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Chapter 8: The Rose and the Lily – May 14 – 21, 2022

“Ajin?  Would you like to hold your baby sister?” Minha asked her elder daughter.

Ajin bounced across the hospital room towards her eomma.  “Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  She’s finally here!”

The little girl scrambled up onto the bed next to her mother and held her arms out.  Minha deposited her tiny burden gently into her daughter’s welcoming arms. 

“Hold her tight, Ajin.”  Minha smiled down at her two little sweethearts.  “What do you think, Ajin?  Do you like having a baby sister?”

The little girl beamed up at her.  She nodded her head as an expression of deep pride crossed her countenance.  “We’re going to become the best of friends.  I’m going to teach her everything I know.  And let her play with my dolls.  And Appa will carry her around on his shoulders.  Won’t you, Appa?”

“Absolutely,” Naru grinned.  “Eventually, she can help me paint.”  He chuckled.

“But, Eomma, what’s her name?”

“Hmm…we haven’t decided yet.”

Ajin yawned suddenly.  Minha smiled at her.  “Why don’t you let me hold her again?  And Appa can come sit next to me.  You can sit on his lap.  Okay?”

Her older daughter nodded her head and handed the tiny bundle back to their mother.  Then Naru scooped Ajin up in his arms before settling himself next to Minha.  Ajin cuddled into his chest, pillowing her head over his heart and closed her eyes. 

“I love you, Appa,” she murmured sleepily.

Naru’s expression melted.  “I will never get tired of hearing that,” he whispered to his wife.  “I love you too, princess.”

“Now you have two princesses, Appa.”

“I sure do,” he smiled as he bent his head to kiss the top of hers. “And one queen.”  He grinned at Minha.

Quite content, the couple sat holding their sleepy children in their arms.  A few minutes later, Minha glanced at her husband.

“Naru?”  She smiled down at their beautiful daughters once again. 

She was softly cradling the newborn in her arms as her husband sat next to her in the hospital bed, their older daughter now sound asleep in his lap.

“Hmm?”

“Can we call her Nari?  After your sister?”

His eyebrows jumped up.  “Really?  You want to name our daughter after my sister?”

“She is my best friend.  And a delightful person.  And I love the meaning of her name.”

He lifted a raven eyebrow at her.

Minha gazed down at the sweet face of their tiny daughter.  “She is our little lily who grew up out of the garden of our love for each other.  And I feel like she symbolizes the new life you’ve found with me.  A life of purity.”

He gazed down at the product of their love for each other.  “Who knew purity could be so fun?”  His lips quirked as his eyes met Minha’s.

She laughed softly.  “I did.”

“Hmm.  Wanna have some fun right now?” he whispered.

“Remember that six-week hiatus we discussed earlier?”

He frowned.

“It started the moment she was born.”

He sighed.  Deeply. 

“But…we can still do some things,” Minha teased him.

“Like I said, purity is fun,” a mischievous smile curved his lips.  “So, where shall we lay down our delightful burdens so I can embrace you?”

She giggled.  “I think, Naru, we should wait till we get home.  But I will give you a kiss right now.”

“Just one?”

“No.  Of course not.  That wouldn’t be any fun,” she smiled.  Then she lifted her face to capture his lips with her own. 

––

It was the time of apple blossoms.   Early spring.  When Yuni led her precious Kookie into their secret garden.  She smiled sweetly at him as she led him toward their bench.  

“Kookie, have a seat,” she whispered.

Her eyes were alight with a secret joy this bright spring day.  

He grinned up at her, revealing his chubby, white teeth in all their glory.  He laughed momentarily, and his nose scrunched up to carry his cheeks closer to his eyes, which had transformed into half-moons dancing in the middle of his face.

Her heart shifted happily in her chest as it expanded with her adoration of him.  He was so gorgeous.  So beautiful.  And he became more so with each passing day.  But the most wonderful thing about Kookie was his beautiful heart.  It grew lovelier every moment too.

She reached into her pocket and removed a little box.  As she held it out to him, he recognized it.  It was the velvet box that had housed her engagement ring.  His eyes grew wide as he looked up at her.

“Yuni?”

A smile curved her lips.  “Open it.”

“You’re asking me to marry you?”

“Hmm.  Too late.  You already did.”  Her nose twitched.

He picked up the box and opened it.  Inside was a little slip of paper.  He removed it.  His eyes traced it as his lips murmured the words she’d written on it.  She spoke them at the same time.

“Will you be my baby’s appa?”

His eyes flew to hers.  “You’re pregnant?” he breathed the words out with joy.

She beamed down at him as she nodded.  He jumped off the bench and threw his arms around her.  He picked her up and twirled her around.  

“Yuni!  I’m so happy!”

She giggled.  “Me too, Kookie!”

He spun her around again.  Then he set her feet on the ground and peered down into her sweet face.

“Do you have any idea how happy you make me?” he murmured.

Her eyes were glistening suddenly.  “As happy as you make me.  We’re going to have our own little rose, Kookie.  If she’s a girl, can we name her Jangmi?”

His lips stretched into a wide smile again.  “I’d love that.  Our little rose, indeed.”

Jungkook stood under a cheerful sun in their glorious garden and bent his head to brush his lips across hers.  Yunyeong lifted her face to meet his.  And she reveled in his embrace.  She delighted herself in Kookie and in his kiss.