They were heading back to the penthouse, the city sliding past them in soft blurs. After the emotional roller coaster of the day, they were finally back inside their own gentle bubble, where nothing else mattered.
The car stopped at a signal.
Hauen yawned deeply. "Ahh… I'm feeling sleepy. I ate too much," she murmured, leaning into his arm, hugging it loosely as her eyes fluttered shut.
He smiled, heart settling at last. Seeing her back to her bubbly, comfortable self.
The signal timer blinked. Ninety seconds.
Impatient, Suho tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.
Then he heard it.
A baby is crying.
At first, he ignored it, worried the sound might disturb Hauen. But the cries grew louder, sharper, cutting through the air.
"Oh… baby, don't cry. We're almost home," a woman's voice said, strained but gentle, trying to soothe the child.
The crying didn't stop.
Hauen stirred, disturbed by the sound. "Why is the baby crying so hard?" she muttered, blinking sleep from her eyes and following Suho's gaze.
"Baby… he's not listening. How much longer will it take?" the woman spoke again, frustration slipping into her voice.
Suho frowned.
The voice felt familiar. Uncomfortably so.
"What happened, Suho?" Hauen asked, noticing the change in his expression.
He shook his head, still trying to get a clearer look at the woman in the next car.
"Oh God… shh… baby, no… uljima… Omma is here," she whispered again, panic soft but real.
Then a male voice followed, low and familiar.
"I think he's hungry, Sora."
That was it.
Suho's eyes widened, breath hitching. "Minho…?" he gasped.
Hauen leaned forward from behind his shoulder, trying to see properly. "What happened, Suho?" she asked, confused by the sudden shock on his face.
"Hauena… that's Minho and Sora," he said, still staring. "That's our Minho and Sora…"
She blinked. "So… what happened?" she asked, not fully understanding yet.
"Hauena… they have a baby," he whispered, disbelief written all over his face.
Her brows knit together as she peeped at the car again, then back at him. "What? You didn't know?" she asked.
He shook his head slowly, genuinely stunned. "No. When did this happen? Nobody knows… not even the family."
"You're sure it's their baby?" she asked carefully. "Why would they hide something like this?"
"It's them. And it's their baby," Suho said firmly now, instinct screaming truth. "Wait… let me talk to him."
He was already unbuckling his seatbelt when the signal turned green.
Cars surged forward.
Minho's car moved ahead.
"Aish—" Suho muttered, frustration flashing across his face as he quickly buckled back up. Without hesitation, he pressed the accelerator and followed Minho's car, eyes fixed on the road.
"That's his car," Suho said, eyes sharp. "It's really them."
He sped up, pulling alongside Minho's car. Hauen leaned out slightly, waving her hand.
"Minho ssi!" she called.
Minho glanced sideways.
The moment his eyes landed on Hauen, they widened in pure shock. "Hauen…?" he muttered under his breath.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened, foot instinctively pressing harder on the accelerator.
"Stop the car, Minho ssi!" she yelled again.
Instead of slowing down, Minho sped up.
Suho's jaw tightened. "Why isn't he stopping?"
He accelerated, tailing Minho closely until the main road thinned into a quiet, almost deserted street.
Inside Minho's car, panic thickened the air. "Why is Hauen following us?" Minho said, voice strained.
Sora turned toward him, equally shaken. "Wasn't she missing? Why is she here…? What does she want from us?"
Before either of them could decide what to do next, Minho slammed the brakes. The car came to a sudden halt.
"What happened?" Sora asked, clutching the seat.
Minho stared straight ahead, breath caught in his throat. "Suho hyung…" he gasped.
Sora followed his gaze.
Suho stood in front of their car, having taken a different route to block them perfectly. Arms folded, posture rigid, eyes sharp with that unmistakable big brother authority. Beside him stood Hauen, mirroring his stance, calm but unreadable.
There was no escape now. Minho swallowed hard, stepped out of the car, and forced a nervous smile. "Hyung…"
Suho lifted a brow slowly, expression cold and knowing.
Minho took a few hesitant steps toward Suho, forcing a smile that sat wrong on his face.
"What are you doing here, hyung?" he asked awkwardly.
Suho didn't return the smile. His gaze stayed steady, heavy. "And why were you running from me?" he asked at last, his voice carrying that unmistakable big-brother authority. "When I asked you to stop the car."
Minho let out a short, nervous laugh. "Oh… it was you?" he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I thought someone was chasing us, so I just… drove away."
Suho's eyes hardened.
"Oh, really?" he said, chuckling sarcastically. "Hauen looked like someone chasing you?" His tone sharpened. "You didn't recognize her?"
Minho's shoulders slumped. He lowered his head, surrender written all over his posture."I'm sorry, hyung," he said quietly. "I didn't know Hauen was with you."
Suho took a step closer.
"And if she wasn't with me?" he asked, voice cutting. "Does that make her a stranger you don't stop for?" His jaw clenched. "Isn't Hauen your sister-in-law?"
Minho said nothing. His gaze stayed fixed on the ground.
Hauen squeezed Suho's hand gently, a silent plea to calm down. Suho felt it. He inhaled once, slow, then shifted his gaze past Minho.
His eyes landed on the car. Sora sat inside, stiff, clutching the baby close to her chest. The child had quieted now.
Suho's expression changed. Confusion crept in beneath the anger. "What is going on, Minho?" he asked again, voice firm but controlled.
Minho glanced at Suho, then back at Sora, torn.
Suho followed his line of sight. His breath hitched. "…Did you have a baby?" he asked, the question heavy, almost unreal.
Minho opened his mouth, but no words came. Whatever courage he had dissolved under Suho's stare.
Hauen stepped forward slightly, her voice soft, grounding.
"Minho ssi," she said gently, "why are you so scared?" She offered a small, reassuring smile. "Calm down. You… you guys had a baby?"