a late happy holidays to you all! it's snowing where i am for the winter. quite cold it is.

Hwang Bo Wook

The ground drew closer and closer and at the last moment, Wook straightened himself and let his legs collide first.

Agony.

His ankles snapped and his shins crumbled, his knees catching fire as his tail hit the concrete. In an instant, his body crunched in places that were supposed to forever be silent. Wook had no chance to scream as he supported the back of his head with his left hand and his neck with his right. His left hand shattered upon meeting the ground, his head receiving less of the trauma and his teeth clacking so hard his ears popped.

Laying on the concrete, he stared open-mouthed at the dazzling blue sky. Flecks of glitter shone in his vision and spots of black and purple appeared and faded all around. He could not hear himself. He could not feel his body. Instead, he tried to remember how to breathe.

He had survived the fall- of that he was sure. Post-mortem was not supposed to make his body feel like it was being shredded. He was alive. He had survived.

Wook felt a breath of air rush into his lungs and he immediately coughed, setting his chest ablaze and gagging something metallic into his mouth. Blood.

He wheezed and hissed as the flames licked higher and higher, destroying him and sapping whatever strength that remained.

"Wook."

He tried to scream, but there was nothing that would let him do so. He forgot how to shout and he forgot how to speak.

"Wook."

He tried to move his legs, but they were mangled. He would never use them again. His right hand twitched. His left was dead.

"Wook, you're going to be a daddy."

He blinked and suddenly, he was standing. A wash of relief doused the fire and a sweet voice enveloped him. He found a glimmer among the stars that sparkled among black spots in his vision, and there she was.

Dressed in a suit, he stood before his girlfriend, grinning at her as she smoothed her her dress. Her long hair was pinned back, her makeup light.

He knelt before her, smiling softly. "You're going to be a daddy," Soo repeated.

Pressing his forehead against the spot hidden by layers of puffy lace, his kissed the place where their darling lived. One and a half trimesters in and he was already in love. "Hi Princess," he murmured to Soo's belly, touching the round curve that was cleverly covered with something called tulle. "Mommy and Daddy are getting married today. We're so happy you could be here with us."

"She can't hear you, Wook."

"Hush Hae Soo, I'm talking to our daughter." Wook glanced up smiled at his future wife. "Dear Princess, Mommy and Daddy will always remember today. It's extra extra special for us because our entire family will be at that altar. Princess, you'll be with Mommy when Daddy marries her. Isn't that so cool? I can't wait to meet you, darling. I already love you so much." He stood and pressed a gentle kiss to Soo's cheek. "I love you as well, future mommy. I love you so much."

Soo smiled at him, her wide eyes sparkling. Wook wished he could stare into her eyes forever. "I love you, future daddy," she replied. "And Princess loves you too."

"We'll be a family soon," Wook murmured to his fiancee. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled nervously.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Soo asked. Wook nodded.

"I'm marrying the woman I love and beginning a family with her. Why wouldn't I want this? I love you, Hae Soo. You, our princess… I don't need anyone else but my girls."

Wook stared up at the sky as his pain receded. He could breathe again. His sight was no longer shrouded by black spots. It did not matter that his left hand did not move; he had his right. He would be alright.

He looked up when Soo screamed - the loudest of her shrieks and the most shrill he had ever heard. Goosebumps trailed up his skin and he prayed for her suffering to end. Anything for her to stop being in pain. Wook wished he could shoulder her agony. He stood, but every bone in his body disappeared when he heard something after, forcing him to sit back down.

A baby began to wail. Their baby.

Standing once more, Wook steadied himself against the wall as he stared at his bedroom door. Little gasping hiccups rang in the night and he heard Soo's mother exclaim that it was a girl.

He was allowed into the bedroom after Soo had been cared for and Wook staggered forward, his heart beating frantically. He went to his wife, gazing at her naked body covered only by a bedsheet. She panted on their bed, her hair tied up and her skin shining with sweat. "Wife," he whispered.

Kneeling beside her, he kissed her forehead and wiped her tears, holding her shivering hand. "Baby, you did it," he murmured. "You did it. You did it. Thank…" His voice cracked and Wook pressed his forehead against the bed, bowing before his wife.

"I told you she was a girl," Soo said softly.

Looking up, Wook sniffed and wiped his eyes, nodding. He followed the midwife's instructions, sitting on the bed and holding his arms in a cradle. Then, she was placed against his chest.

A tiny pink face glared at him with all her might. Her tufts of black hair were covered by a white cap and her tiny body dressed in the clothes Soo had so lovingly sewn a month before.

Wook inhaled slowly, staring at the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his entire life. He bit his bottom lip as his chest ached and his stomach knotted. Tears fell down his face until he could not see anything but her: the light of his life.

She opened and closed her little red mouth, and Wook opened his mouth. "H-Hi," he sobbed, trying but failing to calm himself. "I'm… I'm your daddy." The title was finally his. He was a father.

Soo touched his arm as he held his daughter's tiny hand, marvelling at her little fingers and kissing her little fist. The baby made a little noise that could have been an exhale, but Wook heard her first declaration of love. "I love you, darling," he whispered, wiping his tears. The little girl with Soo's eyes continued to frown at him and Wook kissed the top of her head. "Daddy loves you so much… and I promise I'll never let anything hurt you. Daddy will keep you safe. I love you."

A tear fell from Wook's eye and he stared up at the heavens. His pain was behind him and now there was only himself and his wife and his baby girl. He was euphoric. There was nothing but happiness.

"Hello, my darling."

"Hello my dear," Wook said, twirling his pen over his thumb. He sat in his office, holding his phone to his ear and taking a few minutes to speak to his wife. "Are you at the doctor's yet?"

"Yeah, I just pulled up. Did you know there are parking spots just for pregnant people? This is amazing!"

"Baby, we both freaked out over them when we had Mi," he chuckled, twirling his pen again. He stared at the mountain of paperwork on his desk, already feeling his hand beginning to cramp. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there."

"My dad's a jerk, but until we both make enough money to survive on our own, we have to listen to him," Soo sighed. "But I'll text you the pictures of Lily Flower as soon as I get them, okay?"

"Tell Lily Flower to put his best smile on because Daddy needs uplifting," he said, smiling.

"Wook, have you looked outside today? The flowers are so beautiful. I think they're a good omen. Cherry blossoms must be everywhere! We should take Mi for a walk in the park tonight. Imagine how much she'd love the flowers!"

Nodding his head, Wook removed a large portion of his paperwork from the pile and set it in front of him, ready to slog through his work and go home to his favorite people. "That's assuming she doesn't run after the first cat she sees. I'll work quickly and try to get home before the sun sets. Then we can take a walk and maybe eat out for dinner," he decided. "Give my love to our Lily Flower! Tell him I'm sorry I couldn't be there to see him."

"Goodbye, my darling."

"Call me later, love."

Wook set his phone down and immediately went to work, a grin on his face and determination moving his hand. He thought about Soo and Mi. Walking with his girls beneath the spring flowers… chasing after his toddler and scooping her into his arms… kissing his pregnant wife beneath the moon…

Nothing made him happier.

He breezed through an hour of paperwork, ignoring the cramps and ink stains that began to appear on his hand. When his phone buzzed, Wook stared at the screen and beamed at the picture of his laughing wife. "Hello, my darling," he answered the phone.

His voice was met with silence. "Hae Soo?" He wondered if she had accidentally dialled his number.

Before he could hang up, he heard her voice. "Wook."

He smiled and leaned back in his seat. "So, how'd it go? Where are my pictures?"

Twirling his pen, he smiled at the picture of Mi and Soo he kept on his desk inside a platinum frame. His darling girls laughed on swings, Mi sitting on Soo's lap and Soo hugging their baby girl close.

"He… our baby, Wook…" Soo's voice was weak and reedy- as if she had lost all comprehension. Wook narrowed his eyes at his wife's helpless tone, trying to chuckle it off.

"Come on, Hae Soo, you're scaring me. How's our Lily Flower?" he asked, spinning his pen again.

"The… the…" Soo breathed deeply and Wook smiled at his wife's voice. "The placenta detached," she finally said.

His pen clattered to the floor.

Wook frowned at the pen as he tried to remember what the placenta was. "His what?" he asked.

"Wook." Soo's voice cracked as she whimpered. "He's gone, Wook. Our Lily… Lily Flower… He's gone."

Staring at the ground, Wook blinked.

He took a shuddering breath in. He forgot to exhale. He heard his wife begin to cry.

"Wook, please come to the doctor's. I… I'm so scared and I can't drive and I'm… I need you. I need you here. Please. Our baby. I…"

The pen was unmoving. Wook stared at it as he tried to comprehend. To understand.

Their Lily Flower… the strongest little baby in the world… the one that had kicked Wook's face whenever he had pressed his cheek to Soo's stomach… there was no way. It was impossible.

He did not remember hanging up on Soo. His phone also clattered to the floor, the screen shattering into a spiderweb of glass pieces.

"Lily Flower," he murmured. He stared at the pen on the ground and tried to formulate a coherent thought. "Don't let Mommy cry. S-Stay with her. She needs you, darling. I need you. Don't leave us… Mommy and Daddy love you. You have to come and be with us..."

The pen did not move.

He wondered if Lily Flower could see him. If the little boy that had gone away too quickly was in the sky, gazing down at his wretched father. "Ba...by…" Wook wheezed. The past was an agony of its own and his mistakes were needles of regret that stabbed at him. "Daddy's… sorry… darling…" he whispered to the sky.

Wook kissed the newborn in his naked wife's arms, gazing down at the beautiful little being they had created once more. "Look, she has your chin," Soo declared. "My eyes and your chin."

"Thank goodness she's prettier than I am." Wook laughed, wiping his eyes. He sniffed back his tears and cleared his clogged throat, nuzzling close to his second daughter. He sat beside his wife as she held the wide-eyed newborn that tried to make sense of her surroundings. Her eyes were her mother's and her little lips her father's. Just like Mi, the new baby's first outfit was one made by Soo.

"Hae Soo, I love you."

"Me too."

"She's so beautiful… just like her mommy."

He later carried Mi into the room, holding his squirming four-year-old and introducing her to her little sister.

Mi clambered onto the bed and crawled to Soo's side, her wide eyes round with wonder. "Baby ugly?" she asked immediately. Wook scoffed and Soo laughed. "I wanna pretty sister!"

"She'll get prettier when she's a bit less tired," Wook murmured, pulling his firstborn onto his lap. He hugged Mi and held her close as the baby opened her mouth and whined, nudging closer to Soo's breast.

"Are you hungry, Little Dinosaur?" Soo cooed, raising their baby closer to herself. Wook smiled and watched his wife guide their newest addition towards her breast, letting the baby latch onto her nipple. Their daughter's wide eyes blinked and her little hands kneaded Soo's chest as she immediately began to suckle.

"She likes your breasts as much as I do," he muttered. "Daddy doesn't like sharing," he sighed with a shake of his head. "But I guess I'll let this one slide." He did not evade the kick Soo sent to his knee as Mi stared at them in confusion.

"What is Baby doing?" she asked. "Mommy, what's Baby doing?"

Wook pressed his chin to Mi's hair as she touched the baby's bare foot. "This is how the baby eats," Soo explained. "Mommies have milk in their breasts and this is how Little Dinosaur will eat until she's a bit bigger and grown up like Mi."

"Daddy too?" Mi asked. Wook coughed and Soo glared at him. "Daddy has to share with Baby? Mommy has two so Daddy doesn't have to share." She pointed to Soo's other breast and Wook pressed a hand to his mouth, chuckling.

"Darling, Daddy was being a big dummy," Soo said quietly. Wook smiled at his wife as she shook her head. "He just thinks Mommy is really pretty. That's all."

"Oh." Mi sat back and Wook tipped his head back in laughter before returning his gaze to the baby that continued to ignore her father and sister. "Daddy, she's not moving. Make her move, please?" Mi asked. "Baby, I'm Hwang Bo Mi. I'm your big sissy. You have to do what I say. I'm the big sister and I'm gonna keep you safe, but you havta listen to me, okay Baby?"

Wook closed his eyes as he smiled, wrapping his arms around his daughter. He peeked at Soo who also beamed. "Mommy, Baby won't say anything," Mi whined. "She's boring. I want a better baby sissy. Go to the store and get a different one."

Kissing his daughter's forehead, Wook shook his head. "Sorry, Mi, you're stuck with your little sister. There's a strict no-return policy on babies at the store."

"Hmph."

A smile crept onto Wook's lips as he saw his darlings. His wife… his babies… they were standing around him. He was not alone.

"Wook!"

In his dreamy haze, Wook barely registered the loud shout that came from his right. That voice did not belong to his wife and neither of his girls called him by name.

The last face he wished to see appeared, kneeling beside him. Wook felt his smile disappear as Wang So's angular face entered his vision. "Still alive," Wang So breathed incredulously. "Stay calm, I'm going to help you."

Wook felt something loosen around his throat and suddenly, breathing was easier. Cold air seeped into his lungs and Wook wondered what he had wrapped around his throat so tightly that it had constricted his breathing.

"Keep breathing. I'm going to call an am-"

"No," he hissed. It took too much effort to speak. Wook swallowed the blood in his mouth, trying to empty it of that horrible taste.

"Stay with me, Wook," his wife murmured. Her gentle hands brushed his hair away from his face and she smiled down at him as if his head was cradled in her lap. "Stay with me, darling. Come home."

He could see the table in the living room. Wook remembered sitting on one side as Mi sat across from him, serving tea from Soo's best set. He had carried Yoon on his lap, rocking the baby and accepting his refreshments from Mi. Tea time was one of his favorite ways to play with his girls.

"Sorry… Hae Soo…" he whispered. He coughed and a spray of blood landed on Wang So's cheek. I can't come home.

The pain ebbed but Wook felt cold. His legs were gone; he could not feel anything there. His stomach slowly grew numb and his torso did not hurt as much.

Tears burned down the sides of his face.

I can't go home. My wife… my babies... I'll never see them again.

He moaned as the tears continued to flow. The pain he had felt being defenestrated was nothing compared to how much his heart ached then. Wretched- almost animalistic- noises burst from his lips as he pined for his children and for his wife. He wanted to see them.

Wook felt So's hands doing something to his wrist, but he was not sure what. Instead, he swallowed his agony and used his good hand to reached for So.

Moaning in pain, Wook closed his eyes as his fingers grasped So's, stopping him from trying to fix the unfixable. "Enough," he groaned.

Wook blinked back his tears and stared at Wang So, watching the man that had taken his wife- his children. He hated him.

However, Wook knew that his hatred would not keep Wang So from keeping his girls safe. When he was gone, So would be the only one there for his family.

"You…" Wook hissed. "You have to… to protect… my girls." He breathed deeply, hearing his wet breaths flooded with spit and blood. "You're indebted to me… My girls… all three of them… keep them safe."

So nodded, his grip tightening. Wook watched him sit back, no longer trying to bind his wounds or stop the bleeding. "I will," he promised.

"If Soo sends you… if she sends you away," Wook said, straining to tie his sentences together, "you still need… keep my family safe.

"I will. Wook, you don't need to worry. I'll be there for them."

The usually wordless bodyguard suddenly talked too much and Wook heard the same apology, the same promise, the same vow over and over again. He grimaced as So agreed to do whatever it took to keep the girls safe.

Cold seeped into his hands and Wook felt grateful he had someone with him to keep him company. He looked at Wang So's hand as it held his, warm fingers seeping heat into his cold ones.

His body grew still and ice crept into his tongue and chin, but his heart felt warm. Wook stared up at the faint stars and felt a sense of calmness wash over him. "I'm going to my son," he whispered, happiness overtaking him. He was going to his son. He was going to finally meet the little boy after five long years.

A crescent moon appeared from behind the clouds, and Wook closed his eyes.

Hello, my darling.