Daeul - Kwon Hyuk

17

final official chapter

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She herself didn't know what to identify as when it came to Hyuk.

Their vacation in Tahiti had ended a month prior with the New Year following, having spent with each other, friends of course Minji. Daeul was to turn three years-old in two and a half weeks which meant that his grandparents were thinking of him once more.

Standing at the door front with his son in his arms and Hanji by his side, he smiled to the woman next to him before turning his gaze to his parents once more.

"This is Oh Hanji...".

She clenched tightly onto the sleeve of his arm as she smiled tightly at the elder couple in front of her.

They smiled vaguely to her -- a kind of warm yet soft smile that let you know that because they had already accepted her. Whether it was because they were aging by the day or because they knew that their son and grandchild needed someone else in their lives, regardless of whether she was grateful.

Hyuk seemed to have noticed as well since he quickly glanced down to her and smiled before placing a hand on top of hers.

They were certainly more domestic than their son -- insisting on making dinner themselves and ensuring that everyone had food on their plate at all times. Daeul sat between them -- Hanji to his right as always and his dad on his left.

"So Hanji...", Hyuk's older mother began, making the said female tense up a little.

"May I ask what you've studied?"

Hanji cleared her throat and wiped her hands with the napkin on her right before speaking softly.

"Well, I-I actually took history -- c-classical civilizations and monarchies."

"Oh, that's great! History was my favourite in junior high.", Hyuk's father piped in with a wide smile on his face, making Hanji feel a little more relaxed.

"Really! I uh, I actually taught ancient history for a year after I graduated."

"A-Any plans for later on?"

She averted her eyes from the pair and focused on the silverware in front of her, thinking about her recent application to the museum in Manchester which Minji had told her about. She certainly did send them her best essays written in university and her teaching experience.

The one thing she hadn't told Hyuk was that she had been accepted to begin work in England effective in three weeks.

"W-Well I...I've actually been granted a curating position in...in England."

Hearing the scraping of Hyuk's butter knife on his plate mid-way slicing up a piece of broccoli for Daeul, she immediately knew he came to a halt.

Hanji turned her head slightly to find his eyes on her before he quickly ripped them away and continued to feed his son.

"England! S-So then just mainly English history or..?"

"Well perhaps for the most part b-but of course I-I'll get the chance to feature other areas..."

"You know, I had a friend in my second year..."

The voices around her had drifted off as she averted her attention to Hyuk who continued to eat in silence, occasionally turning to Daeul and feeding him some of his own food.

He finally managed to meet her gaze, fixating his eyes on her as they held a kind of sorrow that would linger in her mind for days to come.

~