Book VIII: Unconditionally

Prologue

A year ago...

Sungjae kept still, afraid of waking her up. His eyes were fixed on her while he reminisced how they spent their morning that day at the cafe downstairs. He recalled how giddy and excited Joy was when they walked out to the garden. And how her eyes lit up like a toddler walking into a huge toy store for the first time. She was a huge ball of energy and optimism, which now slept like a baby beside him.

He broke out of his reminiscence when he felt her legs coil around his and her arm draped over his stomach. He chuckled thinking how she looked so at home, yet refuse to actually live in their apartment. I'll take it one day at a time, he thought. If this is what you want, you can have it Sooyoung. And maybe someday you'll see...

He pulled the blanket up to cover them when Joy started mumbling.

"What did you say, baby?" Sungjae asked. He looked at her closely and she continued to mumble nonesense. She's sleep talking again, he thought smiling.

"..but appa I love him..." she trailed off with her aegyo voice.

Sungjae's chest vibrated from his stifled laugh. She sounds like a six-year-old reasoning out with her dad, he thought. Come to think of it, she sounded exactly like the six-year-old me. His thoughts ran away with him and he found himself recollecting a conversation with his grandma.

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"I don't wanna go home yet," the little boy said as he flailed around from his grandma's arms.

The middle-aged woman struggled to keep the boy in her arms. She gently rubbed his back to calm him down. "Sungjae-ah, it's getting dark out. Your eomma made a yummy dinner for you, and she'll be sad if you don't go home to eat it."

"I can eat dinner at So-hyunie's house!" the chubby-cheeked boy argued.

The woman smiled broadly as she carried her grandson on the short walk home. "So-hyun's eomma cooked just for her. There might not be enough for your big tummy."

Desperate to get what he wants, the little boy looked at his grandma with his tiny teary eyes. "But halmeoni...I love her.." he reasoned on the brink of bawling.

His grandma laughed as she set him down in front of their house. She knelt in front of him and wiped his tears with her thumb. "Ah gwiyeopda...uri aegi doesn't know what he's saying."

"I do too! I know what I'm saying, halmeoni. I said I love her." the boy said, not wanting to give up.

"Sungjae-ah, listen to halmeoni. You only say you love someone when you mean it. Love is different from like. You like So-hyun because you have fun playing with her. But halmeoni and your eomma and appa...we love you. Because we want to take care of you and protect you. Can you take care of So-hyun amd protect her?"

"Aniyo! Her eomma will take care of her," he exclaimed in between sniffs.

"I thought so.." his grandma said, kissing his cheek. "Kaja, let's get inside! You can play with So-hyun again tomorrow, but for now..let's go home and eat," she said tousling his hair as they walked through the door.

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He sighed at the recollection of his memory. I miss halmeoni. I should visit her soon, he thought as he made a mental note. Just then, a still sleeping Joy lifted her leg and began to kick the blanket off. As soon as she freed herself from the blanket, her legs curled up to a fetal position and snuggled closer to him.

A smile swept across Sungjae's face. You and your sleeping habits, he thought as he pulled the blanket back up to cover her. He wrapped his arms around her with the need and instinct to protect her from the cold. And that need validated his feelings in that very moment.

"I love you, baby." he whispered, kissing the top of her head. Halmeoni was right, he said to himself.

He looked at her, observing every detail of her face, her hair, her body. She looked so fragile, so peaceful. And that's when realization hit him.

I wanna take care of you and protect you Sooyoung-ah...for the rest of our lives.

Those thoughts lingered until he eventually drifted off to dreamland.

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A/N:

So excited to publish this prologue!
And I can't believe how many have read this saga! Thank you!
I hope you stick around longer to "witness" this whole new phase in their lives.
'Til the next chapter, fam! 😊😙💙