* * *

It was the first time in a while that he had met his brothers since the incident at the main house.

After that incident, he had received a long apology text and had replied telling them not to treat Taeshin poorly anymore.

Did they really think I would accept their apology after they had treated Taeshin so badly?

“Geonwoo hyung, Daewoo hyung. It’s been a while. Please, have a seat.”

I turned my head sharply to show that we weren’t to be trifled with, but Taeshin, oblivious as ever, greeted the brothers and offered them seats.

When I pinched his thigh hard, he let out a small yelp.

You fool, if you act like this, they’ll think they can mess with you again!

“Little Brother, we won’t do it anymore.”

“Yeah, we’ve reflected a lot. We’re really sorry.”

The brothers, who had taken seats at Taeshin’s invitation, said something unbelievable. I squinted and looked at them skeptically, and they made faces of injustice.

If they were going to make that face, they should’ve behaved better in the first place.

Haeju, who had been quietly well-behaved, couldn’t seem to stay still and kicked my stomach hard. The pain was so intense that I gasped for breath and groaned.

Taeshin rubbed my belly with his pheromones, saying, “Mommy’s in pain, Haeju.”

The movements stopped immediately. As the pain subsided and I sat up, I noticed the brothers making strange faces.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh? No, we were just looking.”

“Yeah, just looking.”

I glared at them suspiciously, wondering if they were trying to find fault again, but they waved their hands in denial.

They didn’t seem like they were planning to bother Taeshin, but why were they looking at me like I was a stranger? I snorted and looked away, spotting Moon Jinwoo sitting a few tables away.

Moon Jinwoo, sitting apart from us, was being pestered by our aunts. They were probably nagging him about when he was going to get married, now that the eldest brother was tying the knot.

From Jinwoo’s expression, it was clear he was annoyed but couldn’t fight back. Eventually, unable to hold it in, Jinwoo tried to escape, only to be caught and sat down again by the aunts.

I watched Jinwoo’s plight with some amusement, but he noticed and glared at me before turning his head away sharply.

Geez, why the temper? Who’s supposed to be angry here? I stuck out my tongue at Jinwoo’s retreating figure and focused on the ceremony.

The eldest brother and Sister Jeonghee, no, now Sister-in-law, entered together. Standing at the end of the aisle, they looked at each other with an expression I had never seen before.

The look of love on their faces was so evident that even the onlookers could feel their happiness and shyness.

The eldest brother’s face, smiling at his bride, was an expression I had never seen in all the time we had lived together.

It was strange to think that Jungwoo, who I thought would always be my cool older brother, was now like this.

I glanced at Taeshin. He, too, seemed to sense my gaze and turned to look at me.

Marriage… I guess I’ll be marrying Taeshin like that soon, too? I felt a strange sensation.

“Sunwoo.”

“Huh? Mother, Father!”

After the wedding, we took family photos, and as we descended, Taeshin’s parents appeared.

“Your belly is quite big now. Is it hard?”

“No, it’s fine. Taeshin helps me a lot, so it’s not difficult.”

“And Haeju is growing well?”

“Yes. The doctor said Haeju is very strong and tall.”

I was excitedly chatting with Taeshin’s parents when I realized Taeshin was nowhere to be seen.

Puzzled, I looked around and saw him surrounded by the third and fourth brothers. Afraid they might be bothering him again, I glared and was about to rush over when Taeshin looked back at me.

He smiled. Are you seriously smiling right now? When our eyes met, Taeshin smiled sweetly. I glared and beckoned him over. After a brief conversation with the brothers, Taeshin came over.

“Where do you think you’re going, leaving Sunwoo alone?”

“Sorry. I’m sorry, Sunwoo.”

“…Stay by my side.”

When Father scolded him, Taeshin bowed his head and apologized to me. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything and pulled him closer by his clothes.

After greeting Taeshin’s parents, who seemed very busy, I immediately poked his side.

“What were you doing with the brothers without me? Did they bother you again? What did they say?”

“No.”

“No, my foot. Don’t lie.”

“Really. They didn’t say much.”

I couldn’t believe Taeshin’s words that he wasn’t bullied and kept pressing him, making him tilt his head and finally say,

“They said to take good care of you.”

“…What?”

“They said not to make things hard for you.”

Expecting some kind of criticism, I was taken aback by the unexpected words. I froze, unable to react, and Taeshin gently touched my head and smiled.

“They worry about you a lot, but they were feeling down because you weren’t contacting them.”

“…Hmph.”

I pursed my lips and looked at the ground, feeling oddly guilty, even though the situation was their fault. Taeshin cupped my cheek and looked into my eyes.

“Sunwoo, you should let go of your anger now.”

“…Aren’t you angry at all?”

“I’m happy if you’re happy, Sunwoo.”

“…You’re such an idiot.”

With a glance at Lee Taeshin, who was smiling as if he had no regrets, I nodded slightly.

“Taeshin says he’s okay now, and the older brothers are reflecting on their actions… ”

I considered forgiving them a little as I looked at them. The brothers waved at me with those strange expressions again.

Why do they keep making those faces? I glanced back and forth at my eldest brother and Moon Jinwoo, Geonwoo, and Daewoo, who looked the happiest in the world yet somehow unfamiliar.

Ah, I see now… I think I understand the strange expressions on my two brothers and the look in Moon Jinwoo’s eyes.

My sulking heart melted away. Like Taeshin, I too should back down a bit. But I’m still annoyed, so I’ll let it slide slowly. Except for Moon Jinwoo, of course.

*

After attending the wedding reception briefly, I went to the hotel room with Taeshin. When Taeshin asked if I was tired, I casually said yes and watched him closely. There was something very important today besides the wedding.

First, Taeshin… I needed to get him out of the room.

But how? I needed some time to prepare. While secretly glaring at Taeshin’s back, who doesn’t go out unless I suggest it, a thought suddenly struck me.

“I’m hungry.”

“Hungry? What do you want to eat? Is there something you want?”

“Uh… banana milk?”

“Banana milk?”

Taeshin repeated my words while looking for the room service menu.

I nodded and listed things I wanted from the convenience store: banana milk, cream bread, snacks, hot dogs, and chicken bites. Taeshin grabbed his wallet. He said he’d be right back and left.

As soon as the door closed, I jumped up.

Today was the day I had planned to propose to Taeshin. I used the convenience store food as an excuse to get him out, but time was tight for preparation.

Initially, I thought about proposing at home like Taeshin did, but since my eldest brother was having his wedding at a hotel, I decided to do it here.

I had to make it more special than Taeshin’s!

The staff, who was waiting to help me, quickly moved to place flowers and a letter on the living room table and drew the curtains to darken the room.

With soft lighting and candles placed here and there, the atmosphere became quite romantic.

Flowers, letter, ambiance. After sending the staff away, I admired the perfect setup but felt something was missing.

“Oh no, the ring!”

I almost forgot the ring for the proposal. I hurriedly grabbed the ring and hid in a corner. Pressing myself against the wall, I listened intently, swallowing hard.

Thump, thump. The sound of my heart echoed loudly in the quiet room. Or at least, it felt that way. As I waited for Taeshin to return, my heart pounded faster, and I grew more nervous.

Even though I had proposed before, doing it myself made me anxious and shaky. I took a deep breath and tightly held the ring box.

Click.

“Sunwoo, I’m back.”

Oh no. I heard the door open and Taeshin calling for me. My heart, which was already pounding, dropped with a heavy thud.

“Sunwoo?”

I could sense Taeshin’s presence beyond the wall. His voice lowered as he seemed to notice something unusual, making my heart race even faster.

I felt like my heart might burst. Gathering strength in my trembling body, I steadied myself.

I saw Taeshin’s back as he walked into the living room. He stopped when he saw the flowers and letter on the table.

As Taeshin stood silently, I wondered if his back had always been this broad and strong, holding my breath.

Taeshin gently touched the blooming flowers and picked up the letter tucked among them.

I had written the letter when I decided to propose to Taeshin. It expressed my gratitude for his constant efforts and care and my desire to support and reciprocate his feelings in the future.

But the words didn’t come out right, and I crumpled and rewrote the letter multiple times.

Eventually, I ended up with a very short note.

---

[Note

Lee Taeshin promises to be Moon Sunwoo’s partner for life and to love him.

Moon Sunwoo promises to be Lee Taeshin’s partner for life and to love him.

Moon Sunwoo (signature)

Lee Taeshin (signature)]

---

Though it didn’t capture all my feelings or sweet words, it conveyed everything I wanted to say.

As I approached, Taeshin turned around, sensing my presence.

“Taeshin, do you remember when we made a new promise while talking about a story from long ago? We promised to be each other’s partners and protect each other for life…”

I tried to speak confidently and gracefully, but standing in front of Taeshin, my hand holding the ring box trembled.

Not only my voice but also my breath shook as I spoke to Taeshin, so I paused and swallowed hard. Taeshin, holding my letter, attentively listened without blinking.

My heart felt like it would burst, and I struggled to keep my thoughts clear and finish my words.

“I thought about it… but that promise alone isn’t enough for me. Just being each other’s partners and protecting each other isn’t enough. I… I…”

My lips were dry, and my eyes met Taeshin’s in the flickering light. His gaze, deep and dark, made my prepared words vanish.

I wanted to propose with impressive, eloquent words, but when I met Taeshin’s eyes, all my thoughts disappeared, leaving only the most important thing I wanted to say.

“…I want you to love me and cherish me for life… Because I will love and cherish you forever…”

My grand proposal was a mess. As I confessed desperately, Taeshin’s eyes gleamed with a burning intensity.

“Taeshin, will y-”

Before I could finish asking him to marry me, Taeshin, unable to hold back any longer, approached with overwhelming happiness and kissed me.

* * *