Moonlight: Stars, Eclipses, & Full Moons

Family

Jongin's POV

"Thank you again for helping us with this. As you can see, dad was a bit of a hoarder," Jaeyun said, looking around at all the boxes and totes that had been brought up from the basement. They were full of things that belonged to Jaejoong and Yunho, and even though it had been a few days since their funeral, their kids seemed ready to go through it.

"Of course, it was no trouble," I replied with a quick head shake. "Kyungsoo wanted to be here, but he got caught up at work. Holiday rush."

"No worries, I think we've got plenty of hands. Hyunjoo should be coming by later, too." I nodded and watched him cross his arms over his chest, eyes scanning the living room floor as he let out a gust of air. He was actually a few years older than me as Yunho and Jaejoong's oldest child, so being there with him especiallly felt a little bit like hanging out with an older cousin you never really get to see. But he was very similar to Yunho in that he always went out of his way to make people feel comfortable, so I figured I get over that feeling soon enough. 

"Where should we start? I don't think I even know what's in any of these," Minwoo, their second-born son, said from the couch. 

"Knowing dad, I'm sure there was a method to his madness, but what that method is, I couldn't tell you," Jaeyun said back. "So I say we all just grab a box and start looking through it. If there's anything you want to keep, set it aside. Otherwise, we'll just go according to what they said in their will and donate the rest."

"Aye, aye." Minwoo pulled over the tote closest to him and started to open it. The room was filled with sounds of ripping tape and hints of crunching paper as the rest of us followed suit. 

"Oh my gosh, Soo, look," Jia, their third child and part of their first set of twin daughters, said as she pulled two pairs of ballerina shoes out of a box, a wide smile on her face. "I remember when daddy signed me and Sooyeon up for ballet lessons. He called us the ballerina twins. He wanted us to do everything together."

Sooyeon chuckled from her spot on the floor. "And yet, somehow, we couldn't be more different. Funny how things turn out," she responded, causing Jia to laugh a little before setting both pairs next to her on the couch. 

The box I opened when I sat down in a nearby armchair was mostly full of photo albums. There were a lot in stacked, and figuring those were things they'd want to go through together after I left, I started to push the box aside. But Yoonjae, their youngest son, was sitting cross-legged on the floor beside me and noticed. 

"Ooh, what's in there?" he said, tugging on one of the open flaps in order to move it closer to him. He discovered the answer to his own question when he pulled out one of the albums on top and opened it up. Slowly, a smile started to appear on his face. "Is it really possible that they had photo memories of everything we've ever done? I mean, I don't even remember this recital that I apparently performed in."

Haejoon, the fifth child and third son, was close by so he scooted over to his younger brother. "I remember that. I think that was for some Supermoon celebration or something like that. Your singing was atrocious," he said, and Yoonjae immediately retaliated by shoving him with his shoulder. Haejoon then grabbed another album from the box, opened it, and began flipping through it. "This one is full of baby photos. Of course, in chronological birthing order from the moment we all came out of the womb. You should be glad puberty was kind to you, Jaeyun hyung. You were one ugly-ass newborn."

"Oh, shut up." Haejoon had a small throw pillow tossed at him, but he caught it before it could hit him. 

"Pass me one, too," Jia said with an extended arm and wiggling fingers. Yoonjae reached in and pulled another one out before passing it along to her. She exhaled as she adjusted the way she was sitting on the couch, gently placing the album in her lap and then opening it up. It was mostly quiet for a while afterward, but then she hummed softly. "This one is just of them. Photos from when they were kids, horrible Polaroid selfies from their first date...their mating ceremony." Her existing smile widened, and her eyes turned glossy. "Dad certainly was good at preserving the past. Do you think daddy knew he made this?"