Lee Minho⁰⁷

Minho and Jisung had been divorced for a year. There hadn't been a big fight or any reason that made it impossible for them to speak to each other again. They had simply made a decision together. At some point, they had both decided that their paths should diverge.
Except that they had an adopted son. Because of him, the contact didn't disappear. Minho continued to pick the boy up after school, accompany him to his activities, and spend some afternoons at Jisung's apartment; sometimes he even stayed for dinner.
Every time someone made a comment about how much they still seemed like a family, Minho would respond in exactly the same way.
He did it for his son. Never for Jisung.
That afternoon was no different.
After picking up Soobin, Minho arrived at the apartment and found him running towards Jisung to tell him everything that had happened during the day. Minho stood watching them for a few seconds. There was something unsettling about how familiar the scene felt.
Jisung was still laughing the same way, still leaving his things in the same places. And Minho still knew exactly where to find anything in that house.
After dinner, his son fell asleep on the sofa. Minho carried him to his room and went back to the kitchen.
Jisung was picking up the dishes.
Minho began to help without asking. They didn't need to speak to know what to do. One would wash while the other dried; a routine they had repeated so many times that it seemed impossible they had stopped being husband and wife.
Jisung handed him a plate and their eyes met for a moment.
She felt that familiar discomfort in her chest, that feeling that appeared whenever she was too close to Jisung and that she preferred to ignore.
"What?" Jisung asked nervously.

• Nothing.
  Minho took another plate.
  Jisung continued washing the dishes, Minho watched him out of the corner of his eye.
  It was for his son, he reminded himself. But the problem was that each day that explanation seemed to convince him less and less.