QUATRE 

Kibum wakes up to a thick layer of snow the next morning. He’s barely awake when he gets out of bed and makes his way into the kitchen. Minho and Yoojin are awake and eating breakfast in the kitchen and Jinki is still sleeping. Minho looks tired. Yoojin looks like she’s having the time of her life, sitting on the table, her plate on the chair in front of her.

“Good morning,” Kibum says. She looks up and sends him a smile.

“Look at me!” she says enthusiastically and Kibum reciprocates her smile tiredly and rubs sleep out of his eyes. Minho just ignores his daughter and her unique way of eating breakfast.

“There’s coffee if you want any.”

He lazily gestures towards the coffee machine and Kibum hides a yawn in his hand before he grabs a cup and pours himself a cup of coffee.

“It has snowed!” Yoojin exclaims a few seconds later, a drop of milk trailing down her chin. She removes it before it drops onto the chair and Minho just nods. Kibum groans. He doesn’t like snow. It’s inconvenient for him to get to work when there’s snow because the public transportation isn’t running as efficiently as usual when there’s a lot of snow and Kibum can’t just take a day off. His daily income depends on how many days the clinic is open and Joohyun has been sick the last couple of days so he’s the only one to run the clinic. Minho gets up when he finishes his breakfast and pats Yoojin’s head a little. She turns around to frown at him but Minho doesn’t see her.

“Get ready, we’re leaving for school in 10 minutes,” he says before he turns to Kibum to press a kiss to his cheek. Kibum is still leaning against the counter but he sends Minho a smile. “If you want a ride, you should get dressed,” he says and tugs a little at Kibum’s pajamas shirt. Kibum looks at Minho with a questioning gaze. 

“The clinic is in the opposite direction of the bank.”

There’s no reason Minho should drive him to the clinic. Minho has to meet earlier than Kibum does anyway. Minho just shrugs.

“If you want a ride, we’re leaving in 10 minutes.”

With those words, he leaves Kibum in the kitchen as he goes to the bathroom to finish up. Kibum goes to the living room, hands clutching onto his coffee cup and when he realizes how much snow there really is, he decides that meeting earlier is fine if it means he can get a ride. He doesn’t have a lot of time to get ready, however, so when he meets them in the hallway, he’s only dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. Yoojin is closing her winter jacket and finding her gloves, Minho has started the car already, hoping to warm it up just a little so it won’t be icy cold to get into.

The three of them file out of the house, the door locking behind them. Yoojin calls shotgun and rides in the front seat, Kibum in the back. She kisses her father when he parks in front of the school gate. Minho looks at Kibum in the rearview mirror.

“Aren’t you going to sit in front? I’ll be so bored if you’re going to sit back there.”

Kibum chuckles but climbs out of the car, only to hurry to the passenger seat.

“You just wanted me out in the cold, didn’t you?” he asks and punches Minho lightly with his bare hands. Minho just laughs and leans over the middle to capture Kibum’s lips in a short peck. It has Kibum silent and they drive off, the music not loud enough to silence the car engine fully. The digital clock slowly makes its way towards 8.00. Kibum sighs a little.

“You’re going to be late,” he says and Minho sends him a quick smile before he turns his attention to the road.

“Don’t worry about that. You’d be stuck outside for an hour or more to wait for the bus.”

He’s probably right but Kibum doesn’t like to think that he’ll be late because of him. When he’s finally opening the clinic, 2 hours before he should be he strides directly into the back room and starts making coffee. He drinks a cup and looks through a couple of new interesting articles on treatment of abdominal tumors in cats.

30 minutes before his first patient, the front door opens and Eunseo steps inside. Her cheeks are red as are her eyes and her hair is a bit messy. Kibum looks up when she walks into the staff room and she shrieks, surprised to find him there.

“Dr. Kim,” she says and quickly tries to hide her flushed cheeks, her red eyes and lay her hair down.

“Are you okay?” he asks and tilts his head a little, surprised to see her in this state and so early before the clinic opens. Granted, he was there 2 hours before but he doesn’t expect his coworkers to come before 15 minutes before opening time. 30 minutes is odd but her appearance makes it even more odd. She nods and sniffles; Kibum can’t determine whether it’s the cold or something else.

“Yes, it’s…” She points behind her. “I’ll be back.”

The door to the bathroom closes 15 seconds after she has turned around and left the staff room. Kibum just turns to look at the door she had left mere seconds before. He’s waiting for her to come back but it takes longer than he had thought it would. When he doesn’t see her for another 5 minutes he gets off the couch and knocks on the bathroom door.

“Eunseo?” he asks and she sniffles again. “Eunseo, are you okay? Do you need a day off? I can have Changkyun managing the desk today.”

He’s genuinely concerned and when she opens the door, it’s obvious that she has been crying.

“I’m okay, Dr. Kim.”

She doesn’t sound okay at all, Kibum notices and he sends her a smile.

“Take the day off, Eunseo. We’ll manage, Changkyun and I.”

Eunseo shakes her head no.

“I’ll stay, Dr. Kim. I want to work and it’ll help me too.” She removes a tear that’s sliding down her cheek and sends him a smile. “Just don’t tell Changkyun that I came half an hour too early.”

Kibum nods and promises he won’t but he looks after her concerned when she plops herself down in her seat at the desk and puts on her headset, ready to start the computer and do her work.

Changkyun arrives 5 minutes late but the clinic hasn’t exactly been busy. He’s shivering when he enters and sends both of them a short smile while he curses the snow outside. Kibum can’t help his chuckle at Changkyun's misfortune and be grateful that he had someone to drive him this morning.

The day is uneventful until a man enters with an overweight toy poodle for a health check-up. Kibum lets the dog sniff his fingers before he gently scratches its head to make it more comfortable in the room. There’s an odd familiarity to the man, but Kibum shakes it off as he focuses on the dog. Apart from the obvious overweight the dog is healthy and Kibum turns to the man while he examines the dog and talks about it.

When he’s about to comment on the overweight, the man speaks up.

“I’m sorry, but are you in contact with your soulmate?”

It takes Kibum a good minute to figure out that it’s because he can read the curse words on his neck and not because he has seen Jinki’s words on his chest or Minho’s words around his ankle. Kibum sends him a glance and then turns his attention to the dog.

“As you are probably already aware, Jjanggu is obese and really needs to lose weight. There is nothing majorly wrong with her right now, but it could very well lead to diabetes and the strain on her joints might cause arthritis in an early age, so you should have her on a diet and get her to exercise so she can lose some of her excessive weight.”

Kibum turns around and looks through his cabinet so he can find the right vaccination. He hopes the man will take the hint. Kibum doesn’t want to talk about miss Lee and the words she imprinted on his skin, especially not with a stranger like the owner of the patient. The man doesn’t say anything about soulmates anymore until Kibum is finished with vaccinating the dog.

“I’m sorry I asked,” he says and puts the leash on the dog again. Kibum just nods in a professional manner but he doesn’t say anything. The man leaves with the dog and Kibum can hear Eunseo greet him when he gets ready to pay. 

Kibum gets off three hours later and when he steps outside, it’s snowing heavily. He pulls his trench coat closer around him and rubs his hands together to keep them warm in the blistering cold. There aren’t a lot of people outside as he slowly makes his way through the street to the bus stop. There’s nobody at the bus stop either and Kibum hunches in on himself in the seat while he hides his hands between his thighs to keep them warm. But the bus doesn’t arrive and the cars drive by.

He’s still the only person at the bus stop but he has seen a couple of pedestrians on the sidewalk. His fingers are near frozen an hour later and there’s still no sight of any bus. It’s strange because it runs every 10 minutes and there should have been 5 busses already but he’s frozen, only sheltered from the snow by the bus shelter and he’s alone. He can barely type on his phone and he has to blow warm air onto his fingers to get them to do what he wants them to. It’s painful to hold the phone against his cold ear and when someone finally picks up, Kibum spends a few seconds finding his voice.

“Is the bus running?” he asks and there’s a noise on the other side as Jinki tries to figure out whether or not the busses are running in the heavy snow. The answer has Kibum sighing deeply. “Is the car home?” he asks this time.

Jinki orders him to go back to the clinic so he can at least stay in the warmth instead of spending time outside. Kibum thinks it’s too late for him to ever get the heat back in his body but he stands anyway, his legs protesting in pain from the position they have been frozen into.

It takes a lot longer for Kibum to get to the clinic and also 5 minutes longer to open the door. The waft of warm air has him shivering when he enters and shuts the door behind him. His fingers are numb and he walks to the staff room so he can let cold water flow over them in a steady flow. It takes minutes for his body to warm up and he’s still a little cold 5 minutes later, but at least his joints aren’t hurting anymore and he’s not shivering either. It’s getting dark outside and the clinic is eerily quiet with only Kibum there.

It’s 7 in the evening when his stomach starts rumbling a little and he calls Jinki again. Jinki doesn’t pick up and Kibum sighs. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to pick him up; he’s working. He could call Minho but he doesn’t want to be a burden. It takes him 3 minutes of debating with himself before he calls Minho anyway. Minho is working late, however, and he isn’t able to pick Kibum up either. The cars that pass are getting fewer and the snow is getting heavier. In fact, he’s preparing himself for sleeping on the couch in the staff room when someone knocks on the front door to the clinic. Kibum startles and hurries into the reception, only to find Jinki outside, dressed in warm winter clothes, knocking again. He unlocks the door and Jinki steps inside, his dark clothes white with snow. He sends Kibum a sheepish smile and Kibum starts laughing as he embraces his fiancé and presses his lips to Jinki’s.

“Hurry up, I only have 30 minutes,” Jinki says when Kibum lets go but he presses his lips to Kibum’s in a quick peck anyway before he turns Kibum around by the shoulders and pushes him gently towards the staff room. Kibum quickly gets dressed and he locks the door easily behind them while Jinki hurries back to the car. They’re driving carefully through the city, the snow blurring the view and the roads slippery with black ice that has fallen as well. Jinki parks in front of their house 25 minutes later and Kibum leans over the middle to press a kiss to Jinki’s lips again.

“I love you.” Jinki just nods and pokes at Kibum’s shoulder so he can get out of the car. “Drive carefully!” he says before he slams the car door and lets Jinki drive off again in the horrible weather.

The house is silent as he sits in the living room, a cup of tea in front of him and the news playing on the TV. The weather is only supposed to get worse and they’re recommending people to stay indoors. He can hear the wind howling under the TV and he grabs the blanket on the couch so he can cuddle into it. Kibum doesn’t like to be alone. It’s not that he’s afraid of being alone as such but the silence isn’t very reassuring when he knows that the two men he loves are outside and supposed to drive home in this weather.

He stays awake until the front door opens and he hears the noise when someone sheds their jacket and shoes in the hallway. Yoojin emerges first and yawns into her hands. Minho peeks in last to find Kibum and he sends him a small smile. Yoojin has been with her grandparents for the day after school and Kibum is especially happy that neither of them were supposed to pick her up. If he had been the one to pick her up she would have had to wait for a long time.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t pick you up,” Minho says when he sits on the couch beside Kibum. Kibum shakes his head.

“It’s not your fault the busses had stopped running. I’m just glad you’re safely home.”

Then he feels another presence beside him and turns to look at Yoojin.

“Dad?” she asks and blinks innocently. Minho looks at her and blinks confused as if he doesn’t know what she wants. “Daaad.” Minho still doesn’t respond but Kibum can see that the corners of his mouth are slowly curling upwards. “Daaaaaad.”

“Whaaaat?” he finally responds and Yoojin grins.

“Can I feed Seondeok?”

Minho sends her a smile.

“Have you fed Dangun?”

Yoojin points towards the kitchen where the blackboard cupboard tells her when the snakes have to be fed.

“It’s not time yet!”

Kibum can hear her snicker at the thought that her father doesn’t know this. Minho fakes his surprise.

“It isn’t?”

Yoojin shakes her head and gets off the couch only so she can climb into his lap and put her hands on his cheeks. She guides his head so she can look directly into his eyes before she asks him again.

“Can I please feed Seondeok?”

Minho gives up then and sends her a blinding smile that has Kibum’s heart beating faster.

“Yes,” he says and she jumps off of his lap and into the kitchen to find the frozen mice. Minho just shrugs a little and sends Kibum a smile before he gets off of the couch as well. Kibum watches as father and daughter feed the emerald tree boa. Minho sends her off to get dressed for bed when they’re done feeding the snake and sits down beside Kibum again. Kibum just grabs his hand and intertwines their fingers. They don’t say anything, just listens to the news and the wind. Yoojin backhugs Minho over the couch when she’s dressed in her nightgown and he turns around in her hold.

“Read for me, dad.”

He turns to look at Kibum but Kibum tells him to go read a book. Yoojin kisses Kibum’s cheek and runs back towards her room, Minho following her.

Kibum is fumbling with his phone when Minho comes back into the living room. Jinki still hasn’t arrived home and it’s been an hour since he got off of work and Kibum is getting increasingly worried. Minho puts his hand on Kibum’s shoulder in an effort to comfort but it does little to help. Kibum is creating a million scenarios of something going wrong, of losing Jinki until Minho pulls him against him and puts his arm around him, holding him close. Kibum can smell his cologne and his warmth is reassuring and it helps ease Kibum’s worry a little.

“I’m sure he’s okay,” Minho whispers and Kibum nods a little. He can’t be as sure as Minho is but he wishes to be optimistic. The door slams open a minute later.

“Holy ,” Jinki says out loud and Kibum hurries off the couch and into the hallway. Jinki’s hair is filled with snow and he’s shivering. Kibum doesn’t care when he wraps his arms around him and presses close. Jinki is sending him a look of disbelief but Kibum doesn’t care.

“I’m glad you’re safely home,” Kibum whispers and Jinki warms up a little and wraps his arms around Kibum as well. When they finally let go of each other Kibum is smiling a shy, little smile and Jinki is grinning a little.

“Is Minho home?” he asks and Kibum nods.

“We’re all safe.”

Then he helps Jinki out of his jacket and grabs his hand so he can intertwine their fingers. Jinki pecks Minho’s lips when he sees the other in the living room but he doesn’t let go of Kibum’s hand. Kibum is just thankful that he’s got both of them with him safely despite the weather being absolutely horrible. Minho gets up from the couch when he yawns and tells them he’ll go to bed. Jinki tells him goodnight and Kibum stands in the middle until he decides that he can cuddle with Jinki for 30 minutes before he goes to bed too.

Jinki gets a cup of coffee for his cold hands and settles on the couch with the remote control and Kibum places himself beside him and leans into his chest before he drapes the blanket over them. Jinki sends him a small smile and links their hands again and Kibum just closes his eyes and enjoys the comfortable scent that fills his nostrils. Jinki is safety and has been for the last 10 years. Kibum falls asleep against his chest.

Yoojin is overjoyed the next morning when her school cancels and Kibum calls Joohyun who agrees to close down the clinic today due to the heavy snowfall that has continued overnight. This means that he’s going to stay with Yoojin as neither the bank nor the restaurant has decided to close. The roads have been cleared of snow and it makes Kibum feel better when he sends first Minho to work and then later Jinki. Yoojin is getting bored after she has finished her homework and played with Dangun and she starts walking restlessly around the house.

“Kibuuum.” She drags the word out and waits for him to respond. “Kibuuuum,” she says again and Kibum looks up from the article he is reading on his laptop. “Don’t you wanna go play in the snow?”

Kibum blinks. Then he turns to look out the window. The snow isn’t looking all that appealing to Kibum so he shakes his head.

“How about we invite Minwoo over and you play with him in the snow? Then I’ll fix you hot chocolate and homemade cinnamon buns when you come back in.”

Yoojin agrees that this is a better plan and she’s rushing out to meet her friend 30 minutes later when Minwoo arrives.

They’re out in the snow within minutes and Kibum is standing in the living room and watching them with a fond heart. He starts on the cinnamon buns after 15 minutes of watching them, the music turned up so he can dance around in the kitchen as well.

He doesn’t hear the door opening and he doesn’t turn around from the pot where he’s warming hot chocolate until someone grabs his hips. Kibum screams and turns around only to look into Jinki’s mischievous eyes. Minho is standing in the doorway with a glint in his eyes and Kibum can hear Yoojin and Minwoo in the hallway, getting undressed again. He glares at Jinki, who lets him go only to gently dip his finger in the hot chocolate in the pot and it off afterwards.

“You need a little vanilla sugar,” he says before he moves away from Kibum. Kibum just stares at his fiancé with a dumb expression.

“ off,” he mumbles but he reaches into the cupboard to find the vanilla sugar anyway. Minho is helping Yoojin dry her hair so it doesn’t drip onto the floor while Minwoo is getting rid of his shoes.

When the kids are finally done, they hurry into the kitchen so Kibum can serve them what he has promised earlier. Kibum is mildly confused to find both his soulmates home as well when they should be at work. It’s only 3 in the afternoon and neither of them is supposed to get off of work before 5.

Minho grabs two cups more and Jinki takes the pot so he can serve the hot chocolate. Kibum is a little dumbfounded and just sits down in a chair and reaches in to take a cinnamon bun. Yoojin and Minwoo are eating their cinnamon buns happily, Jinki and Minho only drinking the hot chocolate.

When Yoojin and Minwoo reach for their third cinnamon bun, Minho puts a hand on theirs and shakes his head.

“Two are enough,” he says and Yoojin pouts cutely, hoping to convince him otherwise.

“But dad,” she says but Minho just shakes his head again. She gives up and thanks Kibum for the food before she drags Minwoo with her into her room. Kibum gazes from one to the other before he finally decides to ask.

“Why are you home?”

Jinki and Minho gaze at each other before they turn to Kibum.

“Did you listen to the radio?” Minho asks and Kibum shakes his head. It has started snowing again outside.

“They made a snow storm advisory so both the bank and the restaurant decided to close earlier,” Jinki says. Kibum turns to look at the window. It doesn’t look like a snow storm at all with the snow falling slowly from the sky in big white snowflakes and he turns back to his soulmates.

“Don’t you believe us?”

Kibum can hear the cheeky tone in Minho’s voice and Kibum just takes the last sip of the lukewarm chocolate in his cup. He doesn’t answer the question because he trusts that they’re here for a reason but the snowstorm advisory does sound a little like a lie.

It isn’t a lie, however, when an hour later, the wind is howling and the snow is drifting over the roads, the view obscured by the heavy snowfall. Minho has the TV and called Minwoo’s mother to arrange a sleep-over between the two kids so nobody has to leave the house in the storm. Jinki is cooking dinner, a simple honey butter fried chicken but only because Yoojin has made him promise that he will create a croquembouche for her for dessert.

Kibum is observing the two men with a feeling of being incomplete. He knows h