“…What do I do? I love you too much, Jae-jin. I love you so much I could die. I can barely breathe. My heart keeps pounding.”
“I…”
“I love you.”
“Jae-jin, I love you. I don’t even know how I’ll live without you anymore. My soul belongs entirely, completely to you.”
Seo Eui-woo whispered an endless stream of sweet confessions into his ear, dripping like honey. At the same time, he slowly pulled Jae-jin’s hands away from his face.
This was mortifying.
Jae-jin held in a deep sigh and finally lifted his gaze to meet Eui-woo’s intense expression.
His eyes burned with heat, overflowing with boundless affection.
Faced with such unwavering, clear devotion, Jae-jin found himself at a loss for words. His heart trembled and pounded. He had long grown accustomed to Eui-woo’s relentless adoration, yet every so often, it still made his heart race.
Just as Eui-woo had eyes only for Kwon Jae-jin, Kwon Jae-jin, too, had eyes only for Seo Eui-woo.
“Ha… I love you too.”
Jae-jin pushed aside his complicated thoughts and responded to him. Tsk. At this point, what else could he do? Whether it was Seo Dakbok or Seo Malbok, whatever happens, happens.
Eui-woo clung to Jae-jin, showering his lips with kisses. Jae-jin wrapped his arms around his neck and accepted the kisses. Love overflowed in the warm, peaceful bathtub. Along with eternal happiness.
“Well, that settles it. The baby’s childhood name will be Seo Malbok.”
“What? No way. Absolutely not.”
“Nope, it’s Seo Malbok. This is non-negotiable. Right, Malbok?”
“Cctot!”
“You heard that, right? Malbok likes it too.”
“Ddya-ha, Bbya-ha!”
Overcome with excitement, Eui-woo even composed a Seo Dakbok Song on the spot that day. Humming to himself, he kept calling Jae-jin’s name alongside words like peach and royal pink peach, driving Jae-jin to the brink of insanity.
‘He’s insane. Seriously.’
Was he really going with Seo Malbok? Was that his final decision?
Could they just slap together a baby name like this and call it a day? Wasn’t it way too ridiculous?
‘Ha. If my parents find out, they’re going to be completely dumbfounded.’
He ended up arguing with Eui-woo over the name for sixteen whole hours, but in the end, he couldn’t break that iron will. Instead, he had to endure endless chants of Seo Dakbok, Seo Malbok until his ears nearly bled.
“It’s my childhood name, and I like it, so who’s going to say otherwise?”
“Huuh, no matter how you look at it…”
“It’s fine, really! So, Jae-jin, could you call me Dakbok just once? Please?”
“…Huh? Huh? Just once, please!”
Jae-jin could only let out a heavy sigh, feeling all kinds of emotions weighing down on him.
***
Time passed like a flowing river. The days of being overwhelmed by childcare felt like a distant memory as ten days flew by in the blink of an eye. It was hard to even grasp how time had moved so quickly.
On the tenth and final day, Seo Eui-woo and Kwon Jae-jin, hand in hand and carrying their baby, returned to the 6th Residential District.
Gone was the flustered Eui-woo who had once panicked at every little thing about taking care of a baby. Now, he handled little Malbok with ease and walked into his family home with confidence.
Of course, the moment they arrived, the entire household was thrown into chaos.
“How could you name the baby Seo Malbok!?”
If someone else out there happened to have the same name, then, well… apologies to them. But that didn’t change the fact that the name Malbok didn’t suit baby Seo Eui-woo at all.
“Though, it’s probably too late now.”
After all, Eui-woo had been calling out “Malbok, Malbok” nonstop, to the point that baby Seo Eui-woo had completely learned to respond to it. No matter where they were, the moment someone called “Malbok!”, he would turn his bright, sparkling eyes toward the person and flash a radiant smile.
Well, there was no changing it now. In the end, Jae-jin had no choice but to throw in the towel and accept it.
And so, they gathered once again in the living room of Kwon Jae-jin’s family home, located in Peace Complex 3 of the 6th Residential District.
“Wow. Malbok was really not what I was expecting.”
Kwon Jae-hee was the first to shake his head in disbelief after hearing the shocking news. The way he looked at Jae-jin was like a designer being forced to ruin a beautiful modern design at the request of a clueless middle manager.
“Kwon Jae-jin, what kind of naming sense do you even have? What are you, an ancient ancestor from the Joseon era?”
‘…Sorry. It just happened.’
“Malbok, seriously? My nephew is Malbok?”
Jae-hee let out a deep sigh, as if the sky had come crashing down on him. Their mother and father weren’t much different in their reactions, their faces filled with complicated emotions.
“Well… I’m sure Jae-jin put a lot of thought into it. And Eui-woo, too.”
“Yeah… It’s not really our place to interfere.”
“Right. And, well, Malbok… It’s kind of endearing, isn’t it? The more you hear it, the more it sticks.”
“Uh, well… It’s definitely a name you won’t forget anytime soon. What Chinese characters are you using for it?”
“Actually, it’s just a Hangul name. No Chinese characters.”
“Oh, I see. So it’s just Malbok in pure Hangul.”
“Yeah.”
At that moment, baby Seo Eui-woo, hearing the name Malbok, turned his head with a cheerful “Bbya!” Snuggled in Jae-jin’s arms, his bright, twinkling eyes locked onto his mother, who had just called his name. Seeing that, the slightly conflicted expression on her face instantly softened.
“Oh my, does he recognize his name already? Malbok?”
“Ddau, oong!”
“Yes, we’ve been calling him that at home so often that he thinks it’s his name now.”
“My goodness. A genius. A little genius. Malbok, sweetheart, can Grandma hold you for a bit?”
Stretching out her arms, she gently took Malbok from Jae-jin’s embrace. Thanks to constant guiding, baby Malbok no longer cried when separated from Jae-jin. Instead, he blinked his big, intelligent eyes and let out a peal of laughter as he settled into his grandmother’s arms.
“Kyaa-ha! Daah!”
“Oh my, oh my. Look at him, he’s laughing!”
“He laughs a lot these days.”
“Really? Oh, that’s such a relief. Such a relief.”
“And he’s pretty good at saying simple words too. Watch this. Mam-ma.“
“Mam… ma.”
“Malbok, say mam-ma.”
“Mam-ma.”
“Oh my, oh my, oh my! He’s talking!”
Their mother beamed with joy, and the expressions of the other family members watching from the side melted immediately. Everyone smiled warmly, utterly captivated by baby Malbok. Their father reached out carefully and stroked Malbok’s tiny head, while Jae-hee held onto his little hands, gently playing with them.
It was obvious—everyone was completely enamored with Malbok.
“Malbok, it’s Grandma. Say Grandma, Grandma.”
“I’m Grandpa. Grandpa. Come on, say Grandpa.”
“Hey, that’s not fair! I’m your aunt! Jae-hee Auntie. Auntie!“
Everyone suddenly rushed in, trying to get Malbok to say their name first. Even Sunwoo, caught up in the family’s excitement, barked loudly and wagged his tail enthusiastically.
As Jae-jin silently watched his family’s cheerful antics, Eui-woo leaned in and whispered in his ear.
“See, Jae-jin? I told you Malbok was a great name.”
Unbelievable.
Jae-jin let out a sigh internally and muttered back in a low voice.
“Yeah, yeah. I get it, Dakbok-ah.”
“Pffft!”
Seo Eui-woo burst into laughter.
And it wasn’t just him—the entire house was soon filled with laughter. Smiles stretched across every face, warmth radiating in every direction.
Baby Malbok giggled gleefully, waving his tiny arms and legs. Their parents were practically giddy with joy. Jae-hee’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and Sunwoo’s tail spun like a propeller, refusing to stop.
Not a single person in the room wore a dark expression.
Everyone was happy.
And at the very center of that happiness stood Kwon Jae-jin.
In the end, it was warm.
Even in the dead of winter, with snow falling and the cold seeping into everything, the time spent with family was overflowing with warmth. To be here, laughing together as one—what could be a greater happiness than this? Jae-jin felt that the emotions he experienced in this moment would stay with him for a lifetime.
As that thought settled in his mind, a gentle smile appeared on his lips. He turned toward Eui-woo, standing beside him, and once again, he found himself drawn to the brightness of his face.
“Eui-woo.”
“Hm?”
“Nothing. Just wanted to call you.”
Jae-jin reached out and took his hand—Eui-woo’s large, strong hand, with its defined knuckles. Their fingers intertwined, hands clasped together, as they gazed at each other.
In the silent exchange of glances, they felt the present—the fact that they were together, here and now.
***
The gathering continued late into the night.
What had started as a family reunion in the afternoon led into an extravagant dinner, the table nearly buckling under the weight of the food. Afterward, they enjoyed sliced fruit for dessert, sipped coffee, and then gathered around to watch a Christmas movie together in anticipation of the holiday tomorrow. It was the kind of movie that the entire family could enjoy with laughter.
After the movie ended, as if following an unspoken tradition, Jae-hee appeared with a camera in hand. He made a big fuss about taking family photos, insisting that they had to capture the moment. Thanks to him, they all ended up laughing and taking several pictures together.
After that, they made a special request to take solo pictures of Malbok.
At first, they planned to take just a few shots. But as soon as the family got involved, things escalated quickly—changing outfits, trying on little hats, and making a big production out of it. In the end, they ended up with quite a collection of photos.
