The sound of the leaves from the trees and car engines stopping and running were the only ones heard as people gathered in the peaceful, quiet yard. The sun was burning, but it did not stop them from praying and putting flowers in front of the dear one they had just lost. The little girl in Sunny’s embrace looked to the left and right, not understanding why those people in their black suits and dresses were standing still with eyes closed facing her mom’s picture. 

She did not die in burden and pain, Sunny thought as she once again leaned down to kiss Hara on the head. It was all good weather when Hyomin passed away; Taeyeon and Hara were having their bonding time at home while she was at the office. When she came to the hospital soon after she received a call, the nurses told her that there was no sign of pain from her before the time, and that Hyomin was all smile and cheerful that morning a few hours prior.

“You know, I am really glad Hara listens to Taeyeon more than she obeys her own mom” Hyomin said, followed by a short laughter. “But at the same time I feel uneasy, because she will have her own kid soon”

“Taeyeon loves Hara just as much, I think” The short woman replied. 

“I hope so” The pale lady smiled weakly. “Speaking of which, have you thought of a name for her baby?”

“Ah” Sunny rolled her eyes up. “Now that you mentioned about it, we have never discussed it before”

“You have to give him a good name. That baby boy has gone through a lot” 

“I know. I am thinking about a good name” Sunny rubbed her chin.

The tap on her shoulder woke Sunny up from the flashback of her last conversation with her best friend, which took place two nights before Hyomin left. She turned around and found Taeyeon beaming a comforting smile at her. 

She then took a look around her and realized that most of the people had left the place. She was the only one who was still kneeling in front of the picture, with Hara still in her embrace. 

“Are you alright?” The woman with the longer hair kneeled down to meet her eye level. 

“Yeah” Sunny released a short, tired breath. “I am sorry, you must be tired”

“No, no, I am fine” Taeyeon brought her fingers to Hara’s cheek. “She is maybe the one who is tired right now”

“Auntie Taeyeon” Hara suddenly let herself go from Sunny’s arms and went to Taeyeon instead. “I am bored. I don’t understand why you, Auntie Sunny, and so many people stood still while looking at my mom’s photo for a very long time”

Feeling genuinely touched, Taeyeon bit her lips and brought Hara’s head onto her chest. “Are you sleepy?”

“I want to go to mom’s hospital and sleep on her bed” Hara whispered, making the two women share a look at each other.

Taeyeon faced Hara again and stared deeply into her eyes. “Hara-yah, your mom needs a very long rest in order to meet you again. Let’s sleep and play together with Auntie Taeyeon for now, okay?”

Much to her surprise, Hara nodded right away. 

Sunny brought her eyes back to Hyomin in the picture, giving her one last smile before standing up and inhaling deeply.

“Alright! Time to go home and take a nap! Let’s go!” Sunny said to the two who were still on their knees. 

The taxi ride was mostly quiet; it did not take long for Hara to fall asleep while Taeyeon was holding her hand firm. Sunny kept switching her eyes to her girlfriend and her now-daughter. This was her family from now on, she mentally said. These would be the people she had to take care of from now on. To think about it, she had never really prepared herself. She had never learned how to be a good mom and a good wife. She had to prove, however, both to Taeyeon and Hara, that they could depend on her starting from that point. 

“She’s still asleep” Taeyeon once again brought her back from her thoughts, making her realize that they were about to arrive home. “Should I carry her?”

“Nah, it’s fine. I will carry her” 

Having paid the taxi driver, Sunny then carefully lifted Hara in her arms once the car stopped right in front of her gate. Taeyeon muttered thank you to the ahjussi driver before following the other short woman. 

“Oh right, I forgot” Sunny stopped right in front of the fence, peeking at Taeyeon since Hara’s head blocked her view. “The key is still in my bag. Can you take it for me?”

Taeyeon inserted her hand into Sunny’s small bag, searching here and there before finally spotting the object and pulling it out. 

“I’ll open the gate” She smiled.

“No, just give it to me. I am used to it already” 

“Used to it?”

“Mm-hm. When you were still… when you were not with me back then, I still took care of Hara for a while. So I did this often” 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, just give me that” Sunny offered one of her hands, smirking in confidence when Taeyeon put the key on her palm. 

With the little daughter still safe and sound in her arms, Sunny reached out her hands to the direction of the lock. Her muscles trembled a bit before she found the lock hole at last. She was about to insert the key when her fingers slipped, dropping the metal object on the ground. 

“Just let me open the door” Taeyeon reminded from somewhere behind her.

“It’s okay I got this”

“Sunny” The woman behind did not give up. 

“I said it’s fine” Sunny managed to answer before her arms muscles suddenly gave in. Hara sled down and ended up on the ground with her fell first. Awakened and shocked, the kid instantly yelled in pain and started crying. 

“God- Hara! I am sorry!” Sunny widened her eyes in panic and was about to lift the girl off the ground, but Taeyeon beat her to it. In a split second, Hara was already in the expecting woman’s embrace; Taeyeon patted her .

“There, there, it’s alright” Taeyeon whispered. “I am here. It doesn’t hurt anymore”

Embarrassed by her own mistake, Sunny turned her head away and kept focusing on opening the gate. Once it was finally opened, she let her girlfriend bring Hara inside and put her on the sofa. Fortunately, Hara was still half asleep so it was not hard for Taeyeon to lull her back to the dreamland. Sunny knelt to see her face from up close, still feeling guilty of her own show-off just now. She kept her position until Taeyeon touched her hand. 

“This family is not only you” She said firmly. “This family is you, me, her and this soon-to-be-born. So don’t put all the burdens on your own shoulder”

“Yeah, I should have known that. I am sorry” Sunny scratched her own head. “I just want to show you that you can depend on me, and show Hara that she can rely on me like she relied on her mom”

“I depend on you. Hara also depends on you” Taeyeon continued. “But you also depend on us. None of us can go alone. Don’t ever feel like this is all your responsibility. Alright?”

Instead of answering, the slightly shorter woman looked away and sighed. “I don’t know, Taeyeon. Before this, I have always thought that it would be easy. It would be just like back then when Hara first lived with us. But now that it’s all becoming real, I don’t know if I am capable enough to do it”

“Of course you’re not capable enough to do it” Taeyeon touched her face gently and made her turn. “That’s why you have me here” 

Again, Sunny did not answer; her eyes were caught in Taeyeon’s caring and lovable stares and it was enough to make her sit nicely like a toddler. The arms that lingered behind her neck soon slowly pulled her and her lips touched the other’s lips. She got another daily dose of her addiction: Taeyeon’s kiss – the kiss which was enough to comfort her. They were about to get deeper into it when Taeyeon’s phone rang loudly. Signaling Sunny to wait for a while, the long-haired woman then answered the phone.

“Yeah, mom?” 

Sunny waited patiently once she noticed it was from her lover’s parent. She went back to Hara for a minute, tracing her cute little fingers and appreciating how small they were.  From her back she could hear Taeyeon saying ‘yes’ and ‘I know’ several times, making her a bit anxious of what it could be this time. So she faced Taeyeon once the woman was done talking. 

“What is it?”

“My mom wants me to go home tomorrow morning. It’s my parents’ anniversary tomorrow and she wants me with them for the day”

“I see”

“Is it okay?” She wrapped Sunny’s hand inside hers. 

“Of course it’s okay. You said you wanted to be with them until little one is born anyway” Sunny smiled to assure her. “Don’t worry, I can take care of Hara. If I really need your help in case there is something I need to do tomorrow, I’ll call you”

“Thank you” Taeyeon Sunny’s cheeks before continuing the postponed kiss. 

***

“Whoooaaa this is sooo interesting!!” 

Hara yelled joyfully in front of the photocopy machine as the machine itself was flashing blinding lights while copying papers on the top. Sunny ran over here and there, trying to catch-up with the tasks she had delayed the day before, and she had to bring the child along because she did not have any time to even drop her at the daycare center. 

“Hara-yaaah” Sunny glared at her. “I told you to sit nicely on the bench in my room, or play with the computer in it. Just don’t go around by yourself or I will not find you if you’re lost”

“It’s okay, mom will find me. You don’t need to find me” Hara innocently answered as her eyes were fixed on the machine.

The answer was innocent indeed, but it stopped Sunny from running and it stunned her mind. She had just realized it then, that if she lost Hara, she lost her child. Hyomin could not find her anymore; Taeyeon and she were the ones fully responsible for her. How could she even think of not finding this kid if she’s lost?

Just when she was about to take Hara back to her room, there was a call coming to her phone. She was relieved to see it was from her very own Taeyeon. 

“Yeah, baby? I am doing well. Don’t worry about Hara, she’s still with me” 

“Glad to hear that, but…” Taeyeon replied; her breaths sounded heavy. “I am not fine here”

“What do you mean?”

“Seems like the little one is going to come out soon” 

“Okay” Sunny put her piled-up papers on a random desk she could find; panic was creeping onto her. “Are you alone now? Your mom and dad?”

“I am not. I have told my mom just now and she’s preparing stuffs. My dad is still on his way in the plane. We’re going to the hospital after this”

“Alright. I’ll also be there soon” Sunny dragged Hara back to her room. “How are you feeling right now?”

“Painful, of course. It’s really painful” Taeyeon’s voice trembled. “I really wish you were here right now”

“Are you going to the hospital we went to for check-ups?”

“Yeah”

“Okay, hang in there” Sunny took her bag. “I’ll be there really really soon”

Even after asking the taxi driver to speed up, Sunny still felt utterly annoyed by the fact that she could not arrive in a one-minute trip. It was maybe true that whenever someone’s in a hurry, everything else seemed to slow down and block the way. She got pissed off by the children suddenly crossing the road, by the public bus that suddenly stopped in front of them, and even by the taxi driver himself who kept whistling a cheerful song along the way. 

After what she felt like a long ride even though it was actually just 20 minutes, she could finally get off the taxi and rush into the hospital building. She talked to several nurses to get information about her lover’s room. Hara mumbled some random comments along the way, but it was not really paid attention to since her mom could not even focus on walking straight. They half-ran through the aisles in the building and when they finally reached a certain room, Sunny’s face brightened up a bit after sulking for more or less half an hour. 

“Hara-yah, are you excited to see your baby brother soon?” 

“Baby brother?” Hara looked up to spot Sunny’s eyes. “Auntie Taeyeon’s baby brother?”

“No, your baby brother” Sunny giggled as she opened the room’s door. 

Soon after, she could spot Taeyeon lying on the bed and her mom on her side. She walked inside quietly, but as if there was telepathy between them, Taeyeon could sense her arrival. 

“Sunny-aah” She called the name with a whiny tone.

“Ah, Sunny-ssi. Glad you’re here” Mrs. Kim stood up and smiled. “My daughter kept checking whether you were here already”

“Mom…” Taeyeon called weakly from the bed. “Now that Sunny is here, you can go grab a lunch. You had not eaten anything since we left the house”

“Is it really okay?” The middle-aged lady held her daughter’s hand. “Mom can be here as long as you want”

“No, it’s really okay. I am afraid you’ll get sick. I have Sunny here; it should be fine” 

“Alright, I’ll be back as soon as possible. You call me if you need everything. I’ll just have a lunch, so it should be quick. Sunny-ssi, please take good care of her”

“I will, Mrs. Kim, please don’t worry”

The lady slowly made her way out of the room, leaving the three inside. Taeyeon suddenly gripped Sunny’s hand even before she took a seat. 

“Let me borrow your hand, okay?” The woman in pain frowned. “It really hurts and I have to share some of the pain with you”

“Of course you can” Sunny answered. “What did the doctor say?”

“It should be soon, they said. I just have to wait for a while more. Where’s Hara?”

“I am hereee!” Hara popped out, even though her head was not completely visible due to her height. “Auntie Taeyeon, is it true that I am going to have a baby brother soon?”

“Yes, that’s right. You’re going to meet him soon” Taeyeon’s expression brightened up before looking back at Sunny. “I think it’s good that you bring her here. She is somehow giving me strength to do this”

“So only Hara is giving you strength? I am not contributing anything?” The woman on the chair sulked and it made Taeyeon giggle. 

“Of course you are! If not, why am I holding your hand?” 

“Yeah, right. Only my hand is making a contribution here” 

“Aigoo” Taeyeon muttered before wincing in pain. “Alright, how about this? If you’re not important to be here, why would I keep looking for you earlier?”

“Because you need my hand”

“No, pabo! Because I need you” Taeyeon pressed the hand she was holding due to the sudden sharp pain in her abdomen. 

“Are you okay!?” The hurt on her partner’s face made Sunny go panic all over again. “Alright, alright. Let’s not talk first, okay? You need to be calm for now”

Trying to get Taeyeon relax, Sunny rubbed her hand and tried to get her attention upon relaxed stuffs – which was mostly about how Hara created a big mess in her room at the office this morning. She was glad it was enough to carve smiles on the awaiting woman’s face even if it was overshadowed by her growing pain. Not realizing their surrounding, the doctor and some nurses were suddenly right behind Sunny. 

“I think it is about time” The man in the white blazer announced with a big smile. “Don’t worry though, Kim Taeyeon-ssi. Just relax and go with the flow as we tell you to”

“I am sorry, children cannot be inside” One of the nurses spoke up. 

Sunny was alarmed that she needed to take Hara outside, but then it meant she had to stay outside as well. She switched her attention again to the one on the bed who was still holding on to her, not daring and wanting to leave her at all. 

“I will take Hara outside”

They turned to see the voice coming from the door and saw Taeyeon’s mother there. Mrs. Kim then stepped inside, watched Sunny with content and tapped her on her shoulder.

“I am her mom. I have taken care of her my whole life, but you’re the one she’s going to spend the rest of her life with. You deserve to be inside and be with her”

“M- Mrs. Kim… Thank you. Thank you very much” Not exactly knowing what to say, Sunny bowed down several times. 

“Don’t mention it. Now, little girl, will you come with me outside? Do you want some candies and cakes?” She lured Hara right away, as if she was a pro in handling toddlers.

“Of course! Of courseee!” Hara skipped happily and then turned around to see Taeyeon. “Auntie Taeyeon! I am gonna be back with sweets and cakes for baby brother! Just wait for me!”

Even though she actually wanted to reply Hara’s innocent support for her, Taeyeon could not really open ; the unbearable pain around her abdomen was starting to overwhelm her. Letting the doctor and nurses touch Taeyeon, Sunny quickly stood up. However, she soon felt Taeyeon tugging on her shirt. She turned to look and spot the other women staring at her with plead in her eyes; her forehead was sweaty already.

“Be here, okay?” She said with a painful voice.

Realizing then that her lover needed her for real this time, Sunny finally nodded and stood there. She stood there, frozen; her hands were wrapping Taeyeon’s hand tightly. She stood there and did not even move for a single inch. She stood there during the whole process and she began to understand the pain through Taeyeon’s screams and grunts. The grip on her one hand got tightened and tightened that she was sure it would leave deep nail marks. 

She started whispering into Taeyeon’s ear in a hope she could help her mentally, although not physically. And as she did so, it passed her mind that Hyomin once went through the same thing to give birth to Hara. She now understood all the journey and pain one had to go through to raise one kid and it made her promise, that she would never neglect Hara and would take care of her like she’s her own child for real, from now on. 

“He’s here!” One of the nurses shouted. And soon after that, Sunny could finally lift her chin up when she heard the cries of a baby.

She stood up to take a better look, and the nurse did not give any false alarm – a little boy was really in her arms. Sunny’s lips turned up upon the sight and she quickly went back to Taeyeon.

“You see that? You did it! He’s here, Taeyeon! The little one is here!”

Too exhausted to even answer, Taeyeon replied simply with a satisfied nod and a weak smile. However, that weak smile turned into a joyful one when the nurse brought the tiny boy to her and carefully put him on her chest. Finally, she thought in her heart, finally she could see him – the one who had always been with her for nine months – face to face. She could finally witness his fragile head, the wrinkles on his face and body, and his cries. Tears dropped from her eyes as she touched her very own child gently.

“Oh, my, god, he is even cuter than I thought he would be!” Sunny commented as she watched the boy crying and snuggling his head onto his mom’s chest. 

“We need to put him in the baby room” The doctor reminded. “And we should let the mother rest for a while too” 

One of the crews took the little one and put him on a soft bed before carrying him away.

“Thank you for your help” Sunny bowed to him and the nurses.

Like it was a natural thing, the two women’s eyes found each other soon after they were left inside. 

“You did it” Sunny rubbed her lover’s temple. “You have managed through one of the toughest things in the world”

“I know. And it’s because you were here with me” The tired girl replied. 

“I didn’t really do anything other than supporting you and letting you share the pain through our hands”

“Your presence itself was enough” Taeyeon chuckled. “Are your hands hurt? I must have left some scars there. I really didn’t realize how strong I held onto it; the pain was no joke”

“Yes, there are scars indeed. But I am sure it was incomparable to your pain” Sunny smiled. “Now, let’s give him a name”

“I have been thinking about it, but I haven’t found a really good name” Taeyeon exhaled. “I decided to just wait until I could see his face, so I have an idea what to name him”

“Now that you have seen his face, you know what to name him?” 

“Yes, that’s right”

“What is it?”

“Hmm” Taeyeon grinned by herself shortly. “Do Young. It means sunshine. So, you and he will share something in common – you both remind me of the sun”

Touched by the sincere explanation, Sunny could only bite her lips and playfully pinched Taeyeon’s cheek. “Now, don’t you want to rest? You must be really tired”

“Yes, I am, indeed” Taeyeon held Sunny’s hand once again. “Will you stay here and wait?”

“Of course! Have I ever left?”

Taeyeon let out a small laughter. “No, you didn’t go away. You never go and don’t you dare to go anywhere from me”

“That’s right. I always stay here and don’t go anywhere” 

Before even realizing it, drowsiness slowly took over Taeyeon. She closed her eyes – while her fingers were still intertwined with Sunny’s – and slowly drifted into sleep.

 

~ FIN ~

 

---

 

 

Hello~

I am terribly sorry for having abandoned this fic and delayed the last chapter. But here I present you the last chapter! I cannot imagine it has been one year since I first started this fic and to be able to write it until the end is a personal satisfaction for me. 

Oh, I am also planning to write an epilogue if you guys want to. Please do leave comments if you want an epilogue. 

I hope you love the ending. Thank you for reading!