display, but with the store's noise level and his hearing aids, he couldn't hear Chan calling his name.
That left Changbin—who had successfully retrieved Jisung but was now trying to prevent him from drumming on anything else—and Jeongin, who was still faithfully pushing the cart but had somehow gotten distracted by a display of automatic air fresheners that sprayed mist every few seconds.
"This is fine," Chan said to himself, grabbing the cart from Jeongin. "This is totally fine."
Twenty minutes later, Chan had managed to corral most of his children back together, though not without incident. Hyunjin had to be gently coaxed away from his geometric frost fascination, Felix had somehow acquired three different types of artisanal flour ("for experimentation purposes"), and Seungmin had returned with detailed knowledge of the store's fish selection.
"Dad, can we get ice cream?" Jeongin asked as they passed the frozen dessert aisle.
"We have ice cream at home," Chan replied automatically, still consulting his list.
"But this is different ice cream," Jisung pointed out. "This is store ice cream."
"All ice cream is store ice cream originally," Seungmin said logically.
"Not if you make it yourself," Felix interjected. "I've been reading about ice cream makers—"
"We're not buying an ice cream maker," Chan said quickly.
"But what if—" Jisung started.
"No."
"What about—" Jeongin tried.
"No."
"Can I at least—" Felix began.
"NO."
The finality in Chan's voice made all six boys look at him with identical expressions of wounded innocence.
"I mean," Chan backtracked, "we can discuss it at home. After we finish shopping. Which we're going to do quickly and efficiently."
He should have known better than to tempt fate.
At the checkout line, Hyunjin became fascinated by the way the barcode scanner made different beeping sounds for different products. Jisung started beatboxing along with the beeps. Felix questioned the cashier about their bagging technique. Seungmin couldn't hear the cashier asking if he wanted the receipt and just stared at her pleasantly. Jeongin discovered that the credit card reader had buttons that lit up when pressed. And Changbin, bless him, was trying to help bag groceries but kept getting in the way.
"Sir, your total is—" the cashier began.
"BEEP BEEP BEEP!" Jisung provided sound effects.
"That's a different pitch for frozen items," Hyunjin observed, leaning closer to the scanner.
"Excuse me," Felix said to the cashier, "do you double-bag the heavy items first, or—"
"Paper or plastic?" the bag boy asked Seungmin, who was looking in the completely wrong direction.
"BEEP!" went the credit card reader as Jeongin pressed another button.
Chan closed his eyes and counted to ten.
"Plastic is fine," he answered for Seungmin. "Hyunjin, step back from the scanner. Jisung, indoor voice. Felix, they know how to bag groceries. Jeongin, hands to yourself. Changbin, you're doing great, buddy."
Somehow, they made it to the car with all their groceries and all their children.
"That wasn't so bad," Changbin said optimistically as they loaded the bags into the trunk.
Chan stared at him. "We went in for milk, bread, and apples. We came out with seventeen items, including three types of flour, a bag of exotic mushrooms Felix insisted we 'needed to try,' and a pack of drumsticks because Jisung promised he'd practice quietly."
"And ice cream," Jeongin added helpfully. "You said we could discuss it and then you put it in the cart."
Chan looked down at the receipt. There was, indeed, ice cream on it.
"Next time," he announced as they buckled their seatbelts, "Dad goes shopping alone."
The first sign that picture day was going to be a disaster came at 6:47 AM, when Felix stumbled into the kitchen with flour coating half his face and most of his hair.
"Why are you baking at six in the morning?" Chan asked, looking up from his coffee.
"Stress baking," Felix mumbled, attempting to brush flour out of his eyebrows. "Picture day makes me nervous, so I thought I'd make muffins, but I forgot about the flour explosion when you overmix the—"
"Go shower," Minho interrupted gently. "Now."
The second sign came when Jisung appeared at 7:15 with his hair defying all known laws of physics. It was sticking up in at least four different directions, and no amount of water or hair product seemed capable of taming it.
"Did you sleep in a tornado?" Seungmin asked, signing the question as well for emphasis.
"I don't know what happened," Jisung said, frantically trying to pat down a particularly rebellious cowlick. "It was normal when I went to bed!"
"Static electricity," Hyunjin observed from his seat at the breakfast table. He was already dressed in his picture day clothes—a soft blue button-down shirt that Minho had specifically chosen for its lack of scratchy tags or stiff collar.
"What?" Jisung asked.
"Your new comforter is synthetic," Hyunjin explained matter-of-factly. "Synthetic materials create static electricity. Static electricity makes hair stand up."
"How do you know that?" Changbin asked, impressed.
Hyunjin shrugged. "I read."
The third sign came when Jeongin wandered downstairs wearing a shirt that was clearly too small for him.
"Buddy," Chan said gently, "did you grow three inches overnight?"
Jeongin looked down at his shirt, which was riding up to show his stomach. "I don't think so?"
"It's the shirt I laid out for you last night," Minho said, examining the situation. "But that was your old picture day shirt from last year."
"Oh," Jeongin said. "Should I change?"
"Yes, please change," Chan said. "Into something that fits."
The fourth sign was when Seungmin appeared wearing a perfectly coordinated outfit—and then promptly spilled orange juice down the front of his white shirt.
"No," Seungmin said to himself, staring down at the stain. "No, no, no."
"It's okay," Felix called from the stairs, now clean but with his hair still slightly damp. "White vinegar and cold water! I'll get it!"
"We don't have time for stain removal," Minho pointed out, glancing at the clock. "Can you change shirts?"
"This was my only good white shirt," Seungmin signed, looking distressed.
The fifth and final sign that the universe was against them came when Changbin, who had been the picture of responsibility and had gotten ready early and correctly, tripped over absolutely nothing while coming down the stairs and scraped his chin on the banister.
"Ow," he said, touching the red mark on his jaw. "That's going to show up in the pictures, isn't it?"
Chan and Minho looked at each other across the kitchen.
"Okay," Chan announced. "New plan. Everyone upstairs. We're starting over."
"But we don't have time—" Changbin protested.
"We're making time," Minho said firmly. "Felix, find Seungmin a different shirt. Changbin, we'll put some concealer on that scrape. Jisung, we're going to wage war on your hair. Jeongin, pick a shirt that actually fits you."
"What about me?" Hyunjin asked.
"You," Minho said, "are perfect exactly as you are. Don't change anything."
Hyunjin nodded solemnly, as if this was very important information.
Twenty-five minutes later, they had achieved something resembling success. Seungmin was wearing one shirt that was slightly too big but clean, probably Hyunjin’s. Jisung's hair had been tamed with a combination of water, gel, and what Chan suspected might have been actual prayer. Jeongin was in a shirt that fit. Changbin's scrape was barely visible under carefully applied concealer (courtesy of a YouTube tutorial that Minho had watched at double speed). And Felix's hair had dried into something resembling its normal state.
"Okay," Chan said, doing a final inspection as they stood by the front door. "Everyone looks great. Pictures are going to be perfect."
They made it exactly three blocks before Jeongin announced, "I have to go to the bathroom."
"You went before we left," Minho pointed out.
"I have to go again."
"Can you wait until we get to school?" Chan asked.
"Maybe?"
"That's not a yes," Seungmin observed.
They pulled into a gas station. Jeongin ran inside. He came back out with wet spots on his shirt and soap suds in his hair.
"The soap dispenser exploded," he explained sheepishly.
Chan put his head down on the steering wheel.
"It's fine," Minho said soothingly, though he was clearly suppressing laughter. "It's... character."
Despite their chaotic morning, they made it to school drop-off just like any other day. Chan and Minho exchanged a look as their six disheveled children climbed out of the car.
"Good luck with picture day!" Minho called after them.
"We're going to need it," Changbin muttered, touching his concealed chin scrape.
.
.
.
Changbin was first up at the high school photo station in the gym. He sat on the stool, trying to look confident despite the morning's disasters.
"Sit up straight, chin up slightly," the photographer instructed. "Perfect. Hold still."
The camera flash went off three times in quick succession. Changbin barely had time to worry about whether his scrape was showing before it was over.
"Next!"
.
.
.
At the middle school setup in the library, Felix approached the photographer's stool with his usual gentle confidence, despite the lingering dampness in his hair.
"What a nice blue shirt," the photographer commented. "Very photogenic color."
Felix smiled naturally, and even though his hair was sticking up slightly in the back where it hadn't dried properly, his genuine warmth came through in the photos.
"Beautiful! Next!"
Jisung bounced into the stool right after, his hair already starting to rebel against the morning's careful styling in the humid gym.
"Okay, big smile—but not too big," the photographer said. "Look right here at the camera."
Jisung tried to hold still, but his natural energy made it difficult. His smile was slightly lopsided, and by the third flash, one piece of hair had sprung free to stick up at an odd angle.
"Got it! Next!"
.
.
.
Seungmin sat carefully on the stool, the too-big borrowed shirt making him look smaller than usual. He adjusted his hearing aids slightly and focused on the photographer's lips to read her instructions.
"Turn your head just a little to the left," she said, gesturing with her hand. "Perfect."
Despite swimming in the shirt, Seungmin's natural composure made the photos look dignified and intentional.
"Excellent! Next!"
.
.
.
Jeongin practically skipped up to the photographer, his soap-sudded hair now looking like he'd used expensive styling product. His natural enthusiasm was infectious.
"Someone's having a great hair day!" the photographer said with a laugh.
Jeongin beamed at the camera, his genuine joy making the photos glow despite the morning's disasters.
"Wonderful! Next!"
.
.
.
Meanwhile, in the art room, Hyunjin sat on his designated stool, fidgeting with the hem of his soft blue shirt. The quieter environment was a relief after the morning's chaos, but now he had to deal with the camera.
"Okay, sweetie, just look right here at the lens," the photographer said gently.
Hyunjin looked in the general direction of the camera, but his eyes kept sliding away to focus on the photographer's shoulder, or the interesting pattern on the backdrop, or the way the light reflected off the camera equipment.
"It's okay, take your time," the photographer said patiently. She'd clearly worked with anxious students before.
Hyunjin took a deep breath and forced himself to look directly at the camera lens. It felt strange and uncomfortable, like looking into a bright, unblinking eye. He held the pose for exactly three seconds—long enough for the photographer to get her shots.
"Perfect," she said warmly. "You're very photogenic, you know. Even when you're not looking directly at the camera, the angles of your face photograph beautifully."
Hyunjin nodded seriously, processing this information. He hadn't known that faces could have good angles for photographs.
Since it was photo day, classes ended early, so just a bit later, as they walked back to the car, Hyunjin tugged on Minho's sleeve.
"Next time," he said quietly, "we should prepare the night before."
"You think?" Minho asked with amusement.
Hyunjin nodded seriously. "Systems prevent chaos."
"Where were you with that advice at seven this morning?" Chan asked.
"You didn't ask," Hyunjin replied logically.
Felix laughed. "He's got a point."
"Next year," Seungmin announced, "I'm in charge of picture day preparations."
"Deal," Chan and Minho said simultaneously.
"Can I help?" Jeongin asked.
"We'll all help," Changbin said. "Teamwork."
"As long as Jisung doesn't sleep on synthetic materials the night before," Hyunjin added.
"Hey!" Jisung protested. "That wasn't my fault!"
"Static electricity doesn't care about fault," Hyunjin replied. "It only cares about science."
As they drove home, Chan caught Minho's eye in the rearview mirror. Despite the chaos, despite the stress, despite the fact that their morning had been a complete disaster from start to finish, they were all laughing.
"You know what?" Chan said. "I bet these turn out to be the best school pictures yet."
"Because we look good?" Felix asked.
"Because you look like you," Minho replied. "Chaos and all."
And somehow, that felt exactly right.
. . .
That night, after all six children were finally in bed and the house had settled into blessed quiet, Chan and Minho collapsed onto their own bed with matching sighs of exhaustion.
"So," Chan said, pulling off his socks and tossing them vaguely in the direction of the hamper. "This week has been..."
"A disaster?" Minho suggested, changing into his pajamas.
"I was going to say educational," Chan replied with a tired laugh. "But disaster works too."
Minho settled onto his side of the bed, looking thoughtful. "You know what I keep thinking about, though?"
"How we're never going grocery shopping with all six kids again?"
"Well, yes, that too." Minho smiled. "But also Hyunjin. Through all this chaos—the grocery store madness, my allergy attack, picture day—he's been so patient. And I know he's been checking every day, hoping to hear something from the adoption agency about Yeji."
Chan's expression grew more serious. "It's been three weeks since we contacted them."
"I know. And he hasn't asked about it once, but I can see him thinking about it. That little crease he gets between his eyebrows when he's processing something big."
"He's been doing so well with everything else, too," Chan observed. "The school accommodations, his friendship with Sunwoo, handling all the family chaos. Maybe we should do something special while we wait."
"What did you have in mind?"
Chan was quiet for a moment, then sat up slightly. "Remember that big regional park about an hour away? Riverside Park? It has the climbing walls, the lake, those trails, the playground..."
"The one where we said we'd take them 'someday'?"
"Exactly. Tomorrow's Saturday. What if we made 'someday' tomorrow?"
Minho considered this. "Six kids at a massive park. What could possibly go wrong?"
"When you put it like that..." Chan grinned. "It sounds like exactly the kind of controlled chaos we can handle."
"Controlled is a very optimistic word choice."
"I prefer 'cautiously optimistic,'" Chan replied. "Come on, it'll be fun. Fresh air, physical activity, family bonding time."
"And probably at least three minor emergencies," Minho added.
"Well, yes, but we'll be prepared for those."
Minho looked at his husband with fond exasperation. "You know what? Fine. But we're gonna have to pack the emergency kit, extra clothes for everyone, and enough snacks to feed a small army. At least."
"Deal," Chan said, settling back into bed. "This is going to be great."
.
.
.
"Remember, everyone stays together," Chan announced as they piled out of their van in the Riverside Park parking lot. "This place is huge, and we don't want anyone getting lost."
"We know, Dad," Changbin said, shouldering the backpack he'd volunteered to carry. "We're not five."
"Some of us are closer to five than others," Seungmin pointed out, glancing meaningfully at Jeongin.
"I'm ten!" Jeongin protested.
"And very mature for your age," Minho said diplomatically, pulling the emergency backpack from the trunk. "But the buddy system is still a good idea."
The park was even more impressive than the website had suggested. Sprawling green spaces dotted with picnic areas, a large lake with rental boats, multiple playgrounds, hiking trails disappearing into wooded areas, and in the distance, an adventure course complete with rock climbing walls and zip lines.
"Whoa," Felix breathed, taking in the scope of it all.
"Can we go climbing?" Hyunjin asked quietly, pointing toward the adventure course.
"Can we rent a boat?" Jeongin added, bouncing on his toes as he spotted the dock.
"Are those batting cages?" Seungmin asked, squinting toward a fenced area near the sports complex.
"Look, there's a whole outdoor kitchen area," Felix observed, already drawn toward a pavilion where families were grilling.
"And I think I hear music," Jisung said, tilting his head toward a bandstand in the distance.
Chan and Minho exchanged a look.
"Okay," Chan said. "We explore together, and then we can break into smaller groups for different activities. But nobody goes anywhere alone, and everyone checks in every thirty minutes."
"What if we can't find you?" Jeongin asked practically.
"Meet back at this picnic table," Minho said, pointing to a large table near the parking area. "And everyone has my phone number programmed in their phones."
They started as a group, following the main path around the lake. The weather was perfect—sunny but not too warm, with a light breeze that made the water sparkle. For the first fifteen minutes, they actually managed to stay together, with the older boys naturally falling into step with the younger ones.
But then they passed the adventure course.
"Oh wow," Hyunjin said, stopping completely as he took in the rock climbing walls. There were three different difficulty levels, and he could see other kids and adults making their way up the colorful holds.
"That looks fun," Changbin agreed. "I bet I could make it to the top of the intermediate wall."
"I bet I could beat you there," Jisung said with a grin.
"You're both wrong," Felix said mildly. "Hyunjin would definitely win. He climbs trees that are taller than those walls."
While they were debating climbing strategies, Jeongin had wandered toward the lake edge, fascinated by a family of ducks swimming near the shore.
"Look, baby ducks!" he called over his shoulder.
Seungmin, meanwhile, had spotted the sports complex and was watching a pickup baseball game with obvious interest.
"We could rent equipment," he said, more to himself than anyone else.
"Okay," Minho said, recognizing the signs of impending dispersal. "Let's make a plan. Who wants to do what first?"
"Climbing," Hyunjin said immediately.
"I want to see the ducks up close," Jeongin added.
"Baseball," Seungmin said.
"Is there really an outdoor kitchen?" Felix asked. "Because I saw people making what looked like amazing sandwiches."
"Music," Jisung said, pointing toward the bandstand where the sounds of acoustic guitars were drifting from.
"I'll go wherever," Changbin said agreeably. "Maybe start with climbing?"
Chan pulled out his phone to check the time. "Okay. It's 10:30 now. Let's say we meet back here at noon for lunch, and then we can rotate activities. Climbing group first—that's Hyunjin, Changbin, and Jisung. Felix, you want to check out the outdoor kitchen situation. Seungmin, baseball. Jeongin..."
"Ducks," Jeongin said firmly.
"Right. Ducks. Dad and I will supervise different groups and keep an eye on everyone."
It was a good plan. It might even have worked.
But plans, as they'd learned this week, were more like suggestions in the Bang-Lee household.
The climbing group made it exactly halfway to the adventure course before Jisung got distracted by a street performer doing magic tricks near the bandstand.
"Just for a minute," he said, already veering toward the small crowd that had gathered. "I want to see how he does the coin trick."
"Jisung," Changbin called, but it was too late. Their brother had disappeared into the crowd of onlookers.
Meanwhile, Felix had indeed found the outdoor kitchen area, but had gotten into a detailed conversation with a park volunteer about the proper technique for grilling vegetables.
"You want to cut the zucchini on the bias," the volunteer was explaining, "because it gives you more surface area for caramelization."
"That makes so much sense," Felix replied earnestly. "What about peppers? Do you remove the seeds first, or..."
Seungmin had found the baseball area, but instead of just watching, he'd been invited to join a casual game by a group of teenagers who were short a player. He was currently at bat, completely absorbed in the game.
And Jeongin, who was supposed to be safely looking at ducks with Chan supervising, had spotted something much more interesting than waterfowl.
"Dad!" he called excitedly. "There are tadpoles! And I think I saw a frog!"
He was on his hands and knees at the very edge of the lake, peering into the shallow water with intense concentration.
"Jeongin, be careful," Chan said, moving closer. "You're getting pretty muddy there."
"But Dad, look! I think there's a whole ecosystem in here. There might be newts, and definitely some kind of aquatic insects, and—"
The inevitable happened.
One moment Jeongin was balanced carefully on the lake edge, pointing out interesting specimens to his father. The next moment, he was sitting hip-deep in lake water, looking surprised and extremely muddy.
"Oh," he said mildly. "That's colder than I expected."
Meanwhile, across the park, the adventure course was proving to be a hit. Changbin had started on the beginner wall to get a feel for it, but quickly moved up to the intermediate level. He was a natural—his soccer training had given him good upper body strength and coordination, and he moved up the colorful holds with steady confidence.
"Nice job, Changbin!" Jisung called from the ground, waiting for his turn. "You make it look easy!"
Hyunjin had chosen the advanced wall, drawn by its complex route and varied holds. At first, everything was perfect. The physical challenge felt good, the problem-solving aspect of finding the right sequence of moves engaged his mind, and he moved up the wall with fluid grace.
But as the morning wore on, the adventure course got busier.
More families arrived. More children started climbing on the adjacent walls. The volume level steadily increased—excited shouts, encouraging calls, the beeping of the automatic belay systems, the sound of carabiners clinking against the wall.
Hyunjin was about twenty feet up when he first noticed his shoulders getting tense. The harness, which had felt fine at ground level, now seemed to be digging into his hips and chest. The chest strap felt too tight, constricting his breathing.
He tried to focus on the next hold, a blue one just within reach, but someone on the wall next to him let out a loud whoop of victory that made him flinch.
"You got this!" someone shouted from below, but Hyunjin couldn't tell if they were talking to him or someone else. The voice felt too loud, too close.
His skin started to prickle, that familiar sensation that meant his sensory system was getting overwhelmed. The harness felt tighter now, like it was squeezing him. His ears began to ring, a high-pitched whine that mixed with the cacophony around him.
He wanted to cover his ears, needed to press his hands against them to block out the noise, but he couldn't let go of the holds. If he let go, he would fall. The auto-belay would catch him, but his brain couldn't process that logic right now. All it knew was: hold on, don't fall, but the noise hurt, and he needed to move, needed to escape, but he was stuck.
The more time passed, the worse it got. His chest felt tight, not just from the harness but from the anxiety building inside him. He wanted to cry, or scream, or hit something—anything to release the pressure building in his head. His hands were cramping from gripping the holds so tightly, but he couldn't make himself let go.
"Hyunjin?"
The voice was different from the others—calmer, closer. He looked to his right and saw Changbin on the wall next to him, having climbed up to his level.
"Hey, buddy," Changbin said softly, his voice cutting through the noise in a way the others hadn't. "It's getting pretty loud down there, huh?"
Hyunjin couldn't speak, but he managed a small nod. His breathing was shallow and rapid.
"That's okay," Changbin said, moving slightly closer. "You don't have to stay up here. Want to go down together?"
Hyunjin wanted to say yes, but his hands wouldn't release the holds. The logical part of his brain knew he was safe, knew the harness would catch him, but the overwhelmed part was in full control now.
"Look at me," Changbin said gently. "Not the ground, not the other people. Just me, okay?"
Hyunjin met his brother's eyes. Changbin's expression was calm and reassuring.
"I'm going to stay right here with you," Changbin continued. "And when you're ready, we'll go down together. The rope will catch us both. Dad's down there waiting."
It took another few seconds, but finally, Hyunjin managed to loosen his grip on the holds. Changbin immediately reached over and took his hand.
"There we go. I've got you."
The adventure course staff, who had been watching the situation develop, carefully lowered both boys down on their respective auto-belay systems. Changbin kept talking the whole way down, a steady stream of reassuring words that helped Hyunjin focus on something other than the overwhelming sensory input.
The moment their feet touched the ground, Minho was there with Hyunjin's noise-canceling headphones in one hand and a bag of chewy stim toys in the other.
"Right here, buddy," Minho said softly, gently placing the headphones over Hyunjin's ears and adjusting them to the white noise setting. "And here." He offered Hyunjin a chew necklace—one of the firmer ones that provided the deep pressure input Hyunjin needed when he was overwhelmed.
Hyunjin immediately bit down on the chew toy, his jaw working steadily as the pressure helped regulate his system. The noise-canceling headphones transformed the chaotic sounds around him into manageable white noise.
"Let's find somewhere quieter," Minho said, speaking where Hyunjin could see his lips. He guided his son away from the adventure course toward a shaded area near the walking trails where there were fewer people and less stimulation.
Once they were settled on a bench in the quieter area, Hyunjin pressed himself against Minho's side, gripping the fabric of his father's shirt in his fist. He buried his face against Minho's shoulder, using his dad's solid presence to ground himself.
"You're okay," Minho murmured, wrapping an arm around his son. "You're safe. Take all the time you need."
They sat like that for several minutes, Hyunjin gradually relaxing as his nervous system calmed down. The chew toy helped, the headphones helped, but mostly it was Minho's steady presence that brought him back to baseline.
Meanwhile, Changbin had been hovering nearby, clearly torn between wanting to make sure Hyunjin was alright and not wanting to add to the sensory overload.
"Is he okay?" Changbin asked Minho quietly.
"He will be," Minho replied. "That was really good thinking up there, getting to him like that. You helped him when he couldn't help himself."
Changbin looked relieved. "I remembered what you and Dad always say about staying calm and talking him through it."
"You did perfectly," Minho assured him. "He's in good hands now, if you want to go back and finish the course."
Changbin glanced at Hyunjin, who was still clinging to Minho but looked more settled now. "You sure?"
Hyunjin pulled back slightly from Minho's shoulder and looked at his brother. He couldn't speak yet—the overwhelm had temporarily taken away his words—but he managed to nod and make a small shooing gesture toward the adventure course.
"Go," Minho translated with a small smile. "Have fun."
Changbin grinned and ruffled Hyunjin's hair gently before jogging back toward the climbing walls, where Jisung was waiting impatiently for his turn.
Back on the course, Changbin threw himself into the physical challenge with renewed energy, scaling the advanced wall with the kind of fluid athleticism that drew appreciative comments from other climbers. He completed three different routes, each one more challenging than the last, clearly in his element.
"Show off," Jisung called good-naturedly when Changbin rang the bell at the top of the expert-level wall.
"Just wait until you try it," Changbin called back, rappelling down with a huge grin on his face.
It was at this point that Chan arrived, carrying a very wet and extremely muddy Jeongin.
"Don't ask," Chan said, seeing Minho's expression.
"Lake?" Minho guessed.
"Lake. Plus what I think was a very thorough investigation of the local amphibian population."
Jeongin, who was dripping lake water and covered in mud from his knees down, looked completely unbothered by his soggy state.
"Dad, did you know that tadpoles can actually breathe through their skin as well as their gills?" he said excitedly. "And I found three different types of aquatic beetles!"
"Fascinating," Minho said, trying not to laugh. "Also, you're soaked."
"And muddy," Chan added. "Very, very muddy."
"Good thing we packed extra clothes," Minho said, pulling a complete change of clothes from the emergency backpack. "Thank goodness for Hyunjin's touch sensitivity—we always have backup outfits."
"This is why we can't have nice things," Chan muttered, but he was smiling.
"Actually," said a voice behind them, "this is why you're excellent parents."
They turned to find a park ranger approaching, grinning at the sight of their soggy, muddy youngest son.
"I've been working here for eight years," the ranger continued, "and I can always tell the difference between families who are prepared for kids to be kids, and families who expect kids to behave like tiny adults. You folks clearly know what you're doing."
"Some days more than others," Chan replied.
"Well, today's going pretty well, all things considered," the ranger said. "Your son there was very careful about not disturbing the wildlife while he was conducting his 'research.' And," she added, nodding toward Hyunjin, "I saw how quickly you handled the situation at the climbing wall. Nice work."
After Jeongin had been changed into dry clothes (and his muddy ones had been relegated to a plastic bag), they managed to round up the rest of their scattered family. Jisung had learned three magic tricks and was eager to demonstrate them. Felix had acquired a recipe for grilled vegetable sandwiches and a new friend who was a professional chef. Seungmin had helped his temporary baseball team win their game and been invited to come back next weekend.
And Changbin, who had somehow ended up supervising all of his scattered brothers while Chan and Minho dealt with various crises, looked like he'd aged about three years in the past hour.
"Everyone accounted for?" Chan asked, doing a mental headcount.
"Everyone except my sanity," Changbin replied, but he was grinning.
"That was lost years ago," Minho said cheerfully. "But think of all the adventures we'd miss if we were sensible people."
As they spread out their picnic lunch at the designated meeting table, surrounded by the chaos of their morning—Jeongin still slightly damp around the edges, Hyunjin comfortable in his noise-canceling headphones, Felix already planning to try his new recipe, Seungmin texting his new baseball contacts, and Jisung practicing coin tricks—Chan and Minho exchanged a look.
"So," Minho said quietly. "Still think this was a good idea?"
Chan looked around at their six sons, all talking over each other about their morning adventures, and smiled.
"Ask me again when we get home," he said. "But yeah. I think it was exactly what we all needed."