Yeosang sighed.

Sitting in the car outside his house, he saw two little faces pressed against the window. They were soon shooed off and replaced with the soft face of his Soul.

Once Seonghwa saw him, the younger cringed. Yeosang had to go in now. He had to go in anyway. This was a good push.

So hauling his suitcase out of the back, he headed for the door. Immediately upon entery, he was assaulted by three little heads of hair, engulfing him in a hug.

"Hi, guys." He whispering softly. "Thank you." He hugged them back.

Just half an hour, Yeosang told himself. Survive half an hour more.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Appa." Hwasa looked up at her dad, and he was taken aback.

"T-thank you, love." Yeosang didn't know if he would last half an hour.

Seonghwa came up and pecked his Soul's lips before trying to corral the younger children off into the playroom.

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Jongho, having escaped Papa's eyes, padded over and reached his little arms up to the knob. Cracking the door, he looked at the two strange men outside.

"Hi~" One cooed, wiggling his fingers.

"APPA!" Jongho screeched and Yeosang came running.

Opening the door wider, Yeosang felt a breath knocked out of him. Looking into Wooyoung's loving gaze, he finally felt safe to cry.

So sucking his lips between his teeth, he fell into Wooyoung's outstretched arms holding tight. A moment later he fell into San.

San kissed Yeosang's tied up hair and rubbed his back as Hwasa came up. She bowed in greeting before taking Wooyoung and Jongho by the hands. She led them away from her crying Appa, back to the playroom with Papa and Wheein.

Seonghwa, as he sat with Wheein, felt his cheeks become wet with the ghost of his Soul's tears, he felt the whisper of San's arms around his back, he felt the quickened speed of Yeosang's heart.

He smiled, knowing of Wooyoung and San's arrival, and the strong affect it had on Yeosang. Seonghwa looked up at the creak of the door to see his daughter enter, leading Wooyoung and Jongho behind.

"Hi Papa. Uncle San is in the living room with Appa. I think you should go out with Appa, though."

After Seonghwa stood, embraced Wooyoung, then did as suggested and ran out to find his Soul.

"Yeosang," called the man. He found him with San in the doorway and walking up, he pleaded a thank you to San.

Eyes barely opened, covered in tears, Yeosang switched arms, gravitating toward the hold of his Soul.

"Oh Shin-bi." Seonghwa spoke, stroking the shorter's hair over and over again. "Yeosang-ah."

Backing up and wiping his wet cheeks with the sleeve of his button up, Yeosang pulled the older to their bedroom. Shutting the door, Yeosang finally broke down and sobbed.

Seonghwa fell to his knees beside his Soul and pulled the smaller into his lap. "Shh, shh," he cooed. "It's okay now, just cry."

And soon, the two wept together.

The sun kept its course and began to set, engulfing the Park's room in darkness. Seonghwa slowly rose, slipping Yeosang off his lap, and flipped on a light.

Silently, softly, he stripped Yeosang of his business clothes and pulled him into the shower. Both were quiet as the hot water sounded on their skin, on the tile, washing away lingering tears.

Afterwards, Seonghwa dried his Soul as the younger sat. Brushing Yeosang's now long hair, Seonghwa let it fall to his mid back, and glanced up at him in the mirror. "You know, Shin-bi, it's okay to be sad he died."

Yeosang looked up. "I'm not sad he's died, it's a happy thing, I know that. I'm only sad he's gone from our life, from the kid's lives." He wanted to cry again. "Jongho never even met him."

And Seonghwa nodded; he understood.

Laying in bed, Seonghwa held his Soul close with no children, no emergency, no plans to interrupt them.

"Shin-bi," he spoke softly. "You have a psychiatrist appointment in two days; do you want me to call tomorrow and reschedule?"

Yeosang nodded against his chest. "Thank you." Seonghwa held him tighter.

And so the two slept, until the sun made its course around once more.

~~~

Six days later, they were assembled at church smiling longing, loving, genuine smiles; all dressed in beautiful, gleaming whites.

Yeosang stood with his parents at the doorway to greet the celebrants coming to remember the life of Yunho.

Hwasa, in her small, white gown, helped Wooyoung arrange the abundant gifts of flowers. The arriving celebrants entrusted their gifts to San who, in turn, brought them over to his Soul and niece.

They were arranged in front of an open casket.

Little Jongho refused to leave his Papa's arms as Hongjoong tried to coax him out. But eventually, Wheein took her brother to go play outside - Just don't get anything dirty, Papa warned - which left Hongjoong and Seonghwa alone.

"Would you like to go see the casket before it gets very crowded?" Hongjoong asked.

And Seonghwa nodded.

As they approached, Hwasa was singing softly as she lay marigolds around the body.

"Doesn't Uncle Yunho look pretty now?" She asked Papa as he came to stand beside her.

"Very much so." He smiled.

Hwasa lent down to take more flowers into her hands, precisely laying them around Yunho. "Κύριε, ἐλέησον. . ." Soft notes floated from her lips. "κύριε ελέησον χρήστη ελέησον. . ."

Seonghwa looked down at his daughter, stunned by her foreign song. She moved the flowers to a crown around Yunho's head.

"δώστε του ειρήνη. . ." Her notes grew softer and softer as she sang, until nothing could be heard at all.

"Where did you learn that song?" Seonghwa asked, looking down at her silken black hair. And she, after finishing Yunho's crown, looked up at him.

"Do you like it?" She asked. "Uncle Jongho taught me the words, but the melody I made up myself." She beamed, reaching up to place roses into her uncle's placid hands.

"Uncle Jongho?" Seonghwa asked.

And Hwasa nodded. "Yes, last week. . . χρήστη ελέησον, δώστε του ειρήνη. . ." She sang again, walking off to find her siblings.

Seonghwa stood, awed. She really is an empath, he thought, Yunho would be so happy.

But shaking his head, Seonghwa finally looked down into the coffin, and not merely at the flowers but at the face. Still, he smiled at the flowers surrounding Yunho's head, surrounding his whole body.

Looking down to his neck, Seonghwa sighed contently seeing its bareness. Yunho's mark was gone, soul having left the body.

Yunho, he began silently, thank you for everything. Thank you for helping Yeosang, for helping us all, so much. We're all here now, because of you - you and Jongho.

Eventually, Yeosang came up behind and rubbed his Soul's back. "Everyone is here now, Hyung; can you bring the kids over? They're outside."

And as Seonghwa left, it was Yeosang's turn for a moment alone. Hello again, Uncle. I miss you already. . . But I'm very happy for you, we all are. Woosan came, Eomma and Appa are here of course. . . even Hongjoong came, he still hasn't found his Soul. He misses you too, Joong does.

Yeosang brushed his fingers over the roses Hwasa placed, over the hands that held them. Even pretty in a morgue.

I'm sorry you never got to meet little Jongho, he continued. Mostly I'm sorry he never got to meet you. But he'll know your stories, don't worry. You get to be with your Soul again. . . and I'll see you in a while, Uncle Yunho.

Seonghwa came back, slightly exasperated, with two dirty and one pristine child. He was cringing, but just a little, at the two younger's states of dissaray.

As they approached, Jongho reached out toward his Appa who gratefully took him in his arms.

"This dying?" Jongho asked, and Yeosang nodded. "Yes, this is dying."

"No soul?" Jongho asked, pointing at Yunho's chest. "That's right, little one," Appa answered. "His soul is still alive, but. . . it's gone away. His soul is happy now, though." And Yeosang smiled down at Yunho's blank, cold face, because he knew it was true.

There was a line beginning to form of celebrants behind them, so Yeosang looked back at the soulless body a last time, and holding Jongho tight, he bowed.

Hwasa bowed at ninety degrees as she tugged on Papa's sleeve as if to say pay attention!

And Seonghwa smiled, happy. He bowed toward the man in the coffin, and Wheein followed.

As the family of five payed homage to the blessed deceased, Yeosang and Seonghwa shared the a same, final thought in their soul.

Farewell, Yunho, and thank you.

***

A/N: 1-20-22 🤧🥺🥺 ahhhhh happy death

1470 words