Weekend came and I picked Kyuhyun up to see my parents. He kept on wrecking nerves all morning trying on and off half of his wardrobe collection, looking for the best way to dress up for my parents. I told him, about a hundred times, that he looked good in anything. It wasn’t a formal meeting anyway, so a simple jeans and shirt would be fine. But apparently, Kyuhyun didn’t hear any of my comments or he simply ignored it. I sat on the corner of his bed as I watched him rummaging and abusing his closet. It went on for about 20 minutes until I decided to grab him by the shoulders and forced him to stop dashing back and forth from the closet to the mirror.

“Hey, we’re just gonna hang out at my parents’, just dress casually. Look at me, I’m not even dressing up.” I said.

Kyuhyun glanced over my outfit and let out a small “oh”.

Five minutes later we drove out to my parent’s house in the outskirts of Seoul. Kyuhyun finally settled down with a pair of black jeans, a white polo shirt, and a blue cardigan. He looked so cute I can’t help but to want to show him off proudly to the world. I’m so happy that the heavenly beautiful figure sat next to me is mine to keep.

I wasn’t really nervous about bringing Kyuhyun to my parents because I thought it wouldn’t make any difference. But when I glanced over at Kyuhyun’s face as we pulled over in my parent’s driveway, I’m starting to worry. I could see that Kyuhyun was a little scared. And I’m getting scared if my family’s reaction would hurt Kyuhyun instead. But since we’re already here, I thought let’s just get this over with. I stepped out of the car and took Kyuhyun’s hands. I rang the bell and seconds later the door swung open and Jiwon was standing in front of me.

“Oppa! You came!” She squealed then peered over my shoulder.

“Oh, Jiwon-ah. This is my Kyuhyun.” I said.

Kyuhyun blushed, but Jiwon grinned.

“Waaa... Really pretty! Kyuhyun-oppa! Nice to finally meet you. Come in!” Jiwon grabbed Kyuhyun’s hands and led him inside. Things went well so far, and I started to ease up a bit.

Much to my surprise, my family was taking Kyuhyun in really well, far better than what I had hoped. Kyuhyun enjoyed his lunch, he was smiling a lot, and he seemed to enjoy talking with Umma and Jiwon. Appa patted Kyuhyun on the shoulder after lunch, which made him blushed and awkward. Then I played chess with Appa while Kyuhyun was being hostaged by Umma and Jiwon in the kitchen. I had to keep an eye on them, but when I overheard their conversation, I knew that I don’t have to worry about anything anymore.

“Kyuhyun-oppa, is Siwon-oppa treating you well? If he ever treats you bad, you have to tell me, and I’ll kick his .” Jiwon joked. Kyuhyun and Umma laughed wholeheartedly.

“I have something for you, Kyuhyun-ah.” I heard Umma spoke. I was so curious I had to excuse myself from Appa to try and see what’s going on in the kitchen. Appa actually said “you better see that” to me as I slid quietly to scoot over the bar.

Umma took out a small box from the cupboard. And from the inside, she took a ring.

“This used to be Siwon’s grandmother’s ring. His Appa gave it to me when he asked me to marry him. Just like it’s passed on from generation to generation, this ring now belongs to you. This used to be smaller and more, feminine. So we had it remodeled to suit you better. It may not look like how it used to do, but the stone, the material, and the heart within this ring still symbolized the love of the oldest son of Choi that you are holding right now. I hope it will be in your hand forever, or until you pass it on.”

I almost broke to tears when I saw Umma put the ring on Kyuhyun’s finger and Jiwon squeaked “It fits perfectly!!!” then she grabbed Kyuhyun for a hug. That moment, I felt that I’m one huge step closer to a perfect life. Then I felt Appa wrapped his arms on my shoulder and whispered.

“I’m happy that you have found your one. And look at that, son, his smile is now your obligation. You will do whatever you can to make sure that his smile can forever be seen. From now on, he’s your one reason to live. If you are happy, me and your umma could only be happy with you.”

I nodded repeatedly.

“Yes, Appa. I understand.” I said.

The meeting with my family had me smiling all afternoon. I can’t help but to keep glancing over and over at Kyuhyun’s hand. The ring on his hand was a seal, a confirmation of our relationship. And to think that we have the support from my family, it actually made things different. It made me less worried, and it made me Kyuhyun a lot happier. I guess it’s been a while since he felt what is like to have a family.

Speaking about Kyuhyun’s family, Ara came over Kyuhyun’s apartment one night. I watched gleefully as Kyuhyun and his sister joked and laughed as if nothing had happened between them, as if they were never apart. By the end of the night, when I was taking Ara home, she asked me for my phone number and said that her father is not mad at Kyuhyun anymore. When I gave her my number, I didn’t really imagine that I would receive a call from Kyuhyun’s father one morning, asking me to go and have a coffee with him personally.

I met him yesterday after work. And I have to be honest, he wasn’t as intimidating as I imagined him to be. Instead of looking hostile, I think he was just looking tired.

“You, love my son?” He asked seriously after we introduced ourselves.

I smiled.

“Yes, sir. I do.” I answered.

He stared at me for quite some time until he spoke again.

“Kyuhyun never stopped being my little boy, even when we have our differences. I didn’t understand how he could fall in love with a male, and looking at him with a male companion, it just gave me the feeling like a failed father. I didn’t know what I had done wrong in raising him. That’s why I would rather see him leave than having a constant reminder of my failure everytime I see him.” Mr. Cho paused and eyed me some more.

“But now, I don’t know how, I don’t know why, I look at you and I can’t see anything but genuine care in your eyes. I know that look. Because I’ve been in love as deep before.” He said.

I smiled at him.

“Does that mean, you’re fine with me marrying your son?” I asked carefully.

He nodded and smiled warmly.

“But not before you bring Kyuhyun home to me. I.... missed him so much.” He said shyly, “I also owe him an apology.”

I squeezed Mr. Cho’s hand. Warmth started to spread all over my body again.

“Don’t worry, Abeonim. Kyuhyun doesn’t hold grudges.” I tried to convince the old man.

That evening, when we were about to part ways in front of the coffee shop, Mr. Cho suddenly hugged me.

“Thank you.” He said weakly.

I hugged him back.

“I’ll call you and Ara when I can bring Kyuhyun over, okay?” I promised.

He nodded. I walked him to his car in the parking lot and wished him a safe drive home. Then I went back to my car and drove to Kyuhyun’s apartment. I had a good news for him. Although he may not take it very well, but I know, in the end he would be more than glad to come home to his family.

And today, I’m waiting for Kyuhyun to get himself ready. We are going to have lunch with Ara and Mr. Cho, and I have no worries at all. Kyuhyun is far happier that I have ever seen him be. Everything’s finally coming to place, and from here on, nothing’s gonna go wrong right?!

As I see Kyuhyun bouncing happily in front of me, I know for sure, everything’s gonna be alright. I may have waited 30 years to fall in love. Kyuhyun may have gone through hell and back to believe in love. We may have taken a long detour to find ourselves in each other’s arms. But in the end, when you have found the one destined for you, it only took a single gaze and a single smile to know where you belong. I love Kyuhyun, and he loves me back. End of story. Yet, it's a beginning of another story, where I am a doctor, and he is my wife.