Epilogue? Anyone? (~‾▿‾)~

.......

"I'm finished. Thank you for the food," Maru placed his chopsticks down on the table.

"Oh? You haven't eaten much, Maru-yah," Taeyeon remarked, noticing the leftovers in Maru's bowl.

"I'm full, Dad," he excused himself, leaving his parents and his little sister at the dinner table and headed to the living room.

Taeyeon glanced at Tiffany, silently expressing his concern, and received the same worried look in return. They both noticed that their son had been unusually quiet during dinner. Normally, he brimmed with energy, sharing stories about his school days or discussing his video games and favorite soccer player. However, today was different. He seemed less talkative.
 

"What's the matter?" Taeyeon whispered.

Tiffany shook her head. "I don't know. He's been acting like this since after school."

"Is he feeling unwell?"

"No, I checked his temperature. It's normal. I tried asking him what was wrong, but he wouldn't say anything."

Taeyeon nodded in response to his wife, then turned his attention to his son, who was sitting on the couch, seemingly disinterested, while playing with his robot toys.
 

As Taeyeon felt a gentle squeeze on his arm, he looked at Tiffany. "Try talking to him. Maybe he'll open up to you," she suggested with concern.
 

"Okay..."

...

...

*Knock *knock

"Maru, may I come in?"

"Yes," Maru replied, prompting Taeyeon to turn the doorknob and enter the room. He found his son seated at his study table.
 

Maru's attention shifted downward as he felt something lightly hit his legs.
 

A soccer ball?

He turned around to see his dad smiling at him. "Hey, want to play soccer outside?"

...

At the playground near their house.

"Are you alright?" Taeyeon kicked the ball to his son. They had been playing for 15 minutes before Taeyeon decided to inquire.

"Yes..." Maru nodded slowly, receiving the ball from Taeyeon.

"But I don't really think so. Tell me, is there something bothering you today?"

Maru lowered his head, taking a few moments before finally speaking. "Well, Dad, today at school, Hana and I had a fight. I yelled at her because I didn't want to play a game I considered girly. Now, I feel really guilty."

...

They sat on the swings while Taeyeon watched his son drink his favorite juice that Taeyeon bought from the nearby convenience store. He waited patiently for Maru to open his mouth and tell him everything.

"Do you want to tell me now?"

Maru nodded.

Flashback

During lunch break, Hana suggested they play a game of dolls. However, Maru hesitated.

"Hana, I don't think I want to play that today," Maru said, shifting uncomfortably. "It's embarrassing for me as a boy. Can't we play something else?"

"But Maru, today you promised to play together. What's wrong with playing dolls?" Hana asked, her voice filled with sadness.

Maru's face grew red, and frustration crept into his voice. "Dolls are for girls. I want to play soccer with the other boys. It's not suitable for me to play girl games all the time!"

With those words, Maru stormed off, leaving Hana standing alone, tears streaming down her face. She watched as Maru joined the other boys, kicking the soccer ball around. Her heart sank, and a wave of sadness washed over her.

Meanwhile, Maru's guilt began to gnaw at him. He couldn't shake off the image of Hana's sad face. He realized he had hurt her feelings and regretted his outburst. The soccer game suddenly lost its joy, and Maru found himself feeling gloomy.

End of flashback

When Maru finished telling the whole story, his dad laughed softly.

"Dad, why are you laughing?" Maru asked in confusion. "This is serious. Help me."

"Maru, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because your situation reminds me of something from my own childhood. Well, when I was your age, your mommy and I used to fight a lot too."

Maru raised his eyebrows. "You know mommy since you were kids?"

Taeyeon nodded. "Yes, mommy and I have been best friends since we were kids. I never told you before?"

"No," said Maru, shaking his head.

"Now you know," Taeyeon said, patting his son's head softly, reminiscing about the past. "We were best friends just like you and Hana, but sometimes we would disagree and argue about things. It's a part of growing up and learning how to handle our emotions."

Maru listened intently, absorbing every word from his dad.

"But you know what, Maru?" Taeyeon continued. "No matter how many fights we had, your mommy and I always found a way to reconcile and make up. Our friendship was too precious to let go of."

Maru sighed, remembering Hana's sad face. "I feel really bad, Dad. Hana looked so sad, and I realized I hurt her. I want to make it right, but I don't know how."

A soft smile formed on Taeyeon's lips. "Sometimes, we might say or do things that hurt our friends, even unintentionally. The important thing is to apologize and make things right."

Maru nodded guiltily. "I know, Dad. I want to apologize to Hana."

Taeyeon couldn't help but smile at his son's cuteness. He was so proud of him. "Talk to her, let her know you're sorry. Will you do that?"
 

"I will."

"Good, that's my boy," Taeyeon said proudly. "Let's go. We should go home now if we don't want to get scolded by mommy."

"Um," Maru said as he got off the swings and picked up the ball. "Dad," Maru looked up at his dad.

"Yes?"

"You're so uncool."

"Huh? Why?" Taeyeon was confused.

"You're married to your best friend," Maru replied.

His remark made Taeyeon laugh. "I've loved your mommy since I was your age, you know?" He playfu