(A/n: disbandment? Not in my AU nope)

 

Appearing on The Return of Superman wasn’t all fun and games.

 

It meant having to take care of someone’s child— which they’d taken long and hard to work on.

 

And yet somehow, their management had landed them in a role in the special version of the show, where they had to compete with 4 other duos from different groups to appease one small child whose name Yujin could not at all remember.

 

Ryujin and Lia from Itzy, Wendy and Irene from Red Velvet, Jennie and Jisoo from Blackpink and Jeongyeon and Nayeon from Twice.

 

All going against Kim Minjoo and Ahn Yujin from Iz*one.

 

Yujin has no idea as to why the company decided to send her and Minjoo of all the possible duos from the group. Hello??? Eunbi and Chaeyeon were literally everyone’s parents??? Heck- even Yena and Yuri probably knew more about kids than Yujin.

 

The only logical connection Yujin could see was that she and Minjoo had been dating for nearly what- 5 years now? Did that really connect though?

 

Gosh- there’s a parent line for a reason- Swing.

 

Yujin sighs for probably the nth time ever since the company broke the news to them earlier during practice- and Yena notices her friend’s clear distress and pats her head softly, shaking her head.

 

“I’m sorry you have to go through this my dude- I too am a hater of children,” Yena says as she brings a hand to her heart, trying to sympathise for her friend’s sake.

 

“I don’t hate children,” Yujin explains. “I’ve just never had to be close to a child for what- 3 days and 3 nights? What do I do with it? What if it cries?”

 

“I think for starters you shouldn’t be calling Hyungseo it,” Minjoo suddenly turns from the front seat, and Yujin and Yena zip their mouths shut, blinking at their fellow member.

 

“You know his name?” Yujin asks, her heart sped up a little too much to her liking.

 

“Yes- the company told us remember? His parents will be in Canada while we take care of their son- he’s from Canada originally and his english name is Kevin,” Minjoo reminds, and Yujin can only open and close like a fish, Minjoo only playfully rolling her eyes before turning back to the front.

 

“It’s alright Yujin,” Yena says as she pulls Yujin’s ear close, to say what Yujin hopes are words of encouragement.

 

“You’re ed,” 

 

“YENA UNNIE I SWEAR TO GOD!”

——

“The first episode's filming ends tomorrow?!” Yujin squeals as she tosses and turns in the bed, Minjoo sighing at her roommate's troubles.

 

“Yes it does Yujinie,” Minjoo says. “Let’s sleep now? We have the last turn so we don’t need to worry now,” Minjoo says sleepily as she cuddles into the jittery Ahn, trying to calm her down.

 

“We haven’t planned anything!” Yujin exclaims, and Minjoo tries to force herself to sleep, though she had to admit she was a little worried- but her need to sleep outweighed her need to worry, so now all she really needed was for Yujin to shut up.

 

“We can plan tomorrow when we’re awake,” Minjoo says. “Sleep early so you don’t sleep in the entire day tomorrow,” 

 

“But it’s our day off! I love sleeping in on our day off!” Yujin reminds, and Minjoo sighs, pulling away from Yujin- only to pin her back on the bed, looking directly into Yujin’s eyes.

 

“Listen babe, we both know our brains work better in daylight- so please,” Minjoo says, the intensity of her stare nearly piercing through the younger.

 

“Let’s sleep?” Minjoo asks with a pleading smile on her lips, and Yujin nods.

 

“Yeah, sorry,” Yujin says awkwardly, and Minjoo nods with a smile on her face, leaning in to plant a quick kiss on Yujin’s lips, then proceeding to lie on Yujin’s chest, closing her eyes quickly.

 

“Google, turn off the lights,” Yujin says, and the little futuristic device does as told, and both the lights in their room go off, and Minjoo drifts off to dreamland, only the sound of Yujin’s heartbeat left audible to her.

 

Yujin on the other hand, is stuck between worrying about the consequences if Eunbi found out they installed a Google Assistant in their room only— or the consequences of poor parenting to a child whom they have never met.

 

And in Yena’s voice—

 

You’re ed.

——

SHAKE THAT BRASS

Unnie! Attention please!

어디서 좀 놀았어도 follow me!

나는 피리리리리리 부는 소녀지

뒤를 돌아보면 다 줄 서있지

 

LIKE DADUM DEEDUM DUM DUM DUM

LIKE DADUM DEEDUM DUM DUM DUM

LIKE DADUM DEEDUM DUM DUM DUM

 

Just let it all go and—

SHAKE THAT BRASS

 

“OH MY GOD GOOGLE TURN OFF THE ALARM PLEASE,” Yujin begs their home device to shut the up- internally cursing Minjoo for setting their alarm to Shake That Brass.

 

I mean it did get her to wake up.

 

Though Yujin had a strong tendency to go back to sleep.

 

Yujin continues to doze off, wanting to put in her extra sleep hours before starting the day, despite knowing that Minjoo was already up and was probably in the kitchen doing either something productive or ruining Chaeyeon’s kitchen.

 

It was probably both honestly.

 

Today though, was different from other days. Minjoo had set a special trap for Yujin, which would bless her in the form of—

 

HOOoOo! BETTER GET THAT BRASS READY!

HERE WE GO HEY!

 

SHAKE THAT BRASS!

 

STOP 이리와 싹 갈아엎자

너와 나 여기 판을 바꿔봐

지금 이 리듬은 준비 된 FRYING PAN

BASS 와 TREBLE 몸을 달궈봐

 

“ you and your brass Amber sunbaenim,” Yujin groans as she presses the pillow to her ears, knowing that her alarm will never turn off until she opens the damn door.

 

Artificial intelligence is giving Minjoo too much power over me…

 

“Shut up google I’m up now,” Yujin complains as she reluctantly gets out of the bed, dragging herself to their door so that Amber would stop telling her to shake her brass.

 

As expected, she opens the door and the shaking stops, and Yujin let’s out a sigh of relief as she walks out the room, where she sees Minjoo walking around the kitchen, preparing some sort of food.

 

“Morning,” Yujin says nonchalantly as she wraps her arms around Minjoo’s waist, resting her head on Minjoo’s shoulder.

 

“Noon,” Minjoo corrects, but Yujin just hums, peppering soft kisses on Minjoo’s neck.

 

“At least it’s not afternoon,” Yujin comments, but Minjoo shakes her head.

 

“Poor Amber sunbaenim had to sing Shake That Brass ten times before you woke up,” Minjoo says with a loopy grin on her lips, and Yujin chuckles at her own habits to sleep in.

 

“Yeah- isn’t she pregnant or something?” Yujin asks, and Minjoo shakes her head.

 

“That’s none of my business,” Minjoo says, taking the pan and pouring out the fried rice, that smelled far more pleasant than how it looked.

 

“Smells good,” Yujin complements, and Minjoo’s eyes turn into moons at the words, turning to give Yujin a quick kiss.

 

“It’s ugly though,” Yujin continues, and Minjoo gasps in offense as she pushes Yujin away, slapping her lightly with her spatula.

 

“Hey! That’s oily!” Yujin complains, but Minjoo brushes her off.

 

“Go brush your teeth and we can eat,” Minjoo orders, and Yujin nods, turning away before another question pops in her head.

 

“Where’s everyone else?”

 

“Chaeyeon unnie out with Chaeryeong- Yena, Yuri, Sakura and Hyewon at the cyber café- Eunbi unnie is still asleep- Wonyoung and Nako out for ice cream- Ssambbang on a date somewhere,” Minjoo tells, and Yujin nods as she walks into to their room, grabbing her phone before going into their toilet.

 

One New Notification.

 

OFF THE RECORD 

Fwd: UNEDITED THE RETURN OF SUPERMAN: IDOL SPECIAL (Red Velvet)

 

“Baby!” Yujin calls out, nearly tripping to get to their dining space.

 

“What is it?” Minjoo asks, shocked by Yujin’s sudden rush.

 

“They sent us the first episode,” Yujin says, a bit out of breath as she shoves her phone screen into Minjoo’s face.

 

“Please brush your teeth first,” Minjoo says, and Yujin nods, deciding she was worrying too much about the show.

 

What could possibly go wrong? 

——

“OH MY GOD!” Yujin runs her hands through her hair as they watch what unfolds before them, Yujin highkey jealous of this young boy.

 

“I can’t believe Wendy unnie rented out the whole Everland for him? That’s like- every person’s dream?” Minjoo says in pure disbelief, but the screen didn’t lie, Irene and Wendy rented out an entire theme park for the boy.

 

Those Damiani CF’s damn well paid off...

 

“How are we gonna win?” Yujin questions as she rests her head in Minjoo’s lap, racking her brain to find the answers to her simple question.

 

“Well maybe we should ask what he wants instead? I don’t know- all the others might have something planned beforehand,” Minjoo says. “What if we just- go with the flow? Parenting is kinda like that right?” Minjoo suggests, and Yujin agrees to her words, nodding slightly.

 

“No, no no- parenting is about making a plan- but not expecting anyone to follow it,” Eunbi suddenly chimes in, and the couple nearly jump in surprise, but they simply let out a huff of breath after seeing who it was.

 

“Huh- why didn’t we just ask Eunbi unnie from the beginning?” Yujin questions, but Minjoo shrugs. “She has like- 10 kids,” Yujin states, and Eunbi tosses a pillow at her, causing the younger to squeak in retaliation.

 

“I agree, you should get to know him first- because if they’re all pulling off big stunts like this, you’ve basically lost already,” Eunbi explains, and the two are listening closely, their competitive side beginning to surface. “I think kids just want to be listened to- so listen to Hyungseo- then you should be good,” Eunbi says casually, and it takes a moment for the two to digest what their leader says.

 

“Plus- you guys have been dating for like 5 years now- ever talked about kids?” Eunbi asks as she stands up, leaving the two at an absolute unwarranted cliffhanger.

 

“Oh well- uh,” Yujin is at a loss for words, looking directly into Minjoo’s eyes as they aimlessly blinked at each other.

 

“Should we?” Minjoo asks, cocking an eyebrow as 5 different looks of confusion crossed her face.

 

“Umm- up to you?” Yujin asks through gritted teeth, and Minjoo swallows hard.

 

“Not now,” Minjoo says, and Yujin understands, nodding slowly.

 

“Let’s watch The King,” Minjoo says abruptly, and Yujin agrees, sitting up from Minjoo’s lap to grab the remote, trying her best to shake off Eunbi’s question.

 

Clear your mind Yujin. Kim Goeun looks hella fine in this. Ignore your thoughts. Wendy unnie’s song in this show is really good. Ignore the fact that you watched this whole series 5 times before. Don’t think about it. What even are children? You don’t need that now.. you don’t need to think about your future with Minjoo… live in the present Yujin! Looking too far into the future is damaging to one’s inner peace……

 

Oh my ing God I’m never gonna stop thinking about this.

——

“Kwangbae,” Yujin says as a trio hangs their heads from the bed, allowing blood to flow into their brains with their somewhat upside down positioning.

 

“Yeah Yujin?” 

 

“Have you and Eunbi unnie ever talked about kids?” Yujin asks, and Hyewon is a bit shocked, but she keeps it inside her.

 

“From time to time yeah- she said she wants two,” Hyewon says casually, and Yujin’s head spins a bit- either from being upside down, or thinking about that topic.

 

“What about you Yena?” Yujin asks, and Yena sighs.

 

“Well, Yuri and I are fine with just one little rascal,” Yena says, and Yujin clicks her tongue.

 

So you’re the only loser who’s never talked about it before…

 

“Why? What’s up?” Hyewon asks as she turns to Yujin, who wears a look of distress on her face.

 

“Eunbi unnie asked about it the other day,” Yujin tells, but Hyewon waves her off.

 

“Eh, she just really likes kids- I’ll tell her to mind her own business next time,” Hyewon comments, and Yujin nods, thanking her under her breath.

 

“Okay guys- but have you ever considered what pets you’d love to get?” Yena brings up the question, and they begin to chat about various animal species, spending their precious time as the 99z before Chaewon would stomp in to ruin their bro-bonding session.

 

I hope things stay like this for a long time.

——

“Why do I feel like you’re going to be exactly like Lia unnie,” Yujin comments as they watch Choi Jisu flail around the TV screen, trying to swim properly.

 

“I will not!” Minjoo retaliates, slapping Yujin playfully as Ryujin and Hyungseo continuously laugh at the eldest of the three.

 

“Oh my god what if she drowns?’ Minjoo says as she squints at the screen, very much concerned for her older friend.

 

“She won’t,” Yujin says casually, though she was doubting her own words.

 

“Oh Ryujin saved her thank god,” Minjoo lets out a sigh of relief as they watch Ryujin pull Lia onto the giant floatie, Hyungseo still cackling at Lia’s antics.

 

“WHAT THE HELL RYUJIN PUSHED HER BACK OFF?!” Minjoo yells at the screen in distress, the main rapper tossing the vocalist back into the wave pool, Hyungseo somehow laughing harder than before.

 

“HHAHAHA! I should take notes from Ryujin unnie,” Yujin cackles at the antics of the JinLia duo, and Minjoo gasps in offense.

 

“We are not going anywhere near water,” Minjoo warns, pointing a daring finger at the younger.

 

“Why~ swimming is so much fun! Look at Hyungseo! He’s having so much fun!” Yujin points to the TV, but Minjoo shakes her head.

 

“Having fun watching Lia unnie suffer,” Minjoo points out, but Yujin shrugs.

 

“Everybody has fun watching Lia suffer,” Yujin says, and Minjoo slaps the younger’s back, Yujin hissing in response.

 

“You push me into any body of water and you won’t be my girlfriend anymore,” Minjoo warns, and Yujin’s expression flashes into one of worry and confusion.

 

“Then i’ll just be your fiancée then- no biggie,” Yujin says slyly after collecting herself, and Minjoo’s mouth opens in shock, then closing- only to open again.

 

“Shut up,” is all Minjoo says as she leans on Yujin’s shoulder, clasping their hands together as they continue to watch Ryujin and Lia become fools on national television yet again.

 

No biggie...

——

“What is Jisoo doing?” Eunbi questions as they watch the Blackpink edition of the series, in which Jisoo was trying to catch a rabbit- that kept running away from her.

 

“Obviously she’s trying to catch a rabbit,” Yena states the obvious, but Eunbi is still confused.

 

“Why?” 

 

“To appease the human child obviously,” Sakura states, gesturing to Hyungseo on the TV, who was clapping at Jisoo’s absolute failure to capture the little bunny.

 

“Why do children always laugh at the face of failure?” Yena questions, cocking an eyebrow in confusion.

 

“They know how to take things easy,” Chaeyeon replies, and they all nod, impressed by the young human mind and it’s capabilities to keep things positive.

 

“How old is Hyungseo again?” Minjoo asks, and Yujin is surprised when the answer floats in her own head.

 

“He’s 4 going on 5,” Yujin says, and Minjoo is clearly impressed, nodding at the information.

 

“Wow~ is our Yujinie finally ready to be a temporary parent?” Hyewon teases, wiggling her eyebrows at the youngest in the room.

 

“Shut up Hyewon,” Yujin hisses, but all the members in the room giggle at Yujin’s red face, Minjoo trying not to make eye contact with anyone in the room.

——

“Yah- you’re supposed to be a parent figure not a grandma figure,” Jeongyeon says to Nayeon as the older between the two struggles to carry Hyungseo on her shoulder, Nayeon continuously complaining about back pains.

 

“You know how people say Jeongyeon and Nayeon are my parents,” Yujin mentions, and Minjoo her eyebrow at this newfound information.

 

They were cuddling within the four walls of their room, watching the recent uncut edition of The Return Of Superman, where Nayeon and Jeongyeon were trying their best to entertain the young boy, who fortunately, was easily entertained. 2yeon were also notorious for their hilarious arguments and banters with each other- and nothing entertained a toddler more than Im Nayeon slapping Yoo Jeongyeon every moment she laughs at a joke.

 

“Do they now?” 

 

“Yeah- and they say Sana and Tzuyu are your parents,” Yujin says, and Minjoo does sense the uncanny resemblance, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

 

“Well, they also say Amber sunbaenim is pregnant- so I don’t know who I believe,” Minjoo says casually, and Yujin chuckles a bit at how ridiculous fans could be at times.

 

“Our filming starts the day after tomorrow,” Minjoo points out, and Yujin’s eyes go wide.

 

“Well- um, what should we do first with him?” Yujin asks, and Minjoo bites her lip as she thinks through the many ideas she had- yet none of them seemed to stand out to her.

 

“Eat perhaps? His favorite food- food is the thing that bonds the soul,” Minjoo says in an overly cheesy tone, causing Yujin to giggle at her girlfriend’s overdramatised antics.

 

“Right,” Yujin agrees- and Minjoo suddenly brings up the conversation of what kind of Canadian foods Hyungseo might like, and what foods she wanted to eat herself- yet instead of becoming hungry, Yujin found herself thinking of something else...

 

Can’t wait to know you Hyungseo-ah.

——

“What’s the prize for this again?” Eunbi asks as the members pack up to move to their temporary home- where they would experience a luxury vacation, much to Yujin and Minjoo’s dismay.

 

“I don’t know- but it seems like you guys are getting the long end of the stick already,” Minjoo comments, and Eunbi chuckles at the clear upper hand that they were receiving.

 

“Who ever wins gets to go on battle trip,” Yujin answers the question, and Eunbi nods, thinking that the prize was quite the deal- since battle trip was a really fun show to shoot. I mean- who wouldn’t want to get paid to go on a holiday?

 

“Ooh~ where do you wanna go?” Minjoo says as she wraps her arms around Yujin’s neck, tilting her head slightly.

 

“Yah- what are you two doing- Kang Hyewon come here!” Eunbi calls, Yujin and Minjoo give the eldest a quizzical look, stopping whatever conversation they intended to have about the trip.

 

“What?!” Hyewon yells back as she makes her way to Eunbi, where Eunbi quickly wraps her arms around Hyewon’s neck, taking the younger by surprise.

 

“So- what do you want to do tomorrow?” Eunbi asks seductively, and Yujin is stuck between wanting to throw up and wanting to laugh.

 

“Hey guys did you- oh my god!” Wonyoung yelps as she sees the four all cuddled up to each other. 

 

“Oh God- why did you make me a het? I could’ve gotten a nice girlfriend by now,” Wonyoung sighs as she turns away, going back to her luggage as the four look at each other in panic. “I could date Nako! That would be loads of fun!” 

 

“I’m old enough to look at people kissing!” Wonyoung chimes, as if answering the silent question that popped up in all their minds.

 

“So about what we're doing tomorrow-” Hyewon says, mirroring the suggestive tone Eunbi gave her earlier.

 

“Nope nope- not listening to that,”

——

Hyungseo was shorter than Yujin expected. The toddler only barely reached up to Yujin’s knees, which wasn’t very far off from the ground- but Yujin also takes into account that all the duos before them were rather on the shorter side compared to Yujin’s towering height.

 

The camera’s were already rolling, and they were to meet up at Twice’s apartment complex, where Hyungseo was swinging his legs on a bench, waiting for his final caretakers to come get him.

 

Minjoo is holding Yujin’s hand as they walk over to Hyungseo, who spots them and sends an eye smile their way, and Yujin feels her heart twist at how kind the boy looked.

 

“H-hi,” Yujin is stuttering, and Minjoo nudges Yujin a bit, wanting to get the younger to give a proper introduction to the boy.

 

“I’m Yujin- noona,” Yujin says with a smile, and Minjoo nods.

 

“I’m Minjoo- also noona,” Minjoo introduces herself, and Hyungseo jumps off the bench, bowing in respect.

 

“I’m Hyungseo! Or Kevin,” he says happily, and the two nod.

 

“Do you like being called Kevin or Hyungseo?” Yujin asks as she kneels on the ground to meet his height.

 

“Well- Kevin actually,” Kevin says with a little smile, as if it’s the first time he’s been asked.

 

“Hi Kevin,” Yujin says with a look of endearment, and the boy seems happy to be called Kevin. “What’s your favourite food?” Yujin asks again, and in the corner of her eye she can see Minjoo smirking at her- very much impressed with Yujin’s performance despite being a nervous wreck earlier.

 

“Pizza!” Kevin says happily, and Minjoo holds out her hand.

 

“Pizza it is,” 

——

“Okay so do you eat pizza with pineapples or not,” Yujin asks the boy, and the little question intrigues him, causing the kid to pursue his lips in deep thought.

 

“Pineapples ,” Kevin replies, and Yujin pumps a fist in the air joyously.

 

“Exactly right! Minjoo thinks pineapples on pizza is good,” Yujin tells the young boy, who looks to the eldest in disgust.

 

“First of all- the sweet and salty taste is amazing,” Minjoo argues, but Kevin and Yujin shake their heads.

 

“But pineapples are sour!” Kevin argues, and Yujin nods aggressively, raising her hand in request for a high five, which Kevin gladly accepts.

 

“No? You guys just have bad taste,” Minjoo retaliates, but Yujin can tell by the look on her face that she’s run out of arguments.

 

“Regardless, it’s two against one so- what you want Kevin? Minjoo doesn’t get to choose because she has bad taste,” Yujin asks the younger, and he bites his lip before pointing at the classic pepperoni.

 

“Yeah, Minjoo noona shouldn’t pick,” Hyungseo says with determination. “I bet she also likes mint chocolate chip ice cream,” Kevin concludes via Minjoo’s horrible taste in pizza.

 

“Woah woah- I cross the line at mint choco,” Minjoo says in support of herself.

 

“Should’ve crossed the line at the pineapples babe,” Yujin says as if stating the obvious, until she realised what words just slipped out of , the vocalist clamping shut.

 

“It’s okay Yujin- we’ll cut that part,” the director says, giving the two thumbs up, the worry on Minjoo’s expression fading a bit.

 

“Wait- are you two dating for real?” Kevin whispers, his mouth and eyes going wide as his pupils switch from Yujin to Minjoo within seconds.

 

“Keep it a secret okay?” Minjoo whispers back, inching closer to Kevin’s ear as she said it- the boy nodding excessively, zipping his mouth with his hand, causing the mood to lighten up a bit at the child’s cute antics.

 

“I’ll go order,” Yujin says, standing up as she walks up to the counter of the pizza place, leaving Minjoo and Kevin to bond for a few brief moments.

 

“How may I help you?” The cashier asks with much courtesy, and Yujin scans the menu.

 

“One medium pepperoni, one small hawaian,” Yujin says with a dimpled smile on her lips, and the woman nods, handing her the little standee that would indicate where the waiter would have to send their order.

 

“Oh my god! What’s your house?” Minjoo asks with excitement, and Kevin matches her energy- and Yujin knows there’s only one thing they could be talking about.

 

“Hufflepuff!” Kevin says with a wide grin on his lips.

 

“You’re kidding- I’m a hufflepuff,” Minjoo says with genuine happiness etched into her smile. They high five briefly as Yujin takes her seat next to Kevin in the booth.

 

“Yujin noona! What house are you in?” Kevin asks excitedly, but Yujin shrugs.

 

“I don’t know, I’ve never done the test before,” Yujin answers honestly, and Kevin shakes his head.

 

“Muggles,” Kevin says under his breath, loud enough for the two to hear, Minjoo cackling at Kevin’s little comment.

 

“Excuse me- Minjoo has told me many times that I am a token gryffindor- whatever that means,” Yujin says and they both shake their heads in sync. “Harry Potter is kinda boring to me,” Yujin comments, and they both gasp in offense, and Yujin chuckles at the way their expressions matched.

 

“Yujin you have got to at least take the quiz,” Minjoo says, Kevin agreeing very much with the older.

 

“Okay but Kevin? You can read?” Yujin questions- because those Harry Potter books were far too thick for a 5 year old.

 

“My sister reads them for me!” Kevin says proudly, and Yujin nods and smiles at Kevin’s willingness to listen to hours and hours of Harry Potter instead of a simple kids book.

 

“Have you watched the movies yet?” 

 

“No, never got the chance- I think watching alone is boring,” Kevin says. “I wanted to watch with someone but my parents and sister are always busy now,” Kevin says sadly, and Yujin pouts at this, but a solution pops into Yujin’s head.

 

“Wanna watch together tonight?” Yujin asks, and Kevin’s eyes light up.

 

“Didn’t you say Harry Potter was boring?” Kevin asks, trying to determine if Yujin really wanted to watch with him.

 

“Well- you have Minjoo to be a Potterhand with,” Yujin says casually, and they both look at her as if she’d grown a second head.

 

“It’s Potterhead Yujinie,” Minjoo says, and Yujin raises her hands in surrender.

 

“Leave this muggle alone!”

——

“Have you ever tried making popcorn at home?” Yujin asks Kevin, who was nicely seated at the dining table with Yujin kneeling in front of him. Minjoo was busy showering, and left it up to Yujin and Kevin to ready the snacks for the night.

 

“Nope,” Kevin says, popping the p.

 

“Neither have I,” Yujin says a little too proudly, shaking Kevin’s hand in an act of truce. “So please don’t tell your Minjoo noona,” Yujin warns, and Kevin shakes his head in understanding.

 

“Okay!” Kevin says as Yujin dumps a thin lather of oil into the pot.

 

“Do you like your popcorn sweet or salty?” Yujin asks, and Kevin ponders for a moment.

 

“Salty,” Kevin answers simply.

 

“Minjoo likes it sweet,” Yujin says. “But guess what?” Yujin says, and Kevin gives her a questioning look.

 

“I don’t know how to make sweet popcorn,” Yujin reveals the truth, and Kevin laughs at the older.

 

“It’s alright, Minjoo noona will still like you,” Kevin says with an intention to tease, and it somehow works, Yujin’s cheeks turning a shade of red.

 

“Oh wow it is hot in here,” 

——

“As expected, Harry Potter movies are so boring that little Kev here fell asleep,” Yujin says as Kevin sleeps soundly, curled into Minjoo’s lap.

 

“At least he had fun while he was awake,” Minjoo smirks. “And look at you Ahn Yujin, giving him a nickname already? Seems like someone’s getting attached,” Minjoo teases, and Yujin scoffs- there was no way she of all people would be getting attached to a child.

 

“If anyone is getting attached- it’s you Minjoo,” Yujin responds, scooping the boy gently in her arms, trying her best not to wake him up.

 

“Whatever, let’s put him in Yena’s room?” Minjoo suggests, and Yujin nods slightly, carrying the child to where he would sleep for the next 3 nights. 

 

Yujin, albeit how stiff she was, successfully tucked the boy in without waking him up.

 

“Look at that, he’s even smiling in his sleep,” Yujin points out, giving herself a part on the back.

 

“I think that’s because he’s awake,” Minjoo giggles a bit as she see’s Kevin's left eye open a bit.

 

“Then why didn’t he just walk?” Yujin says in disbelief, looking at the boy who was struggling to keep himself from laughing out loud.

 

“Being carried is fun,” Minjoo answers simply, kneeling to hover over the Canadian.

 

“Good night Kevin,” Minjoo says softly as she plants a soft kiss on his forehead, and Yujin is stunned for a moment, and Kevin is pleased at the goodnight kiss, something he hadn’t received in a while now.

 

From the beginning of time, Hyungseo was raised mostly by maids, seeing that his parents were busy people. Though it didn’t affect him that much since he was only 5, it still bummed him out to see his peers and friends have their parents pick them up while he only had his trusty old driver.

 

A temporary family was nice.

 

“Night Kev,” 

——

HOOoOo! BETTER GET THAT BRASS READY!

HERE WE GO HEY!

 

SHAKE THAT BRASS!

 

STOP 이리와 싹 갈아엎자

너와 나 여기 판을 바꿔봐

지금 이 리듬은 준비 된 FRYING PAN

BASS 와 TREBLE 몸을 달궈봐

 

“WAKE UP!!” Hyungseo calls as he jumps on the older two’s bed, causing a ruckus as he slammed two pans (it was a miracle he could pick them up) together to create the most unmelodic rhythm of all time.

 

“God,” Yujin groans as she gets out of bed, pulling Minjoo up with her.

 

“I never thought there could be an alarm worse than the brass,” Yujin says as she shakes herself awake.

 

“I have to go to school!” Kevin urges as he steps on Yujin’s thighs, shaking the older even more.

 

“You what?” Minjoo asks, trying her best to pry her eyelids open.

 

“School!!!” Kevin reminds again, more urgent this time.

 

“Can’t you just not go- Minjoo graduated high school with an attendance of three~” Yujin reasons, but Kevin shakes his head.

 

“Hey- you graduated with an attendance of one- at least I had a 3.9 GPA,” Minjoo argues back, but Yujin waves her off.

 

“No! I have to learn the rest of the letters today!” Kevin pleads the two to bring him to school, and who were Minjoo and Yujin to prevent the boy from getting his education.

 

“Right- let us freshen up first,” Yujin says, and Kevin hops happily, clapping at Yujin’s efforts.

 

“Let’s go let’s go! Class is starting!” Hyungseo cheers as he drags them off the beds and out the door.

 

Shake that brass!

——

“This one?” Yujin points to a colourful private preschool- most likely where Wonyoung studied years past.

 

“Yup!” Hyungseo answers from the backseat, Yujin parking the car by the curb.

 

“Are we late?” Minjoo asks, but Kevin shakes his head.

 

“Right on time,” Kevin says happily as they all step out of the car, Yujin opening the backdoor for the boy.

 

“After you,” Yujin bows a bit as Kevin laughs at how formal Yujin was being, the youngest hopping out of the car, taking Yujin’s hand with his left and Minjoo’s hand into his right.

 

“I like your bag,” Yujin comments as they began to walk to the building, spotting the dog design that adorned the boy’s school bag.

 

“Thanks! I picked it myself,” Kevin says happily.

 

“Frogs are cooler,” Minjoo comments, and Kevin and Yujin stare at her weirdly.

 

“Frogs are too slimy,” Kevin says, and Minjoo shakes her head, letting out a shirt sigh.

 

“It’s mucous,” Minjoo informs sharply, but before the two could reply, they find themselves at the gates of the school, where a teacher wore a look of shock on her face as she saw Kevin.

 

“Hyungseo?” The teacher questions, Minjoo and Yujin glancing at each other in confusion before looking back at the teacher.

 

“Good morning teacher!” Kevin says happily, but the teacher is still confused.

 

“What are you doing here?” The teacher asks, Yujin and Minjoo more confused than ever. “You’re on leave to film! Why are you filming here?” The teacher asks, and Yujin and Minjoo nearly screech at the information.

 

“What?” 

 

“Hehe- sorry teacher,” Kevin apologizes, looking to the ground. “I just wanted to know what it’s like when your parents send you to school,” Kevin says solemnly, and Yujin and Minjoo are surprised- and very much touched, at his words.

 

“Oh,” the teacher says, also taken aback by Kevin’s words. “That’s okay then- since you’re already here,” the teacher holds out her hand, and Kevin let’s go of Minjoo and Yujin’s hands, to hold on to the teacher’s.

 

“I finish at 12!” Kevin exclaims with a loopy grin as he waves his temporary parents goodbye, Minjoo and Yujin waving goodbye, still a little shocked at Kevin’s words.

 

Kevin follows his teacher into the school, Yujin and Minjoo still stagnant as ever.

 

“Did you hear that?” Minjoo asks first, wearing a bright smile on her face as she turns to Yujin.

 

“Are we hearing the same thing?” Yujin asks, the feelings pent up in her a mixture of confusion, fear and happiness.

 

“Kevin said- we’re like- his parents,” Minjoo says as she aggressively slaps Yujin’s shoulder in excitement, and Yujin flinches in pain, turning away from the older to avoid getting hit again. Minjoo happily skips past her, and Yujin chuckles a bit at how happy Minjoo was. Yujin shakes her head, and there was a smile on her lips as she runs after Minjoo towards the car.

——

They spend their time away from Kevin buying groceries to hopefully make some nice pasta for dinner, which Yujin found very enjoyable despite what a mundane task it was, arguing with Minjoo about penne vs spaghetti was something Yujin could see herself doing often.

 

“Okay, so what are we going to do with Kevin next?” Minjoo asks as they drive back to the school, Yujin pursuing her lips as she tries to score a good idea.

 

“Do you think he likes birds? I feel like looking at birds,” Yujin says, and Minjoo shrugs at Yujin’s sudden need to look at birds.

 

“Let’s ask him then,” Minjoo suggests, and Yujin nods as they pull into the curb near the school, Yujin quickly turning off the engine as they both exited the vehicle, seeing a multitude of parents already outside the building.

 

“Do you think they’ll recognise us?” Minjoo asks through gritted teeth, but Yujin shrugs, as if telling her to wait and see.

 

They arrive at the front of the gate, where they politely smile and bow at the people who were clearly older than them, looking into the gate in search for Kevin. The people seem to know who they are, but they don’t speak much about it, and Yujin is internally grateful.

 

They don’t wait for long though, because Hyungseo comes running to them, the boy wrapping his arms around Yujin’s legs, catching the older two by surprise. 

 

“Hi Kev!” Yujin says as she can’t hold back the smile on her face, lowering herself to pick the boy up, some of the parents cooing at the sight.

 

“Hi hi,” 

 

“What’d you learn today?” Minjoo asks as Yujin waves at the teacher, who gives a sweet smile in return.

 

“We learned about birds,” Kevin replies, and Yujin is overjoyed.

 

“Hey! I was just thinking about going to the bird park! You wanna go?” Yujin suggests, and Kevin nods in excitement.

 

Perfect timing.

——

“Have you ever played that game? Where you can’t step on the lines?” Yujin asks Kevin and he shakes his head, Yujin sending a genuine look of pity.

 

“You’ve never? Well we should! Just make sure you don’t step on any of the lines,” Yujin instructs, and Kevin starts, watching his step as they make their way deeper into the park, where the birds would be.

 

“Alright then,” Kevin says, determined to beat Yujin in this newfound game. 

 

They hop over the numerous patterns made on the cement, Kevin’s small feet making it easy to dodge the many lines on the ground- until of course, a rather difficult terrain is presented in front of them- one where Yujin could skip over easily, but for Kevin’s tiny feet, were a clear challenge.

 

Kevin is smart though.

 

The boy grabs both Minjoo and Yujin’s hands, shocking the oldest of them, who was silently watching the two playing their little game while she navigated them. Hyungseo pulls upwards so that he would be flying above the ground, quickly dodging the designs on the ground before Yujin and Minjoo ran out of strength to hoist him up again. Captivated by Kevin's quick thinking skills, Yujin ultimately fails to notice the line in front of her.

 

“Hah! You lost!” Kevin points out happily, and Yujin pouts at her defeat, but she’s holding Kevin’s hand- side by side with Minjoo- and a part of her believes that it’s a bit of a win after all.

 

“Not completely fair since you used me and Minjoo- but it was smart so I’ll give it to ya,” Yujin compliments, and Hyungseo claps happily, Minjoo only chuckling at what a sore loser her girlfriend was.

 

“Oh check it out! That bird is pretty,” Minjoo points out, and the attention of them both  quickly brought to the birds flying around in the massive cage.

 

“Wow wow wow wow! I love flying!” Kevin says with pure excitement as his hands squeeze Yujin and Minjoo’s, amusing the older two.

 

“Do you?” Yujin asks.

 

“Yeah! I wanna be an astronaut when I grow up so I can fly up to the stars!” Hyungseo tells with passion and flame in his eyes, and an idea pops into Yujin’s head.

 

“Stars you say?” Yujin asks, and Kevin nods vigorously, and Yujin crouches down, gesturing to her back.

 

“Come on,” Yujin says, ready for Kevin to climb up onto her shoulders.

 

“Let’s go to the stars,” 

——

“And bolognese is served,” Minjoo says proudly as she places the plate in front of Kevin, who sat at the head of the table, while Yujin sat down with her own plate.

 

“Ooooh, nice,” Kevin grins as he picks up his utensils, though he glances at Yujin’s plate and squints for a while. “How come Yujin noona gets the cool pasta?” Kevin asks as she peers at Yujin’s penne pasta.

 

“See! I told you penne is superior,” Yujin boasts to Minjoo, and the older sighs- it seemed like Yujin and Kevin’s food tastes always differed to hers.

 

“So it’s my fa-”

 

“You can have mine Kev,” Yujin says as she exchanges the plates, and Kevin flashes her a happy smile- and Minjoo is genuinely surprised Yujin gave in to the boy that fast.

 

“Thank you!” Kevin says a little too loud- but he was cute, so he gets a pass.

 

Minjoo gives Yujin a distinctive look, because Yujin was never really one to give up things she really liked.

 

Why the sudden change in character?

 

“You don’t like it?” Yujin asks, and she’s probably asking about the food, but Minjoo interprets it as an answer to her inner monologue.

 

“I actually love it,” 

——

“Can I sleep with you guys tonight?” Kevin asks quietly, Yujin and Minjoo glancing at each other briefly before looking back at Kevin.

 

“Sure,” 

 

“Really?” Minjoo asks instead of Kevin, and Yujin laughs at her.

 

“Of course Kev- but why the sudden fear?” Yujin asks, but Kevin denies it with all of his body.

 

“Not scared! The bed is too big- it’s lonely,” Kevin complains, and Yujin nods in understanding.

 

“I thought you were going to complain that the room smelled funny,” Yujin jokes, and Minjoo slaps her lightly.

 

“Don’t do that to Chaewon please,” Minjoo says through little laughs.

 

“Yes but I’ll do that to Yena,” Yujin says with determination, plucking Hyungseo up from the floor and into their shared room.

 

“I’ve got something for you Kev,” Yujin says as she puts him on the bed, and Minjoo slides into the bed with him, placing her hand around Kevin’s shoulder’s.

 

“What is it?” Kevin asks, watching Yujin slip grab something on the floor, lifting up what seemed to be an oatmeal canister wrapped in aluminum foil.

 

“You’ll love it,” Yujin says proudly. “Fixed it up while you were in the shower,” Yujin says, and even Minjoo is curious as to what Yujin had up her sleeve.

 

“Hey google, lights off,” Yujin commands, flicking the switch that was poking out from the bottom of the canister.

 

“Wow,” Kevin and Minjoo say at once as soon as the room goes dark, a light emitting from the small canister, projecting a series of light that mirrored a starry night, right against the ceiling of their bedroom.

 

“I love it,” Kevin says in awe, his mouth going wide as Yujin walks up to him, joining the two in bed before handing the object to Kevin.

 

“Pretty right?” Yujin asks as she shifts her gaze to the artificial night sky above and both Minjoo and Kevin nod, very much pleased with the mini projector Yujin put together.

 

Each ‘star’ somehow managed to twinkle despite it’s inorganic origins, Yujin feeling a strong sense of pride swell in her as she sees Minjoo and Kevin wear genuine smiles and looks of amazement as they watched the stars dance on their bedroom ceiling.

 

“Here, give me- lie down,” Yujin orders gently, and Kevin does as told, handing the innovation to Yujin as he and Minjoo tucked themselves in, Yujin placing the device at the head of the bed, so that the stars would shine as they fell asleep.

 

It’s a few full minutes before Kevin let’s out light snores, but Yujin and Minjoo are still awake, admiring the false reality laid out in front of them.

 

“You really did this while I cleaned him up?” Minjoo asks, turning her head on the pillow to face Yujin.

 

“Yeah,” 

 

“It’s beautiful,” Minjoo says. “I’m glad you did that for him,” Minjoo says with a soft smile on her face.

 

“I did it for the both of you,” Yujin replies softly, and Minjoo feels her heart shift irregularly at Yujin’s words- and she only says one thing-

 

“I love you,”

——

“Last morning with us Kevin- any confessions?” Yujin asks as they hang around in the dorm, eating some cereal by the couch.

 

“Well, I actually didn’t care about the bed,” Kevin starts, and Yujin doesn’t expect him to actually confess. “My friend said he sleeps with his parents,” Kevin explains.

 

“I wanted to know how that feels,” Kevin admits.

 

This kid can’t ever stop blowing me away…

 

“You think we’re good parents?” Minjoo asks, and Kevin jumps at the question, eager to answer as he chomps down the cereal in his mouth.

 

“The best!” Kevin replies. “Everyone else was doing really really fun stuff- but you guys are just doing normal stuff,” Kevin says.

 

“Like a real family,” Kevin speaks with a broad smile, and they’re both taken by surprise.

 

Like a real family.

 

“Thank you,” is all Minjoo manages to reply, her eyes locked with Yujin’s- both wanting to say something, but they couldn’t seem to find the perfect words to describe that something boiling inside them.

 

“Yup! And you guys should get married fast so you guys can have kids- and then I can have a baby sibling!” Kevin says excitedly, the sudden change in pace causing Yujin and Minjoo to flush a deep red almost immediately. 

 

“Kevin! Stop that,” Yujin says, too shy to even look Minjoo in the eye.

 

“Why? You said to give confessions?” Kevin tilts his head in confusion, and Yujin wants to slap herself for asking such questions, forgetting that children take everything literally.

 

“I was joking Kev,” Yujin sighs as she tries to cover her tomato coloured face, Minjoo doing almost the same thing as her.

 

“Sorry~” Hyungseo apologizes briefly, Yujin waving him off- the boy only catching Yujin’s attention when he offered Yujin a spoon of cereal, which the older dearly accepted. Kevin turns his attention to Minjoo, feeding her a spoonful of the crunchy substance, Minjoo smiling kindly at the child.

 

Having Kevin as a son isn’t all that bad is it?

——

“Are we there yet?” Kevin asks, probably intending to bounce in his seat if he wasn’t buckled in.

 

“We’ve been driving for only ten minutes!” Yujin replies, and Kevin is struggling to believe her.

 

“Where are we going?” Kevin asks, looking at Minjoo, who shrugs, also not knowing where on earth they were heading too.

 

“I don’t know, your Yujin noona said it’s a surprise,” Minjoo answers, and Kevin is dissatisfied, but he waits patiently.

——

“It’s been an hour,” Kevin replies, the boredom seeping through his bones at this rate.

 

They spent the first 30 minutes of the drive singing random songs on the radio, only stopping for lunch at a small store on the side of the road. They then proceeded to play I Spy for the next thirty- their game coming to a halt when Minjoo had to use the bathroom. The game was rather unfruitful though, since most of the drive had them surrounded by trees and nothingness.

 

“An hour and thirty minutes actually,” Yujin says as they turn into a small area- which presented itself to be a recreational forest.

 

“And we’re here,” Yujin says with a smile, Minjoo still not entirely sure what Yujin had up her sleeve.

 

“And we’re here for what exactly?” Minjoo asks, but Yujin just gestures for them to get out of the car, and they do, following Yujin out of the vehicle. 

 

“You’ll know soon,” Yujin answers simply, pulling out Yena’s hoverboard from the trunk, and Kevin jumps in joy as he’d been eyeing the thing ever since he walked into that room.

 

“Oh my god I hate that thing,” Minjoo says in fear of the hoverboard, but Yujin just laughs at her, handing her a backpack she pulled out from the trunk.

 

“You know, before you were born,” Yujin starts the story as she places the hoverboard gently on the ground. “Minjoo tried getting on one of these,” Yujin continues.

 

“And she fell on her ?” Kevin asks for confirmation, Yujin laughs at Kevin’s accuracy.

 

“HAHAH! Yeah she did!” Yujin confirms as she high-fives Kevin, kneeling on the ground to start up the hoverboard.

 

“Seriously you two? It hurt you know,” Minjoo complains with a smile on her face, fully knowing that the editing team was going to edit in the 4 year old clip of Minjoo on that wretched hoverboard.

 

“Right so here’s how you ride it,” Yujin chuckles as she ignores Minjoo, holding both of Kevin’s hands as she guides him onto the object, the kid wobbling around before Yujin stabilised him, standing up after she did.

 

“Now lean your body forward,” Yujin commands, still holding Kevin’s hands as the boy does as told, allowing the device to glide forward.

 

“Step harder with your right foot,” Yujin says as she moves with Kevin, gesturing for the boy to push with his right foot.

 

He does quickly, allowing him to turn in a small circle. He gets used to the hoverboard quickly, turning left and right at will.

 

“You can let go now,” Kevin says as he looks up to Yujin, who let’s go quickly, allowing Kevin to freely hover around the small area of the parking lot.

 

Minjoo and Yujin follow Kevin out of the parking lot, Kevin smiling happily as he looks back to the two, who chase after the little boy.

 

“I’m better than Minjoo noona right?!” Kevin asks as he halts himself, the older two finally catching up with him.

 

“Even a cockroach is better than Minjoo unnie at riding that thing,” Yujin jokes, and Minjoo playfully bangs into the younger, Yujin losing her balance a bit before she bangs back into Minjoo who retaliates by running up behind Yujin placing her hands on Yujin’s shoulder.

 

“Piggy back,” Minjoo requests, Yujin’s mouth opening in shock.

 

“Seriously? Are you four?” Yujin asks, but Minjoo refuses anything else, shaking her head as she climbs on Yujin, the younger steadily hoisting the girl up so that she’d be stable.

 

“Okay Kevin- let’s race,” Minjoo says as she looks down to the amused Kevin, who nods in agreement.

 

“Yes! I am faster than Yujin noona,” Kevin announces happily.

 

“Excuse me, but Yujin noona has this heavy thing on her back,” Yujin replies, pretending to be out of breath, but to be honest, Yujin’s countless hours of work outs made carrying a human being Minjoo’s weight a piece of cake.

 

“3,” Minjoo says as they stop in the middle of trail, the both of them ready to lunge forward.

 

“Until the river, okay?” Yujin says as she points to the sign that said river in bold letters, 

 

“2,”

 

“1,”

 

“Go!”

——

“It’s pretty,” Minjoo says as the trio lean against a single tree, Yujin very much out of breath from carrying the weight of her world on her back.

 

“It’s nice,” Kevin says, leaning forward to get closer to the water.

 

“I’m glad you brought us here,” Minjoo says as she snakes her hand towards Yujin’s, holding it softly in her own.

 

“This isn’t even the best part yet!’ Yujin says with a giddy smile on her lips, and both Kevin and Minjoo look at her with a look of interest.

 

“What else are you planning Ahn Yujin?” Minjoo asks, squeezing her hand the slightest bit.

 

“Well- I read something about Korea on a midsummer night,” 

——

“Did you have fun?” Yujin asks as they walk into what seemed to be a restaurant.

 

“Yeah! The water was nice,” Kevin says, holding Minjoo’s hand as they watch Yujin walk up to the reception of the restaurant, grabbing a plastic of take out food.

 

“Night time picnic anyone?” Yujin asks as she waves the plastic in the air, and Minjoo sends a soft smile her way, Kevin mirroring the older’s expression.

 

“You are full of surprises aren’t you?” Minjoo asks as she an eyebrow, guiding Kevin as the three walked out of the restaurant, heading towards a hill, where they proceeded to climb up the hill, revealing a nicely set up picnic, decorated with a single guitar and fairy lights illuminating the blanket laid out on the ground, the moonlight shimmering on the small set up.

 

“And when did you set this up?” Minjoo says at the lovely surprise, Kevin letting go of Minjoo’s hand to run up to the blanket to lay on the set up.

 

“Bribing the producer is always a viable option,” Yujin says with a smirk, holding out her hand for Minjoo to take it.

 

They walk hand in hand to where Kevin was poking into the basket, looking for anything that would cater to his interests.

 

“Oooh! What’s this?” Kevin asks no one in particular as he pulls out a miniature telescope from the basket, looking into it to see darkness.

 

“The cover is on,” Yujin says, adjusting the telescope so that the cap would pop open, moving it so that Kevin’s sight would line with the moon.

 

“Wow wow wow wow!” Kevin says happily as he looks all over the sky, which was clearly lit up by a myriad of stars, dancing through the night sky. “The stars are so pretty!” 

 

“You know you can see them without the telescope,” Minjoo comments, and Kevin removes the telescope, his mouth gaping at the trillions of stars that dazzled the night sky, clapping slowly at the beauty of the night.

 

“Let’s eat first?” Yujin suggests, pulling out a couple of burgers, which Kevin happily cradled into his tiny hands. “Then I have one last surprise,” Yujin says with a soft smile, and Minjoo shakes her head at the effort Yujin put into planning the night under the stars.

 

They eat in near silence, slipping in random topics about Kevin and his family at home. To be completely frank, it did hurt Minjoo a bit to hear about the absence of Kevin’s parents from his life- and his sister being sent off to boarding school- it hurt to know that Hyungseo would never grow up with his parents next to him every step of the road.

 

The life of the lavish did come with a cost.

 

“Done!” Kevin says as he reluctantly finishes the lettuce he’d originally removed, but Minjoo forced him to eat it because duh, it’s a vegetable- it’s supposed to be good for you. 

 

“So~ do you want to see the last surprise?” Yujin asks expectantly, begging that Kevin would not embarrass her on national television.

 

“Yeah!” Kevin answers happily, and Yujin eyes match the crescent moon in the air.

 

“Right, okay” Yujin says, letting out a huff of breath. “So- guitar isn’t my thing, it’s usually Minjoo’s,” Yujin explains as she maneuvers to grab the guitar behind her.

 

“So bare with me,” Yujin says. “But- I would, very much, like to dedicate this song to the both of you,” Yujin says with an awkward smile, glancing at the watch on her hand.

 

9.54 PM

 

“What’s the song called?” Kevin asks, and Yujin is so grateful this kid isn’t a complete buzzkill.

 

“Your dog loves you,” Yujin says with a silly smile, and Minjoo laughs at the title.

 

“Are you the dog?” Minjoo asks, trying to hold back her smile.

 

“Yes, indeed I am,” Yujin says with joy, and Kevin joins the laughter, entertained by the so-called large dog’s tone of speech.

 

“Ready?” Yujin asks, and they both nod enthusiastically.

 

(A/n ; Your Dog Loves You by Colde + Crush, one of my all time favs)

 

“When I walk with you

I feel that you love me

When I match footsteps with you yeah

I feel so happy like this,”

 

“In this fragrant scene,

The waves crash lightly

I feel like something new

Whenever and wherever,

I will always be next to you,”  

 

Yujin starts strumming slowly, trying her best not to mess up a song she’d learned in less than an hour, her voice flowing out gently and surely, wanting to relay her message the best she could, for some of the best people she’d ever met.

 

Though she’d only met Kevin for 2 days, it was all the little things he did, that changed Yujin’s life in a way one would never expect for a variety show. 

 

“When I met you for the first time

I sometimes worry if we will be eternal

When the world disregards you and me,”

 

“Yeah I’m actually a scaredy cat

I’m quite sensitive and cowardly

But it’s okay-

You are solely on my side,” 

 

Yujin sings this next verse with her eyes glued on Minjoo, and she knows and loves how big of a sap Kim Minjoo is- because her eyes are already teary, and Yujin hasn’t even sung her favourite part yet.

 

The part comes where it’s simply guitar, and she’s so deep into Minjoo eyes it’s as if the universe above had sunk into Minjoo’s eyes alone, and it was just Yujin, floating around in her little universe named Kim Minjoo.

 

And perhaps Kevin.

 

“If I am born again

I will hug you first

I promise,” 

 

Yujin sings with the type of sincerity you could never find in someone else, and Minjoo wants Yujin to shut up and kiss her at this very moment, but Kevin’s head is on her lap as they both look to Yujin, and Minjoo finds a different happiness in just being there-

 

With Yujin.

 

In love.

 

“As we both look at the same thing

If I embrace you like this

Even if we don’t exchange words

As we look at each other,” 

 

Kevin smiles softly as the sounds that bring a form of serenity to the usually energetic boy, the stars above seeming to sway to the luxury and melody that was Yujin’s voice.

 

“Smile,” 

 

“At the moment we’re together

I embrace you one more time

Everyday & night,” 

 

It ends with the soft strumming of the guitar, and as if the universe timed this  moment to pure perfection, a single streak of light decorates the black of the night, and Kevin nearly jumps at the sight.

 

“Look up,” Yujin says, and all three of them do, and they watch as meteors fly through the sky- the shooting stars earning short gasps of amazement from the three.

 

“Make a wish,” Yujin whispers as the stars continue to fall, standing out from the rest of their shimmering stagnant counterparts, even the camera crew and directors standing in awe at the sight.

 

Kevin sits up from Minjoo’s lap, watching the stars intently as they the sky. Yujin puts her guitar to the side and slides closer to Kevin, who was in between to two as Minjoo slid her own hand towards Yujin, taking it into her own.

 

“Thank you,” Minjoo says under her breath as she takes a glance at the younger.

 

‘I love you,’ Minjoo says under her breath, and Yujin smiles in return- because she knows that Minjoo knows what her response to that would be.

 

It would never change.

 

After a while of them observing the stars, the streaks began to die down the slightest bit, and Kevin finally tears his eyes away from the night sky, looking back to the duo, proceeding to stand up wearing a smile brighter than any meteor in that hours long shower.

 

“You took me to the stars! Yujin and Minjoo noona took me to the stars!” Kevin cheers happily, and Yujin laughs at how extra the boy was being, until the boy tackles her in a warm hug, pulling Minjoo by the shirt so that she would join in.

 

If I am born again

 

I will hug you first

 

I promise.

 

It lasts awhile as they relish in each other’s warmth, until they hear a few bystanders gasping again, all three of them turning their attention back to the glorious night sky.

 

As the moonlight reflects the softness of Yujin’s skin, Minjoo decides.

 

I am so in love with you.

——

The meteor’s end their shower at about 12.30 A.M, and Kevin is way too sleepy to actually walk on his own.

 

“I went to stars,” Kevin mumbles in his half asleep self, Yujin picking him up so that he wouldn’t trip over himself.

 

“I’ll drive,” Minjoo says softly, placing a hand on Yujin’s back gently.

 

“Yeah that’d be great baby,” Yujin says quickly and sleepily, not even watching her words.

 

“Hey director?” Minjoo suddenly says, catching the equally as sleepy director by surprise.

 

“You can edit this out right?” Minjoo asks, and he nods, he and the crew would get sued millions if he revealed their relationship to anyone.

 

Minjoo tip toes ever so slightly and captures Yujin’s drowsy lips in a loving kiss, the softness of Yujin’s lips pressing onto her ever so slightly, and Yujin’s fluttering eyelids making her heart melt to a degree that was just right for her.

 

“What was that for?” Yujin says as soon as Minjoo pulls away, clearly much more awake than before.

 

“That’s because I love you,” Minjoo answers briefly, pulling Yujin’s free hand to get to the car.

 

“Love you too,” 

——

After a very drowsy session of clothes changing, Kevin is tucked into the center of the bedroom, all three of them ready to completely pass out before having to return Kevin to his home the next day.

 

“Google? Lights off please,” Minjoo commands, and all the lights shut off as the older two slip into bed.

 

There’s dead silence, until Kevin speaks up.

 

“Goodnight mommy,” Hyungseo says sleepily, and both Yujin and Minjoo’s eyes shoot open, wanting to analyse every single syllable Kevin spoke.

 

“Goodnight Kev,” 

——

Yujin didn’t cry, but she was sad that Kevin left. 

 

They were going to meet again today though, once all the episodes came out, and they would watch it together live with a few commentators.

 

To fill the void of Kevin Moon, the members came back and teased them to absolutely no end, Minjoo and her having to endure KangBi’s ridiculous clowning night and day.

 

Also- she feels somewhat closer to Minjoo now, as if they hadn’t been close before- but there was something new that was unspoken between them. Perhaps it was the feeling of falling in love all over again? Yujin can’t tell, but all she knows is she is ten times the more thrilled to wake up next to Minjoo everyday.

 

Even if she had to shake that brass.

 

“Going live in 3 Yujin,” Lia suddenly peaks behind the curtain that divided Yujin from the commotion of the studio, and Yujin turns to her, nodding slightly.

 

“Right behind you unnie,” Yujin says gently, as she follows Lia out of the space and towards the main studio, where the final touches were being made to the commentators and the participants.

 

“Where’s Kevin?” Yujin asks as she sits next to Minjoo, who looks at her softly.

 

“He’ll be coming out last- to pick the winner,” Minjoo explains and Yujin nods in understanding, the director requesting everyone to be on standby.

 

“Going live in-”

 

“3,” 

 

“2,”

 

“1,” 

 

“Action!” 

——

“So who did you like the most, Hyungseo?” The interviewer asks, and Kevin pursues his lips.

 

“Yujin and Minjoo!” Kevin answers quickly, and the whole studio cooes.

 

“Obviously he would choose them- he even called them mom!” The commentator says, and they all chuckle lightly.

 

“Of course- even a whole theme park can’t beat a parents’ love,” Wendy says in the greasiest tone known to man, and Irene slaps her lightly.

 

“Yah isn’t that too cheesy?” Irene says between chuckles and they all laugh a bit at the oldest duo in the studio.

 

“Why?” The interviewer asks, and Kevin bites his lip for a moment.

 

“I got to do things I like,” 

 

“I like what all of them did- but Yujin and Minjoo let me do what I really really liked,” 

 

“They listened to me a lot,” Kevin says softly.

 

“They’re like real parents,” Kevin continues, and the studio lets out a few gasps of awe and amazement.

 

“Yujin and Minjoo have good chemistry too,” the host says, and they all nod in agreement, trying to hold back their laughter- because all the guests know fully well that the two were dating.

 

“Why did you tell them to call you Kevin instead of Hyungseo?” The interviewer asks, and the boy gets a little shy, but he’s ready to answer regardless.

 

“Because my parents are the only other ones who call me Kevin,” he says with a soft smile, and the studio erupts into yet another series of ‘awws’.

 

“Please leave a video message for them,” The interviewer then requests, and Kevin is confused at first, but he says things that would never fail to move even a grown man’s soul.

 

“Yujin and Minjoo noona!”

 

“I love you!”

——

A week after the broadcast, there are two things Yujin finds odd.

 

Firstly, is the missing Kim Minjoo from her embrace as she wakes up.

 

Secondly, is the missing Amber Liu from her mornings.

 

Instead of the brass shaking senior from f(x), she finds another more familiar senior’s song ringing in her ears- and she doesn’t know why it’s playing, because this song was more suited to put someone to sleep than to wake someone up.

 

“What the hell,” Yujin questions the strange situation, though her ears are very much pleased by the music- it’s quite sudden, and she remains unsure as to when Minjoo made the change to their morning playlist.

 

Yujin finally identifies the song as Moonlight Melody by Red Velvet, calmly seeping through the room, the tiny rays of light from the blinds waking Yujin up further.

 

On that night, it was brighter than usual

I was nervous that my heart would get caught, so I slowly backed away.

At that moment, I heard a ringing, that would never leave my ears.

 

Was it the moonlight? Shining on us?

Was it watching over us? wanting to say something?

 

A sound I’ve never heard before-

The two of us, in that moment-

The unforgettable moonlight melody.

 

The lyrics bring Yujin back to none other than Kevin Moon, his childish laughter and unexpected persona ringing in Yujin’s mind vividly as if he were still in the room, fooling around with the two of them.

 

Sometimes, no- actually I think of you a lot at night,

I closed the windows, in case you may hear my heart-

Yet I suddenly remember, smiling to myself,

The melody that would never leave my ears.

 

Was it the moonlight? Shining on us?

Was it watching over us? wanting to say something?

 

A sound I’ve never heard before-

The two of us, in that moment-

The unforgettable moonlight melody.

 

“Why are you playing this Kim Minjoo?” Yujin asks the empty space, walking up to the device to observe it closely.

 

What are you up to? 

 

Yujin thinks to herself as she gently sways to the beat, trying to find any clear reason Minjoo would suddenly want to wake her up with soft and soothing music. Perhaps she too, was sick of shaking that brass?

 

Yujin decides that maybe that was it, the reason Red Velvet was playing today. Though she does love the song and it’s words, as if Minjoo was trying to relay to her a coded message. 

 

I should just ask her what she means..

 

Yujin’s thoughts float around as the faint sounds of a moonlit melody pass through her head. And Yujin notices, that some of her greatest milestones with Kim Minjoo were all moments in the moonlight—

 

From their midnight escapades during Produce 48, to their first confessions with the moon shining through in their previous bedroom, leading up to their gazes upon the stars with Moon on that glorious night.

 

Even within the four walls of their small room-

 

Kim Minjoo took her to the stars.

 

Do you remember?

Singing for us, celebrating for us?

Bigger, shining more than the surrounding stars-

 

I am there, everyday in silence,

But even if I listen carefully-

I cannot hear it again.

 

The special and unforgettable-

Moonlight melody.

 

Moments were bound to pass, as do lives, things that happen once can never happen again. Even if one were to recreate that moment to absolute perfection. It would still be different, for each cell, each micro detail of a situation is hand etched by the universe itself. And if you look at moments like that- like every moment is unique to one another- you will find that every moment is special.

 

Every piece of memory she and Minjoo made under the moon, though it was unrepeatable, it was all but irreplaceable.

 

I remember.

 

The moonlit melody, the way shined upon the two like that were it’s destiny- as if the moon was a spotlight, Yujin and Minjoo it’s sole stage actors. 

 

What was the sound you heard?

 

Yujin questions as she approaches the door, wanting to know what on earth moved Minjoo to put on such a song that brought Yujin back five years through their relationship. She walks up to the door, twisting the handle ever so slightly before pulling the door open, revealing her one and only.

 

“Why are you kneeling?” Yujin asks, looking at her girlfriend funny.

 

Minjoo was on one knee, and Yujin looks at her, far more confused as to why these strange things were happening today.

 

“The past week- I feel like,” Minjoo starts. “You’ve shown me a side you rarely do,” Minjoo says, and Yujin has a feeling she knows exactly what this is.

 

“And I love it,” Minjoo says genuinely, a little rushed due to her nervousness. “And I uh- want to- spend my life seeing all the hidden sides that there is to Ahn Yujin,” 

 

Yujin’s heart is racing faster than any meteor could fall- and holy - she cannot for a single millisecond believe that she’d receive Kim Minjoo from the universe. 

 

The greatest gift.

 

Her brightest star.

 

“Ahn Yujin,” Minjoo says, slipping her hand behind her to retrieve the circular piece with no end.

 

“And although you didn’t really push me into any body of water…”

 

“Marry me?”