daddy issues | p. humin
Word Count: 6.5K Requested by @jenslvt: "I was wondering if you could write something about the reader having daddy issues, she gets into a big heated argument with her father and locks herself in her room. Humin comforts her. I wondering if you could use the references from the song 'daddy issues by neighbourhood'?" Warnings: smoking, language, violence, blood, death, grief, all the angst in the world, use of (Y/N), domestic violence, abuse
Paring: Park Hu-min x Fem!Reader
Summary: When (Y/N) moves into Park Hu-min's neighborhood, the boy can't help but gravitate toward the girl. And when he finds out that her family is nowhere close to perfect, he can't stop himself from wanting to protect her. He knows the pain that comes from being hurt by the person who is supposed to protect you no matter what, and the last thing he wants is for her to believe the rest of her life has to look that way. Even if there are obstacles in the way, he wants nothing more than for her forever to look different than the one he saw for himself.
MASTERLIST
Brick walls. Insulation. Wall panels. None of it was thick enough. At least not enough to drown out the horror that could live behind them. Broken dishes. Slammed doors. Razor-sharp words. They were the loudest melody that came from (Y/N)’s house every time her father decided to find comfort at the bottom of a bottle.
He had been kind when she was younger, back when she couldn’t argue back or make decisions on her own. Her father had loved her then. His little princess, he used to call her. He had promised her to protect her from the monsters that roamed the earth. She had believed him, of course. At that moment, she couldn’t have known the monster already lived under her roof.
There were days she thought about running away. She didn’t have much to pack, and she was sure no one in the house would notice her absence. Her presence had become a ghostly whisper in the space, only noticeable in the quiet of the night, where even the smallest creak would send the older man into a frenzy. (Y/N) tried her best to resign herself to the only space in the house she felt safe, but there were times when that wasn’t enough. Darkness was able to sneak in, to drown what little light she had left.
But as much as she wanted to go, there was one person who kept her coming back home.
Park Hu-min had decided from the moment he had laid eyes on (Y/N) that it was his job to protect her. He'd lived in his neighborhood his entire life, as did most of his neighbors. It was rare for anyone new to move in, much less a family that looked like (Y/N)'s.
A young couple and two kids, an older boy and a girl around Hu-min's age. On the outside, they seemed perfect. And for a moment, he envied the doe-eyed girl who looked as though she had never been met with the unkindness of the world. That was until he heard the yelling. All it took was a week for the façade to shatter, gone after a night her father drowned in soju bottles and questionable company. There was no question that her family was far from perfect.
The boy had heard it all. With his ear pressed against the wall, he had witnessed every insult, every crash, every sob. He'd heard fights before. Wives scolding their husbands for reeking of alcohol, husbands yelling at their wives, kids screaming about unfairness and frustrations. What he had never heard was a daughter yelling at her father for his wrongdoings and her mother scolding her for doing so. Hu-min heard as her mother ushered the kids to their respective rooms, telling them to keep their doors shut and not to come out until the morning. That was the first time he heard her cry through the walls.
Hu-min knew the layout of the apartment. The entire block was built the same. The only difference was that conjoined buildings were flipped. He knew the exact room (Y/N) had locked herself in. He was standing on a replica of it.
What took over him that night, he didn't know. One second, he felt tears well in the corners of his eyes as he listened to the girl's sniffles. And the next, he was climbing through the open window of the living room. The house had quieted by then. He snuck a glance to the side and noticed (Y/N)'s father passed out on the floor, wincing as he was reminded of his own dad and the nights he would find him sprawled on the ground. But Hu-min wasn't there to compare; he was there to help.
Hu-min thought he knew what he'd find, but he was still surprised. Unlike his room, hers was neat, her walls covered with books and string lights. There were no bundles of dirty laundry on the ground, at least none that he could see. Her bed was made and riddled with stuffed animals and pillows. It looked safe, warm, inviting, unlike the scene he had to walk through to get to her.
He rapped softly on the window of her room, trying his hardest to make his presence as unthreatening as he could. Still, she yelped at the sight of him, her sadness quickly transforming into surprise. “It's just me,” Hu-min whispered as he maneuvered himself through the opening. “I came to see how you were.”
“W-why?” (Y/N) sniffled as he sat beside her on the ground. “W-we barely know each other.”
“We've been friends for a week, no? That's a lifetime in my books.”
“S-so, you heard all of that?” Her eyes fell to her feet as she pulled her knees closer to her chest. She wasn't used to people knowing about her situation, much less caring. “I... I'm sorry, Baku.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“I don't...”
“It's not your fault that this happened, (Y/N),” he said. Baku wanted to bring her in, to comfort her through a physicality that wasn't natural to them yet. But the itching under his skin was unbearable, and without thinking, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, taking note of the way she flinched as he neared her body. “I just... I've been there, okay? I know what you're going through. And I'm not letting you go through this on your own.”
“I'm not really alone,” she muttered. “My brother is right next door.”
“Oh, well,” Hu-min cleared his throat, “I can go, if you want.”
“No!” (Y/N) exclaimed quickly, holding onto his arm to keep him from moving. “Stay. Please.”
You ask me what I'm thinking about I tell you that I'm thinking about Whatever you're thinking about
A smile pulled at the boy's mouth. He slid back down to the ground, stiffening as she curled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She was searching for warmth, for anything that could take her mind off what had happened that night. “Distract me a little, yeah?” she sniffled, trying her best to hold her tears back. “What're you thinking about?”
Hu-min chuckled, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug, allowing her to take whatever it was that she needed. “Whatever you're thinking about,” he smirked. “What is it?”
Tell me something that I'll forget And you might have to tell me again It's crazy what you'll do for a friend
“Baku, please,” she whimpered. “Tell me something, anything. Something I'll forget and you'll have to tell me again. I just don't want to think about tonight.”
“Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'd do anything for a friend,” Hu-min said, pulling her closer to him, ignoring the way her tears drenched his t-shirt. “Why don't I tell you about the best anime in existence?”
Nights like that became routine over the years. Even when it was his own father the one who came home with liquor in his system and hate on his tongue, Hu-min would sneak into (Y/N)'s room and they would comfort each other. Before her, he would have escaped to his best friend's house, and Go Hyun-tak would receive him with open arms. After her, his trek had come down to minutes as he slammed the door of his father's apartment and climbed into hers.
He was always careful. The last thing he wanted was to create more trouble for (Y/N). But there was one night he threw caution to the wind—one of the worst nights he had ever witnessed.
Baku had heard (Y/N)'s father arrive that summer night. He was loud and impudent, yelling for his wife's help long before he even reached the front door. His steps were unstable, making him trip over every move he made forward. Hiccups took over his throat every few words, interrupted only by the sound of his dry heaving. The boy watched from his window as the man gripped the handrail tightly, walking up the front stairs clumsily.
(Y/N) hurried outside to help, her father screaming in her ear that she had taken too long. Hu-min's fist clenched at his sides as he saw the defeated look on her face. She had lost her bite in the years she had lived there. The girl who used to fight back had withered away, hiding somewhere deep inside where she could be protected. He understood why she stopped fighting back. Survival was the top priority in her head, and with her brother gone to college, she needed to ensure she lasted, too.
As she struggled to help the man up the stairs, Hu-min wanted nothing but to run and help her. But he knew the second he did, her situation could turn worse. So, he listened as the inebriated man cursed at the girl, calling her weak and useless as he crushed her under his weight. He flinched at the slam of the door, knowing there was nothing else he could do until he simply had to intervene.
“Where the fuck is your mother?” her father yelled. “I called her.”
“S-she went to bed,” (Y/N) whimpered. “Her head had been hurting all day, and I told her I would stay up to wait for you.”
“And what could a good-for-nothing freeloader do for me?” he spat, stumbling over his own feet as he tried to move to the couch. "Wake your mother up. Tell her I want some kimchi-jjigae.”
Anger bubbled inside the girl. Her mother's words swirled in her head. “Don't anger your father,” she had said. “You know how he gets when he drinks.” Yet, it wasn't just the alcohol that made him a bad man. It was his blatant disrespect for his wife and his family. Long gone was the little girl who wanted nothing more than to make him smile; make him laugh. Her happiest moment with him had been when she had graduated from elementary school with the highest marks, and he'd said he was proud of her. But years had passed since then, and the father she had known was now the monster she had to survive.
“Are you stupid?” the man exclaimed as (Y/N) remained frozen in her place, tears of rage brimming on the corners of her eyes. His gaze had turned scorching, taking her resistance as defiance. He crossed the distance between them, poking harshly the healing mark he had left on her face a week before. “I said, are you fucking stupid? Wake your mother up. NOW! I'm hungry.”
“Why don't you ask that bitch you were seeing to make you some food?” The words came out of her mouth long before she could process them or even stop them. They burned her tongue, scorching their way into existence and setting off a reaction she had no control over. “Matter of fact, maybe you should just go and be with her.”
The slap echoed inside the house, reverberating against the walls as (Y/N) fell to the ground from the force. The taste of iron filled her mouth as her teeth vibrated from the strike. She was frozen in shock, unable to distance herself from him before he landed a kick on her stomach. “Say that again, you ungrateful brat,” he spat. “Should have never let your mother keep you. You and your brother are just disappointments. At least he'll make something of his life. You will always just be a burden.”
(Y/N) wasn't sure what stung more, the words her father had said or the subsequent kicks he landed on her side. She didn't get up from the ground or cover herself from the attack; she couldn't. Her mind had seemed to shut down, freezing under the realization of just how deep her father's hate went.
He had raised her once to believe in fairytales. In a world where love was given by the spoonful. It didn't have to be earned or demanded; it didn't harm or destroy. But somewhere along the line, that love had run out, replaced by a deep-rooted disdain that had lain dormant until it had taken over. (Y/N) knew her father hated her; she just never knew how much.
At some point, the hits ceased. Her mind was hazy, blurred by the thoughts swirling in her head and the tears that clouded her eyes. She could hear her mother begging the man to stop, pulling him away toward the kitchen to create distance between her husband and the girl. The woman tried everything to diffuse the situation, to simmer the man's anger until it singed quietly. It was a dance she had done for too many years, too many times. It was second nature. It was survival.
Once she saw the opportunity, (Y/N) ran out of the house. Her body screamed with every step she took, begging her not to move. But her brain did not let her stop. She had to get away. That wasn't the first time she had run away when her father had come home reeking of booze and bad decisions. She often put distance between herself and that monster, unable to withstand his anger and disdain. She'd even gone with Hu-min to Gotak's home after some particularly loud and violent arguments.
Yet, there was something different in the air that night. His words stung a little more; his hits were a little more determined. There was a certain air of conviction emanating from the man, as though he'd been contemplating his choices for a long time. Deep down, (Y/N) knew if her mother had not been there that night, her situation would have turned dire.
The girl didn't stop until she was blocks away from her home. She reached the park she frequented, leaning against a tree as her lungs burned for air. As her body settled, the pain started to bubble to the surface. Her ribs were in agony, and the taste of blood made her stomach churn. With her tongue, she felt the gash her teeth had left on her lip. The cut was deep, still oozing as she dabbed it with her t-shirt.
“Here,” Baku said breathlessly as he handed her a handkerchief. “Try to dry it as much as you can. I'll clean it after.”
She hadn't realized he had followed her. Too focused on getting away, her brain had not registered the boy calling for her as she sped down the hill they lived on. She allowed her legs to carry her until she couldn't run any longer, then, and only then, was she able to register anything other than her escape.
Hu-min led her to a bench where he inspected the cut on her lip. Silently, he got to work. He started with the red mark on her cheek. It looked angry, so pooled with blood it already looked bruised. Gently, he spread ointment on her skin, his heart wrenching as she flinched at his touch. It was instinctive, but it hurt him. He couldn't stand the way she cowered from his hand, even if it was for a second. The mere thought of ever being the reason she was scared made his stomach drop. “Let me know if it hurts too much,” he whispered as he finished. “I can go get a compress or something.”
“No,” she whimpered. “Don't go.”
“Never,” the boy promised. His hand cradled her cheek, softly wiping away the tears that fell down her skin. “I’ll always be here for you.”
The corners of her mouth pulled into a small smile, stretching as far as they could without ripping the wound open again. “Thank you,” she sniffled. “I’m sorry if I worried you. I didn’t think tonight would be this bad.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Hu-min cooed. “I just can’t believe your mom doesn’t get you out of that house.”
“It’s not that simple, Baku,” she sighed. “She hasn't lived an easy life.”
(Y/N) narrated her mother's story. She spoke of the poverty she grew up in, the lack of opportunities, and just how hard she had to work to give them what little they had. The girl related the stories of the woman's first husband, the man who had been a half of her brother—a man she only knew of from her mother’s words. He had died when the boy was only two, leaving his wife with a mountain of debt and a young child to take care of. She told Baku about the cold winter they had spent on the streets, hiding in café bathrooms and curling up together in apartment stairwells to keep warm. The bills had gotten too high, and the money coming in was simply not enough for the two of them to survive. The spring after was when her mother met the man who had given her life.
Daddy stuck around but he wasn't present Cheated on your mom but she never left him First I didn't get it, now I understand He broke her heart, left money in her hands So everything got paid for
At first, she had been told, he was an exemplary man. He took care of her brother as though he were his own and had given her mother something she had not had for a long time, a warm bed and a roof over their heads. The man was a provider, the one thing her mother had yearned for while she did her best to keep her child alive. There had been nights when he would come home drunk and get too physical—the way her mother had phrased it—and maybe the thought of leaving him had crossed her mind. But when that feeling popped into her head, the woman had found out she was pregnant with a new ray of sunshine, her little (Y/N). She had gone through the worst situations with one of her kids, and she would do everything in her power to never let it happen again.
She made sure you and your brother had way more Than she ever had growing up But when you told me the whole story, I felt like throwing up
When the girl was born, her father had seemingly become a changed man. He was over the moon with the thought of having a daughter, going as far as proposing to his partner so their child could be raised in a united and loving home. And they had a good few years together after she was born, where they had been fed love in the form of grandiose promises and kindness so sweet they didn’t know it could be real.
“Little did we know it wasn’t,” she sniffled. “He married my mom when I was six years old. After that, he slowly started to change. He started staying out late almost every night, coming home drunk. One day, I was helping her with the laundry, and there was a red lipstick stain on the neck of his shirt—my mom never wore red lipstick. I told her to confront him, that he had no right to be with other women.”
Her eyes stared off at the distance, her mind forming an image as clear as the day she had witnessed it. She didn't notice Baku beside her. The way his chin trembled as he took his lip between his teeth, trying his best not to cry. She spoke of her past as though it was normal, like she deserved the hardships she'd gone through simply because she had been born. It made his stomach turn to think of all the things she had been through from such a young age, how she had become used to the pain and the abuse because it had begun so long ago.
I could see it on your face, it was rough Left a bad taste on your tongue And she didn't even take any drugs She would rain all day, couldn't wait for her sun to shine And you made it shine There when she cried, you saved her life
“I still remember the look on her face when I said that,” (Y/N) sighed. “Her eyes were so sad, but ultimately, she seemed resigned. It wasn't new information for her, clearly. She told me to ignore it, to never bring it up in front of him. Back then, I didn’t get it, but I do now. He gives her the one thing she wasn't able to have—financial and housing stability. I just can’t help it sometimes, and I always end up making him mad. Maybe I should just learn to keep my mouth shut.”
“It’s not your fault,” Baku quickly stated, his voice breaking as it escaped his mouth. She let out a tearful chuckle, sure to object to his words. But they died the moment Hu-min cradled her face between his hands, his thumb wiping away the tears that stained her skin. “None of it is your fault, (Y/N).”
“I should have kept quiet,” she argued quietly. “I have to.”
“Listen to me, (Y/N),” he said. “You do not have to fear that man—not while I'm around. I promise I will do everything in my power to get you out of there, okay? You and your mom.”
“No, Hu-min, don't put that on yourself,” the girl cried. “We aren't your responsibility.”
“You became my responsibility the moment I realized I was in love with you,” he admitted, the confession rolling off his tongue faster than his brain could process it. He only realized when (Y/N)'s eyes widened and her cheeks turned a deep shade of red. “I... uh, that's not...”
“Y-you're in love w-with me?” she stammered, her voice breaking as new tears formed in her eyes. “S-since when?”
“From the moment I met you,” he sheepishly answered, his signature smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. “It's okay if you don't feel the same way. I've been wanting to tell you how I feel for a long time, but I've never been able to find the right time. I'm sorry it came out this way. I...”
His rambling was interrupted as a burst of confidence surged inside (Y/N), and she crashed her lips onto his. Instantly, the boy melted into the kiss, ignoring the taste of antiseptic cream and iron and focusing solely on her. He pulled her in gently, finding the small space between them far too big for the moment. Every move he made was soft and deliberate, too afraid of hurting her more than she already was. The kiss was perfect—slow but passionate. Hu-min did not want it to end. Not when her hands snaked around his neck to pull him in. Not when she let out a small whimper, and he was able to sneak his tongue past her lips. Not when his hands kneaded the skin of her hips.
Unfortunately for him, they were still human, and they needed to breathe. “That was...” he grinned goofily. “Wow.”
“If it wasn't clear,” (Y/N) smiled, as she panted between words, “I feel the same way, Baku. I honestly don't know where I'd be without you.”
“And to think I came out all this way to comfort you,” he said. “How is it that you're the one who's made me happy?”
“I am happy, Baku,” she replied. “You have no idea how happy I am right now.”
“Good,” the boy mused. “Because I'm planning to make you happy for the rest of our lives. I hope you're ready, ‘cause you will never be able to get rid of me.”
At that moment, Hu-min had meant it. Truthfully, he did. But he hadn't expected life to get in his way, much less that he would find himself working for Baek-jin and the Union. The boy had known exactly how to get Baku to comply with his demands. He went after his father—having the man thrown in jail was only a warning. He went after his friends after—hurting them seemed to be his go-to. Once that wasn’t enough, he pulled the one card he knew would send him straight to the Union.
Getting suspended so quickly again was not in his plans. But Baku could not handle the rage that filled him as his ex-best friend’s minions sent his father to jail. His legs and his fists moved before his head could process what he was doing, and before he knew it, the boys were beaten almost unconscious. Getting suspended for defending his family didn’t hurt, but his father’d had enough. Without knowing he’d been forced to stay at home, the man thought his son was skipping school for no reason.
Go ahead and cry, little boy You know that your daddy did too You know what your mama went through You gotta let it out soon, just let it out
As the boy read yet another menacing text from Baek-jin, the man slammed open his door, chastising him over missing days. Being sick wasn’t a good enough excuse for his father, and he let him know through threats and insults. For a moment, Baku even believed he would slap him. Anger bubbled inside him, rising to the surface as everything he had swallowed threatened to escape. Everything he was doing was to keep him and his friend safe, but his father made him question just how worth accepting Baek-jin’s demands was. Si-eun, Jun-tae, and Gotak were big enough reasons. His father? The boy still wasn’t sure.
But (Y/N)? She was his biggest incentive. Baek-jin had not mentioned her at that point, but Hu-min could feel it in his bones that it was only a matter of time. He just couldn’t know how quickly it would happen.
He stormed out of his room as his father finished insulting him, forcing the boy to rethink the protectiveness he still felt toward the abusive man. Rage made his limbs tingle, forcing his hands into fists as he made his way out. Yet, something stopped him before he could make it down the steps. A certain someone who was rushing up the concrete stairs, her face tinted red and her chest heaving from a lack of breath.
“(Y-Y/N),” he stammered, his eyes widening in surprise. “What’re you doing here?”
“I h-heard your dad yelling at you,” the girl responded, panting. “I wasn’t sure what was happening; all I heard was yelling. I thought… I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Were you just gonna barge in there? Alone?” Hu-min said, an amused smile tugging at his mouth as he led her down the steps with an arm around her shoulders. “My girl is so brave.”
“It’s just… you’ve been a little distant these past few days,” she muttered. “I thought something bad was happening at home, and I couldn’t bear the thought.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, (Y/N),” he said, but his voice betrayed him. There was a tone pitch that did not go unnoticed by her. Accompanied by the slight furrow of his brow and the tiredness in his eyes, she knew there was something weighing heavily on his shoulders. “There are just a couple of things I need to handle.”
“Baku…”
“I’m okay,” the boy smiled before placing a kiss on her forehead. “You should go get some rest, though. I think I’m gonna go out for a walk to clear my head.”
“I’ll go with you,” she offered.
Panic filled his mouth with bile. Baek-jin was growing restless as he waited for his answer, and the closer she was, the easier a target she became. “Your dad’s still out on his business trip,” he said. “You should use this time to rest. Enjoy the peace and quiet.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind keeping you company.”
“I’m sure.” He forced himself to smile as he cradled her cheeks and softly pecked her lips. “Dream pretty things, yeah?”
“Alright, fine,” she smiled brightly, looking up at him like he’d put the stars in the sky. “Will you come over tonight?”
“I’ll try.”
As much as he wanted to, Baku didn’t sneak into her room that night. Instead, he spent that time beating up a kid under strict instructions of the boy he had once thought of as a brother. He had found Hu-min’s weakness, sticking the knife deeply in his back and twisting. Everything he had vowed to protect hung by a thin thread, and Baek-jin took a knife to it all through a phone call.
“Make your decision. I won’t ask twice,” Baek-jin had threatened. “Your dad, your friends… ah, and that girl. What was her name? (Y/N)?”
Her name slipped too easily from his tongue and Baku’s grip on his phone tightened. Baek-jin knew who she was and knew just how important she was to him. The boy knew Hu-min better than anyone else in the world. Sometimes he believed he was inside his mind. Using her was his last Hail Mary, and it was exactly what he needed to make his resolution shatter. “I’m the only one who can give you what you want,” the boy stated. “No one else. You said you’d do whatever I want. I’ll do whatever you want, too.”
Baku had started skipping school then, too exhausted to focus and too ashamed to face his friends. It was easier to face his father; he was used to the man’s wrath. But he couldn’t handle the look of disappointment in any of his friends’ eyes, much less in hers. In those days, he was riddled with shame and guilt. At night, he was forced to be anywhere but home, where he could protect (Y/N). Hu-min couldn't even bring himself to see her the next day for fear of her anger, much less her discontent. He had failed her, and he had broken, yet again, another promise.
He thought he was doing the right thing. Pushing the people he loved away to keep them from getting in the middle of his never-ending war with Baek-jin. He couldn’t bear making them casualties in their unresolved business. But he forgot he couldn’t control everything.
Si-eun, Jun-tae, and Gotak did not accept Hu-min’s disappearance. They were physically unable to stay away while they knew Baku was under Baek-jin’s control. They got in the way, they got hurt. Still, they did everything in their power to help the boy realize protecting them was not his responsibility, at least not one he had to carry on his own. He still had to be strong, but he could do it with his friends by his side.
After a long, defeating night, Hu-min made it back home. Si-eun’s hospitalization weighed heavily on his mind, but he tried his best to keep his guilt at bay. His accident had nothing to do with Baek-jin and the Union; he kept reminding himself. It had simply been an unfortunate accident. The heaviness of the past weeks dragged him down, and all he wanted was to lie on his bed and sleep for as long as he could.
But (Y/N)’s father had other plans.
“Why the fuck do I keep finding these goddamn cigarettes outside?” the man yelled as he threw used buds at (Y/N)’s face. “Who gave you permission to have that good-for-nothing guy hanging around?”
“Do you hear yourself? Are you crazy?” the girl argued. “I don’t hang around anyone who smokes. And the last thing I would do is bring them here.”
“Yeah? And what about that boy?” he pushed, his voice slurring as the alcohol coursed through his veins. “The one with the glasses and the tracksuit.”
“Who? I don’t even know anyone like that.”
“Don’t you fucking lie to me, you brat!” her father exclaimed, pushing her hard toward the wall. The bookcase next to her rattled, sending a picture frame to the ground. “You’re just a useless slut like your mother. Better not get pregnant like she did, or you’re out of here.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” the girl yelled, holding the shoulder that slammed against the surface. “I haven’t done anything!”
“Stop lying!” the man spat, slapping her across the face. As she stumbled from the force, he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. “I have enough with having to pay for you to live. I won’t waste my money on another useless mouth to feed.”
“Then maybe you should go live with that other woman,” the girl muttered. “Or maybe you should get rid of me for once. It’s not my fault I was born, and it’s not my fault you hate me so much.”
(Y/N) could see anger building on her father’s face, painting it a deep shade of red. She knew she shouldn’t have egged him on; her mother had asked her as much. Agreeing and apologizing was an easier way to survive the rest of the time she had to live in the home. But she couldn’t help herself—not when all he could do was bring out the worst in her.
“You really are an ungrateful brat,” he spewed, raising his hand as far back as he could. “I’m gonna show you how to respect your father.”
She braced herself for the blow, squeezing her eyes shut as tightly as she could before he sent her to the ground. But the slap never came, and the fall never happened. Slowly, she fluttered her eyes open, her breath hitching in her throat as she witnessed Hu-min grabbing her father’s wrist with a gaze full of wrath she had never seen before.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, kid?” her father yelled. “Let go of me!”
“I’m the one stopping you from hurting your daughter for the millionth time,” Baku spat. “Not that you even deserve the title of father, and much less to claim (Y/N) as your daughter.”
“Are you the one then, huh?!” the man slobbered. “You’re the one who has been smoking in my front door and sneaking into my house to see my slut of a daughter?”
“Don’t call her that.” His tone was pointed, the words escaping through gritted teeth and a tense jaw. There was fire in the boy’s eyes, and he didn’t care to not let it burn.
“Just be careful with girls like her,” he chuckled. “She’s the kind to get pregnant and keep you stuck for the rest of your life.”
The next thing Baku did wasn’t talk. He towered over the man already in stature, but once he was on the ground, the young boy looked like a giant. Hu-min had pushed the man back, making him lose his footing and collide against the floor. Her father's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't dare to fight back—not when Baku looked the way he did. He dug into his pockets, pulling out a few stray bills and throwing them at him. “Why don't you go out and get yourself another drink?” he spat. “It's the only thing you can do right.”
Without another word, Baku grabbed (Y/N)'s wrist and led her to her room, quickly locking the door behind him. Once inside, he let out the breath he was holding and turned to the girl, cradling her face as he inspected her for any injuries. “Are you okay?” he worried, trying his best to wipe away the tears that wouldn't stop. “Where does it hurt?”
“It doesn't,” she cried. “I just... you're here.”
“I’m sorry I haven't been,” he said sadly. “I promised I would protect you and I...”
“It's okay,” (Y/N) smiled, tears still falling rapidly from her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him in for a tight hug. All she cared about was that he was back and, more importantly, that he was okay. “You're here now. That's all I need.”
Baku stared at her in disbelief. He thought he was in for a reckoning. At the very least, he expected her to push him away. But she simply brought him closer. “But I...”
“Your friends came by,” she muttered against his chest. “You have nothing to apologize for. You were protecting everyone, even if it isn't your job, Hu-min. There is nothing for you to feel guilty about.”
Tears fell from Baku's cheeks then. He circled (Y/N)'s neck with his arms, pressing her as against him as he possibly could. Instantly, the cold that had settled in his bones for the past weeks melted, replaced instead by the warmth he'd always felt in her presence. His heart steadied, and his breathing evened. In her arms, he was at peace.
“Has it been hard?” the boy asked in a whisper. “The time I've been away, has he done anything?”
“He hasn't been home as much this week since mom left to visit my brother,” she sighed. They sank to the floor, using her bed as back support. Instinctively, Baku wrapped an arm around her shoulders, resting her head on his. “Most of the time, I've been locking myself in my room. I've even started using the dresser as a barricade since he's weaker when he's blackout drunk.”
“I should have been here. I should have...”
“Stop, Hu-min,” she said as she placed a hand on his chest. “This is not your responsibility. Sometimes you forget, but you're also just a kid. Going after my dad is not gonna change who he is. What you did tonight was reckless, and you could have gotten hurt.”
“(Y/N)...”
“It was,” the girl affirmed. “But thank you. You didn't have to save me, but you did. So, thank you.”
And if you were my little girl I'd do whatever I could do I'd run away and hide with you I know that you got daddy issues
“You don't have to thank me,” he smiled, kissing the top of her head. “I just don't understand how any parent could do that to their kid. If you were my little girl, I wouldn't let the world touch you. Nothing and no one would ever be able to cause you pain or harm. You would only know the good things in life.”
(Y/N) smiled then. The tears had finally stopped, and she allowed herself to close her eyes. She pictured the life Hu-min spoke of. A world where she had not cut herself on the knife her father had called love; where her mother had seen a better path for herself, one where she didn't have to walk in fear; where she had never known the sting of the palm of a man who was supposed to protect her. It was the same world Baku deserved, even if he wouldn't admit it. A life without knowing the pain of having to grow up because the adults around you refuse to. A life where he could simply be a kid—not a provider, not a protector, not anything other than a kid.
She wanted that for them. A world where happiness wasn't simply an idea, but a given right. Yet, she didn't know if in that life they would have gotten the chance to meet. (Y/N) had found her happiness in Hu-min, a boy who didn't know how not to carry the world on his shoulders. He was one of the only people who showed her that love did not have to be earned through blood, sweat, and tears; that it could be given without asking much in return.
As she listened to him talk, the tears finally stopped, stretching a satisfied smile across Hu-min's face. “That's what I like to see,” he mused. “That beautiful smile.”
Go ahead and cry, little girl Nobody does it like you do I know how much it matters to you I know that you got daddy issues (And I do too)
“I bet you're tired of me crying every time you see me,” she chucked sadly. “And it's always about the same thing. I'm sorry you have to deal with me.”
“Don't ever apologize for that, (Y/N),” Baku said. “Go ahead and cry all you want. Heaven knows just how much I have cried about the same things. I love you, jagiya, and I promise I'll never leave you alone in this ever again.”
“I love you too, Hu-min,” (Y/N) beamed, her eyes glimmering with something other than tears. “I still can't believe it's our daddy issues that brought us together.”
“I'd like to believe we were always meant to meet,” he smiled. “Regardless of who our parents are, it was always gonna end up being me and you.”
That night, he rested. Even if it was only a few hours before the sun shone brightly on his face, forcing him to blink himself away, he rested. Waking up with her in his arms, watching as her chest rose and fell with her even breathing, he finally understood what he was fighting for. And there was no way he would allow the Union or Baek-jin to take anything from him, especially not her.
A/N: i really hope i did this request justice. I mixed both versions of the song for the storytelling, thought it was better that way. I know I made this veeeery angsty, but at least it has a happy ending. thank you for trusting me with the story 🫣😬 if you see any grammar errors, no you don't. english is not my first language and sometimes things escape me but do let me know if I missed any warnings please If you’d like to be tagged in anything or leave a request: click here Make sure you have my notifications on so you know every time I post!