warm

if there was one thing that jeongguk came to realize the moment his eyes fluttered to open as the rays of light tickled his senses, it was the pleasant feeling that came bubbling in the pits of his stomach. in the span of the two years he had been such a fool and continued to lie to himself, he had never felt soothingly sated after a well-rested sleep. what a sight to wake up to. i'd pay millions just to wake up in a morning like this.

breathtakingly beautiful. a smile adorning his lips, the man let his eyes trace the features of the angel. porcelain skin resting against the white pillow they shared, an ethereal woman who had thick and long eyelashes, button nose and hazel locks magically illuminating in the light, was peacefully sleeping beside him. hot breath fanning over the flesh of his neck, the man savored how blessed and lucky he was for waking up beside this angel.

fondly staring at the woman, the man couldn't make himself to get up from the bed. jeongguk wasn't in the mood for preparing for work and he had intended to take the day off. he had a lot of things he wanted to do today and if luck was on his side, he'd wanted to tear the divorce paper in front of jiho and promise to make amends to everything he had done to hurt her.

i can't just impose what i've realized that i am truly still inlove with her as if i've done nothing. i have to make up to regain her trust. how lucky i am to be your husband.

gently tucking a stray strand of hair to jiho's ear, he savored the way how her skin made every bit of his existence tingle and hum with happiness. he relished the way how a simple skin-brushing could ignite the sparks that never failed to energize him. "i love you" he'd whisper like a child as he brought his lips to gently kiss jiho's forehead, unable to voice his feelings out loud and afraid to trigger unnecessary reaction to jiho.

stirring in her sleep as she suddenly clutched the fabric on jeongguk's sando, jeongguk's heart felt like it was suddenly about to pop out of his chest because of shock. terrified, he immediately pretended to be asleep as he closed his eyes and waited for a few seconds till the movement ceased. peeking with his right eye, he let out a shaky breath he didn't know he held when he realized the woman was still asleep. unable to contain his happiness, he couldn't help but nuzzle himself unto jiho and hug her tight before he finally decided to stand up and prepare for their breakfast.

to say that jeongguk was in a good mood was an understatement, the man was feeling giddy like his twenty-one self who had just won the heart of his long-time crush as doing the task at hand didn't seem so difficult.

a dangerous plan, just this time

a stranger's hand clutched in mine

humming with the tune worming inside his head as he fried pancakes for the family, a smile couldn't help but creep up in his lips. a sudden surge of good vibes started flowing in his veins, he couldn't wait till his two angels woke up from their slumber. it has been so long ever since he had made an effort of doing something like this and to say that he was a little nervous was an understatement. the man was anxious but he couldn't hide the excitement that radiated in him.

please don't scar this young heart

just take my hand

he couldn't help but voice out the lyrics of the song. "i was made for loving you. even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through". with the lyrics escaping his lips, memories from the past seemed to flood his train of thoughts as his hands continued its actions. "all i know is, darling, i was made for loving you"

"hold me close, through the night" transferring the contents of the pan, the man continued singing as his voice soothingly echoed in the house. "don't let me go, we'll be alright. touch my soul and hold it tight" he couldn't stop his lips, wouldn't want to stop singing as the flood of unstoppable memories seemed to show in jeongguk's thoughts, reminiscing the way he used to keep jiho close in his arms. "i've been waiting all my life" the way personal space didn't seem to exist in their vocabulary. the way their skins fit perfectly against each other as it ignite a lovely spark in his lonely body. the stream of memories was unrelenting as he could even recall the events 6 years ago, when they exchanged their vows against each other on their wedding day.

the dear and oh so treasured wedding vows he had uttered straight from the heart . . . but broke into pieces.

"i won't scar your . . . young heart" breathlessly murmuring, his lips immediately sealed shut as he realized the words that escaped against his lips. i won't scar your young heart. the hands that used to fry pancakes were now futilely resting on the dining table as he noticed that he had already finished preparing the breakfast. i won't scar your young heart. the words echoed for a couple of times and like a trigger, he couldn't help the stream of sudden sadness filling his heart as it choke him with loneliness.

i won't scar your young heart,

just take my hand, 'cause i was made for loving you . . .

"i—" this song. breath getting caught up inside his throat, his hand suddenly cupped his lips to hide a sob that threatened to escape, finally realizing why.

oh god, how could i— he finally realized why. he finally realized why he could sing the song like he had known it like the back of his hand. why it had made him remember countless of memories even their . . . wedding.

"cause . . . i was made for loving you" soft and feminine, the voice that never failed to make him feel like on cloud-nine was almost mistaken as a gust of wind, sang the next lyrics. her voice was thin barely there but still– it's our wedding song.

eyes immediately getting glossy, his feet began moving on its own as he couldn't tame the way his heart screamed to see its other half. the yearning that bubbled in his heart had made him feel were unbearable and the urge to let their skins touch ate him away.

"even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through" the voice continued and the next thing he heard was gentle footsteps echoing. perplexed and needy, his heart started to grow more and more anxious, the only thing in his mind was the need to see his wife.

cautious and quick, his feet led him out of the dining area to march towards where the voice was coming from. "every bone screaming, i don't know what we should do" there goes the enchanting voice again, tempting jeongguk to continue, to join in singing. breathless and yearning, jeongguk trudged up the stairs with one thing in his mind until he came face to face with jiho, almost bumping into her when he tried to search for her.

eyes meeting one another, his lips suddenly went dry through their gazes lacing against each other. he knew all too well what were the right words to utter and sing next but as if testing his faith, jiho had stopped singing altogether as only hesitation seemed to linger in the air.

i, jiho—

the man's heart was screaming for him to open his mouth, to let the other person who's standing right infront of him to know his raw and true feelings.

pushing all the hesitation in the back of his head and surprising both him and jiho, he found himself closing the distance through within them. tears pooling in the corners of his eyes, he couldn't help but snake his arms in her petite frame as he let his head rest on the crook of her neck. "all i know is, darling, i was made for loving you"

quivering and fragile. the moment jeongguk and jiho's body met, a flood of inexplicable feelings flowed in the man's body. he swore to his heart, hope to die that he would do anything to make up and to save the family he had almost torn into pieces.

"i'm so sorry, ji. i'm so sorry ji"

─────── ღೋ ❄ ღೋ───────

"let's ride that one! hurry up, mama and papa!" jinyeon cheerfully chimed as he dragged jeongguk and jiho to their another death defying ride called EKSTREME.

the jeon family had decided to take a family date for the day. jinyeon didn't have any classes for the day since their final exams had just ended, the little one would only return to school on the next day to finally know if he would be the top of their class or a runner up. jeongguk had already decided on the start of the day that he wouldn't go to work and pursuing jiho to do the same was as easy as pie when jinyeon uttered the words,

"we've never been in the amusement park for almost two years, can we go there today? i wanna spend time with you two papa, mama"

which leads us to our present time in which little jinyeon is eager to ride everything that the amusement park had to offer.

"yeon, be careful!" jiho squeaked as she skipped to keep up with their son ball of sunshine. a melodious giggle erupted on the lips of jinyeon as he tried to tame the way his heart chided with excitement. "both of you are sooo slow. we wanted to ride everything, right? if you two can't keep up then we won't be able to do that goal! you two are losing your edge mama , papa" the boy teased and the parents couldn't help but beg to differ.

"ya! what are you trying to say you midget?" jeongguk couldn't help his lips from moving as he countered the teasing of the other. "ya! I'm not a midget! i'm still growing unlike you, you oldie!" the son spoke once more.

jeongguk scoffed as he rolled his eyes, "old? ha! i'm old? me? you must be kidding me!" the man dropped the hand of the little one and jinyeon almost immediately felt guilty. the younger thought that he made his father angry but, "look at me again and tell me that i'm old after this" the man spoke suddenly and before jinyeon could process what was happening, a string of laughter erupted in his tiny lips.

a giggle, "put me down, papa!" the moment jeongguk suddenly lifted the boy in his arms only to spin him in an embrace, jinyeon knew that his father was being such a big tease again.

laughter and happiness. "no! tell me, am i really an oldie?! tell me, i ain't up for games yeon! answer me, you little monster!" jeongguk didn't stop with his ministrations as he continued to spin around. "okay—"

"i can't hear you!"

"fine! fine! papa is not an oldie!"

"is that all?! aren't you forgetting something?"

letting out a whine, even if jinyeon knew what his father wanted to hear from him, never in a million years would he feed his father's ego. "no! I'm not going to say it, you muscle pig!" the boy uttered even if his world was already terribly spinning. a devilish chuckle erupted on jeongguk's lips, "oh, you're really—"

an adorable giggle. a feminine and soft giggle echoing in the ears of the two rascals, jeongguk's action immediately stopped as he let jinyeon stand steady on the ground. jinyeon and jeongguk's eyes soon trailed on the laughing angel and there, everything seemed to stop moving.

"mama's so beautiful" jinyeon whispered but jeongguk have heard it very clearly before the child trudged and hugged his momma tight.

string of laughter. "mama you're so pretty. i missed that laugh, you should smile that way always! i love it when you're happy" warmth blooming on the heart of jiho, the woman immediately returned the embrace as she blew raspberries on the child's face making jinyeon beam with happiness.

fondness. jeongguk couldn't help but feel an insurmountable happiness in his heart. my son and my wife

smile painting jeongguk's lips, before he knew it, he just found himself walking towards the duo and the next thing he knew, he was already leading his son and wife to another ride as his hand were laced with a firm grip to jiho's.

"take it easy, love" jiho's sweet voice lulled him as he watched how the woman tended to their son while they eat a little snack and took a break with OPERATION: finish all rides, a little sauce from the ketchup smeared jinyeon's cheek and jiho dutifully wiped it clean as she a tender kiss to their child.

the night has already set and the jeon family were almost about to finish their family date.

beautiful. for a span of two years, it had been the very first time he had seen jiho's lips tug into that breathtaking smile and like a smitten twenty-one year old jeongguk, a megawatt smile painted his lips.

"papa, stop that googly eyes again, mama might melt. I still want to take the last one ride and with the way you look at mama, you'll start kissing her and that would lead up to no good, i know i want a baby sister but—" and that is the cue for me to stop starting. cheeks aflame, jeongguk almost choked on machiato as his gaze roamed anywhere but jiho's.

the thing is for the rest of the day, jeongguk has been a deer caught in the headlights. sometimes, he would just flat out zone out staring at jiho with those yeon would like to call as "heart eyes". when the family rode the ferris wheel as they watched the sun set, instead of savoring the beauty of the sun gettingn swallowed by the darkness, the only thing jeongguk could see was the way how the orange hues seemed to make jiho glow.

the day has been just an exhilirating experience that jeongguk had gotten a glimpse of the smiling and happy face of jiho so, he was unbelievably entranced. realizing his not so subtle yearning kudos to jinyeon, the older couldn't help but pinch jinyeon's cheeks hard.

"you little monster" i swear, you always blew every daydream i have. jeongguk wanted to voice out his thoughts but was still hesitant. "ya, papa with huwts!" (it hurts!)

"you—" "ggukie, stop it. let yeonnie go" jiho spoke and that was enough to make jeongguk retract his hand as he let go of jinyeon's swollen cheeks. "but he started it!"

"i know but—" phone vibrating on her pocket, jiho fished out the ringing object as she answered. "hello?"

fear. jeongguk observed an unreadable expression traced on jiho's feautures, her grip on the phone intensified as if their was really something wrong. jeongguk was just about to ask what was happening when jiho suddenly ended the call and she faced the man's troubled face.

"what's wrong, ji?"

"i'm sorry, but, the work called. they said, they needed my presence in the office. You two could ride the last one, together. take care on your way home, let's meet there" jiho was in a rush but before she left, she hugged jinyeon tight first before giving the child a sweet kiss on his cheeks.

oh, there's nothing for me? a pout extending on jeongguk's lips, he tried to hide the disappointment in his face but failed miserably.

who am i joking? of course, there's nothing for me. i've only just apologized, i haven't done anything to make it up for her. i haven't even ended everything with lilia. i've got to fix that first. i have to work hard.

"oh wait, jeongguk" even before the man could have grasped what happened, a cloudy, pudding-like-texture-thing fleetingly touched his cheek as the woman's face suddenly became so close . . . leaving jeongguk breathless.

eyes widening in shock, the man suddenly forgot how to breathe. jeongguk's eyes trailed on the reddening cheeks of the woman and he couldn't help how his own heart accelerated and trashed inside his body. "i-i'll be taking the car, be careful on your way commuting okay, gguk?" soft and silky, jiho's voice lulled him to bliss as their eyes were laced on one another.

innocently nodding, jeongguk was lost in jiho's eyes again. "okay, i'll be quick and let's meet at home okay?" she beamed and for a second, jeongguk almost felt his eyes burning with the brightness of her smile. "y—yes, love"

───────ღೋ ❄ ღೋ───────

a simple act of kindness can be misunderstood.

"what happened?" those were the words that first escaped on jiho's lips the moment she stepped foot on the office as she was welcomed with a drunken taehyung.

a frown and pale skin, by the looks of taehyung, jiho was preparing herself from the worst. jiho knew that it would take a lot to make the man infront talk. "taehyung, tell me what happened. it's not a usual thing that you would call me at a requested day off. i was away for only a day and all i would ever hear when you call is slurring statements"

frown deepening as taehyung hiccuped "i hate you, jiho" brows furrowing, jiho was perplexed. The answer she got was so vague that jiho didn't know what to say. "excuse me?"

"i hate you. i said i hate you! I swear i'm going to sue you! i'm going to sue you for making my heart flutter and feel this pain all at once!" taehyung drunkenly fist on his hair as he rummaged it before immediately passing out on his table. exasperated and disbelieved, jiho couldn't help but card a hand on her hair, the woman thought that this must be just stress overtaking taehyung.

marching towards taehyung's chair, jiho tried to help the man stand as she pulled the man, opting to take him home before everything gets worse. slinging one arm against her shoulder and made kim steady on his feet. "come on, taehyung you need to go home. you're just tired. come on, i'll help you. i'll drive, let's go home"

"h—home? i have . . . no home to return to" cracking. taehyung sadly murmured against jiho's ear as they started to walk, leaving the man's office.

no home?

"i don't have a home. what is home?" the man repeated, resting her forehead on the crook of jiho's neck. the woman tried to ignore the way it felt weird having taehyung this close but she chose to dismiss the thought away.