ALWAYS

XV

He stirred from his sleep… his forehead creased and slowly his eyes fluttered open…

A small figure standing at his side… looking directly at him while continuously poking his face with it’s little finger… chuckling on the process…

He grunted and rubbed his eyes to adjust his vision… and there he saw the little replica of his wife… wearing a very cute rabbit pajamas… flashing him yet again another sweet smile… her hair disheveled a bit… and her chubby pink cheeks were now rosy in its color… she really looked adorably cute.

“Is uncle Jungkook finally awake…?”

The little girl’s cute voice broke the silence…

He propped himself up with his elbow… and immediately Soojin wrapped her arms around his neck… his eyes widen in surprise… he almost fell on the floor if not for his hands caught himself before falling.

The little girl giggled… he held her tiny waist and brought themselves up and seated on the couch… the little girl comfortably seated on his lap…

He felt warm again… somehow wondering how the little girl could be so comfortable with him…

“What’s wrong baby…?”

After gathering his voice to spoke such affection… he finally managed to sound soft towards the little girl…

With her arms still snaked along his neck… she looked up to him… “Uncle Jungkook… Soojin is hungry…”
She said pouting a bit… which he can’t help but for his lips to curve into a slight smile… he then unconsciously reached for the kid’s cheek and pinched it a bit…

“Where’s your omma…?”

Not really comfortable addressing his wife as the little girl’s mom… he still managed for he knows it would be unfamiliar for the little girl to be called his wife her aunt…

And upon asking the girl… he turned his gaze to their bed and saw his wife still sleeping peacefully... he dropped his gaze… and just then he felt little hands cupping his face.

“Soojin wants uncle Jungkook to cook… omma won’t wake up... I think omma’s tired from waiting for someone last night…”

The little girl now’s playing with her fingers… he wondered… is she waiting for him last night…? He turned to his wife once again… gritted his teeth and shook off the thought…

He carried the little girl to his arms as she snaked her arms to his neck again… “Arasso… let’s get you something to eat neh..?”
He said to the little girl… she giggled and when he’s about to walk their way out of the room… the little girl tugged on his shirt for him to stop his tracks… he brought his face back to see the little girl.

“What’s wrong…?”

He asked…

“Soojin forgot to kiss omma a good morning kiss…”

The little girl wriggled her little and short legs from his hold… he then gently put the little girl down… watched her as she ran towards their bed and hopped on to reach his wife…

The little girl cupped his wife’s face and gave her a soft kiss on her lips… he looked away for he can’t take seeing a sweet moment from the two… but immediately turned back his gaze when he noticed his wife stirred a bit from her sleep…

“Soojin-ah… come on baby… let your omma have her sleep..”

He called the girl silently… Soojin nodded and quickly went down from the bed and ran towards him… he cupped her up to his arms and made their way out…

glancing to his wife one last time before closing the door.

--

The maids gathered at the entrance of the kitchen… all were peeking through the sides… watching the two figures inside… a man busily working on a pancake… and a little girl seated on a counter watching the man with her short legs dangling back    and forth.

The maids giggled to themselves seeing their young master having a hard time flipping the pancake… while the, oblivious to the eyes watching behind his back is totally focused on what he’s doing.

He didn’t complain… no words came out from him… totally battling the pan to flip off the pancake… while the little girl watched him in amazement when at last he finally flip it off without ruining its form.

The little girl clapped her small hands which brought Jungkook back from his seriousness… he put his very first pancake on one plate... wiped off the forming sweat on his forehead before readying himself to cook another one…

He could’ve just ask the maids to cook it for the kid… but the little girl’s stubbornness made him to do it… pouting on him and throwing a tantrum made him a bit uneasy… his first time of cooking… all because of a little girl…

“Uncle Jungkook…”

Her tiny voice called him… he didn’t turn to her but continuously worked on his second pancake… the girl called him again…

“Ah… yes…?”

He asked still not turning around.

“Is uncle Jungkook a friend of omma too…?”

He then suddenly stiffened… merely forgot to flip the pancake and almost burned it… he quickly turned the stove off…

Unable to hear his answer the little girl asked him again… tilting her head to the side…

He forgot the fact that the little girl still doesn’t know about them… now hesitating if he should tell her… concerned if her young mind would understand that her omma’s his wife.

“Uhmm… yes… I am…”

Just agreeing to the little child’s assumptions… even thinking that a term ‘friend’ for Rosé would never deserve him.

“Omma is beautiful… neh uncle Jungkook…?”

He turned on the stove and continued to cook… listening to the little girl’s story about his wife…

“I want to be as beautiful as omma when I grow up… appa said that I look like omma…”

He’s now on the third pancake… and still Soojin continued on her stories… if it’s just some person, he would now maybe annoyed… but now, he just can’t help but to admire the little girl’s jolliness…

Thinking that Rosé raised her… did the kid’s jolliness have it from his wife…? He never seen her being like this… well of course for he never let her be… and maybe would never let her for he’s afraid he would also have the same fondness towards her… wouldn’t take it anymore if he would discover another unexplainable feelings towards the girl he is supposed to loath.

--

Her eyes slowly opened… groaned a bit and stretched off her body… her lips curved into a smile expecting to see her little angel beside her… but as she looked down she didn’t saw her niece… she turned to the other side but still Soojin’s can’t be found…

“Soojin-ah… baby…”

She called but only to be answered by the silence f the room… she quickly got off the bed… forgetting to put a robe on top of her night gown… she scanned every room but she didn’t see her angel…

She quickly went down and called the maids… but no one came… she wondered not until she heard some noise near the kitchen…

She went towards it and saw almost all the maids gathered at the entrance of the kitchen… her brow raised wondering what’s happening… but hook off the thought when she remembered her niece.

“Have you seen Soojin…?”

The maids jumped a bit upon hearing her voice… they all stood up straight and fixed their uniforms…

“Ah… Lady… good morning…”

They all greeted her… she greeted them back and asked them where her niece is…

They all glanced towards the kitchen… she sighed in relief and made her way inside…

Her eyes widen upon seeing her husband… together with her angel… both their backs facing her… Jungkook who’s still busily cooking the little girl’s breakfast… while her niece kept on blabbing random things about her…

‘Why is he here…?’

‘Did he spend the night here…?’

She just stood there… her feet totally glued on the floor… such a wonderful view for her… her heart then started to beat fast… seeing him even his back’s facing her… yet another soft image of him… she felt her eyes slowly tearing up… a sweet smile slowly forming on her lips…

And just then Soojin stopped from her talking… the little girl noticed her presence and which she quickly turned her gaze to her…

“Omma..!”

She was startled by the little girl’s voice… quickly sucked up the forming tears on her eyes… she smiled towards the girl… while her husband felt himself jumped a bit… he looked back and saw her… almost had his eyes locked on her seeing her only in her sleeping wear…

Soojin immediately jumped off from the counter which made both the two adult almost ran to her to catch her… good thing she landed safely on her feet… the two

sighed in relief and slightly glanced at each other… Jungkook quickly stared away and went back to his cooking.

“Baby… don’t do that again… you might hurt yourself…” Rosé said worriedly as soon as Soojin ran up to her… “Yes omma… mianhe…”
The little girl giggled and reached her arms up to her, wanted to be carried by Rosé… she scooped up the little girl and kissed its chubby cheek… Her eyes then went towards Jungkook totally wondering why he’s the one cooking… and as if on cue Soojin answered her thoughts.

“Omma… uncle Jungkook’s cooking Soojin’s breakfast…”

Her eyes widen upon hearing… thinking how could he be cooking for her niece… nervous that he would get mad later at her…

“Aigoo baby… why did you not just wake me up or ask the maids… uncle Jungkook’s a busy person you shouldn’t have asked him to do the cooking…”

She told the girl… hearing another scolding from her aunt… Soojin pouted “Mianhe omma…”
The girl said sadly bowing her head… Jungkook heard the sad voice of the little girl… he then turned off the stove upon finishing his last pancake… he turned around and walked towards them with a blank expression…

“Don’t scold her… you didn’t wake up no matter what she did… she’s really hungry… I don’t have anything to do after all so I cooked for her…”

Even covering up the tantrums the little girl made he reached for Soojin and pulled her from Rosé’s cradle… got the kid on his arms he pinched her cheeks which brought the little girl’s smile back.

“Oh… is… is that so… Mianhe Soojin-ah… omma was really tired… sorry for not waking up on you…”

She caressed the little girl’s back which earned her a sweet smile from Soojin.

“Thanks”

She said shyly towards her husband… he just snubbed her once again and put Soojin on a chair near the counter… set her plate and put some pancakes on it…

Rosé felt a little out of place as the two started to eat… even if she’s happy to see her husband with her niece… she can’t help but to feel sad for she doesn’t know if she can join them.

Soojin who’s busily eating totally forgot about her aunt… while Jungkook finally noticed her silence… he looked up and saw her still standing while her head bowed down a bit and playing with her fingers… he sighed and raised a brow.

“Don’t just stand there… these pancakes are too much for Soojin and I…”

He said coldly… she quickly looked up and nodded… he watched her as she hurriedly got a plate and seated next to Soojin… being the child sat between them… the three ate silently…

The maids outside watched the scene… first time to see such beautiful scene between the married couple… totally looking like a family… some even got their   eyes starting to tear… some were really touched and having sweet smiles on their faces…. They all decided to leave the three alone… hoping that a good morning start would bring happiness throughout the day.

--

He watched at the side of his eyes as she feed her niece… smiling towards the child and wiping off the crumbs on the side of Soojin’s lips… at first the little girl almost choke when she ate the pancake all by herself…

“Omma… when’s appa coming back…?”

He felt a little kick inside upon hearing the child talking about her dad…

“Oh baby... he would be back after a few days… don’t worry he’ll back as soon as he finishes his work… we’ll go play with appa as soon as he gets back… want that..?”

The little girl cheered in delight… totally excited to play again with her dad… He fastened his eating… not really wanting to hear more… soon he finished his food… he stood up and brought his plate to the sink.

“I’ll head first…”

He said not looking at her but towards the little girl… she nodded but a little disappointed for not being able to spend more time with him.

“Thank you for the delicious food uncle…”

Soojin said… he just smiled towards girl and still not looking at Rosé... he then left towards their room to take a bath.

Rosé sighed… went back to eating and feeding Soojin… after a while a maid came holding a phone for her…

“Who is it…?”

She asked… the maid said it’s Jennie which made her sad face went to a happy one… she quickly took the phone and talked to Jennie on the other line while her other hand continued to feed her niece…

“Rosé-ah… are you going to the university’s fair tonight…?”

She almost forgot… today’s the last day of their school’s celebration… “Uhmm… sure if you’ll come… since I don’t want to go there alone…” “Aren’t you going with Jungkook…?”
Her friend’s voice kinda sounded hoping… She looked down… thinking the obvious fact that he would never go to the fair with her… and would come there only to spend it with his lover.

“Maybe I would be the last person he would want to spend it with…”

She chuckled bitterly which caught her niece’s attention… Soojin looked up and saw the sadness on her aunt’s face… Rosé gave her another piece of pancake but she didn’t eat it… telling her aunt that she’s already full.

“Oh… sorry for bringing that up… but please come tonight arasso… I’ll wait for you there…”

She agreed and soon after they bid goodbye… she turned to her niece whose round eyes were gaping at her curiously…

“What is it baby…?”

She asked, caressing the child’s cheeks… “Omma why are you sad…?”
Soojin asked… which took her aback… she tried to think of an excuse and after a while she finally thought of one.

“Oh nothing baby… would you like to come with omma tonight…? We’ll go out and play…!”

She said excitingly just to hide the earlier sadness… and just as she thought… Soojin completely forgot about it and her face expression delighted…

“Play…?! Soojin wants to come…!!”

She yelled throwing her hands up in the air… Rosé giggled and she too forgot the once sadness she felt… she hugged her niece tight… grateful for her presence… truly an angel that could erase her loneliness.