euphoria / jjk

epilogue

5 years later.

busan at daybreak was indeed a sight. the sun peeked above the horizon, causing orange and red streaks to spread across the awakening sky. the rhythm of cars passing down the streets was like a soft, gentle hum. the high notes were sirens, hollering and loud cars. a normal person would say that would be a nightmare, but i was a city girl and these were sounds of home. where i truly belonged.

"mommy!" a baby voice snapped me out of my trance as my giggling, 3 year old daughter, jieun hid behind me, tugging at my shirt. of course, jeongguk had challenged her to a hide and seek game but like always, jieun chickened out and used me as her shield to hide from her father.

jieun was a sweet and gentle child, taking up on me a lot with her personality. although, she was a literal clone of her father - they both had the same round, bambi eyes, holding a sky full of stars. the same bunny smile, captivating the hearts of every person they meet. i used to think of her as a cherry blossom waiting to bloom, or a delicate spring leaf, but she is so much more. she is absolutely stunning, with her chestnut hair and big, brown eyes, she's going to grow up to be even more gorgeous.

"gotcha! now you can't hide from me." jeongguk said, evilly as he lunged forward to scoop her in his arms. i watched as he spun jieun in the air, eliciting soft giggles from her mouth. seeing such a sight made me all warm and fuzzy from inside as a huge smile spreads across my face.

i made my way into the living room, exiting the balcony as the cold air brushes against me. it was a sunday, which meant jeongguk got to spend time with "his favorite girls." i had started getting dinner ready, it was almost 8 p.m now. jieun would fall asleep any time soon but would try her best to keep her eyes open, only so she could play with her father some more. deciding on spaghetti, i started to cook as the rich aroma of the dish wafted through the whole house.

i had moved in with jeongguk after a few months of after we started dating again, i had never been so sure about something in my entire life but i was so sure about him. a year later, he popped the question in the most unromantic yet also quite in romantic way possible. we were sitting on the couch in our sweatpants, cuddled up together as we watched a movie. out of nowhere he fished out a ring from his pocket and crouched on one knee as the actor in the movie does the same. everything all made sense as i realized he had planned it all, tears of joy were cascading down my face freely at that point as i said yes to him. almost a year and a half after our marriage, jieun was born. she was a blessing to both of us, and i wouldn't trade her and jeongguk for anything in this entire world.

my married life with jeongguk was a rollercoaster of adventures, and i wouldn't have it any other way. i had traveled and seen the world, but with him by my side. i still went out to clubs with friends but came home stumbling with him by my side at 2 a.m and eat pizza afterwords with him after we put jieun to sleep. i fall asleep next to him, listening to his heartbeat and wake up, just to fall in love with him even more.

our love isn't perfect and anyone who says their love is perfect then they're deluding themselves. jeongguk knows me better than i know myself, he knows my imperfections and so do i. i may not like them but i have come to accept it as they've become a part of me now. although, if i hadn't accepted them, maybe jeongguk wouldn't have loved or understood me better than he does now. our love is what i like to call an imperfect series of second chances, relying simply on fate.

a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist from behind as i'm stirring the noodles, without even looking back i can tell it's jeongguk as i smile softly. his grip tightens and i can feel him smile against the crook of my neck.

"i'm so lucky to have you and jieun in my life." he whispered, gently swaying us.

"no, i'm the lucky one." i replied, turning around to face him.

"i love you, eunji." he said, his eyes twinkling under the dim light in the kitchen.

"and i love you, jeongguk." i said, still in awe of the man who is now my husband.

so I'll stay with you as you stay with me, trust in you as you trust in me, and together we'll ride through every storm, waiting to see what the new dawn may bring.