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Aiko & Heeseung
The small nightlight in the corner of the room glowed like a tiny moon, casting soft shadows over the pale pink walls and the blanket clutched in the tiny hands of the three-year-old curled beneath it.
"...and then," Heeseung said, voice low and gentle, "the brave little group gave the monsters their hearts back."
His daughter blinked up at him, wide brown eyes sparkling with sleep and wonder. Her long lashes fluttered as she clung to her stuffed fox, the one Yuna had given her the day she was born.
"They gave them their hearts?" she whispered, her voice high and sleepy.
"Mhm," he nodded, brushing her soft hair back behind her ear. "Because the monsters weren't always bad. They were just people who got sick. But the brave heroes helped them remember who they were inside. And then... the monsters became human again."
She gasped. "Were they happy?"
"The happiest," he said, kissing her forehead. "And they lived in a big city where people and monsters all worked together, side by side. No more fighting. No more sadness. Just peace."
His daughter yawned, snuggling deeper into the covers. "Were the heroes okay?"
Heeseung smiled, heart squeezing at the question. "Yeah, baby. They were more than okay. One of them even became a dad."
She giggled sleepily, eyes finally closing. "Like you?"
"Exactly like me," he whispered, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "And he had a daughter who was just as smart and strong and beautiful as her mama."
No answer.
He looked down and found her fast asleep, breathing soft and even, her tiny fingers still curled around the stuffed fox.
The door creaked softly open behind him. Aiko stepped in, her frame silhouetted by the hallway light. She was wearing one of his old shirts and a sleepy smile.
"Storytime over?" she whispered.
Heeseung nodded, rising slowly from the side of the bed and adjusting the covers over their daughter. "She's out."
They stood together for a moment, watching her — the little miracle that had changed everything. That tiny heartbeat that had once brought her back to life, now full of energy and joy and chaos and curiosity.
Aiko slipped her hand into his. "What story did you tell her?"
"The one," he said, gently tugging her out of the room and pulling the door halfway shut, "just... edited for bedtime."
Aiko raised an eyebrow as they walked down the hallway. "Let me guess — no bioweapons or collapsing buildings?"
"Or near-death experiences," he added.
"Or CPR."
"Or Jake sobbing on the floor."
They both laughed as they slipped into their own bedroom, the sheets soft and cool beneath them. The city outside was quiet. The world was safe.
Heeseung pulled her close as they settled into bed, their legs tangled beneath the blankets.
"You ever think about it?" Aiko asked after a while, her voice quiet in the darkness.
"Every day."
"All we went through. Everything we lost."
Heeseung traced slow circles along her back. "But look at what we have now."
"I know," she whispered, her lips brushing against his chest. "She's everything."
"You both are."
Aiko looked up at him, eyes soft. "You really think she's gonna be the strongest girl in the world?"
"She already is," he said. "She just doesn't know it yet."
They lay like that for a while, in the warmth of the quiet, in the peace that felt hard-earned. No sirens. No blood. No shadows. Just love. Just stillness.
"Hey, Aiko," he murmured.
"Hmm?"
"Do you remember what you said back then? That you didn't want to leave it all behind?"
She nodded.
"You never did," he whispered. "You carried it with you. All of it. And you turned it into something beautiful."
Aiko closed her eyes and smiled. "We did."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, his voice low and full of awe.
"We survived. We found peace."
They fell asleep with arms wrapped around each other, and in the other room, the tiny miracle they created breathed gently, dreaming of heroes and monsters with kind hearts.
And in that quiet home, filled with laughter and healing, there was no more war. No more fear.
