Fate and Destiny

THIRTY FOUR

After Sungjae called his parents to tell them that they will be staying the night at his Sungjin hyung's former home, he, Joy and Youngjae spent the rest of the day in the small house.  Youngjae told him stories of when they were still living in the house so vividly that Sungjae could practically picture what his hyung's life was like in Jeju.  They didn't want to bother Yerin or her mother for dinner so Sungjae and Joy agreed to call for delivery but Mrs. Jung came by to bring them dinner before they could make the call.  She earlier made a brief visit when she came back from manning their store, fussing over Joy and Youngjae and gushing at how handsome Sungjae was.  After Youngjae fell asleep around 10:00PM, Joy and Sungjae went out to sit at the swing in the small garden.  "I'm glad they didn't take this down," Joy said, referring to the swing.  "I can't believe hyung made this himself," Sungjae said, running his hand on the swing.  "Unnie had a hard time sleeping at night because that's when Jaejae's active inside her tummy, so Sungjin oppa made this swing so she and the baby can relax," she explained.  "Apparently, Jaejae is a hyper kid even when he was still in unnie's womb," Joy chuckled.  "I can see the appeal why hyung liked living here. It's so peaceful that it gives you a new perspective on things," Sungjae remarked.  "That's true. I always feel re-charged after vacationing here," Joy admitted.  "Do you often visit here?" he asked Joy.  "Not as often as I want. But I made sure to spend every school break here, as well as Christmas and New Year," she replied.  "Too busy with school?" Sungjae prodded.  Or too busy dating? he added to himself.  "That. And the fare is a little expensive, at least for me. So I need to save up first. Oppa and unnie would sometimes send me fare money, but I feel uncomfortable accepting it, knowing that they have just enough," Joy explained.  "I envy you. You got to spend time with them here," Sungjae lamented.  "If I had known before that they lived here, I would've probably dragged you here with me every chance I got," Sungjae added with a laugh.  "You most probably would," Joy agreed.  "Well, at least I know he was happy," Sungjae said seriously.  "Very. Sungjin oppa's only regret was that he never got to introduce unnie and Jaejae to all of you. He wanted to but he didn't want to take the risk of them getting hurt by your family's possible rejection. Oppa wasn't sure back then if abeonim has already forgiven him for leaving. But unnie has been urging him to make amends with your family. She told him that it doesn't matter if you accept them or not, but it's only right for you to know about them. Or about Jaejae, at least. Unfortunately, oppa never got around to doing that," Joy told him.  "I guess he made up for it when we found you and Jaejae," Sungjae said.  "Eomma's friends think it was fate that you became friends with Irene noona who happens to be Minhyuk hyung's cousin who happens to be my friend. But we'd like to believe that it was hyung who made a way for our paths to cross," he elaborated.  "Weird, huh?" he chuckled.  "No. Not at all. That's what Jaejae and I think, too," Joy said.  "Jaejae said his eomma and appa are among the stars and watching over us. And it was them who guided us towards each other and made it our destiny to meet," Joy said with a smile.  Sungjae returned her smile, before they both turned to look up at the stars.  "I wish I could have met Sohee noona. She sounds like a wonderful person," Sungjae lamented, tilting his head to look at Joy.  "Oh, she is. She's the best unnie one can ever have. You would've loved her. She would probably have dotted on you," Joy agreed.  "I've always wanted a noona," Sungjae remarked.  "I'll be your noona," Joy volunteered, playfully nudging Sungjae.  "Pssh! I'm a year older than you," Sungjae reminded her, lightly flicking her forehead.  Looking back to the sky, Sungjae let out a contented sigh.  "Wow! That is one beautiful sky. So many stars are out," he commented.  "Just one of the reasons I love staying here. You can't get this view in the city," Joy told him.  They stayed out for a while, enjoying the peace and quiet, before deciding to go in to sleep.  Not wanting to be too much of an inconvenience for Yerin and her family, they agreed to use just one room for the night.  Joy laid down on the bed beside Youngjae while Sungjae slept on the floor on the other side of Youngjae.  A thick comforter with a blanket and a couple of pillows was spread out for him.  "Goodnight, Sooyoung," Sungjae said.  "Goodnight, oppa," Joy replied.

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Yerin and her parents saw Sungjae, Joy and Youngjae off when they left early the following morning.  Sungjae tried to pay for their overnight stay but Mr. and Mrs. Jung refused.  They said seeing Joy and Youngjae again after a long time was more than enough.  Knowing that the older Jungs wouldn't budge, Joy told Sungjae to just leave the matter alone.  "I know her account number anyway, so you can just send the money," she whispered to him.  "Okay," Sungjae whispered back.  Joy and Yerin promised to keep in touch with each other, while Sungjae promised the Jungs that they will come back to visit again.  As soon as the trio returned to the hotel, Sungjae wired the money to Mrs. Jung's account.  He sent the cost for the overnight stay and added a little more to compensate for the food and any inconvenience they caused.  Immediately after receiving a notification of the money transfer, Mrs. Jung called Joy, wanting to refund the payment.  Mrs. Jung said it was too much but Sungjae refused and told her that the amount was nothing compared to the happiness he felt upon seeing and sleeping at the house where his hyung lived and started a family.  When Mrs. Jung insisted, Joy threatened her that she will never talk to them again if she returned the money, leaving Mrs. Jung with no choice but to accept it.  After the phone call, Sungjae, Joy and Youngjae prepared to meet with the older Yooks for breakfast before going out.  For the next few days, they spent their time sight-seeing.  At one time, Mr. Yook and Sungjae went fishing and brought Youngjae with them to teach him while Mrs. Yook and Joy went around the market to buy authentic Jeju food delicacies.  On their last night, they joined the other hotel guests in the New Year countdown.  Everyone cheered as the clock struck midnight.  Mr. Yook and Mrs. Yook exchanged kisses, before hugging Sungjae, Joy and Youngjae.  Youngjae kissed the four of them.  "Happy New Year, Sooyoung," Sungjae said before giving her a light hug.  "Happy New Year, oppa," Joy replied.  Mr. and Mrs. Yook exchanged delighted looks as they watch the two share a quick embrace, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.

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As the new year ushers in, Sungjae, Joy and Youngjae celebrated other occasions and holidays together.  During Youngjae's spring break in February, Sungjae fulfilled his promise and brought him and Joy to the US to visit Jaden and Jaxon.  Peniel, Yeri, Ilhoon, Irene, Minhyuk and Wendy also went with them, as well as Eunkwang and Hyolyn who brought Yoona along.  Hyunsik and Seulgi left ahead of the group to attend a seminar in Los Angeles and met with the group afterwards.  Chorong has just given birth earlier that month so she and Changsub couldn't go, but their friends bought a lot of gifts for the couple and the new baby.

Through out their trip, the women noticed a change in Peniel and Yeri.  The two had always been close since Peniel helped Yeri with her photography but now there seems to be a hint of intimacy and they could see how Peniel is more attentive to Yeri more than before.  When Peniel invited his parents out to dinner to meet Yeri, the spark of suspicion turned into a flame.  As soon as Yeri left their hotel room after Peniel picked her up, Irene turned to the other women.  "First, his sister and her family. Now, his parents. Oh, there is definitely something going on," Irene said.  "Definitely. I mean, you all saw how Peniel persuaded Yeri to go on this trip," Wendy added.  "More like demanded, you mean," Seulgi corrected.  "So, should we ask Yeri about it or do we wait for her to tell us?" Joy asked her unnie-deul.  "We ask," Hyolyn said firmly.

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The women got their chance to question Yeri when, during their trip to Disneyland Resort, the men went on one of the rides with the children while the women opted to skip the ride.  Sitting in a cafe inside the resort park, her unnie-deul started grilling Yeri as they sipped their iced coffees.  "So Yeri, is there anything you want to tell us?" Irene began.  "Is there anything I should tell you?" Yeri asked nervously.  "Don't get smart with us, missy," Wendy warned her.  "I'm not," Yeri denied, looking warily at her unnies who just stared at her.  "Does anyone want something to eat? I can go order for us," she offered when her unnies just kept staring at her.  "You're stalling, Yeri," Seulgi remarked.  "Yes, I am," Yeri admitted.  "We've been observing you since our get together on Christmas Day so we know that you and Peniel are now officially a couple. What we want to know is when exactly and how," Joy told her.  "Well..." Yeri started to say when Hyolyn interrupted her.  "Wait. Let me call Chorong. She also wants to know," Hyolyn said, dialing her phone and putting it on speaker.  "Is she going to spill the beans now?" Chorong promptly asked as soon as she answered the call.  "Yes, she is," they all confirmed before turning back to Yeri.