Family

Several weeks passed until all paperwork was done. During this time, both In-ho and Gi-hun visited Sae-byeok twice a week. The visits were long, and they had time to talk about everything they could think of. Sae-byeok didn’t really explain much, but Gi-hun always found a way to make her talk. When they confirmed they wanted to adopt her, she didn’t know how she was supposed to feel. Was this really happening? Was she getting out of this place?

After all the paperwork was done, the couple went happily to surprise Sae-byeok at the orphanage. When they told her the news, that she could finally go home with them, she grabbed all of her stuff quickly without saying goodbye to anyone.

Today was Sae-byeok’s first day in the couple’s apartment. She hates having to admit it, but she was nervous. She doesn’t understand what these two men see in her. She’s quiet, she never speaks first or initiates a conversation, but neither Gi-hun and In-ho seemed to mind. She knows Gi-hun would prefer it if she started a conversation, but she also knows In-ho likes that she doesn’t.

After he defended her against Deok-su, she felt admiration towards him. The man had done something she wished she could have done without help; he confronted that bully. But she couldn’t help but think that In-ho didn’t really want her in his life.

She did feel loved by Gi-hun, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Mainly because the older man was always smiling at her, giving her quick hugs, and making sure she was comfortable, while In-ho mainly ignored her.

On the way home, when they were in the car, Sae-byeok noticed how both men were smiling at each other. She had never really thought about what it must be like, to be a grown queer adult and adopt a kid, ignoring everyone’s judgement. She hoped she never experienced that feeling. She would hate being a mother.

The first thing she did when she arrived at her new home was ask where the bathroom was, and silently cry there. This was her new reality. What was going to happen now? Was she going to be sent to a normal school? Was she going to have to attend extended family dinners?

It wasn’t like she hated the fact that she got adopted; she was just so afraid of the change that it involved. Everything was going to change, and she didn’t know if she was prepared for it. So, she let herself have a long cry.

Of course, Gi-hun got worried after noticing the girl had been in there for a while.

“Sae-byeok?” he said, knocking on the bathroom’s door. “Everything ok?”

When she didn’t answer, Gi-hun nervously opened the door and found her hugging her knees while sobbing. He felt like a knife had been buried in his heart; he hated seeing his now daughter like this.

“Oh, Sae-byeok…” he said, approaching her and sitting next to her. “It’s ok, kid. Cry as much as you want.”

In-ho was standing in the bathroom door, observing the scene; he noticed how worried Gi-hun’s face looked, and wondered how this girl, who he had basically just met, was capable of having a huge effect on him.

Sae-byeok continued crying for a while, while Gi-hun had his arm around her shoulder. When she calmed down a bit, they both got up, and Gi-hun showed her new room. She thought it was big, even though she didn’t really know how big bedrooms were supposed to be.

“We’ll show you the rest of the house tomorrow. For now, get some rest,” Gi-hun said softly. “Good night.”

When he closed the door and turned off the lights, Sae-byeok surprised herself by being able to sleep immediately. It usually took her a couple of hours to fall asleep. She assumed she was just exhausted.

—

“Is she ok?” In-ho asked when he noticed Gi-hun’s presence on the terrace. They had now both sat down and were calmly talking.

“Yeah, I think so,” Gi-hun said, even though it was obvious he still felt worried.

In-ho smiled at him and softly kissed him.

“You know we’re going to have to pay for her education, right?” In-ho asked. “When will she start school? Has she ever even been to a school?”

Gi-hun shook his head. “No, she hasn’t. She has been an orphan since she was 8 months old. She’s lived in the orphanage her entire life,” he sighed. “I feel like it’s going to take a while to get to know her properly.”

In-ho nodded and doubted if he should ask what he had been thinking ever since he met Sae-byeok.

“Gi-hun,” he finally said. “If you don’t mind me asking, why’d you choose this kid? She’s not affectionate; I haven’t even seen her smile yet. I’m not saying she annoys me, but I don’t understand why you love her so much. You’re both so different.”

Gi-hun felt like he had been insulted. In-ho had defended her and was the one who said they needed to adopt her as soon as possible. What did In-ho mean by that? Had he changed his mind? Did he not believe all kids deserved a proper childhood and a proper life? Deep down, he knew that wasn’t the case. In-ho hated seeing kids suffer, and that had been his reason to defend Sae-byeok.

It didn’t matter if she wasn’t a smiley person, or if she didn’t like hugs. She was worthy of love.

But he couldn’t deny he understood what In-ho meant. He also couldn’t deny he felt like Sae-byeok was a special kid. He had felt attached to her the moment he saw her.

“I guess when I first met her, I felt this kind of connection to her. She’s a very strong girl, and I want to give her the best life possible,” he finally said. “I feel like… well, no, I know that if we give her some time we’ll realize how special she is. I’m sure she’ll trust us more eventually.”

In-ho nodded and smiled. He loved his husband’s kind heart. Gi-hun always wanted the best for everyone; he was such a sweet person. He loved this man very much and was always grateful for having met him.

He drank his glass of wine, while still eyeing Gi-hun. When his husband noticed, he smiled and kissed him.

“Thank you, In-ho, for accepting her in our lives. I’m sure you won’t regret it.”

“I’m sure I won’t.”