Things happen quickly after that. Jinri’s foster parents, who like Yongguk quite a lot, are thrilled. She even gets permission to move in with him from her social worker. Normally they wouldn’t allow that – since she’s still underage – but with her foster parents expecting their own child they could use the extra space and Jinri is close enough to her birthday by this point.

She settles into life with Yongguk pretty quickly. For the first time in her life, she’s in a home that she’s comfortable in. She doesn’t have to worry about tip-toeing around the house, pissing off who she’s living with. She doesn’t have to worry about sneaking out to party because she no longer wants to. She enjoys staying home and watching movies or cooking or cuddling with her fiancé.

It’s weird to call Yongguk her fiancé. Nothing has really changed between them. She hadn’t really expected it to, but it’s weird that the two of them are still so comfortable with one another.

Even as a child, Jinri never thought about getting married. She’d had to watch her mother and father’s marriage fall apart and then she’d witnessed her mother’s disastrous second marriage with her stepfather. She had never wanted to end up like her mother, cheating on her husband, getting pregnant by another man, letting her children be abused physically, mentally, and emotionally. But this…this is different. Yongguk is one of the first people she’s ever fully trusted, even if she had been convinced that he hated her for quite a bit of their relationship. She can really see herself being with him in the long run and she’s happy.

In fact, the only thing that would make things better is if she can somehow get custody of her sister.

She knows it’s a long shot. She and Yongguk are both young and they’re not officially married yet, but they both adore Jinah and have proven time and time again that they can take care of her. She is convinced that, despite their finances, the best place for Jinah to be is with her and Yongguk.

She brings it up to her foster parents as the weather gets colder. Though she is now officially living with Yongguk in his apartment – they’ve moved into a two bedroom in the same building so there’s more space – she visits her foster parents often. She’s gotten to really like them, and of course she likes to visit with Jinah. And her foster parents are nice enough to let Jinah come and spend most weekends with Yongguk and Jinri, where they have turned the second bedroom into Jinah’s room.

Much to Jinri’s relief, her foster parents are supportive of the idea.

“I think it would be wonderful if you officially adopted Jinah,” her foster mother tells her, smiling genuinely. “I think you and Yongguk will take such good care of her. I’ll say something to the judge on your behalf.”

As October rolls around, their meeting with the social worker and the judge arrives.

Jinri is incredibly nervous as they wait in the lobby to meet with the judge and the case worker. She’s sitting with her foster parents and Yongguk, with Jinah perched happily in her lap. Even with the support of her foster parents – which she knows will be a huge help to her case – she’s not sure how the judge or case worker will feel about it. She’s not much more than a child herself, she feels, and it’s hard to entrust the care of a little girl to someone still in school.

Yongguk laces their fingers together. “Relax,” he whispers.

She tries to smile at him but it’s a little shaky. Relaxing is easier said than done, especially when hers and her sister’s futures are on the line.

Eventually they’re called into the judge’s office. It’s a huge, wood-paneled room with framed degrees and awards lining the walls, a green lamp on the corner of the desk next to the judge’s business cards in an intricately carved wooden holder. He greets them with a practiced smile and invites them all to sit. It’s a little bit crowded because there are so many of them, but the men let Jinri and her foster mom sit in the chairs, Jinah automatically climbing into her sister’s lap.

“So, I understand that you, Miss Ha, want to apply for legal custody of your sister. Is that correct?” the judge inquires.

Jinri clears and nods. “Yes, sir.”

“You won’t be of age for another two months,” the judge reminds her, checking her file. “As of right now, you are still officially in the custody of your foster parents.”

“Yes, sir,” she agrees. “But I’ll be of age in two months, and I’m getting married soon. So, if I were to be given custody of my sister, she would have two loving parents who adore her. She already has a room at our house and we’re already a family. I just…I want her to be raised by family.”

The judge nods thoughtfully. “I can see where you’re coming from, Miss Ha, but you must understand that it’s incredibly difficult to grant custody of a child this young to someone who is hardly more than a child herself. And what about your financial situation? Are you financially stable enough to support two adults and a child? I find it hard to believe so.”

Now Yongguk speaks up. “I understand that we’re young and we’re just starting out, your honor,” he says. “But there are many parents who raise children without much money. I work more than enough to support us, and I’m going to university so I can get a better job once I graduate. Jinri is going to get a job when she finished school. Money might be tight, but Jinah will never be lacking for anything if she is allowed to live with us.”

The judge hums thoughtfully as he flips through their papers. Then he looks up at Jinri’s foster parents. “What do you think of this request?”

The foster mother smiles. “I think that the best place for Jinah is with Jinri and Yongguk. I know they’re young, your honor, but you have to understand that Jinri has basically been taking care of Jinah all by herself since Jinah was born. Jinah’s biological parents didn’t do much for her. Ever since she was born, it’s been Jinri who has changed her diapers and fed her and bathed her. She’s pretty much been Jinah’s mother since she was born. I think it would be beneficial to both of them for Jinri and Yongguk to be granted custody.”

The judge nods. “I’ll discuss this matter with your social worker in private and we’ll meet again in a month to discuss what will happen.”

“Well, that went well,” Jinri sighs in relief as they leave the office, Jinah happily holding both hers and Yongguk’s hands. “But this month of waiting is going to kill me.”

“It’ll pass before you know it,” Yongguk promises her.

And he isn’t lying. As it gets colder and the turn of the year grow closer, so does Jinri’s birthday and her graduation from high school. Her teachers keep her so busy that she doesn’t have much time to worry about what the judge will decide regarding Jinah. Before she even knows what’s happening, they’re all heading back to the courthouse to meet with the judge again.

The judge is smiling when they come in, which Jinri takes a good sign.

“I hope you have good news for us,” Yongguk jokes as Jinah climbs into her sister’s lap comfortably.

The judge addresses the little girl directly. “Jinah,” he says, and she looks up at him. “Would you like to live with your sister or your mother?”

“Jinri,” the little girl replies without hesitation.

The judge’s smile widens. “That’s what I thought.” He straightens up again. “We have decided to grant full custody of Jinah to Jinri and Yongguk after Jinri comes of age next month. Once your birthday has passed, Miss Ha, we’ll start the paperwork for you to officially have custody of your sister.”

Jinri feels like a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She’s really going to get to keep Jinah. She feels so happy she could fly.

Of course her happiness is short-lived.

She’s been lucky that so far no one has figured out that she’s with Yongguk. No one had known that she was dating him, planning on marrying him, living with him. Her luck was bound to run out at some point, and that point turns out to be not long before the new year.

Yongguk is early so he drops her off at school before he takes Jinah, who moved in with them shortly after Jinri’s birthday in November, to kindergarten. There aren’t many people out in front of the school since it’s so cold – they’d had a bit of snow overnight and a light dusting of snow covers almost everything. Jinri doesn’t pay them much notice. She’s been picked on less and less over the past several months, and honestly she’s so busy trying to graduate with good grades that whatever drama does come her way she can easily brush off. So she kisses both Jinah and Yongguk goodbye and heads into the school building with her bag slung over her shoulder, her mind already on her first period class.

But she’s cornered before the bell even rings; gossip flies faster than she remembers.

She’s early so she’s sitting at her desk in class, one of her textbooks open on the surface, cramming for a test she has later in the day. She’s so engrossed in the equations and numbers she’s trying to memorize that she doesn’t even notice when several other people trickle into the classroom.

She does, however, notice when a manicured hand slams down on her book, obscuring the very equation she’s been muttering over and over again under her breath.

Jinri looks up in annoyance. It’s one of the fan club girls, surrounded by her little groupies. The fanclub girls haven’t given Jinri much trouble lately, so she’d been beginning to think they’d moved on to more interesting prey. Turns out she was wrong.

“Can I help you?” Jinri asks coolly. She doesn’t want to give them the satisfaction of her attention, but she figures they won’t piss off until she gives in to what they want.

“People are saying some awfully interesting things about you, Jinri,” the girl, whose name Jinri still doesn’t know, purrs in a deceptively calm voice.

Jinri pushes the girl’s hand off her textbook. “People say a lot of things about me. Who cares?”

But it appears that whatever people are saying about Jinri this time is different. “They’re saying that Bang Yongguk, who graduated last year, dropped you off at school twenty minutes ago in his car.”

Jinri just gives her a flat stare, neither confirming or denying.

“They’re also saying there was a little girl in the car,” the girl continues, her voice growing higher as she began to lose her control. It’s obvious that the thought of Yongguk with Jinri is driving her crazy.

The girl forces a laugh, which her friends uncomfortably join in. “So you’re making him take care of your bastard child, are you? Is he doing some sort of charity work? Handouts to the poor or something?”

Jinri just goes back to studying. She needs to do well on this test and she doesn’t have time to around with these es.

The girls don’t like being ignored, however. “Hey!” one of them shouts. “We’re talking to you, you little -!”

Jinri flinches at the hand that raises to hit her, but the blow never comes. When she opens her eyes, she sees that Daehyun is there, holding the girl’s arm in a death grip that will most likely leave bruises, glaring at her.

“Is there a problem here?” he asks coolly, his voice like ice.

The girls cower at the dark tone in his voice. “J-Jinri is spreading lies around the school! That Yongguk drove her to school this morning!”

Daehyun releases the girl’s arm with a disgusted little snort. “They live together. It’s not weird for him to drive her to school.”

The girls squeal and shriek and one of them looks close to passing out with this revelation. “Living together!?!” one of the girl screeches. “But that’s so…You’re not supposed to do that until you’re married!”

Daehyun gives her a flat look. “Not that it’s any of your business, but they are married.”

One of the girls actually has to sit down.

Daehyun’s expression is stern. “There’s nothing wrong with Yongguk dropping his wife off at school before he takes their daughter to kindergarten. Drop it. If I ever hear of you bothering Jinri again in your entire lives, I swear that you will regret it. Do you understand?”

The girls nod, terrified, and then scurry out of the room.

Jinri can’t help but laugh. “You probably made things worse, you know. Now the rumors are going to be everywhere.”

Daehyun shrugs and laughs, slipping into the seat beside her. “Eh, it’s not rumor if it’s true. Anyway, I doubt those es will bother you again.”

“Yeah, you’ve got a point there,” Jinri laughs. And the fanclub girls really don’t bother her again. 

Sorry it took me so long to update guys! I've been really, really busy lately! But I'll try to update again soon. 

I sort of feel like this story is wrapping up a little too cleanly, but I'm such a er for happy endings OTL and FYI next chapter will be the last! 

<3