the front door swung open just as you placed your phone down, the familiar thud of sunghoon’s shoes filled the entryway.

“hoonie!” you called, wiping your hands on the towel. you heard your two-year-old son wobbling and giggling in his socks—came toddling around the corner from the playroom, arms raised high. 

sunghoon’s tired laugh drifted in from the hallway as he placed his bag down by the console table. “hyunwoo!” he scooped his son up with one arm, the other already loosening his tie. hyunwoo giggled childishly and planted a kiss on his daddy’s cheek, wrapping his tiny arms around sunghoon’s neck.

sunghoon padded into the kitchen where his wife was cooking—simmering the beef broth. 

“you’re early today,” you hummed, teasing, glancing over your shoulder. sunghoon nodded, smoothly wrapping his free arm around your waist, pulling you gently back against his chest. his other hand still rested under hyunwoo’s legs, the little boy tucked comfortably in his grasp, head resting on his father’s shoulder. 

“yeah—missed my wifey so much,” he murmured against your temple, voice low and tired. he leaned in to press a soft kiss against your cheek, deep and loving. you smiled and giggled when your husband nuzzled into your neck, leaning into him. “i missed you too, hoonie.” 

your heart softened, fingers pausing over the ladle. 

“dinner’s almost ready,” you smiled, humming. “i made your favourite~” 

“gosh, you’re just so perfect.” 

he lingered like that for a moment as you turned off the kitchen heat, steam rising from the pot. hyunwoo babbling softly against his daddy’s shoulder.

dinner was as usual.

hyunwoo sat in his booster seat, swinging his little feet while you spoon-fed him small pieces of beef and softened carrots. sunghoon sat across from you, sleeves rolled up, occasionally having to wipe his little boy’s mouth. 

the tv behind played quietly in the background—a news segment neither of you were really listening to.

the beef broth was rich, the meat was tender—filling the house with warmth, and sunghoon hummed his approval after the spoonful, the corners of his mouth curling softly.

“good as always, hun,” he murmured, nudging your foot playfully beneath the table.

you smiled shyly, heart swelling in that familiar way when the three of you were together like this every dinner. you set your chopsticks down gently, wiping hyunwoo’s chin with a napkin before speaking…

“baby?” you said lightly, glancing up at sunghoon as he sipped his water.

he hummed, glancing at you. 

“about your busan trip tomorrow…” you muttered, nipping your tongue out to wet your lips. sunghoon hummed again in acknowledgement, placing the cup down with a soft thud. you smiled, reaching over to hold his hand over the table. “i was thinking… maybe hyunwoo and i could tag along? or maybe after you go, i’ll drive down to see my parents? it’s been a while. they’re missing him.”

for a second, nothing.

sunghoon’s thumb brushed over your knuckles once—absent, mechanical—before he gently slid his hand out from yours. he leaned back in his chair, exhaling softly, his gaze lowered to the table. 

“what?”

you blinked, smile faltering. “it’s just for a day,” you tried, softer this time, almost pleading. “i’ll drive carefully. i’ll text you when we get there and when we leave. you know the route’s safe. i’ve done it before, you have me on airtag.”

sunghoon’s jaw tightened, though his expression stayed gentle.

“with hyunwoo in the car?” he asked, tilting his head. “on your own?”

the words made you hesitate, feeling yourself smaller in your seat. you didn’t reply.

“baby,” he sighed after a while, standing slowly and collecting the empty dishes, “think about what you’re saying.” next to you, hyunwoo babbled something incoherent, clapping his hands.

you were quick to rise on your feet, stepping around the table to follow sunghoon to the sink. the words tangled in your throat, but you forced them out before you lost your chance. “okay. i just thought i’d ask,” you said, quieter now as you trailed behind your husband, holding the hem of his shirt.

sunghoon paused, his back to you as he rinsed the bowls. his shoulders rose and fell with a slow, deep breath. then, he placed the plates gently on the drying rack, wiped his hands on the dish towel, before finally turned to face you.

“love,” he stepped forward, brushing a strand of your hair with his slightly damp fingers. “i’m just worried about you and hyunwoo’s safety. the highway’s dangerous—you know that. do you wanna leave me alone in this world?” his voice cracked like it hurts him too.

you quickly shook your head, leaning into sunghoon’s hand on your cheek. “of course not…”

sunghoon nodded satisfactorily, smiling. his thumb brushed the apple of your cheek. “hyunwoo can always facetime them. i love you.”

“i love you too.”

yn: not this week mom :(  yn: not safe to drive hyunwoo just by myself. mom: oh… mom: i understand, sweetie.

——

the last time you saw your parents—was probably last year during hyunwoo’s first birthday. you remembered how your dad lifted hyunwoo up with trembling hands, how your mom fussed over the cake she baked, how their laughter filled their tiny living room that it felt like you were seventeen again.

since then, it has been quiet.

christmas, chuseok, seollal—you spent them all at sunghoon’s parents’ house instead. closer, easier, less tiring, safer for both hyunwoo and you. 

that’s what sunghoon said and since that was true—not having to drive up to five hours without the traffic jam just to get to your parents house—you didn’t argue. the city where sunghoon’s parents lived also didn’t have hills and open lakes that could be dangerous for hyunwool—who’s still learning how to run without falling, still curious enough to chase birds and squirrels. sunghoon was just being careful. anything could happen.

but each time you think about visiting your parents… 

something happened.

once, you woke up to find the car tire flat. sunghoon crouched by the driveway, wiping his sweat from his brow as he replaced it himself. “don’t worry about the trip, love. just rest today. tell your parents, they’ll understand.”

another time, you couldn’t find the house keys and sunghoon was on a work trip. you couldn’t even leave the house. you searched for hours, tearing apart bags after bags, pockets after pockets—only to find them days later in the laundry basket. “you’ve been so forgetful lately,” sunghoon teased gently, kissing your temple. “i think you need to slow down.”

and then there’s the unavoidable—weather.

sunghoon was the one who offered to visit your parents. “should we take a drive this weekend? mom’s probably missing you.” he said, brushing hyunwoo’s hair back. your heart would lift, light and hopeful, and you’d start to pack hyunwoo’s bags with snacks and toys.

but then saturday rolled around—and the sky darkened and heavy with clouds. a storm warning would flash across your phone screen. 

sunghoon would sigh, setting his mug down with a soft clink. “looks bad out there… dangerous to drive through the hills. let’s wait for next week, love.”

how could you argue with that?

next week never came.

——

sunghoon never really had any personal problems with your parents. 

they were fine. polite enough. a little too nosy, maybe. a little too involved. 

but fine—nonetheless. nothing too bad.

the problem was you. 

the problem was the way your face lit up whenever their names popped up on your phone. the stars and galaxies in your eyes when they called. the way your voice softened when you talked about your childhood, your home.

home. 

as if sunghoon, hyunwoo, this expensive condo, this city, wasn’t your home now.

sunghoon wouldn’t call it jealousy. he knows the relationship and love that he has with you is entirely different from what you have with your parents. something deeper. more consuming. what you have with your parents is simple. they raised you. protected you.

but with sunghoon? he chose you. and you chose him. 

that was different. that meant something greater.

and then, like clockwork, he’d check the weather days beforehand before initiating to go to your parents house because he believed that stupid forecast app more than trusting the idea of letting you out of his sight.

because as long as you stayed here, in this house, in his arms—he could breathe easy. you didn’t need anyone else. 

just him. and hyunwoo.

that’s enough.

it has to be. 

——

it had been weeks of soft excuses and cancelled plans. each time your parents called, their voices got smaller. always asking for your availability. always asking to see hyunwoo over facetime and saying how they want to pinch his chubby cheeks. always telling you to visit them—they haven’t seen their pretty little daughter’s face for so long.

they joked they might forget how you look like. 

“just for the weekend,” your mom pleaded over the phone. you could almost hear the desperation dripping like honey from her voice. “we’ll come over if you can’t make it. your dad’s fine to drive, we promise!” 

the way she said it—like she missed her daughter so much it was hurting her physically—that made something snap in your chest.

so that night, once again, when sunghoon sat beside you on the couch watching the tv, you gathered your courage.

“hoonie?” you started softly, almost a whisper.

you shifted closer, curling your legs beneath you, and rested your head against his shoulder. your fingers found his free hand resting on his lap and laced themselves between his. 

sunghoon hummed in acknowledgement and his eyes fell on you, a lazy smile tugging faintly at the corner of his lips. you gave his hand a little squeeze, tilting your face to brush your lips against his jaw. “‘m so proud of my hardworking husband,” you whispered against his skin, voice soft and warm.

his smile deepend. “yeah?” his arm slid around your waist, pulling you a little closer. “i don’t hear that enough.” 

you laughed under your breath, pressing another kiss beneath his ear. “maybe i’ll remind you a lot of that tonight,” 

sunghoon already puts hyunwoo to bed.

that got his attention. sunghoon’s grip tightened slightly in your hip, his voice dropping lower as his attention now was fully on you. “oh yeah?” he murmured, leaning closer, breath brushing against your cheek as he planted wet kisses on your skin. 

you giggled, brushing your nose against his.

and for a second, his eyes darkened, hungry—he had been working extra hard lately, climbing the hierarchy so fast—but he supposed he could work harder tonight for you. 

this was his reward. his peace. sunghoon felt himself growing hotter and harder, it’s itching him.

perfect.

but that’s when you softened your voice further, sweet and light.

“...maybe after we talk about visiting my parents this weekend?” 

it happened in an instant.

sunghoon’s body went still. tense beneath your touch, like a wire pulled tight. his jaw ticked, fingers froze at your waist, the warmth gone from his touch along with that look in his eyes—soft and needing just moments ago—flattened.

he pulled back instantly, eyebrows furrowed with that annoyed, confused crease in the middle. sunghoon shook his head, letting out a dry scoff in disbelief. “wow—you’re unbelievable,” he muttered, voice low, but the bite in it was sharp. he sat back against the ouch, creating distance, his arm slipping from your waist like the weight of you suddenly tired him out.

you blinked, confused. “hoonie—”

“so this was just—what? sweet talk to get your way?” he let out a hollow laugh, running a hand through his hair in frustration, the mood completely shattered. he’s no longer feeling it tonight—the thought of your parents—fuck, it pissed him off so fucking bad. “kisses first, then the favour, then we fuck? cute, love, real fucking cute.”

your chest tightened. that wasn’t how you meant it. 

“no, no—” you shook your head, reaching for his hand again. “i wasn’t—i was just—i thought it’d be nice, for hyunwoo to see his grandparents. that’s all. i missed them. i missed home. i missed…” your voice faltered.

his jaw clenched, and for a second, his eyes softened—not with affection, but exhaustion. he didn’t answer. he didn’t pull his hand away and you rushed to fill the silence, words tumbling too fast in hopes that he could see the desperation in your eyes and pity you. 

“just for one night—or no, just visiting. i’ll drive. you can rest the whole way, i promise. i’ll pack everything, i’ll handle hyunwoo’s naps and food, you won’t have to lift a finger, babe, i promise.” 

still, he said nothing.

instead, sunghoon sighed quietly, lowering his head and rubbing his temples like the weight of the world rested there. like it’s so fucking hard for him to say—yeah, you’re right. we haven’t been to your parents—my in-laws—house for a while now… 

“you think i don’t want you to be happy,” his voice came out quiet like he’s explaining something simple to a child. to hyunwoo. “you think i don’t want hyunwoo to see his grandparents?” 

your heart dropped. no, no—this was getting far from what you were trying to say. “that’s not what i mea—”

“i work all week,” he continued softly, shaking his head. “i miss breakfast, i miss telling bedtime stories to hyunwoo, i miss you. especially you,” he emphasised, but not looking at you. wetting his lips as he threw his head back against the couch. “and the one weekend i thought i could finally rest—finally breathe, spend the night with you, spend the morning with my family—you’re planning to be somewhere else.”

your chest tightened painfully.

“that’s not fair,” you whispered, the only child brattiness behaviour in your kicking. 

but his tired smile cut through you. “life’s not fair, love. but i still do everything i can for this family so you and hyunwoo can live lavishly,” he gently untangled his hand from yours, brushing his thumb, affectionately, against the apple of your cheek before standing.

“if you want to go so badly, just go,” he said, his tone strangely calm. “take hyunwoo. leave me out of it and have a nice weekend.”

and before you could stop—argue with him—, your husband left the room, his footsteps fading down the hall, leaving you with nothing but your guilt and frustration. 

the room felt colder after he left. 

you sat there, alone, the low hum of the tv from what he last watched filling the emptiness between your thoughts. your chest tightened as the tears finally spilled over before you knew it. 

you didn’t mean to hurt him or make him feel like he wasn’t enough. you didn’t mean to initiate something—intimate—just to get your way. 

you just wanted to go home with your little family. 

but everytime you brought up your parents, it felt like you were tearing a piece of your life away from this home, from sunghoon—from everything you’d built together. 

were you selfish for wanting both?

you wiped your face, sniffing quietly.

“it’s just a visit,” you sobbed softly, using your sleeves to wipe your tears. “it’s just one weekend.” you whispered to yourself. 

but then you remembered how tired sunghoon looked. how late he went to sleep, how early he woke up—and made you and hyunwoo breakfast without you asking him to— because that’s your job. as a wife.

you thought about how much he worked, how much he cared, how much he gave up for you and hyunwoo.

did he ever ask for anything in return? no.

he only ever asked you to sit and stay at home like his pretty little wife. keep him, yourself, and hyunwoo fed, clean, and happy. greet him at the door with a smile and a kiss. make this house lovely when the world outside wore him down. warm the bed for when he needs you under him.

it wasn’t much. 

you didn’t have a job—because he asked you to not have one. sunghoon’s the husband, he’s the provider. you didn’t bring in money. he did. you didn’t pay the bills or pay the car or deal with taxes or have to think about anything at all. 

sunghoon just wanted peace and for you to stay at home.

and yet, you couldn’t give him that.

maybe it was selfish of you to still long for your old home, when this was your home now. 

you wiped your eyes with trembling fingers—let’s apologise. 

apologise and make up for what you ruined earlier—reminded him that you were his as much as he was yours. touched him the way he liked. make him feel like he’s the only man for you—the only man you’ll ever need. 

the only family member—alongside hyunwoo—who truly mattered now. 

and never mentioned your parents again.

yn: are you sleeping? yn: i can’t visit this weekend :(  yn: hyunwoo has a camp this weekend at school. yn: but whenever i can, i’ll let you know so you don’t have to remind me all the time  hehe. yn: i love you and dad always. yn: goodnight mom.