"But what if she decides that she doesn't love me anymore and rejects my marriage proposal?" Yunho cries out as he buries his face in Seonghwa's shoulder, in which the latter is calmly sipping his juice as he narrows his eyes.

His body has been shaken violently by Yunho since after breakfast, asking for help on how he's going to propose to Byul, but it seems that the younger is too worried about the outcome rather than the actual process.

"Well-" Seonghwa starts but Yunho is quick to cut him off.

Yunho grabs Seonghwa's shoulders and shakes him hard until the latter's juice is sloshing around all over the counter and his hands. "How? How did you propose to Akira and how did she accept it so easily?" He snaps his fingers, preventing Seonghwa from answering him. "Both of you are all over each other for years so she must have been waiting for you to ask for her hand in marriage. But me and Byul?! We've only recently met and what if she thinks that marriage is too sudden for her?"

"Technically, ah-" Seonghwa slams down his unfinished juice on the counter and clamps a hand - already sticky with the juice - over Yunho's mouth so that he'll not be interrupted again. "You met her first as Lee Eunbi and you met her again as Han Byul. Nothing has changed except that both of you now have Hwayoung. And don't say that because all of us can see how very much in love both of you are. A marriage proposal," he shrugs, "is just waiting to happen."

"You think so, Seonghwa?" he sticks out his lower lip, tears at the brim of his eyes. "But you- you made it sound so easy when you proposed to Akira."

Seonghwa takes a moment to think before pressing his lips together. "To be fair, I woke up from a deep sleep after almost a day, and when I saw her beside my bed I had the impulse to do it. It came out as easy as when I asked her what she wanted to eat for breakfast."

"What is that piece of advice?"

The oldest drains his juice before looking at Yunho dead in the eyes. "Don't think, just do."

"Ahhh..." Yunho nods seriously as he grabs Seonghwa's hands and puts them to his chest. "Thank you, you are indeed the wisest."

"Uhm, right." He forcefully pulls back his hands while putting on his best judging face. "Now that I think about it, it does seem embarrassing though. I was wrapped up like a mummy and I had the audacity to ask for her hand in marriage like that." He purses his lips as a dreamy look passes over his face and he bunches up his shoulders. "I'm happy that she actually agreed to it."

"When do you plan on carrying out the ceremony?" Yunho blinks as he leans forward.

"Well..." He takes the glass to the sink, rinses it before leaving it to dry. He washes his hands. "We were planning on doing it as soon as possible but with all the uncertainty about handing the evidence to the authorities, we don't know whether we should go on with it or wait for things to settle down first. But that's the thing," he stops, releases a sharp breath and shakes his head. "If we get caught... If I leave her again after asking her to marry me, I simply don't deserve her. Plus," he chuckles though, "to be honest we are waiting for you to ask Byul for her hand in marriage."

Yunho frowns and inhales. "Why?"

"Didn't you hear the rest of the boys yapping about it?" Seonghwa links his hands behind him. "They couldn't wait for a double wedding. Apparently, according to Hongjoong it's more economical. So if you got on with giving the ring to Byul," he jokes, "the faster we could plan for a wedding on the same day. Provided that both of you agree with it, though. Akira and I don't mind. Plus, it's not like we'll have different guests. We all literally only know the same group of people."

"That's it then!" There's a look of new determination on Yunho's face as he fists his hand and takes out the box he had bought secretly with the help of Yeosang and Jongho. "I'm going to take her out today while we wait for Hwayoung to finish kindergarten and I'm going to propose to her! Don't think, just do." He nods once before a call comes to his phone and he gets startled from the sudden sound.

Shoving the box inside his jacket's pocket he picks up the call from Jongho, who's currently working at the cafe below. He hears the youngest frantically addressing him from the other line, "Byul has just returned and she's coming up the stairs, she's probably going to arrive in less than 5 seconds. Good luck!"

Yunho doesn't say anything before he ends the call, and Seonghwa pats his back to give him encouragement coupled with a thumbs-up. He uses the fridge door's sleek surface to see his reflection, fixing all that he can before he scurries to the door, finding a posture to stand properly to greet her coming back. Maybe he should lean against the doorframe, or he could sit casually on the sofa...

Byul walks up the stairs, a smile never leaving her face at the thought that she can finally send her daughter to kindergarten. Since the disappearance of Bifidensis and KTC, she's able to use the normal route through the cafe because they believe that no one else is spying on them through the cameras anymore, considering that the higher-ups are all wiped out. Everything's been going on smoothly so far, except that maybe they don't have a clear picture on what's going on after they send in the information to the authorities.

All the way to the kindergarten Hwayoung never let go of her hand, skipping as she sang 'Illusion' with a happier tone, and Byul joined in, the song finally unveiled to become something much less heartbreaking. The little girl seemed to want to tell everyone she passed by that the woman she's with is her mother, and the animals they see on the way - the cats, birds and even rats - got the share of news that Han Byul is, as she learnt the new phrase, her biological mother. It didn't stop there because as soon as she saw Ms. Lee, she announced to her that Byul definitely shares the same blood as her.

Words cannot fully describe the feeling that she's finally able to call Hwayoung her own, to admit without anyone refuting her claim that she did give birth to her when she was 17. Things with Yunho have been going pretty great, except for the fact that they still sleep in separate bedrooms, and he seems to be cautious around her despite confessing to her a week ago when he saved her from the exploding building. It looks like the rest of them are even more eager seeing their relationship progress than the couple involved.

She arrives at the top of the stairs, hands reaching out to punch in the passcode, but something has been tugging at the back of her head. Like she's supposed to be remembering something...

The passcode is punched in, the keypad turns green to grant her entry and she swings the door open to see Yunho standing under the doorframe, hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket, but before he gets to open his mouth, she suddenly remembers something.

"No!" she shouts and widens her eyes.

"No?" A look of dismay comes over Yunho's face and Seonghwa peers from the kitchen to take a look at Byul, in which the oldest's face is full of confusion. "But I haven't even asked you anything and you already said no?"

"What?" she snaps out of her trance as her eyes travel to the fridge. "I shouted no because I forgot to give Hwayoung her fruits for snacking. I cut them up this morning and put them in the fridge, but I didn't take them out when I was sending her." She closes her eyes and slaps her palms to her cheeks lightly. "Ah, I'm so forgetful. I can run back to the kindergarten to give her the fruits."

"I'll come with you," Yunho decides, silently heaving a sigh of relief that it's not the answer to his unasked question. "We can... um, go out together before picking up Hwayoung later."

"Is it a date?" she automatically asks, but grins awkwardly when she realizes how eager she sounded. "I mean, if it's not then-"

"Of course it is, you silly," he replies before walking back to the fridge. "Wait there, you don't have to take off your shoes. I'll take the fruits then we can head out. Is there anything else you'd want to bring along?"

"Nothing else," she shakes her head. "Just you."

Seonghwa has this smirk on as he watches Yunho goes over to the fridge and takes the container with various cut-up fruits. He puts them in a paper bag and secretly exchange glances with Seonghwa, who is cheering him on while patting on his side, indicating the place where Yunho keeps the ring. The oldest winks, but fails miserably at it before sending them off with a huge smile on his face.

Yunho doesn't think twice before holding Byul's hand, and they descend the stairs to a half-full cafe manned by Jongho, Yeosang and Wooyoung. They wave to the couple before the workers give secret thumbs-up to Yunho, and the two leave the cafe with Byul completely unaware of what's going on behind her.

She's really focusing on getting the fruits to Hwayoung before they get too hot and turn mushy, so she's pulling his hand before claiming, "We need to hurry and put the fruits in the fridge at her kindergarten, or it's going to be spoiled. She can share with all her friends too."

He's breaking out in cold sweat not because of the sun but because he's worried about her answer to him later, and he's desperately trying to plan out the whole day on when actually he can pop the question to her. Still, he chuckles when he sees her determination to make sure the fruits reach Hwayoung in the best condition possible.

"Slow down, you're going to tire yourself out if you keep on pulling me. I'm way heavier and bigger than you, you know."

She does slow down as she slightly pants, and Yunho puts an arm across her shoulders, guiding her all the way through, crossing the road, before arriving at their daughter's kindergarten.

Slightly out of breath, she manages, "Okay, you can wait here and I can pass these fruits to Ms. Lee." She passes the gate and she looks over her shoulder before telling him, "Don't go anywhere."

He chortles. "I won't."

While she's already in the building, Yunho slightly paces back and forth, not minding the sun that's starting to show but his mind reeling on when he should actually ask the question. Would it be too hasty to ask it right here, in front of Hwayoung's kindergarten? Probably not the most romantic place.

He looks up when he hears the door opening, a beaming Byul stepping out as she runs to him.

She holds his arm, whose hand is stuck in his pocket, fingers brushing over the velvet box.

He curls his fingers around the box, thinking about taking it out right there, but stops when she asks, "Can we go to the mall? There's this... um, a pair of shoes that I was looking at since before I came here. When I was still in Utopia district I had my eyes on the pair, had my money saved up but had to use the money for stocking up my new wardrobe. Now that, uh I'm actually free to move around again and I have a little bit of money I was thinking of getting them."

"Of course." He takes out his hand from his pocket, scared that she'll be suspicious on why he's keeping it there.

Okay, so not here.

They start walking to head for the nearest subway station. The mall is located three stations away, just at the border of Light district, and it's connected directly to the shopping mall so it's convenient for them to opt for the public transport. They join the crowd of office workers in the train, and since it's packed they have no choice but to stand close to each other.

Yunho has his height and long arms to his advantage as he stretches out to hold on to the metal pole framing the seats, while smaller Byul is being squished among the computer bags and bodies. With his free arm he pulls her to him, resting his chin on top of her head as she stands face-level with his broad chest. He puts a protective arm around her, holding on to her whenever the train lurches and causes the passengers to tumble around. By the time they arrive at the designated station, her whole face is red and it's not even due to the rising temperature in the packed train.

As she steps out onto the platform it's like she's finally able to breathe in pure oxygen and not Yunho's cologne, but it's not like she hates the smell. If she could she would bury her face in his shirt and take in the whole smell, but that would seem weird and a weird impression to Yunho is not what she wants to give right now. Momentarily, she forgets what she came here for, before the image of the pair of boots come to her mind.

All the while Byul is tugging at Yunho's arm to make him follow where she goes, he keeps on debating with himself on where the perfect proposal would be. He's torn between following Seonghwa's advice to "Don't think, just do" and making the proposal as perfect as possible. But... it's not like he prepared anything amazing either. It's just the ring.

Damn it, I should have thought this through.

He should have prepared more for it, but he really couldn't wait to present the question to her; he wants the three of them to officially be a family.

Suddenly he has this irrational fear of Byul rejecting his proposal because he didn't prepare anything grand; no flowers, no fireworks, no fancy lights, no banners to pronounce his love for her. He looks at her, thinking, of course- she's a girl who appreciates even the simplest things, but that doesn't mean I should make her settle for less. He stops the internal war when she brings him to a shoeshop, and she excitedly points to one type of shoe displayed behind the glass.

"That's it, the boots that I've always wanted! It costs about 500 chromas, and that baby's going to be mine today."

She lets go of his hand only when she's picking up the displayed pair, calling over the salesgirl to see whether she can try the shoes on with her size. The shopkeeper disappears into the back store, and they sit on the benches with the soft cushions, waiting for the girl to emerge again.

He notices that she is bouncing in her seat, her eyes directed at the opening of the store, eagerly waiting to try on the pair of shoes she has been waiting to get since forever. The boots are black in colour with skulls decorating them, much to her liking. She has had eyes on the pair since she saw it in the newspaper while she was looking through for a job vacancy. Despite wallowing around in her misery back then, she tries to save us as much as she could so she could continue living and see the pair of shoes fall in her hands.

Byul's face falls, though, when she sees the salesgirl walking out of the store, an apologetic look on her face and the displayed pair in her hands, saying that her size is currently out of stock, and it'll probably be for the next couple of months. She could write down her name and phone number to be called when there's stock, but the salesgirl keeps reminding her that it's not guaranteed. She gives her details anyway, and they leave the shop with her shoulders drooped and mouth slightly pushed to form a pout.

Yunho feels bad for her but he doesn't know what to do, only holding on to her hand which is weakly gripping his.

"We can go to Treasure district to look for the same shop; we can ask the salesgirl to call the other outlet and see whether they have your size."

She halts, takes his suggestion into consideration before shaking her head. "It's fine. Plus it's a want, not a need." She tries to give him a smile but he senses that she's down from her overall body language.

Alright, might not be a good time to ask the question.

He keeps bouncing back from the 'should I' to 'should I not' all along the way they scale the whole mall, and it seems that she's more interested in window-shopping rather than actually going into the shop to purchase anything. Even when he offers to buy her anything at all, she chuckles before shaking her head, saying that she already has enough and that she doesn't need anything more. The only time she allows him to take out his wallet to pay is when they have lunch at a sushi bar.

She watches as the plates go by on the conveyor belt, looking too out of it as she lets them go one by one. The table in front of her is empty, while Yunho is already snatching three plates from the belt. He looks at her from the corner of his eyes, sighs before presenting plates with different kinds of sushi in front of her.

"Eat up," he says before snapping apart his chopsticks, grabs one spicy tuna roll and clamps his hand gently around the lower part of her face so that she'll open her jaw. "Remember when we wanted to try sushi at the training centre? Even had the crazy idea of catching fish in the ocean around us and make the sushi ourselves."

She chews slowly and nods, a shy smile creeping up on her face as she can clearly picture their daring rendezvous as Eunbi and Yunho by the beach, always finding interesting things to talk about and do. Years they still meet each other, and every single meeting always feels so special, so magical under the expanse of the sky.

He feeds her again, again and again until empty plates are stacked in front of her while he has not had a single bite. He looks expectantly at her, and she widens her eyes while looking around the environment of the sushi bar.

No one pays attention to them and she squeaks, "You want me to feed you next?"

"Uh-uh." He looks serious and he leans forward, putting his chin on his palm as he opens his mouth slightly. "I'm waiting."

Slightly embarrassed but assuring herself that no one is indeed paying attention to them, she picks up the chopsticks and grabs every single one that he wants before feeding him. He smiles with satisfaction at the last bite, with his empty plates stacked higher than hers.

"I can't believe you made me do that," she pronounces.

"But will you believe it when I do this?" he asks as he takes out the box and pops the lid open.

She blinks.

He snaps back to his senses. Proposing at a sushi bar after feeding each other... that's the most romantic thing you've ever done. Congratulations, Jeong Yunho. I can even sense Hwayoung slapping her palm on her forehead right... at this... moment.

He opens his mouth to ask, "Will you-"

"Yes!" she replies.

"But I haven't even asked you anything and you already said yes?" but this time he asks the question with a wide smile on his face as she hugs him tight.

She repeats, "Yes, I'll marry you. I'll marry you, Jeong Yunho!" She squeals as she pulls back, and he pushes the ring onto her finger, which fits perfectly.

She embraces him again, and he mumbles, "Were you just... waiting for...it?"

"I've been waiting for you to ask the question ever since the last night we were together on the beach. You said that you would propose to me once we get out of the hellhole, and I was just waiting to say yes. I never stopped thinking about it since."

Tears almost come to his eyes but he holds them back. "Come on, we have to pick Hwayoung up and then I have to announce to the others about this. Some of them are betting that you would reject me once I proposed, and I can't wait to rub it in their faces." He grins.

The ring is no more in the box as they leave the mall to fetch Hwayoung. Hwayoung runs to them and almost trips, excited in seeing both her parents showing up at the kindergarten. Her excitement goes a few notches up when they break it to her that they are, finally, getting married.

All smiles accompany them on their way back home, but as soon as they arrive at the cafe, their faces mould into wonder as to why the cafe is closed, the roller shutter in place.

"That's weird," Yunho frowns as he checks his watch. "It's only 2 in the afternoon but they already closed for today?" He checks his phone next, in case he missed a message from the boys giving him a reason on why they decided to call it off early. It didn't look like they ran dry of customers, because the flow was quite good when he and Byul left this morning.

They decide to use the small door beside the cafe to go up to the second floor, and as they move along the horizontal pathway that will bring them to the area where the top of the stairs from the cafe and the entrance to their dorm meet, they hear conversation from down below.

A few unrecognized voices.

Instinctively, Yunho protectively shields Hwayoung and Byul behind him as they descend, the view in the cafe coming slowly to them. ATEEZ are gathered around a table, but they're joined in by new people that they never met, except for one sitting in the middle.

This was the person that ATEEZ has forgotten entirely because they were too focused on the high-ranking investors and officials of the KTC. Of course they wiped out the top part, but they forgot the link between the trainees and the higher-ups.

The person lets his stare collide with Yunho's.

Alexander.