𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐒 | 𝐊- 𝐏𝐎𝐏

𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗁𝗎𝗇𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗌𝗂𝗑𝗍𝗒 𝗌𝗂𝗑

Chapter 47: Beacon

The following May, the Azalea bushes in the lush back garden of the little school are in full bloom. Taehyung sits with several children at the small tea table, listening intently as they explain what they've planted in their garden, the vegetables and fruit, and the names of the flowers they chose for their color and their perfume. He smiles at each familiar face, and compliments them on their choices and their efforts. The children are comfortable sitting with him and letting him share in their happiness.

When Mrs. Lee retired the previous summer, Taehyung followed through on a private arrangement to buy the school, building and all, for Hana. He had signed the agreement with her on the day he visited alone, on the day that Hana had rushed out of his apartment thinking he was engaged to someone else, and he searched the city to find her. He asked to change the name to The Beacon School, in memory of her home with her Grandfather in Seattle and their excursions to the lighthouses in his little boat. He also thought it fitting because she had acted as a beacon to him, guiding him to her, to fulfill his life, to make it complete.

The building repairs took most of that summer, closing the school, in order to reopen in the autumn with everything brand new. The time away from the school gave her time to complete her degree, and his family, both personal and professional, had been there to celebrate with them in a weekend of graduation and wedding ceremonies. It also meant that she was able to travel with him during their world tour, and witness for the first time just how loved and how blessed every member was by thousands of people at every concert whose lives had been touched by their words, and their music, in just the way she had been touched by Taehyung's song the night of the live broadcast.

That September, the children returned, happy to have Miss Wright back, but they now called her Mrs. Kim. She continued to teach throughout the winter, into the early spring. Although she was now the Director of the school, she loved to be in the classroom and to spend her days watching their joy at each new discovery, at every milestone surpassed. She wanted to keep working in the classroom until she was well into her third trimester, but Taehyung asked her to take a step back, and to spend more time with him at home in recent weeks.

He had taken a break from his work in the lead up to the birth of his child, staying at home to write for the next album. They spent their days at home, sitting together reading, talking, sometimes having a little dance to music, old, and new. Occasionally they would even venture out to sip tea and eat sweets at a little cafe, or visit museums or galleries. Nearly every morning songs would come in from Yoongi, still working late in his new studio, and Taehyung would play them for her as he wrote notes for lyrics and vocal arrangements. She felt comforted watching him, and marveled at where the ideas came from. He told her that it was easy for him, his songs became brighter once she came into his life.

They had gone back to Tapgol park a few times, always very early in the morning, just as the old men arrived to sit with each other and talk. Hana would sometimes sit next to the Azaleas and talk to her Grandfather, whispering secrets, and watching Taehyung try to beat the old men at Baduk, which he never managed. Their life together had settled into a tranquil pattern, of comfort and love, and it healed them both, taking their individual emptiness and their grief, and giving them a powerful bond, and a new family to fill the void.

On this particular warm spring afternoon, the little school is celebrating Children's Day. Hana steps into the back garden, heavily pregnant, and carrying a tray with a teapot and a little jar of honey. He stands up from his place among the children at the table to relieve her of her burden, and she smiles at him as he takes the tray and sets it down onto the table. He holds the chair for her as she carefully sits down, laughing at herself for struggling to sit under the weight of her rounded belly. He stares down at her lovingly, and then sits beside her, leaning in to her body, holding one of her hands, and interlacing their fingers. He slides his other hand over her belly, resting on it, hoping to feel his son move, and kick. He had been so active the last few weeks as her due date drew closer. She smiles up at him as the baby suddenly kicks, and his eyes grow wide at the sensation, filling him with joy. A boxy grin spreads across his face until his mouth forms a perfect rectangle. He kisses her temple and she turns her attention to the teapot, carefully pouring out the herbal tea into the little china cups on the table.

One of the little children runs up to sit on Taehyung's lap and grabs the cup in front of her, drinking down the fruity warm liquid and placing it in front of Hana for a refill. The other children gather around, waiting their turn for their cup. Taehyung places a small tea biscuit onto each saucer as they are passed to the children. He marvels at all of them as they sit around the table, some standing, leaning in to nibble the biscuit and talk to each other of their adventures and discoveries in the garden bed.

"Hana," he calls over to her as she pours the last cup out, a dozen tiny cups, one for each child. "I think we could easily have this many children, what do you think?" He smiles at her, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Hana grins and covers her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter. Her eyes seem to smile back at him as they narrow.

"Taehyung, let's just focus on this first baby, for now." He nods.

"Little Namjoon-Jimin-Jungkook-Hoseok-Jin-Dongwook?" he rattles off all of the names of people who had requested the baby be named after them.

"What about Yoongi?" she asks feigning shock. He smiles up at her.

"He didn't ask, but Taemin?" He laughs, questioning. They both shake their heads slightly. He smiles broadly and leans closer to whisper, "Kim Noah has a nice ring to it." Her face lights up at the mention of her Grandfather's name, and a little tear appears in the corner of her eye. "Are those happy tears?" he asks. She smiles sweetly and nods her head just a little. She looks up at him with such love and admiration that he can feel it warming his body like the sunlight peeking through the trees he planted for her.

The children bustle about their business around them as they stare deeply into each other's eyes, recognizing the bond that guides them, giving them a new purpose. Their paths may have always run beside each other, unknown, unseen, but now they are joined, and walk together, hand in hand. Taehyung raises the little china teacup and gently touches it to hers in a toast to their shared future.

The End

"We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity." - Dr. Maria Montessori

Thank you for reading! 💜