Chapter 66. Years

Part 1

She sat on that lone bench away from everybody and just watched the bustle in front of her. Appa was talking to her grandfather and Changmin Samchon while she looked around for her mommy. She found her talking to Sarang’s mom by the other end of the garden. Umma must have felt that she was watching her because she turned and smiled at her. She then gestured towards her friends playing at a distance but Euna shook her head and looked away. One of her friends told her that her umma has a baby in her tummy and it made Euna sad somehow.

It had been two birthdays ago when she wished for a baby brother herself that she soon found out that she needed to have a mother first. She did have Joohyun Umma now but her baby brother was not happening yet. She sighed again. Despite her impatience to have a sibling, Euna felt like everything happened too fast right after her umma and appa got married. Now, they live in her mommy’s huge house since they could not leave harabeoji alone. The house was like a castle for her, especially her bedroom, it made her feel like a real princess in her story books but then again she was sad.

Euna saw her appa approached her mommy then he put a hand on her waist and they kissed. It made her smile because the fairytale she wove in her head finally came true. Appa was the choosy prince and umma was the real princess. She remembered their wedding that was held just a few months after they stopped the plane. It was the kind she would want to have too and appa got really upset when she told him about it. Now she earned a new bestfriend-- her Joohyun umma. They would talk every night before she went to sleep and she would tell her everything even her secret dreams. She knew too that her umma had a very special heart because she never wanted for Euna to forget about her Ha In Umma, they would even visit her grave together once in a while.

Everything was really better when her appa married umma but one thing she could not understand was every time she would ask her about her baby brother, her mommy would just embrace her and looked sadly at her so she promised herself not to mention it since it made her sad. Now that Euna had her mommy, it would be better to really have a baby brother to make her wish complete but it seemed that it wasn't happening yet. Though both her parents were busy with their separate jobs, they still find time to spend with her but those moments that Euna was alone in the big house made her long to have a playmate.

That made Euna sad again. She wanted to be happy on her special day but she could not help being lonely like that. Maybe she really needed to tell them that she badly needed to have a brother.

“Euna, come here...” her Aunt Taeyeon called her so she ran to where they were and sat on her lap.

“Why that long sad face, baby? It's your birthday...” Taeyeon asked as she adjusted the hem of the little girl’s dress.

“It's my birthday again but I still don't have a baby brother yet...” she pouted then looked at her parents.

Yonghwa heaved a deep sigh and casting an apologetic look at his wife who moved closer to her sister-in-law. Deliberately ignoring that look from him, Joohyun sat on the chair next to her unnie and Euna’s hair, “Aigoo, you’re going to get your wish pretty soon, princess...”

“But I hope pretty soon is now...” she sighed again and Aunt Taeyeon could only clear to stop herself from laughing.

“Okay, okay come here,” Yonghwa carried his little girl but groaned out loud, “Euna is really not a baby anymore! You are too heavy!”

“Because I am eight now, Appa. Not a baby anymore!” Euna grumbled back wriggling off his arms, “And you’re an old man…”

They all laughed but somewhere inside his chest hurt with the way Joohyun was looking away from him. Although she understood his reasons, he knew that she was suffering more with his decision.

“I love you,” Yonghwa mouthed when she finally looked at him but Joohyun only gave him the same sad smile.

~~~

He placed the wine glass on the table and looked around for his wife but she seemed to have disappeared from view. After that little incident, Joohyun hardly talked to him and he was feeling even more unsettled because of that.  When he saw Euna playing with her friends, he asked if she had seen her mother.

“Don’t know,” she shrugged and ran away.

Yonghwa walked inside the house away from the happy laughter of the party outside. Somehow, he knew where to find her.  Joohyun was in the motion She was in the process of putting on a breezier top that she didn’t notice him walking behind her then pulled the fabric down her body. A small gasp escaped when she encircled her smaller frame against him and rested his chin on the crook of her neck, “Seems like you have been initiating a cold war with me for the past two hours. What have I done to upset you?”

“Nothing, I'm just thinking about what Euna said.” Joohyun waited for his reply but when nothing came she turned then sighed, “I don't know if I'm still buying your reason that we should enjoy each other first before having a baby...”

“Really, darling...” he softly pinched her nose then kissed her gently, “I just want to spend more time with you first. And even now you are dividing yourself between me and Euna and if a baby comes along, I bet you won't even look at me anymore.”

“That's a silly thing to say!” She lightly hit his chest and tiptoed to give him another kiss, “You're the father of my children, how can I not look at you? Besides, I love you...”

Only that made him grin smugly as he pulled her closer. Yonghwa kissed his wife slowly and thoroughly lingering on her lips for a moment despite the obvious way she was catching her breath.

Gently, Joohyun removed herself from him and with eyes closed, she whispered by his chest, “You know that I have been longing to have a baby of my own. I know there's Euna, but I want to experience it...