✔ Caffeine || CHOI SOOBIN FF

𝔼𝕡𝕚𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕦𝕖 𝟙

~quite a long one~

-Start of Epilogue 1-

The car hums softly as it glides down the sunlit road, the faint melody of a love song playing on the radio. The world outside is a blur of green fields and blue skies, a postcard-perfect day that seems almost too good to be true. 

I rest my elbow against the window, the warmth of the sunlight kissing my skin, and glance to my left.

Soobin is at the wheel, one hand draped casually on the steering wheel, the other intertwined with mine. His profile is serene, the golden light catching the soft lines of his face and the small, content smile tugging at his pouty lips. 

He hums along to the music, his voice low and soothing, and I feel my heart swell in a way that it still does—every single time I look at him.

I could stay in this moment forever.

But of course, peace is a luxury we don't have for long.

A loud thump followed by a shrill scream breaks through the calm. My head snaps to the rearview mirror, and I narrow my eyes. 

"Choi Sohee!" I shout, my voice cutting through the commotion. "Stop hitting your brother!"

"But he started it!" Sohee yells back, crossing her tiny arms and pouting, her face a picture of fiery defiance.

"I did not mommy!" the little boy sitting on the other side retorts, retorts, rapidly shaking his head in mock innocence while sneakily stuffing a handful of her snacks into his mouth.

"And you, Choi Sohyun!" I swivel to glare at him. "Stop stealing your sister's food! You've got your own!"

The chaos doesn't let up, and I let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. 

"Beomgyu!" I bark, directing my frustration at the grown man sitting crammed in the middle of the back seat, who's clearly trying his best to ignore the madness by staring out the window.

Beomgyu turns slowly, a sheepish grin on his face. "What?"

"You're an adult!" I exclaim. "Can't you control them for five minutes?"

He shrugs dramatically. "They don't listen to me! I'm the fun uncle, remember? Not the babysitter."

Soobin snorts beside me, trying—and failing—to suppress a laugh. "You're handling it great, Y/N." he teases, throwing me a quick grin.

I roll my eyes but can't fight the smile creeping onto my face. 

It's quiet for all of five seconds before the back seat erupts again, the kids launching into a fresh round of bickering. Sohee is now loudly accusing Sohyun of eating too loudly, and Sohyun counters by poking her arm repeatedly, chanting, "I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you!"

Even Beomgyu, who was supposedly the adult in the back seat, decides to join in. "Sohee, you are kind of loud, though" he adds, sticking his tongue out at her, which only escalates things.

I let out a long, drawn-out sigh, leaning my head back against the seat. "I can't" I mutter under my breath. "I don't have the energy for this."

"Same" Soobin quips, his voice tinged with amusement as he watches the drama unfold in the rearview mirror.

"Did the others reach already?" I ask, changing the subject and letting the chaos run its course.