Eight

Sehun is thirteen when Chanyeol is forced to move back to his old city.  With both of his parents elderly, he is the only one left to take over his father’s work.  He doesn’t want to go, leave behind the peace, Yoona’s grave, the safety his children can be raised in.

But it’s okay.  The Wu family remains in their small town.  They will take care of the Park household, bring Yoona her flowers every weekend, and forward any important letters to their new home.  The Wu children have Sehun’s old friends to rely on. The street roughed kids Yoongi, Yien, and Tao are slowly adapting to Junmyeon’s mothering nature and seem to have completely adopted the Wu children into protection against the others.

And Seohyun won’t be left in his parent’s care.  Junmyeon had called up his cousin Minseok and his husband Jongdae to babysit the girl until Sehun comes by and picks her up after his classes.

Chanyeol’s life is finally coming to a calm.  The past few years have been rough, hectic, heart shattering.  Yet, even after those years, Chanyeol is still very lost. Content, but lost.

Maybe he’ll meet Baekhyun again in this city.  Afterall, this is where they met. It’ll be a full circle.  They’ll raise the kids together, and have one of their own. Maybe it’ll be decades from now.  Maybe Baekhyun has a child of his own with another man. Maybe, if fate will allow it, their own children will marry each other.

It’s wishful thinking.  It’s the heartache finally getting a wrap from hazardously being placed back together.  He misses Baekhyun.

When was the last time he saw the wine colored hair?  Thirteen, fourteen years? Gosh. Surely, Baekhyun has found his happy ending by now.  Good. Chanyeol wishes him everything and more. Baekhyun deserves it all.

If Chanyeol can’t have his, he hopes Baekhyun has his.  Besides, Chanyeol has his two kids. He can’t ask for more.  He has enough.

“ ‘Ma told me that if I loved someone, I shouldn’t let go,” Sehun murmurs across the living room on the couch.  Little Seohyun is in his lap, playing with his bigger hands.

“What happens when we let go?” the four year old asks, looking up at her brother with wide curious eyes.

“We fall,” Sehun answers simply and Seohyun hums in question. “Abeoji let go, ‘Ma let go, Omma let go, your appa let go.  If we let go, we fall.”

“But if we let go and fall,” Seohyun begins as Chanyeol stands up and comes over from the back porch. “Shouldn’t the person we love catch us?”

Sehun gives her a broken smile. “I hope you find someone that loves you enough to stay and pull you back up, my little sister.  Not all of us will be so lucky.”

“Then let’s be there and catch each other,” Seohyun proclaims with her pinky stuck out.  Sehun takes it and it makes the little girl smile widely.

Yes, I have my children.  I’ll catch them if they were to fall.  And I’ll pray every night for them not to.  

Baekhyun-ah, I hope you’re living well.  I hope you’re very happy. I hope you never fall again.  I hope you have a hand to hold when you stumble. Let us meet again someday.  Let us be happy, whether this path lets us find each other again or not.

I love you, Baekhyun-ah.