Serin had spent her birthday this year not with Hoon because he was occupied in Japan preparing for his upcoming musical, but with his mother instead. She loved being with Jungsook, who had began treating her like an adopted daughter immediately after finding out about the death of Serin’s own mother. Serin was more than happy to spend her birthday with her boyfriend’s exceptionally kind and caring mother. She hadn’t really spent this much time with Jungsook alone in the past, and there were certain things she hadn’t really noticed before that were becoming much clearer. She certainly cared for both of her sons, but she very obviously worried over and cherished Hoonmin just a bit more. It seemed more than what Serin might expect from simply him being the maknae, but she felt it would be rude to ask. She wasn’t going to ask a mother why she cared for her one son more.

They had eaten and hung out and shopped. Jungsook had asked her questions regarding her and Hoon’s relationship, which she answered as honestly as she could without going into details regarding their intimacy. It was pleasant and nice, but Serin made sure to make a mental note to ask Hoon if he felt like his mom cherished him more than Hoonbi.

--

When next she saw her boyfriend, he was feverishly preparing for a Korean comeback. He was also quite inclined to heating things up in her bedroom. It was the same night he came back that the two lay cuddling in her bed after a particularly steamy session, that Serin asked him the question that had swirled around her head for the last several weeks.

“Hoonie, why does it seem like your mom spends more time worrying over you than Hoonbi?”

“Why do you ask?” he said, her hair.

“Well, just, when I was with her for my birthday, she only talked about you. She didn’t once mention Hoonbi. I kind of felt bad for him.”

“She was with you,” Hoon explained. “What reason would she have to talk about Hoonbi?”

“She is aware that I know him, too. He and I go visit her together quite regularly. This is more than just the fact that I’m your girlfriend so she wants to talk about you.”

He sighed. “I suppose I should tell you why,” he said, hugging her tightly.

Serin started to feel a bit worried then, because it was something he clearly wasn’t comfortable sharing. “You can tell me. I want to know all of your secrets.”

“It’s really embarrassing for me so don’t make fun of me, okay?”

“Why would I do that? I know how often you do kind of silly things. It can’t be that bad,” she said, reaching up to ruffle his hair affectionately.

“When you were watching Dragon Ball with Hyunsaeng, did you or he ever wish you could fly?” he asked her.

She pursed her lips in thought. “I guess. We would play and pretend that we could. I’d pretend to be a female Super Saiyan, and then we’d actually start fighting because we’d argue over who was stronger. Except he always won because he was older.” She laughed gently at the memory.

“I’m not surprised,” he quietly answered. “That sounds just like you two.”

“So what about you?” she asked then, returning the question he’d initially asked her. “Did you think you could fly?”

“I… Well you remember that big typhoon that hit when you would have been… 7 years old?”

“I don’t think I was around then, actually. I was in the US visiting my grandparents.”

“Oh… well, I thought I would protect this parasol my parents had displayed out in front of their store, so when it started blowing away in the strong wind, I grabbed it. And it pulled me into the air. I flew for a very short distance that way. The experience convinced me that I could fly.”

“That’s really cute, Hoonie.”

“I guess,” he said, seeming regretful. Serin was starting to anticipate where this story was going though.

“So what happened after that?”

“I kept thinking about how I had flown. I thought I could actually fly, Serin. I thought I had actual powers. I was so excited. And so one day, we were visiting someone, and I jumped out of their open window.”

Serin looked at him, sort of filled with abject terror about where this story was going. “I fell 7 stories, hoping that I would fly the whole time. I landed in a bush, which is the sole reason I managed to survive to fall.”

“How badly were you injured, Hoonie?” she questioned, feeling such concern for him. She couldn’t believe it.

“I was in the hospital for 3 months. It was awful, and it really hurt a lot.”

She could only hug him then, extremely thankful that he was still around after a fall like that. “I can’t imagine… if you hadn’t survived…”

“I know. And that’s why. My mom has always felt extremely lucky to have me around still after that. She never almost lost Hoonbi, so she’s more free and relaxed with him. She doesn’t worry about him quite as much. But I’m her miracle.”

Serin nodded her head, pressing her forehead against his chest. “I don’t blame her. That sounds like a parent’s worst nightmare.”

He nodded and kissed the top of her forehead. “It was terrifying when I realized I wasn’t going to fly. When I hit the ground and it hurt everywhere all at once. I know I’m lucky to be alive. I hope you don’t think I was foolish for doing that.”

“You were just a kid,” she reasoned. “And after getting blown away in the wind, I can see how you’d have jumped to that conclusion. More than anything, I’m just so very thankful that I have you. Grateful that you survived and that I could meet you. I love you, Hoonmin.”

He felt a bit reassured then, knowing that she wasn’t going to lecture him over how dumb it was for him to have thought that way as a child, for trying to fly. She was simply awed by the fragility of life, and very thankful to the powers that be that he had survived and been brought into her life.

She knew he had had intentions of going back to his apartment that evening since he tried to honor Soohyun’s request that they not spend nights together, but she wouldn’t let him. “Stay with me,” she insisted. “I’ll explain it to Soohyun if I have to. I just need to feel your living body next to me tonight. I’m thinking too much and am too worried over you. I need you here with me.”

That was all he needed to hear from her. She held him tightly, and he returned the favor, and in each others’ arms, they feel into a peaceful slumber.