Still in Love?
Disclaimer: The story belongs to me; the characters (except their AU children) will never be.
...
Chapter One: All Out Of Love?
It was an average evening at the So residence. As the lady of the house washed up in the kitchen after dinner, the two So siblings sat together on the couch in the living room, watching television.
(Well, at least they tried to.)
"Stop flipping the channel, Mi Sun-ah!"
"But oppa, I'm so bored! I don't want to watch soccer! Can we watch something else, please? I want to watch my favourite cartoon…"
"YAH! Give me the remote!"
"NO! I want to watch…"
"YAH! GIVE IT!"
"NO! OMMAAAAA! OPPA IS BULLYING ME AGA-mmmmmm!"
"KIDS! Stop arguing!" Their mostly calm, but slightly flustered mother yelled from the kitchen, "Stop before your father gets home and sees you like this! And you, So Tae Hyun! Get your paw off your dongsaeng's mouth!"
Tae Hyun reluctantly removed his hand from his younger sister's mouth, and grabbed the remote from her hands as she gagged. 8-year-old Mi Sun stuck out her tongue at her lanky, spiky haired older brother, folded her arms indignantly, and pouted.
"I wish unnie were here, and not studying so far away in America," the pigtailed girl mumbled, but still loud enough for her brother to hear, "You would be in BIGGER trouble then, oppa."
Tae Hyun smirked. "But Mi Yun noona isn't here, so there. I get to watch soccer."
He happily settled down to watch his soccer game but there was an odd silence. Turning his head to peer at his younger sister, he noticed her chin starting to tremble.
Oh no, he thought to himself with a cringe, she's going to…
"WAHHHHHHH… OMMA…."
"Aish!" he cursed under his breath, jumping up and taking immediate action to pacify his younger sister, which consisted of lots of begging. "Sun-ie yah, Sun-ie… don't cry, please! Don't…"
Just then, the front door slammed, right on cue. Tae Hyun's heart started beating in time with the sound of footsteps against the marble floor, that were approaching the living room.
Any… moment… now… he thought to himself, squeezing his eyes tight.
"What's going on here?" the gruff voice of his father demanded from behind the squabbling siblings.
"Appa!" Mi Sun bawled, pulling herself up on the couch and throwing her hands around her father's neck, "Oppa is bullying me again…"
"So Tae Hyun."
The stern, composed tone of his father's voice sent chills down his spine. The young lad sighed defeatedly and turned around, opening his eyes to meet the piercing ones of his father's.
"Yes, appa," he squeaked.
"How old are you?"
"I'll be 16 in June, appa."
His father continued to pat the sniffling Mi Sun on the back. "How old is Sun-ie?"
"She's eight years old."
"What is a 16 year old doing, bullying an eight-year-old? That's quite unbecoming of an older brother."
Tae Hyun hung his head low in semi-remorse. "Yes, appa."
"Apologize to your sister. Now." ordered the older man, turning around so that Mi Sun was facing her older brother. She let out a little teary sniffle.
"Mi Sun-ie, I'm sorry…" he began, somewhat genuinely apologetic, looking up at her. Just then, a triumphant smirk pulled at the edges of the little girl's mouth, a gesture that irked Tae Hyun greatly.
He decided to change the script.
"…I'm sorry that you're younger than me, and therefore easy to bully…"
"APPA!"
"YAH! SO TAE HY-"
"Oh, chagiya, you're back? I didn't hear you come in, the dishwasher was too noisy."
Yi Jeong cleared his throat, threw a dagger stare at his son, and carried his sniffling youngest daughter to his wife.
"Yes, and the first thing I have to come home to is your son bullying our pearl," he muttered as he handed Mi Sun over to her.
"Oh? Excuse me?" Ga Eul's voice went up a notch and her eyes widened in disbelief, "My son? Yah, he's your son too. Don't get me started…"
"Get you started?" Yi Jeong yelled, "I shouldn't even be involved in this! I just got home from work, I'm tired, and all I want is some peace and quiet! Is that so difficult?"
Mi Sun started to whimper again, on hearing her father's angry voice. Ga Eul hugged the little girl tighter.
"Keep your voice down, Mi Sun's appa," Ga Eul said evenly, her eyes locked coolly onto his, "You're making her cry again."
Yi Jeong's face twitched. Without another word, he strode briskly towards his study, and slammed the door shut.
Tae Hyun ran a hand through his hair and gave it a few tugs, a childhood habit he had when he was flustered. His mother walked up to him and gently removed his hand from his hair with her own free one.
"Tae Hyun-ah, don't do that," she gently told the teen.
"I'm sorry, omma," said Tae Hyun quietly, his conscience duly pricked, "I shouldn't have provoked appa."
Ga Eul managed a smile and nudged her son's cheek. "Silly boy. You always do the things you're not supposed to. I accept your apology, but you should apologize to your father too, when he's cooled down some. And if you're really sorry," she added, holding a now-sleepy Mi Sun up against him, "You should help put your little sister to sleep."
…
"Oppa?"
"Hmmm?"
The now-reconciled siblings lay side by side on Mi Sun's princess bed, staring up at her glow-in-the-dark starry ceiling.
"Do you think omma and appa still love each other?" Mi Sun wondered out loud, blinking at the stars.
Tae Hyun turned to his younger sister in the dark, a quizzical look on his face.
"Sun-ie yah, why do you ask?'
"Because I don't see them hug or kiss like Woo Bin-samchon and Jae Kyung-imo do. Or hold hands like Jun Pyo-samchon and Jan Di-imo."
Tae Hyun looked back up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Well… just because you don't see omma and appa do all that, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. They can show their love to each other in different ways…"
"Yeah," she whispered, cuddling up against her older brother, "But I don't see them do anything anymore."
Tae Hyun pondered that last line for a few moments. Just as he was about to ask Mi Sun to validate her comment, he heard her gently breathing deeply against his shoulder. She was now fast asleep.
He got up from his sister's bed as stealthily as he could (which wasn't a problem, since she was a deep sleeper), covered her with her favorite Hello Kitty blanket, and tiptoed out the room, softly closing the door behind him.
As he walked down the hallway towards his room, a picture that he passed everyday suddenly caught his eye. He paused in front of it for a moment, and admired his parents' younger selves, posing happily in their wedding gear.
Why don't I see them this happy nowadays? He wondered to himself. Don't they love each other anymore?