Today was a big day for Jongup and he took in deep breaths as he stood in front of the mirror. He straightened his tie and tried to slick down a few flyaway strands of hair. “Nervous?”

            He looked over at his best friend, who was standing next to him and buttoning his cuffs. “Yeah. Even more so than the first time. The first time we were riding on pure adrenaline. This time, there are also a lot of scars that have to reconnect and heal.”

            “I’m proud of you,” Junhong said. “You somehow made it work again. I thought it would have been over when the two of you divorced. But, I guess miracles do happen.”

            Jongup pulled at his suit jacket and smiled gently. “She’s the love of my life. I knew it the first time, but now I mean it. I won’t let her get away again.”

            They had gotten married when they were young. It had been a spur of the moment, filled with love and all its careless passions, and they had a small ceremony. Two months later, she was pregnant and in the glow of their honeymoon phase, everything was still okay. But then the baby came and it was havoc. Jongup tried to make things work. He still had a job, and it was a low-paying one. She had quit to take care of the baby so she was stressed all day, and so was he.

            They would often look at one another and try to find a spark, but by then even seemed too forced. When the baby was older, she went back to work. It was long hours for the two of them and oftentimes, babysitters wouldn’t stay that late so he asked his mother for help. Mrs. Moon provided some relief until they found out that she was pregnant again.

            The second baby took a larger toll on their marriage than the first. His wife had finally found a stable job and didn’t want to leave again for another baby when they could barely take care of the first one. They fought over abortion and even though Jongup won, it was a bitter victory.

            They had a divorce two months after their daughter was born. It was a quick decision and both sides agreed immediately. The marriage was now a strain and they didn’t want to have to deal with each other. Jongup asked for custody of the children and he got it.

            It took him a lot of effort to take care of the two kids. Because his daughter was still so young, she was often given to her mother to take care of in the day. She would leave baggies of milk at Jongup’s for feeding at night. It was an awkward relationship between the two but the space was good. It gave them both room to breathe.

            For a few months, it seemed as if the exchange of the baby was the only time they interacted, but she brought Seolbi back later and later until once, she had to stay the night. Jongup had been gracious, giving her the room while he slept in the couch. It happened again, two weeks later. This time, when Jongup woke up, he found someone else curled next to him in the small space of the sofa.

            They didn’t jump back into marriage but started off slow. Dating between two parents was different from dating between two reckless young people. They had more responsibilities, and each took more time to appreciate other qualities.

            Jongup learned to love not just her wild and impulsive side, but also the part of her which smiled unconsciously whenever their children said or did something, and the side that worried even when Jonghae’s face puckered for just a second.

            She, or so she told him, loved him for more than the cuteness and the random sparks of genius he had, but for the protective side which kept Jonghae safe on the playgrounds, and the caring side which stayed up with Seolbi at night.

            It was a new type of love, and it was a love, they realized, that they should have appreciated without needing a divorce. This revelation hit them both hard and on the day Seolbi e, his ex came to him, crying.

            The divorce had been a mistake, and if Jongup would give her another chance, she would make up for the time apart. Jongup didn’t even consider it as her fault. To him, they both had been too reckless, too rash in making their decision.  He proposed to her again, something he had been toying with for weeks by then.

            And here they were. It was a slightly larger ceremony, with two extra guests. Jonghae was getting his bowtie straightened as he practiced the important pose of the ring bearer. He grinned at his father as he held out the cushion. “Daddy, is this right?”

            Jongup smiled and patted his head. “Of course. You’re going to do fine.”

            Seolbi, having just learned to walk, would be accompanied by her cousin as the flower girls. She was giggling to herself, throwing small petals over her head as she waited for the cue. Jongup took his place in front of the altar and looked around him.

            The guests were the same, and everyone could still feel the same excitement in the air. Three years had passed, and so much had changed. He heard the music cue start and Junhong, next to him, gave him a discreet thumbs up. The doors opened and she was wearing the same wedding dress.

            His breath caught in his throat as he watched her come down. She was only focused on him and this time, rather than the thrill, he felt a steady happiness. Things would be different this time. He held out his hand for her to take and saw Seolbi bouncing up and down, playing with some of the leftover petals. He held out his other hand for Jonghae and she took Seolbi.

            Together, as a family, they retook their vows and this time, their promises to one another meant more than just caring for each other until they die. They meant every word, and with their kids standing solemnly by their side, they knew that they could go forward as a family, as a couple who now had so much more to cherish.   

            Jongup was smiling when he kissed her and he took the ring from Jonghae to slip back onto her finger, where it belongs.

I'm glad everyone liked the Zelo on

I do want to make a note though: It wasn't inspired by TFIOS. It's a very basic plotline and so yeah not everything is connected to that book haha although I am flattered by the comparison adga