#absent parent

    “Do you hate that I kept yours?”

    “I gave it to you, didn’t I?” Jason smiled and then looked away. “I want time to figure out a way to tell Michael. It wasn’t fair how you did it. He needs his mother.” He looked up.

    “Should I come in a dress?” Phillip felt extremely uncomfortable with the suggestion, but he was willing to do whatever Jason asked to see his son.

    Jason shook his head. “If he’s going to meet you, he will meet the real you.”

    “And you?” Phillip took a tentative step forward.

    “Have you joined a club? I could get you into mine.”

    The words were so soft. Almost as though he hoped Phillip would decline. So he did. “Anthony has my name in at his. It’s a… certain group of men. With like sensibilities.”

    “There are more men like you?”

    Phillip shrugged. “Men that enjoy the company of other men. So in that sense, yes, men like me. But not men who were born women as far as I know.”

    There was silence for a few heartbeats.

    Then Jason said softly, “God, I missed you. Phillip.” He said the name as an afterthought, but it sounded good from his lips.

    Phillip smiled. “I missed you too, Jay.”

Mina

It was the kind of morning that could trick someone into thinking life was always this peaceful. Soft sunshine through cottony clouds, a cool breeze, and the smell of fresh grass from the park fields.

Jisoo practically vibrated with excitement as they pulled into the small neighborhood park, clutching Mina’s hand the whole way to the play area. But when they reached the edge of the playground and he saw the other kids running, shouting, playing he stopped.

Completely still.

Mina immediately noticed, crouching beside him with gentle eyes.

“Hey, baby,” she said softly, tucking a strand of hair out of his face. “Do you want Daddy and me to play with you for a bit first?”

But Jisoo shook his head fast. “No, Mommy.”

And then he took off darting straight toward the swings.

Mina didn’t move. Her mind didn’t either.

No. Mommy?

Her heart did a somersault. Her lips parted. She blinked.

Not Noona.

Not Mina.

Not Miss.

Not even the half silly nickname he’d once used, “my mochi maker.”

Mommy.

She stood up slowly, still stuck in some emotional molasses, trying to blink away the heat rising behind her eyes. And then she saw him gripping the swing with one arm while a little girl pushed him gently, the pair giggling like old friends.

That’s when Jay stepped closer, hands in his pockets, looking entirely too smug for someone who hadn’t done anything all morning except steal kisses and finish the last piece of pineapple without asking.

“Well,” he said, leaning in slightly toward her ear. “Looks like you’ve been promoted.”

She didn’t answer.

“Should I be calling you that too, or is it reserved for the kid?”

That earned him a slap to the bicep.

He flinched dramatically. “Abuse! In broad daylight, woman.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Mina muttered, cheeks warm.

Jay just grinned wider.

But she wasn’t smiling.

Not fully.

Because while that word had made something flutter and ache in her chest all at once, it also made her uneasy.

Jisoo had called her Mommy.

And sure, maybe it was innocent. Kids get attached, lines blur but she wasn’t here to replace anyone. She wasn’t his real mom. Hell, she didn’t even know anything about the woman. All she knew was that she wasn’t in Jisoo’s life, and now Mina was.

For how long though?

Could she really hold that place in his heart? Did she want to?

Yes.

That was the scariest part.

She wanted to. So badly it hurt.

“You’re thinking way too hard,” Jay murmured beside her, his teasing edge gone.

She glanced up at him. “I just don’t want to confuse him.”

“You didn’t,” he said firmly, gaze not leaving the little boy who was now kicking his legs out to mimic flying. “He knows exactly what you are.”

“And what’s that?”

“The woman who bandages his scrapes. The one who makes him mochi when he’s sad. The one who holds his hand when he’s scared. You’re the one who’s always there.”

Mina swallowed.

Jay looked at her then, really looked. “You’re not confusing him, Min. You’re his home.”

Her throat went tight, and she hated him a little for being so sweet when she was trying to emotionally spiral in peace.

So instead of answering, she turned her head quickly and called out to Jisoo, “Ten more minutes, sweetheart!”

“Ten hours!” he yelled back.

Jay chuckled and slipped an arm casually around her waist, his thumb rubbing soft circles into her hipbone as if the moment hadn’t just unraveled something in both of them.

Yeah.

Mina might not have meant to fall in love with both Parks.

But it was too late now.

And she was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t such a bad thing.

Jay

The whole Mommy thing?

Yeah, Jay digs it. A little too much.

Okay a lot too much.

He’d heard Jisoo mumble it once or twice before, little slips of the tongue that he chalked up to confusion or wishful thinking. And maybe a better man would’ve corrected it, gently drawn the line between caretaker and mother.

But he wasn’t a better man.

He was just a man.

A man who’d fallen headfirst for the woman currently tucked under his roof, wearing his hoodie, and tucking his son into bed with her gentle fingers and soothing words. So no, he didn’t stop Jisoo. Not once.

In fact, he’d made damn sure not to say a word.

And now he had a plan.

Because Jisoo didn’t just like Mina he loved her. Claimed her long before Jay ever did. And Jay? He was ready to make it official.

Make her his. Make her theirs.

She already was in almost every way.

He watches now from the doorway as Mina presses a final kiss to Jisoo’s cheek before leaving them alone for nap time. Her eyes meet his briefly, soft and unreadable, before she disappears down the hall. Jay waits until her steps fade out before crossing the room, crouching beside the bed where his sleepy little menace is curled up.

Jisoo blinks tiredly, his good arm curled around his stuffed bear, the other in its soft blue cast. “Daddy…”

“Yeah, bud?” Jay brushes his hand gently over his son’s hair.

“Mommy okay?” the boy mumbles, voice low. “She looked kinda…scared.”

Jay’s lips twitch.

Smart kid. Too damn observant.

“She’s okay,” he murmurs, fingers still smoothing through soft strands. “Promise.”

“Pinkie?” Jisoo sleepily raises his tiny pinky.

Jay hooks his around it. “Pinkie.”

A soft breath of air escapes the boy’s lips as his eyes flutter shut.

“I’ll talk to Mommy,” Jay adds quietly, the smugness creeping into his voice now that Jisoo’s nearly asleep. “Don’t worry, kid. Daddy’s got this.”

He waits a few moments until his son’s breathing evens out. Then he stands, tucks the blanket tighter around the small body, and exhales.

Yeah, he’s got this.

Mina might still be unsure about her place in their little world, but Jay? He’s sure of everything now.

She belongs here. With them.

And he’ll make sure she knows it.

One kiss. One touch. One morning like this at a time.

Hell, if he had to, he’d put a damn ring on her finger just to hear Jisoo call her Mommy again.

And he wouldn’t mind hearing her call him Daddy either....Jay freezes in thought.

“Jesus Christ,” he mutters under his breath.

Then he walks out the room, quietly shutting the door behind him, already planning just how he's going to make sure Mina never questions her place in this house or in their hearts ever again.

He found her in the sunroom.

Mina was sitting on the long padded bench nestled beneath the wide windows, sunlight pooling around her like it knew she was something holy. Her knees were pulled up, bare legs folded, head leaned against the glass as her fingers toyed absentmindedly with the hem of her skirt. She looked deep in thought or maybe, worse, doubt and that was enough for Jay to move.

No hesitation.

No fear.

Just him.

Because when Park Jongseong loved, he loved deep. And he loves her.

He walked in silently, hands in his pockets, eyes locked on her like he was studying art. Not the kind you glanced at but the kind that gutted you.

She looked up at the sound of his steps and blinked once, a soft smile curling on her lips. “Hey.”

Jay didn't say a word.

He didn’t need to.

He reached her in three slow strides, and before she could stand or speak again, his hands had already found her cheeks, cupping her face like she was fragile but his. His thumbs brushed along the soft swell of her cheekbones, eyes searching hers with a weight that made her breath catch.

“You’re overthinking,” he said softly. “Stop that.”

She started to say something, something he could already see forming a doubt, maybe a question.

So he kissed her.

Firm, warm, sealing her mouth with his in one motion that was more than affection it was a promise. A tether. A claim.

Her hands gripped his wrists, her eyes wide when he finally pulled back.

“I mean it,” he said, voice low, eyes dark but clear. “No more doubting where you stand here. With me. With Jisoo.”

“Jay—” she tried again, but her voice wavered.

“Mina,” he said, his voice firmer this time, “Look at me.”

She did.

He didn’t falter once.

“You belong to this family now. You hear me? You’ve been ours for a while. isoo made that decision way before I did. But now I have. And I don’t take that lightly.”

Her lips parted again, and he leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers.

“You don’t have to be his mom to love him the way you do. You already love him more than anyone else ever has. And me? I don’t want you here because you take care of my son. I want you here because you’ve taken over everything, everything, without even trying.”

His hands slipped down to hold her waist, thumbs pressing lightly into her sides, anchoring her.

“I want you here because I’m in love with you, Mina. Not like..” he paused, voice thick but unwavering, “not like puppy love. I’m talking... roots in the ground, your name under my skin, can’t sleep without you anymore kind of love. That’s what this is.”

Her eyes had glassed over, lips trembling.

“Say something,” he murmured, brows pulling in just the slightest.

“I… ]I just didn’t know you meant it like that,” she whispered, voice cracking. “I thought maybe this was just…”

She didn’t finish.

Didn’t need to.

Jay shook his head slowly, brushing his nose against hers. “Don’t do that. Don’t downplay what this is. Don’t put space between us when I’ve already closed the gap.”

Her breath hitched.

“You belong with the Parks now, baby. That’s not a question. That’s a truth. One I’m gonna keep reminding you of until it’s tattooed on your soul.”

And when she gave him that look again, the unsure one he kissed her again. Slower this time. Like he was giving her time to understand it, to absorb it. One hand still on her waist, the other cradling the back of her head.

When he pulled away, she was breathing harder.

But smiling.

And he knew right then that whatever came next, she wasn’t going anywhere.

Because Jay had spoken his truth.

And now she was part of his forever.

Mina

Jay had planted something in her.

No, not just planted but carved. Etched his truth into her heart with that voice of his, with those hands that held her like she was something precious, with those lips that had spoken love not like a line, but like a vow.

And now, the doubt was gone.

Completely.

Mina didn’t even know when exactly she had fallen in love with him. It hadn’t been one single moment it had been every moment. Soft ones, loud ones, the way he tucked Jisoo in, the way he watched her when he thought she wasn’t looking, the way his hands found hers without asking. She had fallen not like a storm, but like a tide.

Steady.

Certain.

Unstoppable.

Maybe it was too soon to say it...that four letter word people feared but she wasn’t scared. Some people fell fast, some fell slow.

She fell steady.

And Jay? God, he loved her. Said it like it was fact. No man had ever looked at her like she was the answer to his peace. No man had ever said those words to her and meant them with no hesitation, no stammering, no bargaining. Just Jay, laying his heart out like it wasn’t a gamble but a guarantee.

She trusted him.

Completely.

And Jisoo…her precious baby Park. If he wanted to call her mommy, then who was she to stop him? She felt like his mom deep in her chest, in every instinct she had, in the way her body moved before her mind when he cried, laughed, needed something. She would love that boy after her last breath.

Maybe she wasn’t his blood, but love wasn’t biology.

It was time.

It was heart.

And her heart belonged to both of them now.

Sure, it was new. Sure, it was terrifying. But at the same time not really. She’d been here for months. Waking up to Jisoo’s giggles, making breakfast, cleaning up markers off the wall, feeling Jay’s gaze on her as she stirred the pot. She’d been theirs for a while she just hadn’t realized it until now.

And if this was what falling felt like?

Then God, she never wanted to be steady again.

Her head turned at the sound of feet on the stairs.

Jay appeared a second later, shirt sleeves rolled up, hair a mess, a sleepy eyed but smirking Jisoo cradled in one arm like he wasn’t growing heavier by the day.

Two faces.

Same expression.

Matching smugness.

She didn’t even try to fight the smile.

Jay raised an eyebrow like he could already read her thoughts. Jisoo yawned dramatically, then blinked at her and grinned. “Mommy! Can I have cookies?”

Her throat caught.

Jay gave her a look that said, you asked for this, and then gently bounced the boy in his arms. “Only if you ask her nicely. She’s the boss.”

“Oh, so now I’m the boss?” she teased, standing slowly as they reached the bottom step.

Jay’s eyes dragged over her like she was something he’d never stop choosing. “You always were.”

And that was it.

That was her life now.

One brooding father with hands that held her like prayer, one mischievous child with a smile that healed things in her she didn’t know were broken and a home that didn’t look like it used to, but somehow fit her better than anything ever had.

She walked toward them, heart full.

If this was forever, she was already all in.

And she wouldn't change a damn thing.

Two weeks later

Mina couldn’t remember the last time she was nervous around Jisoo.

The child had long since burrowed his way into her heart like he owned a permanent lease there. But now that she stood at the edge of something real, her fingers tangled nervously in the hem of her sweater, and her heart did a somersault when Jay gently nudged her knee with his.

They were sitting on the plush living room rug. Jisoo cross legged in front of them in his dinosaur pajamas, Jay casually stretched beside her, his hand brushing against hers every few seconds as if grounding her.

"Hey, little man," Jay started, voice soft, calm. Almost too calm. Mina glanced at him out the side of her eye. He looked collected but that vein in his neck was twitching. He was just as nervous.

Jisoo blinked up at his dad with wide, curious eyes. "Yeah?"

Jay cleared his throat and smiled. “So…you know how you really love when Mina’s around?”

“I super love her,” Jisoo nodded with zero hesitation. “She makes steak and reads stories better than the robot at school.”

Mina choked on a laugh, and Jay smirked before continuing.

“Well,” Jay said, scooting just a little closer. “What would you think…if we were always around? Like, all the time. Like…if we were a family of three.”

Jisoo blinked. “We’re not already?”

That made both adults pause.

Mina’s eyes shimmered, and Jay’s chest rose slowly like he was trying not to let emotion knock him over.

“Technically not yet,” Jay said carefully. “But I love Mina. A lot. And I’d like her to stay. Not just as someone who helps us. But because she’s family. Our family.”

Jisoo tilted his head, lips pursed like he was doing some deep kindergarten calculus.

“So like…if you love her,” he started slowly, “and she loves you back which she does,” he added with a proud nod, “does that mean we get a baby?”

Jay choked on air before coughing. “A what?”

“I mean,” Jisoo huffed, exasperated. “When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much..”

“Okay!” Mina sat up fast, shooting Jay a warning glare that could set the house on fire.

Jay burst into full blown cackles, falling back on his elbows as he wheezed. “Oh my God, I didn’t teach him that-”

“Sure you didn’t,” she hissed under her breath, cheeks pink, eyes slicing toward him as Jisoo looked between them innocently.

Mina took a breath and gently turned her full attention to the little boy in front of her. “Hey, sweetheart. Let me ask you something.”

“Okay,” he said with a shrug.

“If… f I stayed forever. If I was here every day and night, not just to take care of you, but because I want to be here, because I love you. Would that be okay?”

Jisoo’s head tilted again.

Then slowly, his whole face softened. His bottom lip wobbled and he quickly looked down like his emotions were too much for even him to handle.

“I wanna keep you forever,” he said in the smallest, most sincere voice. “You can be my mommy. I always wanted a mommy. I love you, Noona.”

Mina’s eyes filled instantly.

She didn’t have time to respond.

Because before she could say a word, Jisoo launched himself into her chest, one good arm wrapping around her neck with all the strength he could muster, and he squealed as he buried his little face against her shoulder.

“I love you I love you I love you!”

Mina held him so tightly it was like she was trying to keep her heart from falling out of her chest. Her throat ached from the pressure of love. “I love you too, baby,” she whispered shakily. “So, so much.”

Jay’s arms wrapped around them both, strong and warm and unshakable.

His lips brushed the side of Mina’s head as he whispered against her temple, “Welcome home, baby.”

And in that one moment filled with the sound of giggles, the smell of sunshine clinging to Jisoo’s hair, and Jay’s arms anchoring her in place Mina knew she had everything she would ever need.

A family.

Her family.

The Parks.

Forever.

Jay

1 year later

Park Jongseong was going to propose.

It should’ve been a calm moment. A private, emotional, intimate kind of thing.

But here he was inside a luxury jewelry boutique surrounded by absolute fucking morons.

“I’m just saying,” Heeseung drawled, leaning dramatically against a glass case filled with engagement rings that cost more than Ni-ki’s entire apartment complex. And he was the owner, “I knew you were whipped the minute you glared at that barista who called Mina pretty when we all went out.”

Jay didn’t even blink. “She was flirting. And her nails were dirty.”

Sunghoon snorted. “That was eight months ago, bro.”

Jay gritted his teeth. “And I stand by it.”

Jisoo, now a six year old little prince with a missing front tooth and a mouth that never shut up, clung to Jay’s leg like a determined koala. “Daddy, this one has sparkles! She needs sparkles!”

Jay looked down at the gigantic cushion cut diamond Jisoo was pointing at like it was radioactive. “We are not giving your mother a rock that could sink a boat.”

“But-”

“She doesn’t like flashy stuff, bud. We’re going simple.”

“But-”

“No.”

Behind them, Ni-ki and Jungwon were whispering like gossiping aunties at a brunch table.

“I heard he cried when she made him lunch for the first time,” Ni-ki stage whispered.

“Bro he definitely cried,” Jungwon replied with a solemn nod.

Jay gave them both a flat look. “You say another word and I’m putting both of you in the ring display.”

Heeseung smirked. “That’s a lot of effort for someone who sobbed the first time she called herself Jisoo’s mommy.”

“That,” Jay pointed at him, “was valid.”

“And precious,” Sunoo added sweetly, placing a hand over his chest like this was a K-Drama.

Jay turned toward the case, tuning them out as best as he could. A small velvet tray had been placed in front of him by the jeweler simple rings, classic, soft. He knew her taste better than anyone. She wasn’t flashy. She didn’t want something that screamed. She just wanted love. Real, gentle, grounding love.

He reached for one.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Sunghoon said suddenly, stepping between him and the tray. “Before you do this, we need to come clean.”

Jay narrowed his eyes. “Come clean about what.”

Ni-ki raised his hand like a child confessing a crime. “We made bets.”

Jay blinked. “What?”

Heeseung groaned dramatically. “The day Sunghoon and I met Mina? We both looked at each other and said, ‘He’s gonna fall so hard for her.’”

“He already had,” Sunoo added helpfully.

Jay looked mildly murderous.

“So we bet on how long it would take,” Sunghoon confessed. “Heeseung said two months. I said one week. Sunoo said she’d have you begging in three days.”

Jungwon grinned like a cat. “I said you already belonged to her and just didn’t know it yet.”

Jay pinched the bridge of his nose. “You guys are all idiots.”

“But accurate,” Heeseung said proudly.

Jay ignored them all and finally picked the ring. It was a modest band, elegant and minimal, with a single round diamond hugged by small accent stones. It reminded him of Mina. Timeless, soft around the edges, and way too good for this world.

He turned to Jisoo, who was now hanging off Sunghoon’s arm like a sloth.

“You good with this one?”

Jisoo pouted. “It’s not big enough.”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “You want me to marry her or blind her?”

The kid rolled his eyes like a miniature teenager. “Whatever, but can I hold the box before you do it?”

Jay smirked. “Only if you promise not to drop it.”

“I won’t!” Jisoo beamed. “And then you can kiss mommy and I’ll say ewwwww really loud.”

Ni-ki nearly collapsed from laughter.

“Perfect,” Jay muttered. “My legacy. A dramatic son and a bunch of traitorous friends.”

He stood up straight, turning toward the jeweler with that signature Park Jongseong confidence. “We’ll take it. Wrap it. Full set. I’m proposing this weekend.”

The guys all froze.

“Wait this weekend?” Sunoo blinked. “Like, two days from now?”

Jay shrugged. “Why wait? She’s mine.”

Sunghoon let out a low whistle. “Possessive till the end.”

Jay turned with the box in hand and one arm slinging around Jisoo’s shoulders. “No. Just honest.”

And with that, he strode out of the store, leaving behind six stunned men, one giddy child, and a diamond that would change everything.

Park Jongseong was going to propose.

And the next chapter of his life?

Was going to be written with the girl who changed it all.

Mina

The Park house was loud.

But then again, it always was.

Mina padded barefoot across the warm hardwood floor, her cotton robe slightly loose, her long hair pinned up in a haphazard bun as she carried a laundry basket on her hip. She stopped short at the sound of high pitched giggling, followed by a deep groan.

“𝘚𝘩𝘪-shoot! Baby! She threw it at my face again!”

“She’s two, Jay.”

“She’s vicious!”

Mina sighed and walked into the living room to find her husband, yes, husband, still a little unreal even after three years on the floor, covered in throw pillows, a plastic teacup balanced on his head. His shirt was damp (again), and their daughter was standing proudly on the couch, holding another teacup in one hand and a glittery wand in the other like she was a fairy warrior.

“Dada down,” she declared.

Jay looked up from the floor with a betrayed expression. “Mina. Your daughter is a tyrant.”

“Our daughter,” she corrected, biting back a laugh.

From the hallway came the sound of stomping feet, and then their front door flung open.

“Mama! Dad! I’m home!!”

A blur of motion hit Mina at full speed.

Jisoo now eight and still a menace threw his backpack down and launched into her arms, hugging her tight.

“You smell like french toast,” he mumbled.

“You’re late,” Mina said, kissing the top of his messy hair. “Bus drop off was fifteen minutes ago.”

He grinned. “I walked.”

Jay looked up from under his daughter. “You walked?!”

“With the neighbors, calm down!” Jisoo shot back, then dramatically collapsed on the couch. “School was so boring, you guys.”

Mina rolled her eyes and looked down at her husband still flat on the floor, still under attack.

Jay gave her a lazy smirk. “You look hot, by the way.”

“I’m in a robe.”

“Exactly.”

Their daughter wobbled over to Mina, arms up. “Mamaaaaa.”

Mina picked her up with ease, pressing her nose to soft baby cheeks that still smelled like baby lotion and mischief. “Did you defeat Daddy?”

“Yup.”

Jay made a wounded noise. “Traitors. All of you.”

“You married into this,” Mina reminded, dropping a kiss to his hair as he groaned.

In that moment, as Jay sat up and Jisoo started rambling about a math test, Mina just breathed it all in.

This life.

This home.

This family.

There was a time she had doubted her place here. A time when she thought she was just a nanny, just someone passing through. But now, there was no just about her. She was Mina Park, mother of two, wife to a possessive but hopelessly devoted man, and loved beyond reason.

She moved to stand behind Jay and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind, chin on his head as he leaned back into her without hesitation.

Jisoo was now tugging on his little sister’s hand, trying to get her to help him set up the gaming console.

Jay tilted his head back to look up at Mina.

“Hey,” he murmured. “You happy?”

Her smile was soft, eyes shining. “More than I ever thought possible.”

He reached up, tugged her down, and kissed her sweetly, completely ignoring the gagging sounds coming from Jisoo.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you more.”

“Okay, now you’re the tyrant,” he muttered, pulling her into his lap as their kids rolled around like gremlins on the floor.

Mina laughed, her heart so full she could barely hold it in her chest.

And just like that the Park family chaos continued.

Louder.

Sweeter.

Stronger.

Together.