ENCHANTED

22

A few days passed with you trying to blend in with the Jeons again. The weekend arrived again after the hustle of the week and the kids got a break from the regular school schedule. Although they were quite well at keeping up with it you were saddened by the academic pressure put up on these children at such a tender age. Yejun was already writing sentences while Ria was already learning long divisions. You discussed it with Jungkook but he said that they were used to it. Dahyun never really did very well at school that's why she'd always wanted for her children to go to a reputed school. Well these decisions were to be made by him, the parent.

You had been reading until 1 at night when right before going to sleep in your bedroom you decided to peek into the children's bedrooms. Yejun was sleeping peacefully on his tummy just like Jungkook sleeps. Sometimes you are in awe how alike they actually are.

When you open the door of Ria's room you and her are both left startled. She was sitting on her bed with the lamp on. Her knees curled up to her chest she was crying with her head resting on her folded arms.

"Ria..." you tried your best to keep yourself calm and not act out.

She looked at you and cried audibly as you hugged her.

"What happened honey... You can tell me. Is something wrong?" You asked her but she shook her head.

"Is something wrong at school? Are you not feeling well? I'm here to listen to you..." you hugged her holding her close to your chest as her tears drenched your t-shirt. She wrapped her arms around you hesitantly.

"I miss mom. I feel alone." You look at her as a knot tightens in your chest.

"Me and mom... We were best friends. And now I'm all alone..." she says trying to control her sobs and wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"My sweet little girl... you're not alone... don't think so... I'm here.. I can't speak for anyone else but I'm right here for you. Okay?" You tell her as she looks down at the bed.

"You and dad and Yejun are there but sometimes I miss her."

"We all miss her. You know when me and Dahyun were little even before until her marriage we used to fight a lot. She always tried to trouble me and I always used to tease her. I used to think I would never miss her if she moves away but then when she actually went away and I was all alone. I missed her so much. There was no one around to tell all the fun stuff. And then I got married and we got distant we missed each other but we didn't see each other or talk anymore. Even if I couldn't meet her that didn't mean I didn't miss her."

"Was mom a mischievous child?"

"Don't even ask me. There was this lake house we used to go to every summer and she always used to try and drown me and then your grandma used to beat us so much when we both fought with each other in between the water." Ria giggled listening to your story. You sit beside her on the bed.

"Aunty... can you sleep here tonight?"
She asks when you make her lie down on her bed still telling her funny stories. Some made up and some true.

"Sure we can have a girly sleepover" You say trying to excite her while cuddling beside her on the bed. She wraps her arm around your body as she starts to get sleepy after a while. You hold her close too so that she doesn't feels like you don't like it. There's something about the peaceful sleeping face of the innocent child that gets you weak in your heart. You look at her and think if you had one of your own like this it would've been so different.

In the morning you get up to check Jungkook who hadn't got out of his room. When you knocked his door he asked you to come inside and as you entered you saw he was lying on the bed with his laptop open.

"What are you watching this early in the morning?" You frown at him before going ahead to sit beside him. He was watching old baby videos of Ria and Yejun with Dahyun present in most of them.

"That's Yejun... oh my god.. how old is he in this?" You ask when you watch a video of him sleeping on Dahyun's chest.

"Like a week old... let me show you something funny..." Jungkook says going back to the file directory to open a new video. He has them all arranged by months and years of age and the children's initials. He goes to Y-2months and a video starts with Dahyun's voice in the background.

"I was changing Yejun's diaper for the first time and Dahyun just last minute recorded this. She had just come out of the shower and was literally like just in a towel on. This was such a precious time..." he tells you as you watch with full attention.

"And he peed on me as soon as I removed the diaper. Dahyun had so much practice that she could do it in seconds and rarely got peed on. She cried because she laughed so much that her stomach started hurting." Jungkook's eyes clearly radiated how much he had come to love her and was happy at that moment.

"Even though its hard infant phase is beautiful right?" You ask him when he smiles at you slightly. "It's the most precious blessed time. Look at them now they're all grown up."

"They are far from grown up Jungkook" you chuckle.

"Only if you'd seen how little they were" he said pursing his lips together.

"Let me show you one more. I didn't really used to get to spend that much time with Ria. Me and Dahyun weren't that close so it was kinda awkward. Here I fought her about putting Ria to sleep but she was stubborn on the fact that she wouldn't sleep unless she feeds from her breast. But I said I would do it..." You look at Jungkook holding infant Ria who is crying on the top of her lungs while Jungkook keeps asking Dahyun to hold the phone.

"You just hold it and watch how I'll make her sleep. Tape it for the record." He tells her confidently holding the baby wrapped into a bundle with a cloth.

He walks around but she keeps crying. "It's not happening" Dahyun says from the back and the focus of the camera moves indicating she might have tried to take Ria from him. "Have you tried this?" Jungkook walks away and sits on the exercise ball and slowly moves on it while looking at Ria who starts to calm down. He turns his face with a proud grin on as he eventually stands up and puts her in the bassinet.

"That was so cute" you tell him when he gets teary eyed. He misses her still. After living together for eight years they'd become like a habit to each other he just couldn't do away with her even if he wanted to.

"Jungkook...." you say his name lightly.

"I never really thought that I would ever have to live without her in this life. I had accepted her out of a lack of other options. We thought we were like bound to each other for life and we accepted that fate. Sometimes I still feel like she's there. Maybe just cooking in the kitchen or sitting in the balcony. It's been months and I still can't just move on..." he says although he manages to control his tears.

"Can you go outside? I'll be there in a while." He requested when you left the room. You'd started to feel a connection towards him in the time that you all spent together but you felt so wrong about it as he was still grieving.

"Ria you are awake already?" You walk to the dining table where Ria is sitting after she brushed her teeth and combed her hair. They were quiet disciplined and stuck to their routines even on weekends most of the time. You never had to worry about them sleeping until late and ruining their sleep schedule.

"You wanna help me in the kitchen? Come on let's make some sandwiches" she jumps from her seat and walks over to you where she stands on a stool and helps you happily. You wanted to do everything to not let her feel alone, to let her know she would always find a friend in you.

Although there's a plot twist coming just asking you guys if there's anything you want. I just want to write this story with a reader oriented approach. ♡