𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗬﹕heeseung

－ 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘

Third person.

On their parents' tenth anniversary, Aera and Miyoung decided to go back to their home and stay over the night without their parents' awareness to surprise them. They had a family dinner, where the anniversary gifts were shown both their mom and dad were astonished by what they received from their daughters.

At the current moment, Aera's on the deck by herself, sitting in one of the chairs, being watched by the moon above her.

"Why are you out here by yourself, honey?" Aera perks her head at the sound of her mother and the door sliding open.

"The moon was out so I came outside to take photos of it. Are Miyoung and dad okay?" Aera replies, using what is now covered by the clouds as a simple excuse.

"They are. You really love the moon, don't you?" Her mother sits beside her and looks far ahead. Aera nods briefly, then opens her mouth for a light-hearted conversation.

"Ma, how does it feel being with dad for ten years now?" She questions, wriggling her eyebrows in a teasing way.

"It's incredible... and unbelievable." Her mother answers after thinking about it for a short while. It made Aera look at her.

"Ten years isn't that long yet for most, but to me it is. That's how long since our lives changed and we've been the happiest since then, don't you agree?" She returns the glance and smiles at her.

Instead of answering her question, she asks a rather sensitive question before she could take it back.

"How come your love for him never disappeared?" Aera's voice was subdued. The smile on her mother's face slowly removes itself.

"I... I don't know. I don't think it ever will either." Her mother says after hesitating to respond.

"Your dad and I love each other very much. It's the kind of love that doesn't need all the sparks but will remain for a lifetime especially as we grow older and older." She utters to say more. She brings her fingers to soothingly comb Aera's hair just as she used to do before every time her daughter needed consoling.

"I loved your appa too, just as he loved me before. But we were young back then, and we didn't know that love had consequences. But, Aera, you coming into our lives was the best thing that happened to us. And we did everything we could to raise you under one roof, the only thing we couldn't do was love each other again." She's said this before, over and over again, that Aera doesn't need to mention the name of her father just to find out the reason behind her question.

"I always knew ever since the three of us stopped eating at the dining table together. But, it's all in the past now, and what matters is that you're happy. I know appa's in a calm state seeing that we're doing well and happy, too." Aera reassures her, grinning broadly.

"I know he does too." Her mother brings her closer to her embrace, kissing the crown of her head.

"Someday, Aera, you'll find someone to love and will love you back even more with a non-existent amount. Someone who'll choose to be with you for a lifetime, even 'till the end of the world." She says promptly, making Aera to break a smile.

"I thought you still disliked the idea of me dating? Despite me almost entering my twenties." Aera quips, cackling.

"I don't dislike the idea of you dating, I only joke around because I don't want you crying to wrong person again, remember that one high school year?" She answered with a hint of warning. Aera whines for putting the unrequitef love experience back to her memory and unlatches herself from the hug.

"For the record, I was too naive at that time, ma. I'm old enough now to make sure it won't happen again." Aera affirms.

"It better not." She pulls her again for a tight hug.

━━━━━

At the current moment, Aera lies still in her old bed, wide awake. The whole household is asleep despite the clock saying it's still two hours before midnight. She expected herself to fall asleep in an instant the moment she lays in her own bed in her old bedroom, wishing for that peaceful slumber where she doesn't have to toss and turn just to find the right sleeping position. She's also given the opportunity to have one night without thinking of anything related to her major and set it aside for tomorrow when she gets back- sadly.

'Ah, why am I not tired?' Aera groans shifting to a different position to grab her phone from the bedside table.

- heeseung 🫡

Aera
hey

Aera
are you still up?

Aera
normally you'd still be

Aera
are you up for a late-night talk

Aera
cause I need someone to talk to

Aera
not that it's you I only want to talk to but I'm guessing you're the only one awake :P

Aera
HEESEUNGG

Her delivered messages make her sigh deeply. Then rereading her spam messages causes her to think she's acting quite clingy. Is she? Though it's nothing peculiar as she does like spamming irrelevant messages to Heeseung until he replies with his infamous 'yes, pretty?' (at this point, she can hear his voice calling her that loud and clear inside her head).

Aera slowly sits up, hugging her body as she stares at the moonlight outside her window. She can go downstairs and try to make herself a cup of warm milk. Or, unless she wants to make a bad decision and regret it tomorrow morning, go out.

Going out shouldn't be that bad. She'll just go for a walk or go somewhere that might still open. Her house is still somewhere the city anyway, though miles away from their dorm. Nonetheless, her parents doesn't have to find out if she sends a quick text to Miyoung cover up for her, in any way reasonable.

She throws on whatever clothes she found and wears her coat and shoes, grabs her wallet and keys, and closes her door as gentle as possible, squinting her close due to the fear of any noise that could get her caught. She tiptoes downstairs and slowly sneaks out to the front door.

Eh, she'll be alright.

━━━━━━━━━━

Yawns