The Decision That Was Mine
PAIRING: Choi "Khakii" Hee-tae x GN! Reader
RATING: General Audience
WARNING: disapproved parents (?) but also fluff
WORD COUNT: 813
You never doubted him.
Not once.
It was everyone else who did.
âLook at him,â your father said, voice sharp across the dining table. âMusic? Night schedules? That kind of crowd? This is what youâre throwing your future away for?â
You clenched your jaw. âHeâs a law student.â
Your mother scoffed. âStudying doesnât mean succeeding. People like him donât finish things.â
You stood up so fast the chair scraped against the floor.
âDonât talk about him like that.â
The room fell silent.
âHe works harder than anyone I know,â you continued, hands shaking but voice steady. âHe studies all night and writes music like itâs the only way he knows how to breathe. You donât get to reduce him to a stereotype because he doesnât look like what you imagined for me.â
Your father leaned back, unimpressed. âLove isnât enough.â
âI know,â you snapped. âThatâs why Iâm choosing him anyway.â
Khakii heard about the argument later, when you came home furious and exhausted.
âYou didnât have to fight them,â he said quietly, handing you a glass of water.
âI did,â you replied immediately. âThey donât get to decide my life anymore.â
He searched your face. âAnd if I fail?â
You didnât hesitate. âThen we fail forward. Together.â
That was the first time he smiled without doubt.
The day of the bar exam, you waited outside the building, pacing, hands clenched in your pockets.
When he walked out, he looked wrecked. Tired. Humans.
âWhatever happens,â he said, pressing his forehead to yours, âthank you for believing in me when no one else did.â
âI never stopped,â you replied.
When he passed, your parents said nothing at first.
At the wedding,there are empty seats in the front row.
You notice them the moment you step forward. Not just one or twoâan entire space left untouched. No parents. No explanations. Just absence.
Khakii follows your gaze for half a second, then looks back at you.
He smiles.
Not sad. Not bitter. Just certain.
Khakii stood across from you, eyes warm, steady. The same man you defended when it wouldâve been easier not to.
When it was your turn to speak, you didnât look at anyone else.
âI grew up thinking my life would be decided for me,â you said. âThat love had to be approved. Those choices only mattered if they were safe.â
Khakiiâs fingers tightened around yours.
âBut you were never safe,â you continued softly. âYou were real.â
You swallowed.
âYou are the only thing I choose for myself, the only decision I made for myself.â
His breath caught. A smile broke throughâunfiltered, unguarded.
âAnd Iâll keep choosing you,â you said, voice firm, âevery day, without permission.â
He leaned in, whispering, âI always knew you would.â
When itâs his turn to speak, he doesnât reach for the paper in his pocket.
He takes a breath instead.
âI was told my whole life to pick one thing,â he says quietly. âOne dream. One version of myself that made sense to other people.â
A soft exhale of laughter escapes him.
âI never listened very well.â
A few smiles ripple through the guests. You donât move. You donât blink.
He looks at you like the rest of the world has already faded.
âYou were the first person who didnât ask me to simplify myself,â he continues. âYou never needed me to be less so you could feel safe.â
His voice lowers.
âWhen everyone else questioned me⌠you didnât. You stood in front of me and said, Iâm staying.Even when it costs you.â
His hands tighten around yours.
âSo I promise this: I will choose you the same way you chose me. Without permission. Without compromise. Even when itâs hard. Especially when itâs hard.â
He swallows. âI donât need approval,â he says softly. âI only need you.â
Your forehead rests against his before the officiant can even speak.
Years later, the apartment is quieter.
Not emptyâjust calm.
Bookshelves line the walls: law journals mixed with vinyl records. A framed bar certificate hangs slightly crooked, next to a photo of the two of you taken on a cheap camera, laughing too hard to pose properly.
Khakii hums as he cooks, older now. Softer around the edges. Still himself.
You sit at the table, watching him like you always do.
âLong day?â you ask.
He nods. âThe client didnât listen. Thought he knew better.â
You smile. âPeople usually do.â
He brings two plates over, sets one in front of you, then pauses.
âYou know,â he says casually, âsometimes I think about that day.â
âThe wedding?â
âNo,â he replies. âThe day you chose me before Iâd proven anything.â
You look up. You reach for his hand.
Still choosing. Still chosen.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I DON'T KNOW IF HIM BECOME A LAW STUDENT IS REAL, BUT IT IS SO COOL IF IT IS REALLY TRUE AAAA
















