Proposal ; beomgyu (completed)

iii.

2023.
22 years.

Junoh was woken up by sweet little kisses and small giggles, courtesy of her niece and nephew.

She opened her arms without opening her eyes, and the small children nuzzled on her sides. She smiled and sighed contently.

"Auntie Jun", she heard Woobin call for her and peeked one eye open. "Wake up".

"It's too early for auntie", she mumbled softly.

"Yucky! Auntie you have to brush your teeth!", Woobin stated and Junoh giggled.

"I will", she mumbled. But her eyes closed again.

She was a victim to jet lag. Not even a day before she was living in Germany, so she wasn't prepared to be woken up in Korean morning time.

She groaned when the little devils started jumping on her bed, giggling and wanting their auntie Jun to play with them. Opening her eyes, she tackled both kids to the mattress, attacking them with kisses and tickles until they asked for mercy.

"That's what you get for being mean to auntie!", she smacked their tiny butts softly and watched them as they giggled their way out of the guest room she was currently in.

Soobin and Yeonjun had been lucky to have not one kid, but twins. The younger's sperm definitely was healthy and strong when they did the IVF, Junoh thought to herself.

A soft knock on her door was heard and she walked towards it, holding it all the way back open. She smiled at her older brother, who smiled back and ruffled her hair in that homey way.

"Breakfast is ready", he said.

"Thanks", she smiled softly.

"Woah, Woobin was right", Yeonjun pinched his nose dramatically. "Your breath definitely smells like trash!"

"Yah!", she smacked his arm and he cracked up.

"Brush your filthy teeth and see you downstairs", he pecked her forehead and made his way down the hallway, while her lips tugged upwards in a content smile. She had forgotten how easy it was to be with her brother, to be just as if she hadn't ever left.

After showering and making sure her breath was less of a threat to human kind, she made her way downstairs, where the two devils were watching Sponge Bob in the living room and the husbands were having breakfast at the little table they had set in there, so they could keep an eye on the little tornadoes.

"Good morning", she beamed and Woobin with his sister jumped off the couch and ran towards her.

"Auntie! Sponge Bob lost his nose!", Woojoo informed her and she gasped exaggeratedly.

"Really?", she was then led to the couch, the two kids sitting on either side of her, locking her with tangled arms and legs. "Auntie needs food", she mumbled and tried wiggling off their embrace, but that only made the little catastrophes hold on tighter.

"Daddy can feed you in here like he feeds us! Right, daddy?", the little boy looked towards Yeonjun, who scratched his neck awkwardly.

"Only if Jun wants to", he said, raising his eyebrows towards her. She knew for a fact that Yeonjun was not okay with feeding his little sister, but she could use some morning fun.

"Jun wants to!", she said and Woojoo shrieked excitedly.

"C'mon daddy! Auntie's hungry!!", the little girl squeaked and Yeonjun glared at his younger sister. Jun just winked at him and held Woojoo so she wouldn't fall off the couch from bouncing excitedly.

"Yeah! Auntie is super hungry!", she played along and could see her brother's ears turning red. Soobin patted his husband's butt when he walked towards the couch so he could give his baby sister a french toast and a coffee mug.

"But daddy", the little boy stopped his dad before he could go back to his seat next to his appa.

"Yes, baby?", Yeonjun asked, knowing what was about to happen.

"You always feed us here", Woobin signaled towards his mouth.

"Yeah, oppa. You always feed them here", Jun pointed towards her own mouth and could actually hear the curse words running inside her brother's mind. "But it's okay, I am a big girl so I can feed myself", she patted the kid's head and then took a sip of her coffee.

After the kids were taken to daycare by one of the drivers, she sat at the table and finished her breakfast.

"How'd you sleep?", Soobin asked while stirring his second cup of coffee that morning.

"I always have the best sleep ever when I am here", she nodded and took a bite off her french toast. "Thank you for your letting me stay", she mumbled softly.

"We're family", Soobin stated matter-of-factly. "Of course you can stay. The kids get so happy when you're around".

"Yeah, I can tell", she showed him her hair, filled with little hair clips that Woojoo had insisted on placing so her auntie could look like a princess.

"You wanna go today?", Yeonjun asked after a moment of silence, in which she just munched on her food and thought about last night's events.

"Yeah, sure", she shrugged.

"We'll be out in fifteen, how's that sound?", he asked and she nodded.

"Okay", she smiled and he nodded, getting up from his seat and pecking his husband's forehead. "We'll be back for lunch, baby".

"I will manage", Soobin stated and that made Yeonjun grin. They still behaved as if they had started dating, not as if they'd been together ever since they were sixteen. It was as if they were everyday on their honeymoon phase, and it made Junoh's heart swell with love.

She was waiting on the front door when Yeonjun pulled his car for her to get in. They played the playlist their mother had arranged so many years ago, and that Yeonjun had taken the time to create on Spotify too. They sang softly to the tunes, driving towards the graveyard and stopping only once the car was parked.

Walking with their shoulders brushing, just like they always did ever since they both could walk, they approached their father's grave.

"I miss them", she mumbled.

Yeonjun nodded next to her, his hand intertwining their fingers together in an act that was meant to bring both of them some comfort.

"I hate that there's no grave we can go see mom at", Yeonjun whined painfully and Junoh just tightened her hold on his hand.

"It was her wish", her lips wobbled just like they did so many years ago whenever she was about to cry. "I miss her cookies", she admitted.

"I miss them altogether", he said quietly. Junoh nodded. "Why couldn't they love each other forever?"

"That's not how life works", she lay her head on his shoulder and could feel him sighing.

"But look at me and Soobin, and you loving Beomgyu...", he gulped. "Why couldn't they be happy?"

"They were".

"Until they weren't".

"Yeah", she sighed too. "I hope they forgave each other, wherever they are now", she mumbled.

"I hope so too", he pecked her forehead and then hugged her sideways.

They stayed like that, looking at their father's grave and wishing they could say the words they never said when he was alive. The words they never said when their mother was alive, too. The words that drowned them alive each time they breathed, and that held them accountable every single second of their lives.

"Let's get going, or I will start crying", she laced their hands again and they walked back towards the car.

Silently riding back to Yeonjun's home, she wasn't able to shake the feeling that she'd missed something important.

And she had. She'd missed the way Beomgyu was at the graveyard too, visiting his own father, and he'd seen her.

He had seen her.