LI. THE END

November 2023

The playground was where it all started.

Just two children who met by chance — fated to become friends. Many years later, these two children grew up and chose to be lovers.

In the middle of the night, two kindred spirits walked hand in hand down the street on the way to their neighborhood's playground in Daegu. Ever since their visit there last 2020, it became a tradition for them to visit the playground whenever they did. A stroll down memory lane while creating new memories to look back to when they grow older. Magic surrounded playgrounds. There's magic in all of this.

Their insides felt warm, not because of the layers they wore to protect themselves from the cold of that night. It was because of the way they walked as briskly as possible while trying to keep their footsteps synchronized. The joy that radiated off of the two was incomparable.

Gyeoul sighed as they made it to the playground, an eased smile on her face. She made her way straight to the swings, looking up at the starless sky with gentle eyes. "It's colder than usual tonight. Do you think it'll snow?"

"It's that time of the year anyway," Taehyung replied, taking off his scarf and wrapping it around her neck before sitting down on the swing beside her. "I'm exhausted from all that walking."

She snorted, "We've only been walking for less than five minutes."

"Felt like an hour for me. God, am I getting old?"

Gyeoul smiled at him and they fell into comfortable silence. The world was quiet that night, as expected since it was a small neighborhood and it was midnight. Streetlights lit up the area, accompanied by the idylic glow of the full moon.

"Don't talk about age when we're in a playground," she groaned, shaking her head at herself. "I still can't believe we're turning thirty in two years. I thought I would have been young forever."

"We'll still be young by the time we're fifty. Just look at your mother, she rented a bouncy castle for her birthday. That's us in the future, I'm sure of it," he laughed, pushing himself back and forth on the swing.

She grinned, "You'll probably be balding by then."

Taehyung groaned, throwing his head back, "Don't talk about balding in a sacred place like this." He grimaced, running his fingers through his hair, "Some kid called me 'ahjussi' last month and the exact scene lives in my head rent-free."

"We'll stock up on castor oil when we see signs of your hairline receding, don't worry."

He groaned again, making Gyeoul cackle.

Gyeoul pushed the heel of her sneakers against the ground and moved her swing towards him, staying there as she reached over to ruffle his hair. She stood up and stretched her back, her eyes going over to the slide. She was way too tall for them now anyway, but she could curl up and the experience would perhaps be the slightest bit enjoyable.

As she was about to walk up to the slides, a tiny white ball fell before her eyes. She held her chin up, watching as the snowflakes continued to fall from the sky.

First snow.

It seemed fitting, considering the superstitions behind the event.

Taehyung stood up, his hands discreetly reaching into his pocket. He tilted his head, watching as she stood with her hand out, trying to catch the snowflakes. A true sight to behold. Her eyes were snowflakes to him, not because her eyes were cold, but because of the sparkle those snowflakes appeared to have from up close. Ahn Gyeoul. His peaceful winter. The winter that always kept him warm.

He turned his back to her, thumbing through the object that he always carried in his pocket for the past three months.

"I just realized that this is our second first snowfall together," Gyeoul wondered to herself, shaking her head to herself.

Her eyes brightened up as a snowflake fell to her hand, immediately melting from her warmth. She smiled and closed her eyes.

"Oh!"

Still a bit dazed from trying to catch more snowflakes, she turned to him with an inquisitive look, "Why? What is it?"

"I caught a snowflake and it's not melting."

She furrowed her eyebrows, "But you have warm hands."

"Maybe I have some powers or something. That must be why my tolerance to cold is high. I'm probably the next Jack Frost."

"Or maybe you're Elsa. That's probably why you conceal, don't feel, and do not let me know what that snowflake looks like in your hand."

Taehyung let out a hearty laugh, looking down at his hand with shining eyes. His heart thumped wildly against his chest, a euphoric ache spreading across him. With slow steps, he turned around and showed her his hand.

Gyeoul's lips parted in shock, looking at his hand with wide eyes.

A ring was placed on his palm.

An engagement ring.

His smile grew upon watching the shock on her face morph into realization and into joy. He gulped, starting to kneel down.

The plan was to propose to her after Christmas day with the song she wrote for him on that record. He booked a reservation in a restaurant that had the most picturesque view and even hired a cellist and a pianist to play her song. The room would be dimly lit with candles and they would share a plate of spaghetti like in those romantic movies. After dinner, he would get down on one knee and ask her the question.

But standing here and now, Taehyung saw that this was the perfect moment to do it.

Of all the things he prepared, a script was none of them, he only realized that the moment his knee gently hit the pavement. But he was nowhere near nervous, the words were already written somewhere — everywhere in his heart.

It was just him, the ring, and the love of his life.

"Gyeoul," he started, his voice cracking slightly because of the overflow of emotions rushing through him. He smiled, adjusting his hold on the ring so the gold band was held up by his index finger and thumb. "Our elders tell us that if you witness the first snowfall with your love, your relationship will be everlasting — wait no, let me start over."

As it turns out, the words were in his heart, but that's all they will reach. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth to speak again, the moment might get ruined.

Nerves radiated off of him and showed, making Gyeoul's heart swell up with warmth. She knelt down in front of him and cupped his cheeks. "You're the one, Taehyung. You always have been. First snowfall or no snowfall, I'd choose you every day for the rest of my life."

He chuckled, adjusting his position so he was kneeling on both knees. "We took some time before we got to where, but it was all worth it in the end." Happy tears started to burn against the back of his eyes. "Do you know the best part of all this?"

Gyeoul eyes softened, wiping his tears away.

Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, he caressed her cheek, "I get to love you." He breathed in, fiddling with the ring in his hand. "I want to grow old with you, Gyeoul. Every time I imagine myself in the future, you're always there with me. I imagine that you'll be laughing at me by the door while I'm applying castor oil on my balding head."

She couldn't help but snort at that because that probably will be the scenario if it happens. She sniffled, wiping away her tears.

He took a deep breath, "Our elders said that in the first snowfall, whatever we wish for will come true. Well, I wish that I would be with you for the rest of my life." With a clearer voice, he raised the ring, "Ahn Gyeoul, will you grant me the great honor of allowing me to be your husband?" He gulped, staring straight into her eyes, "Will you marry me?"

Gyeoul smiled widely and leaned forward again, kissing him again with much more fervor. Taehyung smiled into the kiss, sitting back on the grass to get more comfortable. She ran her fingers through his hair, her heart beating out of her chest.

"Yes," she whispered as they pulled away.

Taehyung beamed at her, taking her hand and slipping the ring on her finger. He took a second to stare at it, his insides bubbling up with this comfortable feeling as he realized that Gyeoul just agreed to marry him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, not doing anything but staring at him. There was so much of him in her heart. She smiled, breaking their eye contact and laughing at the sight of snow on his soft hair.

"What do you think about renting a chateau for our wedding and living out our prince and princess roleplay from when we were kids?" Taehyung suggested with a smile on his face that made it hard to tell if he was joking or not.

A laugh bubbled out of her throat, "That would cost a lot of money."

"You can handle it, I'm marrying you so you'd be my sugar mommy," he grinned, tracing her jaw.

Gyeoul playfully rolled her eyes, "Did Songyi plant that thought in your head?"

He hummed, "So what do you think? Is that a good option for the wedding venue?"

"Let's make a list," she proposed. Pushing his hair back, she cupped his jaw, gently running her thumb back and forth on his cheek. "Although, I'm more excited about the marriage than the wedding."

Taehyung opened his mouth to speak, but no words rolled out of his tongue. He pursed his lips, trying to contain his smile because his cheeks started to hurt. Lacing their fingers together, he felt the cold of the ring against his. Whenever he looked at her, he was seeing his dream fulfilled.

He pecked her lips, making her smile. He kissed her smile, leaning in again and again to repeatedly kiss her. Gyeoul couldn't find it in herself to be serious, throwing her head back as she laughed uncontrollably. Taehyung laughed with her, placing sloppy kisses along her jaw.

"I love you, you ugly piece of xiaolongbao. Always will."

SEVEN YEARS LATER

Pictures frames hung along the walls, filled with photos from milestones and birthdays, memories immortalized into stills. Traces of what it meant to be home were spread throughout their apartment. Colorful drawings were stuck to the fridge by customized magnets, the bookshelves were filled with classic books that were mostly there for decor since the owners have been putting off reading them, and some of Sim Mihyang's works were displayed on the walls.

Taehyung's eyes fluttered open, waking up from his slumber due to the sunlight passing through the windows because they forgot to close the curtains last night. He sighed, rolling over and meeting the sight of his wife's sleeping figure.

He smiled, pulling their blanket over her shoulder. Shifting closer to her, he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her to bring her closer to his chest. They haven't gotten any quiet days together before the past few days, not that he didn't enjoy any other day, but he might as well enjoy the only other time he could be close to her like this. He breathed in, pressing a gentle kiss on her head.

"Good morning," he heard her sigh.

Gyeoul shifted in his arms so she was facing him. She hummed, her eyes struggling to open as she was still drunk in sleep. The corners of Taehyung's mouth twitched up at the sight. He brushed her hair out of her face and pulled her closer to him.

"Good morning," he replied, making sure that it was breathy.

She pushed herself away and scrunched her nose at his morning breath. Laughing at her reaction, he reached out and pulled her closer to him again.

"The twins are probably almost here," she stated, finally opening her eyes. She brushed his hair back and smiled, "We should get up and start with breakfast."

Before she could get up, Taehyung caught her arm and pulled her back to bed. He rolled on top of her and comfortably nestled his head on the crook of her neck. Gyeoul chuckled, lazily running her fingers through his hair.

"Five more minutes."

And she stayed.

But those five minutes turned to less than three as two high-pitched yells and screams started to echo throughout their home, accompanied by fast and heavy stomps coming in the direction of their bedroom. Taehyung got off of Gyeoul and they both sat up to get out of bed.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and in came two little humans. Uju and Byeol climbed on the bed and attacked their parents in a hug.

"Uncle Hobi bought us two big teddy bears on the way home!" Byeol giggled, moving to tackle her mother in another hug after giving one to her father.

Uju nodded, switching to hug his father next. Once he pulled away, he stretched his arms out wide, "They were this big!"

"They were?" Taehyung gasped dramatically. The twins nodded their heads with the same enthusiasm while Gyeoul had to purse her lips to keep herself from laughing. "They're bigger than you!"

They were only supposed to be camping. how they managed to get spoiled again by their Uncle Hoseok was beyond them. It wasn't ideal to tolerate such things because they might grow up expecting gifts from their uncles every time they would see them. But their brightened faces could light up the whole room with how happy they were.

Gyeoul pouted childishly, "You've been here a whole minute and I still haven't received a kiss from either of you."

Byeol and Uju threw themselves at their mother and placed a sloppy kiss on her cheeks, making her laugh out loud.

"What about me?"

Uju giggled, "Siwoo-hyung told us that you have germs!"

The mother chuckled, kissing Uju and Byeol's cheeks, "That means more for me!"

Taehyung's lips parted in utter betrayal, "I don't have germs!"

"He has germs," Gyeoul countered, making an exaggerated expression as she nodded.

"Oh?" Taehyung raised an eyebrow, pretending to glare at the three.

Byeol squealed, already knowing what was coming. With uncontrollable giggles, she scrambled to hide herself in her mother's chest. Uju got away from his father and jumped over to his mother's back, wrapping his arms around her neck while hiding himself on her shoulder. Meanwhile, Gyeoul was prepared to dodge any charge from him with a determined smile.

"Then I guess you'll get germs too then!"

Leaning forward, he caught the three of them in his arms before Gyeoul could carry them away. He started to pepper kisses all over the twins' cheeks and they eventually let go of Gyeoul when he started to tickle them. The two children squirmed and giggled as Taehyung kept attacking them.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Gyeoul ready to stand up and flee the scene. He quickly caught her arm and pulled her to the bed, tickling her instead. Their children caught on to his intentions and went to attack their mother with tickles.

Taehyung leaned down and pressed quick kisses everywhere on her face. The kisses slowly progressed as his attacks grew sweeter. He captured her lips with his own, gently cupping her jaw. They both smiled as the twins wretched and gagged at the sight.

"Ew, eomma has more germs now!" Byeol shuddered, wiggling between them so they'd break apart.

Gyeoul laughed, pressing a sloppy kiss on Byeol's cheek before sitting up, "Now, where are your uncles?"

"Right here." They turned to the door and saw Seokjin leaning on the doorway with a fond look in his eyes. He smiled, "Yoongi's cooking breakfast today so you don't have to. Come on, the others are waiting."

Uju and Byeol slipped out of bed and ran off with Seokjin, holding on to his hands.

With a collective sigh, they both slipped out of bed and made the bed. Before Taehyung could walk out of the bedroom, Gyeoul looped her arms around his waist from behind and peppered small tender kisses on the nape of his neck.

Taehyung grinned, already knowing the intentions behind her display of affection, "You want me to unpack their things, don't you?"

Gyeoul placed her cheek on his shoulder and smiled sweetly at him, "Please?"

"As you wish."

She moved and pecked his lips one last time before walking off.

His smile only grew wider as he watched her start to walk with a skip in her step as she saw the twins playing with Siwoo and the other kids of the members. A swell of warmth spread across his chest, looking at their sunlit room once again. He saw Gyeoul's plant by the windowsill. He hummed, remembering how much he wished to be like a flowerpot on her windowsill when they felt like they were worlds apart with their feelings.

And look at where we are now. He smiled at the thought, casting the plant one last look before closing the door.

NOTE

so, that's the end of flowerpot!

i would like to thank everyone who has read, voted, commented, and interacted on this book. it's the first one that i published and i never expected people to read it. whoever is reading this, i am incredibly thankful for you and i love you so much. overall, i hope that you liked it and felt entertained.

i would also like to apologize about the writing. i had so many incredible things planned for this book in my head, but my writing skills, or the lack thereof, are terrible HGDHAHAHHAHHA and i had to leave some things out since it's already 51 chapters long. the story in its entirety, is reserved in my head. although i am not entirely satisfied with the turnout of this fic, this book itself and the characters hold a special place in my heart.

thank you for voting and commenting, it really means a lot to me. i love you! and if you're a silent reader, i love you too!

continue to love the boys and support them in their projects + more by j-hope is coming this july 1 and im so excited for the whole album haggwuayvwfy

thank you for reading flowerpot!