31

A year had past. But there is no news of his wife.

He was damn worry and scared that the thought of Serine becoming those dead walker.

He was raging that they didn't let him going out.

He was sad that he can do nothing to bring Serine back into his arm.

Literally nothing.

...

"San-ah", he looked at the woman in front of him and looking down. "Eommonim", he said back and she smiled. "How is my sweet little granddaughter's doing?", She caressed the little girl's cheek as she then fell into silent before speak again. "Even Serine wasn't with us right now", she said and the male raised his head up. "Do you still hold on those hope?", she asked him and he nodded.

With that hope he's still managed to breathing. The hope that his wife was still holding on her life searching her way back to him.

Everyone almost give up with the thought that Serine died as she's becoming a dead walker but not San and Serine's mother.

She believed that her daughter still out there. She's survived from the depression with the thought of her.

"I miss her", he couldn't hold up tears anymore and just cry in front of her which made her eyes forming a pool of tears. "It should be me who's need to protect her but I failed. It's all my fault", he said to her but suddenly she held his hand. "If you could turn back time though, she would still choose to protect you at the end. Because that's who she was", she assured him.

"Appa. Why are you crying?", his tears stopped when he realised a little tiny hand wiped his tears. "The wind made my eyes hurt", he said giving some lame excuse and she just smiled. "Hwa ajusshi did this when sand got in my eyes", she stand up to her seat and blew his eyes cutely as he just chuckled. "Ooohh", he faked to be surprised and smiled. "My cute little bunny just save me", he said making the little girl cheering happily while she looked at the two family with smile.

"𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑎, 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔?", ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑝𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠. "𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡", ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑. "𝐻𝑤𝑎 𝑎𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑠ℎ𝑖 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠", 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑝 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑤 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑐𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑑. "𝑂𝑜𝑜ℎℎ", ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑. "𝑀𝑦 𝑐𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑛𝑛𝑦 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑒", ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒. "𝐸𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎", 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟. "𝐼 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑗𝑜𝑏, 𝑎𝑚 𝐼?", 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑.

"Eommonim?", he called her a couple of time before she looked at him with confusion. "You're just spacing out", he said to her.

"It just I could imagine what it's like to have Serine taking care of her with you", she said holding up her tears.

"A mother sense were never wrong, San", she said to him. "I know that my daughter is still alive out there", she said again.

...

SeongHwa placed the three year old girl on the ground and knelt to help her put on her shoes. It was a difficult task since she was impatiently shifting from feet to feet. The moment she was free, she bolted to her father."I can't believe that she would love San to this extend", YunHo said looking at his brother in law adopted daughter. She had been stayed with them at ATEEZ domitory for a week since San had to joined for a mission while both of their parents were too old and he couldn't help but seeking it from his member.

"Chagiya. I'm here with our daughter, today", he said as YunHo and other heard his confession.

All of them knew how this place became their favourite hangout port whenever they didn't have any plan or mission.

"She looked so happy when we decided to bring her out", he said looking at the sky.

"Aera-ah, let's tied up your hair first", San took out a hair band from his pocket.

Choi Aera. That was her new name. Back then, his father wanted to name her with name 'Haneul' which mean Sky. Just like his name. San. It's mean mountain. But he doesn't want that name. The only name he thought was Aera. Loving and cute.

Serine want to name their daughter with that name. She want her daughter to live her life cutely. Not like her. In a harsh environment.

"Look what I've got for you", he showed them to her as the little girl looked happy. "It's pink flower hair band. Just like that flower", she said and sit on his lap while in her hand was holding a teddy bear.

"Are you sure you don't want me to tie up her hair, hyung?", JongHo asked and the girl looked at him with horror look which made everyone burst out laughing. "The last time I let you, Aera whined to me that you're so rough handling her hair", he sassed the maknae.

He had been do then a lot of time to Aera for a year Not to mentioned he learned with his mother to teach her how to do a braid so he could braid her daughter hair. Carefully, he brushed her hair. He was afraid if he unintentionally hurt her daughter. "Uri Aera believe in Appa, right?", the girl nodded. He lightly instructed despite how uncertain he was that he could braid her hair well. "Tell me if I accidentally pull on your hand too hard", he carefully braided her hair as the member looked at him. They was happy that Choi San finally smiled genuinely. Not a fake one at least this time.

"It's beautiful. It's more beautiful than Hwa ajusshi and Yuno ajusshi did", she touched the braid as she smiled.

"It's the same as in the picture in our house, Appa", she said spinning around and he knew that too. It was one of memorable moment in his marriage life with Serine.

"Since our princess look beautiful, how about this Yuno ajusshi and Woo ajusshi play with you?", YunHo said as she ran away from them. "Come and catch me", San smiled seeing how mischievous his daughter is.

...

He still remember how Serine is enjoying a bright spring day. Lovely upbeat music plays as she walks around with her earbuds in and touching the flowers. Just as she bends down to look at the flower, Choi San comes up behind her and takes an earbud out of her ear.

He puts it in his ear, and unexpectedly, the sound of lively a familiar music comes out. It was their favourite song, the first song that connect the two soul; ATEEZ. song, WAVE. Looking at her, he says, “Oh my,” and they begin to dance as other who was there looked at them with smile. The two seems to be in their own life despite the chaos happen.

They grab hands and walk away laughing.

How he wished he could turned back time...