Art of Resuscitation (Pt.2)

Gyuri and Taehyung stared down at their joined hands that was also connected by a red string.

Even though Gyuri knew she should be thinking about other things, she couldn't help noticing how Taehyung's hand was almost as big as hers. She glanced upwards and meeting Taehyung's crescent eyes by accident, she finally remembered who he was, who she was and where they currently were.

She snatched her hand immediately.

"Ew, no!" she blurted as she wiped her hand against her skirt. "I can't marry him!"

Taehyung scoffed as he untied the knot on his finger. "I should be the one saying that! Who would want to marry an ugly girl like you?"

Gyuri glared at him and he glared back. Gulnar and Chun Chun watched as the pair engaged in a childish stare down completely disregarding what the red string symbolised.

"So, we can't be a family then?" Gulnar's sweet voice interrupted Gyuri and Taehyung's feud, forcing the pair to look at the young child.

Gyuri's eyes softened. "Oh, Gulnar" she cooed as she crouched down to meet his eye level. "We can still be a family but I just can't be..." she darted a look at Taehyung, "I just can't be married to him."

"But he's our Papa" Gulnar protested.

"I know but—"

"We are just friends" Taehyung interrupted, cutting Gyuri off. She turned to him questioningly as he proceeded, "Gulnar, you have to understand that you cannot get what you want just because you will it." He eyed the child sternly as he added, "It is uncomfortable for both Gyuri and me to be forced into an arrangement like this without our consent."

Taehyung's tone must have sounded aggressive to Gulnar because suddenly, his face scrunched up and tears started to fall.

"Gulnar, don't cry" Gyuri murmured in a soothing voice as she captured him in a hug. Gulnar took big gulps of breath as he hiccupped and sobbed at the same time. "There, there" she continued to comfort him.

"I'm sorry for the trouble" Chun Chun said guiltily, her eyes refusing to leave the floor. "All we wanted is for you two to stay together."

"But why would you wish for something like that?" Taehyung asked softly, taking note that the young lass looked like she was about to burst into tears too.

Chun Chun peered up at him as she replied, "Because we don't want you to be lonely anymore, Tae."

Hearing this, Taehyung was lost for words.

"Gulnar and I..." Chun Chun began, "we have each other. But you, when you're not with us, you're all alone."

"We just wanted someone to take care of you too" Gulnar managed to say in between sniffles. He pushed himself away from Gyuri's embrace so that he could face her, "And we like you, Gyuri. So, of course, we want you to have someone to take care of you as well."

Gyuri smiled at the boy's tear-stained face, a warm and fuzzy feeling overwhelming her. "Don't worry," she reassured him. "I'll take care of your Papa for you." She shifted her gaze to Taehyung who was baffled by her statement. "I'll take care of him because your Papa is still a kid too."

Taehyung was about to argue with her but Gulnar beat him to it. "Papa isn't a kid!" he objected but he didn't stay fussed for long as he registered Gyuri's words. He squealed happily, "So... does this mean you'll be our Mama?"

Again, Gyuri gaped at Taehyung who was eyeing her questioningly. She faced Gulnar again, "Yes," she replied. "I'll be your Mama."

Gulnar and Chun Chun couldn't contain their excitement.

"But that doesn't mean I'm married to him" Gyuri clarified, pointing to Taehyung. "I'll be your Mama but not his..." she snuck a look at Taehyung again as she hesitantly continued, "his wife."

"That's fine!" Chun Chun agreed almost immediately. She jumped into Gyuri's arms and hugged her and soon, Gulnar was hugging her again too.

Taehyung stood staring at the trio from afar, unsure of what he should do. So, Gyuri was going to agree in the end? What was the point of him scolding Gulnar if she was going to say 'yes' anyway?

Gyuri, sensing Taehyung's troubled expression, whispered into the orphans' ears. "I think your Papa is feeling a little down. Why don't you go and cheer him up?"

The orphans eventually let her go and rushed up to Taehyung's arms, overwhelming him with a surprise hug that led him tumbling down on the grass. Gyuri eyed the orphans fondly as they squealed with laughter at having bulldozed Taehyung to the ground. It was pleasant to see their smiles replace their frowns, even though she just signed up for something she had no experience in.

Never mind, she thought. As long as they're happy.

A small smile sneaked up her lips as she continued to stare at them. It was only when a gust of wind led a strand of her hair astray was she reminded of the red string that she still had wrapped around her pinkie. While tucking her hair behind her ear, memories of her conversation with Yoongi, a long time ago, flooded her mind.

The red string of fate, huh?

Gyuri continued to watch the trio who were still wrestling on the ground. As she continued to stare at them, her eyes unavoidably fell on Taehyung's profile. She watched him closely, her eyes unknown to her, evaluating him against her internal set of standards. Ultimately, it led her to two conclusions: Taehyung wasn't bad looking—in fact, he was kinda cute, just like his brothers— and he had a kind side to him that, despite her previous objections, she deeply admired. Her smile widened as she continued to watch him interact with the orphans.

Maybe, if he was a few years older, I might...

Gyuri shook her head suddenly.

What the—? What was I thinking? She furrowed her brows as she tried to shake off the strange feeling that was creeping into her heart. No, Subin. Don't start catching feelings now. He's a kid for goodness sake. A cheeky little—

Taehyung cried out theatrically as the orphans pretended to capture him like a prized animal. More fits of laughter were heard. The smile on Gyuri's face appeared again, her earlier train of thought completely abandoned. Gyuri realised that Taehyung was a good person and, if it weren't for their rough meeting, in the beginning, she probably would have grown to like him a lot more than she did already.

And just for that moment in time, Gyuri admitted that she saw Taehyung in a positive light, one that overrode her previous prejudices against him. But little did she know, that it wasn't just her who was seeing the other in a new light. For, just a short distance away from her, Taehyung had changed his mind about her too.