Jaehyun and Woonhak sat cross-legged on the floor of what was now officially Woonhak's room. In front of them was a box Jaehyun had found in the storage room filled with random items. The sunlight filtering through the window illuminated the two boys as they sifted through its contents.

For the past hour, they had been working together to make the space more homely. Woonhak had carefully folded his clothes into the wardrobe and placed his school supplies into the drawers of the desk. Meanwhile, Jaehyun had dusted the shelves, vacuumed the carpet, and set up fresh bedding. The room, once rather cold and neglected, now had traces of warmth.

Woonhak had been brimming with excitement as he unpacked, a bright smile rarely leaving his face. Seeing him like this -relaxed, happy- made Jaehyun's chest ache with a quiet kind of joy. After the whirlwind of stress and uncertainty over the past days, it felt good to see Woonhak's shoulders lose some of their tension.

Jaehyun reached into the box and pulled out a string of fairy lights. "Look! Should we hang these somewhere?"

Woonhak's eyes lit up as he nodded eagerly. Together, they worked to string the lights along the wall above the bed. It was a clumsy process, involving a lot of laughing, stumbling, and "Wait, hold this side!"

When they finally finished, Jaehyun stepped back to admire their work. The lights gave off a soft glow, making the room feel cozier despite its otherwise still sparse decoration. Jaehyun was going to help Woonhak change that as soon as possible though.

His gaze landed on the brown box sitting near the bed - the one they had brought back from Woonhak's aunt and uncle's house a week ago. It was the only thing Woonhak had been really insisted on taking, clutching it like a lifeline. Jaehyun hesitated, wondering if he should ask about it. Finally, he spoke, his tone gentle.

"Woonhak? Do you... want to show me what's inside that box?"

Woonhak's smile faltered as his eyes shifted to the box. He was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I'll show you."

He dragged the box to the middle of the room and sat down in front of it, Jaehyun settling beside him. Taking a deep breath, Woonhak carefully opened the lid. Jaehyun leaned forward slightly, catching glimpses of the contents: a scarf, a pair of glasses, books.

"These were my parents' things," Woonhak said softly. "I've never shown this to anyone before."

He reached into the box and pulled out a yellow scarf, its fabric worn but well cared for. "My mom used to wear this all the time." His fingers brushed over it delicately, as if it were made of glass.

Jaehyun felt a pang of sadness in his chest. He placed his hand over Woonhak's and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Do... you want to tell me about them?"

Woonhak hesitated, his eyes fixed on the scarf. Then, in a voice tinged with both sorrow and affection, he began to speak.

"They were the best parents anyone could ask for. My dad was a firefighter. He was always busy, but he made sure to spend every bit of free time with us. He loved telling stories. Whenever I was bored, I'd run up to him and ask him to tell me something -anything."

Woonhak's lips curved into a faint smile. "He used to sit in this big armchair in the living room, reading the newspaper. If I asked, he'd tell me the most random things, like a funny story about his work or something silly he did when he was younger. Sometimes he even read articles from his newspapers out loud to me."

A tear slipped down Woonhak's cheek. Jaehyun saw it and wiped it away gently, his thumb brushing against the younger boy's skin.

Woonhak pulled out the pair of glasses next. "He was pretty nearsighted. When I was little, I used to steal these while he was reading. He'd chase me around the house, trying to catch me. It was always so funny because he couldn't really see where he was going."

Jaehyun chuckled softly at the image.

Next, Woonhak lifted a well-worn book from the box. Its cover was stained, and the handwritten title read, My Favorite Recipes.

"This was my mom's," he said, his voice tender. "She loved to cook. She tried new dishes all the time, especially after traveling. The three of us traveled to other countries a few times and every time she would attend cooking courses, or just ask locals to teach her how to cook one of the dishes from their country. Her favorite recipes went into this book." He opened it, revealing pages filled with neat handwriting, little doodles, and even some splatters of sauce. "She used to joke that feeding my friends after school made her feel like she was running a restaurant. Everyone loved the food she made, so they often came over just to get some of it."

Woonhak paused, tracing his finger over one of the recipes. "She was so caring. No matter how busy she was, she always tucked me in at night. Even when I got older."

Jaehyun swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "They sound like incredible people," he said softly. "I wish I could have met them."

Woonhak smiled through his tears. "They would've loved you, Hyunnie."

Finally, Woonhak pulled out a birthday card. He handed it to Jaehyun, who unfolded it carefully.

The message inside was simple yet heartfelt:

Happy birthday, our little Woonhak!♡
You are six years old now, and for the first time you can read your own birthday card. Does that not feel super great? We are so proud of you!

We are also very excited to see you ride on your first ever bike without support wheels. Are you excited, too? Daddy has been waiting all week since he got it, waiting for your birthday to come, so he could finally give it to you.
Shall we go outside and try it out right now?

Jaehyun felt tears prickle in his own eyes. "You must've been so happy that day," he said.

Woonhak nodded with a small smile, his eyes glassy. "Yeah... When I tried for the first time, I fell off the bike bruised my knee. At first and didn't want to try again. But my parents encouraged me. The next day, I was riding through the whole neighborhood." He laughed. "They had to run to keep up with me. I showed off my new skill to every person we passed, while my parents breathlessly ran after me, laughing at the sight."

Jaehyun smiled at the image, his chest tight with emotion. Without thinking, he wrapped an arm around Woonhak's shoulders, pulling him close. Woonhak rested his head on Jaehyun's shoulder, sighing softly.

"Do... Do you want to see what they looked like?" Woonhak asked, pointing at the last item in the box, a large photo album.

Jaehyun nodded. Together, they flipped through the album. Each page was filled with warmth: pictures of Woonhak on his dad's lap, helping his mom cook, playing on a swing, his first day off middle school, and all of them smiling brightly during family vacations.

By the time they reached the last page, both boys were silently crying. Jaehyun sniffled, quickly wiping his cheeks.

"Why are you crying, Hyunnie?" Woonhak asked, his tone light despite the tears in his own eyes.

Jaehyun let out a small laugh. "I just... they were amazing. You were all so happy. It's -it's beautiful, and I..." His voice broke with a soft sob.

Woonhak's eyes softened. He wrapped his arms around Jaehyun, squeezing tightly. Then, with a small chuckle, he murmured, "You're such a softie, Hyunnie. They really would've loved you."

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Word count: 1304

My parents got divorced last year and my mom moved to a town 5 hours from our home. I miss her a lot but luckily my parents still get along and mom visits us often🥲💕