Fundamentally Good

Safe Haven

That night, they vowed to protect their baby girl in all their lifetimes, because she was too precious for this earth.

The night was beautiful beyond measure. It didn't even need any grandeur to light it up. All it needed was the heartfelt love of a family pledging to stay together through thick and thin.

And finally, at dawn, Seri allowed herself to sleep, knowing that her child was safe and sound in her father's arms and that they were now part of something greater than themselves.

Since that night, every single chapter of their lives were filled with unexplainable happiness. It was as though someone pressed pause on all the sadness and loneliness that the couple only knew all too well. Instead, every day to them was soft and blissful, one that they could bask in freely and completely.

Soft was in their child's quiet smiles in the early morning when Seri and Jeong Hyeok would peer over the cot to greet their little Haneul.

Soft was in the crinkles of their eyes as they clapped at every tiny milestone that they witnessed – from Haneul's first giggle to her first babble, to the first time their child rolled over by herself.

Soft was in every single moment and every single laugh. No matter how many times they looked back on those memories or looked at those photos and videos of their precious bean, they were overcome by love for Haneul.

A child does that, they reckon. Every parent couldn't help but be soft for their child and Seri and Jeong Hyeok certainly weren't the exception.

The former military captain was a Papa bear around Ri Haenul, just like how the feisty chairwoman was a pile of mush around their child.

If only life didn't take such a dark turn, perhaps they would have been able to witness how the love that they poured into their child would one day grow to radiate and inspire love in those around her.

Back in the present, where those three souls that made up the perfect family unit once upon a time were seemingly torn apart, the beginnings of a union of heaven, hell, and the earth was evident as Seri sank to the ground with Ri Jeong Hyeok's arms around her.

Tears fell relentlessly as the mother's heart ached for that of their daughter, their little one, who went to heaven too soon. That name; Haneul, was both a blessing and a curse. At that moment, Seri would do anything to hold her daughter again, just like how she held her in her arms the very first night.

"Seri-ah, it's okay. You're okay." Ri Jeong Hyeok soothed her the only way he knew how, although he was trembling as hard as she was from the revelation.

Loud, heart-wrenching sobs tore from her throat as Seri grieved over a life that had been lost. Because even though they found out that they had both died, she had been hopeful that somewhere out there, Ri Haneul was still alive and living life to the fullest.

In a way, their child lived on, although it was in a vastly different way from how they imagined it to be.

They missed her.

For the longest time, they missed each other too.

But the sad reality was, Seri and Jeong Hyeok could embrace each other in the afterlife, but they couldn't do the same with their daughter.

Like Seri, Ri Jeong Hyeok would give anything just to hold Haneul's little hands again and run his fingers gently on the back of her soft skin.

So, they cried as the Grim reaper watched them sadly, recognising that this was the only moment that they would ever allow themselves to grief.

Past the waves of grief, Seri and Jeong Hyeok recognised that there was still hope. They ought to be thankful that out of all the people that their little one ended up with, her father was now one of their dear friends, an officer who wordlessly helped them tide through one of the most difficult periods of their lives.

If they couldn't be the ones to fill Haneul with so much love that she would eternally be a light to those around her, at the very least, she had a loving father now. A father who would no doubt guide her down the right path.

And in every way possible, Ri Haneul – or Kim Dae Reul – had them too, her morality guardians, who would be there with her every step of the way.

They were optimistic that their child would grow into a fine lady indeed, under the gentle care of their friend.

Shuffling awkwardly from side to side, the Grim reaper handed Seri a handkerchief when her tears finally subsided. The angel and the Grim reaper exchanged a knowing glance, seeking a comprehensive understanding from each other from their shared affection for Ri Haneul.

"I'm truly sorry that your family was torn apart that night. If only..." The Grim reaper shook his head. "If only the brakes weren't cut, none of this would have happened."

In every softness of the universe, darkness lurked, for there was always a mystery to be solved.

Now, it was the time for an old mystery to solve itself.

Narrowing her puffy eyes slightly at the Grim reaper, any remnants of grief that had poured out of Yoon Seri previously was quickly replaced by darkness, unlike anything that they had seen before.

"What do you mean the brakes were cut?"

Gulping hard, the Grim reaper could only break it to the couple, now that all the puzzle pieces were laid out before them.

"That night. It wasn't a freak accident. Someone meant for that accident to happen."

The only question to the couple was, who?