Between Us
between us
ft yunho/boa, kai/seulgi, henry/sunny, sehun/krystal & suho/irene
pg; 4.1k words, general family issues.
(p/s: prompter wanted sestal so)
~ written for smtheficathon, please read in order because they're somewhat interrelated.
--
#1 (Yunho/Boa)
The adoption agency has never look any better than today, Yunho thinks to himself.
He checks his watch for the umpteen time, not at all bothered that the person they are supposed to be meeting today is late. “Nervous?” Still smiling, he softly asks his wife seated quietly beside him. “Because I really am.”
Boa nods slowly, suppressing her excitement with a smile as well.
The moment they’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Someone who doesn’t want to keep her child has chosen them; of all the applicants piling in the adoption agency, she has chosen them as parents for the child growing inside her.
“I’m going to be a father.” Yunho continues, eyes gleaming with pride and pure affection. “We’re finally going to be parents, Boa-yah.”
Before Boa could say anything though, a few knocks are heard and instantaneously, both of them leapt up from the couch. In walks a young lady in her early twenties, her stomach protruding as a sign that a being lives inside her. “Hello,” She greets them politely, a tight smile on her face. “You must be Mr. and Mrs. Jung.”
“Please call me Yunho.” The older man quickly says, “And this is my wife, Boa.”
“Hello, Miss Kang,” Boa juts a hand out for the younger lady to shake, and unable to suppress her excitement any longer, her face breaks into a huge smile. “It is a great pleasure to finally meet you.”
The young lady, Miss Kang, accepts the handshake and returns their smile weakly. “I’m so sorry for being late, I had some transportation prob-“ She stops midsentence when she realizes that the couple in front of her are still smiling; as if seeing her right now is something very surreal. They must have waited long for this, Miss Kang swallows the lump lodged in her throat.
“It doesn’t matter! What matters is that you’re here safely.” Yunho says, gesturing for the young lady to sit.
Once seated, both Yunho and Boa could feel their hearts racing in excitement. “Miss Kang, please allow us to say that we’re very grateful for what you’re offering to us today. You have no idea how much we’ve wanted to have a child on our own.” Yunho admits, his voice cracking due to nervousness.
“Thank you so much for choosing us,” Boa continues, though Miss Kang is looking at the ground and not at them. When the latter doesn’t answer, Boa calls out her name, slightly worried. “Miss Kang?”
“You would-“ Miss Kang says softly, so soft that they nearly missed it. “-provide a good home for him, right?”
Yunho and Boa exchange glances, slightly surprised at the dejected looking female in front of them. “Of course we would, Miss Kang.”
“You’ll love him unconditionally, right? No matter what happens, you’ll love him with all your heart, right?”
“That’s a definite promise.” Yunho answers without hesitation, though he jumps slightly in his seat when Boa places a hand on his arm suddenly.
“Miss Kang, are you alright?” She asks, shaking her head slowly at Yunho when he tries to say something. “Miss Kang, you can tell us anything, we’re all ears for you.”
Yunho and Boa are stunned when the woman in front of them begins to cry. “I-I’m sorry,” She repeats again and again.
There’s something which tells Boa that Miss Kang isn’t apologizing to them.
Turning to look at her husband, she whispers softly to him; “Yunho, can you leave us for a moment, please?”
Confused, but trusting that his wife knows what she is doing, Yunho leaves the room. Boa then makes her way towards the younger lady, sitting down beside her and handing a tissue to her. A few seconds passed by before Boa speaks again, this time, softly. “Miss Kang, are you sure you don’t want your child?”
Wiping tears away from her eyes, Miss Kang tries to master a smile. “Y-yes.”
Boa frowns, clearly not convinced.
“The child would only suffer if he stays with us.” Miss Kang dabs her eyes gently with the tissue Boa has given her. “I chose both of you because I know he’ll live a better life with you than us.”
Fully understanding what is going, Boa nods her head kindly. “So you think giving him up for adoption is the best solution?”
Miss Kang nods, though her tears aren’t stopping. “It is the best for him.”
There’s a pause, Boa mentally slaps herself for what she is about to say. “Miss Kang, maybe the best for your child is to remain with his biological parents.”
Shocked, the younger lady finally looks at Boa. She could not bring herself to say anything.
“Yes, it is true that we’ve been trying to have children of our own for ages,” Boa explains, “But if the mother of the child does not truly want to give her child away, I don’t think it is right for us to take him from you.”
“B-but…”
“Keep your child, Miss Kang.” Boa says, her voice constricting. “Keep him, and love him with all your heart. That is all he needs.”
Unable to disagree, Miss Kang finds herself looking at the ground again. And then, slowly, she reaches out and holds Boa’s hands tightly. “Thank you, Mrs. Jung. I…I don’t know what else to say.”
“I’m sure you’ll be a great mother, Miss Kang.” Boa says encouragingly, though her eyelids are brimming with tears. Despite all the months of waiting, Boa has decided to give up the chance of being a mother in a few seconds. All for the sake of believing that this is the right thing to do. If she could just be selfish for once…
Miss Kang leaves after a warm hug and a teary goodbye.
When Yunho re-enters the room, he finds his wife standing alone in the middle of the room, in tears. “I’m sorry,” She apologizes, a hand covering her mouth. “I just can’t bear the thought of separating a mother and her child-“
Yunho hugs her immediately, caressing her back soothingly though his heart is breaking into two. “It’s alright, there’s always next time.”
--
The ‘next time’ Yunho mentioned, apparently, is a few weeks later.
He has just returned home from work when Boa rushes out from the living room to greet him. Her eyes sparkling with pure bliss and excitement, she nearly knocks the wind out of Yunho with a hug.
“Boa, what’s wrong?” Yunho laughs softly, but hugs his wife back.
Boa punches his arm, “I hugged you and all you can say is what’s wrong?” Wanting to pretend to sulk, Boa finds herself tearing up instead, shocking Yunho even further. Alarmed, Yunho leads her to the couch and forces his wife to sit.
“I-I wanted to call you, but I figured that telling you face to face would be better.”
“Tell me what?” Worried at how his wife wouldn’t stop crying, Yunho kneels down, still holding her hands. “Tell me what, Boa?”
Boa said something, and Yunho does a double take. He could feel his heart begin to race, hands clutching onto his wife’s tighter. “W-what?”
Face bursting into a wide smile, Boa repeats slowly and more clearly, the words they’ve both been wanting to hear for three years; “I’m pregnant.”
#2 (Jongin/Seulgi)
Jongin waits for his wife rather impatiently at his apartment, walking back and forth without stopping in circles since half an hour ago.
When he hears the dangling sound of keys, Jongin immediately flies to the door and unlocks it himself. The second he sees her, Seulgi’s puffy eyes do not go unnoticed. “Have you been crying?” Jongin asks, his heart breaking at the sight of his unhappy wife. Leading her inside and grabbing her bag from her, Jongin remains faithfully by her side until Seulgi decides to answer his question.
“I met Mr. and Mrs. Jung,” She says as calmly as she could, in fear that she might burst into tears again. Seulgi glances at Jongin, her gaze softening at how worried he looks. “And I feel terrible.”
Jongin glances down. “I feel terrible, too. For doing this to our child.”
Seulgi reaches out for his hands. Clasping them tightly, she could feel herself becoming more ascertained at what she has decided to do.
Marrying Jongin, her high school sweetheart, has been a dream come true. Seulgi has never regretted the moment she took the vow on the altar beside him-even when she could feel her parents staring daggers behind her. Their wedding had been a rush, planned only because she is pregnant. There was no grand ballroom for the ceremony to be held in, nor were there any extravagant flowers and decoration decorated in the small hall Jongin’s parents has offered to hold their wedding three months ago.
Her parents had been greatly disappointed. Seulgi, who was barely in her second year in university, had to drop out because of her accidental pregnancy. All hopes and dreams for Seulgi to graduate in the honors roll, or to become a doctor in the future were shattered in a blink of an eye.
Their wedding had not been a fairytale, but Seulgi did not mind even a little. To her, being with Jongin is already a fairytale itself.
“Oppa, can we keep the baby?”
Startled, Jongin’s eyes widen. After a month of contemplating, he has finally given his consent for Seulgi to give up their baby, knowing that he could barely support his wife now, let alone his child too. Perhaps his child would be a lot happier living in a house with an established and strong financial income. “What do you mean, Seulgi-yah?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Jung are really nice people, I wish you could have met them. I feel terrible for giving them false happiness,” Seulgi continues, much to Jongin’s confusion. “I’ve decided to keep him. Our baby. Let’s keep him.”
For a few seconds, Jongin is too stunned to answer. But gradually, his face breaks into a small smile, and then a wider smile, and now, a grin. “Seulgi, I…I wanted to tell you something.”
Seulgi raises an eyebrow. “What is it?”
“I’ve gotten a job in Lau Corporation.” He says, “The starting pay isn’t that much, but I’ll work hard, Seulgi, I’ll work as hard as I can for our family.”
And then, Jongin hugs her as tightly as he could. “I’ll work hard, and raise our child well. I’ll give him all that he needs, and shower him with all the love in the world. I’ll protect both of you, and make you two the happiest.”
No longer trying to keep a straight face, Seulgi begins to sob. She hugs him back, head rested on his chest and suddenly, everything just feels so right.
#3 (Henry/Sunny)
Henry Lau frowns, head buried deep among the files on his desk.
It is one in the morning, and still, Henry refuses to go to bed. There’s just so many things to do, he tried explaining to his wife three hours ago, but all he received in return is a door slammed in his face.
Back aching, Henry stops to stretch his arms. His gaze travels from the reports he had been reading through to the framed photo perched on his desk; a happy and smiling Henry with his arm around his wife, Sunny’s waist.
It isn’t as though he is doing this on purpose, he tries to reason to himself. Their relationship isn’t straining because he wants it to; there are simply too many things in his company for him to do! Not when there’s a huge project he’s been working hard to get for the past two months, not when everyone in the board is expecting him to bring in more profits for the company. It’s only normal for him to want the best for his company, right? As CEO, improving his company more and more is a normal thing to do, right?
Right?
--
Sunny goes to work sharp 8 the next day, expecting to see her client in an hour.
The intern in her chambers, Yeri, rushes to bring her morning coffee to her, and although she accepts the coffee with gratitude, Sunny could not bring herself to smile.
In her years of being a divorce lawyer, Sunny never would have expected the same things happening to her clients, to happen to her. The words of her mentor ring in her mind over and over again; “Being a divorce lawyer can either be a curse or a blessing in disguise. A curse, if you find your marriage crumbling into pieces like your clients, or a blessing, if you learn not to repeat the same mistakes your clients made in their marriages.
Sunny doesn’t know who to blame, to be honest. Should she blame Henry for being so obsessed with work, or should she blame herself for not even trying to fix their relationship?
An hour later, a knock is heard and her secretary walks in with her client behind her. “Miss Lee, Mrs. Oh is here.”
Sunny stands to greet her client, an automatic smile on her face. “Good morning, Mrs. Oh. Have you brought the papers with you?”
Her client takes her usual seat in front of Sunny, but to the lawyer’s surprise, Mrs. Oh breaks into a smile. “Miss Lee, I don’t know how to say this, but…”
Sunny tilts her head slightly, an eyebrow raised. “But what, Mrs. Oh?”
“I came to inform you that I don’t need your service anymore.”
Sunny blinks, wondering if she has heard correctly. “Excuse me?”
Mrs. Oh gives an apologetic smile, hands clasped together. “My husband and I, we’ve decided not to go through with the divorce.”
Sunny blinks again. In the years of being a divorce lawyer, this is definitely the first time Sunny is hearing this.
“It’s just that, I realized that I still love him, and I can’t…I can’t imagine a life without him.” Mrs. Oh admits, face reddening as she wills herself not to look away from her lawyer’s steely stare.
Sunny, however, softens. Slowly, she puts on a smile. “Well, this is…new.” Laughing slightly, Sunny closes her client’s folder in one swift motion. “But not unheard of. I’m happy you’ve sort things out with your husband.”
“It was an impulsive decision.” Mrs. Oh shakes her head guiltily. “I honestly don’t know why I filed for a divorce. I mean yes, we do quarrel a lot frequently, we have our fights and verbal wars, but…”
“But you love him?” Sunny finishes the sentence for her, still smiling.
Mrs. Oh nods. “I love him more than I hate him.”
And suddenly, Sunny is reminded of her own situation back home.
--
“I’m sorry,”
The first thing that came out from Henry’s mouth that evening, surprises Sunny. She could barely digest what is going on when Henry pulls her into an embrace-for the first time in two months-and repeats his apology.
“W-what?”
When he lets her go, Henry holds onto her hands instead. “I’ve given up on the project I’ve been working on.”
Sunny’s eyes turn as wide as saucers. That is the last thing she would ever expect him to say, to be very honest. “What?”
“I don’t think it’s worth it.” Henry shrugs nonchalantly, much to his wife’s amusement. “Financially, we’re doing fine so far, aren’t we? And the company is ranked quite alright amongst the other companies as well…”
Sunny hugs him, a sudden warmth begins to fill her heart. “Henry…”
He wraps his arms around Sunny too. “I don’t think it’s fair to treat you like this, not when you are the one I’m married to. I vowed to make you happy, and I realized I haven’t been doing that lately.”
“I’m sorry too,” Sunny whispers and hugs him tighter. “I’m sorry for not being more supportive, for ignoring you lately-”
Henry laughs, and somehow, Sunny finds herself smiling. “I miss hearing that,” She says. “your laughter, one of the reasons why I fell for you in the first place.”
“And why my laughter is one of the reasons why you fell in love for me is exactly why I fell for you in the first place, too.” Henry couldn’t help but to add. “You notice all the littlest things, and I love you for that.”
It is Sunny’s turn to laugh. “You’re an idiot.”
Henry laughs again, “And you’re married to that idiot.”
--
#4 (Sehun/Krystal)
Oh Sehun is utterly unimpressed at who his friend has brought over to lunch that day.
“What on earth are you doing, Suho?” He asks when he pulls his friend aside. “Are you seriously trying to introduce me to another girl today?”
Sehun’s friend, Suho, shrugs. “I’m trying to cheer you up, obviously.”
“By setting me up with your wife’s friend?” Sehun rolls his eyes. “I’m getting a divorce, Suho, not suffering from a depression.”
Suho frowns. “Isn’t that the same thing?”
“Oh, stop. Just because you’re so in love with your wife doesn’t mean you can-” Sehun cuts himself midsentence and turns away. “-nevermind. Thanks, hyung. I really appreciate it, but I’ll pass, alright?”
“Why don’t you give her a chance? Seungwan is really nice, you know.”
“I know she is,” Sehun turns to look at his friend briefly before turning away again. “I can tell that she’s a really pleasant and nice young lady.”
“But?”
“But she isn’t Krystal.”
--
Sehun wonders to himself what could have went wrong.
He is only married to Krystal for two years, and they’re already filing for a divorce? When Krystal has brought up the suggestion, he had agreed, only because he had been angry. It was a slip of tongue, saying yes to her suggestion to divorce. Sehun had been so sure that she was only joking at that time.
But now, having gone to a divorce lawyer, she has returned home with all the necessary documents for him to sign.
“Krystal, I-” A lump latches itself onto his throat, and Sehun couldn’t bring himself to say anything else. From his seat, he could see the pain on Krystal’s face as she busies herself with packing her belongings. “Please don’t go,” He whispers, heart aching as he watches Krystal move from one end to another without looking at him.
“Sorry?” She asks, finally stopping and turning around to look at him. “What did you just said?”
Sehun sees her, face to face, and he feels his heart crumbling into pieces. His eyes ignore the papers on the desk, his gaze focused solely on the woman he once loved-and probably, he bets to himself, still do, very much.
“I said, please don’t go.”
Krystal is silent, once again.
“I don’t know what is wrong with me these past few weeks, but I really…” Sehun could hear his voice cracking, but he continues, knowing that this may be the last time he could say anything to her. “…I love you, Krystal Jung.”
Silence.
“I love the way your eyes seem to smile when you laugh,” Sehun wills himself not to cry, not to seem too desperate for her to stay. (But that is what he is at the moment; desperate.) “I love the way your nose crinkle whenever you see something that disgusts you,”
Pause. Silence.
“I love that when you wake up every day, you’ll close the curtain binds so that sunlight doesn’t stream into our room,”
Krystal’s gaze softens. She looks away.
“I love that every time you make breakfast, you’ll arrange the food on the plate according to colors.” Sehun chuckles softly. “Sometimes I don’t want to eat it because I’ll ruin it, and all your efforts would go to a waste.”
“Sehun…”
“I love that you’ll steal my t-shirts to wear practically all the time, because you said they’re more comfortable than your own shirts,”
Krystal could feel herself tearing up, so she looks up at the ceiling, hoping that her tears won’t fall.
“I love that when you want to cry, you look up so that your tears don’t fall down,” Sehun continues, “But I also wish that sometimes, you won’t act so strong, Krystal. I wish you’ll cry when you want to, so that I can offer you a hug and tell you that everything will be alright.”
That sentence did the trick; Krystal stops trying to prevent her tears from falling. She isn’t surprised to find that Sehun is already making his way towards her. He stops just in front of her, reaching out and wiping her tears away from her face. “I love that you still look so beautiful even when you’re crying.”
Her tears are covering her vision now. Sehun tucks the loose strands of her hair behind her ears, before wiping her tears away again. “I’m sorry for putting you through so much pain, Krystal. But I really, really, do love you. And I really, really, don’t want you to go.”
“Sehun,” Krystal finally speaks after the long silence. Despite still crying, she is now smiling. “Oh Sehun, you really do have your way with words, huh?”
“Only for you, though.” Sehun smiles as well.
“Suho called me earlier.” Krystal confesses, much to Sehun’s surprise. “He told me what he did and what you did in response.”
Sehun keeps mum. Krystal is now fanning herself, trying to dry the remaining tears away. “Sehun?”
Heart beating irregularly against his chest, Sehun answers; “Yes?”
Pause. And then;
“You haven’t signed the divorce papers, yet, right?”
--
#5 Suho/Irene
Irene is awoken by the cries that resonate so loudly in the room she shares with her husband.
Barely able to open her eyes, Irene sleepily nudges the man sleeping beside her a few times. “It’s your turn…” She mumbles, her eyes still closed. Irene could hear her husband’s groggy voice in response; “No, it’s your turn.”
Their baby’s cries grow even louder-Irene finally opens her eyes. Pulling herself up, she turns to look at her still sleeping husband, her vision becomes clearer and her mind more coherent. Narrowing her eyes, Irene punches the stomach of the being beside her. “Yah!”
Suho’s eyes flew open, his right hand instantaneously covers the spot his wife has hit him at. “What was that for?”
Removing the blanket from her lower body, Irene ignores Suho’s shocked (and still half asleep) expression. Without saying anything else, she quickly makes her way towards the crib located at the corner of the room. “Suhyun, don’t cry, Suhyun, you’re a good girl…” She mumbles, carrying her baby and soothing her back gently.
Suho finally understands what is going on.
He rubs his eyes twice, yawns, and gets down from the bed. He makes his way towards his wife and daughter without a second thought, immediately taking Suhyun from Irene’s hands when he reaches them. “Why is my darling daughter crying at-“ Suho makes out the figure gleaming on his alarm clock, “-three in the morning? Shh, don’t cry, Suhyun-ah.”
“She’s probably hungry,” Irene says with a soft sigh, reaching out for her baby daughter again. Suho hands Suhyun over slowly, somewhat guilty that his wife has to go through this almost every morning. “You’re amazing, you know that, right?”
Irene smiles, slightly more awake now, though she very much wish she could go back to sleep. She hasn’t been sleeping properly for these past few months, but with her daughter in her arms, Irene figures it is all worth it. “Well, I can’t let Suhyun starve.”
Watching the sight of his wife and his daughter made Suho forget all his sleepiness. He sits by the side of the bed, observing his wife and thinking to himself just how lucky a man he is.
“I love you, Irene Bae.” Suho says sheepishly, a grin on his face. “I love you and Suhyun so, so, so much. You know that, right?”
Irene glances up and laughs softly. “Suho-yah, you say that almost every day.”
“Ah, what to do,” Suho leans forward and gives her a quick peck on the cheek. “My wife is just so lovable!”
Irene grimaces, then smiles. “Give some love to your daughter too!”
“That’s a given,” Suho says without hesitating, “When she’s older, I’ll buy her all the dresses and toys and books and-“
Irene shakes her head, “You’re going to spoil her.”
“As long as she’s happy and you’re happy too.” Suho smiles before looking at the now quiet Suhyun in Irene’s arms. “Our family is perfect, right?”
“Yes,” Irene agrees, looking at Suhyun as well. “Our family is perfect.”
--