Beautiful Broken Things

Epilogue

EIGHT YEARS LATER

"Don't run!" I tried to follow my son, who running through the graveyard too quickly. From where I was standing, still on the path, only his black hair was visible as he laughed and started between the gravestones.

Sighing, I looked at Chanyeol. He nodded, jogging off after him. "Come on, don't run from your dad!" My son laughed even louder as Chanyeol caught him, picking him up and tickling him. "Daddy, stop it!" He waved his arms and legs wildly, but he was no match for Chanyeol. Still holding him, he made his way over to me and put our son back down on his feet and took his hand. "They're waiting for us, you know. We can't play yet."

The boy's eyes sparkled. "Uncle Kyungsoo, Jongdae and Minseok?" I nodded, smiling. The fact that he could even remember his "uncles" was impressive, as he hadn't seen them in almost two years. We were unable to make it for the gathering at Jongin's grave because our flight from the US was cancelled. But as of now, we'd moved back to Korea.

The graveyard looked just like it had every other time I'd been here this time of year. Green, massive trees. A few people walking amongst the graves on either side of the main path. Flowers were planted in front of each one, along with the occasional light. My son disliked walking here in the start, but the year he turned three, which was the last time we'd been here, it seemed like he got over it. He was now four years old, turning five next week. Giving birth to him had taken hours, but seeing him now made it worth it.

"Look, there they are!" Chanyeol exclaimed, pointing at the six men by the stone. I let out a small sigh, looking with quiet joy at the three other people standing there. Junmyeon, Sehun and Yixing. They'd finally come. Sure, they had been people I hated in the beginning, but after they started to come to birthdays and Christmas dinners hosted by Chanyeol and myself, I'd started to view them like family. "Want to run to them?" My son nodded, and together, Chanyeol and him sprinted as quickly as the latter's small legs could to them.

I rubbed my swelling stomach, speeding up as much as my state could allow. I was pretty far into my second pregnancy, so it was like having a rock taped to me.

All eight smiled wide at me as they saw me. Before I could say anything, the youngest of us declared proudly "I'm going to have a sister!" His hands were firmly placed on his hips, like he had just climbed a mountain and was standing on the top.

Jongdae clapped wildly, Minseok smiled one of his signature smiles, and Kyungsoo gave me a small, timid gace. Sehun, Junmyeon and Yixing all congratulated us. I knew that Junmyeon was married and that Yixing had a girlfriend, so it was likely that they'd get children soon.

"It's so nice too see you all again!" Minseok exclaimed after a brief silence. We all agreed, nodding and smiling. It was so strange, but I still loved being amongst them. They were my friends. My only friends. After I told my parents that I'd gotten engaged with Chanyeol a year before my son was born, they'd disowned me. Things were getting better now, but it was quite tense between us.

Kyungsoo crouched down, looking at the small boy who was busy talking to his father. When he noticed how Kyungsoo was looking at him, he raised an eyebrow. "You've really grown up, you know." He bowed, smiling wide. He loved whenever anyone complimented him. "Thank you!" My son had inherited my eyes and skin, and Chanyeol' hair and laugh. His father's ears, too.

"How old are you now, Jongin?"

"I'm four!" Jongin said, holding up four of his fingers.

It had been a silent wish to name our son after Jongin. He'd saved us both, it was only fair. Even Kyungsoo has supported our decision, as long as we told him about who he was named after. If not, we might not have brought him to the grave so much.

"I see. You're a big boy." He ruffled Jongin's hair, standing up again. "What are you naming this little one, then?" Without asking -because he knew I'd give him permission anyway- Kyungsoo touched my stomach. Like me, he could feel her small kicks. "I think we're naming her Mina, but it's not certain yet."

"Minseok~" Jongdae whined, pulling at his arm. "Can't we have kids too? Please?" Minseok's cheeks turned red as he looked at Jongdae. "Uh..."

I covered my mouth, laughing. Chanyeol looked excited. "Why not?" he asked, in unison with Yixing. "It wouldn't be OUR child. Only one of us can have it." Jongdae answered by kissing him right on the lips. "It would always be ours."

"N'awwww...." Sehun whispered, batting his eyelashes while squeezing his hands together close to his chin. He was actually quite the romantic.

I could tell Kyungsoo was getting sad at the talk of children and partners, so I tapped his shoulder. "Kyungsoo, we were wondering if you wanted to be Mina's godfather." Chanyeol looked at me quickly, as this was never something that we'd talked about, but he seemed to think it was a good idea. He nodded at me. I instantly started regretting asking, in case he said no. But Kyungsoo instantly grew happier, his eyes widened and his lips made an o. "O-oh! Yes, I'd love to!" He leaned forward, hugging me.

These gatherings were always like this. We didn't really talk about Jongin that much, we just...talked as if he was still here. Like all of us were meeting up at his house, if you could imagine that. It was freeing. It filled that Jongin-shaped hole in my heart that not my own son, who had the same name as him, could fill.

As we left to go to a local café, I noticed that my son was staring at the gravestone. "Two seconds." I said to the others, walking back to retrieve him. "Come on, sweetie."

Jongin didn't answer at first, just continued staring at the grey rock. "Mommy, why did Uncle Jongin die?"

I bit my lip, wondering if my son should know the truth. We'd avoided the question since he could talk. But he was older now. He could handle it.

"Well..." I crouched down, taking his hand. "You know that Jongin was a friend of mom and dad, right?"

He nodded.

"He used to work at dad's business."

My son knew quite well what his dad did for a living, and looked down at his feet. "Oh."

"The day mom and dad met again, there was a bad man who'd betrayed dad, since he worked for him. He tried to shoot mom so he could leave, but...Jongin saved us both." I let out a shaky sigh, smiling. "You wouldn't have been born without Jongin giving his life so we could live."

My son's eyes widened. "So Uncle Jongin was a hero?"

I nodded, touching the words written on the stone with thoughts churching in my head. "He was."

"But what happened to the bad man? I can be a hero like Uncle Jongin and find him!"

"He's dead. Dad shot him."

Jongin didn't seem phased at all. He knew his dad had killed before, and since Baekhyun killed his hero, he was more happy than anything else. "Okay!" he sung, looking at me. "Can I get ice cream at the café?"

I laughed. "Of course!"

Before we turned away, I eyed the gravestone one more time.

Kim Jongin
"Make Memories You Know You Will Never Forget."

Thanks to Jongin, I'd made those memories. If I hadn't gone back, and he hadn't been there, I'd never have found out what happened in the Extraterrestrial. I would never have met Minseok. Jongdae would never have become my friend like he was now. Most importantly, I wouldn't have become Chanyeol's girlfriend again and little Jongin, happily bouncing up and down on the path in front of me, would never have been born.

"I'll see you next year."

YES. OH MY LORD BAEKHYUN, YES. I'm done! I'm actually done! This has been such an emotional rollercoaster to write, you have no idea. I feel like this story was more about the main character and multiple friendships she had more than the Chanyeol X Reader ship, but I think that's fine.

So that's it for Beautiful Broken things!

Yours truly,
bodacious baekon. <3