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Life now was something MC could almost describe as calm. There was no looming threat of Mint Eye, Rika, or even the Prime Minister that had plagued the Choi twins for as long as they knew. No longer was Saeran constantly wanting to kill Saeyoung at the mere sight of him. Those days were especially tough on all of them. Saeyoung wanted nothing more to protect his brother while Saeran was conflicted about all the words that had been told to him. It wasn’t easy for him to decipher what was real and what was not.
MC had been forced into the role of mediator. She was meant to understand both sides and help them understand each other. This wasn’t easy, and there were times when MC wondered if it would ever be easy. She wasn’t allowed to figure out her own feelings before she was expected to understand theirs. MC knew that Saeyoung didn’t mean to make her feel that way, but it couldn’t be helped. She couldn’t erase the fact that Saeran was the one to lure her into that apartment under false pretenses and almost kidnapped her until Saeyoung came to save her. That was who he was, the man that haunted her nightmares.
That wasn’t who he only was, though. He was also her sweet Saeran. Saeyoung’s little brother. Her brother-in-law. Their roommate. While he was once an abrasive, callous man, deep down he was a kind, gentle boy. That boy was the one that MC knew the most. He would hesitantly ask her if he could help her with anything while she cooked for all of them. He would shyly ask her if she wanted to join him in the garden. He would explain the flower meanings whenever Saeyoung brought home a bouquet for her.
His love for flowers was endless. He understood them more than he understood himself. MC assumed this love for the flora extended to nature itself. How wrong she was. The piercing shriek that awoke her one night was proof of that.
She raced to Saeran’s room which was only down the hall. MC didn’t even bother knocking as she swung the door open. She glanced wildly around in order to pinpoint what was the cause of Saeran’s terror.
When she found nothing, she approached Saeran’s shivering form on his bed. She slowly sank down on the floor in order to be at eye level with him. MC put her hand above his head which was her way to ask for permission to touch him. He nodded and shut his eyes tightly. She took his consent and wiped the stray tears away from his face. This caused more tears to be pushed out of his eyes.
MC’s voice came out in a low, soft whisper. “What’s wrong, flower?”
Saeran opened his teary eyes and pointed to an area not far from his bed. When MC turned in the direction he pointed at, she saw a millipede on his carpet. At first, MC was amused that someone like Saeran was terrified of a tiny bug, but when she remembered the clear distress he was in, her concern overpowered her amusement.
“Are you scared of it, Saeran?”
The twin only nodded in response and let out a barely audible whimper. MC pressed her lips together in determination. She walked toward the bug and raised her foot. As she was about to bring her foot down and crush it, Saeran spoke for the first time since she came into the room.
“N-No! Don’t kill it. It’s not its fault that I’m so weak.”
His interruption made her retract her steps and join him again at his bedside. She sat on the mattress and looked down at him. “You’re not weak. Truth be told, I’m scared of them too. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” She smiled at him in order to comfort him further.
A frown appeared on his puffy, tear-stained face. “But if you’re so scared, why are you here helping me?”
She gently took one of his hands that was clutching his bed sheets. His tenseness relaxed. “Because I want to prove that nothing’s out to get you. You don’t have to be afraid alone anymore. You have Saeyoung and me. You even have the RFA.”
She glanced back to the millipede who in all honesty did look like it had a vendetta against him. She turned back to Saeran who was staring at her in wonder with wide eyes as if she were the mother he had been craving his whole life. With her free hand, she ran her fingers through his hair which had returned to its natural red color. Seeing him like this made her think of Saeyoung. While her husband had always been painted as the “stronger” twin, she knew better. MC had seen Saeyoung in a similar state many times before. Of course, she comforted him in different ways. She would usually hold him with his face buried in her chest until his tears ran dry. She would then pepper kisses all over his face until he burst out laughing. His laughter always brought a smile to her face. That was a similarity between the twins. MC wanted nothing more than for the both of them to be happy.
She squeezed his hand gently. “I want to help you see the beauty in the world, no matter how cruel it seems to you.”
Saeran took his hand out of her grasp and maneuvered his body so it was sitting up and at eye level with her. Without a word, he hugged her with a force she hadn’t received from him. She didn’t hesitate to hug him back. He mumbled something as his face was pressed on her shoulder. Still, MC could make out the words he said.
“Thank you, noona.”
This wasn’t the man that haunted her nightmares. No. That was Unknown, a man that served as a puppet to a much bigger picture. This was Saeran. A boy so terrified of the world that up until this point had seemed like nothing but a myth, a mystery, to him. She knew that they were still the same person, but MC swore to never forsake him for being manipulated and turned into the twisted person he once was. MC, alongside Saeyoung, would help him be who he wanted to be. That’s truly all Saeran wanted, it’s what he deserved. The freedom of choice.
MC patted his back to get his attention. “You don’t need to thank me.” Saeran only nuzzled his head deeper in her embrace. MC couldn’t hold back the smile that bloomed on her face. “Alright then, Flower. What do you want me to do with that pesky bug?”
He lifted his head to look at her shyly. “Can you put it in a jar? Maybe we can give it a good home in my garden.” He broke their eye contact in favor of staring at his lap. “I don’t want to be scared of it all my life. It deserves its freedom too.”
MC smiled at his suggestion. “Of course. I’ll put it in a jam jar right now, and we can decide what to do with it in the morning. There’s no rush, sweetie.” She stood up and walked out of the room.
When she entered the kitchen, she was greeted by the sight of her husband leaning on the counter. She approached him from behind and snaked her hands around his waist. She leaned her head against his shoulder blades.
“What are you doing up, love?” MC questioned him.
Saeyoung twisted his body so he could take her up in his arms and look at her directly. “I woke up when I heard him scream, but you beat me to his room. I thought I’d let you take care of it and just stay up in case you guys needed me.”
MC moved her hands to cradle his face. “Thank you, Sae. He’s gonna be okay. He just got scared because of a bug in his room.”
Saeyoung raised an eyebrow. “A bug?” He repeated. “Do you need me to kill it?”
She shook her head as she detached herself from his comforting embrace. She went scouring the cabinets for the item she was looking for as she responded to his question. “No. He wants to put it in a jam jar and make it a home in his garden in the morning.”
Her husband hummed in response. “The much more pacifistic choice. Nice.”
Finally, her hand touched a familiar cold, smooth container. She pulled out the jar and turned back to Saeyoung. “You wanna come with?”
His eyes brightened at her question. “Taser me if I ever say no.”
The couple walked back to Saeran’s room. One peek-in revealed the boy had fallen back to sleep. Saeyoung approached the bed to stare at his brother’s peaceful, resting form while MC when to scoop up the millipede into the jar. She cringed slightly, but her facial muscles relaxed as soon as the bug was secure in its temporary home.
She stared into the jar in slight amazement before Saeyoung’s voice broke their staring contest. “He looks so serene like this. It’s like nothing is bothering him.”
MC walked up to Saeyoung and stood right beside him with the jam jar in hand. “He’s looking much more peaceful nowadays. Maybe soon we can even start hosting parties again if he’s ready.”
Instead of responding to her last statement, Saeyoung made a completely new comment. “We should have kids.”
His seemingly unrelated comment almost made her drop the jar. Quickly, she regained her composure. “We should. Maybe not now, but eventually.” She stopped looking at a sleeping Saeran and looked at her husband who was already staring at her. “You know, when we aren’t living in a bunker anymore.”
Saeyoung smiled and leaned down to kiss her gently. “Then I’ll get working on house hunting ASAP.”
Without another word, he turned on his heel and raced out the door. MC couldn’t help but laugh and quietly call out after him. “It’s three AM, Saeyoung! Can you wait for at least a few more hours?”
She shook her head and began slowly chasing after the redhead. Before she exited the room, she turned back to look at Saeran’s sleeping form. Right as she was about to quietly shut the door behind her, she smiled and wished him one last thing.
“Goodnight, my flower. Sweet dreams.”