don't get ahead of yourself.
don't run too fast.
if you do, you'll regret not taking the time to look at the things around you.
time is precious.
so treat it with care
because you'll never know when the day comes where you'll look back and think, "oh, how i wish i did this."
appreciate the present.
the future will come on its own.
so laundry boy.
let me ask you this one thing.
if you could go back, what would you change?
♡
"daddy, why do only you have this long line on your chest?" bora asked, his small finger running along his father's scar. he was being carried by him while he finished showering, brushing his teeth now.
jungwon chuckled, pulling out the tooth bruh to answer bora's question for a moment. "well... when you were born, my love for you was far too great that my heart bursted out of my chest." he lied, completely fooling the child as he continued to brush his teeth, spitting out the mouthful then throwing water onto his face.
bora furrowed his brows when he put his ear against his dad's chest. he frowned when he heard it beating. "it's still there! you're a liar." he hit him on the chest.
jungwon pretended to grunt as if his son's hit was painful, "ow! okay okay... i'll tell you the truth, bora." he grinned, kissing his son on the forehead.
"don't call me bora!" he sulked, "i hate it."
jungwon tilted his head, "why? do you like rah-ben better?"
bora nodded, "yeah... they say bora is a girl's name." the child pouts, recalling his classmate's comments on his given first name.
"name's shouldn't be gendered. don't listen to them. you have a beautiful name with deep meaning, but whatever you prefer being called, i'll go ahead and call you that. okay?" jungwon kisses bora on the cheek before setting him down on the counter sink.
bora looked up at his dad and pondered for a moment. "what deep meaning, 'pa?"
jungwon stared back at bora for a long moment. he scanned the features that resembled bora's mother, jungwon's first love, and the features that his son got from him. he smiled, remembering the first time he finally saw him, the warmth he felt what he held his child for the first time.
maybe he didn't smell like it literally, but he knew that baby had the nostalgic scent that he smelt when hugging hisano on that day. the day he pulled her back and told her those sweet words that tied their strings together permanently.
he smelt like the water they bathed in together for the first time, the first time they embraced each other so tenderly.
jungwon's thoughts went back to the day he saw her coming into their shop. the garden shop they had built together over the years before their child was born.
in the garden shop
the sounds of the door chimes as she entered the shop, holding a bag of what seemed to be soil. she looked exactly how she did that day he collided with her on that bridge, but instead they were in a different location.
he looked at her in awe, staring at her with all that he could for a long, long minute. he let go of the tool he had in his hand and went to the front of the counter without taking his eyes off her. he didn't even realize she was trying to speak to him as he stood in front of whatever he was previously doing.
