Present - 

I looked at my wife admiring her beauty, she was gently breathing in and out from her small rounded nose with partially open as she laid in the crook of my neck. My arm felt a bit numb with her body pressed against it as it was around her, so that she didn't fall off my shoulder and abruptly awaken after passing out to the movie we were watching called ‘Do You Love Me Anymore?’

While my wife was taking a nap on my shoulder, I had an adorable little munchkin on my lap sprawled cutely on the couch. My daughter, who was five years old, Yeoreum, had open with drool coming out the side, I went to wipe it and brushed her hair to the side to observe her. 

Her round chubby cheeks were like her mummy’s, where I get to pinch it daily, as well as her nose, which was round and small. Although Yorm may look like her mummy, I can proudly say that she has similar taste buds to me, a sweet tooth who loves bubble tea especially. Jiyeonie always scolded me for feeding our child too much sweets, which was why she had to get fillings for her teeth but I always argued to her, how could I resist her puppy eyes everytime she asked me to buy some for her. 

Of course me, being a smart mum, I would do it behind my wife’s back while she’s away for work or grocery shopping but her motherly instincts always kick in and she somehow finds out that I was feeding her something, whether there was a piece of candy wrapper on the floor without the two of us noticing or when she asked us to open our mouths and inspect our tongues which was a different colour. I shivered at the thought of getting caught every time. 

I looked at our flat screen to see the credits rolling, I grinned when I saw my wife’s name in there, “Kim Jiyeon.” She played the lead female role in the film and it was around 12-13 years ago when she shot it. It was based on two characters who yearned for each other but the time they met each other was too early. They both knew that they were meant to be together but how long would they have to wait until it could happen? So many obstacles were in their way, but they didn't give up. 

It was and still is my favourite movie that Jiyeon acted in. I could see all her raw emotions poured out  and it never failed to make me feel emotional every time. The way her eyes glitter before she started to cry; oh, it made my heart break into pieces, and fictional or not. Everytime she cries, it hurts me deeply inside because I never want her to experience any pain or sadness. She deserves to be happy and that’s all I wish for in this life. 

Today was our anniversary after being married for 10 years. We thought about how we should celebrate it together and we came to the conclusion to watch the movie with our daughter. 

The film really reminded us of when we were young and naive as well as it being the key that bought us two together again. We both were and still are each other’s first loves but we had a few challenges before we could settle down as a couple. It also helped us to truly cherish our relationship and took us on a trip down memory lane. 

We both retired from being idols for nine years now, after announcing our marriage. I ran a fashion brand line which I started up myself after saving enough money during my career of being an idol. After spending many years as a celebrity, I wanted to settle down quietly with a stable job. I am happy with what I accomplished and am trying to slowly expand it to many countries after dominating South Korea and China. I aim to be sustainable and transparent with how I manufacture my products as well as being eco friendly. I always had the thought that there are many companies who overwork their workers and always treat their staff unfairly. I wanted to make a change and be one of the few companies who are sustainable and fair. Perhaps I will change the world in some shape or form one day, if I haven’t already. 

As for my princess, she continued to pursue acting, it’s been nearly around 15 years and still has a big passion for it. She has acted in a diverse range of characters, from being a high school student to a detective in a crime and thriller drama. Before we had adopted Yorm, I travelled with her to the sets. Sometimes it would be far from where we lived and she would have to travel by plane to the location and stay at a hotel for a bit until the shoots were over.

I still find it ridiculous how they release the episodes while still shooting the drama at the same time but I have grown accustomed to it because there is no other choice. I remember there would be times where she would wake up extremely early to do a morning shoot or stay up for prolonged hours. I always tried to be her emotional supporter by complimenting her often to boost up her mood and it always worked. I am very proud of her and she has grown a lot as an actress. 

After a few years of being married, we mutually agreed that we were ready to adopt a child, this was when we first encountered Yeoreum at the adoption centre and we fell in love with her immediately. We wanted to make sure she was comfortable with the two of us before we adopted her, as she was around two years old when she met us and we went to meet her often. It was when she turned three, she joined our family. She is our everything now and we cherish her with our whole hearts. 

When we took her home for the first time, we made sure the house was kid friendly so she wouldn’t hurt herself and that she had her own room fi