Heya! this is not an update. I am just in the process of editing and correcting my grammars. To all the people who have taken the time to read this one-shot story, thank you very much! Have a good day and stay safe! :) 

“Eunhyuk Oppa. Can we get an autograph?”

Lee Hyukjae is seating on the bench chair beside the Han River when two fans approached him. He was slightly surprised that some people recognized him in his little disguise. He was wearing a black baseball cap and facemask to hide his face. He was also surprised when someone had called him by his stage name. It’s been a long time since he was called that because nowadays people call him by his real name – ‘Lee Hyukjae’

He looked at the two young girls and pulled down his facemask to give them his beautiful gummy smile. The two fans squealed, which brings laughter to him. He gets the sketchbook and pentel pen from the hands of the fan.

“What’s your name, Miss?”

“I’m Ku Hyuna,” The girl said.

He looked down at the sketchbook and started the pentel pen, sketching his familiar autograph. A sense of unfamiliarity has sprung in his heart. It was like he was dreaming while the pentel pen to every nook and cranny of the small sketchbook.

He flipped it to another blank page and looked at the other girl. “What about you, Miss?”

“My name is Song Jahyun,” The other girl said while trying to hide her flushed face.

He gave her a smile to ease some of her nerves. He looked down again at the sketchbook, the pentel pen. He closed it and handed it to the girls.

“Here, I’m surprised the two of you recognized me.”

The girl whose name is Hyuna nodded and answered him. “We always see you here Oppa, every once in a while, so we knew what you look like now even if you are in disguise. We were just shy to approach you, but this time we’re not.”

“Don’t be shy to approach me. I am not a bad person.” He chuckled. The girls let out a small laugh too.

“We will be going now Oppa. Thank you for the autograph.” Hyuna said. And the two of them bowed to him politely, which he reciprocates the gesture.

“Thank you too. Be careful on your way.”

“You too Oppa. I hope we can see you perform with the other members now. It’s been  4 years since we’ve seen you with Super Junior. We are waiting for you to come back.”

He was taken aback by the sudden words of his fans, but he regains his composure after a few seconds. He smiled at the fans softly and nodded.

“Thank you for waiting for me. I will be back soon when the time is right,” He said. “I hope you will be still there.”

“We are always here Oppa. We never left.” Ki Hyuna said while giving his Oppa a reassuring smile.

Hyukjae was left in deep thoughts when the two of his fans left. He looked at the orange sky and observe the sun as it’s slowly disappearing. He sighed heavily, inhaling the fresh air that the autumn brought. Thinking about the past and brought him a bittersweet feeling. As he swims on his thoughts and trips down through the memory lane, he realized that his life has changed drastically.

Four years ago, he chooses to be out of the limelight for so many reasons, which some people didn’t understand. The people around him will often question him about his life choices. They will question him if he ever regretted it, but he will just smile at them and say that he never regretted every bit of it. Instead, he was thankful that he made that choice.

The choice that made him happy…

The choice that he will treasure the most in his lifetime…

He expected that his life choices will change everything, which is true. Being away in limelight, some people had already forgotten him. He was just now living his life like an ordinary law-abiding citizen. Some people still recognized him as one of the best dancers in the KPOP industry and a member of Super Junior. But oftentimes, they will just look at him and looked away, like he was just a normal person. He is not the brightest star anymore that they used to look upon.

But even though he is not in the limelight, he is still involved in the industry, he is working as a director for music videos or concerts of his juniors in the meantime. He also composed songs which sometimes, s will include whenever they release an album or sometimes he will help other songwriters in composing a song. Being the best dancer, he often choreographs dances for some artists.

His friends, which are the Super Junior members, will ask him oftentimes to come back again in performing. He always declined them politely because he isn’t yet ready to come back. He knew that s are a bit sad about it but they didn’t prod, they still respect his decision. But lately, s became persistent in convincing him to come back, so that the 11 of them will be complete again in the upcoming 19^th anniversary of their debut. Yes 11, because when he left, Sungmin and Kangin had come back in the group, and the reason is because of him.

When he left, the fans must have realized how much they have hurt Sungmin, Kangin, and the rest of the members when something is not happening to their liking. They realized that they are also human beings who are capable of having different kinds of human emotions. They realized that they also have their personal lives. They realized that they have the right to fall in love, and build a family that they were longing for. They are also humans who sometimes make mistakes and deserve to be forgiven. They realized that they are not perfect, and it's not the reason to ridicule them to the point of driving them away. To the point of restricting them to the fruit of their hard work. They realized that they don’t own idols, who they can control. They realized that their delusions are hurting and putting the lives of their idols on the line.

They all realized it when he left…

He was eventually forced to stop swimming in his thoughts when he heard his phone rung. He took it out from his pants pockets. And a smile had formed on his lips when he noticed who is the caller. He answered it and brings the earpiece in his ear.

“Hello?”

“Hello. Where are you now?”

Hyukjae became dazed for a minute when he heard the voice of the caller. It was a sweet voice. The voice he is longing to hear every day. The voice that he will never get tired of hearing.

“Hyukjae? Are you there?”

Hyukjae stupor was cut off when he heard the sweet voice again on the other line.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I dozed off. I am still here in Han River Park.”

“Uhh… Hmm… Aren’t you going home? The sky is getting darker now.”

Hyukjae scanned the sky and his surroundings it’s indeed getting darker. The light of the lamp post a few meters from the back of the bench is open now. The people around him are starting to walk away probably they are going to their own homes. 

“Oh, I didn’t notice the time. I will be going home now.”

“Can you drop by the store first before you go home? The kids want to drink chocolate milk and strawberry milk but we are out of stock.”

And in the background, he hears some cute squealing and laughing. Probably the kids are playing and he heard the chuckles of the caller. His smiles widen, the sound of the cute laughter brings warmth to his heart.

“Okay got it. Tell the kids to be careful while playing.”

“Kids. Daddy said to be careful while playing.”

Hyukjae smiled when he heard the voice relaying his message to the kids.

“Dadee?... Let me talk to him..”

“Me too! Me too!”

Hyukjae chuckled when he heard the two cute voices bickering in the background. He’s imagining their cute and plumps cheeks pressed together above the phone. 

“Dadeeeee! Where are you? kwam home now. We mitttt youu.”

“Dadeee! Sandy wants strawberry mik.. you will buy me mik.. right?”

“Jae wants choco mik… buy me too Dadeee”

“Alright kids, Daddy will buy you milk. Listen to Mommy okay?”

“Yess! Wuv you! Dadee.”

“Daddy loves you two.” He chuckled when he heard the soft squeals, probably they were back to playing again.

“What about Mommy? Does Daddy loves Mommy?”

He chuckled and he heard the caller’s soft laughs too. 

“Of course. Daddy loves Mommy so much... I love you Sandara Park, my beautiful wife..”

“Alright. I love you too Lee Hyukjae. Come home fast! Be careful on your way... I’ll hang up now. Bye.”

The call ended but the smile on his face never leaves. He looked down at his phone screen and he saw himself together with his beautiful wife Sandara and his two identical twins children, a boy and a girl – Sandy, and Jae who are seating on their laps. It was their family picture taken on the twins’ 3rd birthday. He smiled at it lovingly before putting it back inside his pants pocket.

He stood up from the bench getting himself ready to drop by the store. Then he noticed the golden ring on his right hand’s ring finger. The ring symbolized endless love and a new beginning.

He was now the husband of Sandara Park. And the father of Lee Sandy and Lee Jae.