Happy Together - Super Junior

Narrator's POV

"The court has considered..."

"The court has considered blah blah blah blah~" In a hushed voice, Min Yu chided with the tipstaff as the court was back in session. She drummed her pen on the desk impatiently, alternating glances from her wrist watch to the nervous respondent sitting beside her. The man stormed in her office one day, sat down, and told her all about how his wife accused him of ual harassment and physical injury.

For the entire time that the defense attorney was speaking, the man muttered and fidgeted beside her, to which Min Yu just shushed him as she was busy texting under the table. When it was her turn for direct examination, the woman stood up, fixed the hems of her blazer and tried looking as if she was mentally present and listening the whole time. It took her one quick look at the watch before all the words came gushing out.

"So tell me, Mrs. Geum, when and where exactly did Mr. Geum 'slap' you in the face, 'strangle' you by the neck, and... -- this is straight out of your affidavit -- '' you?" Min Yu paced near the witness stand and scanned through the pages of her notes. She ignored her agitated client behind her. The complainant took half a heartbeat to pause before answering the question.

She acted indignant. "I-it was at exactly 12:05 AM and in the B2 parking area of the hotel we were staying at. S-see?" The woman yanked the collar of her shirt to the side, revealing several bruises across her collarbone. She also presented a cut on the corner of . "I just asked you when and where, Mrs. Geum," Min Yu reminded, causing the woman to sulk in silence.

"But anyway, it also says in your affidavit that you were checked in at the PJ Hotel in 73-1 2-ga Inhyun-Dong Jung-gu. If what you say is true, though, then don't tell everyone in this court that this video is edited," Min Yu started, gesturing for her personal secretary to switch the projector on. "If your Honor may permit us to do so..." She looked at the magistrate, who, in turn, only motioned for her to continue. "Thank you."

"This is a footage of a surveillance camera monitoring B2 of the parking area in the PJ Hotel from 10 in the evening until 3 in the morning." Min Yu stepped aside and watched the reality reflect on the audience's eyes. The video showed Mrs. Geum, the complainant, making out with a taller, scrawny-looking man -- obviously different from his average-built husband sitting on the prosecution side of the room. They took their clothes off later on, and the rest is history.

While the audio was mute, Min Yu explained. "As you can see, Mrs. Geum here is with another man. And, truly, she wasn't lying when she said that she was slapped and strangled." She paused, giving the audience a few seconds to gasp and react in murmurs and whispers. "Oh, and she was ed, alright," Min Yu added with an indifferent shrug.

By the time the clip ended and the projector was turned off, the complainant was in tears. But Min Yu, as usual, wasn't contented. "Tell me, Mrs. Geum, who was that man with you in the video?" she asked, her voice raised a tone higher. The woman could only shake his head from side to side, not wanting to speak any more. "We were given mouths to speak. Who was that man?" Min Yu repeated.

"Objection, your Honor!" The defense attorney stood up with a finger pointed menacingly at Min Yu. "She is clearly badgering my client!" he stated in an awfully loud voice heard over the entire courtroom. "Overruled," the judge sounded his gavel and gestured for Min Yu to continue. Fighting back a victorious smirk, "Let me rephrase the question. Is Mr. Geum the same man with you on the footage?" Min Yu asked.

Locking apologetic gazes with her husband, Mrs. Geum slowly shook her head no. Murmurs erupted from within the audience. "Since the video was taken from 10 in the evening until 3 in the early morning, then Mr. Geum, the accused, wasn't with you at 12:05 AM, like what you had stated in your narrative, am I right?" Min Yu leaned forward on the witness stand.

"Yes, but--"

"If the accused wasn't with you at the time of the incident you reported, then you, being a married woman, were clearly being dishonest with your husband behind his back, am I right?" The woman in question remained in tears. "Your husband wasn't checked in with you that night at the PJ Hotel and you were with someone else during the time you said your husband harassed and injured you, am I right?"

Min Yu prayed for more patience because she tried making the trial faster but the woman was blocking her way. "You were having an affair and to cover that up, you framed your husband and accused him of something he didn't do--" "YES!" Mrs. Geum screamed in anguish. "Yes, my husband isn't the man in the footage. Yes, everything that you said is true." And, turning to her husband, she added, "And I'm sorry..."

With the loud commotion, the judge began hitting his gavel soundly, commanding everyone's attention. When the courtroom resumed reasonable silence, the magistrate, in all his honor, cleared his throat before speaking. "As to the charge of ual harassment and physical injury: the court finds the defendant not guilty of ual harassment and physical injury as charged in the indictment."

"As to the charge of violation against the rights of women: the court finds the defendant not guilty of violating the rights of women as charged in the indictment. So say we all in the Southern District Court of Seoul, South Korea. The court is adjourned." And with that, the trial was done as quickly as it started. Min Yu didn't waste her time rejoicing over her another victory.

Seeing her scurrying off and out the courtroom hastily without glancing back, the secretary rushed up to Min Yu. "Mr. Geum wishes for you to represent him for his divorce with Mrs. Geum," she informed her. Sighing, "Lina..." Min Yu spun on the soles of her feet to face her. "I can make a murderer appear innocent. I can make a liar look honest. But I don't separate families. Tell him no, thank you."

"But he said he'll pay you doub--" "I don't care how much he's willing to pay me, okay? Look, Donghae's going to be here any minute now and I'm really in a hurry," Min Yu explained in one exhale. Lina took a deep breath and blinked back to see Min Yu staring at her. She flashed her a bright smile. "No wonder you always win in court," she muttered thoughtfully.

With piles of papers in her hands, Min Yu smiled back at her and pressed the button, waiting for the elevator doors to open. "But don't you think he's a little bit too old for you?" Lina asked all of a sudden. The woman's smile faded, but returned again as the doors opened and revealed Donghae from inside. "Oh my gosh, what took you so long?! I was so excited already!" he blabbered all at once after seeing her.

In silence, Min Yu walked towards him and entered the shaft. Just before the doors closed, "I don't want to see you again, okay?" she told Lina. When the shocked secretary opened to speak, Min Yu had already cut her off. "You're fired." And the doors completely closed. Watching their reflections on the elevator walls, "What was that about?" Donghae asked curiously. "No one's allowed to say bad things about you." Min Yu said, kissing him softly.

Min Yu's POV

"...And the ball was passed onto Lee..." the commentator announced, and I instinctively covered my ears in fear of another outburst from the men surrounding me. They all stood up and began to shout at the top of their lungs as if they were watching a professional soccer game live. Amidst the busily watching crowd, many distinct voices were clearly heard by everyone.

It had been going on like that for almost an hour, with the members acting quiet and mute whenever the ball was in possession of somebody else. But if the surname Lee is mentioned, our part of the audience always went crazy and wild. "Can't you be any more embarrassing?" I shielded my face whenever the men would make comments which would surely ruin everyone's reputation.

"THAT'S MY SON RIGHT THERE!" hooted Donghae, as if anyone doubted his fatherhood.

Eunhyuk was the next to yell. "THAT KID CALLS ME DAD!" he shouted, and he felt relief after exclaiming his feelings out loud.

"I CARRIED THAT CHILD IN MY STOMACH FOR NINE MONTHS!" D.O. shrieked, earning him wary looks from everyone, including the members themselves. But he acted indifferently and played the ignorant one.

And as the shouting continued, I merely observed all the action from my seat. Bada ran across the field effortlessly with the ball in front of him. His foot movement was no joke, and Donghae would surely boast to anyone -- even to me -- that Bada got his soccer skills from him, not that anyone would even think of disagreeing.

"See that?" Kyuhyun elbowed Kai by the ribs. "That's my son, and he calls me dad."

"NO!" Jongin scoffed in disbelief at his hyung's words. "That's MY son."

"To be fair, Bada is everyone's son at the moment, okay?" Siwon stood in the middle, already preventing the forming argument before the two even had their hands on each other. "Let's concentrate on the game, shall we?" He gestured to the ongoing action on the wide field below. Somehow, in some way, I knew right then and there that not everyone was glad about the entire thing.

Before I knew it, someone had hurled a crumpled piece of paper towards Sehun. "KEEP IT DOWN, FAGGOTS! We're trying to watch!" someone yelled from behind, and I have figured that the voice belonged to the same woman who threw the paper. In an instant, I had my hands holding Donghae's and Baekhyun's wrists down, forbidding them to move any further than that.

Unexpectedly, though, no one moved an inch. It was as if they haven't heard any insult tossed their way. And for that I was glad and thankful. Everyone had their gazes zeroed in on the kid in possession of the ball. Bada aimed and sent the ball towards the goal. Instead of heading towards the directed destination, the ball went flying elsewhere, leaving everyone to release the breaths they didn't know they were holding.

"THAT'S OKAY, BADA!" Sungmin cheered on. "HE'S RIGHT, BADA! THERE'S STILL NEXT TIME!" Ryeowook agreed, waving and flailing his arms wildly up in the air to call for Bada's attention. The referee signaled for a water break, and all the kids came rushing towards the benches to rest and strategize. When Donghae sat beside me, "You're so noisy," I commented, holding his hand. "But that's our Bada," he defended reasonably.

"I would have, like, appreciated it more if it was a school play or whatever," I thought out loud, sulking further into my seat. "I just don't understand any sport at all." And I ended up talking to myself after Donghae had, apparently, left his seat and gathered together with the other members to watch closely as the game resumed.

The whistle sounded, and children in knee-high black socks ran around the field. Baekhyun clapped his hands. "BADAAAAA~" His shouts went from manly to a woman trapped inside a building on fire. For a moment there, I thought he was being possessed by an evil mermaid who lurks by the sea and hypnotizes fishermen with her voice. His tone went to a deafening 5 octaves.

"Why won't these gays stop cheering?" shouted the woman once again. "Their kid's a total loser! They shouldn't even let him play!" she exclaimed loudly on purpose. I froze in my seat, too stunned to say anything. The men, however, who had long ignored her previous comments, now slowly -- and threateningly -- turned around to the source of the voice.

Jumping out of my seat, I ran towards the stairs, blocking them from killing the guts out of the pitiful woman with obviously no manners. "If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow, r-right, Ta-Tao...?" I tried calming the Chinese members with some sprinkle of Chinese wisdom, but feeling nervous as Tao's gaze nearly burned a hole right through me.

And then I realized, as I stood there with my hands as a makeshift barrier between the boys and the woman with an unstoppable mouth, that that was how it goes with the 16 boys -- or men, as they called themselves. If someone dares to try and insult the combined forces of what was left of Super Junior and the entire EXO gang, it's harmless. Not a hair strand is harmed in the making.

But if someone pushes his luck to try and toss one insult after the other towards some other person they care about -- like Bada, for this instance -- then all hell would break loose and the whole world would see how Armageddon goes down in South Korea after Siwon rolls his sleeves up his shoulders and flexes his muscles and Kris deadly arches an eyebrow.

"If my son--" Donghae started, talking to no one in particular but was cut off by Chanyeol. "Hyung, you mean OUR son?" he asked, to which Donghae just sighed. "Fine, fine. If OUR son makes even just a single goal -- and I don't care if their team loses -- I will treat everyone to lunch," he stated confidently. "Which," I added. "I myself will pay for."

Donghae turned to me, looking amused and surprised at the same time. "Oh hyung, why are you crying?" Xiumin immediately comforted the sobbing Kyuhyun. "It's just that..." The older blew his nose on the crumpled paper previously thrown at Sehun. "In more than 15 years of knowing Min Yu, this is the only time she would ever pay for something," he cried. "Of course," I defended. "I earn big in making cheating wives confess in front of the court."

--

"I'll be the one to check and see if dad's busy, okay?" I flashed Bada a thumb up. He nodded and gestured for me to knock on the door. My knuckles rapped against the wood ever so softly before I twisted the knob and peeked through a small opening. "Donghae?" I called out faintly, and his head snapped up from the papers he was reading. He gestured with his hand, inviting me in.

I turned back to Bada and opened the door wider to let him enter first. And he walked towards his father with sullen confidence. After closing the door shut, I beat him by reaching Donghae first and sitting atop his lap. "Dad~ our Bada wants to ask you something," I started off, removing Donghae's glasses and placing them on the desk instead. "What is it?" He smiled and laid a hand on Bada's cheek.

"Mom~ you be the one to tell him," the boy whined in complaint and nearly stomped his feet. "Aniyo~~" I pretended to throw a fit, earning me a laugh from Donghae. "If you don't tell dad, he will not allow us to..." I trailed off before Bada and I giggled. "What are you guys talking about? I thought we were a gang here! I want to know your secret!!" Donghae exclaimed.

Pursing my lips, I zipped my mouth shut with an imaginary zipper. "Hey Bada the midfielder," Donghae called out and pulled the child to sit on my lap. "Tell me your secret and I promise..." He looked around the study room to check if anyone else was there except for the three of us. I laughed. "I promise I won't tell the ahjumma and anyone else. I promise." He raised his right hand up to swear.

"It's not really a secret," I explained softly. "Then what is it that you want to -- or don't want to, that is -- tell me?" Donghae rested his chin on my shoulder. Sighing, Bada played with his small fingers. "Dad, can I..." he trailed off, his red lips trembling. "I mean, I will take care of it, I promise. Mom said it could stay in my room so..."

"For the record, what is 'it' exactly?" Donghae asked, even turning to me curiously with his eyebrows knit. I kept my gaze fixed on the boy sitting on my lap. Bada also turned to me, making it a total of two boys looking at me -- and believe me, I couldn't possibly ask for more. And it was as if he was asking permission from me. I urged him to continue with a slight nod.

Taking a deep breath, "Dad, can we have a dog?" Bada exhaled. I took the boy's hands and we both placed our hands in a close prayer position. "Pleeeeeease, Dad? Pretty pretty pretty please?" he pleaded hopefully. On the other hand, Donghae kept a stern face with no emotion showing. He just stared directly at Bada.

"What do you think of it?" he whispered near my ear. "I agreed to it. I mean, look at him!" I gestured to Bada's begging face. "He had me so convinced by that face that I now ended up being on his side. And besides," I brushed Donghae's hair out of his face before kissing his forehead. "I want to prove to you that any pet animal with me is not in danger of dying," I continued.

Donghae laughed a little, before his face turned strict and cold while looking at Bada. "I do well at school, right? Please let me have a dog, dad," Bada begged some more, nearly in tears. I wanted to laugh at how silly he sounds like, especially since kindergarten was such a piece of cake and anyone can do well in that phase. But I didn't want to mock him by bursting into laughter.

"Okay fine," Donghae agreed finally. He opened his mouth to say something more, but Bada already cut him off with a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Dad~" he exclaimed briefly before running out of the room. Joyful, I placed my head to rest against Donghae's chest. "You do know we both rehearsed how to tell you that for almost an hour in his room, right?"

He patted my head before reaching out for his glasses and the papers he had set down on the table. "I haven't had time to ask you about what happened during your trial earlier," he said, letting out a yawn afterwards. I shrugged. "It went well and slow, to be honest. But in the end, I was still glad for the CCTV footage of the parking area..."

"Oh, that one's for your case? I thought you were just watching or something. I was also wondering why you'd watch when we could clearly make one ourselves..." he stated, to which I hit his arm lightly. "Baby, take care of me," he said, handing me his papers -- which turned out to be investment contracts. "I don't feel well."

I sat up, feeling for his forehead. It felt warmer than normal. "Let's tuck Bada in bed, first, okay?" I told him before tugging at his wrists and pulling him completely out of the study room.

Narrator's POV

"Bada, let's start with the bedtime story already. Dad feels sleepy," Donghae complained, rubbing his eyes groggily with the storybook in his other hand. "No, mom's not here yet. Uncle Byunghun told me to drink lots of milk so I could be strong. You should drink milk too, dad," Bada told him with his chin hidden under the blanket.

At the child's utter stubbornness, Donghae groaned. He would have to blame Min Yu later on. "I'm here." She appeared at the door way, kicking the door wider as she entered with two glasses of milk in her hands. "Have you started yet? You better not or you'll have to repeat everything I missed." Min Yu climbed up the bed and settled in with her and Donghae on the sides while Bada was stuck in the middle.

Taking a sip from his milk, Donghae started. "Once upon a time in a dormitory two blocks away, there was a sharp-tongued princess whose name wasn't consistent." The man flipped through the first page of the story book and pretended to read straight out of it even though he was inventing -- or retelling -- a fairytale. "So for the sake of this story, we will cover her identity with the name Yu Min."

The woman on the opposite side, meanwhile, let out a snort. "You seem like you know the story, why don't you tell it to us, then?" Donghae stated, pretending to act irritated. "I'm sorry. Please proceed," Min Yu muttered, and he obliged. "Princess Yu Min, before she moved into the dormitory, lived with her mother and they loved each other very much."

"But where is her father, dad?" Bada asked curiously.

Donghae glanced up at Min Yu quickly as he tried to make something up. "Princess Yu Min's appa went to a different kingdom far, far away to work. So anyway, the sharp-tongued Princess Yu Min went to the dorm and was shocked that it was filled with men! Thirteen men, to be exact," he continued, grinning as Bada had his mouth in a perfect O shape in surprise.

Min Yu cuddled Bada more underneath the sheets as they listened attentively to Donghae's story. They waited for a few moments, but when the man didn't speak another word, she looked up. He was looking at her and she swore that she felt the usual tingly, electrifying shock his eyes sent right through her heart, like it was the first time they had seen each other.

He handed her the storybook and watched as her eyes widened at the discovery of a hidden treasure. Min Yu looked at him in disbelief, which he returned with a warm smile. Now, it was Donghae's turn to cuddle with Bada as the woman couldn't take her eyes off of the picture stuck in the middle of the page, used as a bookmark. It was the picture Donghae had given her that day before he had left, never to be seen again until five years later.

She exhaled and wondered how long it had been while she traced the picture with her fingertips. She smiled at how young and gangly she had looked like back then and wasn't that surprised to see how Donghae didn't look any older and different compared to him now. The old photograph still had Donghae's messy handwriting at the back.

Haha ^^ do you remember that picture? You told me your hair was messy, so I had to fix it myself without a comb. But then this picture looks great. I told you I would post this on my Twitter account, but I didn't. I just kept it in my phone. This was the first time I brought you breakfast. The first one out of the 17 times that came after.

I'm afraid there wouldn't be an 18th one. But I already asked your mother to always cook breakfast for you, to make sure you're not hungry. If you're hungry, go to Starbucks with Chunji or with your friends, but not with me. Right now, as you're reading this, I'm off to Thailand. I didn't tell you before. I really don't want to. And I don't know when I'll be back. A month, a year or two...I don't really know. But you have to promise me 3 things.

First, you have to take care of this book. You have to read it from cover to cover. I can't disturb you like you always do to me when I'm reading, so you better finish this quick. Second, take care of your future sibling. You have to make sure he/she doesn't get hurt while playing. You also have to play with your sibling. I don't know if I'll be able to see the baby and your mom when she gives birth, but I'm sure the baby would look like you.

And third, you have to finish your studies. I'd be very happy and proud if you do. I can't tell you to wait for me. I can't tell you to call or email or text me. And you can't follow me to where I'm going. You have to learn how to live on your own, with no Donghae to be with you. Appa would only be a burden to you. We would always fight; I would always take you to places instead of just studying. I would only be a bother to the things you want to do.

You shouldn't run away, because I won't be able to visit you in the hospital if you are involved again in an accident. Don't let yourself get wet under the rain, I wouldn't be able to remind you to change your clothes. No Donghae would use up your phone's memory with his pictures. No Donghae would get scared if you watch The Grudge. No Donghae would hide from his stalker. No Donghae for a very very indefinite time.

Okay, can you still read my letter clearly even though I write very small? I hope so. So right now, maybe I'm at the airport, boarding on a plane. I left my stuffed toys at home so you could play with them. You should visit the hyungs there too, okay? Even though they're very busy, they also want to see you. I don't want this to be a sad letter, so don't cry okay? Anyway, appa loves you very much, okay? Don't forget that. Bbyong~! ^^

P.S. Don't teach your future sibling about curse words in other languages, okay? But you can teach him or her about the bones of the body and all that stuff that you know.

P.P.S I brought the Pucca plushie with me because I love it. It's so cute.

"And sharp-tongued Princess Yu Min," Min Yu continued. "She...she was happy to live in the dormitory. And she shared a room with a prince." She cut herself off, swallowing the forming lump in . "She shared a room with a beautiful man who always wears a beautiful smile and brings her breakfast and takes her out to see movies."

"The prince with the horrible accent took care of sharp-tongued Princess Min Yu very well. He kissed her every night before she went to sleep and he buys her coffee when she gets thirsty. He plays with her when she's bored and he listens to everything she has to say. He laughs when she laughs and cries when she cries and they loved each other like that."

Still trying her hardest not to cry, Min Yu flipped through the second page, surprised as a little piece of white paper fell from a corner. Donghae intently watched, with the child in his arms, as the woman's eyes widened for the second time that night. And there, on the creased square of a paper, was the cue for her tears to fall one by one.

Donghae had used the hospital stationary, ripping it far from neatly. The edges were jagged and the pen that the nurse had let him borrow was blotting occasionally. At that time, the pen and paper had been his solitary companion, especially since the doctor had forbidden him to talk, what with the healing stitches of his tongue, back when things were far from normal.

Dear Min Yu,

It's late and I'm sad so I decided to write. It's exactly 2:59 in the early morning, and I miss you more than I did two minutes ago at 2:57. I'm on tranquilizers for the past week, but I stay awake anyway, just in case you'd come by and visit me -- which I wish you would. I really need you and I just hope you understand how much I do.

You read that right -- I need you. This isn't just working for me, and I know this is plainly all my fault. But I'm always lonely. And I'm lost. I realized that I can't do all of this by myself. It feels as though everything has fallen apart with you gone. I'll stop here. I know this isn't much. I'm just crying too much to write. Please let me back in. I'm sorry.

"Princess Yu Min fell in love with his blanket, how he always folds it neatly after he gets out of bed and how he tucks her into bed at night. She fell in love with the way he smiles, how it becomes her sun -- or something even brighter than that. Somewhere in between, she fell in love with his hands and how she had found a home whenever she would hold them. And she fell in love with him, but did not know it. And so he did not know, too, until it was too late."

"Dad, what's a sharp tongue?" Bada turned to Donghae curiously. His words had cut Min Yu off from bursting into tears and made her laugh instead. "It's a bitter or critical manner of speaking, sometimes rude and unethical. But I find it funny," Donghae explained, taking Bada's empty glass of milk and putting it on the bedside table. "And it's also lovable." He locked gazes with the woman with the storybook.

"Can I continue?" Min Yu cleared , faking impatience. The two boys nodded. "All of a sudden, the Prince of fishes found another princess who was indeed prettier and better than sharp-tongued Princess Yu Min," she continued. "The princess became very sad because she had no one to play with anymore. She didn't talk to anyone for a very long time."

The five-year-old child gasped with his brown eyes widening. Donghae laughed at his reaction. "One morning, when Princess Yu Min was quietly crying near the window, a dancing fairy named Hyuk came moon-walking by. He was holding a microwave oven in his hand but he did not know how to use it. Then he took a sword out and cut off the princess' sharp tongue. The end." Min Yu closed the book.

She half-expected him to whine and throw a fit about how the story didn't even have a happy ending. But what happened was otherwise. Bada, with eyes threatening to close, cuddled closer to his huddled parents. "It feels sad not to have someone to play with, too," the boy muttered almost inaudibly. "You have Aunt Heejin play with you, right?" Donghae tried suggesting.

"I know." Bada rubbed and closed his eyes. "But I want to have a sibling, someone I could take care of," he continued.

His parents looked at each other, and then laughed. "A little prince or a little princess?" Min Yu pressed curiously.

"I want a princess." Bada let out a yawn. "She and I can take care of the dog, right mom?"

Min Yu kissed his forehead. "Right."

"Right, dad?"

Donghae leaned in to kiss Min Yu. "Right."

~LAST CHAPTER EVER TT_TT For everyone, I will do a tell-all for the final chapter :) like, a confession chapter or something. It's fun, but I'm not in the mood for a party because it's the last chapter of the story I have given everything my all to 3 ask me questions, everyone!! (lol you might think I don't have any last words before this story is marked completed, but I'm saving it all for the final chapter which I will post in a couple of days) ask me questions and I'll answer them on the next chapter! ☺ - min_neulmi