"OUR BATTLES"

Chapter 1

"Bub... b-buu... bbb..."

The soft babble of the toddler echoed gently through the room. He sat on his tiny bed, wrapped in a blanket far too big for his small frame, his wide doe eyes glimmering like a galaxy, each blink shining with innocent wonder.

Across the room, Esuna stood frozen, tears slipping silently down her cheeks. Her arms ached to hold him-just once more. To press him against her chest and feel his warmth. But she didn't dare. Because she knew the moment she did, she wouldn't be able to let go.

Junhoo watched her quietly before stepping forward, his expression as pained as hers. He reached out, gently cupping her cheek and brushing away her tears with his thumb.

"Don't cry," he whispered. "I promise-I'll take good care of him, Esuna. He's my son. My blood."

Esuna let out a broken breath, her voice trembling.
"I know, Junhoo. But how... how can a mother walk away from her own child?"

He pulled her into his arms, holding her close as his own tears welled up.

"You're not walking away," he murmured into her hair. "You're doing this for him. For us. For his future. And it's not forever."

Esuna closed her eyes, trying to memorize the warmth of her husband's embrace before she had to face the cold outside those walls. Her gaze drifted to her son-still mumbling to himself, blissfully unaware.

Junhoo pulled back just enough to meet her eyes, then placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"We'll be here when you come back," he said. "He'll be here. Waiting."

Esuna swallowed hard, her voice a whisper.
"Take care of him until I return."

She didn't say goodbye. She couldn't.

Instead, she turned around slowly-leaving behind the pieces of her heart on that little bed with the boy who had her whole world in his eyes

---

"Come on, sweeties! You can do it!" Taeshi called out, her voice light with laughter as she watched the two boys run through the garden, chasing each other in circles, giggling endlessly. A soft smile tugged at her lips, but when she looked down at the baby in her arms, the joy in her expression dimmed-replaced with something more fragile, more aching.

A familiar voice broke through her thoughts.
"Noona."

She turned to see her younger brother, Park Minhoo, approaching with a smile as he glanced toward the children.

"Can you please stop calling me that?" she teased, smacking his shoulder lightly. "You're only a year younger than me. You make me feel ancient."

Minhoo just chuckled, and for a few moments, they stood in comfortable silence, watching the boys play. The wind brushed past, cool and quiet.

"Sometimes I wonder..." Taeshi murmured, her eyes distant. "Is it cruel what we've done? Look at them-they're so innocent, so pure. How are they supposed to survive in a world full of people like us?"

Minhoo's expression shifted, heavy with shared guilt.

"It hurts," she continued, her voice cracking, "knowing they're not with us anymore. If we'd just acted sooner... maybe we could've saved them. Maybe they'd still be here."

Minhoo closed his eyes, letting the wind graze his face. "We can't change what fate has written, noona. But they left behind something precious for us to protect. I made a promise to our late sister-I'll protect her son with everything I have. It was our mistake that cost their lives, but we won't fail the boys too."

He glanced toward the taller of the two children. His eyes softened.

Pulling her into a gentle side-hug, Minhoo added, "And I promise, while you're gone, I'll take care of them both. I've already hired a caretaker for Taehyung. Her name's Seona. She's good. You can trust her."