NOVEL NEXT Chapter 152: Epilogue
"Does your heart skips a beat?" Kang Si An asks, amused. He's getting enlisted for the military. It will be two more years if she doesn't say yes.
"Mommy, just say yes." Little Hae frowns at her mother. "Don't make daddy do more. I wake up every day thinking about what's waiting for us."
"Don't you like being famous?" Kyuri winks at her.
"For being the part of failed proposals?" Little Hae shakes her head. "If Daddy takes all the proposal methods, what will Hyun do?"
"Aish! This girl." Kyuri glares at Little Hae. "Always Hyun. My romance is more important. If I don't marry your father, what will happen?"
"Mommy, you have 11 years now." Little Hae turns her back to her and crosses her arms.
"Si An, I want a cuter daughter this time," Kyuri complains to Si An. "She shouldn't betray her parents because of her boyfriend."
"Huh?" Si An can't believe what's he's hearing. For the last 3 years, she didn't even let him kiss her on her lips, getting out of his clutches smoothly each time.
"Let's have a wedding." Kyuri shoots dagger what Little Hae's back who huffs and walks back into the house. Inside the house, Little Hae grins and calls Hyun.
"Hyun, she said yes finally. She's going to have a wedding. I am so happy."
[Really? I will tell father and mother. We will come to celebrate.]
"Come quickly."
Little Hae runs to her grandparents to tell the news.
"Are you sure?" Kang Si An asks Kyuri seriously.
"Your proposals have already made big news and there's not enough time before you leave." Kyuri smiles at him.
"There's not enough time to prepare for a grand wedding." Kang Si An sighs. "How about having it after I come back?"
"Preparations are done." Kyuri chuckles. "I have it all done. It's one day before you leave."
"You!" He scowls at her. "You like to torture me."
"You will have one night with me before you leave." She whispers into his ear, bursting into laughter when she sees him glare at her.
"Darn! Only one night."
She kisses him on his lips suddenly. He's surprised. He moves his face closer to taste her lips again, but she moves her head back. He hears her laugh again. So cunning!
"Can't wait?"
"I can wait." Kang Si An has been waiting for years. A few more days is nothing. "Then, you will be waiting for 2 years. You will miss me every day."
"As if." Kyuri clicks her tongue. "You will also miss me and Little Hae."
"Tch!" Kang Si An can't refute her words. "I don't want to go."
"I don't want you to go either." Kyuri wraps her arms around him, feeling peaceful and restless at the same time. "I should have said yes earlier."
"Stop pretending." He holds her tightly. "You don't regret it."
Silence descends between them. He closes his eyes, leaning his head over hers. Being like this is okay too.
"I am home, Si An."
"Me too."
It still feels like a dream that both of them are together after a long time. Before the Keeper comes back and life is thrown in chaos again, they are appreciating each moment of life in their ways. They will continue to do so in the future.
***
On a high wall, there are two ghosts sitting together under the bright moon.
"It was a good life."
There's a mild smile on Kwon Kyuri's life as she passes through the door with Kang Si An. In this lifetime, he did outlive her. But it was only by a day.
"You didn't get to suffer like me." She glares at him. "A day of mourning? You were passed out for half of the day."
"It's not my fault." Kang Si An makes a face. "Even I didn't expect to get a heart attack."
"Tch!" She clicks her tongue. "I wanted you to suffer for years."
"Haven't I --" Kang Si An shuts his mouth when his wife glowers at him. In their long lives, it's always been like that. She was the lord and he was the servant. It seems that nothing has changed after their deaths. "We even outlived our daughter."
Their only daughter died around five years ago. Their son-in-law died two years after their daughter's death. Kang Hae and Jae Hyun got married as soon as Kang Hae turned adult. They had children and grandchildren. Thanks to them, Kang Si An and Kwon Kyuri have been able to see their great-grandchildren.
Kim Taeho and Yoon Miran had a rocky relationship after their marriage. But Kim Taeho was always patient with Yoon Miran. They found a stable ground eventually after Yoon Miran started to compromise on a few things. Yoon Miran became a close friend of Kwon Kyuri, regardless of their age difference. Kim Taeho and Kang Si An were almost like brothers. Later, they became in-laws after Jae Hyun and Hae got married.
Jae Hyun became a researcher while Hae pursued a career in acting like her father. Haneul, who grew up to become a lawyer like her mother, married the second son of Yoon Miran's close friend who was also a lawyer.
Yoon Miran died at the age of seventy after a long fight with Alzheimer. It was a difficult time for Kim Taeho, but Kim Taeho never left Yoon Miran's side.
Before Yoon Miran died, she was surrounded by her son, daughter, daughter-in-law, her best friend, and everyone else who was important to her. She confessed to Kim Taeho for the first and last time that she loved him dearly.
After Yoon Miran's death, Kim Taeho was broken completely. His daughter, HaNeul, took care of Kim Taeho until his death at the age of sixty-five. He only outlived Yoon Miran by five years.
Kang Si An and Kwon Kyuri had seen a lot. Even after their marriage, they had marriage problems that any other couple had. There were days when Kyuri wouldn't talk to him for days. Kang Si An was always the first person to give in. However, their life together was peaceful after a long thousand years.