Untouched [minsung]

Chapter 35

Felix POV

I knew where the Seo family lived because Changbin had shown me around the house a few times when his parents hadn't been around.

I didn't know exactly how it would go though...my showing up alone. So I decided to involve Changbin.

I told him nothing about the plan or Han or any of what had gone down. I simply called him and told him that things between us had been getting pretty serious and asked if he wanted to introduce me to his family. He was thrilled. I felt bad for manipulating him, but I had to do what was necessary.

It would be a fine line to walk...maintaining the front of my relationship with Changbin while also being in the know of the world that the Seos lived in. I'd have to be decisive and careful and not let my emotions get the best of me.

Luckily, I'd had a lot of practice keeping my past a secret.

Changbin picked me up and was his usual excitable self. I had picked up flowers for Mrs. Seo, too. I wanted to play the loyal boyfriend part perfectly and get in her good graces early on in the evening. I hoped it would make the difficult part go more smoothly.

"My parents are going to love you," Changbin smiled eagerly. He patted my thigh as he drove, and I tried not to think about all the ways this could go wrong. I hoped Han was important enough to her that she wouldn't question me much on how I knew all of this information.

Changbin drove through the gates and parked in the driveway. I was glad I'd been here before so that I wasn't intimidated by the size of his home.

It could fit several of my apartments' worth in the entryway alone. Changbin waited for me to walk up to the door with him. He proudly took my hand in his.

Usually, we'd walk right in and be greeted by the doorman. Today, Changbin used the golden door knocker that resembled a lion's head. After the third knock, he stepped back, and we waited.

Seemingly in no rush to welcome their son and his boyfriend, his parents took their time. I heard scuffles of feet on the other side of the door and there was a long pause of nothing before the door opened. Changbin was greeted by his mother with a kiss on each cheek. She held a hand out to me as well, and I had to let go of Changbin's hand to shake it. I slyly wiped the anxiety sweats on my pants before doing so. Touching her sent a chill down my spine.

Mr. Seo stood back and watched us greet Mrs. Seo before introducing himself.

"I am Mr. Seo. Nice to meet you," he said with a serious face. Changbin bowed to his father and I followed suit. His mom led us into a living space.

"Mrs. Seo," I spoke up. "I've brought these for you," I said as I bowed and offered her the flowers.

"That is so sweet of you. Thank you, Felix," she said taking them from me with a generous smile. I knew better than to fall for it.

"Danielle," she said as she snapped her fingers. A maid appeared from what felt like thin air. "Can you put these in a vase?"

She took the flowers and scurried off just as quickly as she had appeared. I wondered if Lily had ever been a maid here. It didn't seem like she treated them with much respect.

"Let's sit, shall we," she motioned towards the couches and chairs. Changbin retook my hand and led me to sit by him on a sofa while each of his parents took separate armchairs. They had tea on a tray, and we each prepared a cup as we settled in.

"So Felix, what drew you to our Changbin," she smiled. If I wasn't aware of the monster she was and the horrible things she'd done, I could have been fooled that she was actually a nice person. Her aura was so warm.

This first question was easy. Good Boyfriend 101

"Changbin lights up every room. Every time I saw him I wanted to be near him. He's so kind and makes me laugh, and I never have to wonder what he's thinking," I looked at his parents who were hanging on every word. "I really feel so lucky."

Changbin squeezed my hand, and I turned to smile at him. His cheeks were red.

"He's seemed so much happier these last few months. As a mother, that's more important than anything," she nodded as she spoke and took a sip of her tea. I hoped that sentiment would apply to Han as well.

"Well I never expected to have a queer son," Mr. Seo began.

"Father? This again?" Changbin complained.

"Now, hear me out, Changbin," he argued. "I never expected to have a queer son. But seeing you so happy...that was all I ever wanted."

Changbin sniffled next to me. This had quickly turned much more emotional than I'd expected. Changbin had told me before how hard his father had been on him when he'd come out. His mother, though not hateful, was indifferent at best. But here they were, the perfect picture of support.

It was so different than the Hwang's who were robotic. Changbin's family seemed to express emotions freely. It actually made it worse how empathetic they were because they did such horrible things to others but were capable of feeling sympathy and kindness. They were capable of doing better and chose not to. At least it seemed that the Hwangs were psychopathic which justified (and I say that lightly) their behavior.

"Thank you, Father," Changbin said with a voice crack. I squeezed his hand in support.

"So, how did you two meet?" Mrs. Seo asked Changbin. I'd been a bit worried about this question. I wondered if they'd look down on my profession. I even wondered if I should've coached Changbin on a different story, but was worried he'd be suspicious. He knew his parents better than me, after all.

"We met at the club," Changbin stated, omitting the fact that I worked there.

"Which club?"

"Inferno. I was there with Han when we met," Changbin explained a bit more. At the mention of Han's name, Mrs. Seo shifted in her chair appearing uncomfortable.

I wanted to test her further.

"Han actually left a bit early that night, so I saved Changbin from having to hang out alone," I laughed as if it were an inside joke between Changbin and me. That had been what happened, sort of. In reality, Han left and Changbin drank alone the rest of the night until I took him home because he was too drunk and had lost his phone.

"I thought for a while that you and Han were a thing," Mr. Seo admitted.

Mrs. Seo choked on her tea and some of it got onto her blouse. "Excuse me," she coughed as she exited the room to clean herself.

"Allow me to help," I suggested as I followed after her. This was it. I reminded myself to keep my emotions in check. This was also for Lily just as much as it was for the others.

"Is everything okay?" I asked Mrs. Seo. She had a towel to her chest and was wiping away at the tea she'd spit out.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I'll rejoin you in a moment," she smiled before turning to face the sink.

But I didn't leave. I didn't move. I collected myself and my thoughts by taking a few deep breaths. So much was riding on my ability to have this conversation.

"I know about Han," I confessed.