Thirteen-year-old Eunsook sat quietly, watching her parents digest the news she had just given them. She wanted to attend high school where she could study acting and music. “I want to be an idol,” she said to them once more.

Eunsook looked at her father, hoping that he would understand why she wanted to do it. He had done it, after all. Acted and lived the life of an idol, before retiring, and focusing his energy on the sports complex.

Serin sighed. “Eunsook,” she told her daughter seriously, “I will not speak for your father on this, but I love you. I grew up in a family that encouraged and supported my dreams. And I gave them up when my mother died, but the fact remains that I will help you do whatever necessary for you to follow your heart. If it’s what you truly want, I will support you.”

Hoon nodded at his oldest daughter. His princess. “It’s the same with me. My parents supported my dreams, and it’s only fair for me to do the same with you. It’s a hard road to walk, and I almost hate to see you go down it, but I want you to do what you want to do.”

“Thank you Mama, Appa,” she said quickly, happily.

“Eunsookie,” Hoon called to her. “Did you have somewhere in mind to audition?”

“I thought I’d try Soohyun ahjussi first,” Eunsook admitted.

Serin laughed. “He’d be very upset to hear you call him that.”

“What else should I call him? He’s too old to be my oppa.”

Hoon interrupted them. “If you are serious about this, Eunsook, I can call him for you.”

“Appa,” she said slowly, “I want to get accepted on my own merit.”

“You know, Eunsook,” he told her, “if you don’t want family to influence your decision to get picked, you’re going to have to go somewhere else. Soohyun knows you. As soon as he sees your name, sees you, he’ll pick you up.”

“He’s right, honey,” Serin told her. “Soohyun owes me a lot, and he’s close with both of us. He’ll want to pick you up simply because he knows we’ll be upset if he doesn’t take you in as a trainee.”

Hoon looked at her meaningfully. “Swallow your pride a bit, Eunsook. Your options are auditioning at other companies, and hoping you’ll make the cut, or you can get the easy way in and start training immediately. The earlier you seriously practice singing and dance, the easier things will be for you. Even if you don’t debut with his company, at least take the training.”

“Okay, Appa,” Eunsook said thoughtfully, before leaving and heading to her room quite pleased.

Hoon sat in the kitchen still a bit at a loss. “I am… torn,” he admitted. “I will support her with everything I have, Serin, but knowing what she’s going to have to go through worries me.”

She kneeled down behind him and hugged him around the shoulders gently. “I know. But she’s trying to find her place. She loved it when you were still promoting. I think she wants to do it for herself, too. She looks up to you a lot, Hoonie.”

“Do you think Soohyun will take her as easily as we think he will?” Hoon asked.

Serin scoffed in disbelief that he’d even ask the question, as she moved to a position to sit beside him. “He has to.”

“Isn’t that the problem though? Everyone is going to know that she’s our daughter. They’ll know she’s there because of our family’s influence within the company. I was a part of it. I’ve been a friend to Soohyun for years. And you have, too. You helped start that company, Serin. It wouldn’t even exist today without you. She will have to work extra hard to prove herself.”

“I know. But our Eunsook can do it.”

“Oh, I have no doubts.”

Junghye ran into the kitchen then, did a kick and then bounced over to Hoon and Serin. “Mama! Look what Appa taught me!” And she demonstrated the kick again several times, waiting for Serin to tell her how cool it was.

Serin, of course, smiled at her youngest child, and said, “You’re getting so good!” as she opened her arms to hug Junghye. The six-year old child ran to her mother and hugged her, pressing her nose against Serin’s neck.

“You smell good, Mama,” the young girl said.

Hoon pouted at her, then asked, “What about me?”

Junghye smiled and jumped from her mother to her father, throwing her arms around him. “Appa, you don’t smell as good,” she said matter-of-factly after a bit.

“That’s because I was busy playing with you,” he teased. “You got me sweaty.” He tickled her then, and she giggled in delight. She situated herself in Hoon’s lap and handed him a hairbrush so he could brush her hair before arranging it into a ponytail. “Oppa!” she called when Taekhyun walked into the kitchen.

The older boy glanced over at his younger sister and said his greetings to his sister, mother, and father. Taekhyun was getting ready to leave for school, just like the other children. Eunsook had already eaten. The other two ate their breakfast while Hoon and Serin talked about business. Taekhyun listened attentively since business was an interesting subject to him, and his parents, especially his mother, knew a lot about how business worked.

--

Eunsook, despite insisting that she didn’t want him there, was glad that her father had come with her for her audition. She was confident in her piano and singing abilities, but she had never performed in front of anyone except her parents, and she was nervous. He was waiting outside the room for her in the SSHE building, and she was incredibly thankful for his support. He didn’t have to come with her, but her mother had insisted that one of them had to go with her.

She was still waiting and nervous. They weren’t looking to pick up many trainees, and Serin had been told that they only wanted one or two girls that were Korean. Knowing English was a requirement, simply because of the international audience Soohyun was apparently trying to reach. That gave her more confidence in her chances, but still she worried.

A male voice, one she thought was a bit familiar, read her name. “Yeo Eunsook.” She couldn’t see his face as she stood up and walked to the front of the room, heading for the piano without looking at anyone. She was trying to visualize how she did this at home. How it felt when she played for her mom or her dad without any pressure. She had the piece memorized, and so began to play, singing, though she could feel the tension in her voice. Eunsook was aware that she was not singing to the best of her abilities, but she performed her song, stood up and bowed, and quickly left the room to the polite clapping of the small panel of people who had watched her performance.

She exited the room with a sigh of relief. Eunsook, though not entirely satisfied with her performance, thought she had done well, and hoped for the best. She was thankful when she saw her father headed her direction.

“How did it go?” Hoon asked her.

“I think I did pretty well,” she told him.

“Did you see Kiseop in there? He’s one of the panelists deciding who gets in.”

“Oh,” Eunsook said, surprised. “I was too nervous to look at anyone,” she admitted, “but there was a familiar voice. I suppose that was him.”

“Probably,” Hoon said. “I’m sure he recognized you.”

She nodded, saying, “Maybe.”

“Well, I wanted to stop in to see Soohyun while I was here. Do you need to stick around outside of the practice room for anything?”

“I don’t think so,” Eunsook replied.

The two headed to Soohyun’s office then, Hoon asking Eunsook for more details regarding her audition. The two arrived at the office before long, and Hoon knocked on the door lightly before Soohyun told them to enter. When he saw them, his face lit up. “Hoon! Eunsookie! How are you?”

“We’re good, hyung,” Hoon said. “How have you been?”

“Busy,” Soohyun admitted. “We’ve scouted a few girls from overseas. I’m really missing having Serin here, but we do fine without you guys.”

“That’s good. I’m excited for you.”

“How’s the sports complex?” Soohyun asked him then.

“We’re doing well. I’m teaching a lot of students, and getting a lot of business. I think Serin’s happy there, too. It’s a little more relaxed for her, and the kids are around.”

“She’s happy that you’re around,” Soohyun said. “That’s something I know for a fact. So what are you two doing here today? Just wanted to stop in to say hi or…”

Eunsook spoke up then. “Soohyun ahjussi, I auditioned today.”

“You did?” he asked, excited.

She nodded. “I want to be an idol. Just like appa. Just like you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, Hoon?”

“She wanted to get in on her own merit, without me influencing the decision.”

“Fair enough,” Soohyun said, nodding. “I can appreciate that.” Looking to Eunsook, he told her, “I’ll try to keep that in mind when we’re making our decision. But you hold a special place in my heart, Eunsook. You were the U-KISS baby for awhile. Looking at you now, seeing how much you’ve grown, I’m so proud of you. You’re almost like one of my own daughters. I’d be more than happy to take you in as a trainee if you ask me.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I’d still like to not use family connections to get accepted. I do appreciate the offer.”

“If you want to hang around for awhile,” Soohyun said then, “Kiseop and I were going to have a meeting to decide which people we want to have audition again and bring in. You can stick around to find out what he thought about your audition.”

“Can we, appa?” she asked.

“I’ll let Serin know, but I don’t have a problem with it. It almost feels like coming back to an old home being here, so I don’t mind staying.”

The two stayed and talked with Soohyun for a while longer, listening as Soohyun talked about the few female trainees he’d already selected and the growing success of his boy group. Eunsook had been near the end of the list of people auditioning, so it wasn’t too long before Kiseop came into the room. His expression lifted when he saw Hoon, and he wrapped his former member in a hug. “It’s good to see you,” he said happily.

Hoon smiled. “Good to see you to,” he said in return. “How’s the wife?”

“Good. She keeps meaning to go see Serin, but she’s been pretty busy herself.”

“Isn’t that how it always goes?” Soohyun asked, teasing. “Amanda wants to go hang out with her cousin some, but she’s got her hands too full with the kids. Watching her, I don’t know how Serin balanced every thing she did.”

“My mom’s help and support,” Hoon said. “Without my mom helping her, she couldn’t have done as much as she did for you.”

Soohyun smiled, as he considered the past. “You, me, and Serin sure had some good times together,” he told Hoon.

A laugh escaped Hoon lips. “All the times we hung out and watched anime in the middle of the night. It was definitely fun.”

Getting back to business, Soohyun turned to Kiseop. “So how’d things go today?”

Kiseop eyed Hoon and Eunsook cautiously. “I was surprised to see Eunsook today,” Kiseop told them. “But I was happy to see how well she’s grown. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen you, Eunsookie. You’ve turned into a very mature young lady.”

“Thank you,” she said bashfully. Kiseop was as good-looking as she remembered, the few years she hadn’t seen him at all not dulling his looks any.

“So what was the decision?”

“We’ve already made up our minds. We’re not going to need to try for other. We picked the two we want to bring in as trainees.”

Eunsook felt her heart jump to . She was nervous and hoped she was a part of the two selected. “We selected a dancer and a vocalist. The dancer is Korean American and has done ballet, modern dance, and hip-hop. She’s very good, and all of the panelists agreed that she would be a great choice.” Kiseop handed Soohyun a folder with all of the judges’ comments and a short profile on both girls.

He skimmed through it briefly before asking, “What about the vocalist?”

Kiseop grinned then, and said, “She’s right here,” pointing at Eunsook.

Eunsook looked up at him with wide eyes. “Me? Really?”

He nodded at her. “When I read your name, I was pretty well intending on bringing you onboard. But your performance was great and everyone agreed.”

With a smirk on his face, Soohyun read Kiseop’s comments regarding her audition. “’Piano skills clearly learned from Serin-noona. And her voice has the same quality as Hoonie’s. Very interested in bringing her in. Little Eunsookie is all grown up. Wow.’ I guess you really were impressed with her,” Soohyun mused.

Eunsook bowed and thanked Kiseop profusely. Hoon thanked them both, and invited them both out for dinner. They agreed, and so the four went to have dinner, a celebration because of seeing each other after a long time apart, as well as for Eunsook’s acceptance as a trainee for Soohyun’s multinational girl group.

--

Eunsook had trained hard for three years, and Serin couldn’t be more proud of her oldest daughter. Despite the fact that she was watching Junghye play her heart out in a soccer game on the complex, her mind was with Eunsook, who would be recording her very first music video today. She was worried, but she was well aware that Soohyun wasn’t going to push them to work all night, after the fight they’d had all those years ago regarding the U-KISS member’s working hours. She had read the contract carefully before Eunsook had signed it, and she had been glad Soohyun had understood the importance of his group’s sleep.

Junghye scored a goal, and she cheered loudly. Though only just 9 years old, the girl had a lot of promise in both taekwondo and soccer.  She was extremely athletic and loved competing, and Serin was well aware she’d gotten a lot of her physical abilities from Hoon. She even looked like Hoon. Serin could see her features in the child, but she was nearly a spitting image of Hoonmin.

Taekhyun sat beside Serin, busy reading a book. The middle child was far more interested in business, and he’d decided to attend a college preparatory school. He was reaching for an Ivy League school in the United States to study business. He often spent time off with his uncle, Seunghyun, learning the business. Serin was sure that Taekhyun was aiming to get into her father’s company. And though her father had retired not long ago and had handed the company over to her oldest brother, he was still very involved and very happy to have Taekhyun’s interest in the family’s company.

Hoon stood to her other side, smiling happily, and clapping as Junghye did some fancy footwork to dribble past her opponents. He was incredibly proud of her. Serin could tell. They were both incredibly proud of all of their children. With bright futures and all of them striving towards their dreams, Serin and Hoon were simply trying to support all of them in whatever endeavors they reached toward.

--

Hoon, in his fatherly worry, was attending the first broadcast performance for his daughter’s group, SHInE. He had laughed when he found out what it stood for, but he really shouldn’t have been surprised. Star Heroes International Evolution. Because they group had international members, with the aim of reaching overseas, every one of the members had selected an English based stage name. Eunsook had struggled with the selection process, unhappy with all of the names suggested to her. It wasn’t until Serin had mentioned the anniversary of her mother’s death, that the perfect idea had struck Eunsook. She had decided to go by Grace, to honor the grandmother she’d never gotten to meet.

They introduced themselves to the fans who had come to see them. Hoon swelled with pride when Eunsook looked at everyone and said, “I’m SHInE’s maknae, Grace!” They performed their song, a catchy infectious dance inspired track. The dance was more intense than Hoon had realized. The music video hadn’t done their dancing skills justice. They had had a family viewing earlier in the day, all sitting down and watching it. He’d listened to all of the songs. Their choreography was on point, and watching his daughter perform this tough choreography with a smile and enjoying herself made him miss it. He felt a twinge of regret about leaving, but more than anything else, he was so delighted that his daughter was doing so well. He couldn’t have been more proud of her, of Soohyun for putting them together and guiding them, and of Kiseop for teaching them dancing so well and giving them such a mesmerizing dance.

He clapped and cheered when they finished, louder than everyone else. He went back stage to see them briefly, their manager allowing him to say hello. “Congratulations, girls,” he said brightly.

They all thanked him with a smile. Eunsook gave him a hug. “Thanks for coming, appa.”

“You don’t have a bigger fan than me,” he told her.

“I know,” she answered. “We’ve got to get to our next schedule now. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yep, Eunsookie! Good luck! Fighting!”

They filed out of the waiting room, and he headed his own separate way. Seeing her there, following in his footsteps had made him feel a bit nostalgic. He did miss it a bit. He loved performing and being in the spot light. But the part of him that missed it was small. Much more than wanting to perform, he was so happy to spend every day with the ones he loved. He was glad to be with his children and wife. He was happy for the less stressful lifestyle and the relaxation and release sports brought to him. He was content with his life. And he was happy for the success of his daughter and former members. With a smile plastered on his face, and his heart filled with glowing warmth, he drove home, excited to tell Serin how well Eunsook had done. Happy to spend the rest of the day working beside her. That he’d get to eat dinner with her and his two children still at home. Grateful that they all supported and loved each other. And as always extremely thankful that he’d get to spend every night for the rest of his life sleeping next to the love of his life.

And so we've reached the end. I hope you enjoyed this journey with me. This is the longest fic I've ever written. And I'm still not... done with Hoon and Serin. I ship HoonRin so hard. For real. I won't be adding more to this story, however, it is possible that I'll write some (some could even fit into certain parts of this story) and other drabbles for them if I get ideas. They'd just be little random things, but if you're interested, keep on the look out for them. I do also plan on doing an AU spin-off of this story featuring mainly Hoonbi. It should be a lot of straight up comedy, so also watch for that one. All of these projects are tentative though. As I start working tomorrow, I may get way stressed out and not have the mental capacity to write much more. But if nothing else, at least this is finished.

Thank you for reading!

I love you guys!

And special shout outs to dancinginthehoonlight, hoonspanda, and cant-stop-the-seop. Without you three, this would have never have been possible. So thank you for your inspiration and pushing me to finish. I appreciate it more than you know!