a better life // hwang hyunjin ✔️

chapter seventeen

celebrate even the smallest victories

"do you want to do the park or the arcade this year?" seulgi questions daehyun, relentlessly typing information into her phone.

"i don't know, mom." he tells her, unsure of which place he'd rather celebrate his ninth birthday at.

"okay... well we really need to figure this out, baby. how many people do you plan to invite? will it be more than last year?" she asks him urgently. hyunjin watching the scene unfold with furrowed eyebrows.

"i still don't know... my birthday is still a month away." he says shyly, feeling bad for not having many answers for her.

"i know, but planning takes time, we go through this every single year daehyun, i wish you would just-"

"okay... why don't we go take a walk, seulgi? give daehyun some time to think about it, and we'll come back to it tonight." hyunjin buds in, not liking the way she seemed to slowly get more agitated. seulgi takes a deep breath.

"yeah... okay..." she replies, walking away from the two boys.

"dad died nine years ago today." daehyun speaks up, gaining hyunjin's attention. "she gets like this every year."

"oh..."

"will she be okay?" he suddenly asks, he really thought she would be better by now, but it seems like she never will.

"she's strong." hyunjin nods, ruffling the boys hair. hyunjin knew daehyun knew a lot more than he let on, he was a smart kid, and he was only getting smarter with time. he could tell daehyun would grow into a strong young man, and he'll be able to take care of his mom.

"i just wish she wasn't so sad all the time..." he pouts.

"well... how would you feel if... say minho just left one day, and you never saw him again?" hyunjin questions, in hopes he could get the boy to understand how his mom feels.

"i would be really sad, and i would have a lot of questions." he nods.

"that's how your mom feels. she never got to say goodbye to him, and she has a lot of unanswered questions. she'll get better, but anniversaries are always hard."

"i guess that makes sense." he frowns.

"so we just gotta make sure we're extra good to her." hyunjin adds.

three weeks later...

"i have no idea what to get him. he used to be so happy to get toys, but now he's in this weird stage where he doesn't really play with his toys that much anymore. and he's too young to just get clothes or socks, i mean, what do you buy a nine year old boy?" seulgi rants, flipping through a magazine of gift ideas as hyunjin chuckles at her.

"when i was nine, my parents got me a dog."

"i don't think i can handle a dog right now." she shakes her head.

"a cat?"

"aren't you allergic to those?" she asks, causing hyunjin to laugh a little more.