Page 43 of GR8VITY

As we stop at the next tank full of a variety of different deep cold water fish, I feel arms slip around my waist, and Kyung's chin comes down to rest on my shoulder. "Learn something new every day. I had no idea you were scared of an octopus."

It's my turn to blush. "It never came up. Plus, it's such an odd fear. Why can't it be something normal like the dark or closed spaces or something?"

"I'm just surprised you're scared of anything at all," he admits. "Is there anything else we should know about?"

I think on it, tapping my chin. "None that I can really think of at the moment. Guess we just have to wait and see when the moment comes. What about you?"

He chuckles, the sound vibrating against my back with his deep voice. "I've always been scared of doing something embarrassing on stage."

"Like falling off or something?" Dav En asks, having been listening in on our conversation.

They all laugh, but I don't get it. "What did I miss? Have you fallen off before?"

"No," he answers just as Dav En adds, "but I have."

I cover my mouth to hide my smile. It's obviously a joke to the rest of them now, but I don't want to add to it.

"It's okay," he reassures me, grinning. "It was a couple years ago. I was dancing too close to the edge, and my foot slipped. Hit my head on one of the barriers where the fans were. Had to have stitches after the show."

"I'm scared of heights," Seong Su admits somewhere next to Dav En.

"Bugs," Dav En says.

"I don't like snakes," Jae-un confesses next to me.

"Make that two of us," Yeon states.

"I'm scared of losing people I love," Yoon Ji drops into the conversation.

I don't consider myself one of those people that he's referring to, but that doesn't stop me from reaching out to take his hand in mine anyway. Kyung wraps his around the other side, successfully making a Yoon Ji hand sandwich. He smiles softly over at us.

"I don't like birds," Minsul says, breaking the tension. "Not like the little ones but more like ostriches and sometimes even chickens."

Dav En huffs out a quick laugh. "That's why you never go with us to the petting zoos when we go."

"No way," Minsul states. "They've always got peacocks or chickens just running loose everywhere."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jae-un nudge In Se with his elbow, somewhat forcing him to speak up as well.

In Se clears his throat. “I’ve always been scared of being alone.”

Jae-un throws his arm around his shoulders and pulls him in for a hug. “But you don’t have to worry about that anymore, yeah?”

He nods while all I can do is stand here and smile at them like a crazy person, because these men, Kyung’s family, his people, are quite possibly some of the sweetest that I’ve ever known. Glancing over to where he’s still got his chin propped on my shoulder, I wait until he looks at me before pressing my lips against his cheek. He does me one better, not letting me escape so that he can brush his own against mine.

A long time ago when I first lost my parents, there was a small window when my younger brain couldn’t understand everything that was happening. All that I knew was that my whole life was changing. Even back then, I could feel that I belonged nowhere and was a floating star out in the universe that no one had discovered yet. My omma changed all of that. Ever since she took me in all those years ago, I’ve never once felt that way again. Now, as an adult and making the decisions helping lead me to my fate, I feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Every second of my life and every choice both my omma and I made put me on the path of finding these incredible human beings. Fate is very real, and we’re all connected in a way that sits underneath the surface with an unexplainable force.

I close my eyes as I turn them back toward the sight in front of us, and simply enjoy living in the moment. The feel of Kyung’s fingers wrapped around mine with Yoon Ji’s trapped between us. The weight of Kyung’s head on my shoulder. The occasional brush of Jae-un’s arm against mine. Nothing but the sound of all nine of us breathing.

“You’re so pretty,” Yoon Ji says, breaking the silence after a few seconds.

This has me opening my eyes back up to find him watching me. I can’t help the smile that breaks across my face. “Thank you.”

He doesn’t acknowledge that he’s even heard me. His gaze is too busy roaming over my face like he’s trying to commit it to memory. Who knows? Maybe he is. Maybe that’s one of his little quirks that I’m finding that I like so much.

“Hey, what’s over here?” Dav En asks, breaking us out of the spell.

Detaching myself from Yoon Ji and Kyung, I move over to where Dav En is standing in front of the snow crab exhibit. I nudge him with my shoulder, which is like halfway up his bicep. “Want to see something cool?”