seventeen after

33

A seven-year-old Hanbyeol skidded to a stop in the kitchen, smiling brightly at her mother, as she was ready to tell her all about the day she had at school. Her first day of first grade, to be exact. "Mommy, guess what?" She shouts, walking over to the bar stools, that she always had trouble climbing up with her small, first grader body.

"What's up, Riles?" Boyeong asks, leaning on the counter to face her troubled child climbing up the bar stool. After awhile, her daughter finally faced her as she sat on the chair. "How was your first day of school?"

"It was amazing!" Hanbyeol explains, widening her arms for emphasis. "I met this really nice boy in my class, and he even helped me with my work! We had to work on a 'Get To Know Us' page, and we got to know each other with that! He's really nice, mommy!"

Boyeong smiled at her child, thinking back to a conversation she had with her husband a few nights ago. They made a bet, Vernon betting that their daughter's first friend would be a girl. Boyeong betting that Hanbyeol's first friend would be a guy, seeing as she's hung out with guys most of her life. "That's great, sweetheart. What's his name?"

"Mingi!" The little girl answers, nodding quickly.

Boyeong's eyes fill with memories from her past, remembering the the boy she knew as Mingi. "Mingi, huh?" She questions, smiling at the memories. She watches her daughter nod again, questioning her mother's facial change. "I'm sure Mingi will be a good friend to you."

Hanbyeol smiles once more, "I hope so! He's really nice." She states, her eyes then flashing with realization. "Daddy!" She shouts, hopping off of the chair and running towards the stairs.

Vernon, who had heard that his daughter had already gotten home, was heading down the stairs; just to see his little girl running up towards him. He opens his arms, letting the girl run into them. He picked her up, letting their eyes meet, level-to-level. "I heard my baby girl made a new friend?"

Said girl nods quickly, humming slightly. "His name is Mingi, and he's super nice to me, and we get along so well," she blabbers, smiling at her dad.

"Why don't you invite him over one day so we can meet him, baby girl?" He questions, watching her face light up even more. She nods quickly, making him smile.

Another figure walks into the house, making his way to the couch. He throws his backpack somewhere in the living room, crashing onto the couch. "Third grade's hard," the small boy grumbles, the cushion of the couch muffling it.

Boyeong and Vernon chuckle, heading over to their son. Vernon lets Hanbyeol go, letting her scatter to her older brother. "Xander!" She explains, jumping next to her brother. "Did you see Hyeokie and Hwanie today?"

Boseon nods from his position, face not leaving the couch's surface. He soon gets up, sitting down next to his sister. "I met someone new today."

"Really?" Boyeong asks from her chair, smiling. "What's their name, Xander?"

"Yujin," he replies, pouting. "Now I know what people mean when they say 'hand full'. This boy wouldn't stop being hyper."

"He's a third grader, Xander," Vernon tells his son, chuckling. "You're like that with your sister and Jisoo."

"Yeah, but Jisoo's older," Boseon replies, pouting as he crossed his arms. "Which means he's more mature."

"He's one year older," Hanbyeol states, sticking her tongue out at her brother. "Boyeon is more mature than all of us, even Uncle Channie."

"Riles, Uncle Channie is thirty-two," Vernon tells her, watching her pout just like her brother. "Cousin Boyeon is seventeen."

"Yeah, but Uncle Channie acts like a baby," Boseon continues for his little sister. "And you guys always treated him like a baby when you were younger."

"That's because he was the youngest," Boyeong states, smiling at her children. "But now, we all have our children. Channie is no longer the baby of the group."

"Now I'm the baby!" Hanbyeol shouts, bouncing up and down with a smile in her face. "I'm the cutest baby in the world!"

"You sure are are, Riley Bug," Vernon says, also smiling at his two children. "Now, speaking of Uncle Channie, why don't we call all your aunt's and uncle's to come over?"

"Including Jisoo and Boyeon?" Hanbyeol questions, staring at her father with sparkling eyes.

He chuckles, smiling softly at the little girl. "Yes, Riles, Jisoo and Boyeon too. But, let's get your backpacks in the right place, or no one will come over."

Boseon and Hanbyeol nod quickly, moving fast to get their backpacks in their place. As the two kids do that, Vernon feels a weight lay down on his side. He looks down, seeing his wife cuddling into his side. He smiles at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"When I first met you, I never expected that I'd be having kids with you," she starts, letting out a deep breath. "God, when I first started texting you, I thought you were the most annoying person."

"But you stayed with me, did you not?" He asks, feeling a slight nudge in his side. "When I first met you, I didn't know what we were going to be. But, I did know I wanted to be something special to you."

"To this day, you still are," she responds, cuddling closer to her husband. "And I don't regret any part of my life with you."

"Ugh, we're so cheesy," he comments, chuckling. He hears her giggle, "We're a good cheesy."

"The best type of cheesy," Boyeong continues, smiling up at him. "And we make sure to be cheesy in the best way."

"I love you, Bo," he states, smiling down at her once again. "I love you to Pluto and back."

"I love you too, Kpop Boy," she replies. "To Pluto and back."