#Paradise By the Seashore Light | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

neowinestainedress · 3 years ago

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forever is the sweetest con ; jeong jaehyun

title: forever is the sweetest con

part three of amami ancora

pairings: jeong jaehyun x OC | (side characters, suh johnny, kim doyoung, nakamoto yuta, lee mark, lee taeyong, | mentioned: qian kun and lee donghyuck)

genre: domestic fluff, smut, established relationship, parent!au, humour (if you squint), slice of life

warnings: smut, fingering, squirting, oral sex (f and m receiving), multiple orgasms, brief tied up sex, unprotected sex (she’s on the pill this time, though), morning sex, food play (nothing messy, just chocolate and a strawberry), sensory deprivation, that should be all

summary: After the storm always comes the rainbow. And finally, after eight months, Jaehyun and Scarlett can live their life with fewer fears creeping in their bones and with the consciousness that nothing and nobody can take their little paradise away from them. So they decided to take some days off to make up for all the wasted time, filling their hearts with sweet and cherished moments with each other and Eunbi, that somehow always know how to surprise them.

word count: 21.530

a/n: My child’s finally here! I’m so happy to make it see the light of the day. I loved writing this and I might be addicted to these three, ngl. So, enjoy two parents being in love with each other and their baby. Just a small disclaimer; I’m not sure if some terms are right, mostly the ones that concern Eunbi’s needs, I don’t even know how some things are called in my language and I had to look for their name on the internet and they might not be accurate, but if you understood what I wanted to say and know that that’s not the right way let me know, please. I hope this is what you wanted. Let me know if you liked it, I'd love to know your thoughts!

The salty scent of the summer air filled the small house perched on the hill of the rough road of Seashore. It was the end of a mild June that was leaving its place to a burning July, but the morning sun was still bearable, while it shined in the blue sky leaving no space for a single cloud to stain the perfect picture.

The clock was about to hit nine, and most of the people that lived there had already left earlier in the morning. Johnny and Mark had started their morning shift at six, while Doyoung dropped Taeyong at the bakery and Yuta by the port at eight, even if he had to go to work later.

The sound of the kettle ringed in the kitchen, bringing Scarlett's attention to the water she put to boil before, drifting away from Eunbi that was livingly playing with her toys on the ground.

"Stay there," she warned, getting up, pointing her finger to her child. She was almost eight months old now and had started to be very energetic. She loved to explore, probably a little bit too much for her -everybody's- sanity. The only answer she got was a low giggle and some other jabbered syllables that weren't addressed to her but to the soft plushies she was holding in her small hands.

Scarlett huffed, turning off the stove before pouring the hot liquid into two cups with tea leaves, one for her, the other for Jaehyun that was still sleeping. He had a night shift at the port, after a day working at the fishery.

He was the only full income they had. Not that she stopped working, but after the first month Eunbi had some health problems and she had to take more time off before going back to work. And even now, they couldn't afford a babysitter, and she didn't trust anyone near their house anyway, so they all had to take turns to stay at home with her. But they both were aware of the fact that she wasn't everybody's baby, and they couldn't weigh too much on the others, no matter how much they insisted. So Jaehyun was busy, he couldn't travel anymore so he mostly became an all-rounder, moving everywhere to do all the work he could. He did his best to show no bother about it, but Scarlett knew that it was tiring. She could see it in his hollowed face, and eye bags and the way he would fall asleep as soon as his head met the pillow.

She dragged her body out of the kitchen with the two cups in hand, she then put them down on the coffee table and grabbed Eunbi that was trying to lift herself up on the new couch.

"Where are you going?" She asked in a light tone, booping her nose. Eunbi simply laughed and cupped her mother's face with her hands. Yes, another new habit; smashing and pulling everything and every face she could find on her way. Kun had explained that it was another way to get more in contact with the familiar faces, but she was sure she also found some happiness in seeing their suffering expressions.

"Let's wake Dada up, ugh?" She cooed, making her way to the corridor but before she could turn the corner she bumped right into his broad figure. A sleepy, frowning, Jaehyun was standing with a hand on his face to wipe the sleep out of his eyes and the other in front of his mouth to hide his yawn.

"Oh," she exclaimed, surprised of seeing him up already.

"Look at my favourite princesses," he greeted, pulling Scarlett closer to leave a peck on her forehead and then on Eunbi's. Scarlett smiled fondly and inhaled his scent deeply, that wasn't her favourite pet name but she was getting used to seeing it in a different light. He wasn't using it as a title anymore, it was just full of love and tenderness.

"Let me take her," he suggested, wrapping his arms around the child that was clapping her hands together and mumbled sounds close to "mbba".

"She's going to say papa first," Jaehyun teased, wrapping the other free arm around Scarlett that just laughed and clicked her tongue.

"Sure, whatever makes you sleep at night, Jeong."

"Let's be honest, she'll probably say Johnny," he joked, sitting down on the couch next to her. "I always catch him talking to her and repeating his name like a parrot."

Scarlett laughed throwing her head back. "They are doing their best to be her favourite," she justified.

"They are doing too much, I'd say," he corrected, swinging Eunbi's hand wrapped around his finger in a playful movement that made her giggle. He then got up to place her in the small playpen they afforded to buy, to enjoy the tea Scarlett prepared. She had her favourite baby mobile there and spent hours staring at the animals moving around, the stack and sing rings with the monkey on top, the first discoveries table, and some other smaller toys that she loved a little bit less.

"You need some rest," Scarlett affirmed, pulling her knees on the couch, turning her body to the side to look at Jaehyun that was sipping on his cup.

"I'm fine, it wasn't so late when I came back."

"No, not sleep. But rest, you need to unwind. You rarely stopped working since we had her and the rhythms you keep are insane."

"We can't afford a vacation if that's what you're hinting to," he replied, raising a brow before biting on the cookie she had brought when he settled Eunbi down.

"I know, but just a few days, somewhere," she insisted. "Or even just at home, we don't have to go far from here, but you could just relax, and then we could go to the park or the beach," she suggested. "Eunbi's never been there before, and, shamelessly, me too."

Jaehyun stared at her with wide eyes and mouth open, "You've never been to the sea?"

She denied with a shook of her head, "Do you see a Princess splashing around with commoners? Planting an umbrella next to them?" She sneered, faking superiority.

"Oh, no, but I can imagine her having a child with one of them," he grinned, pulling her close to leave a kiss on her cheek, "you broke the worst rule you could break. An escape to swim in the sea? Mh, not. But escaping to give birth to the child of an illicit affair? Hell, yes."

"Oh, shut up, imagine if I stayed there," she rolled her eyes, pushing his chest back.

"No, thanks, that's a nightmare, I don't want to think about it."

"So? What do you think?" She asked, going back to the main topic.

"About you staying with the spoiled Prince?" He teased, lifting a brow.

"No, stupid," she replied, "about you taking some days off."

Seeing his non-convinced expression, she added, "The contract has days off they can't refuse."

"Fine, but when?"

"Take this Friday, and then next week. Saturday will be Taeyong's birthday, and I wanted to prepare a surprise. I know we can't afford big gifts so Doyoung and I thought about doing something here. You could help."

"So you're putting me to work from home, I see," he pouted, pretending to be offended.

"No," she whined, "I'll do the most, just look after Eunbi. She misses you so much, Yoonoh," she finished, looking at the small girl that was crawling in the box trying to sit up by herself.

Jaehyun's expression turned sadder, "I know, I miss the both of you so much. I wish I didn't fall asleep as soon as I step inside, but it's stronger than me."

"I know, love. But you need to unwind. You are a block of nerves, and you also look like a ghost. Have you been eating enough?"

He rolled his eyes before pulling her closer. "Mhh, nope, maybe I could get my other breakfast."

She slapped his arm playfully and glared at him, "Not when she's here."

"You had no problem last Christmas," he reminded her, kissing her again.

"She was sleeping on the other side of the room in the dark, and we were completely silent."

"Completely silent," he chuckled, "and the other lies you love to tell yourself."

"Oh, shut up and go freshen up. Do you have to work today?"

Jaehyun nodded, moving her off of him delicately, "Yeah, Yuta needs me for something, but it won't take long."

"You eating lunch with us, right?"

"Yep, it's after two, don't worry. You can poison my dish," he winked, getting up from his spot.

“That would be very dumb of me to be left all alone with the reincarnation of Satan right here.” Scarlett tilted her head toward the box where Eunbi was loudly playing, smashing some toys on the ground.

“She's an angel," he defended with a pout.

“She crawls and tries to climb everywhere," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "where does she even have to go? She's always moving, and I'm glad she's fine, but Lord, she never sleeps."

Jaehyun chuckled, "She sleeps at night. Except sometimes for the teeth, she's good. Some parents stopped sleeping for years, Scarlett, we're lucky."

"Yes, but I don't want to imagine what she's going to be like when she starts to walk, or worse, talk."

"I'm sure she'll keep us entertained. We can never say we are bored, right? Much better than all your useless courses with the old lady with different socks?"

Scarlett laughed, remembering the one that had been her teacher for most useless things. "Yeah, a thousand times better. "

“You can leave her with us for a few days,” Johnny proposed while he was bent over the fan, desperately trying to make it work. The evening weather wasn’t as clement as the morning one, and they were trying to get a glimpse of relief.

“I can’t. You all work too, and also I’m still breastfeeding her,” Scarlett answered, passing a toy to Eunbi. They were sitting on the ground on a soft blanket next to Johnny, talking about how stressed Jaehyun was.

“Well, can’t you pump it and put it in a sippy cup so we can give it to her?” He suggested, drifting his gaze from the fan to her.

“She’s growing the first teeth. She won’t make you sleep at night.”

“She spent one night up, Scarlett,” he retorted, raising a brow. “We are careful. We won’t break her,” he reassured her.

“Oh, I know,” she whined, “I trust you with my whole self but, you already do so much for us. She’s not your daughter. I’m sure you have your own things to do.”

“Well, Taeyong and I have been here longer than Jaehyun, so I guess we kind of developed a certain connection with her,” he joked, pressing the button of the fan that finally was working again. “Also, it will be for just two days,” he added, getting up to position the fan in a way that the air flowed in the room without hitting Eunbi or them directly.

Scarlett frowned, sulking at her thoughts. She knew they loved spending time with her; she wasn’t even that hard to look after except for some burst of energy here and there and some cries given to the pain of the first teeth coming out. But she also felt like a burden; if they wanted a child to take care of, they would’ve had one.

“Hey,” Johnny called, kneeling in front of her, hands wrapped around her shoulders, “you never rested since you arrived here. You’ve been through so much while you were expecting her and even after. You also need to relax for a bit.”

“But what about you?”

Johnny rolled his eyes and sat in front of her, pulling Eunbi on his lap, “We’ll be fine, right baby?” He asked the girl that giggled, raising her hands to touch his face.

Scarlett smiled and then exhaled deeply, “Fine,” she gave up, “but just for two days.”

“Yes!” Johnny cheered, leaving a kiss on top of Eunbi's forehead.

“But where can we go anyway?" She questioned, shifting on her seat to adjust the long linen dress she was wearing. It was cool to the skin and of a beautiful pastel blue. "We don't have much money to afford a real vacancy. We have to buy things for her."

“Down at the port, there's a lovely tavern, it's right in front of the seaside, they have some rooms, and it's not expensive.”

“Are you sure? How much is that?"

"Well, you'll have to get an economy room, but I guess it'll be fine if you only have to sleep there... Or make the number two, you know," he winked, tilting his head left, pointing at Eunbi.

She smacked his arm playfully, feeling heat rise on her cheeks, "What number two, we can barely look after her."

"Fine," he sighed, "then use protections."

"Johnny, if you don't shut up immediately!" She warned, pointing a menacing finger at him.

He pretended to be afraid and started laughing. "I'm just saying, orgasms bring serotonin, don't they? I'm sure you both need it."

"Okay, thanks, but it's not the time to discuss it. How much is the room?"

"20 lire should be the less expensive. I've been there once, it's nice. No big bath or sparkling chandelier like the ones you were used to, but it's pretty."

"I don't want luxury, I just want to be with him," she chimed. "Should we book right now?" She suggested. Two days alone wasn't much, right? They weren't terrible parents for wanting some time alone, right? Seeing the worry on her face, Johnny sighed and spoke again, "She'll be fine. Taeyong will cook her the homogenised food she loves the most, while Doyoung will read her stories every time he can. And I'll dress her up like a princess; I also learned how to treat her curls," he exclaimed excitedly, pointing at her hair.

Scarlett smiled, relaxing her shoulders and, without thinking, hugged the man in front of her, careful to not crash Eunbi.

"I love you so much, Johnny. I don't know what I'd do without you," she confessed, leaving a kiss on his cheek.

"That's much for booking a dick appointment, but thanks," he joked, kissing her back.

"Be thankful I can't swear in front of her or I would've already called you names," she kidded, "but seriously, you're the best friend I never had."

"It's a pleasure. You can be really headstrong, I have to say, but I love you too, and I'm so glad you came into our lives."

Before the sweet moment could prolong, they smelled a bad odour in the air.

"Eunbi, God," she cursed, covering her nose with a hand, "you always pick the worst moment."

Johnny laughed loudly, raising her up by the armpit so she wouldn't cause more trouble by sitting.

"Let's change this messy girl, and then let's book the room for the two love birds," Johnny said, standing up and walking toward the changing table.

Two days passed quickly, and it was already Friday, Taeyong's birthday. Luckily for them, he had to work all day at the bakery. So they could prepare what they had in mind without worrying about him.

It was early evening and Jaehyun and Johnny were blowing some balloons while Eunbi stared at them in awe, and Scarlett and Doyoung were in the kitchen.

"Where did you learn all that?" Doyoung asked, glancing swiftly at the woman that was shaping the napkins like roses.

"From one of my maiden. They were very nice and always took time to teach me some tricks they knew," she answered with a fond smile on her face and eyebrows knitted in concentration.

"Do you miss that?" He probed while cutting the tomatoes to make the Caprese.

Scarlett stopped what she was doing for a second, thinking about her life before. She tried to push that out of her mind most of the time, not like she really had time to dwell on that anyway. But also because she would get quite anxious about it, still scared that, as soon as she lowered the guard, her little patch of heaven on earth would've fallen apart.

"Not really," she replied, placing the last napkin with the others before walking to the cupboard to grab the red plates. "Just my mom, sometimes, and some handmaiden."

"Did she say anything about the baby?"

Scarlett sighed, hands pressed against the table, elbow bent outward, "I didn't see her when I found out, I... I don't even know if she knows."

"Why don't we change the subject," Jaehyun chimed, entering the kitchen, stilling behind her to leave a kiss on her temple. "Why don't you come to see if the balloons are enough and how to place them?" He knew that Doyoung meant no harm, but it still was a triggering topic for her, and he didn't want to see her break down or start to be anxious again.

She nodded before excusing herself out of the room, followed by her boyfriend.

"They are perfect," she exclaimed, looking at the red and green balloons. "Let's take one red in the middle and two green at the sides and then hang them somewhere." She illustrated, pointing at the corners of the room. "I'll be in the kitchen-" Just when she was about to say that, Eunbi started crying. She looked at the clock and sighed, "I will be the kitchen. I have to feed her."

"We can give her the formula," Jaehyun proposed, sensing she wasn't so excited about it.

"Yeah, you should save your own, you know," Johnny reminded her, raising a brow, and Jaehyun looked at them in confusion but didn't ponder long on it.

"Yeah, it's better if I give it to her later. Why don't you give her a slice of apple? She likes to suck on it. Just give it to her, and she'll handle it, she'll make a mess, but I have to change her into something else anyway."

"'Kay," Jaehyun shrugged, walking into the kitchen with her to place her in the highchair before grabbing an apple to cut it and peel it.

"Stay there. I'll take care of here!" Johnny shouted from the other room. Jaehyun thanked him and then handed the slice to Eunbi, that immediately stopped crying, "Why do you have to save milk?" Jaehyun asked, sitting down at the table next to Eunbi. She was happily sucking her apple while holding it in her little hand.

"I simply want to let her get used to other food," she answered, pulling out the ingredients she needed for the red velvet cake. "She'll have teeth soon, also."

Jaehyun nodded before wiping a string of saliva off of Eunbi's chin. She was already so big; it really felt like time was slipping out of their hands, and he somehow felt like he had lost so much. He hadn't been there when she was pregnant, and now he was always busy. He felt like a terrible father, no matter how much time he spent with her any time he could, even if it was just a few minutes.

"Do you like it?" He asked, pushing some curls out of her face. She nodded, stomping her free hand on the small table in front of her baby chair in happiness. "You didn't start doing it a long time ago, right?" He addressed Scarlett, terrified he had missed way more things of her.

"No, Jae," Scarlett reassured, turning around to caress his face. "I gave it to her for the first time this Monday. I didn't tell you because it slipped my mind. You feel like you're missing something?"

He nodded, humming lowly, "I know I won't be here on her first step or word."

"You didn't miss when she started crawling the first time or when she started lifting herself on her feet. And not even when she started to mumble some syllables and vocals. She loves you so much, Yoonoh. Please don't ever think you aren't good enough for her."

"She's always clinging to you when you're home," Doyoung intervened. "And you always cling to her. You are a great father."

"Need praises also from me, or you're fine?" Johnny asked, entering the room with the last set of balloons in hand, smiling fondly at his friend.

Jaehyun laughed, "I'm fine. Sorry if I want the best for her."

"Aren't we the best? She has like five parents and two cool uncles." Johnny bragged, patting Eunbi's head gently, drifting her attention to him for a second.

"Mark will be furious to hear you declassed him at uncle," Jaehyun replied, grabbing a towel to clean Eunbi's messy face.

"Let's be honest, if you leave her with him, she'll be the one taking care of the other," Johnny replied, defending his statement. "He's the older brother, and that's all he can get, right Bi?" He added, looking down at the baby. "Oh, she murdered the apple."

Eunbi giggled while her finger poked into the sloppy slice of apple.

"Okay, big soft daddy, clean her up while Doie and I finish the cake, or else Tae will be home, and nothing will be ready. We still have to cook bulgogi."

"I'll give her a bath since she has apple everywhere," Jaehyun noted, picking her up. "Did you already pick her dress?"

"Yes, it's the one in the bag in the closet. I brought it from work the other day."

"Renjun lets you do things for her while working? " Doyoung asked, surprised.

"Yeah, it didn't take much. Also, we sewed the clothes for the season at the start of the month, so we have free time."

"I think he's just whipped. When Taeyong worked there, he tried once to do something for him, and he almost fired him."

"Or maybe Taeyong wasn't as good as me at selling things that nobody would buy in their right state of mind," she joked, "This might give me some privileges," she added, pouring the red colouring into the dough before restarting to mix.

"And you're all cleaned up," Jaehyun exclaimed as he lifted Eunbi from her small bathtub and wrapped a towel around her body. He laid her on the bed and started to gently rub the soft material on her skin to dry her, and then grabbed a diaper.

"Are you happy?" He asked, blocking her ankles to lift her lower body up to slide the back of the diaper under her. "Giggling and moving your little legs," he continued, struggling to close the two ends of the nappy.

Once he finished, he started to tickle her, making her laugh louder and move her limbs faster.

"Oh," he faked stupor when she kicked his arm, making her stop for a while, "your legs are so strong," he praised while grabbing the bodysuit and making it slide on top of her head. "You're going to walk soon."

"Let's wear Mama's dress now," he cooed while taking the bag where the dress was neatly folded. It was a light red dress made of lines, with roses embroidered on the puffy shoulders and a bigger pop up one at the middle of her belly. "Do you like it?" He asked, lifting it for her to see.

"Mama does so much for you, doesn't she?" He made her sit up to slide the piece of fabric on her. "She gave up so much for you; I hope you'll never forget it or take it for granted." He was still incredulous of what she did just for them. She risked her life with the possibility to get caught and living an even harder life. He never knew that love could be so strong, but it was, and he was more than happy that it was her.

“And we’re done,” he said, lifting her up, wrapping an arm around her and putting the other things he didn’t use back at their place.

“Wow,” a feminine voice came from the door. Scarlett was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed on her chest and a sly smile on her face. “I did an amazing job with the dress,” she bragged, flipping her hair back.

“Well, yes,” Jaehyun agreed, chuckling, “it really is amazing.”

“The model adds ten points to it, doesn’t she?” She chirped, talking directly to Eunbi, that was sucking her hand closed in a fist.

“Why don’t you change too?” She proposed, grabbing Eunbi to put her in the stroller and giving her a toy to fool around. “There’s a matching fit for us.”

“Now we are that kind of couple?” He asked with a raised eyebrow and a laugh on his face.

“It’s just the same colour and fabric. I wanted to gift us something new.” She said, handing him another bag, “I didn’t even pay for it. It was the leftovers of a fabric Renjun didn’t want to use anymore.”

“Liar, you also embroidered roses on my shirt and your dress,” he pointed out after taking in the clothes that were in the bag.

“Let’s be cliché for once, can we?”

“I actually like this a lot,” Jaehyun said, pulling her into a hug, “I was expecting something terrible like ‘His Queen, her King,’ so I’m glad it’s not.”

“I’d never get that low,” she reassured, cringing at the mere idea, “now let’s get changed, Taeyong will be home soon.”

“This cake is so good,” Taeyong hummed happily after swallowing the last piece of his slice of red velvet, “I’m stealing you to work with me. Renjun doesn’t need you.”

Scarlett laughed, “It’s not that hard to make actually anybody could do it.”

“Not me,” Mark answered, throwing his hands up.

“You are a special case, Mark,” Yuta replied, “let’s keep you out of the kitchen forever.”

“Do you like the balloons? And the roses all around the room?” Johnny asked, face propped up by his hands under his chin. “Me, and Jaehyun, but mostly me, did it.”

Taeyong laughed and then cut another piece of the cake while answering, “I love it so much. I really wasn’t expecting a surprise party and came home tired from work, but you made my day.”

“It’s what you deserve, Tae,” Doyoung said, taking his hand in his. “You really thought we weren’t going to do anything?”

“Well, no, not like this at least. You’re also all wearing red, the roses are everywhere, and all the dishes were red. It’s so thoughtful.”

“I don’t have much to do when Miss energy lets me breathe,” Scarlett joked. “No, but seriously, it was funny. We spent some time together, and as Dodo said, you deserve this and more.”

The others around the table nodded silently, “Almost had to cut Mark’s hands off, but we had fun,” Doyoung joked, pouring a glass of wine into his glass.

“Hey, I was hungry! I had no idea you needed bread,” Mark defended.

“Good things you’re still all together, right?” Taeyong said, raising a brow. “And you’re fed now.”

“I’m quite content,” Mark beamed, tapping his full stomach.

“Talking about feeding,” Scarlett sighed, “She’s tired, she’s almost falling asleep on the chair. I have to breastfeed her and put her to sleep.” She turned the highchair around and took the tray off before freeing her from the safety belts.

“Why don’t you wait?” Jaehyun asked, helping her to lock the tray in place since she was holding Eunbi.

“She’s going to fall asleep for sure, and I don’t want her to wake up in the middle of the night because she’s hungry. I’m fine. I’m used to this after every meal by now.”

“Then let’s clean up, and then we’ll give Yong the gifts,” Yuta encouraged the others, standing up to pile up the empty dessert plates, followed by Mark that was grabbing the used napkins and forks.

“I’ll do the dishes,” Doyoung yelled, walking to the kitchen.

“Stay here,” Taeyong ordered when he saw that Jaehyun was about to stand up to help the others, “it’s rude to leave who’s eating alone,” he added, also pointing at Eunbi that was sucking on her mom’s breast with her eyes closed.

“We have to change her,” Jaehyun noted that she was still wearing the dress for the party.

“Let’s just pull this off and let her sleep with the bodysuit. It’s super hot anyway,” Scarlett answered.

“You two look absolutely wrecked,” Taeyong pointed out, staring at their tired faces, finally finishing the last piece of cake, “why don’t you go to sleep with her?”

“We can last a little bit longer, I promise,” Jaehyun comforted him, “We’ll wait for the gifts.”

“As you wish, just don’t pass out, please,” the celebrated begged, earning a laugh from the two.

“Why are you acting like this? Is there something wrong?” Jaehyun asked, voice low, as he changed into his pyjamas. They had just finished giving Taeyong his gifts and walked into their room, leaving the others still up in the living room, talking and having their fun. But they were too tired to join them any longer.

Scarlett bit her lips and walked closer to him, “I wish that I could tell you in a better way, as a surprise or something, but I can’t wait any more.”

Jaehyun widened his eyes, “You’re not waiting for number two, right? We did it only once. It can’t be possible.”

“Lord, no. What’s with this thing of hinting at another baby?” She mumbled through gritted teeth to not wake Eunbi up. “Also, I’m on the pill, so don’t worry.”

“Yeah, not like we have a chance to worry about it,” he snickered, hinting at how they never got the chance to do something.

“Well,” she started, fingers trailing down on his chest, “maybe if you wait just one day, we could.”

Jaehyun furrowed, staring down at her. “I’m confused.”

“I might have booked a room down at the port just for the two of us,” she confessed.

“That’s amazing but, what about Eunbi?”

“Johnny said he’ll take care of her with the others. He spent the whole afternoon trying to convince me, but we need it, not for /that/ but for us, to spend some time like a couple,” she said. “We never really got the chance to be one.”

“As long as they don’t leave her alone with Yuta and Mark, I guess I can spend some time with my lovely girlfriend,” he hummed, pretending to be considering the offer, and then pulled her close into a kiss.

“I feared you were going to break things up, to be honest,” she confessed.

“Over this?”

She nodded, wetting her lips, “Well, you didn’t want to when we talked about it. Maybe you were going to be mad since I spent money without considering it with you first.”

“I just want to prioritize her and you. But I guess you didn’t spend much, right? And also, we can still do so many things for the rest of the week once we’re back.”

“Yes, it’s super cheap and just for two nights, but it’ll get the job done.”

"Oh, I'm sure I'll enjoy even staying in a cave as long as I'm with you," he purred, kissing her neck eliciting a small whimper from her. He then pulled away and asked, “And what are the plans for tomorrow?”

“I wanted to take her to the beach in the early morning, just to enjoy the water for the first time. And then we can come back here and rest.”

“That sounds great, so it’s better if we go to sleep or we won’t wake tomorrow.”

The sea was flat, calm waves were crashing on the shore, and not many people were on the beach. Most of them were eating breakfast by the seaside, enjoying the beautiful view the land offered.

Scarlett was holding Eunbi in her arms wearing a flower-patterned bucket hat to protect her head, the stroller left in the car to not get the sand in the wheels, and Jaehyun was holding a bag with the sunscreen and water.

“It’s beautiful here,” she exclaimed in awe, the oversized floppy sun hat covering half of her face. It was always better to hide a little bit, never knowing who could be watching.

“It is, the sand is super thin, and the water is clear. Try to put Eunbi down and see what she does,” Jaehyun suggested.

“She’s probably going to try to eat the sand,” she joked, seating Eunbi down, kneeling next to her. She could sit by herself, but it was a different ground, and it was always better to be careful. Sometimes she would get too excited over her little achievements and fall face forward, not controlling her energy.

Eunbi stilled, looking at her mom with big eyes as her legs moved against the new surface, trying to get used to it. The denim dress protected more of her from direct touch with the sand, but she still felt it under her calves and feet.

“She doesn’t seem to like it,” Jaehyun pointed out, seeing her confused expression and curious hands trying to touch it before swiftly pulling away. “Maybe she’ll like water more.”

“Let’s see,” Scarlett replied, picking her up again and heading toward the shore. “Oh, the temperature it’s nice,” she affirmed as soon as her feet met the surface. She then lowered the baby so that her toes could come in contact with the sea.

A giggle escaped from Eunbi’s lips as she started to kick her feet playfully against the liquid.

“See, she does the same when we wash her up,” Jaehyun said. “We should see if there’s a swimming class somewhere in town, she might need to know how to swim.”

“I don’t know how to swim,” Scarlett admitted, lifting her eyes on him for a moment.

“You don’t know?” Jaehyun almost yelled in shock, blinking his eyes rapidly.

“You want me to list all the things I have never done so you might get an immediate heart attack and make me become a young widow, or do you want to spread them in time?”

“No, thanks, I’ll wait,” he replied, “but seriously, you don’t know?”

Scarlett shook her head before signalling him to grab Eunbi because her arms were tiring, “I know how to float, moving my legs to don’t drown, but I never properly learned. I had no time for it.”

He tried to suppress his still shocked expression and grabbed Eunbi so that she was sitting on his hip, “Let’s walk,” Jaehyun said, and they started to walk down the seashore. “Why, though? They don’t consider it vital at court?”

“I had better things to do, like learning how to dance, or how to use religion to make citizens believe they could trust us, or how to properly sit at a table,” she rolled her eyes, “you don’t live without these things.”

Jaehyun laughed, “How did you survive before I came there?” He asked, kind of out of the blue, but he was really curious. For some reason, she had always been very vague about her life at the castle before him.

She sighed, trying to think how her life was back then, “I don’t know,” she confessed. “I made friends with my maiden, mostly. Especially one that was my caretaker since I was a child, she taught me so many useful things, I’m so glad I had her in my life.”

“Was it Nadia?” He asked, trying to get if it was one of the ones he knew.

“No, her name was Irina,” she replied, intertwining their hands together. “She looked so cold, with her blonde hair, crystal eyes and pale skin. Her thin lips were always pressed together in a severe expression, and she always stood tall and proud,” she remembered with an affectionate smile on her face. “I can say she was my first bodyguard; nobody dared to come close to me when she was standing by my side,” she chuckled, thinking how she scared everyone away with a single glance.

“And were you also afraid of her?” He asked, turning around to stare at her.

“When I first saw her, yes,” she admitted, “she was wearing a navy blue dress, her hair was pulled in a low bun, never a single strand out of place and had a cane that terrified me. But as soon as we got left alone, I found out that she was the sweetest soul ever.”

“How old were you?”

“Five. She had to stay with me when I finished the morning lessons and just make sure I would always study. But she was much more than that, she basically raised me and also protected me. She was my best friend before you,” she smiled. “Even if she was already in her fifty.”

“Why did I never meet her? She doesn’t sound like somebody that goes unnoticed,” he questioned. He knew everybody there, he had to, just to know who he could trust and where everybody was supposed to be.

“Well, the main reason why you got the job was that she passed away,” she whispered. “As I said, she was the one protecting me, and when she suddenly died, my dad needed a quick replacement. And thank God it was you.”

“Oh, so you didn’t hate me when we first met,” he mumbled, only now getting why she seemed so distant at the start.

She nodded, “I never hated you. But her death came like a bolt from the blue, and I wasn’t in the mood to make new friends,” she cleared her throat, forcing herself not to cry. “I was also surprised my dad had chosen you. You were so young back then.”

“You do know that I’m just two years older than you, right? Will you stop treating me like a grandpa?”

“Shut up, I know!” she exclaimed, “but you were only twenty, and my father never let anyone this young in court for those roles, even worst near me.”

“Maybe he had a point seeing what happened,” he joked.

“It took us more than two years to do something,” she answered, “and it only happened because it was you. If my bodyguard had the same personality of we know who, nothing would’ve happened.”

“So my charm was fatal,” he teased, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“It was, I mean, we couldn’t be together but damn if you looked good in those uniforms,” she chuckled, teasingly biting her lower lip at the memory.

“Oh, you’re underestimating the power of my fisherman suit, baby,” he joked.

She laughed, “You look good even in a dustbin bag, to be honest.”

“Okay, an unexpected compliment, but I’ll take it.”

“Ba,” Eunbi mumbled suddenly, hand caressing Jaehyun’s face and looking at him after finally drifting her gaze from the sea.

Jaehyun smirked and looked over at Scarlett that was shaking her head vigorously. “No, no, that’s not a full word, it doesn’t count.”

“But it’s closer to Baba, or Papa, or whatever she wants to call me,” he affirmed.

“Maybe she was just making a popping sound,” she said, “right, love? You were just making bubbles with your mouth.”

“She looked at me,” he highlighted.

“You are holding her, of course she’ll look at you,�� she retorted with an offended expression on her face.

“Ouch,” Jaehyun exclaimed when the child pulled his ears laughing loudly, “What are you laughing at?” He cried, staring at Scarlett in disbelieve.

“We are fair,” she replied, raising her hands in the air, “that’s the price you have to pay if you want her to ‘say your name,’” she mimicked the quotes with her hands.

“Stop it,” he whined, gently moving Eunbi’s hands away even if she kept laughing and tried to touch him again.

“At least she doesn’t pull your hair,” Scarlett looked on the bright side, “for now.”

“And let’s hope it’ll stay that way,” he replied, moving her to the other side so that now she was between them. “We should head back home now. Maybe we could get an ice cream at the shop before leaving.”

“Yes, why not,” Scarlett agreed, and they started to walk toward the dock.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the closest shop. Eunbi was sitting in the stroller playing with the toys on the guardrail in front of her while they checked out what the shop offered.

“Flavours?”

“Call me basic, but cream and chocolate,” she answered, “no wait, tiramisù.”

“Yeah, basic, but it’s fine.”

“Oh, what are you going to get, Mister unpredictable taste?”

“Pistachio and chocolate.”

“Not only basic but also with terrible taste,” she criticized with a disgusted expression on the face.

“Shut up and let me order.”

“Has she ever tried it before?” Jaehyun asked. They were now sitting on a table right out of the shop that faced the ocean enjoying their food.

“Nope, we can give it to her now,” she said, filling the small spoon and giving her the chocolate. Eunbi immediately opened her mouth and then made a funny expression as soon as the cold food met her tongue, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her lips together. But after the first shock, she swallowed it and leaned close to the spoon again to get some more.

“The cold doesn’t bother her,” Jaehyun joked, “wait, I’ll give her mine,” he said, stopping Scarlett that was about to feed her again.

“Don’t you dare give her the pistachio! I don’t want her to side with the enemy,” she warned with a fake stern tone.

“I was planning to give her chocolate, but you know what, I might also do that just to spite you.”

“I can’t stand you,” she swore, throwing her head back.

Jaehyun laughed and then stuck his tongue out, “Blah, blah, you love me.”

“And you give her milk just before she goes to bed, okay?” Scarlett finished explaining. “Oh, and wait, always change her diapers before putting her to sleep even if she doesn’t do anything and -”

“Scarlett,” Taeyong stopped her, “we are here with you every day. We already know how to look after her.”

She stammered, “I just, fine, I’m sorry.”

“She’ll be fine,” Jaehyun assured her, running his hands on her forearms to guide her toward the door where their bags were.

“One last kiss,” she said before turning on her heels to kiss Eunbi on the forehead in Taeyong’s arms.

They rolled their eyes at the nth kiss she gave her, but a smile soon appeared on their faces when the baby kissed her back.

“Okay, bye,” she greeted, siding Jaehyun again. “Take care.” And after that, they closed the door behind them, placed the bags in the car and started driving downtown.

The sun was shining, and the sky was clear over the city but on the ocean, clouds could be seen and a stronger wind blew that day.

“It’s going to rain by the end of the day,” Jaehyun noted as his eyes drifted from the road for a few seconds to look up.

“That’s what happens when we take time to ourselves,” she joked as she stared out of the window. The ride downtown wasn’t going to take long, but it was nice to take time to watch the small town and its typical shops. Rare were the times when she walked around, a little bit because of the baby, but also because she always tried to keep it low. The walk to the tailor shop was the only time she would go out and rarely to the market with Taeyong.

Jaehyun looked over at her when they stopped at a red light, and caressed her hand on her thigh with his thumb. “She’ll be fine.”

“I know,” she replied, focusing the gaze on him, “I’m not worried for her.”

“And for what then?” He asked, starting the car again as soon as it turned green.

“I’m not worried at all,” she said calmly, fixing a crease on her dress, “I’m excited,” she concluded, smirking at him.

Jaehyun furrowed his brow and tilted his head, “Uhm, in what meaning? Like excited for Christmas or horny?”

She laughed, throwing her head back, “If I have to be honest, both,” she said, turning her torso toward him, back resting against the car door, “but I meant the first one more. This is basically our first date,” she giggled.

Jaehyun nodded with a big smile on his face, realizing that their relationship didn’t have one normal thing.

“Like I can’t believe we had a child before of a date,” she added.

“Well, in our defence, we had better things to do than go out for a date.”

“Like?”

“Listening to your father talk about foreign policy at breakfast, lunch and dinner while I stood behind you like a statue or picking what fabric fitted the best for the curtains in the hall.”

She laughed, “Oh please, but we had fun.”

“Your idea of fun was messing around like a Princess wasn’t supposed to do, and I had to babysit you,” he corrected.

“You had fun too,” she puffed, rolling her eyes, “remember when we entered the kitchen at night and stole food and the chef almost caught us?”

Jaehyun glared at her, “He did catch us,” he corrected, “and he also thought we were thieves, and I clearly remember the knife he threw at us.”

She laughed, “but he didn’t catch us.”

“He told the King, and he doubled the security in the kitchen just to protect his turkey, Scarlett,” he reminded her but then broke down laughing. “And we had to hold in our laugh right in front of him, God what even was that?”

“He turned it into the main topic of the night,” she laughed, “he probably loved his food more than he ever loved me.”

“He probably even loved his food more than himself and the country and your mother.”

“Fair, he’ll bring a chicken in his casket. Oh, we’re here,” she cheered as soon as the sign of the tavern came into their view. They parked in the lot and went inside, carrying their two suitcases with them.

“Good morning, and welcome to the White Sand Hotel. I’m Colette, and you’ll find me, or my colleagues, always here at the reception,” a brown-haired girl greeted as soon as they reached the front desk, she had a bright smile on her face and her hair was neatly collected in a long braid that fell on one side of her neck.

“Good morning, we booked a room for two nights at the name of Jeong,” Jaehyun informed, reciprocating the smile.

“Sure, let me check,” she answered and scrolled down on the screen to look for them, “Here you are. Room number 12, the twelfth on the corridor at your right."

“Thank you,” they bowed before heading to their room.

“Wow, it’s pretty,” Scarlett commented as soon as she opened the door and studied the room. The walls were light blue with small paintings to decor them, the bed was against the wall and had white bedding while a big window was at its left, giving a perfect view of the sea. There was a small closet with sea-themed decors and two bedside tables. Johnny was right, it wasn’t big or luxurious, but it was nice. “There should be the bathroom,” she said, pointing at a door after the closet.

“Not much bigger than ours, but it’s beautiful,” Jaehyun admired, looking around and closing the door behind him.

Scarlett ran toward the window to look outside. “We can see the boardwalk from here. It’s going to be so beautiful at night. We could go out after dinner and walk on the seashore and then come back here and then-” Her words stopped as soon as Jaehyun grabbed her chin and crashed their lips together in a soft but long kiss.

“Now that’s better,” he whispered when he pulled away, still just inches away from her.

“Sorry I talk too much,” she murmured.

“No, I like when you talk a lot, but I wanted to save your breath by saying that we can do anything you want,” he smiled before kissing her again. “God, your lips are so soft,” he whispered, deepening the kiss and letting his hands roam on her body. A low moan rolled out of her lips as they started to walk behind toward the bed. When the back of her knees hit the mattress she let her body fall behind, pulling Jaehyun on top of her, but when he was about to lift her dress his phone rang.

“Ugh,” he cursed, still leaving trails on her neck.

“Jaehyun,” she called in a stern voice, “answer.”

“No,” he protested.

“Maybe it’s them, for Eunbi,” she insisted, pushing him off. Jaehyun huffed, pulling the phone out of his pocket in annoyance as he sat on the edge of the bed, but when Johnny’s name appeared on the mobile his expression turned into worry.

“Johnny? Is everything alright?” He asked, recomposing his voice.

“Damn, yeah, don’t be so worried,” the voice, now put on speaker, said. “We just wanted to know if you arrived safe and sound.”

The couple rolled their eyes, pissed that he made them think of the worst possible case scenario.

“Yes, we arrived just now. We told you we would’ve texted,” Jaehyun answered.

“Just wanted to make sure,” Johnny replied. “And you didn’t.”

“We entered the room now,” they said in unison.

“Oh, what a nice choir,” he joked.

“How’s Eunbi?” Scarlett asked, ignoring him.

“She’s fine, playing on the floor with Taeyong. I think he’s having more fun than her.”

“Oh, good, as long as yall are fine, we're tranquil,” she said, sitting better on the bed.

Johnny hummed and then said, “I’ll hang up, bye,” without giving them time to say anything back.

They looked at each other and started laughing at how random the call had been.

“I’m going to kill him one day,” Jaehyun joked, stretching his arms over his head.

“If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be here now,” she recalled him.

“He just interrupted something to hang up two seconds later, didn’t even pass Eunbi.”

“She can’t talk. What is she going to say to you? Go go ba ba?” Scarlett smiled, crawling toward him to sit on his lap.

“Yeah, we have great conversations even with only those sounds,” he replied before leaning in to kiss her, but before the situation could get heated again, Scarlett pulled away.

“Why don’t we shower and then go to the art and crafts open market? Johnny told me that the stands have interesting things.”

“Sure, I’d love to,” he answered, kissing her nose and then standing up, lifting her with him.

“Stop, I’m heavy,” she complained, moving in his arms.

“I’m not listening,” he ignored her, walking to the bathroom, “and stop struggling, you’re going to slip and get hurt."

She huffed and gave up, “Fine, but it’s not fair you always win."

A deep laugh rumbled in his chest, “Not my fault you are whipped."

The night had fallen on the city that was now lit up by all the lights of the shops, houses and street’s lamppost. The hot weather left its place to cooler air that promised rain and thunders flashed at the horizons lighting up the sea.

After a whole day walking around, they were sitting at the end of the boardwalk swinging their feet in the salty water. They had dinner and then called home to greet goodnight and check up on how their day had been, and now they were almost alone, just a few people were chilling on the beach behind them.

“How’s the other side?” Scarlett asked all of a sudden, breaking the comfortable silence between them while they simply enjoyed each other presence. The other country wasn’t really visible at night, apart from its lighthouse that shined in the distance, but she couldn’t help but wonder about how life was there.

Jaehyun shifted in his place to get closer to her, tightening the hold on her waist and then answered, “Opportunities,” he simply stated, with a mix of sadness and heaviness in his tone. His brown eyes were staring at the distance, getting lost in a city he couldn’t see but could remember vividly.

She snuggled closer to his chest and started playing with the end of his shirt. “Like job opportunities?”

He shrugged, bringing his gaze back on her, “Just a better life, I guess.”

“And why you didn’t move there?”

He sighed, “That was the plan initially, make some money and then leave even further away, but then I found them, and I didn’t want to go anymore,” he paused, lacing their hands together. “And a part of me wanted to be found. Even by your father, I couldn’t care if he would’ve killed me, I wanted to see you again,” he admitted, and she pulled away to look at him in the eye. “I knew I had to let you go, but... I couldn’t.”

“And now? Would you leave?”

“Now? Now that I have you?” He snorted.

“Yeah, you said there are more opportunities there, a better life.”

He nodded, biting the inside of his cheek and then answered, “Definitely, but you still have to be someone. The merchants there are rich, the clothes they wear are not much different from the ones they wear at court. The cold doesn’t bother them in winter, and the hot doesn’t make them sweat in summer. The supplies never lack, and the sea seems sweeter on the other side.”

“So it is better,” she replied, trying to meet his eyes, but his head was low, facing toward the reflecting surface.

“They look at you up and down, Scarlett,” he said, taking her hand in his again and raising his head, “And they love gossip much more than here. They are in everybody’s business, and I don’t want to live more in fear than how we already live now. It’s like a whole town of super rich people with big houses and dogs that never asked to be styled the way they do.”

At his words she felt a lump form in her throat; just how far the rumours reached? “Do they know about me?”

“Something arrived for sure, I can’t tell you if they paid much attention, but they know. They work, not saying otherwise, but they have much more free time than people here. It’s like an open court, and I don’t want to live in a place like that anymore,” he explained. “But why are you asking? Do you want to leave?”

She shook her head, pressing her lips in a thin line, “No, I like it here, but I was just wondering how it is somewhere else.”

“There’s a nicer town in this country if you want to travel around,” he informed, “but it’s better to go there in winter.”

“How much have you travelled when you were away?” She asked, chuckling, shaking her hair out of her forehead with a swift shake of the head.

“I also travelled with you, but we rarely got the chance to see any town we’ve been in,” he reminded her. “Maybe we could try to save some money and go there this winter for the holidays.”

“It’s okay, Jay,” she reassured, caressing his cheek, “Christmas here feels like home: with Mark burning the kitchen down, Eunbi crying for no reason, snow blocking the fireplace, tv not working because of the storm, the tree's balls of thousands different colours because it’s a miracle we got to put them together.”

He giggled and pulled her in, making her sit on his lap, kissing her softly, “I love you,” he mumbled in the kiss.

“I love you, too,” she replied, intertwining her hands in his long wavy hair.

“Fuck,” he cursed, tightening the hold around her waist, “I need you,” he pleaded, pulling away from the kiss to stare at her: the faint silver light of the moon reflecting on her brown skin, softening her features, the warm lights of the lampposts sparkling in her eyes, and the wind blowing her hair out of her face.

“Me too, but not here,” she replied, smiling slyly, getting up and fixing the crease of her long blue satin dress, high heels in hand. “Catch me,” she teased, raising a brow and wetting her lips with her tongue, in a gesture that was anything but chaste.

Something in his eyes shifted and a playful smirk painted on his face too before they started running on the boardwalk, toward their place for the night.

Scarlett was the first one to reach the hotel and immediately ran to their room after seeing that he was getting closer. Rushing in the corridor, she opened the door, but before entering, she unclasped her bra and threw it on the ground, right outside the entrance and left it ajar behind her. There wasn’t much place to hide, but the folding screen next to the mirror seemed like the better option to still have room to run away if he saw her.

“Oh, so we’re doing it seriously,” Jaehyun hummed as soon as he entered the room and saw no sign of her, the bra she left out of the door still in his hand. He turned the knob and locked the door. “In the trap,” he sang, the smirk on his face visible in her mind even if she couldn’t see.

“Come on, babe, there’s not much space to run here,” he teased, and with a swift movement, he moved the curtains, expecting her to be there, but much to his surprise, there was nobody there. He laughed and then walked to the closet opening it without saying a word, but she wasn’t there either, and not even in the bathroom or under the bed. Looking around the room, he finally saw the last place where she could be.

“Oh, oh, what a shame, little lamb, I guess your race has come to an end,” he cooed, moving the screen, but instead of her, there were just discarded lace panties. He furrowed and then snickered as he picked them from the floor and put them in his pocket and looked around the room. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Babe, you’re playing a dangerous game with me tonight.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and tried to suppress any sound as she could only see his feet moving around from the position she was hiding.

“I might give you something you love if you come out of your hiding,” he said, circling the bed to reach the curtains again. “Maybe you’re not here,” he faked when he heard a sound coming from the bed. A smug grin crept on his face as he walked to the door, he opened it and then closed it but hid behind the closet.

Scarlett didn’t see him anymore and decided to come out of her hiding spot, but as soon as her legs came out of the bed his cold hand wrapped around her ankles, making her freeze on the spot.

“Tag, you’re it,” Jaehyun whispered with his low voice before pulling her out of the bed.

“Hi,” she said, innocently batting her lashes.

“Oh, no, sweetie,” he cooed, cupping her chin, “it’s not going to work,” he whispered against her lips before kissing her harshly. He swiftly pulled away to lift her up and throw her on the mattress, climbing on it after her, his eyes staring at her as if she was a pray.

“What’s not going to work? Have I done something wrong?” She asked, tilting her head to the side, the innocence in her eyes in total contrast to the pose of her body, her feet planted on the mattress as her legs were open, the dress easily rolling up on her smooth skin, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Jaehyun was kneeling at the end of the bed and his eyes briefly looked down between her legs just to look up again, innocence gone, replaced by a sly smirk and lust-filled brown eyes looking back at him. “You’re playing with fire, babe, and you’re going to get hurt,” he susurrated, crawling to her, hands pushing her down against the mattress by the shoulder.

“Oh, I’m terrified,” she joked, covering her mouth with a hand to pretend to be shocked. Then she reached for his fully clothed dick and traced the outlines of his growing boner, palming and pressing against it just the time for him to lose control and for her to slip out of his hold.

Jaehyun stilled for a second before turning around and seeing her on the other side of the room. She was teasingly staring at him with a smirk on her face while her hands played with her hardening nipples through the thin fabric of the dress, eyes keeping the contact.

“Oh, so you want to play some more,” he cooed, sitting on the edge of the bed, one hand behind him to support his body, the other on his thigh. “And where do you think you can run?” He asked, looking around the room before going back to her. He got up and started walking to her, but right when he was close to reaching her, she ran on the bed again.

“Ring around the rosy now, seriously?” He asked, wetting his lips and raising a brow.

“You found me too soon,” she whined, walking backwards when he crawled on the bed to get to her, “there was no fun.”

“I think you had just enough,” he retorted, trying to block her way out with his body.

She sprung to the bathroom door but Jaehyun was faster at reaching her, slamming their bodies against the wall.

He smirked and then whispered against her ear, “Got you.”

He raised her, hands under her thighs to hold her up and walked to the bed again. She sat there, legs just partly open and teasing eyes looking at him. “Don’t run away babe, my patience is wearing thin,” he warned, kneeling between her legs, upper body hovering over her.

“I’ll be good this time, I promise,” she winked.

Jaehyun snickered, fingers hooking the strap of the dress, “I’d tear this off if I didn’t know you spent hours doing it, so I’ll be gentle,” he said, pushing it down her shoulder, “for now.”

Once she was naked in front of his eyes, he did the same with his own clothes and then leaned down to kiss her, his body caging her.

“So,” he whispered, lips against the skin of her neck, “since you like to play,” he raised his eyes meeting hers, “let’s see how much you can take.”

“I could surprise you,” she answered back, hands running on his shoulder. But with a swift movement, Jaehyun grabbed her wrist and pulled them over her head, tying his belt around them, careful not to hurt her but tight enough she couldn’t get free.

A gasp of surprise rolled out of her mouth as she stared at him with wide eyes.

He winked and said, “Let’s see what you can do now, ugh?”

“That’s not fair,” she whined, struggling.

“Oh, there’s no use, love, and if you keep going, you’re probably going to hurt yourself.”

“Are you going to set me free?”

“Later, maybe,” he said, “if you act like a good girl.”

A pout formed on her lips, but she stilled the movements of her arms, waiting for him to go on and show her what he had in mind.

Jaehyun smiled and then started licking her left nipple while his hand played with the other, soliciting moans out of her mouth. He knew her boobs were still extremely sensible, so he decided to use it at his advance. It was difficult to concentrate on the nub without sucking out milk but just licking made shivers run down her spine.

“Jae, please,” she moaned, arching her back to push more into him.

“Calm baby,” he warned, lifting his head up, “now I want to play.”

“I didn’t tease you,”

He raised a brow before sinking his teeth lightly on the flesh of her sideboob, making her yelp in pleasure. “No? Leaving your underwear around is not teasing? Touching me and then running around is not teasing? Playing with your nipples is not teasing?” He asked, fingers trailing down on her body till they reached her most sensitive spot. A breathless gasp left her open-mouthed when his thumb pressed down on her clit. “Tell me, babe,” he urged. “Tell me how that’s not teasing?”

She whined and shut her eyes close, “I’m sorry, I’m not going to do it anymore.”

“Oh, trust me, I’ll make sure you won’t,” he replied, standing up, the warmth of his body leaving her to the heat of the summer. His hand laid on her bent knees and pushed her legs open before sinking between her thighs. He looked up from behind her mound while he left an open-mouthed kiss on her pussy. She felt more heat rush between her legs and had to throw her head back, harshly biting her lips to suppress a lewd sound that was closer to a growl than a moan.

“No, angel,” he called, “you look at me as I devour you,” he ordered and started to move his tongue on her wet folds, collecting her juice and then sucking on her clit. She forced her head up and her eyes open to stare into his that were filled with lust as he pleased her, but it was hard and slightly uncomfortable since she couldn’t use her arms to lift her upper body up.

She knew she should’ve suppressed her moans, but it was also the only time she could be a little bit loud, and it was the first time they had some action in six, maybe seven months honestly, she couldn’t remember. So she didn’t really want to keep quiet.

“Fuck, babe,” she moaned, digging her nails in the palm of her hand.

“You like that?” He mumbled against her, fingers parting her lips to get better access, his tongue slipping past her entrance.

She moaned louder at the new intrusion and squeezed her eyes shut before forcing them open again, gaining a content hum from Jaehyun.

“I’m close,” she whined, involuntarily pushing her thighs around his head as the orgasm drew closer and closer.

“Go on then,” he encouraged, moving his mouth faster on her, nose teasing her clit just right to send her over the edge. The climax washed over her while she let her head fall behind, feeling the rush run all over her body.

Jaehyun crawled up once he finished helping her ride the orgasm and kissed her roughly. His fingers travelled down her body and dipped into her taking her breath away.

“Oh, too much,” she cried in the kiss.

“Two rounds are too much for you?”

“No, but, fuck,” she cursed, lolling her head back again when he started moving inside of her. The stretch of two fingers was a little bit uncomfortable at the intrusion but nice now that her walls welcomed him well.

“As I imagined,” he smirked, looking down at her. Her eyes were now closed while her head was thrown back, lips parted letting out low whimpers. His fingers started to pump faster as his thumb tortured her clit, causing her to snap her eyes open. “Too much for you, baby?” He teased with a smug smirk on his face. “My pretty angel can’t take it?”

She shook her head and started struggling again against the belt. She just wanted to touch him, feel him even closer, but she couldn’t.

“It’s good,” she slurred, “but I need you,” she cried and then bit her lips to muffle more moans that were menacing of coming out.

“You have me, I’m right here,” he replied, but he knew damn well what she wanted.

“No,” she whined, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Come for me again and I’ll free you from this,” he urged.

A groan was the only response he got but they both decided to focus on the pleasure.

Jaehyun started to move faster in and out, curling his fingers to reach the spot inside her that made her see stars, and the movement on the clit got faster. The sounds filling the room were lewd, skin slapping against skin and wetness pooling down on the sheets. And she could feel the knot on her stomach form again, but this time it felt different, lower and more intense. And just when she thought it couldn’t become more than that, Jaehyun pressed her leg against her chest, and the new position didn’t give her the time to warn him before she came squirting all over his hand, arm and chest, making a mess also on the sheets and her legs.

“Fu-uck,” she whimpered as he kept going, fucking her dry, until her legs were shaking and she started curling against him, chants of ‘no more, no more,’ spilling out of her mouth. And just when he made sure he had got every last drop out of her, he pulled out and stood up. She was dishevelled, already putty in his hand, mascara’s stains on her cheeks, plump red lips, and messy hair on the pillow and her forehead.

“Beautiful,” he praised before moving to unbuckle his belt and finally set her free. She smiled, stretching her arms a little before throwing them around his neck to pull him into a heated kiss. They kissed for what felt ages, lips crashing against each other with eagerness, hands intertwined in each other and legs tangled together.

“Can you take one more?” Jaehyun asked in the middle of the kiss as he ground his hard dick against her throbbing clit.

She nodded, “Yes, need you inside.” And spread her legs more so he could have better access. He smiled and then entered her with ease in one thrust, bottoming against her ass and stilled for a second. She threw her head back while he let his fall against her shoulder and started moving slowly.

“Feel so good,” he mumbled against her neck, biting at her skin lightly.

It felt different than all the other times. More romantic, more intimate. It was just the two of them, nobody else that could hear them, nobody else that could pull them apart. There wasn’t the fear that their story brought along seeping in their bones. No more skeletons of the past ready to jump at their throat. No hand was promised to a prince that really believed she could be the one. No talk of the streets could get between them.

No sad thoughts fogged their mind now. Jaehyun didn't need to make it last longer to have her close because the sunlight would’ve brought her away from him. And she didn’t have to beg for him to stay in her bed anymore. There was just love and hope for the future.

Jaehyun kissed her again and again, while their hips moved in a perfect rhythm to meet each other halfway. The room was filled with their low moans and whispers and the sound of their skin slapping together while outside the storm finally broke down.

“Faster, please,” she moaned, arching her hips higher to get even more friction. No matter how sensible she was down there and how close to exploding again she felt, she wanted more and wanted that to last forever.

Jaehyun hummed and started moving faster. He grabbed the back of her knees and placed her legs around his waist so he could reach deeper. And she let out a loud moan before digging her nails in his back, surely leaving marks.

“Fuck,” he cursed, throwing his head back and starting to thrust faster and faster in her.

“’m close,” she cried, squeezing her eyes shut.

“’m almost there. Can you wait for me?” He asked, pressing their forehead together, nose to nose.

She nodded and tried to control her orgasm.

Jaehyun left a peck on her lips and then sneaked a hand between their bodies to play with her clit.

“Can’t take it anymore,” she whined, biting her lower lip.

“Come with me, love,” he urged, “Come.”

And in a second, the orgasm hit them both, fogging their mind as they kissed each other eagerly.

They laid there in silence for a while, their breaths and the raindrops against the window the only audible sound in the night. Scarlett’s head was resting on Jaehyun’s chest, right over his heart, and he was playing with her hair, twirling a curl in his finger and then letting go.

She tilted her head to look up at him, cheek still pressed against his chest and smiled before turning how she was before.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked, the smile on his face could be heard in his voice.

“That we almost risked to don’t have all of this,” she replied, fingers tracing patterns on his lightly tanned skin.

“Well, guess we deserve this after everything we’ve been through.”

She hummed, “To be honest, I never thought I’d meet the love of my life like that.”

Jaehyun raised a brow, “And how?”

“Well,” she said, lifting her torso to look at him, “When I was a child, I really did believe in fairy tales. I thought that there was nothing more romantic than marrying a Prince and living in a castle that would’ve been all ours while reigning a country. I was naïve, I thought royals seriously cared about something more than themselves and money.”

“And then? What happened?”

“I opened my eyes and saw how terrible reality is.”

“I thought you were going to say that you met Donghyuck,” he joked.

“Oh, yeah, also,” she laughed. “But seriously, even when you arrived at the palace, I never imagined it was going to end like this.”

Jaehyun nodded, lips pressed against each other and then gathered the courage to ask what was haunting him, “Can I ask you when, why and how you fell in love with me?”

“Wow, very specific,” she chuckled but then started to think. “Probably the night we danced together for the first time,” she said, smiling fondly at the memory. “Do you remember?”

He chuckled, “How can I forget? You pouted the whole night, they made you meet too many Princes, and you were furious,” he laughed, “And worst of it all, nobody wanted to dance with you,”

“So you asked me to dance,” she finished, beaming.

“And you looked at me with eyes full of fear, I can say it now, I thought I had crossed the line and that you were going to fire me,” he admitted, “but then you took my hand and said that nothing good starts with a dance.”

She nodded, her lips curled up in a melancholic grin, “I was thinking thousands of things. I don’t know what happened that night, but I started seeing you in a different light. I thought about our conversations and then the ones with the Princes and knew that nothing could come close to you, not even a noble title, not even a crown.”

“But you were scared.”

“I was,” she agreed, “We had just become friends, and I didn’t want to make things worst by falling for you. But then we danced the whole night, and you kept whispering funny things in my ear about all the snotty duchess and dukes, and I slipped a little.”

Jaehyun grinned, “So, I guess I’m a good dancer.”

“Oh, you are,” she answered, smiling at the memory. “And you looked so good in your red suit, with your brown hair slicked back, hands behind your back, and head high. You’ve always been the prettiest face that castle ever welcomed.”

“A little bit biased, aren’t you?”

“No, when you first arrived at court, some duchess and court women thought you were my promised husband, a Prince from a faraway land they have never seen before.”

“They manifested this, then,” he joked. “But after that night?”

“Nothing, I simply tried to push you out of my mind like that. You were my only friend. I didn’t want to lose you.”

“And then you couldn’t make it anymore.”

“No, but I thought that turning it into sex would’ve been a good compromise. I would’ve had you but not too much.”

“Terrible idea,” he sneered playfully, still caressing her scalp.

“Hey! We wouldn’t be here today.”

“Who knows?”

“You didn’t love me before that.”

“I couldn’t look at you other than the Princess I had to protect with my whole life, Scarlett,” he reminded her. “But why me?”

“I don’t think you can choose who you love, it just happens,” she looked up at him, “and you made me feel good, not sexually, but mentally. I couldn’t wait to finish the lessons to come and see you and rant to you about my day. The long trips to other cities weren’t annoying anymore because I had you by my side, and you always had stories to tell me and things to teach me. You listened to me, Yoonoh. You genuinely cared for me and my ideas, my random thoughts, and my passions. Nobody ever did that, well except for Irina, but she was like a mom for me, so.”

“Why you never told me before that you loved me?”

“I thought you didn’t love me back, and I didn’t want you to lose your job or make things harder. And you, when did you fall for me?”

He smiled, “During our two am talks,” he confessed, “I always knew you were more thoughtful than the rest, but at night you changed into a another person, and I understood that at the end, we weren’t so different from each other. I felt seen, I felt appreciated, and I felt warmth spread in my chest every time you laughed or smiled,” he stopped, thinking about their nights together, “I mean, look at us now, we are two bandits on the run from the law.”

She light-heartedly laughed at that, “I don’t think they’re looking for us anymore, but yeah, technically we are.”

They went silent for some minutes before she spoke again. “Can I ask you something now?”

“Sure.”

“Have you ever dated somebody else?”

“I did,” he admitted.

“Loved them?”

“Maybe, I don’t know. I was really young. I don’t know if you can call it love, more infatuation.”

She nodded before wetting her dry lips, “So it was different than this?”

He hummed, “Oh yes, it was. I never felt like I do with you with anybody else. And I know I’m never gonna love again if I had to lose you for whatever reason.”

"So, you don't regret anything that happened?" She sat up, turning a little to face him, that was now standing on his elbows.

Jaehyun shook his head to move the strands of hair out of his face and smiled, "I regret so many things I've done, but trust me, you will never be on that list."

She felt her eyes get watery and threw her head back to stop tears from falling.

"Oh, no, come on, I didn't mean to make you cry," he said, sitting straight to pull her in his embrace, "Come here."

Scarlett sniffed and then shook her head to regain composure, "I just never imagined that I could feel so much for someone and that someone could feel so much for me. It feels good to have you here, for real now. I'm not sure I'll get used to this anytime soon."

Jaehyun smiled before kissing her forehead and hugging her tightly. "Well, it is. And please, don't ever doubt my feelings for you.”

The morning light pierced through the window, hitting Jaehyun's back, lighting up his toned back. Scarlett shifted in her place to get closer to him and started kissing his neck while her hands roamed his muscular chest. She smiled as she heard him squirm and huff.

"Scarlett?" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes to adjust to the light.

"Who else could it be?" She whispered against his ear as her hands travelled south, hovering his morning boner making him moan. She kept placing kisses on his back while her hands teased him.

A groan escaped his lips when her hand wrapped around his length, pumping up and down slowly.

Jaehyun turned face to the ceiling and smirked, "Making up for the lost times?"

Scarlett hummed and moved down, leaving pecks on his abs as she hid under the covers.

"Yeah, actually, we haven't played hide and seek enough," he joked when she disappeared under the sheets before lifting them up to have a perfect view of her.

She grinned and then wrapped her lips around his cock, almost taking his full length in one go.

Jaehyun cursed, throwing his head back, and gripping the sheets at his sides. "Fuck, feels good."

She smiled and then started bobbing her head up and down, hollowing her cheeks and twirling her tongue on the tip, just like he liked it.

He forced his eyes open and watched her, her eyes were already looking up at him.

"You're so pretty like this," he praised through gritted teeth as he tried not to let the pleasure completely take over his brain. "But I want you."

She gave him a few more pumps and then pulled away with a lewd pop and smirked.

Scarlett crawled on top of him and lined up his dick on her opening, slowly sinking till she bottomed out.

"God," he moaned, lolling his head back and wrapping his hands around her waist. "You feel so good."

"I know," she winked before starting to move in a steady rhythm.

They kept a constant pace for a while, till the pleasure became too much and their thrust became erratic.

"I'm close," she moaned, clenching around him, as she tightened the hold on his shoulder, half-moons blooming on his skin.

"Fuck, me too," he slurred, trying to move better against her, and then touched her clit, sending both of them over the edge.

When the high passed, they stood there, in each other embrace, still panting heavily. She lifted her head from his shoulder and smiled. "Good morning, by the way."

Jaehyun laughed and rolled his eyes back, "You're surreal."

"I'm telling you, enjoy this freedom because nothing like this will happen back at home," Scarlett warned, leaning against the bathroom frame as she stared at Jaehyun that was sitting on the bed with food on the sheets.

"That's exactly why I'm doing it," he smirked, "we're never going to have so much fun anytime soon."

She rolled her eyes but walked toward him, dropping the robe to the ground, revealing her body, which was only covered with black lacy lingerie and a short lacy robe.

Jaehyun stared at her with his mouth open, and she shook her head. "You've seen my body thousands of times, don't act so surprised."

"I never get used to it, and sorry if I don't expect you to come out with this lingerie every time."

"Well, don't get used to it. I only have these four pieces, and I'm not going to walk around the house with a thong, so I hope you'll love me with my ugly and boring cotton white panties."

Jaehyun laughed, "I love you the most with your boring underwear."

"Good, because that's all I can offer," she chuckled, crawling to him to kiss him.

"So I guess this is a special occasion?" He winked, pointing to the chocolate bottle that was at the centre of the bed.

She stared at him in disbelief, "Seriously? Food play?"

He shrugged, "Why not? You didn't let me get my dessert at dinner, so maybe it's time."

She sighed, "You're really making it up for lost times."

"I'm not the one that came out of the bathroom like a tease," he defended, "I swear I had the best intentions for tonight. Just some sweets together while watching a movie, hoping that the small tv works."

She gasped, pretending to be offended, "Sorry, we can stick to your plan if you care so much about it."

He shook his head, and in a second, his body caged hers, "No, we're postponing. Dessert first, movie later."

She laughed when he attacked her neck, starting to kiss her, but he pulled away to get closer to the bottle he had eyed before.

"Just chocolate, Yoonoh," she ordered, glaring at him, already sensing he had other intentions.

And, as expected, he pouted, "Just one strawberry, please?"

She rolled her eyes but gave up, "Fine, but don't be too messy."

He smiled happily and pulled closer to him the basket with the red fruit. Scarlett raised her upper body and threw the robe to the ground, leaving the bra and panties the only thing to cover her. "Want me to get rid of those, too?"

He shook his head and then popped the bottle open, "Just lay there and let me do all the job," he reassured her and then started to pour the chocolate on the hollow of her boobs. She moaned loudly when the cold substance came in contact with her hot skin but maintained eye contact with Jaehyun. "If it feels uncomfortable, I'll stop," he said before lowering down.

"Just eat me up, baby. There might be something even sweeter waiting for you later," she whispered, voice low already filled with lust, as expectation raised in her.

Jaehyun gulped before flattening his tongue on her skin and slowly started to lick the chocolate from her skin, his eyes never leaving hers.

Scarlett rolled her head back when he poured some more on the uncovered part of her boobs and did it again and then again on her stomach. She didn't expect to enjoy it so much, but there was something so erotic about everything that she couldn't describe.

When he reached her mound, he stopped and hooking the band of the panties he pulled them down at an incredibly slow pace, so devastating that the brush of the fabric felt like fire on her skin.

He grabbed a strawberry and smeared some chocolate on top of it, but instead of placing it on her body, he crawled to her and said, "Can you hold it for me?"

She nodded, but not understanding what he really meant, and when his free hand was placed under her chin to part her lips, she felt her breath get knocked out of her lungs.

"Good girl," he praised, once the fruit was placed in her mouth, "Hold it for me while I eat you out."

She emitted a throaty sound as excitement rushed between her legs. She was basically gagged but couldn't bite down the strawberry, and she wasn't even so sure Jaehyun was going to be so nice to her.

He pushed her legs open and dived between her thighs, starting to trail kisses in the inner thigh while his fingers ghosted on the skin of her other leg and then on her neediest part. She wanted to squirm under him, begging for more with her body, but tried to keep still and let her senses go to his torture. It went on for what felt like minutes before he finally decided to pay attention to her throbbing clit. His movements were slow and precise; long licks on her folds and then intense sucks around her sensitive bud. Over and over. And she started to feel dizzy, as tears collected at the corner of her eyes, and she felt her lungs burn. There was something gruelling and painful about everything, and yet so good. And she felt so close to reaching her high when Jaehyun pulled away, leaving her speechless. She searched for his eyes, but he was turned around, at the feet of the bed, searching for something. He was holding something she couldn't see, and curiosity bubbled in her bones.

"Do you trust me?" Was everything he said, looking at her pleading, wet, eyes. And she nodded without hesitation.

Jaehyun smiled and then moved his hands out of his back, revealing his black tie to her. She wanted to complain, thinking he was going to tie her up again, but what he did next surprised her more. He wrapped it around her eyes, securing it behind her head, and everything around her went pitch black. Statics sounds, his breath and the crash of the waves were the only things she could hear.

She clasped her legs together when she felt an embarrassing amount of wetness pool out of her, and the mocking chuckle that rolled out of Jaehyun's lips didn't help.

"Glad you're enjoying this," he hummed, "but if you ever want me to stop, tap me anywhere, okay?"

She nodded and then relaxed against the pillow again. In a second, Jaehyun was again working on her, collecting her juice and spreading it around. And then the torture started again. His big hands against her thighs, his lips moving on her folds, his moans vibrating against her, but this time she also couldn't see. And time felt different as she started to disconnect from the world and let pleasure take over her completely. She couldn't point out how long it had passed, but she came with an orgasm that never felt so overwhelming. But Jaehyun didn't stop, he kept going, now inserting two fingers inside of her walls.

She lifted her hips up at the intrusion, feeling over sensitive, but the discomfort didn't last. Muffled cries came out of her full mouth while Jaehyun praised her and thrust faster and faster inside of her. Her hands desperately grabbed at the sheets beneath her, and her head rolled back, and she felt lucky she wasn't tied because she could somehow still ground herself to reality and don't let the bliss fog her head completely.

"Don't bite my strawberry, love," he reminded her, moving his fingers in her ruthlessly. "I have to eat it after. It's not polite to ruin food."

She groaned in the back of her throat and bucked her hips, trying to fight another climax to come. But Jaehyun knew her and her body too well, and the fast movements on her clit were all she needed to be sent over the edge again. But this time, with a stronger orgasm, feeling her muscles twitch and toes curl as she squirted harder than ever before.

She squirmed under his hold when he didn't stop after riding her high but kept going. She felt tired, but it also felt so good that she didn't want to stop, so, ignoring the tears that were freely falling from her eyes, she let him go on. This time it took nothing for her to come undone, with the work of his fingers and tongue and praising words.

"You're so fucking beautiful, fuck," he praised, lifting his face from her pussy for a second, "And mine," he added, biting her inner thigh, making her clench harder around his digits.

"Come for me again," he urged, voice muffled against her skin, "I know you can do it." He curled his fingers inside of her and only focused on her clit, wrapping his lips around it to suck. And she couldn't take it anymore. When it all became too much, she exploded, letting the third orgasm of the night wash over her, making her squirm under his firm hold, and making her head feel dizzy and light at the same time. And this seemed to last much longer than the other, like a shock that had no intention to stop.

Jaehyun smiled, seeing her legs shake, the wet patches against his tie, or the drool that ran down her chin, and her boobs still stained with a little bit of chocolate heaving up and down.

He moved closer to her and wrapped his mouth around the strawberry, sinking his teeth in it to cut it in half, his lips brushing against hers like a breeze. "Eat the rest, love. You deserve it." Scarlett did as told and chewed the rest of the fruit, not even thinking about the bandage on her eyes but still lost in the new sensation. And when Jaehyun lifted his tie, and she could see again, it almost felt strange.

"You did so good," Jaehyun praised, gently wiping away the tears from her temples, "I love you."

She smiled and then pulled him closer to kiss him properly. "I think I made a mess, so why don't we take a bath?" Jaehyun giggled, wrapping his arms around her.

"But I'm tired," she complained, even if she was fully aware that they couldn't sleep in those conditions.

"I'll take care of you," he reassured her before taking her to the bathroom.

The hot water filled the bathtub and kept their bodies warm. Scarlett was resting against his chest while Jaehyun washed her with a sponge.

"I think your movie will have to wait," she said, snuggling closer to his neck.

"It's fine. We can always do that at home, right?"

She hummed, "Eunbi will start to monopolize the tv, and we'll only watch cartoons for at least ten years," she laughed, kissing his chest, as her hands searched for his to hold them.

"Ten years sounds so scary," he admitted, looking down to stare at her.

"I wanted to scare you about not being able to watch movies ever again, not to see you panicking over everything else," she joked to light up the mood.

Jaehyun hummed, "I know," he leaned his head on top of hers, "why don't we think about what to eat tomorrow morning?"

"Mhh," she moaned, "that sounds like the only kind of tomorrow I want to worry about," she said. "Life proved us enough times that no matter how much you plan it, it never turns out how you want, right?"

Jaehyun shrugged, "I don't know," he confessed. "I think it proved us the total opposite. Let's be honest, we weren't supposed to be here. We rewrote our destiny, breaking every law, on heart and heaven. Going against the Gods, well, good luck to us when the day will come."

"You make it sound more dramatic than what it is. It's not that bad. There are people that kill out there."

"Yeah, but they don't con the Gods, or whoever or whatever writes the stars. Me and you, on the other hand..."

She smiled at the dramatic picture he was drawing, "So, we are con artists that dare to cheat with the upper floor?"

Jaehyun threw his head back, "You can't call them the upper floor, Scarlett, please."

"But that's where they are, high in the sky, while we're here, suffering. I mean, it's normal that sometimes some people snap and decide to take the matter in their hands if nobody wants to give them their deserved happy ending."

He tried to suppress a laugh but failed, "You might have a point. I would've worded it a little bit more nicely, but you're right."

"As always," she bragged.

"Anyway," he said, "I don't care how we got here as long as I have you. I don't have to worry about the past anymore. There's just the future in front of us, right? Ten years, twenty, thirty. Turning grey with you sounds fun, even if I'll have to burn in the pits of hell forever when I die."

A fond smile crept on her face, "Who knows, maybe we'll meet each other again in hell, burning side by side."

"Mhh, the idea of my perfect date."

"And probably the only date we'll get to have after this one," she joked.

"Talking about dates," he said, "I really needed this, you know, spending time with you, doing dumb shits we have never done. Or, at least, now I can also have fun without thinking about my head in the guillotine if something happens to you."

She laughed, "I needed this, too." She then stopped, suddenly realizing something. "Wait, you didn't come," and that made Jaehyun explode in a laugh.

"I was trying to be romantic," he scolded.

"I know, but I was so tired that I didn't even think about you," she said, feeling guilty and shitty.

"I'm fine. I wanted to only focus on you. Consider it a gift for this morning blowjob." He winked, and she smiled at him, wrapping her arms around him, careful not to splash the water on the floor.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him on the lips. And he simply kissed her back without adding any superfluous word. They knew it wasn't about that night. It was gratefulness for never giving up and always fighting for what they had. It was gratefulness for always having each other's back.

Two days went by quickly, and before they could even notice, they were once again in their home; Eunbi clinging to them, scared they were going to leave again, Taeyong telling about all the fun they had together, and Johnny swearing he wasn’t going to have a child in his life.

“This was your idea, Suh,” Scarlett reminded Johnny when he finished whining about how stressful it had been.

“Yeah, but it turned out harder than expected,” he replied, eyes wide open, hands in his hair, “Probably because you appeared in the back of my mind every time I did something, terrorizing me that if something bad happened to her, my life was over.”

Scarlett glared at him, “You make me look like a terrible person.”

“You’re not a terrible person, but you’re a mother, and I had to take the responsibility of her life. Damn, that’s scary.”

Jaehyun chuckled, lulling Eunbi as he held her in his arms in a sitting like position on his hips, “You’d make a great father, though. Trust me, she wouldn’t have left her to you if she didn’t trust you.”

“Maybe, but definitely not now. You are a great reminder to always be careful.”

Scarlett playfully slapped his arm, “If it wasn’t for her, probably he and I wouldn’t even be together now.”

“I don’t have a cursed love story, so I don’t need a pregnancy that makes me do reckless things, like walking around two countries at six months.”

“For real,” Taeyong intervened in the conversation, “you were insane.”

Scarlett shook her head and puffed, “I was in love.”

“Same thing,” Doyoung added, sitting down on the other end of the couch, looking for the best spot where the wind blew and cooled him.

“I was good with her,” Mark said with a proud smile, peeking his head out of the kitchen to peck Eunbi’s nose, making her giggle. “I think she’s going to say my name soon.”

“Or maybe she’s going to say mama, don’t you think?”

“No, no, she pronounces a hard sound close to the k. I’ll be her first word,” Mark clarified, smiling and then whispering in a stupid voice something that only Eunbi could hear.

“Sorry to let you down, but she already said ‘Ba’ at the beach,” Jaehyun bragged, looking at Mark with a smug smile.

Scarlett rolled her eyes and lolled her head back, “She just mumbled random things. That Ba could’ve been anything.”

“No, she looked at me and said that. She knows who I am. Just wait for it.”

“Maybe she was saying Ma for Mark and you heard wrong,” Mark intervened, resting a hand on his hip.

“Oh my,” Yuta exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, “y'all are going insane over random sounds. Watch how her first word is going to be something completely unrelated. Like, I don’t know, ‘You need to chill’.”

“Yuta’s right. She’s going to surprise us all, I’m sure,” Taeyong asserted, “She never does anything as planned anyway.”

“Maybe she’ll start walking before talking,” Doyoung presumed, shrugging.

“Yeah, she’s super athletic. Where does she even get all this energy from?” Johnny asked, looking at her parents.

“Her mommy’s milk,” Jaehyun answered, laughing.

“Oh shut up, Jeong,” she huffed, throwing a pillow at him.

“Hey! I’m holding your child,” he yelled, successfully avoiding it. “And it’s true, it gives her strength.”

Scarlett scoffed, ignoring him to answer Johnny seriously, “Kun said that she’s really healthy considering she was born premature and also had that little problem during the first months. Since she started getting better, she never stopped, and the fact that she always moved a lot helped her get stronger.”

“Maybe it’s the royal blood,” Johnny joked.

Scarlett snorted, “Please, I don’t even want to know how my ancestors mixed with themselves, how good can it be?”

“So, it’s true? Royals do that?” Yuta asked with a disgusted face, bringing his attention on them again and not on the journal he was reading.

“As I said, I kind of don’t want to know.”

Jaehyun walked over to her and sat on the armrest, “So, mixing with the pleb is the best thing you can do. Maybe we should go back to your father and let him know that yours was a revolutionary act.”

“Thank God, I think they stopped doing it at least four generations ago, but yeah, nobody went that far as procreating with a commoner. Can I say I hold a record in my line?”

“Definitely, not sure they would throw a celebration, but it’s still something,” Yuta shrugged before drifting in his world again.

Eunbi giggled and crawled on her mother, one hand holding tight her favourite plushie, a white stuffed bunny that Scarlett and Taeyong sawed together, the other gripping her dress to keep balance.

“Don’t undress me,” Scarlett whined, moving her hand away, but the baby kept bringing it there, mouth trying to reach for her boob. “No milk till tonight.”

“But you haven’t breastfed her for two days,” Johnny said, pouting, almost as if he was the one to get something out of the situation.

“Look here, the devil’s advocate, did she pay you?” Scarlett looked at him with a shocked expression.

“I’m just saying that drinking from the sippy cup wasn’t the same thing as eating from you and she was disappointed when the only boob she had was mine and not yours.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and then pulled her dress down, not even the time to adjust that Eunbi was already sucking. “But just because they hurt like hell and after two days, I think there’s enough milk to feed a whole nation.”

“Why didn’t you pump it out?”

“Might’ve forgotten the breast pump here and wouldn’t have done it anyway. Too busy relaxing.”

“I don’t want to know how,” Doyoung replied, getting up from the couch and disappearing into another room.

“Can I ask you something?” Mark said, shily walking toward her. Scarlett nodded, reassuring him to go on. “What are you going to do when she has teeth?”

“What kind of questions are those, Mark!” Taeyong screamed, hitting his nape, making him wince in pain.

“I asked her if I could,” Mark defended.

“It’s fine,” she intervened before Taeyong could hit him again. “She’ll know she doesn’t have to bite.”

“Why does it looks like you are at your twelfth child?” Yuta interfered again, stopping his reading for the nth time, glancing at her from his half laying position on the armchair.

“I might’ve had the same fear and read every magazine in Kun’s studio while fighting off anxiety,” she said, pressing her lips together.

“See, she’s also feared the same thing,” Mark said to Taeyong.

“Of course, it’s her boobs, not yours!”

“Oh, let him be, Yong,” she reassured. “It’s not like that’s the most embarrassing thing that happened between us. You saw me giving birth, and we barely knew each other, now that was embarrassing.”

“If it consoles you, we didn’t stare,” Yuta chimed again, fanning himself with his hand.

“Oh, I sure hope you didn't,” Jaehyun warned, narrowing his eyes.

“Uh,” Johnny exclaimed, “so you are a little bit jealous after all.”

“I don’t want you to get too comfortable, that’s it,” Jaehyun said. “If a snotty Prince takes her away, it’s a thing, but if one of my best friends does it, I won't like it at all.”

“So if Donghyuck knocked on the door, you would let me go?”

“He would have to run over my corpse,” he affirmed with a serious tone. “But that wouldn’t be a double betrayal.”

“You don’t have to worry about us,” Johnny waved his hand, “we’re just very happy to have a milf at home.”

Jaehyun glared at him.

“And a dilf, I would never forget about you,” the oldest added, grinning at his offended expression.

Scarlett muffled a laugh as she glanced at Jaehyun’s face. “Oh, come on, that was funny.”

“Now I understand why you two get so along,” Jaehyun answered, but his pissed-off expression faded immediately. “Guess I’ll have to carry the weight of being a dilf forever on my shoulder.”

“Girls downtown ask about you when you’re not there,” Yuta informed, giving up finding comfort from the heat and sitting straight on the armchair as a normal person would.

“I hope you tell them he's booked and busy,” Scarlett pried.

“I do, but that doesn’t seem to scare them off,” Yuta chuckled, thinking about how desperate they were to somehow have his number, “Got yourself a charming man, it comes with a prize.” He shrugged, before stretching and creaking the bones of his hands.

Jaehyun flipped his hair and then kissed her temple, “But nobody comes close to you, love, so don’t worry, they can keep dreaming.”

“Good, that’s what I wanted to hear.”

After a day at home, spent playing board games and building legos on the floor and eating junk food with the boys, they decided to go to a park that was one hour out of town.

It was a confined space, with a small lake in the middle and was full of weeping willows shielding them from the sun rays. The perfect place for a picnic and to stay out of people’s eyes, since it was a Wednesday morning, and nobody was there.

“I can’t believe you convinced me wearing matching outfits, again,” Jaehyun said as he laid the blanket on the ground and then placed the picnic basket in a corner to block it from flying in the wind.

Scarlett chuckled, “They are just matching in colour,” she replied, blocking the stroller where Eunbi was sleeping, “and pastel blue looks good on us,” she finished, looking up and down at them, a proud smile on her face, happy of what she created.

“Fair,” he said, raising his hands up, “ but I can’t promise it’s going to happen for the third time.”

“Don’t worry, in one week, you’ll go back wearing that ugly suit,” she retorted, placing another bag on the ground and then sitting, adjusting the dress so that her thighs were fully covered.

“I thought I looked sexy in it,” he teased, kneeling to the ground in front of her.

“Don’t know,” she shrugged, faking indifference, “ask the women downtown what they think about it.”

Jaehyun laughed, throwing his head back, “So you are jealous, like for real.”

“You are mocking our matching outfits that I made. I feel offended. I doubt somebody else will take so much care of you,” she pouted, crossing her arms on her chest.

Jaehyun beamed and then moved over so he could kiss the pout away, “I wasn’t mocking you, babe,” he whispered. “I was just noting that you could convince me to do anything. The power you have over me it’s quite scary.”

She smiled and pulled him in by the collar before Eunbi started moving on the stroller and their attention shifted to her.

“Look who’s up,” Jaehyun cooed, opening the belly bar of the stroller and unblocking the belts to lift her up. Eunbi giggled, stretching her arms to her dad, doing grabby hands. “Do you like it here?” He asked, sitting her between his legs, one arm wrapped around her waist to help her stay in balance, even if she was perfectly able to sit by herself.

A happy giggle rolled out of her lips as she looked around in awe and then smiled at her mom.

“She’s going to make me die from cuteness one day,” Scarlett said, leaning over to caress her curls.

“She got it from you,” Jaehyun replied, tightening the hold around her when she started to move.

“Let her. Maybe she just wants to crawl around,” Scarlett reassured him and moved back to give Eunbi more space to move.

“So I'll have to run after her?”

“She’s not that fast, come on,” she groaned, and Jaehyun freed the baby from his hold. In one second, Eunbi was on all four crawling on the blanket to go to the grass, but as soon as her hands touched the grass, she whined and pulled away and looked up at her parents with a disgusted expression.

They both started laughing, “What, baby? You don’t like grass?”

She frowned, shaking her head but then tried again to touch it, just to utter another louder whine and crawl to Scarlett.

“Stay here, little bird,” she cooed, opening her arms for her, and Eunbi smiled brightly, letting her mom lull her. “Today, we found out we don’t like grass.”

“She’s brave, though,” Jaehyun added, “she tried touching it again.”

“Our baby is curious, isn’t she?” Scarlett praised, looking at her.

“Bo bo bo,” Eunbi mumbled, stamping her hands on the blanket, signalling she wanted something, but Jaehyun and Scarlett stared at each other in confusion.

“She wants to come to you?”

“I don’t think so. I’m not Bo,” Jaehyun replied. And Eunbi kept bubbling the same syllables moving her hands on top of the other.

“Oh!” Scarlett exclaimed, “she wants to play with the soft blocks. They are in the basket under the stroller.”

Jaehyun leaned to grab the bag and said, “Oh, so that’s Bo Bo, well creative.”

Eunbi squealed as soon as her father rolled them in front of her. She kicked her legs to slip off of her mom’s leg and sit on the blanket. “Bo Bo!” She exclaimed, clapping her small hands, eliciting a smile from both of them.

Scarlett bent down to fix the hem of her shorts that folded on itself and asked, “We played with them yesterday. Do you like them so much?”

“I think it’s Mark fault, he always plays with her with this.”

“Mak,” Eunbi repeated, and Scarlett and Jaehyun froze.

“Tell me that doesn’t count as her first word, please?” Jaehyun asked, trying to hold back a laugh mixed with a cry.

Scarlett shrugged before erupting in a loud laugh, “I mean, I guess it does. She’s not going to develop the r sound soon, and that’s the closest to a word she ever said.”

“That’s not true, she says Ba,” Jaehyun denied, looking at Eunbi in disbelief. “And stop laughing!”

“I’m sorry,” Scarlett apologized, but without stopping grinning. “She might as well mistaken him for her dad at this point.”

“That’s unacceptable. I didn’t do anything to deserve this,” he replied, pretending to be weeping, “Well, Mark’s not here, so it doesn’t count.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and shook her head at how headstrong he could be, “She’s probably going to repeat it at home.”

“Mak,” Eunbi said again, holding up a block before placing it on top of another. Jaehyun whined and let his head fall in the palm of his head.

“She thinks he’s a block. It doesn’t count!” He insisted, eyes full of desperation trying to convince his girlfriend of the same thing.

“She simply connects an act with a person.”

“Oh, great, so she’s going to say Baba every time someone changes her diaper,” he wrinkled his nose in disappointment, and Scarlett laughed again.

“He probably spends the whole day repeating his name to her. I mean, I know he does because he’s the one that spends more time with me.”

“So it’s a conspiracy against me.”

“Why are you mad, she says Mak, but not Mama when it could be much easier for her. And yet I’m not complaining,” she joked, taking his hand in hers.

“Baba,” Eunbi said, her small hands hitting Jaehyun’s knee to gain his attention. Jaehyun’s eyes widened before he looked down to see her big brown eyes look up at him, a proud smile on her face as she finished her crooked and small sculpture.

“Oh my God,” Jaehyun stuttered, feeling tears pool at the corner of his eyes, “Did she, did she call me?”

A fond smile crept on Scarlett's face as she stared at the scene before pulling out the camera to shoot a picture. “See, Mr Negative Thoughts? She wants you to look at her little piece of art.”

“Oh my, oh my,” he chanted, feeling his heart explode in his chest. “You did this for me?”

Eunbi chuckled, clapping her hands, “Baba.”

“I’m going to cry, I’m going to cry, I’m too old for this. I wasn’t ready for this.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose while shaking her head.

“You did an amazing job,” he praised, bending more so he could be at the same level as hers. “My good girl, aren’t you?”

“Baba, Baba,” she chanted again through giggles and happy stomping of her legs.

“I can leave you alone if you want to,” Scarlett teased, pretending to get up and leave.

“Oh, stay here,” Jaehyun said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down. “Now you know how I felt.”

Scarlett cocked her head and pressed her lips together, humming in disappointment, “She has her favourite and doesn’t even try to hide it.”

“She loves you,” Jaehyun replied.

“Only when she’s sticking to my boobs, that’s opportunism.”

“I mean, I understand her,” Jaehyun joked, winking.

“Oh, shut up,” she exclaimed, hitting his arm playfully. “You don’t need them to grow up.”

“They still keep me alive,” he said, pouting.

“If you don’t stop, Jaehyun,” she warned with a playful smile on her lips. “Your daughter wants your attention,” she added, glancing at Eunbi that was trying to climb on his lap.

Jaehyun helped her climb, and then they started to pile the blocks together as Scarlett stared at her. “Why don’t you help us build a castle?”

“Mh, I’d love to,” she purred, laying on the ground. “Should we make it super big so we can play inside?” She suggested, starting to build the walls around Eunbi, making her giggle.

“Do you want to be a Princess?” Jaehyun asked, adding more blocks on the base that Scarlett and Eunbi were making.

“Maybe in a better castle, with better people,” Scarlett added, popping her nose with a finger, making Eunbi fall back on Jaehyun’s lap. Eunbi started laughing and then straightened again, trying to grab her mom’s hand to make her fall again.

“You want to do it again?” She asked and then carefully did it again, making her laugh again.

“She doesn’t give me Princess vibes,” Jaehyun observed.

Scarlett chuckled, “You have no idea how I was when I was a child.”

Jaehyun raised a brow, a small smirk curled his lips, “Really? You?”

“My mom hated me for good five years. Why do you think they called Irina to look after me? I needed discipline, and I wasn’t rude or anything, I just acted like a child, too curious, never shut up. I once risked falling down a precipe because I was a little bit too curious. I made her go insane.”

“Wow, you’re going to be a little bit calmer, right?” Jaehyun asked Eunbi that was still busy piling the blocks on top of each other, not really caring about building a castle.

“Johnny said that she climbed on top of the sofa the other day. And that after she pushed the footstool near the window to see outside.”

“She doesn’t even walk.”

“But she crawls. And have you seen how strong her legs are? I mean, it’s stressful, but after what she had been through, I’m just glad she’s fine and healthy.”

Jaehyun nodded and wet his lower lip, “She’s going to give us a bad time when she’ll start walking.”

“Nah, she’s good, aren’t you?” She asked her, watching her crawl on the blanket to reach other blocks that rolled away from her.

He let out a sarcastic huff, “If she’s just like you, I'd doubt that.”

“Oh, and let’s hear, how were you as a child?”

Jaehyun took a deep breath and flaunted, “I was an angel, the child everybody would want.”

“Yeah, sure, I’d like to hear from your – oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to,” she stopped immediately, covering her mouth, realizing that she slipped up.

Jaehyun smiled, reassuring her, “It’s fine, really. I also do that sometimes. I think about them, getting hyped wanting to tell them about you and her, just to realize they will never know.” But even if his word were reassuring, his expression turned darker, and his eyes avoided her, focusing on a spot on the blanket.

Scarlett reached for his hand, “You never told me anything about them.”

Jaehyun shrugged, “I don’t want to give you negativity.”

“But that’s what being together means, sharing everything, even the things that are not nice. You dealt with the negativity of my family for years. I promise I can take the sadness of a family that never wanted their child locked just for falling with the wrong person.”

Jaehyun let out a small laugh at her words and then sighed, “I don’t think I ever faced their deaths. I was just seventeen when it happened. I had to survive, so I just threw myself into work while finishing school just not to drop out. They wanted me to study, and I owned them to at least finish high school.”

“That’s why you’re good at so many things?”

“Yeah, the people of my town were nice enough to let me help, using me around to do everything I could. Good thing I’ve always been a fast learner and did great at many tasks.”

She nodded in understanding, moving closer to him to move his hair out of his face, so she could stare at his eyes while talking. “And how did you make it to me?”

“When I turned eighteen, I enrolled and followed a course that gave me an attestation, it lasted one year of preparation, and then the second year we practised with real people. It paid money, and it kept me out of my house. And I was personally proposed to your father when the offer came. They were quite proud of me.”

“And do you think you would’ve done it if things went differently?”

“Honestly? No,” he admitted. “My plan was to keep studying. We weren’t rich, but I was the only child of the family, and my parents worked hard to give me a better future.”

Scarlett's eyes crinkled, “They must’ve been proud of you.”

“I think they were,” he smiled fondly, bringing Eunbi closer to him so she couldn’t crawl away.

“And what did you want to be?”

“Promise you won’t laugh,” he warned, and she crossed her heart. “A paediatrician.”

Scarlett widened her mouth in surprise, “Really? That’s so nice.”

He nodded, “I always got along with kids, and honestly, I didn’t think I was going to have one of my own anytime soon. So a job that could make me help them seemed great. I had seen a lot of them die at an early age because of the poor conditions of the families in my town, and I wanted to help.”

“You are an amazing person, you know?”

“I try my best.”

“Why did you think you weren’t going to have one your own?” She asked, surprised. Jaehyun had always been vocal about wanting to have a family and a child, whether it was a casual conversation or during dirty talks in bed, so that was surprising.

“I had dated, but deep down, I knew they weren’t the ones. I know I might sound cliché, and hopelessly romantic, but my mom always told me that when you meet your person you just know it. And I knew it wasn’t any of them. And after breaking up with my last ex, when they died, I didn’t want to jump in other relationships just to fill a void.”

“And why have you agreed to do that with me?”

“I wanted to feel something, and I honestly thought it was going to be just one night. But then we started doing it more and more and no voice in the back of my head was telling me to stop it, so I started to think that maybe you were the one, or at least someone that made me feel good. You were the last person I had, Scarlett.”

She hummed, feeling a warm sensation spread in her chest. It was nice to find out all these things. How much they meant for each since long ago. How their feeling had always been reciprocated even if they weren't aware of that. How they saved each other without even knowing. They had been there at each other's sides, and everything else came naturally.

“If you feel like answering, how were your parents?” She dared to ask, sitting better so that she faced him perfectly. “Were they like you?”

Jaehyun smiled, “My mom was the kindest person I’ve ever known. She taught me to be vulnerable and open and that there’s nothing wrong with falling apart sometimes. My dad was a little bit busier with work, but he always found time to be with me. He taught me to fish. We would always go to the river on Sunday and spend the evening together and then go home and cook with my mom,” he remembered, with a melancholic expression on his face. “I want to be a great father like him, you know. He was always by my side. As if he could sense when something was wrong or when life got too tough and was always there to help me distress and enjoy the little things. That’s why I feel so bad for always being out and leaving you two alone. I feel like I’m failing her and failing him, too.”

“I think you expect too much from yourself, you’re human, and no matter how hard we’ll try, we’ll never be perfect parents. She’s going to hate us, she’s going to love us, and none of this will really depend on us. She’s her own person, and she will be the only one that can judge us one day, just like we judged our parents,” Scarlett said, rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand.

“She loves you, and I’m not saying it just because I have to. Have you seen how she looked at you before when she called you because she wanted to show you her job? And how she stretches her arms to you every time you walk past her? How easily she falls asleep in your arms? She feels safe with you, she feels loved, and that’s the only thing that matters. She’ll understand why you’re out and why you fall asleep before me when you come back home, and I’m sure she won’t hate you for that.”

As much as he found comfort in her words, fear still crept in the back of his head. Being a parent was harder than expected, and it wasn't easy to know what was good and what was bad. Sure, he knew that everything he did was for a reason, but guilty thoughts were still there when he looked at her and realized how merciless time was. “How can you be sure?”

“My father was always by my side physically, but I can guarantee that I never felt any kind of love or affection from him. I was just something that was supposed to keep our name alive. And imagine how disappointed he was to find out that their only child was a girl and not a boy. Why do you think he reacted so badly when he found out about us? About her? I saw it in his eyes his fear of seeing his kingdom fall apart. I can still hear his sigh of relief when Donghyuck said that he was going to marry me anyway because he only cared about money and affairs. I know what a careless father looks like, and that’s definitely not you,” she smiled, looking down at Eunbi that got quieter and was almost falling asleep between his legs. “And she knows it too.”

“You truly have a way with words, would’ve made a great leader,” he praised, feeling the weight on his shoulder a little bit less after hearing her kind words. And overall, he felt better if he thought that he was in this with her by his side. They had been through worse, right? Raising an amazing baby together would've had just the right difficulties.

“I’m good at using this skill to make people buy my beautiful clothes,” she joked, flipping her hair.

“I’m sure my parents would’ve loved you,” he affirmed, moving Eunbi over his lap to hold her better now that she was fast asleep, the soft blocks long forgotten on the ground.

“I’m sure they are loving us from up there. Maybe they helped me arrive at you safe and sound, you know, that was really reckless. I don’t think I would’ve made it without help from the sky. And as I told you yesterday, I think Gods are too busy thinking about them, so only our dears look after us.”

A genuine smile crept on his face as he squeezed her hand tighter, “You know what, I like thinking about it like that.”

Her eyes lit up, and then she moved closer to him to leave a peck on his lips. “I love you. Please, never forget it,” she whispered close to his lips when they pulled away.

“I know. I love you, too.”

They spent the whole day like this, cuddling and playing some more after eating what they had prepared in the morning. The sun was starting to lower on the horizon, and they were about to go back home. Eunbi had been particularly energetic, and after a few other tries, she also got familiar with the grass, which led them having to panic because she started crawling farther and farther from their little spot.

And now she was laughing loudly, laying on her back while Jaehyun was blowing raspberries on her tummy after he finished changing her diaper. She kept mumbling Baba every time he pulled away to make him do it again, and that warmed their hearts.

Scarlett had to fight back tears as she felt her heart fill with joy even more. All of this felt like a fever dream. She had never planned it, never imagined her life was going to be like this, her plans were completely different, and yet, she could swear she had never felt this good in her entire life. Eight months ago, it was still scary, but now it felt different. She knew they had each other, and nothing and nobody was going to change that.

"I can't wait to go home and tell the boys she called me Baba. I want to see who will be more jealous," Jaehyun said, putting her shorts on, before starting to play with her again.

She chuckled at his words and the tender scene in front of her eyes. She had never seen him so happy and free, his eyes never shone so bright as they reflected in Eunbi's, and his cheeks were tinted red.

Going back home to the boys, with her lover and their child, sounded so nice.

And she pondered that, after all, Jaehyun was right; they were bandits. They had cheated to be there, rewriting the pages of their story even if it was already written in the stars. But now that they were all together, happy, safe and loved, it didn’t matter much. They did that for a good cause. They did that because they deserved something good in their lives after everything, and Eunbi deserved to be loved by her real family. And after all the bitterness and the pain, there was something good. After all the uncertainty, there was forever. And forever is the sweetest con.

part four (final): our gentle sin

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