Seventy-Seven

The whole day went by with us mostly just lounging around and engaging in some games in the yard during the evening. We also had an outdoor barbeque dinner and drinks after which Jaehyeon brought out his old guitar and we began jamming. Because it was a large property, we could make some noise without worrying too much about the neighbours. Jaehyeon's family was also the carefree kind. They joined us for a while. Even Han Seulbi had opened up to us and had become quite active, moving from person to person and joining in the fun in her own way. When she had worn herself out and gone silent, she ended up in her mother's arms. When Juyoung Noona got up to take her in, she began fussing. Eventually, Noona gave up and the little one returned to Jaehyeon's arms, lying against his shoulder and watching everything. It was surprising and heart-warming how close the two of them had gotten over just a week.

We all settled down on the porch and just talked after that. It was a chilly night and there was a light breeze. The sky was cloudy but the nearly full moon made itself visible occasionally. It was a beautiful night out and our mellowed conversations somehow seemed to draw it out longer. By the time we had decided to call it a night, Seulbi was already asleep and it was well past midnight. The other three were given the room with the bigger bed next to Jaehyeon's room and after wishing everyone goodnight, Jaehyeon and I too retreated into his room. He lay Seulbi down and tucked her in while I changed into night clothes.

"It doesn't look like she'll wake up tonight. She's worn herself out completely. She hadn't slept in the afternoon either like she usually does." Jaehyeon said and sat down at the edge of the bed.

"That's such a worriless age, huh? Cry when you wan something, eat, sleep wherever and whenever you want to." I sighed and went over to the bed. "Am I on the inside?"

He nodded. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Nah." I climbed on and settled in between Seulbi and the wall. "Today was fun."

"It was." He smiled and switched off the light next to him before lying down. "I'm glad you all showed up here.

"Ey. Of course, we would come." I chuckled. "We know how lonely you get without us, old man."

"Hey." He frowned. The lights were off but the room was still quite bright because of the moonlight, only occasionally dimming because of the clouds. We could still see each other clearly. "I'm not an old man."

I chuckled and looked at Han Seulbi. "She's sleeping so peacefully. I'm envious."

"We should probably consider stopping her afternoon naps. She's usually awake at this time when she sleeps in the afternoon." Jaehyeon pulled the blanket over her properly.

"It's amazing how much she has taken to you though."

"I'm glad." He smiled. "But it's going to be difficult to leave. I hadn't really intended to become so caught up in her world but… Well, to look after Seulbi is the most that I can do for Noona. She has slept the most in the past week because I was here to look after Seulbi. She's always working so hard and she's looking after Seulbi all on her own. I sometimes get annoyed with Seulbi's father for leaving his family like this to go work but he's doing his best too. Noona loves and respects him. So, if looking after Seulbi's all I can do, at least while I'm here, I'll happily do it."

I had had no idea that his actions meant all that much. It made me look at him differently even though I had always known that he was this kind of a person. "I'm sure Noona's proud of you."

"What?" He asked in surprise.

I shrugged. "You have told us how close you both were till she got married and you went away from home. You've both been working hard. I'm sure that she's proud of how far you've come and how you've grown up enough yourself to take care of Seulbi for her."

He let a throaty chuckle escape him. "You really do know the right things to say."

I've known you that long, Hyung.

"So," he turned in towards Seulbi and I. "How was your one-week getaway?"

"Did you ensure that I'd be here with you just to ask me this?" I laughed.

"I missed you. Isn't that reason enough? And I'm concerned about you so I want to hear about it."

"It was… good. Much needed and… well, we're grateful." I responded casually. "It is a little strange that Hyung and I ended up like this. When I look back at how we used to be as trainees and then consider how we are now… It's a little unbelievable but we're happy."

"You both look it too." He sighed. "So much so that it's hard for me to watch without getting jealous."

"You don't have anything against Changmin Hyung, do you?" I ventured the question.

"Not really. He's a good guy."

"Good." I laughed a little. "Hyung's always saying that he gets the feeling that you don't like him much and that you're being mean with how you tease us."

"Mm. He's perceptive."

"What?"

"He's perceptive. I don't have anything against him but I'm not a huge fan of the guy who took my Jeongwoo away from me."

That again? "Geez, Hyung. I'm still here, am I not?"

"I guess so." He shrugged.

It was probably because of the sequence of the conversation but something occurred to me just then. Jaehyeon was the closest to his sister before but then she got married and a lot of things changed. Her priorities changed. I was the next person he had gotten attached to. Then Changmin and I started dating and a lot of things changed. It was practically the same thing happening again. Was that his actual reason for bring so sensitive about this?

I somehow felt that that was the case. I did not need to ask.

He really was just a lonely old man…

"So…" He broke the silence again. "… did you do it?"

Hah?" "Wha-What're you-"

"You know what I mean." He stared pointedly at me.

Yup. I knew. I wasn't expecting to be asked about it though. How was I supposed to respond? "We… were by ourselves for a whole week and… we are in a relationship." I said slowly.

"So, you did it." He concluded.

"Un." I couldn't look at him in the eyes again. It was embarrassing.

"What are you getting shy about now?" He shook his head and turned onto his back. "It's normal, isn't it?"

Right. It is normal ,isn't it?

"And… I don't want you to hold anything back from me, you hear?" He added firmly. "I'm still your Hyung."

I smiled to myself, stretched a bit to get comfortable and then dropped a hand on his face. "You are the only one I could possibly talk to about this, Hyung. You know that well, right?"

He took my hand off his face and held it. "Yes."

He looked a little embarrassed for some reason. So, I chuckled and gave him a finger-heart with my other hand.

"Yes. Yes. I love you." He rolled his eyes and began playing with my hand like he had once said he liked doing. "I just want you to take care of yourself no matter what you do."

"Okay." I smiled. "Hyung too."

"Mm." He hummed and closed his eyes after checking on Seulbi once. "I'll drop you off tomorrow."

"To the station? Ah. Mingyu's flying again though, right?"

"Noona will take Mingyu. I'll drop the rest of you off." He clarified.

"You will? Thanks." I said. He was always reliable. "Let's meet at my house next time."

"You want to?"

"Yup. The last time was quite a while back."

"Okay. We'll plan something." He nodded and then gave my hand a squeeze. "Go to sleep now."

"Mm. Good night." I closed my eyes, feeling happy. The thought that I had Changmin and S.T.A.Y, with whom I could share every moment of my life, made me happy.

Changmin had texted me as soon as he had gotten home, accompanied by a photo with his sister. We had texted each other since then till he said that he was going to sleep, asking me to wake him up in the morning whenever I could because he wasn't planning on waking up early or on his own. He was also sure that his sister might get to him before I could.

We had a long road ahead of us. As much as we knew that it might not always be smooth-sailing, we were fully prepared to face it all. We had gotten all the way to where we were despite everything that had happened in between- both Changmin and I as well as S.T.A.Y. What lay ahead may be even more obstacles but, over the years, we had learnt to hold our own and support each other in ways only our bonds would allow. And as long as we had that, I had no doubt in my mind that we would be okay.