The Art of Saying 'Why Not'

五 | five

The following morning, Yecheol woke up to a single notification on her cell phone.

정호석 : good morning, I'll see you at 12 ;)

She was excited. Her conversation with Hoseok was still fresh in her head. Last night seemed so perfect, so nice. All she could think about was the thought of seeing Hoseok again, and the sole thought of him made her heart full.

강예철 : can't wait :)

-

"Long time no see." Hoseok said as Yecheol opened the door.

"It's only been a few hours." She laughed, welcoming him inside. He turned to her and kissed her temple.

"That's long enough to miss you." He retorted. "I hope you're as nervous as I am, it'd take a lot of pressure off of me." He laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm probably just as nervous, if not more." She said honestly. Her mind was swirling with different outcomes and possibilities of what the day might hold. In her heart, she knew today might be the day they finally put a label on their relationship. 'I don't know if this is good timing or not, but I would really like to know how you feel about making this official.' It had replayed in her head countless times.

Hoseok was a kindhearted and loving person. She admired how much he prioritized his son, how everything he did had an incredible balance she watched her mother deal with from a young age. It awed her how much he worked towards being the best dad he could be to his son. Yecheol had always wanted kids, since she was young, she had dreamt of motherhood. Unfortunately, she was unable to live out that dream, she had gotten an emergency hysterectomy about three years prior.

"Where's Huimang?" She asked once the two had taken off.

"He's with my parents. I thought he'd be with us today, but my mom called asking to see him." Hoseok said, looking over to his right side where Yecheol walked beside him.

"Are you gonna tell me what we're doing, or will I have to just wait and see?"

"You wanna know?"

"Yes please."

"I can't give you too many details because I don't want to ruin the surprise. But it is a very special place that I'm sure you'll love."

"Hmm, are you sure you can't tell me anything else?"

"Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." He said, placing a kiss on her head. "Huimang gave me the idea. So, if that helps at all." He laughed.

"Oh, that means we're either going to the planet where the dinosaurs live or we're going underwater with all the mer-people." She joked lightly.

"Ah, looks like there's no more surprise." Hoseok went along. He threw his arm over her shoulder as they continued down to his car. Huimi had told him about how Yecheol loved to tend the garden at the daycare, so much so that she didn't let Taehyung go near it unless he was taking the kids there to play. So, Hoseok decided on taking her to a park that had a beautiful garden with a small lake and enormous trees. It truly was a beautiful place. He had gone once with Huimang a few months after he was born. They made it a bit of a tradition to go at least a few times every now and then. It was a special place for them, and it was a bold move for Hoseok to take her there given how meaningful it was. But it felt right. He replayed in his head what she had said about her mom a while back, "She moved on pretty fast, but she said that it was because of me. She didn't want me to grow up without a dad or father figure. So, when she found someone she felt was right, she went for it."  Yecheol felt right. In fact, she felt absolutely perfect.