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When Hyunjin suggested New Year's resolutions, all of them knew there was no escaping it.
They all sat in a loose circle in the living room, cups of something warm cradled in their hands. The house hummed with that quiet end-of-year calm that only came after the kids had finally been distracted with toys and snacks.
Jisung cleared his throat first. “I’ll go first,” he said, already smiling a little too wide. “This year, I want to do better. In… everything.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Be more hardworking. Be a better husband. And-” he glanced toward the garden where the kids were, “-a cooler dad.”
There was a beat of silence. Then, Seungmin snorted. “That’s impossible.”
Jisung blinked. “What?”
“You already ruin Hyunjin’s peace on a daily basis,” Seungmin said calmly. “You can’t be better. You’re already a full-time disturbance.”
Hyunjin didn’t even look offended. She just laughed, leaning into Jisung’s side. “Ignore him. You’re already doing everything perfect.”
Jisung visibly melted at that, shoulders relaxing, his smile softening like he’d just been handed the best gift of the night.
Seungmin rolled his eyes. “See? This is exactly what I mean.”
Hyunjin shot him a look. “Don’t act like you’re not the same.”
“I am not,” Seungmin said, offended on principle.
Minhee hummed thoughtfully. “Yes, you absolutely are.”
Seungmin sighed, then lifted his hands in surrender. “Fine. My resolution is… I’ll worry less this year.”
Everyone stared at him. “About... about what?” Jisung asked carefully.
“About life. About responsibilities. About the big and tiny witches who live in my house and actively try to burn it down.”
“That’s your daughter,” Minhee rolled her eyes, and reminded him sweetly.
“And you,” the man added without missing a beat.
Hyunjin laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth. “Good luck with that.”
Jisung patted Seungmin’s shoulder. “You’ll last three days.”
“Two,” Hyunjin corrected.
“Your turn, Hyunjin.” Seungmin ignored them and leaned back.
Hyunjin thought for a moment. “I will… try to take care of things more calmly. Less panic. Less stressing over every detail.” She smiled at Jisung. “And I’ll make sure someone actually rests instead of running himself into the ground.”
Jisung opened his mouth to protest, then closed it when she raised an eyebrow. “Okay,” he said quietly.
“And,” she added, amused, “I’ll also make sure our boys doesn’t inherit your ‘I must do everything myself’ complex.”
Minhee stretched, clearly enjoying this far too much. “Alright. My turn.” She clasped her hands together. “This year, I’ll tease Seungmin less.”
The room went dead silent.
Jisung squinted. “That’s a lie.”
Hyunjin nodded. “Beautiful, but still a lie.”
Seungmin stared at his wife. “You can’t just say things like that. Tell us something realistic, something you'll actually stick to.”
Minhee smiled innocently. “New year, new me.”
Seungmin laughed despite himself, shaking his head. “You’re impossible.”
“Aww... I love you too.” She leaned closer, “oh, and plans,” Minhee announced suddenly, clapping her hands once. “If we’re doing resolutions, we’re doing family plans too.”
Seungmin squinted at her, as Jisung leaned forward immediately, eyes bright. “Okay, okay. First plan. One, or two proper family trip this year. No work calls. No ‘I’ll just take this one meeting.’ No excuses.”
Hyunjin smiled softly at that, but Seungmin raised a finger. “Define ‘proper.’”
“Somewhere with nature,” Jisung said. “Trees. Quiet. A place where phones don’t work.”
Minhee burst out laughing. “We have two teens in this family. You sure we want them in a place with no signal? That won't be a vacation, that would be some kind of psychological torture.”
“They'll survive,” Seungmin said bravely, then added, “well… maybe.”
Hyunjin nodded thoughtfully. “I like the idea. Somewhere slow. Somewhere we can just exist.”
“And somewhere with good food,” Minhee added immediately. “Non-negotiable.”
Jisung scribbled an imaginary note in the air. “Nature. Food. Minimal trauma. Got it.”
Hyunjin cleared her throat next. “I want us to have… one fixed family night every week. Phones away. Kids included. Games, movies, cooking together... anything.”
Seungmin smiled despite himself. “You just want an excuse to force us into board games.”
“Yes,” she said calmly. “And we women will win.”
Minhee leaned back, considering. “Fine, but if we’re doing that, I want one adults-only night every month. Just us. No kids. No guilt. Imagine the fun-”
Jisung gasped. “Lina, you can’t just say things like that in front of my innocent, angel wife.”
“Watch me.”
Seungmin rubbed his chin. “I support this plan. For my mental health.”
Hyunjin laughed. “So... weekly family night, monthly adults’ escape.”
“And quarterly chaos,” Minhee added.
“What does that even mean?” Jisung asked cautiously.
“It means,” Minhee said, grinning, “we do something absolutely ridiculous once every few months. Theme dinners. Costume days. Random competitions. Something the kids will remember.”
Seungmin sighed. “I knew marrying into the Lee family would shorten my lifespan.”
Jisung, however, looked thrilled. “Can one of those be a talent show? Concerts?”
“No,” Seungmin and Hyunjin said in unison.
“Okay,” Jisung tried again. “A friendly talent show.”
Minhee smirked. “You just want an excuse to perform in front of your innocent, angel wife.”
“And?” he said, unapologetic.
Hyunjin reached over and squeezed his hand. “We’ll think about it.”
Seungmin stretched his arms over his head. “I want one plan too.” Everyone turned to him. “I want,” he said slowly, “at least one year with fewer possible hospital scares, fewer overthinking spirals, less loud, and more… normal days.”
The room softened instantly. Hyunjin nodded first. “That’s a good plan.” said the woman, and reached for his hand. “We’ll help.”
Minhee smiled gently. “We’ll make normal days loud and annoying, but yeah. Normal.”
Seungmin huffed a laugh. “I regret sharing emotionally.”
The woman grinned. “Too late.”
Jisung glanced around, and said quietly, “I want us to keep doing this. Sitting together. Talking like this. Even when life gets busy. Even after Jinjin and Jiji cut their eighteenth birthday cake.”
Hyunjin leaned back, content. “So the main plan is… stay us.”
Minhee raised her mug. “To chaos.”
Seungmin clinked his against hers. “To survival.”
“To family.” Hyunjin smiled, and said along with her husband.
The adults’ voices floated out through the slightly open living room window, warm, animated, overlapping in that familiar way that meant long-term plans were being made.
Big ones.
Chan crouched behind the big potted plant, chin resting on his knees. Changbin stood a little behind him, arms crossed, leaning closer every time his dad's voice rose. Jeongin sat on the swing, gently rocking back and forth, eyes sharp and thoughtful, while Yongbok was squatting beside Chan, whispering commentary under her breath. The twins were half-hidden behind the garden bench, peeking out.
“Family trip,” Jisung was saying inside.
“-no, not camping again,” Seungmin protested.
“That’s cowardice,” Minhee replied cheerfully.
Hyunjin laughed. The sound drifted out serene.
The kids froze. Then, slowly, dramatically, they all looked at one another. Changbin raised an eyebrow. Chan’s eyes widened.
Yongbok gasped softly, hand flying to her mouth. “They’re planning something big.”
Jeongin nodded from the swing. “They always do this before chaos.”
Jihan whispered loudly, “Is chaos fun?”
“Yes,” Hyejin answered immediately, no hesitation.
Changbin crouched down to the kids' level. “Okay. So. If they’re making New Year plans…”
“…we should too.” Chan finished for him, whispering like it was a sacred oath.
They all nodded at once. It felt important. Historic, even.
Yongbok clapped once. “Meeting!”
“Meeting it is,” Jeongin echoed, pushing herself off the swing.
They shuffled into a small circle on the grass. Changbin took charge instinctively, like he always did when things felt hilariously serious. Chan sat cross-legged, hands in his lap, listening carefully, while Yongbok scooted closer to Chan. The twins sat opposite them, legs stretched out, the little girl already distracted by a bug crawling past, but still trying very hard to be involved.
Changbin cleared his throat. “Okay. New Year resolutions. For… us.”
“For all of us. Team kids, and teens” Yongbok added firmly, and Chan nodded.
Jeongin smiled, amused. “So we’re making resolutions for ourselves?”
Changbin grinned. “Exactly.”
Chan hesitated. “But... is that... allowed?”
Yongbok waved a hand. “I allow it.”
That settled it.
They leaned in closer, conspiratorial. Changbin whispered, “Rule one. Respect all resolutions.”
Chan nodded seriously. “Yes. All are valid,”
They sat there for a moment, the weight of their Important Mission settling in. Inside, the adults were still talking, planning, laughing. Outside, the kids nodded at each other again.
They had a plan. And unlike the adults’, theirs was very clear.
This year, they make resolutions too.
Jeongin is the first to straighten up. She’s sat with her legs crossed, phone forgotten in her lap. As the oldest, she clears her throat.
“Okay,” she says solemnly. “New year resolutions. We make them too.”
Changbin immediately grins. Chan nods very seriously from where he’s sitting on the grass, fingers fiddling with the hem of his sweater. Yongbok claps once, excited. The twins are rolling a small pebble back and forth between them, half-listening but fully invested in the vibe.
Jeongin takes a breath. “I’ll go first.” Everyone looks at her. Even Hyejin pauses mid-roll. “I think,” she says slowly, choosing her words, “I’ll try to be more patient this year. And… smarter. Because,” she adds, glancing at the house, “I’m planning to live with this family for a long time.”
Changbin bursts out laughing. “That’s not a resolution, that’s survival.”
She shoots him a look. “You’re exactly why I need more patience.”
Changbin raises his hands in surrender, still smiling. “Fair,” he then leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Okay, my turn.” His tone shifts. Still playful, but softer. “I’ll protect all of you. Always. Channie, Bokkie, the twins… Innie included.” He adds the last part like it’s obvious, like it’s always been true.
Jeongin doesn’t tease him for once. She just smiles, and bumps her shoulder lightly against his.
Chan blinks at him, then nods, a little shy. “I’ll… I’ll try to be less shy around new people,” he says next, voice quiet but steady. “I want to talk more. Like… not hide behind Mumma all the time.”
Yongbok gasps dramatically. “Channie talks a lot already!”
Chan smiles, embarrassed.
Yongbok doesn’t wait to be called. She jumps to her feet. “My resolution is to make Jinjin a lady boss.”
Everyone stares at her. “A… what?” Jeongin asks.
Yongbok plants her hands on her hips. “A lady boss. She already is one, but I’ll help her be more.”
Hyejin beams like she’s just been crowned queen of the universe.
Jihan immediately nods. “I wanna follow Jinjin,” he says simply.
“See?” Yongbok says proudly. “Main character energy.”
Finally, Hyejin stands up, wobbling slightly but full of confidence. She points at the far end of the garden. “I wanna run faster.”
Changbin laughs. “That’s it?”
“Yes!” She nods seriously. “Very fast.”
The kids were absolutely certain they had done something important. None of the adults would ever know the details, of course.
The kids slip back inside quietly.
The living room is still full of adult voices, low laughter, overlapping plans. Seungmin’s dramatic complaining, Jisung’s warm chuckle, Minhee’s teasing tone, Hyunjin’s soft but firm replies. None of them notice the line of small conspirators padding past the hallway.
Chan leads, careful and quiet, glancing back every few steps to make sure everyone’s still there. Changbin follows with his hands in his hoodie pockets, looking far too satisfied for someone his age. Jeongin trails behind them, phone tucked under her arm, expression thoughtful like she’s already rewriting her life plan in her head.
Yongbok grabs little Hyejin’s hand, whispering excited nonsense about lady boss training and running lessons, while Jihan toddles after them, nearly tripping but following anyway.
They climb the stairs one by one.
At the top, they pause, all of them standing in the dim hallway, breathing softly, exchanging looks that say we did something important.
No words are spoken. They don’t need to be. Whatever resolutions they made out there, whatever promises they whispered to the air, it feels settled.
Solid. Real.
Chan smiles to himself, shoulders a little straighter than before. Changbin ruffles his hair without thinking, protective already, while Jeongin exhales, calm, certain.
Yongbok beams like she’s already achieved everything she set out to do. Hyejin pumps her tiny fist, victorious. Jihan copies her exactly, just like how he said he would.
Downstairs, the adults are still talking. Planning, laughing, worrying, loving the same way they always do. And inside, the kids were doing the same.
Full, warm, and ready for whatever comes next.