Weeks passed and the seasons started to change as spring slowly transformed into summer. Regardless of whether Jaeyong had classes, extracurricular activities, or no school at all, making her attend a daycare, Jiyong was always there to pick her up every Friday. However, the secret between Jiyong and Jaeyong was quickly exposed…a whole 48 hours after their first meeting to be exact.

[Flashback]

“Aigoo,” Dara laughed as she watched her daughter enthusiastically get ready for school, “I’ve never seen you this excited about going to school baby.”

Jaeyong look up at Dara after putting on her shoes, “The sooner the better,” she said with sparkling eyes.

“The sooner the better for what?” Bom asked with an amused smile.

“The sooner Monday is over, the closer it will be to being Friday,” Jaeyong giggled as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Her answer received giggles from the older women. “Is there something happening on Friday?” Dara asked, “Something going on at school?”

Jaeyong shook her head, “Ani, I’m meeting J-” she stopped as she remembered Jiyong’s words. Oh right, it’s a secret between me and Jingyo-appa. Silly Jaeyongie, she thought as she mentally facepalmed herself.

“W-who are you meeting with?” Bom asked with wide eyes, J? Jiyong? Have they met again? Already?

“Ah,” Jaeyong bit her lip nervously, I’m not supposed to tell omma...and probably auntie Bom too… “Um, I’m not meeting anyone,” she said unconvincingly as she avoided both Dara and Bom’s stares.

“Uh huh,” Dara said, not believing the words coming from her daughter’s mouth, “Come on baby,” She said encouragingly as she placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, “You can tell omma anything. Who are you meeting with on Friday?” She asked as she lowered herself to her daughter’s height.

“Um…um,” Jaeyong nervously started to tap her index fingers together, a habit she had picked up from her mother, “Omma might get mad though…” she said softly, Jingyo-appa said omma didn’t want Jaeyongie to see Jingyo-appa because omma is upset with him.

“Omma promises to not get mad,” Dara smiled, “Can you tell omma who you’re meeting with on Friday?”

Biting her lip, Jaeyong nervously looked up at Dara and nodded, “Jingyo-appa….”

Appa? Dara raised an eyebrow. Jingyo-appa?

APPA???? JINGYO-APPA??? Bom thought frantically, Does he know?? Does Jiyong know Jaeyong is his? No…it can’t be…that’s not possible. I strictly told Daesung-ah tell Jiyong that Jaeyong was my daughter. There’s no way he would say anything otherwise. Daesung-ah is a loyal person…a person who will keep their promises. Plus, he understands, she looked over at her sister and niece, he understands that it’s not the right time for him to know. Not yet. Maybe, she bit her lip in thought, maybe he figured it out on his own…maybe he feels that father-daughter connection with Jaeyong…maybe that’s why he wants her to call him appa…but if that's the case, why hasn't he shown up yet?

“Who’s Jingyo-appa?” Dara asked with confusion, “you mean your Jingyo-oppa?” she smiled, maybe I just heard it wrong.

“Neh,” Jaeyong nodded, “Jingyo-oppa told me he’ll be like an appa to me since Jaeyongie’s appa disappeared.”

The smile on Dara’s face instantly dropped at the mention of Jiyong’s disappearance, “Ah…really?” she asked softly.

“Neh,” Jaeyong nodded again without noticing the change in her mother’s expression, “Jingyo-oppa told me he’ll be my appa and take me to different places and eat lots of delicious things. He promised to meet up every Friday from now on,” she smiled excitedly, “So, Jingyo-oppa is now Jingyo-appa.”

Dara’s eyes widened, How? How can someone be that selfless and caring? To be an appa like oppa? Why does that sound so familiar? She wondered, Ah…appa like oppa…..oppa like dongsaeng…kind of like Jiyong…she shook off the thought, No…not like Jiyong. This is Jingyo-oppa, Jaeyong’s Jingyo-oppa. A man that wants to take care of her just like a father, to give her experiences I can’t. But what if this Jingyo-oppa is not a good person? Is it really okay to trust a man I’ve never met? “Jingyo-oppa is going to take you places?” she asked with worry.

“Neh,” Jaeyong nodded happily, “He promised me he’ll take me to the zoo this week,” she said with sparkling eyes.

Seeing the excitement in her daughter’s eyes, Dara didn’t have the heart to question further. “That sounds wonderful baby,” she said as she hugged her daughter. “Give omma a couple more minutes to get ready and we’ll head out soon, okay?”

“Mhmm,” I guess omma isn’t mad with Jaeyong meeting up with Jingyo-appa. Jingyo-appa was worrying for nothing, she thought as she giggled to herself.

Dara slowly went back to the kitchen where Bom was washing their breakfast dishes. “Unnie,” she started.

“What’s the matter Dara?” Bom asked with concern as she placed the last plate in the drying rack.

“Do you think it’s okay to trust this guy? This Jingyo-oppa?” Dara asked, “I haven’t even met the man and he want to take my daughter out, he wants to be a father figure to her. But what if…” her eyes darkened, “What if he’s not a trustworthy person? Someone that will harm Jaeyong?”

Interesting, Bom thought, So that’s why Jaeyong calls him appa…he offered to be a father figure to Jaeyong…without even knowing he’s actually her father, she laughed internally at the thought, “He is a trustworthy person Dara,” she smiled, “he seems like he’d be the last person to ever harm Jaeyong. Trust me.”

“How do you know? Have you met him?” Dara frowned.

“Remember that time Jingyo-oppa took Jaeyong out of school early? I met him when he dropped her off,” Bom stated, “I was able to…talk to him after we tucked Jaeyong in. He cares a lot about Jaeyong, you can see it in his eyes. I wouldn’t worry about him taking Jaeyong out on adventures. Plus, isn’t this a good thing? Jaeyong will have a father figure in her life now because of Jingyo-oppa,” Bom said.

“Mmmm,” Dara thought over Bom’s words, “That is true…since Jiyong isn’t here, at least she’ll have her Jingyo-oppa in her life. Plus, if you say he’s a good person and care a lot for Jaeyong, then I guess it’ll be alright,” she nodded as she walked out of the kitchen to grab her work things.

Jiyong…even if he doesn’t know Jaeyong is his daughter, I know he’d never hurt her. Plus…let’s be honest, Dara is one stubborn piece of work, she thought as she leaned on the counter, She’s scared to let Jiyong back in because she’s scared he’ll leave again…worse, he’ll leave with Jaeyong in tow. Right now, more than anything, Jaeyong needs a father figure in her life. And…Jiyong probably is the best fit for that role...This is the only way for Jiyong to get to know his daughter before things get more complicated. And...even if Dara doesn't want to admit it, she needs him in her life too...she sighed, You better not mess this opportunity up, because if you do, I really will fry your Kwon Jiyong.

[End of Flashback]

Just as he promised, Jiyong did take Jaeyong to the zoo that Friday. And every Friday after that he would take her anywhere she wanted to go whether it was the beach, Namsan Tower, the aquarium, wherever. No matter where they ended up going Jiyong always treated her to dinner or even cooked food for her at his own apartment afterwards before dropping her off at home. It didn’t matter where they would end up going, all that mattered to Jiyong was spending time with this special little girl. Just spending time with her made his boring life light up, making his world a little brighter. When Jaeyong had told him that her omma was okay with her spending time with him, to say he was surprised was definitely an understatement. Although, knowing that he had permission to hang out with Jaeyong, to be a father-like figure in her life took a load off his chest. He didn’t think he could fool Bom for too long nor did he think Jaeyong could keep a secret from her mother for so long.

Therefore, each and every Friday when Jiyong dropped Jaeyong off, he was greeted by Bom who still sent him glares, but nevertheless still let Jaeyong spend time with him. As the weeks passed, those glares were soon replaced with small smiles as well as questions about what they did together before sending him off. However, each and every time that’s all he saw, he only saw Bom…never Dara. He never asked, just assumed that maybe Dara happened to be visiting them that one time. Work and Jaeyong consumed all his time that he officially put a stop on researching Dara for now. If he was to find out who his child was, he would meet them, he knew fate would eventually bring them together whether Dara wanted them to or not.

“Have a good day at school baby,” Dara said as she hugged her daughter in front of the school gate, “remember to play nice with the other kids.”

“I will,” she giggled as Dara placed a few kisses on her cheeks.

“Is Jingyo-oppa picking you up today?”

“Mhmm,” she nodded enthusiastically, “Jingyo-appa promised to take me to Lotte World today!”

“Wah, what a lucky girl,” she smiled, “Oh, remember to say thank you to Jingyo-oppa, okay?”

“I will,” she nodded again as the school bell rang, “Ah, I better get going omma, class is going to start soon!”

“Ah! One last thing, remember to invite Jingyo-oppa for dinner next week, okay?”

“Okay!” she yelled as she ran to class.

“Aigoo,” Dara laughed as she watched her daughter enter the school building, “Jingyo-oppa…what in the world did I do in the last lifetime to be so lucky to have you in my daughter’s life? I can’t thank you enough for the endless amount of smiles you’ve brought my daughter,” she mumbled to herself as she walked towards her car. After Jaeyong started spending her Friday afternoons with her Jingyo-oppa, she never stopped smiling and laughing as she told Bom and Dara about her adventures with him a countless number of times. Having this father figure in her life even caused Jaeyong to stop asking Dara about her actual father which took a lot of stress off Dara’s chest. In addition to that, Jiyong never showed up again, she never heard a word about him. Everything started to look up and without the stress of Jiyong, Dara’s health started to improve once more. She started to gain weight as well as eat and sleep properly again. Everything was perfect…except for that dull throb that would remind her of that empty space in her heart…the space she knows only one person could fill… “Aish, stop thinking about him,” She let out a small sigh before starting up the car, “time to finally meet you Jingyo-oppa.”

“Did you have fun today?” Jiyong asked.

“Neh,” Jaeyong nodded as she yawned.

“Tired?” he chuckled, squeezing her hand.

Suddenly she stopped in her tracks and extended her arms towards him, “Carry,” she pouted sleepily.

“Aigoo,” he chuckled as he bent over to pick her up into his arms, “Let’s get you home now.”

“Mhmm,” she nodded into his neck.

“What do you want to do next week?” he asked as they made their way towards the exit of Lotte World. “Next week is Jingyo-appa’s birthday,” he hinted with a smile.

“Really?” her eyes widened as she pulled away to look at him.

“Yup,” he flashed her a smile, “And I want to spend my birthday with you,” he said as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

“Yay!” she cheered, hugging his neck tighter, “Oh! I almost forgot. Omma wants to invite you over for dinner next Friday.”

“Really?” he raised an eyebrow in surprise, Bom wants to have dinner with me? Now that is a surprise. She seems to tolerate me hanging out with her daughter every week, but dinner?

“Mhmm, she says she wants to see you,” Jaeyong explained, “And also to thank you for taking me to so many places.”

Ah, that makes sense, he smiled, “I’d love to. Hmmm,” I still want to have Jaeyong-Jiyong only time though, “you know what people eat on their birthdays?” he asked.

“Cake!” she quickly answered.

“Yup,” he nodded, “how about this, before we see your omma for dinner, let’s bake a cake together?”

Her eyes immediately lit up at the idea, “Yes!!” she smiled as she hugged him tighter.

“It’s a deal then,” he chucked as he her hair, This will be the best birthday I’ve had in a while, I can just feel it.

One week later.

“So Ji,” Youngbae started as he picked up some food off his plate, “are you leaving early again today?”

“Yup,” he nodded as he took a bite of his lunch, “Of course, it’s my birthday,” he smirked.

“Your birthday? Please Ji,” Youngbae rolled his eyes, “How long have I known you? 10 years? You’ve never been that excited about your birthday that you'd even skip work.”

“Are you meeting up with Jaeyong-ah again?” Daesung asked as he took a sip of his drink.

Jiyong nodded, “Yeah, Bom noona wants me over for dinner.”

“Bom noona?” Youngbae asked, “You mean THE Bom noona?”

“Yeah,” Jiyong nodded, “Jaeyong-ah said that her mom wants me over for dinner.”

Daesung’s eyes widened slightly before having to bite his inner cheek in an attempt to conceal his laughter, “Bom noona is Jaeyong’s mom,” he smoothly lied when he saw confusion on Youngbae’s face.

“Ah, that makes sense,” Youngbae said with a slight nod before resuming his meal.

Daesung looked over to Jiyong who also nodded in agreement to what he had said about Bom. Seriously? How dense is this man? How can he not tell Jaeyong-ah is his daughter? Shouldn’t it be obvious? Their connection is unbelievable, how can he not even question it anymore? Just denying it once was enough to convince him that Jaeyong is Bom’s and not his. Aigoo, he shook his head in amusement, even I could tell after their second meeting. Meeting with Bom noona just confirmed Jaeyong was his. Aish, hopefully he doesn’t fire me after he finds out I was keeping this from him and helping noona. But it’s for his own good! He pouted at the thought, and I’m just a good dongsaeng looking out for my hyung.

“What are you pouting about Dae?” Youngbae chuckled.

“Just thinking about how many appointments I’ll need to cancel now,” he chuckled, aish, that was a close one.

“Ah,” he chuckled, “Who would’ve thought workaholic Kwon Jiyong always plays hooky and leaves work early every Friday. Even if you have work that needs to be done or meetings that need to be scheduled, you always make it work so you can leave early.”

“Well, if you have a very capable secretary,” he smirked at Daesung, “it’s very possible to manage everything very well. Postpone work that can be postponed for another day and schedule meetings around Friday afternoons,” he shrugged, "it's as easy as that."

“All this for a little girl, huh?” Youngbae chuckled, “Who knew that the great Kwon Jiyong would change so drastically because of a little girl. I’ve spent years trying to get you take some time off from work, but just a couple of weeks with this girl and you play hooky all the time now.”

Jiyong just shrugged, “I know she’s another man’s child and her mother is my ex’s sister, but I just can’t help but feel so attached to her,” he sighed, “I don’t know, it’s strange. In the past I’ve always tried to fill the void in my heart with work, but then, Jaeyong came along and filled that space.”

Cake box in one hand and Jaeyong’s hand in another, Jiyong nervously approached the familiar apartment door. Once they reached it, Jiyong could feel the palms of his hands start to sweat, come on dude, it’s just noona. She invited you for dinner to thank you, she won’t go all Bominator on you…probably…he thought as he took a deep breath.

Jaeyong easily typed in the keycode to the apartment, letting them both in.

“Omma!” she called as she slipped off her shoes and placed them neatly into the shoe rack before running further into the apartment.

“I’m in the kitchen baby,” a familiar voice answers.

Jiyong’s eyebrows immediately scrunched together, “Bom noona sounds different today…” he muttered before slipping off his shoes.

“Omma!” Jaeyong cried again as she started running towards the kitchen.

Right as Jiyong rounds the corner towards the kitchen he sees Dara. Dara? Why is-

His thoughts were interrupted by Jaeyong’s voice, “Omma, I’m home,” Jaeyong giggled as she ran into Dara’s arms, smothering Dara’s face with little kisses blocking Dara's view of Jiyong.

“Welcome home baby,” Dara responded, kissing her cheeks lovingly.

Jiyong silently stared at the two girls in front of him in silence, his heart thundering as he watched the scene before him unfold. “Omma?” he whispered, eyes slowly widening.

A/N: Here's a kind of longer update. Hope you liked it! Let me know what you thought or if you have any questions in the comment section down below ^___^

Thanks for reading, subscribing, upvoting, and commenting ^___^ 

Chapter 6/8 done.

Hmmm, I wonder what's going to happen next ;D

Until Next Time! Pyong~