On a clear night, countless stars blanketed the sky over Syu City. Yet a horrifying sound rang out loudly.
CRASH!
A speeding truck slammed into the car stopped in front of it, sending it crashing into another vehicle ahead. Junho was one of the victims. An ambulance siren wailed sharply. Some days were simply unlucky.
The morning before they left for work.
“Happy anniversary, honey!” Junho whispered beside his wife’s ear.
Maya immediately turned around and returned her husband’s embrace. “It’s still so early. Was last night not enough? Hmm?” she teased her husband. Junho silenced his wife’s lips with his index finger and a sweet smile.
“Keep your voice down, or the kids will wake up.”
“The kids are still sleeping...” This time, Maya became the aggressive one and began kissing her husband’s neck affectionately, but suddenly, a cry came from Kris’s room.
“Mommmm!”
“See? What did I tell you?” Junho stopped teasing her, making Maya quit her mischief in the kitchen. Holding back a laugh, Maya hurried toward the room of Kris, her youngest son.
They came down from the second floor with Kris clinging to his mom. “Wow, Dad’s little champ is awake. What a good boy, getting up so early. Come here, Dad will carry you. Ugh...” Junho reached for Kris and took him from Maya’s arms. Not long afterward, Luna woke up too. Since Luna was independent enough, she greeted her parents, drank a glass of water, and hurried to the bathroom to freshen up.
“Dad’s little girl is so pretty, even with her bedhead. Ahhh, come give Dad a hug!”
“I’m all grown up, Dad. No way!”
“Seriously?” Junho continued teasing his eldest daughter, even though he already knew that as she got older, she no longer wanted to be kissed like a baby. He was grateful that his daughter understood boundaries.
Maya prepared a simple breakfast and easy-to-make lunches. It didn’t take long—half an hour was enough. Besides being a stay-at-home mom, Maya also worked as a surgeon at a hospital in Syu City. Junho, meanwhile, was a young professor at a prestigious university and taught in the School of Information Technology.
Every morning, Junho was on duty taking the children to school, while Maya left for the hospital before nine. Junho’s schedule was usually quite relaxed in the morning, since his busier activities took place in the afternoon. Maya would sometimes act spoiled and ask him to drive her to the hospital too.
The children were taken from school to daycare by the school shuttle. They would return home at six in the evening. Junho also often picked Maya up from the hospital. He had even become acquainted with a doctor younger than his wife. His name was Lay.
Lay had just completed his OB-GYN specialization. He knew Dr. Maya, but they weren’t particularly close.
Lay had even been invited over to Junho’s house for coffee because they shared the same hobbies. They both loved coffee and gaming, and they also clicked when it came to discussions. For some reason, Junho really enjoyed talking with Lay. Lay was a doctor who also understood IT, and as it turned out, he had many acquaintances in the programming field.
One day, Lay stopped by the house at Junho’s invitation. “Hi, Kris!” Lay greeted him. “You’re such a handsome little guy...” Lay praised him, clearly fond of children.
“Of course he is. Do you know whose kid he is?” Junho joked.
“I know, I know—Dr. Maya’s, right?” Lay shot back, turning the joke into a fact.
“Exactly, you got it. Top-tier care, right? Ha-ha. Come on in! Honey, this is the guest I told you about. Lay, come in and sit wherever you want. Anywhere’s fine.”
Since the host had told him to choose wherever he liked, Lay sat on the floor beside Kris, who was playing with his robots. While teasing the little boy, Lay occasionally glanced at the decorations in the living room—warm family photographs.
Junho returned with Maya. “Oh, you’re the doctor from OB-GYN, right?”
“You said you didn’t know him. What’s with you?” Junho teased, making Maya fidget shyly.
“Good afternoon, Dr. Maya,” Lay greeted her, rising to shake her hand. Dr. Maya really had the aura of a polished, high-end professional—firm, yet warm. Lay tried to stay focused in front of his senior colleague. He had come to fulfill his friend Junho’s invitation. Lay introduced himself to Maya, and they exchanged a few stories about their teams, though only briefly.
Junho and Lay chatted in the living room while Maya prepared snacks in the kitchen and brought them out.
“Hey, honey, I’m going to pick up Luna first. Kris, do you want to come with Mom?” But Kris was too absorbed sitting beside Lay, as if he were joining in with the other men. Lay laughed when he saw Kris refuse to go with his mom.
“All right, Dr. Lay, I’m heading out for a bit. Honey, please watch the little one too, okay?” Maya asked.
Lay watched Maya carry herself with admirable professionalism. One day, he wanted to find a woman who was Dr. Maya’s equal.
The two men continued their lively conversation.
“JUNHO! Junho, don’t leave us, Junho! Wake up!”