2011

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Ego and Pride The house had been practically silent for about an hour since Bom and Gael left. Shik was nowhere to be seen, Seo-ya had not said a word since her spanking, and Adam… well, he couldn’t really talk, anyway. The training pacifier was back in, clinging to his teeth and not as soft and malleable as before, so it must have been at its maximum inflation (which was still better than the normal inflatable one). In dead silence, Seo-ya had changed him into a fresh diaper, put the pacifier in with no hint of its timer, and changed him into a soft yellow pajama set with sewn-on booties and mittens. Had it not been for the relief of the cream on his butt and backside that soothed the stinging from the spank, it would all have been overwhelmingly negative. He noticed throughout all of this, she was still flushed in the face and often averted her eyes from him, her expression looking constantly perturbed and tense. While he wondered whether or not it was the first time Shik had ever spanked her, regardless, it seemed like the first time he had done it in front of anyone else (or, perhaps, just in front of someone ‘lesser’ in her eyes). Once fully dressed in his fuzzy prison and gagged, he rode on her bony hip as she retrieved a red-and-pink baby walker from a closet. She set him in it immediately, then adjusted the height so his feet couldn’t touch the ground, and locked the wheels. Adam raised an eyebrow as he kicked his feet to confirm he was floating, then let out a sigh and stared down at the plastic steering wheel and buttons on the tray in front of him. He poked them, expecting noise and lights, but nothing happened; he looked at her, and she gave him a long look, then walked over to the couch. He pursed his lips against the pacifier guard; she must really be annoyed and/or embarrassed. She wasn’t taking any of the pleasure she usually did out of these sorts of restrictions. He craned his neck, twisting his body to look back at Hopper and Little Boja, both of whom remained huddled together on the couch, as if trying to stay as far away from Seo-ya as possible. She (delicately) sat down in the center of the couch, briefly glancing between Adam and the plushes, and then pulled out her phone. Deciding not to push his luck by asking for them, he passed the time processing what had happened and attempting to plan, while idly moving the steering wheel, pressing the silent buttons, and kicking his legs to show signs of life. Adam thought back to Jae-yung’s commentary about Bom and Gael, and could now understand why Bak had such a negative view of them. They weren’t unkind people, but in retrospect, they were very passive and, one could even argue, cowardly. Bom had shown some spine, but not nearly enough for the situation; in fact, much of his side-stepping the worst of what Shik had to say was likely validating him in some way. Perhaps that was how this resentment could be so strong for so long: Shik was powerless to confront Kang, and the one brother who was sympathetic to him was, in fact, enabling his worst behavior and beliefs. He let out a small sigh, cursing himself for daring to believe Bom would have rescued him. In hindsight, given everything he had learned and observed up to this point, he should have known better. The blonde gave himself a brief reprieve from his morose reflections in trying to imagine how that would have gone if Mung and Bak had come instead. He grinned slightly, picturing Bak shouting for Adam, running in and out of rooms looking for him, while Mung just slowly followed behind, double-checking. But pushing past the disappointment in himself and Bom, he recognized that the couple had been entrusted with getting Little Boja to him and had been sent to spy on Shik, a top suspect. So he could tell someone was working on his behalf, and likely knew they couldn’t rely on them to remove him from their grasp (which was also the moment he had to remind himself he was the only one that was new to this family, so likely the only one surprised by Bom’s lack of action). He didn’t want to give himself false hope again, but now that Adam’s captor was known (and specifically, this information was going straight to Kang), he had to imagine things would move quickly from here on out. He grabbed the steering wheel and jerked it from side to side out of sheer boredom before moving on to the strategic planning phase, stretching his legs once more to try and pointlessly reach the bottom. He huffed when he felt the diaper warm without his knowledge, and he threw his head back, heaving out a loud sigh. Thankfully, Seo-ya gave no reaction. So… Shik had mentioned he’d await a call from Kang. If Bom went straight to him, it would be rather surprising if the call did not occur today. Would it be a phone call or a physical “house call”? He tilted his head to the side as he steered the wheel hard to the right; it’d have to be the phone. No way Shik would let Kang walk into this house, and no way Kang would just waltz into enemy territory. Adam froze as his hands gripped the steering wheel. He narrowed his eyes as he realized the warmth in the diaper was… different. He took in a sharp breath and shuddered, feeling the soft mush remain and climb upwards against his skin rather than being absorbed into the padding. He let his upper lip snarl as his cheeks flushed; he had already accepted she was drugging him on multiple fronts, and while he had known this was coming in the back of his mind, it didn’t make it feel any better. He leaned forward, lowered his head, and rested his forehead against the steering wheel as his entire body deflated. So much of his babying imprisonment was something he could roll his eyes at and tolerate without taking much damage to his sense of self, often because he could visualize overcoming it. The crawler diapers were annoying and painful, but he had already found one way to beat them. Cribs were climbable, toys were breakable, and so on and so forth. But losing one’s ability to control their own bodily functions was a deflating, vulnerable feeling that was hitting hard in the moment. Prior, he could rationalize the benefits of diapers; he enjoyed being able to work through long hours in the labs without stepping away for breaks. He enjoyed not having to meter his drinking and constantly monitor where the nearest bathroom was. And in the few times he would wake in the middle of the night to pee, it was nice not to have to fully wake up and stumble to the bathroom. But they were all choices (yes, with a heavy asterisk), which he was unable to make now. In a fantasy scenario where he could break out of this house, he now had to think about how long the laxatives would last. What would happen if he broke free, but the timing was wrong, and he had a nearly full diaper? What would happen if he pooped himself while in hiding, thus revealing his position by smell? There were a lot of complications that arose with any plans or attempts he could make, but that was disguising the vulnerable feeling of losing control. Despite having lost control of so much else, his choice to use diapers strategically, scheduled, and choosing his bowel movements had become, unbeknownst to him, a load-bearing feeling of agency in his post-Adoption life. …And she just had to take it away from him. He lifted his head and hit the steering wheel a few times, then blew air forcefully from his nose after catching a whiff of the foul odor coming from his pants. He sat up straight with a grimace, twisted his body to face Seo-ya, who was buried in her phone, and slammed his hand down on a few buttons. “Aunshee!” he called out around the pacifier, letting out a groan at the sound of it. She looked up at him with annoyance for a moment, then back down at her phone. “Aunssheeee!” he repeated as he began rocking in the walker and slamming his fists on the buttons. “What?” she snapped in annoyance, slamming her phone into her lap. “I needashange,” he tried to explain and threw his head back in annoyance. He raised a hand and vigorously tapped the pacifier. “That stays in,” she grumbled, lifting her phone back up to her face. “Aunshee! Diapaa!” he complained, feeling the spit pooling around his lips and beginning to dribble down his chin. Seo-ya let out a groan as she set her phone down and stood up, taking the three arduous steps towards him and leaning forward, getting right in his face. “What was that, baby? I can’t understand you,” she teased in annoyance, barely able to muster a grin in the process. He scowled at her and pointed aggressively down at his waist. She looked down for a moment, and as her nostrils flared with a sniff, he relaxed a little at seeing her recognize the issue. But he immediately tensed up when her mouth twitched in a grin as she stood back up and walked back towards the couch. He blinked in confusion, then glared at the nothingness in front of him, and he thrashed, banging his fists against the buttons. “Imma getta wash!” he proclaimed in his best attempt to reason with her, though he knew that she knew he could get a rash. She didn’t care. Aunt Bones had shifted from her own, twisted form of caregiving to petty retaliation and punishment. Adam scowled as she sat back down on the couch and picked up her phone, a grin now stuck on her lips. He swung his body forward, glared at nothing, and gripped the steering wheel again. Fine. Fine. If that’s how she wanted to play it, then he’d just wait. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of hearing him beg. He lifted his head and wiped his slobbering chin on his arm, hoping to clear himself of physical distractions and focus on how to proceed. Lifting his hands to his face to rub his eyes, he tried and failed four or five times to think of something else, but since he could only comfortably breathe through his nose, he kept smelling the dirty diaper. Once more, he laid his forehead down on the plastic steering wheel, gripping it tightly. What was the use in fighting her or not giving her what she wanted? Was sitting in a messy diaper, acting unbothered by it, really a winning play here? It certainly didn’t feel like it. If anything, that felt like playing into her hand when she was in a good mood. Now that she was in a bad mood, embarrassed and bitter, she needed to get her aggression out on him. He let out a sigh, realizing the one thing she might be looking for was to see that he was miserable. If he felt worse than she did, more embarrassed and humiliated than she was, she could feel better by comparison. He slowly lifted his head as he stared down at the tray in front of him, knowing what he needed to do. He swallowed, closed his eyes for a moment, reminding himself that nothing he could do here would change Boja’s mind about him and, hopefully, Joomi. He reminded himself that Mung pointed out he consistently made his worst choices when he felt alone, and he wasn’t. Little Boja was proof of that. His family was out there, doing everything they could to get him home; they might not be here, but they were with him. He let himself smile briefly before taking a deep breath and giving the best baby impression he could muster. “WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!” he began to wail, throwing his head back and kicking his legs, which the mushy poop around and served as encouragement to keep it up. He pushed as loudly as he could, his voice cracking momentarily, and he felt his face begin to turn red. He slammed his palms on the tray a few times and kicked and kicked and kicked. “WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!” “Okay, okay,” Seo-ya chuckled after what felt like a solid 30 seconds of screaming, as she got up from the couch and petted his head. “I get it. Baby needs a change.” “WWAAAAAAAHHH!!!” he screamed, this time fueled by irritation at her, and felt the pacifier vibrate. He curled his hands into mittened fists and pounded on the tray. Seo-ya gave another chuckle as her bony fingers unbuckled the restraints and brought Adam up into her arms. Though tempted to thrash to hit her, he didn’t want to risk remaining soiled; she laid him on her chest, and he turned his head away from her, letting out another scream as his hands and feet curled in as she patted the diaper. “Shhh, sshhh, it’s okay. Auntie will get you aaaaall cleaned up,” she cooed in a familiar register, and she placed a hand on the side of his head to keep it steady as she kissed the top of his head. He let out a long groan, lowering his voice and shivering, frowning as he watched the living room disappear over her shoulder, leaving behind both Hopper and Little Boja. It was a mission success in that she had returned to her normal madness, but it didn’t feel like a success. It was just the best of two terrible options. 『 Kang will call after dinner, 』Shik announced as he arrived at the dinner table with a glass of whisky in hand. Adam looked up at his great uncle for only a moment, sat in a new high chair, and was given crayons and paper while Seo-ya made dinner. Given the level of monitoring, he had opted to just draw and color the jungle animals he remembered from his room, and was working on a red parrot with terrible proportions. He was not an artist. 『 Okay, 』Seo-ya replied quietly. 『 Where would you like us to be? 』 『 Nearby, 』he answered before taking a sip and sitting down. 『 He’s going to want to see Adam, but keep him quiet until I permit it. 』 『 Yes, dear. 』 Pushing the oddly drawn parrot aside, Adam began working on a snake, giving the long, squiggly noodle a green outline. He thought about giving it angry eyes, but he let the snake be very thin, which was enough to remind him of Uncle Shit. Reaching for the red crayon, he made the forked tongue before it was taken from him without any fanfare, and his tray was cleared. At least it was quickly followed by Aunt Bones finally removing the pacifier from his mouth. With a click, Adam let out a groan of relief, opened and shut his mouth, and rubbed his lips dry. But, given the atmosphere, that was all the noise he would give himself. He didn’t want to poke the bear with Shik, and knowing a call was forthcoming, he wanted every possible second of silence to think. Which he did between spoonfuls of prune-mush baby food and a milky laxative from a bottle (he assumed; it’s not like she was telling him). Now, with Shik in front of him, he reflected on the man’s earlier outburst. For some reason, he seemed to need more time before Adam’s whereabouts came back to Kang, which is what set him off. Arguably and more obviously, it could be a matter of control. It was possible that Shik had wanted to reveal it himself rather than be discovered and have the upper hand in their first confrontation since the kidnapping. Adam could easily imagine a scenario where Shik revealed Adam at the top of the call, hoping to catch Kang off guard (though that part in particular was difficult for him to imagine). More so, he wondered if Shik needed the time. Save for Adam’s presence preventing a full-frontal assault on the home, using only him as a human shield wouldn’t work for long. He had mentioned before that he had allies… perhaps he was still trying to convince members of Japok to flip to his side. Adam frowned; if Kang wouldn’t stand down, there might be a literal civil war within the organization. He looked up to the ceiling, wondering if Shik would truly let Kang just retire peacefully. Would that be so bad? Perhaps Joomi could bow out in some way, and Kang could just… enjoy his life, for once. Surely the man had earned a retirement by now. But he earned a peaceful and desired retirement. Not a forced one. Not one caused by an ungrateful brother who forced his hand. …Hand! Adam looked down at his mittens as he grimaced, swallowing another spoonful of pruney, peachy mush. Maybe he could highlight Shik’s lying tic! He smiled at himself as he spent the remainder of the more or less silent dinner thinking of obvious lies from him where he could make the hand motion. Once food was done, the pacifier went back in, though Aunt Bones at least had the grace to program it to deflate when used properly, so it indeed shrank down to a more manageable size as he sucked on it. He was moved from the high chair to the walker, where he was placed to the left of the television, facing the couch. Curiously, he watched Shik pace, meter his drinking, and adjust his suit over and over again while Seo-ya meticulously cleaned up the kitchen. The couple confirmed the time, and Seo-ya rushed over to the couch, removing Hopper and Little Boja. Adam reached out for them but was ignored, and she placed them on a shelf behind him. Jerk. Shik finished his glass of liquid courage and settled down on the couch, flattening his shirt and suit once again and verifying how he looked with his wife. She pulled a chair up beside Adam, and suddenly everything grew quiet. Flickering between Shik and Seo-ya, there was nothing to do but wait. But it wasn’t long. The phone on the coffee table rang, and Seo-ya jumped slightly. Shik looked to her, they shared a nod, then leaned forward and tapped a button to answer. He quickly followed it up by flicking his fingers over it towards the television, which sprang to life, and Shik sat up straight. 『 Brother, 』Shik greeted tersely, lifting his chin and stiffening his back rather than bowing. His hands were on his knees, curled into white-knuckled fists as he glared at the screen. He was nervous and trying hard not to look it. 『 Shik. 』 Adam blew out the breath he’d been holding through his nose as his heart leapt at the sound of that serious voice. He felt his jaw quiver, and he shook for a moment, wanting to burst out and yell for him to come save him, but Seo-ya glowered down at him and put her hand on his head. He shrank slightly under the weight, receiving her message loud and clear. 『 You could have just asked, you know, 』Shik started as his eyebrow twitched and his mouth threatened to smirk, but he thought better of it. 『 Instead of sending Bom. 』 This was met with a long silence. Long enough that the blonde could see Shik’s Adam’s apple bob up and down twice, and his hands shook slightly as he clenched them further. He was attempting to hold his ground, but he looked like he had come to regret opening with that. 『 Is Adam near? 』Kang finally asked, and Adam’s face lit up, completely forgetting that he shouldn’t be able to fully comprehend the conversation. His body was coursing with so much adrenaline and hope that he wasn’t thinking completely clearly. Shik’s face darkened. 『 Yes, and he’s fine, 』the thin uncle declared with bitterness in his tone. 『 Before I — 』 『 I would see him, 』Kang interrupted. 『 Now. 』 『 You’re in no position to order me, Kang, 』Shik retorted quickly, a muscle in his neck bulging, and a vein at his temple throbbed. Adam looked up at Seo-ya, whose eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and in that moment, he realized he hadn’t been feigning ignorance. Swallowing, he turned to look back at his uncle as he mildly panicked. Fudging fuck fucking fudge. 『 I will hear nothing from you until I see him, 』Kang spoke slowly and clearly, even slightly over-enunciating. This drew Adam from his panic, his heart now leaping with excitement. Shik drew in a breath through his nose and held it for a second, glaring at the screen, his nostrils flaring as he considered. Then he blew the air back out of his nose, inclined his head, and jerked his hand to beckon Seo-ya. She took a moment to steel herself, drawing a breath and pulling her shoulders back before standing and pulling Adam out of the walker and into her arms. He looked up at her, pointing to the pacifier, but she didn’t look down at him at all. She stepped forward up to her husband, pivoted to face the TV, and bowed her head slightly to Kang before descending to sit beside him. Adam had continued to point to it and look up at her until she turned towards the screen, then he looked, and his eyes lit up. Factually, it hadn’t been that long, yet he felt like he hadn’t seen Kang in months. He looked a little tired, but otherwise was well put together, sitting upright and paying perfect attention, his arms tensed and poised purposefully, his hands resting palm down on his legs. He looked both regal and menacing. Or at least, that was what anyone else would suppose to see. But Adam just saw his grandfather. “Habbo!” he burst out happily as Seo-ya descended into her seat, cursing the training pacifier’s stickiness for ruining his first word. The corner of Kang’s mouth twitched as his eyes snapped to Adam, and even through the screen, his eyes felt piercing. “Take that out of his mouth,” Kang ordered, his gaze barely acknowledging Seo-ya, though it seemed evident the command was for her. Her hand moved from her lap towards Adam’s mouth, but Shik’s hand barred her. 『 You have seen him, 』Shik stated. 『 Now we talk. 』 Kang’s eyes darted to Shik, and he stared, glaring, for a long moment. 『 Then talk, 』Kang growled in his lowest register, yet none of this fury changed his physical position or expression; his eyebrows were locked in a furrowed position, his eyes narrowed but focused, and his body looked frozen in place. It was reminiscent of the old historic Asian dramas, where the emperor or lord sat in a menacing pose on a throne. Shik licked his lips as his face and body tensed up. As the silent pause grew, Adam suspected he hadn’t expected to be given the floor. Perhaps he had thought Kang would berate him or ask questions to give him a lead in. The Little’s eyes flickered towards Shik’s white knuckles, which tensed as he finally drew in a breath to begin. 『 There is dissatisfaction in the direction you have taken Japok, 』Shik started after the long, awkward silence. Kang didn’t move a muscle. Adam wasn’t sure he even blinked.『 Recent events have put us at risk and exposed your complacency. I intend no harm to come to anyone. 』His hand twitched, and Adam stiffened.『 But it is time for you to step down. In exchange for Adam’s safe return, you will retire and hand over all control to me in a ceremony attended by the highest-ranking members. 』 Kang didn’t move. Adam felt Seo-ya’s body tense and shiver slightly, and her hands tremble. He swallowed as he stared at Kang, unable to discern any reaction to this demand; the Amazon was a master at withholding his reactions, and it was intimidating enough, despite currently being the beneficiary of it… so Adam could understand Seo-ya’s nervousness. 『 Let him speak, 』Kang stated as he nodded towards Adam. 『 So you agree? 』Shik asked as he narrowed his eyes. 『 You have relayed your terms, 』Kang stated with a hint of a sneer. 『 Before any more is said, I will validate the safety of your hostage. 』 『 I told you he is fine, 』Shik scoffed defensively, waving a hand to dismiss the implied accusation.『 He’s still my nephew. 』 『 You will forgive my lack of trust, 』Kang said as his eyebrows twitched for the first time.『 Since family means something different to you than me. 』 『 Don’t give me that — I am devoted to this family, 』the younger brother snarled, a growl of sorts coming from his throat as his entire body tensed up and he leaned forward. Adam’s eyes darted between the two brothers as Shik’s emotional dam was breaking, while Kang remained stoic.『 It’s easy to claim you’re the loyal one when you’re the one making the rules. 』 Adam’s eyebrows rose and fell as he absorbed the argument, which felt more poignant by the silence that followed. He looked down, wondering whether, had he not pivoted in his relationship with Kang, he might feel the same. 『 I will speak with my grandson, Shik, 』Kang replied in a distinct tone of warning. Wordlessly, Shik nodded to Seo-ya, who lifted her hand to Adam’s mouth. He jerked slightly as she deactivated the pacifier, let out a sigh of relief as she pulled it from his mouth, and immediately wiped the spit away with his mittened hand. “Adam,” Kang greeted with a nod, and Adam looked up with a wide smile. “Hi, Halbo!” he chirped excitedly, his heart pounding. He had an undetermined amount of time to communicate effectively to him, and he didn’t want to waste a single second — but he also didn’t want to say too much and give Shik the excuse to cut them off, so he held the smile and stared at Kang, awaiting a cue from him. “How are you faring?” Kang asked with great restraint, his eyes seeming to search him. ”Great!” Adam bubbled as he twitched his hand the same way Shik did while lying. Please, please let someone in this family recognize that tic. “Auntie Seo-ya makes really good food.” Seo-ya smiled slightly as she inclined her head down towards him. “You’re comfortable?” his grandfather asked with just a touch of doubt in his tone. “Oh yeah!” he chirped as he made the hand twitch again, though he worried that doing so inside the mittens made it harder to distinguish. If he had another opportunity, maybe he’d exaggerate the next one a bit more. “But I miss home… and my room, and my jungle, and Boja, and Eomma. But Little Boja’s here!” He pointed toward the stuffed tiger, which was out of view, but Kang nodded, giving a slight, tense smile. “Good.” “Is… is everybody okay?” Adam asked a little more quietly than he meant to; he wanted to keep up the pretense with Shik and Seo-ya, fearful of what they might do once the call was over should he not, but the question began to choke at his facade as he genuinely worried about how Joomi and Boja were doing. While he had ignored Bom’s words as best as possible, he couldn’t deny they were eating at him quietly… ‘Joomi’s a mess.’ Kang’s expression moved for the first time since the call. His eyebrows relaxed for a moment, turning upwards, and he showed subtle signs of confusion at the question. Or maybe he just hadn’t expected the question. “Uncle Shik says it’s not safe,” Adam explained as he gripped the insides of the mittens, fidgeting with them nervously. “Did he?” Kang asked curtly, attempting to sound as if he were engaging with Adam normally, but instead, his eyes narrowed on his brother. Adam closed his eyes for a moment, feeling a swell of sorrow flood his entire body. He had no idea if his message was getting through. For all he knew, Kang was seeing him functioning just fine here and bearing it well. Would that lessen any haste he might put towards saving him? Were any of Adam’s efforts to be covert, like some kind of spy, actually worthwhile? Or, as the despair darkened his thoughts and made his body run cold, was he kidding himself that he had any part to play in this besides the hostage? Maybe he genuinely was like the toddler everyone saw him as (at best), playing pretend and imagining he had a greater role in this play than was actually the case. His entire body shivered as he wrestled with the cold and cruel thoughts that overtook him, as he desperately wanted his grandfather to reach through the screen and take him home. “Adam?” ‘You are not in trouble.‘ The blonde took an unsteady breath through his nose, hearing Kang’s echo in his mind, mixing with the present. “Adam?” ‘Next time you’re scared, say it.’ “Baby?” Seo-ya’s voice cut through as her hand cupped around his stomach. “Halbo,” Adam gasped as he opened his eyes and stared directly forward in a constrained panic. “I’m scared.” “There’s nothing to be scared of,” Shik cut in immediately, looking down and leaning in to reassure the Little. Likewise, Seo-ya launched into cooing or purring as she began petting his head, but Adam stared straight ahead through it all, while Kang’s expression subtly changed once again. His lips parted ever so slightly as if to gasp, and his face relaxed for a few seconds. Then he tilted his face down ever so slightly, enhancing the look of a shadow crossing his face, and he slowly nodded. “I hear you, Adam,” Kang replied quietly, causing both Shik and Seo-ya to stop damage control and look at the screen. Adam started to smile, but before he could really process it, the Amazon continued. “I am proud of you.” Adam gasped and held his breath, staring at his grandfather in disbelief. Shik jerked back in surprise, also caught off guard by this. They were not words he had ever expected to hear from that man, and for a long moment, he almost couldn’t believe they had been said. Did he mean it? Of course he did… if he had learned anything about Kang, it was that he said what he meant, which was why he was so economical with his words. It was where Joomi got her penchant for honesty. Swallowing, Adam smiled, unable to hide how much those five words meant to him. “You will be home soon,” Kang added with a slight nod, though his tone was like a command. The blonde nodded, shakily, and smiled; something in his voice and tone felt like… magic. Like his words could will that into existence, and he believed him wholeheartedly. 『 Shik, 』 Kang began. 『 We will need time — 』 ‘Download complete!’ chirped Little Boja’s voice in his ear, cutting off the rest of Kang’s translated statement, and Adam jerked in surprise. Snapping his eyes to look over at the stuffed tiger, who of course didn’t move, then looked back to Kang, who looked no different, except that he was glaring at his brother again. 『Of course, 』 Shik replied, and Adam looked at him, confused about what he had missed. 『 But I wouldn’t delay too long. We risk the government finding out we are presently unstable, which they would use to their advantage. 』 『 I am aware, 』Kang stated plainly, his nostrils flaring as he blew air out of his nose. 『 I’ll be in touch. 』 Shik nodded; Kang looked to Adam and nodded; the call ended. 『 Is it… it-it’s happening, 』Seo-ya gasped, mixed with a relieved laugh. Adam’s eyes darted between Little Boja and the screen where Kang was, feeling a mix of emotions flooding him and paralyzing him, keeping any of them from taking center stage right away. He was relieved and hopeful that he’d be home soon, regretful and guilty about what he’d said, feeling as if he’d just pushed Kang into accepting Shik’s demand, and insanely curious about what had just been downloaded into Little Boja.『 You did it, darling! 』 『 Indeed, 』Shik grinned triumphantly, letting out his own sigh of relief, and he reached a hand out, patting Adam’s leg, which caused the blonde to jump in surprise and look up at his thin great uncle. “Well done, Adam. Well done.” “Let’s get you a bath!” Seo-ya chirped excitedly as she stood up and hugged Adam, as if he were in on any of their plans. 『 I’ll get him to bed, and we can celebrate! 』 『 Sounds good, 』Shik smiled as he stood up, placing a hand on his wife’s back, and the pair shared a kiss. Adam tried to will himself to disassociate from their loving celebration, but instead, their joyful attitudes intensified his guilt about his part in their scheme, and it smacked him with an intense coldness in his body. With very little warning from his gut, vomit burst out of him, stinging his throat and even slightly up his nostrils. Seo-ya deftly maneuvered his body to collect the vomit in his lap, rather than landing on the floor. “Ooh, it’s bathtime for sure,” she chuckled as he let out a long, pained groan.

BWAHAHA, no just a sign of mine!! 😂 *nod vigorously* 💯

Thanks to @Babypants for donating $10!

I've tried off and on for 10 years to pee laying down. Absolute zero success. I will start to pee, stop and lay down but rarely can I get it going again. I've laid down shifted my legs into different positions. Push, don't push. Hold my breath, massage the perinium, massage the abdomen. Nothing. Absolutely no progress in 10 years. I will never feel the joy of waking up surprised to be wet?

At home a pacifier is in my mouth all the time aside from drinking and eating.