“Jaebum…” Hyojin whispered, taking a step forward. “You’re here,”

 

She hadn’t seen the man in over a week, and looking at him in person was much better than looking at her lockscreen. She instantly forgot about what happened in the safe house the week before and all she wanted was to be held in his arms.

 

“Happy birthday, my love,” his smile was soft as he stood there, looking as handsome as ever in a pair of black jeans, white v-neck tucked in, his usual leather jacket hugging his arms. His usual soft curls are straight and styled back for his forehead to be on display, but she wished that it was down so she could run her fingers through them.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“It’s your birthday,” he took a small step towards her. “Where else would I be here if not here?”

 

“I missed you so much,” she whispered, and that was all Jaebum needed to hear. Taking four large steps, tossing the flowers on the table, he had one hand on her hip, the other cradling the back of her head as his lips crashed against her, Hyojin’s hands coming up against his chest to hold onto his shirt. “I’m so sorry,” a tear had managed to escape her eye.

 

“No, it was all my fault,” Jaebum’s hans caressed her cheek, his thumb wiping the tears away. “I took out my anger on you, I wasn’t thinking. You have nothing to apologize for,” he showered her face in kisses, unable to stop himself now that she was finally with him. “You were just doing what you were told. I am so sorry for hurting you baby, I’m sorry that I made you cry,”

 

Hyojin leaned her head on his chest, closing her eyes, as Jaebum wrapped his arms around her tightly. “I forgive you,” she said softly, “but you have to promise that you’ll never yell at me again,”

 

“I promise with all my heart and more, I will never hurt you again,” he pressed a soft kiss on her temple. “Never ever.” Hyojin looked up into his eyes, and she knew right away that he was telling the truth. The love in his eyes were a look that she hadn’t ever seen in a man’s eyes before.

 

“I love you,” she whispered, leaning up to wrap her arms around his lips to bring his lips down towards her.

 

“I love you so much,” his voice sent shivers down her spine, capturing her lips between his. The kiss got heated, Jaebum’s hands massaging her waist as she weaved her fingers through his hair. “Dinner can wait, we can have dessert first,”

 

“I’m normally against that, but it is my birthday today, so I do deserve a treat,” Hyojin straddled him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

 

“Don’t worry, baby girl, I’m going to spoil you tonight,” Jaebum’s eyes shined, capturing her lips.

 

✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

 

It was almost sunrise, the pink and orange sky hues peeping through the curtains hanging by the balcony doors. The balcony door was left often the night before, but it allowed a pleasant light breeze to enter the room. Jaebum was asleep, lying on his back, his arms wrapped around Hyojin was sleeping on her stomach, using Jaebum as her pillow, her shallow breaths causing goosebumps to form against his neck where her head was.

 

Jaebum opened his eyes, blinking his eyes to adjust to the lack of light in the room before smiling at the girl in his hands. The light that managed to make its way into the room was radiating off Hyojin, making her look ethereal than ever. After spending time on the bed, the couple made it to the shower the night before, so her curls were gone, replaced with her usual straight hair. Her makeup was bare of makeup and Jaebum found himself lost in her natural beauty. She had dressed in the white shirt that he was wearing the night before, and in that moment, he found himself falling in love with her all over again. Unable to help himself, he reached for his phone off the bedside table, opening the camera to take a picture of her.

 

Not realizing that his ringer was on, Hyojin’s face scrunched up from the shutter noise, struggling to open her drowsy eyes. “What are you doing?”

 

“You looked so beautiful, I wanted to capture the moment,” he replied, dimming his screen brightness before showing her the picture.

 

“I look so bad, delete the picture,” she whined, lifting one hand for the phone to delete it just as Jaebum raised his arm, putting the phone out of reach. “Jaebum, no one looks that good right after waking up, delete it,”

 

“You look absolutely stunning,” Jaebum pressed a kiss against her pout. “Breathtaking, like an angel.” He unlocked his phone again where the picture was, setting it as his phone background, before showing her. “My angel,”

 

“So annoying,” Hyojin mumbled, but closed her eyes again to place her head on his chest, his heartbeat lulling her back to dreamland, her hand absentmindedly drawing shapes on his bare chest.

 

“You weren’t saying that last night,” his voice husky, the vibration from his chest making Hyojin feel some kind of way.

 

“Stop doing the y voice, I’m sleepy,” she whined, hitting his chest lightly.

 

“Okay, okay,” Jaebum chuckled, shifting his body so they were comfortable, falling back asleep once more.

 

✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

 

Properly waking up a few hours later, Hyojin woke up to a text message from Seon Joo, saying that she had planned a brunch at her home for everyone for her parents to officially meet Jaebum. Getting dressed into the baby blue summer dress that was packed for her, Jaebum and Hyojin checked out of the hotel, getting into his car where he drove the two of them back.

 

“So when did you get here?” she asked, turning the radio on.

 

“The other night, Jinyoung picked me up from the train station. I crashed at their house in the guest room that night,”

 

“Are you going to stay there? And how long are you off?”

 

“Well, if your parents are uncomfortable with me staying with you at their home, then I’ll probably get a motel, I can’t impose on them, and Seon Joo scares me a little. And I have the next few weeks off, I’m on vacation until Yugyeom is cleared by the doctors,” he replied, parking the car in front of Seon Joo and Jinyoung’s house. “Let’s go,” he smiled, opening the passenger door for he, holding his hand in hers. They walked up to the door, Hyojin opening the door.

 

“Good morning,” she called, smiling at everyone that was already there. She could see her father and Seon Joo cooking, her mother setting the table, and Jinyoung and Hyun Tae playing card games on the rug in front of the living room couch. Jaebum stood shyly behind her, unsure of what to do.

 

“Appa’s here,” Hyun Tae quickly ignored the cards, running towards the man as Jaebum smiled, lifting the child in his arms.

 

“Hey, buddy,” he greeted. “Thank you for keeping Mommy’s surprise a secret,”

 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Hyojin pouted, but smiled when she felt Hyun Tae leaned towards her, poking her cheek so her dimples would appear.

 

“I pinky promised,” the child explained, leaning his head against Jaebum’s shoulder, “and Appa said that he would buy me ice cream if I promised,”

 

“You really would do anything for ice cream, wouldn’t you?” Hyojin sighed, extending her arms to take Hyun Tae into her hands, as the child nodded. She knew that her mother was watching their exchange, and for some reason, the nervousness she was feeling before was gone. Jaebum’s arm wrapped around her waist, bringing the two closer to him. “Mom,” she turned to face her mother, “this is Jaebum,”

 

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” Jaebum pulled away to properly bow. “I didn’t have time to stop and buy flowers for you, so please excuse the fact that I am empty handed,”

 

“You’ve wooed my daughter, leave me wife alone,” Mr. Cha’s voice boomed, walking into the living room to wrap his arms around his wife’s waist.

 

“Please excuse him, he still thinks that we’re young,” she laughed. “Pleased to meet you, Jaebum, I’ve heard a lot about you,”

 

“I hope only good things,” he chuckled, his nervousness disappearing. Growing up, he always felt jealous when he saw kids with their parents, wishing that he could be one of them. But seeing Hyojin’s parents, he didn’t feel any of that envy. He felt happiness.

 

This was where he was meant to be.

 

This was his family.

 

✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

 

The next two weeks in Busan passed by fast, and soon, Hyojin, Jaebum, and Hyun Tae found themselves back in Seoul. They had established a routine for themselves. They would wake up in the morning, Jaebum waking Hyun Tae up and washing up with him while she cooked breakfast. After they eat, she would head to work and Jaebum would drop Hyun Tae off at his summer camp. On some days, he would take Hyun Tae to the precinct with him, where everyone instantly fell in love with the child. In the evenings, Hyojin would bring Hyun Tae home, preparing dinner for the three of them, sometimes Yugyeom who would join them.

 

Hyojin and Jaebum still owned their own apartments, but one wouldn’t know since Jaebum spent most of his time at Hyojin’s place. Six months into their relationship, the two decided to officially move in together, and decided that it was smarter for Jaebum to move into her place it was easier than Hyojin and Hyun Tae packing up their things.

 

“So, have you guys talked about marriage?” Yugyeom asked one night. It was a little past 11 PM that Friday night, but Hyojin was off, and Jaebum and Yugyeom were working the night shift the next day, so the three of them were in the couple’s kitchen relaxing with fried chicken and beer.

 

Hyojin didn’t say anything, glancing over at Jaebum. While the two never really officially talked about, they often joked about they were like a married couple, and Hyojin could see them together for the rest of their lives. “It’s in the future,” Jaebum smiled, looking at the girl. She looked back up at him, smiling back as a blush worked its way to her cheeks.

 

“Ugh, you guys are doing that thing with your eyes again,” Yugyeom groaned. “You can just tell me to leave,”

 

“Sorry,” Hyojin chuckled, but didn’t let go when Jaebum held her hand. “So, how’s your love life doing?”

 

“Nothing,” the younger man pouted, taking a sip of his beer.

 

“I don’t know, I’ve seen you walking past the front desk a lot more than you have to,” Jaebum shrugged. “If I didn’t know better, I would think that you have a crush on Yisoo,”

 

“Yisoo?” Hyojin asked, thinking before her face brightened. “The intern? Oh, she’s cute! Poor girl was terrified the first time she met me, I stormed in the precinct looking like a deranged person,” she chuckled, thinking of the day she went to pick Hyun Tae after his field trip at the museum.

 

“I don’t have a crush on her,” the younger cop mumbled, but that didn’t stop his cheeks from turning pink.

 

“Don’t worry, kid, I’ll put in a good word for you,” Jaebum laughed, patting his back.

 

“You dating Noona was the worst thing to ever happen, you’re so happy all the time and always butting in my business,” Yugyeom groaned, his head against the table.

 

“You’re the one that was obsessed with me, transferring to be my partner,” the older man scoffed, taking another sip. “But since I’m always in your business, I won’t do anything the next time I see the new intern, BamBam, flirting with her,”

 

“Hyung, wait!” Yugyeom sat up. “I never said that,” he pouted, causing Hyojin to giggle.

 

“Why don’t you get to bed? I’ll set up the couch for you, Jaebum get him some clothes so he can change,” she called, walking to the bedroom to get an extra pillow and blanket, Jaebum behind her to get spare clothes.

 

“First my son is obsessed with him, then I have to let him crash on my couch when he’s drank too much alcohol, then I have to give him my clothes,” he grumbled.

 

“Don’t complain, I know you have a soft spot for him,” Hyojin smiled, handing him the blanket and pillow. “It’s just like having two children,”

 

“Yugyeom is the hyperactive puppy that I was forced to let into my home,” Jaebum rolled his eyes, but took the stuff to the living room where Yugyeom was. “Here,” he dropped the things next to the boy and was about to turn back when he was stopped.

 

“Hyung,” Yugyeom started, his voice softer than Jaebum was used to. “Thank you for everything that you and Noona do. I know that you don’t really like me and I can be annoying, but thank you,”

 

“You’re not that bad, kid,” Jaebum smiled softly, patting the top of Yugyeom’s head. “Get some sleep now, it’s late.” He walked back to the bedroom, joining Hyojin under the duvet. She instantly moved towards him, enjoying the warmth of his body.

 

“Hyun Tae’s birthday is coming up soon,” Hyojin stated. “We need to start planning his party,”

 

“6 years old, he’s growing too fast,” Jaebum commented.

 

“We’ll probably do it at Chulsoo’s house, it’s bigger than our apartment,” the girl shifted, her head in the crook of Jaebum’s neck.

 

After returning to Seoul, Hyojin told Jaebum about her call with Chulsoo and after thinking about it, she agreed to let Hyun Tae meet with Chulsoo. The bond that the two had was almost shocking. Her son did look like a mini-version of his father, so she wasn’t surprised. A few months after their meeting, Chulsoo announced that he was breaking up with his girlfriend as she wasn’t okay with Chulsoo wanted to maintain a relationship with his son, and soon after that, he was moving back to Korea, specifically Seoul. He got himself a job at the law firm that often worked with Jaebum’s precinct and moved near the couple. After meeting with him more often, introducing him to Jaebum, the two agreed to joint custody of Hyun Tae, especially since the son wanted to spend time with his father. While he had long hours at work, Hyun Tae usually spent most weekends at Chulsoo’s apartment when the man was off from work.

 

Her parents and Seon Joo were slightly apprehensive of the fact that Chulsoo was back in Hyun Tae’s life, but Jaebum was the one that talked to them, saying that no matter how much he loved him, Hyun Tae had a natural bond to his biological father, and he didn’t want to take that away from him. He had met with Chulsoo on multiple occasions, and Jaebum could see that he has changed from the way that Hyojin described him, and the two men were now good friends, often joking about how Hyun Tae loved Jaebum more than Chulsoo due to the fact that the child called Jaebum ‘Appa’ and Chulsoo ‘Ajusshi’.

 

“Did he tell you that he’s been seeing someone?” Jaebum questioned.

 

“That idiot, he never tells me anything,” Hyojin complained. “I’m gonna call him tomorrow. Go to sleep now, Bummie,”

 

Good night, Hyojin,” he pressed a kiss against her temple, giving in to slumber.

 

✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

 

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Hyun Tae, happy birthday to you!” the room sang to the little boy who was standing in front of the firetruck shaped cake. Jaebum and Hyojin were standing to the left of the boy, Chulsoo to the right, smiling and clapping as the boy blew out the candles. Hyojin helped him hold the knife to cut the cake as Seon Joo was recording everything, Jinyoung taking pictures.

 

“Let’s get a picture of the birthday boy with the parents,” Jinyoung said, and Chulsoo lifted the boy into his arms, Hyojin standing next to them. Jaebum stepped back, waiting for the picture to be taken when Hyun Tae frowned.

 

“Appa, you have to be in the picture,” he waved his hand, gesturing for the man to join them.

 

“Hyun Tae - ” Jaebum was going to decline when Chulsoo interjected.

 

“Are you not his dad?” he smiled. “Get over here,” and Hyojin dragged the man next to her, smiling up at him. “Let’s say cheese,” Chulsoo said, the four of them posing for the camera. After more pictures, the cake was distributed and everyone had broken off into their own conversations as Jaebum pulled Chulsoo to the side.

 

“Hey man, I’m sorry,” Jaebum started, but Chulsoo cut him off.

 

“You are Hyun Tae’s dad just as much as I am, maybe even more. Just because you’re not married to Hyojin doesn’t mean we don’t all know that you’re going to be his step-father one day. Plus, this is my second chance to be in his life and even though the kid loves me, you’ll always be his Appa, I’ll be his Ajusshi,” he smiled. “I can’t break that bond between you two,” Chulsoo patted Jaebum on the back, walking away when the doorbell rang. “Ah, there’s someone that I want you two to meet,” he said a little louder, patting Hyojin’s shoulder. He opened the door to let a woman walk in, pressing a quick kiss against her lips before wrapping his arm around her waist, leading her into the room.

 

“Who’s your guest?” Hyojin questioned, a smile playing on her lips. For the past two months, she found out from Hyun Tae that the man had been meeting with a woman, but the man himself wouldn’t tell her anything.

 

“This is Gong Dahee, my girlfriend,” he introduced, smiling at the woman next to him. “Daehee, this is Cha Hyojin, Hyun Tae’s mother, and her boyfriend, Im Jaebum,”

 

“It’s nice to meet you guys, Chulsoo’s told me so much about you guys,” she smiled, shaking their hands.

 

“I wish I could say the same, but Chulsoo here has kept you a secret from us,” Hyojin smiled back, giving a look to the man.

 

“Hyojin here likes to be involved in everything,” Chulsoo laughed.

 

“I’m a social person,” she pouted, leaning against Jaebum.

 

“I’ve met Hyun Tae a few times. He’s an absolute angel, you’ve raised him so well,” Dahee said.

 

“Thank you, I’ve tried my best,” Hyojin smiled, taking the compliment to her heart.

 

“She’s never going to forget that comment now,” Chulsoo said, giving Jaebum a high five when he laughed.

 

“Don’t be so mean,” the two girls said at the same time, and Hyojin’s eyes widened. “I like her,” she said, taking the woman away to introduce to her parents and Seon Joo.

 

“She seems like a good one,” Jaebum commented, watching the two women.

 

“Dahee is the one,” Chulsoo smiled. “Are you going to be surprised if I told you that I already bought a ring?”

 

“When you know, you know,” Jaebum replied, his own eyes on Hyojin, his hand in his pocket around the small box. “As long as you guys are happy and know what you want, it’s never too early,”

 

✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

 

“Dahee said she’ll pick up Hyun Tae for the weekend, Chulsoo is stuck at work,” Hyojin called from the bathroom. “Make sure his bag is packed!”

 

One month after Hyun Tae’s birthday, Chulsoo had proposed to Dahee, who happily said yes. The two were in the middle of planning their wedding, but when Dahee found she was pregnant another month later, two two quickly went to the courthouse to legally get married, pushing off a big wedding and honeymoon to prepare for a baby instead. They moved out of their apartment, and bought a small house nearby and Hyun Tae was the most excited about not only having a yard to play in, but also over that fact that he was going to get a younger sibling.

 

“You have to make sure that you’re a good boy for Ajumma, okay? You have to be careful around her,” Jaebum said who was putting dishes away while Hyun Tae sat on the couch.

 

“I know, Appa, I’m a big boy,” the child beamed, looking out the window. When the doorbell rang, he ran towards the door. “She’s here!”

 

“Wait for me,” Jaebum called, wiping his hands before walking to the door. He opened the door to reveal 4 month pregnant Dahee, dressed as she just got off work. “Hey, how are you?”

 

“Wishing that morning sickness wasn’t so annoying, but great otherwise,” she smiled, one hand rubbing her belly that was starting to show the slightest bit before turning to face the boy. “Ready to go?” she asked, sticking on hand out for Hyun Tae to grab.

 

“Make sure to listen and be a good bye,” Jaebum told Hyun Tae, turning to the woman. “Drive safe,”

 

“I will, tell Hyojin I said hi,” she waved goodbye, taking the boy towards the elevator.

 

“Did she leave?” Hyojin asked, coming into the living room, putting a pair of earrings on.

 

Jaebum nodded, “She just left. I was gonna invite her in, but she looked tired, figured she wanted to get home, she just got out of the office it seemed. You ready to go?”

 

“Just about, give me another minute,” she held up a finger, running back to the bedroom. It was Hyojin and Jaebum’s one year anniversary, and the two were going out for dinner. With Hyojin’s promotion and Jaebum’s already busy work schedule, the two finally found a day where they could go to celebrate. She entered the room again, holding up her ruby necklace for Jaebum to clasp.

 

“This necklace looks beautiful,” he said, pressing a kiss on her neck.

 

“You’re saying that because you got it,” she chuckled. “I really thought that Jinyoung was the one that got it because you signed the note as ‘J’,”

 

“I like to keep things a surprise,” he shrugged, leading her out of the apartment. “Come on,”

 

The two settled in his car, Hyojin turning the radio on to let music softly fill the car as Jaebum pulled the car out of the parking spot. “So, where exactly are we going?”

 

“Surprise,” Jaebum looked over. “You’ll like it,” he said, hoping that everything was going to work out. He felt the box on the inner pocket of his jacket that he had been carrying around for the last four months. He had been waiting for the perfect moment to propose to her, and tonight was the night.

 

Parking the car, he quickly ran to the other side of the car, opening the door for Hyojin, who wrapped her arm around his bicep as he guided them into the restaurant. “Good evening, I have a table reserved under the name Im Jaebum,”

 

The hostess nodded, turning to the screen before frowning. “I’m sorry sir, but there’s no table under that reservation,” she looked up at the couple.

 

“That’s impossible, I called weeks ago,” Jaebum moved to get a closer look at the screen.

 

“Let me check again,” she said, typing away. “Oh, here we go, your reservation was for the 25th, which was yesterday,”

 

“Oh crap, when I changed my days at work, I forgot to switch the reservations,” Jaebum groaned. “Are there any available tables? Today is our anniversary,”

 

“Jaebum, it’s fine,” Hyojin spoke up. “Thank you,” she nodded to the hostess, guiding the man out back to the car.

 

“I can’t believe I messed this up,” he groaned, pulling his phone out. “What other places are open right now?”

 

“McDonald’s?”

 

“I’m not taking you for fast food on our one year anniversary,” Jaebum gave her a look.

 

“Let’s go eat some meat then, I’m craving beef,” Hyojin piped up.

 

“But you got all dressed up, I should take you to a proper place,” Jaebum took her back to the car. “Come on, I think I know the place,” they quickly sat back in the car, and Jaebum turned the ignition on. They made it to the main road, only driving for about 15 minutes when the car came to a sputter stop.

 

“What happened?” Hyojin said. Jaebum got out of the car, inspecting the car before he found the problem.

 

“Flat tire, we must have driven over a nail or something,” the man groaned, kicking the tire. “Let me call a tow truck,” he pulled out his phone, calling a local company. “They’ll be here in a few minutes,”

 

Hyojin pointed to a bench nearby, “Let’s go there.” Turning the car off, she put the keys in her purse. “We’ll come back when the truck comes here,” she said, and Jaebum complied, wrapping an arm around the girl’s shoulder.

 

“Sorry this is the worst anniversary,” he said.

 

“We’re just hungry and now without a car. It could be worse though,” she chuckled, leaning her head against his body. “But, we’re still here together, so it’s not that bad,”

 

“I feel so bad,” he said. “Why aren’t you upset?”

 

“Jaebum we can always get a taxi back to the apartment, order some dinner, have wine,” Hyojin looked up at him. “Don’t worry so much,” she patted his hand. “Look, that’s the tow company. Why don’t you go talk to them, I’ll call for a taxi.” Jaebum walked over, signing a few papers before agreeing to pick up his car from the garage tomorrow evening, walking back to Hyojin afterwards. “Taxi will be here in a few minutes,” she waved her phone.

 

“I’m sorry that today didn’t work out the way I probably thought it would,”

 

“You were with me the entire evening. We’re going to go back to our lovely home, order some great food, drink great wine, most likely have amazing ,” she smiled. “It’s perfect,”

 

✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

 

Stepping out of the shower, Hyojin changed into a pair of shorts and one of Jaebum’s old sweatshirts, combing her wet hair. Walking into the living room, she saw Jaebum setting a bag of Chinese take out on the coffee table, the TV on with her favorite movie ready to watch. She walked closer to the man, pressing a kiss against his back as wrapped her arms around his waist. “Did you use my body wash again?” she asked, realizing that he smelt like vanilla.

 

“Maybe,” he chuckled, shaking his hair that was still slightly wet. “Let’s eat,” he pulled her to the couch, making her a plate as he pressed play. The two quickly ate to their satisfaction, and 30 minutes later, Jaebum had put the rest of the food away in the fridge, settling back on the couch with two wine glasses. “One for you and one for me,” he said, sitting back down. After he was comfortable, Hyojin quickly moved closer, climbing over so she was sitting in his lap, her head against his chest as the movie continued playing.

 

“This really was a nice evening,” she pressed a light kiss against his jawline.

 

“But it wasn’t what I had planned,” Jaebum pouted, causing Hyojin to press another kiss against his lips.

 

“What did you have planned?”

 

“Well,” Jaebum shifted, taking a sip of his wine. “We were going to have dinner at that very nice restaurant, then I was going to drive us to the beach so we can walk along the shore,”

 

“It does sound very romantic,” Hyojin smiled, “but I like this too.” She leaned her head against his chest, closing her eyes as the movie was playing in the background.

 

“I love you,” he pressed a kiss against her temple, his arm around her waist resting on her thigh as his fingers were drawing shapes on her skin.

 

“I love you too,”

 

“Wanna spend the rest of our life together?” his voice soft.

 

“That sounds really nice,” she replied, her voice just as soft.

 

“Hyojin,” Jaebum spoke a little louder. He reached into the pocket of his sweatpants where he kept the box, pulling it out. His hands were fumbling as he struggled to open the box, but managed to pull out the ring, silver and dainty with small diamonds, simple like the way she loved it. “Wanna spend the rest of our life together?”

 

“Oh my God,” Hyojin sat up, putting the glass of wine down on the table. “Is that for me?”

 

“I don’t see anyone else in the room,” he chuckled. “I know I have a bad temper, I never turn the heat up because I’m so hot which means you’re always cold, I bribe Hyun Tae with ice cream all the time and give into him often, but I am madly in love with you Cha Hyojin,” he moved the girl off his lap, moving so he was on his knees on the floor. “I can’t imagine waking up without you by my side. You and Hyun Tae, you guys are my family, and I want to spend the rest of my days making you happy, making sure that you’re laughing and smiling, so Hyojin, will you give me the honor of marrying you?”

 

“Oh my gosh, yes!” she shouted, extending her shaky hand towards Jaebum who put the ring on her finger, happy tears escaping her eyes. “When did you even buy this?”

 

“When we went to Busan for Seon Joo’s birthday, I had her accompany me to a jewelry shop to pick a ring for you,” he smiled, leaning to wipe her cheeks.

 

“I have to call her, oh my God,” she patted the couch for her phone, quickly FaceTiming the girl.

 

“It’s past 11 PM, Jinnie, I have work - ”

 

“Look at this!” Hyojin held up her hand, showing off the ring.

 

“What is that? That looks like the ring - OH MY GOD, JAEBUM PROPOSED?!” Seon Joo’s screams were heard, causing Jaebum to wince.

 

“YEAH HE DID!” Hyojin shouted back, basically jumping in her seat.

 

“I’M GOING TO BE A MAID OF HONOUR!”

 

“YOU’RE GOING TO BE A MAID OF HONOR! I’M GOING TO GET MARRIED!”

 

“JINYOUNG! WAKE UP!” Seon Joo turned over in her bed, shaking her boyfriend.

 

“What?” he grumbled, hiding his face under the blanket from the bright light.

 

“HYOJIN IS GETTING MARRIED!” the girl exclaimed, causing him to sit up, grabbing the phone.

 

“Are you messing with us?”

 

“Nope,” Hyojin held her hand up to show him the ring, looking off camera to Jaebum who was sitting next to her.

 

“Oh, man, congratulations,” Jinyoung smiled, turning the camera so both his face and Seon Joo’s were visible. “We’re so happy for you guys.” They quickly wrapped up their conversations, calling her parents and Chulsoo and Dahee to tell them the good news.

 

“I am so happy right now,” Hyojin said, sitting on Jaebum’s lap, showering his face with kisses.

 

“I’m so glad that I’m able to make you this happy,” he smiled back, pressing a longing kiss against her lips.

 

“I love you,” she whispered, her lips against his, letting him to lift her and carry her into the bedroom.

 

“Why don’t you show me?” his eyes glinting with happiness and lust.

 

✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

 

One year later, 25 year old Hyojin was being walked down the aisle by 7 year old Hyun Tae, dashing as ever in his suit and silver bow tie. At the other end of the aisle, 28 year old Jaebum stood, watching his future wife walk down closer to him.

 

The last one year of planning the wedding had been stressful, but now that they were here in the church, moments away from being joined in holy matrimony, and Jaebum was swelling up with pride and happiness. In the pews, he saw his future in-laws, Mr. Cha smiling as bright as ever while Mrs. Cha was wiping her tears. Seon Joo was standing on the other side of the altar, glowing in her silver maid of honor dress. Jinyoung was one of his groomsmen, standing right next to his best man, Yugyeom. A closer look, and Jaebum could’ve sworn that he winked in the direction of his girlfriend, Yisoo who had been officially hired as a receptionist at the precinct. Right behind her, Chulsoo sat next to Dahee, their 7-month-old son, Chansoo, in his lap. Looking around the church, his eyes finally settled on Hyojin and Hyun Tae, and he couldn’t wait until the end of the ceremony. She finally joined him, standing in front of him, their hands intertwined together while Hyun Tae stood next to Seon Joo.

 

The minutes felt like hours as the priest welcomed their guests, guiding them through their vows until finally it was all over. “And so, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Jaebum, you may now kiss your bride,” the priest declared, smiling at the happy couple while the audience stood, clapping, as Jaebum brought Hyojin closer, bringing her closer to him.

 

“I love you so much, Cha Hyojin,” he smiled, caressing her cheek to give her a quick peck.

 

“I love you even more, Im Jaebum,”