a better life // hwang hyunjin ✔️

chapter twenty-five

epilogue - the end is never the end

happy new year everyone, thank you for ringing in the new year with me! i hope you guys enjoy this chapter!!

seven years later...

"i'm home." daehyun calls, throwing his car keys on the table along with his backpack. "hey uncle seungmin, hey dongwoo." he greets, pulling his little brother into a hug.

"dude, you're blocking the game! i was beating him!" seungmin yells, daehyun playfully rolling his eyes.

"for someone who 'doesn't like kids', you sure do like kids." daehyun teases.

"shut up." seungmin rolls his eyes.

"i missed you!" dongwoo shouts. daehyun chuckles.

"you saw me this morning. where's mom?" he asks.

"in the kitchen with dad." dongwoo answers. he nods, patting him on the back before making his way to the kitchen.

"hey, baby. how was school?" seulgi asks, seeing her son walk into the room. hyunjin busy chopping away at some random vegetables.

"it was good." he nods, eyes darting over to hyunjin. "dad, could i bring a friend over?" he questions, instantly gaining hyunjin's attention from the vegetables he was cutting up.

"just a friend?" seulgi asks, wiggling her eyebrows at daehyun. he rolls his eyes.

"yes, mom, just a friend." he chuckles.

"w-what?" hyunjin stutters.

"he asked to bring a friend over." seulgi tells him, eyeing him weirdly at his reaction.

"no." he shakes his head.

"what? why not?" seulgi questions, placing her hands on her hips.

"n-no, not that..." he trails off, eyes wide.

"what? are you okay?" she asks, waving a hand in front of his face.

"he... he called me dad..." hyunjin states, voice shaky.

"he what? did you?" seulgi questions daehyun, not even noticing.

"u-um yeah... i did. i just... if it makes you uncomfortable i don't-" hyunjin cuts him off.

"no! no, daehyun... it's... it's okay, i just... wasn't expecting it..." hyunjin starts to smile widely, seulgi watching the scene unfold in awe.

"o-okay then... dad." daehyun smiling back. hyunjin walks around the kitchen island to pull him into a hug. daehyun chuckling as he hugs him back. seulgi couldn't stop the tears from falling as she watched the scene unfold. "are you okay, mom?" daehyun asks upon seeing the tears staining her cheeks.

"i just love you guys so much." she says with a smile. the two boys look at each other before walking over to pull her into a bone-crushing hug between the two of them. daehyun now much taller than seulgi, being just below hyunjin's height.

"we love you too." they say in unison, hyunjin reaching over to ruffle daehyun's hair. a habit they never grew out of, especially as he started to embrace the curliness of it. wanting to love the hair that was given to him by his dad. of course, the action now annoyed the moody teenager. seulgi was right, he looked strikingly similar to chan, especially now being the same age he was when he passed.