✓ sorry, i love you || hwang hyunjin

[41] epilogue

"Aera, sweetie, could you call down your brother? You know how much he dresses up when he knows that Hyuna will be there," a pretty woman told her daughter from the doorway as she slipped her sandals on. 

Her 4-year-old daughter saluted her playfully. "Yes, ma'am!" She exclaimed before running up the stairs to her brother's room, screaming, "CHANNIE, MOM SAYS YOU HAVE TO HURRY UP!"

The girl's brother— Chan— replied, "I'm coming, give me, like, 2 minutes!" 

"NO!" Aera seemed to have yelled back at her 9-year-old brother. "MOMMY SAYS YOU HAVE TO COME NOW!"

The woman laughed at her children's antics. They're so cute, she thought to herself, smiling at the possibility that her son would date her best friend's daughter. I ship them, she giggled evilly to herself. 

"What's got you laughing, Bae?" The woman's husband asked curiously, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist, his hand resting below her back. 

The woman gave her husband a playful look. "You can't call me that anymore, you know," she told him. "I changed my last name when we got married." 

He laughed, pulling her closer towards himself. "Well, my butterfly, you'll always be Bae to me," he replied cheekily, impressed at his own wit. When his wife opened her mouth to respond, he pressed his lips against her. It didn't matter how many times they kissed; it always felt like the first time him. 

He always felt fireworks explode and butterflies in his stomach. 

"EWWW PDA!" A young boy shrieked, and the man pulled his lips off his wife's unwillingly. "GROSS!"

The boy's father rolled his eyes. "Says the kid who spent, like, 10 hours dressing up to see Hyuna," he retorted.

The boy's cheeks flushed to a scarlet red. "What— I didn't—" He sputtered, unable to justify his actions. 

His mother laughed, pinching his cheeks lightly. "When you date Hyunjin when you're older, I know you'll be just like us, so stop complaining about it now, Channie." 

The boy rolled his eyes, pouting. He knew everyone knew about his little crush, but that didn't make it less embarrassing. "Whatever," he muttered before crouching down to put on his sneakers. 

Once he stood back up, he found himself falling again since his sister jumped onto his back, latching onto his neck. "PIGGYBACK!" She screamed chaotically, and the couple laughed as their son ran a lap around the house before sprinting outside with his sister on his back, both of them squealing with excitement. 

"Shall we go, baby?" The husband asked his wife, offering her his hand. 

She intertwined their fingers together, her wedding ring shining on her ring finger. "Yes, we shall." 

The couple made their way out of their house and into their car, and within minutes, they found themselves at their friend's house. "Now, remember," the man spoke after he parked the car in the driveway, turning around to look his kids in the eye. 

"Don't run away anywhere without telling an adult, and making sure to keep an eye on each other," their son recited as their daughter copied what he said. 

His dad smiled. "Let's have some fun then, yeah?" 

The family got out of their car and made their way to the front door. Before they had to ring the doorbell, the door flew open and a man with child-like energy was standing there. 

"BREAD!" The kid's mother exclaimed, hugging her best friend as he hugged her back. "It's been so long since I've seen you!" 

The younger man laughed. "It hasn't been that long, Bee. We saw each other a few weeks ago." 

Pulling out of the hug, the woman pouted. "Yeah, but he"— she pointed at her husband— "is driving me insane, and I used to see you every day." 

Her husband gave her a back hug as he laughed playfully, "You'll never get rid of me!" 

"Ew, PDA," the woman's best friend commented, and the woman rolled her eyes. 

"Don't act like you and Hana aren't like this." 

"Shut up." 

"Is Hyuna at home?" The woman asked, peering into the seemingly quiet house. 

Her best friend nodded. "Yup, she's in her room." Hearing that, the woman's kids rushed into the house, kicking off their shoes before sprinting up the stairs to the bedrooms. "She said something about 'not wanting to seem desperate' when it came to Chan." 

The trio laughed. "That's what Chan was like at home, too," the woman's husband spoke, and they laughed again. "Are the boys coming over, too?" 

The bread-like boy nodded happily. "Yup! They're coming soon— wait, why are you guys still standing at the door?" He asked, more to himself than the couple. "Come in or Hana will kill me."

The couple grinned before entering their friend's house, closing the door behind them. 

And as the woman walked further into her best friend's house behind her best friend and husband, she smiled to herself. I kept my promise, Chan. I haven't forgotten you or Aera. 

And I never will.