Sequel
It Is All RealA/N: the sequel no one asked for ! Jikook's life 12 years later. Sowon means ‘wish’ in Korean, that’s why I named her like that. This second part was supposed to show how JiKook evolved but as I was writing it, I thought it would be more interesting to focus on Sowon… I hope I didn’t mess it up!!
12 years later
It’d been a whole hour and Jungkook couldn’t stop moving his legs as he was sitting with Jimin in the waiting room of the child welfare.
“Stop being so nervous, it will be okay.” Jimin said, taking his husband’s hand.
“I can’t help it. I’m nervous and excited at the same time.” He replied, smiling.
“I am too. But let’s wait patiently and calmly.”
After waiting for another half an hour, a woman called them and led them to her office. They entered and sat down.
“Hello, Mr Park and Mr Jeon. How are you?” the woman asked.
“We’re good. We can’t wait to meet her.” Jimin answered, beaming.
“I guess so. You will love her. She’s only two months old but she’s a cutie. You told me that you didn’t care about the origin of the child but we still got you a Korean little girl.” The woman explained.
“It really didn’t matter though. What’s her name?” Jungkook asked.
“Her name is Sowon. Her mother passed away just after giving birth to her.”
“Poor girl…” Jimin said and Jungkook grabbed his hand.
“Sign those papers stating that you’re adopting Sowon and then we’ll be able to go see her.” the woman stated. Both Jimin and Jungkook signed the papers and stood up.
“Excuse me, I want to ask something.” Jungkook stated and the woman nodded. “Will we be able to take her home today?”
“Yes. Everything is ready for you to take Sowon home.” The woman answered.
“Then let’s go see her.” Jungkook excitedly said.
They followed the woman out of her office into a little corridor and entered a dim lighted room. A nurse was waiting for them with a sleeping little girl in his arm.
“Hello, she just fell asleep.” He whispered, getting up and closer to the couple. “Would you like to hold her?”
“Yes.” Jimin said, extending his arms towards the baby. He manoeuvred with the nurse and in a blink, he was holding the baby in his arms.
“Hello, sweetie. Nice to meet you. I’m your daddy, Jimin.” He whispered, smiling fondly at the tiny human being.
Jungkook was beaming at the scene. He knew how much Jimin wanted a baby, they went through very hard times trying to get the right to adopt. A high number of DSSs rejected them because they were both men. Seeing Jimin holding their daughter made him tear up.
When Jimin looked over at Jungkook to ask if he wanted to hold her as well, he was surprised to see him crying.
“Why are you crying, love?” he asked him.
Jungkook sniffed and wiped his eyes with a tissue the nurse gave him.
“I’m just so happy. I know how much you dreamed about having a kid that would be ours and I just felt overwhelmed seeing you holding our daughter.” He explained.
“Aw~ you’re adorable.” Jimin cooed, getting closer to Jungkook and pecking him on the lips. “Do you wanna hold her?”
“Yes.” Jungkook said. Jimin managed to place the baby in his husband’s arms with the nurse’s help.
“Oh my god.” Jungkook whispered once he had her in his arms. “She’s so tiny. Look at how she clenches her tiny fists as she sleeps. She’s adorable. Hi baby. I’m your second daddy, Jungkook.”
1 year later
“Jungkookie, can you feed Sowon while I shower?”
“Yes, baby, take your time.” Jungkook said, kissing his husband as he walked past him on the way to the bathroom.
The younger went to the living room, grabbing the running little girl in his arms and peppering her face with kisses until she was giggling. He then placed her in her high chair and resolved to feed her with boiled carrot and tuna. Sowon couldn’t stand still, it was both funny and exasperating to Jungkook. After ten minutes of trying to feed her, she had morsels of tuna and carrots all over her face, even on her hair. Jungkook sighed and put the little spoon down. Sensing that something was wrong, the little girl stopped moving but kept a wide smile on her face.
“Sowonie… Stop moving so I can feed you, okay? Why are you so excited today?” Jungkook asked, waiting for an answer. His daughter giggled and grabbed his face, kissing him on the lips.
“Hey, who do you think you are, kissing my husband?” Jimin said, coming out of nowhere, a towel over his hair. He smiled and leaned down to kiss Jungkook. Sowon pouted and grabbed Jungkook’s face again, leaving a peck on his lips once again.
“I think she likes me.” Jungkook said, giggling.
“I like you more.” Jimin said, pouting.
“She’s our daughter, love.”
“I know. Anyway, what happened here?” Jimin asked, taking a tissue and cleaning Sowon’s face.
“I tried to feed her but she kept on moving.” Jungkook said, eating a carrot. “That’s delicious.” He said and Jimin took the plate from the younger’s hands.
“That’s for my daughter. You aren’t allowed to eat it. Sowon-ah, open~” he said and Sowon opened , waiting patiently for the carrot to get to . She bit on it and calmly chewed, opening to eat some more when she had swallowed.
“How come she’s so calm with you? That’s so unfair.” Jungkook complained.
“She must have inherited my legendary calmness.”
“Excuse me? Legendary what?” Jungkook scoffed.
“Oh, shut up.” Jimin mumbled. “Let’s finish eating Sowonie and then we’ll go to the park.” Jimin told Sowon, resuming on feeding her.
When he brought the fork to , she refused to eat, shaking her head. Jimin stood still, confused. She then opened and closed it once again.
“Oh my gosh, I think she’s trying to talk.” Jungkook said, grabbing his husband’s hand.
“D-Da…” the little girl began.
“I think she’s trying to say ‘daddy’.” Jimin whispered.
“Da… D-Dada!” Sowon exclaimed, grabbing Jungkook’s face, beaming at him.
“Oh my god… Oh my god, she said ‘dada’! She called me ‘dada’!!” Jungkook screamed, overjoyed.
Jimin smiled widely at him, and ruffled the little girl’s hair.
“Our Sowon is so smart, she talks already! So smart, my sweet little girl.” He said, kissing Sowon on her cheek.
“Dada!” she repeated, grabbing Jimin’s face this time and kissing him on the cheek.
“Dada loves you so much, you’re so smart.” Jimin said and kept on feeding her until the plate was empty.
The little family was now on the way to the nearby park, Jungkook pushing the pushchair in which Sowon was seated, swaying her legs while Jimin had his arm around Jungkook’s waist. It was the first time they brought Sowon to the park since she first began to walk and it’s only been two weeks. She was still staggering a little but she had to walk more to get more stable. When they arrived, they let her down and she grabbed Jimin’s hand, making her way to the slide. Jungkook smiled and went to sit down on the nearest empty bench. He looked at Jimin and Sowon enjoying themselves as he helped the little girl go up the slide and then down with a firm grip on her. They played like that for a couple of minutes until a little girl approached Sowon, taking her hand. They both began blabbering and laughing until a woman approached and took the little girl in her arms, saying something to Jimin that had him frown. Jungkook got up and went to the scene as quick as possible before the woman could go.
“Hello, is something wrong?” he politely asked the woman.
“Yes. You. The both of you. How dare you show up in a park full of children? What if they think that it is normal to see two men together?” she said, looking at both Jimin and Jungkook disapprovingly.
“And how can you judge that it is abnormal? My husband and I shouldn’t be insulted like this for being in love with each other. I’d never tell you that you being in love with your husband is wrong or abnormal.” Jungkook reasoned, keeping his calm.
“Of course not! I am very much normal, thank God. I seriously think that you should go very far away and give this poor little girl to a child welfare before she grows up and begins to think that the relationship you two have is okay.” The woman said but before she could go away, Jimin grabbed her arm, looking furious.
“Who do you think you are talking like you know everything? Gay marriage has been legal for years already, what the do you know about the LGBT community, about us and about our daughter to tell us what we should do? I think that you should be the one to go very far away and give your daughter to a child welfare if your education will revolve about teaching her that being in love is wrong.” He said, his voice deep and rough.
The woman looked absolutely stunned and before she could say anything, another mother came to the scene, making her go away before turning to the couple.
“I’m sorry for her. She usually never comes to this park because she isn’t appreciated. I don’t know why she decided to come back. She’s very narrow-minded, she was raised like this.” The woman apologized. “By the way, my name is Park Chorong. Nice to meet you. Are you new in the neighbourhood?” Chorong asked, smiling and extending her hand.
“No, we’ve been living here for three years already but our little girl here just began walking so we wanted her to have some fresh air.” Jungkook said, shaking Chorong’s hand.
“Oh, I see! And what’s the princess’ name?” she asked, crouching down to Sowon’s height.
“Sowon. She’s our adoptive daughter.” Jimin answered, still a bit angry.
“I hope you’ll come more often, I think she would be good friends with my son, Mingyu.” She said, turning her back to the couple. “Mingyu-ya! Come here, sweetie!” she called and a little boy came, running unsteadily to her. “Say hello, Mingyu.”
“Hello.” The little boy said, bowing to the men.
“Hello, Mingyu.” Jungkook said, crouching down in front of the little boy. “Here is my daughter, Sowon. Will you become friends with her?” Jungkook asked, pushing Sowon a little bit forward Mingyu. The latter eagerly nodded and took Sowon’s hand, smiling to her.
“How old is he?” Jimin asked.
“He’s 18 months old. How old is Sowon?”
“Only 14 months old.”
“I’m sure they’ll get along very well. Mingyu will teach her some new words, I’m sure of it.” Chorong said, smiling widely as the two babies sat down on the ground, laughing out loud.
Two weeks later
Indeed, Mingyu had taught Sowon a lot of new words, her favourite till now being ‘apple’. Therefore, she was having apple compote every day as snack. (A/N: apple in Korean is sagwa. It’s a difficult word to pronounce for kids so just imagine that Sowon pronounces it right please!)
Today was no exception, Sowon came to her dads sitting on a bench, extending her little hands.
“Did you bring her snack, baby?” Jimin asked Jungkook, opening the girl’s backpack.
“Weren’t you the one supposed to bring it this time?” Jungkook asked, looking confusedly at his husband.
“Jungkookie, I clearly told you to bring it yourself.” Jimin said, sighing.
As the little girl became impatient, she exclaimed ‘Dada!’, shaking her hands in front of Jimin.
“Look, darling. Dada forgot the snack, so you’ll have to do without it today.” Jimin explained.
The little girl frowned, shaking her head.
“Don’t pull that face on us. We can’t do anything about it. Maybe Mingyu will be kind enough to share his snack with you.” Jungkook stated, but the little girl shook her head even more.
“Apple!” she exclaimed and, suddenly, a flask of apple compote appeared in Jimin’s hands.
Jimin and Jungkook both looked at each other with wide eyes, looking back at Sowon who grabbed the snack from her father’s hands. She tried opening it but quickly gave it to Jungkook since she couldn’t.
“I think we should go back home.” Jungkook suggested and Jimin nodded.
Jungkook opened the flask and gave it to his daughter before taking her into his arms and going towards Chorong.
“I’m sorry Chorong-ssi, but we have to go home a bit earlier.” He announced, apologetic.
“It’s okay. I think I’ll go back home too, Mingyu must be tired after playing all this time with Sowon. See you tomorrow?” she said, before calling Mingyu.
“Um, I don’t know if we’ll come tomorrow. We have some serious matters going on at the moment.” Jungkook stated before quickly going back home with Jimin and Sowon.
When they finally arrived home, Sowon had fallen asleep and Jimin and Jungkook looked at each other for some time before Jungkook talked.
“I think we should call my parents.”
“But are we really sure that it is that?” Jimin asked.
“Jiminie, it happened to me all the time when I was a child. I know how it is and I’m sure.” Jungkook said, taking Jimin’s hand. “I’m so shocked and stressed, I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling. Let’s call my parents.” Jungkook stated and Jimin nodded.
Jungkook grabbed his phone and dialled his mother’s number. After two rings, she picked up.
“Jungkook, sweetie! How are you? It’s been some time since you last called your old mother. I missed you. How is Sowon?” She said, chuckling.
“I’m sorry, mom. I’ll try to be better but we have a problem with Jimin. Sowon is alright but she’s got the same feature I had when I was little.” He began.
“What? Do you mean that…”
“Yes. We don’t really know what to do. She’s sleeping for now but we’re very stressed. It happened at the park.”
“Oh my god. No one saw it, right?”
“We don’t think so. Mom, what should we do?” Jungkook asked.
“Well, I don’t really know. Would you mind if I came to Seoul tomorrow? Are you working?” she asked.
“I’ll come back home from work in the evening but Jiminie is at home all day. Right, sweetie?” Jimin nodded. “Yes, he’s here tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’ll see if your dad can come and I’ll buy train tickets to arrive in the morning.”
“I’ll repay you, mom. Thanks.”
“Anytime, love.” She said and hung up.
“Mom said that she’ll come tomorrow in the morning. She said that she has to see it for herself.” Jungkook explained.
“That’s so nice of her. Seriously, what would we do without her?” Jimin said, hugging his husband.
“Don’t worry, love. Everything’s gonna be alright.”
The next morning
Jimin was playing cars with Sowon when Mrs Jeon rang the bell. He got up and went to open the door.
“Hello, Jimin!” she exclaimed, taking her son-in-law in her arms.
“Hello. How are you?” he asked, letting her in.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Your father-in-law couldn’t come, he’s working today, just like his son. How are you though?” she asked, making her way to the living room.
“Well, I’m okay. Just a bit shocked. I don’t really know what to do.” Jimin said. He entered the living room behind her and Sowon turned around and got up, clumsily running towards her dad.
“DADA!!” she shouted, hugging Jimin’s legs.
“Oh my god, she’s so adorable!” Mrs Jeon, said, squealing. She crouched down in front of her.
“Hello, Sowon. I’m Haewon, Jungkook’s mom. Nice to meet you.” Mrs Jeon said, extending her hand to the little girl. The latter looked up at his dad, who nodded, and she took one of the woman’s finger, squeezing it in her tiny hand.
“Hi.” She said, almost inaudibly, wearing a shy smile on her lips.
“Sowon-ah.” Jimin began and the little girl looked up at him once again. “Haewon is your grandma, okay? She’s Jungkook dada’s mom.” The girl looked a bit confused. “You see Mingyu’s moma?” Sowon nodded. “Haewon is Jungkook dada’s moma.” He explained.
Sowon beamed and hugged Mrs Jeon.
“Hi!” she exclaimed, pecking the woman’s cheek before going to play with her cars again.
“She’s so adorable! The last time I saw her she couldn’t even crawl. She grew up so fast!”
“Would you like something to drink?” Jimin asked.
“Maybe we could talk while drinking some coffee?” Mrs Jeon suggested. Jimin nodded and went to the kitchen as the woman sat on the couch in the living room.
“So, you must have a lot of questions to ask me.” Mrs Jeon began, taking the cup Jimin was handing her.
“Yes.” Jimin stated, sitting next to her. “How did you know about Jungkook’s feature?”
“Well, we were at home one day and he was around Sowon’s age. He was crying about sweets. He shouted ‘sweets!’ and they appeared in his hand, out of nowhere. It was really shocking.”
“Did you tell someone about it?”
“Of course not. People would have thought that we’re crazy, saying things like this. We tried to work it out by ourselves.”
“What do you mean?”
“Firstly, Jungkook didn’t go to school until he was around 6 years old. It was too risky to let him go to school since he couldn’t talk properly. We taught him how to read and how to write, the basics.” Mrs Jeon took a sip of her coffee. “We talked to him about being careful of what he said. He quickly understood how powerful his words could be and agreed to be very careful. That’s why nothing ever happened.”
“I see… Do you think we should do the same?” Jimin asked.
“I don’t know, it depends on how you both feel about Sowon and what Jungkook thinks would be better for your daughter. I think he would know better than us since he lived all of this.” Mrs Jeon said. “But I’m sure he won’t take a decision alone, he would take your opinion too. You’ll work it out no matter what.”
“I know that. But Sowon already made a friend and I don’t want her to lose him. She’s still very young, she doesn’t understand anything yet, she just knows that she’s got a friend named Mingyu. If we don’t go to the park anymore, she’ll be sad.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Jimin. You’ll have to talk it out with Jungkook.” She said and Jimin nodded.
“Anyway, how’s life going?” she asked, changing the subject to lighten the mood.
“It’s going great. It was a bit hard at the beginning with Sowon but now it’s all well. I’m sorry that you can’t see your grand-daughter as often as you’d like.” Jimin said, apologetic.
“It’s okay! I know you’re both very busy and Busan isn’t two minutes away either.”
“Yeah but she has grand-parents, it would be better if you could spend time with her so she gets to know you. And you might be the only female figure she’ll have as she grows up.”
“Jimin, dear. She doesn’t need any female figure. Being raised by two men doesn’t mean anything. You don’t have to worry. She’ll grow up to be a beautiful woman, I’m sure of it. And I’m not going to live forever either, so I won’t be of great help.” Mrs Jeon said, giggling at the end.
Jimin looked a bit sad and Mrs Jeon put a hand on his shoulder.
“I know that you’re not her biological father but she looks so much like you! You have the same smile, it’s adorable. She will grow up to become a very wise and kind woman, I know it.”
The rest of the day was spent with the two adults playing with Sowon.
When Jungkook arrived in the evening, they were eating dinner.
“I’m back!” he said as he entered. Two seconds later, Sowon was running towards him.
“DADA!” she shouted and Jungkook lifted her up.
“How are you princess?” he asked her, kissing her cheek.
“Yes!” she answered, giggling.
“Hi, baby.” Jimin said, kissing Jungkook. “How was your day?”
“It was okay. The photoshoot took a bit longer than it was supposed to but it all went well. Is mom still here?” he asked, entering the living room.
“Of course I am, do you want me gone?” she asked teasingly, going to hug her son.
“I'm sorry you had to come. Thanks for coming though.” Jungkook said, kissing his mom on the cheek.
“Always, sweetie.” She said.
“Go eat, I’ll put Sowon to bed.” Jimin said and Jungkook kissed Sowon goodnight and went to eat.
Half an hour later, Jimin came back down to the living room after having sung five different songs for Sowon.
“She finally fell asleep.” He announced, going to sit beside his husband on the couch.
“How was your day?” Jungkook asked.
“It was great. Your mom and I played with Sowon the whole day.”
“We had a great bonding time, it was fun.” Mrs Jeon said.
“I’m glad you had fun all together.” Jungkook said, smiling contently and pulling Jimin closer to him. “Did it happen again?”
“It didn’t. But we know that if she ever doesn’t get what she wants, it’ll happen again. The problem now is… what are we gonna do?” Jimin asked.
“Well, I guess mom told you how my early days went.” Jimin nodded. “I think it’s not that bad of an idea. Taehyungie could help too.”
“Are you sure, though?” Mrs Jeon asked, making the two men look at her.
“What do you mean, mom?”
“I mean, yes, we were able to protect you and the people around us but you were a very lonely kid until you entered college – besides from Taehyung. Do you want Sowon to grow up as lonely as you were?”
“She will never be lonely. We will be there for her and when she’ll be old enough to understand everything and go to school, I’m sure she’ll have loads of friends. I was the one to be worried about what could happen to others if I got close to them and that’s why Tae was my only friend. But I learned a lot and I’ll make sure that she doesn’t make the same mistakes I did.” Jungkook explained.
“If you’re sure then. It’s your choice to make, you’re the parents.”
“But your opinion matters a lot Haewon-ssi.” Jimin said, hugging his mother-in-law.
“Jimin is right, mom.”
“Thank you, boys.” Mrs Jeon said, getting a little emotional. “I think I’ll go to sleep too if you don’t mind. I’m tired. Good night.” She said, kissing both Jimin and Jungkook on their foreheads and going to the guest room.
“So, do you agree with me? Let Sowon be home-schooled until she gets older?” Jungkook asked.
“If you think that’s the best option, I do. But there’s still one little issue.”
“What is it?”
“Mingyu and Chorong.”
“Right, I totally forgot about it.” said Jungkook, passing both of his hands in his hair.
“Do you think we can tell Chorong?” Jimin cautiously asked.
“What? Why?”
“Sowon and Mingyu are very close friends, we can’t break their friendship just like that. Sowon will look for her friend, she’ll be very sad.” Jimin explained.
“I don’t know, Jiminie. I’m afraid Chorong will think we’re crazy or something and spread the word.” Jungkook stated.
“Look, let’s just try. We’ll test the waters and see how she reacts.”
“And how are we going to do that?”
“I’ll take care of that.”
The next day, Jungkook drove his mother to the train station and thanked her for coming, promising her that he’ll keep her updated. An hour later, he was with Jimin and Sowon at the park, looking over his daughter as Jimin went to talk to Chorong.
“Hello, Chorong-ssi.” He said as he approached the woman.
“Hello, Jimin-ssi. How are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you. How about you?”
“I’m okay. I was a bit worried about you and Jungkook since you didn’t come yesterday.”
“I’m sorry you got worried. I’d like to ask you something if you’re okay with it.” Jimin asked and Chorong nodded. “Well, let’s say that one day, you stumble upon someone that every time they wish for something, it becomes real. How would you react?”
“Such a weird question you’re asking Jimin-ssi.” Chorong said, frowning.
“I know. Could you just answer, please?” Jimin asked, pressuring her a little bit.
“Do you know someone like that?” she asked.
“What? Of course not! It can’t be real, right?” Jimin said, cursing internally for not being able to lie.
“Jimin-ssi. You’ll probably think I’m crazy but I know someone like that.” Chorong said.
“What? For real?” Jimin asked, flabbergasted.
“My cousin’s daughter is like that. When she was very little, around Mingyu’s age, she demanded something and it appeared out of nowhere.” Chorong stated.
“Seriously?” Jimin asked, doubtful.
“I swear on my son, Jimin, it’s real. Is it Sowon’s case?” Chorong asked and Jimin looked at her, wondering if he should believe her or not.
“Chorong-ssi, come with me please.” He said and lead her to Jungkook. “Baby, we need to talk.”
“Hello, Chorong-ssi. What do we need to talk about?”
“Chorong-ssi’s cousin’s daughter is the same.” Jimin stated.
“For real?” Jungkook asked, surprised.
“Yes.” Chorong said. “Whatever Jihyo asks for becomes real.”
“And she goes to school?” Jungkook asked.
“Of course. Her mom taught her to be careful of what she says. She’s 10 years old now.”
“And did she go to school from the beginning or not?”
“No. Her parents waited until she was at least 6 because she was too young to understand anything. But since she entered school nothing happened.”
“I told you it’s the best option.” Jungkook said to Jimin.
“I agreed with you.” Jimin replied. “Does she have friends?” he asked.
“She does. Not a lot but still. No one knows about her secret though.” Chorong replied.
“Thanks for telling us, Chorong-ssi. We discovered this the day before yesterday, that’s why we suddenly went home. We’re sorry.” Jungkook explained.
“It’s okay, I totally understand now. Mingyu was sad that Sowon wasn’t here yesterday but they’re playing alright now.” She said and the three parents turned to look at their kids.
“We didn’t want to make him sad. That’s why I wanted to tell you about Sowon. Mingyu is her only friend and we want them to stay friends.” Jimin stated.
“That’s nice. I’ll help you as much as I can until they both grow older and Sowon can join Mingyu in school.
________________________________________________________________________________
Throughout the years, Jimin and Jungkook did their best to teach Sowon to be careful of what she said. Taehyung took care of her when they couldn’t and Chorong-ssi brought Mingyu to their home as often as she could so he could play with Sowon. When she was five, she finally understood what Jimin meant when he told her ‘you can’t ask for something you don’t have’. She was playing with Mingyu and she wanted the same toy. She said ‘I want the same toy’ and said toy disappeared from Mingyu’s hand to appear in her. Mingyu began to cry and Chorong-ssi and Jungkook came running. Both kids were crying and they had to explain to Mingyu what happened and to Sowon why she couldn’t do that. Sowon then became aware of the weight the words she pronounced had and started to be careful.
The girl’s first day at school went well. Jimin and Jungkook both accompanied her and even though she was nervous, she was relieved to see that she was in the same class as Mingyu. Their teacher was named Yoojin. She was young and pretty and all the child liked her. Sowon made a lot of friends, thanks partly to Mingyu but also to Yoojin who wanted all of her students to be friends with each other. When Jimin came to fetch Sowon from school at the end of the day, the little girl couldn’t stop talking about the woman, a smile on her lips the whole time. When she went to sleep that night, she wasn’t as nervous as the night before.
Sowon spent primary school like this, in Mingyu’s class and every year having a nice and pretty teacher. Things changed a bit in middle school. Jungkook entered her room one night and sat down on her bed. He looked serious and the little girl was a bit worried. Her father didn’t look serious often, she thought she had done something bad and began to cry. The man took her into his arms and calmed her down. When she stopped crying, he told her that he had the same feature when he was younger. He told her that middle school and the teenage years were the hardest so she had to be even more careful about what she wished for, what she wanted. He told her that she could think about bad things, that she could wish for them in her head but must never say them out loud. Sowon agreed and with that in mind, she entered middle school.
For the first time in her life, she wasn’t in Mingyu’s class. When she went home at the end of the day, she was sad. Her parents noticed that and asked about it as they were eating dinner. She told them that she was afraid her and Mingyu would drift apart, that he would make another best friend, that he would completely forget about her. Jungkook and Jimin reassured her but when she went to sleep, she was still sad. The next morning, after sending her off to school, Jimin called Chorong-ssi and told her about Sowon’s concerns. At the end of the day, Chorong invited Sowon over so she could do her homeworks with Mingyu. Both children were very happy to spend some time together and she even stayed for dinner. As the two children were waiting for Sowon’s father to arrive to drive her back home, Sowon decided to voice her concerns to her best friend. The latter listened to her intently and told her that she didn’t have to worry about such things because they would always be friends. They made a pinky promise just before the little girl’s father arrived and brought her home.
Sowon and Mingyu’s last year in middle school time was spent apart from each other. They had kept their promise though but Sowon knew something had changed for her. Mingyu had grown into a very handsome guy, tall with an athletic build. He had dyed his black hair brown and Sowon liked that. In fact, Sowon wasn’t the only one to like that. A lot of girls seemed to like Mingyu and she couldn’t stand it at all. One day, as Jungkook had come to fetch her from school, she looked sad. When he asked her if something was wrong, she told him that everything was alright. The girl knew that her father knew she lied. But she didn’t care. She didn’t wanna talk about it yet. In fact, a girl had asked Mingyu out at lunch and he told her that he would give her his answer the next day. That evening, Mingyu tried to reach Sowon to ask for her opinion but she didn’t answer. The next day, Mingyu rejected the girl and Sowon was a bit happier. But she felt guilty to feel that way and to have ignored Mingyu. When he tried to talk to her after class, she told him that she didn’t have time and ran home. She felt like crying the whole way home and hoped that no one would be home when she arrived. Luckily, her fathers weren’t home yet so she locked herself in her room and cried until she fell asleep. What woke her up was Jimin knocking on his door. She opened it and at the sight of her father, cried once again. He asked what was up and she told him everything. She told him that she didn’t feel the same about Mingyu anymore, that a girl had asked him out and that she had been upset about it and had ignored Mingyu. She told him that she avoided him once again today and that she thought she liked Mingyu as more than a friend. Jimin had called Jungkook then and they both hugged her, wanting her to stop crying. When she finally stopped, they started to talk.
“Are you sure you like Mingyu?” Jungkook asked.
“Almost. Around 95%.” Sowon answered.
“What are the 5% left?” Jimin asked.
“Doubts. Questions.”
“Are you afraid that you may like Mingyu as more than a friend?” Jimin asked.
“Yes.”
“Why?” Jungkook asked this time.
“Because we grew up together. We know everything about each other and I don’t know if he likes me back. Everything could go wrong in this situation.”
“But he could like you back.” Jungkook said.
“Even if he does, if we go out together and it doesn’t work out, our friendship would be ruined.”
“Look at me baby.” Jimin said. To his surprise, both Jungkook and Sowon looked at her, making him giggle. “I was talking to Wonie, not you Kook.” He said and Jungkook chuckled, embarrassed. “If you really like him, you should tell him. I’m sure he feels the same and even if you don’t work out in the end, your friendship won’t be ruined. You said it yourself, you grew up together. You know each other the best. Nothing could go wrong. But it’s your choice to make.” Jimin explained.
“Okay. Thanks daddy.” Sowon said, hugging Jimin.
“So you call him ‘daddy’ and even hug him? I smell favouritism…” Jungkook trailed, acting hurt.
“You’re silly!” Sowon laughed and hugged Jungkook too. “I love you daddies.”
“We love you too.” Jimin and Jungkook replied at the same time.
In the meantime, Mingyu was talking with his mother about he felt about Sowon. He had rejected that girl because he couldn’t see himself going out with someone that wasn’t Sowon. He was scared of his feelings too and after talking it out with his mother, he came to the same conclusion: he should tell Sowon about his feelings.
However, the next day, Sowon apologised to her friend, telling him that she had a lot of homeworks lately and that’s why she couldn’t hang out with him or answer the phone. And Mingyu knew that she was lying but didn’t say anything and forgave her.
When the kids entered high school, the hard times began. Jungkook’s father passed away and Sowon had never seen his father so sad. He stopped working for some time and went to Busan to check on his mother. He stayed there for two weeks and when he came back, he looked even sadder. Sowon never knew that it would be so hard to not wish for someone’s happiness. During that time, she began to withdraw into herself and fell into writing. She began to write texts and poems to let her feelings out. She stopped talking to her fathers about trivial matters. She didn’t want to become a bother with all the tragedy that was happening. She was glad her fathers weren’t fighting though, it would have been awful. She also drifted apart from Mingyu. The latter was becoming an athletics superstar and she didn’t wanna bother him with personal matters. After some months spent like this, she fought with Mingyu. Things they didn’t mean were said and tears fell. This time, Mingyu stopped trying to talk to Sowon. Jimin heard from Chorong-ssi but didn’t tell Jungkook. The latter was feeling bad enough already and he didn’t want him to feel guilty about their daughter’s unhappiness. Jimin called Taehyung one night and told him everything, asking him to try talking to Sowon. A few days after Sowon’s fight with Mingyu, Taehyung went to fetch her from school and brought her to a restaurant that sold lamb skewers. When they sat down, Taehyung talked.
“Did you know that your fathers had their first unofficial date here?”
“Really?”
“Yes. Did they tell you how they met?”
“No. I mean, they did tell me they met in college, that dad fell in love with daddy when he saw him dance but that’s it.”
“Oh my gosh. It wasn’t that simple! I mean yes, Jungkook fell in love with Jimin when he saw him dance but the story after that was drama worthy! As you know, everything Jungkook said became real; I mean, everything he wished for. But I was the only one to know! No one knew besides me and his parents. But Jungkook was so pure, he was so in love with Jimin, he didn’t want his power to stand in the way of his love for Jimin. So, he told Jimin but he didn’t believe him. At first. Then, Jungkook proved it to him and Jimin believed him. Of course, they had they first date before Jungkook told Jimin anything. Anyway, after that, they became boyfriends. But do you know what Jungkook did later on?”
“What did he do?” Sowon avidly asked.
“He wished to lose his power.”
“Seriously?!” Sowon exclaimed.
“Yes! That’s why he doesn’t have it anymore! Isn’t that so romantic?” Taehyung asked, acting like a teenager.
“It is! I wondered how come he didn’t have that power anymore. My dad is so cute!” Sowon cooed.
“Anyway, now you know the outline of your fathers’ love story. But do you see the point here?” Taehyung asked and Sowon shook her head. “The point is, your fathers went through worst things. You can tell them about how you’re going through a hard time even if you have to make Jungkook cry. Because what would hurt him more than lose a father would be to know that his daughter hides from him that she is having a hard time just to not hurt him or bother him. He would be totally devastated.” Taehyung explained.
“I understand. Thank you, uncle Tae.”
“You’re welcome honey. Now, let’s order.”
“So, I talked with uncle Tae and I want to apologise.” Sowon said when she went back home.
The little family was sitting in the dining room, Sowon facing her dads.
“What are you apologising for?” Jimin asked.
“I apologise for distancing myself from the both you, for withdrawing into myself and thinking that you wouldn’t care about me and my problems.”
“Why would you think that?” Jimin asked again.
“Because dad’s father passed away and my little problems don’t compare to–”
“Don’t say that.” Jungkook said, his voice so low it was almost a whisper. He hadn’t talked yet and Sowon was surprised to hear how cold her father sounded.
“Jungkookie–” Jimin began.
“Wonie, don’t ever think that your feelings aren’t valid. You matter. I lost a father but you lost weeks of your youth feeling like a bother to your own family. I’m sorry I didn’t see that you were suffering and that I let you down but you can talk to me now. You can talk to us. If you’re ready, of course.” Jungkook stated, holding his tears back.
“It’s just… I never told Mingyu about how I felt. I also broke our promise. We had a fight a couple days ago and we said awful things to each other. I didn’t mean any of it and I know he didn’t as well, it was just the heat of the moment, but it still hurt. I didn’t tell him about grandpa, I didn’t tell him about anything and I couldn’t tell anyone.” Sowon made a pause, taking a deep breath. “I thought about horrible things, I wished for horrible things. I feel so bad and so guilty and I’m disgusted with myself for thinking such things.” Sowon admitted, tears welling up in her eyes. “I understand what you both meant during all those years and I’m sorry for not having fully believed you in the past.” She looked at Jungkook. “Uncle Tae told me what you did for daddy and that’s so brave and romantic.” She giggled a bit. “I just… I’m so sorry for not having told you anything.” Sowon said, finally letting the tears flow out freely.
Jungkook got up and went to hug his daughter.
“It’s okay. I should be the one apologising for making you feel like your feelings weren’t valid.”
“No, dad. It’s okay. You were going through a hard time.”
“My babies.” Jimin said, hugging Jungkook and Sowon. “Stop apologising to each other. What matters is that you’re now talking to each other. Wonie, tell us about what happened with Mingyu.”
“We fought and he’s not talking to me anymore. I’m thinking about sending a text or something but I don’t think he’d answer anyway.”
“You should still try. You need to try again and again until he answers.” Jimin said.
“You can trust your daddy, he knows what he’s talking about.” Jungkook said, giggling, earning a punch from Jimin.
“I’ll do that then. But, can you do me a favour first?” Sowon asked, a bit hesitant.
“Whatever you want.” Jungkook and Jimin both answered.
“Can you tell me your love story?” she asked and her dads smiled, ready to tell their daughter how they met.
One week later
Sowon and Mingyu had agreed to meet up by texts. Mingyu had purposely made Sowon work for it by ignoring her texts and her attempts at talking to him at school. He felt bad for it but their fight had triggered something inside of him he had never felt before. After he came home and thought about their fight, he surprised himself thinking about how beautiful Sowon looked when she was shouting at him. It’s kinda weird but after thinking about it once, he couldn’t chase the thought away. Then, he came to think about how they grew up together, how they had seen each other change. Mingyu knew something had changed between him and Sowon, of course. He noticed how she grew up to become more beautiful, how she began to put some make-up on when she felt like it, how Sowon had stopped looking around for support but began to walk confidently at school. She had always been kinda persecuted for having two men as parents. When they were younger, Sowon used to cry about it, not understanding why people thought it wasn’t normal. But when she entered middle school, she met this teacher who, for the first time, defended her against her classmates. Later on, they discovered the teacher was a lesbian and had also adopted a daughter with her wife. But as Mingyu was thinking of all that, he came to think about what one of his teammates had said last year. He’d said “If girl in class 3 didn’t have gay parents, I’d totally date her”. Mingyu remembered feeling angry because of the comment about Sowon’s parents but also angry because “who the does he think he is to want to date my Sowon?”. Then, it hit him. Mingyu was crushing on Sowon. That happened the same day that girl had asked him out at lunch, in the evening. Mingyu had taken time to think about it because he didn’t know what was best. Rejecting the girl kindly and being mocked by his friends or going out with the girl and being mocked by his friends. After realising his feelings for Sowon, he’d gone for the first option, of course.
But now, he was standing in front of Sowon’s house, waiting for the girl to get back home. After making sure that she was being serious about wanting to apologise, he had agreed to meet up with her. She had let him choose the place and he had chosen her house because he thought that if it turned out bad, he could easily escape and go home. He hoped everything would be alright though.
When Sowon finally arrived, she apologised for being late and opened the door, going inside and leading the way to her room.
They entered the girl’s room and sat down on her bed, not looking at each other yet. The words they had exchanged the last time they saw each other were still floating in the room and echoing in their heads. They were both waiting for the other to talk first. Sowon glanced at Mingyu and sighed.
“I’m sorry.” She began, adverting her eyes. “The last time we met I told you a lot of awful things but I’d like you to know that I didn’t mean a single word I said.” She carefully began. “A lot of things happened the past weeks and it was a big deal for me and my dads. It was hard to bring it up.”
Then, Sowon told Mingyu all about her grandpa’s death and all she had felt during the time his dad was mourning.
“I’m so sorry. I should’ve known something was up. I should’ve tried to ask you about it, make you talk so you could feel better. But I’m glad you’re able to tell me now.” Mingyu replied.
“It’s okay. I didn’t want anyone to know I was having a hard time, I didn’t wanna bother anyone. I’m the only one at fault in all this mess.” Sowon said, looking at Mingyu. He had never looked as handsome as he did at this moment, Sowon thought.
“No, don’t say that. I forgive you if you forgive me. I also told you a lot of messed up things and I regret it a lot. I wish I could go back in time.” he said and Sowon giggled.
“You shouldn’t be so careless with your words or you’ll end up like me.” She said. “But I forgive you. I know you didn’t mean what you said. What matters the most to me is that everything is okay between us.”
“Same for me too. I forgive you.” Mingyu stated, smiling as he took Sowon’s hands in his.
“I still have something else to tell you.” The girl said, becoming serious.
She didn’t know how she gained the courage to do what she was about to do. She looked into her best friend’s eyes and took a deep breath, squeezing his hands.
“I like you. A lot. I’ve liked you for a very long time. One of the reasons I started to avoid you last year was because of that girl who had asked you out. Even if I knew I didn’t have any right to, I was jealous. I was also afraid that you would accept her and become her boyfriend.” Sowon admitted.
Mingyu was awestruck by the confession. He didn’t really know how to react at first, trying to process that his crush liked him back. When he felt Sowon’s grip lighten, he tightened his and scooted closer to her.
“I like you too. I think I’ve liked you for a long time but realised it only recently. I’m sorry I hurt you, I really am. When that girl asked me out, I wanted to talk with you, to have your opinion but you didn’t answer. I was lost, I needed someone to guide me. But it’s okay because I know I made the right choice. I like you Sowonie.”
They looked at each other for some time, conveying their feelings without talking. They didn’t know who leaned in first but they could care less when their lips collided in a sweet kiss. It felt like a fresh intake of air for the both of them. They felt like they’d been underwater for ages and were only now able to breathe again. They broke the kiss too soon for they liking but it didn’t matter, they could kiss all they want now.
“Before we kiss again, let me make it clear. You’re my girlfriend.” Mingyu said, smiling.
“Such a romantic way to ask me out.” Sowon replied, leaning in to kiss her boyfriend again.
“Are you sure you wanna do that?” Mingyu asked Sowon.
Jungkook, Jimin, Chorong, Mingyu and Sowon were sitting in Jungkook and Jimin’s living room. They had eaten dinner together to celebrate the new formed couple and Sowon had announced that she wanted to lose her power. Jungkook and Jimin had expected it but Mingyu and Chorong had no idea.
“Yes, I am. It’s a burden to me. I have to be careful of everything I say and you know how I like to be free. It’s a lot of pressure and I don’t think I could live with it forever.” Sowon answered.
“You know how it works.” Jungkook said and his daughter nodded.
“I wish to lose my power.” She quietly said.
Just as her father had told her, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
“Now, you need to make sure of it.” Jimin stated.
“I wish for everyone to leave the house so I could be alone with Gyu.” She said and when no one moved, they all burst out laughing.
“No need to wish for it, you could just ask.” Chorong said, making the youngers blush.
“Anyway, I’m glad you could work it all out. And I hope you won’t ever lie about your feelings Wonie. The same goes for you Mingyu.” Jungkook stated, smiling warmly at the couple who nodded.
“I’m just thankful that sixteen years ago we were able to adopt Sowon. I’m also thankful for Chorong-ssi who came to help me against that horrible woman on the playground. I think we all form a beautiful family.” Jimin stated, taking his husband’s hand and kissing him sweetly on the lips – making Chorong and the youngers look away.
A/N: I wanted Sowon to keep her power at first but then decided not to. The reason why Jungkook lost his in the first place was because I thought that nothing good could come out if he kept it. It would be totally illogical of me to let Sowon keep her.
I hope you enjoyed the story ! don't hesitate to comment please^^
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