It was after two days when Dara found out that Donghae has already gone back to Korea. She didn’t know how she feels about that. Glad that he’s already gone and maybe disapppointed that he didn’t stay a little bit longer. Even after that confrontation that they had, there’s still a part of her that seems to be glad to see him with her son. She feels somehow comforted that he was there for Haru. But the jerk left without even so much as a text message. He only called two days after to talk to Haru. Not even asking her if she was okay or whatever. His voice had been formal and detached when he asked for him and he didn’t even thought to mention he was already calling from Korea! If it wasn’t for Kwanghee, she wouldn’t even know. All this time she wax preparing herself for another round with him only to find out he’s already thousand miles away. Damn jerk.

She glared at the monitor as she will herself to focus on her task. The articles are now ready. Submitted for printing and they are just waiting for the copy of it. All is good. She tapped her computer to get it on the article she had written for the Aquarium Mall along with the picture of him. Joross had managed to get a photo of him sitting behind his desk at his office in Elf Tower. How Joross managed to do that, they had no idea. Maybe he’s a secret member of the paparazzi or something.

She tapped the photo and rolled the scroll button to enlarge it. His smile is just a small stretch of his lips, his eyes reflecting the light of the flash on Joross’ camera. He looked the same yet he looked so different. His face held the boyish, mischievous look before. Now it’s the face of someone who doesn’t seem to laugh often. The face that became hard. And serious. The only time she saw a flash of her Donghae was when he was laughing and playing with Haru.

She jumped when her office door banged open and she immediately closed the photo window. And found Kwanghee running in with a worried look in his face. Or more like a terrified look on his face. She stood up immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“My father wants me to go home,” Kwanghee said, his pitch high. “He called me this morning and I can feel it. He knew! That… that man who saw us… I’m on a blind item in a newspaper. Look!” He showed her his phone with the headline Gay Son Of A Politician. She didn’t bother reading what’s on the text. She looked at Kwanghee.

“Did it say your name?”

“No.”

“Then how did you know it’s you?”

“How many sons of a politicians end up gay?!”

“You never know,” Dara said. “Don’t think eveything is about you.” Then she sighed when Kwanghee’s face didn’t change its look. “Kwanghee, just calm down. Maybe your dad misses you, that’s why he wanted you to come home.” Although she really doubt that but she would say anything to calm him down.

Kwanghee shook his head. “He never asks me to come home unless mom asks him to. He wants me to just move my main office there and leave Philippines. I don’t…. I don’t know what to do.” He plopped down on the chair next to her desk looking like he wanted to cry again. “He’ll ship me off to military. I’m sure of it. I heard his voice. It’s so firm and commanding and—“

“That’s what your father always sounds,” Dara said wryly.

“—and he seems to know exactly how to rattle me! Dara! I can’t be in the military!”

“Then tell him you don’t want to. You’re already an adult and you are capable of making your own decisions.”

Kwanghee looks like he’s not listening to her as he stared off into space. “I’m his only son. That turned out to be gay. Do you know how hard I’ve tried to make him proud of me? When he finds out I’m gay….” He wanted to cry again at that thought. “I don’t want to disappoint him as much I don’t want to disappoint my mom. You should’ve seen the look on their face when I told them I had a girlfriend. It’s like, their worst fears were unfounded. They loved you because you had proven all those silent rumors of me being homoual as false. They let me stay here because of that!”

“Kwanghee—“

“Come with me to Korea,” Kwanghee said looking at her beseechingly. “I’ll take care of all the papers and documents that are needed for Haru but please. Please! Please come with me.”

Dara just looked at Kwanghee with a pleading expression. Back to Korea? Last time she had visited was probably 10 months ago and it was only for 2 days. Kwanghee stood up and took hold of her hands, clutching it tight.

“With you, everything that are being circulated about me can be shut down. They can speculate but as long as you’re there with me, none of it will ever come through as the truth. And then Dad can let me be again. Please! Dara, please!”

Dara scowled at him. “You know that you never have to say please.” Then added as an afterthought, “Well, okay. Maybe sometimes.”

Kwanghee gave her a tight hug. “I will owe you so much!!”

“Yeah, you’ll owe me big time,” Dara said then she sighed. “But I really want to see my mom and SangHyun too.” She patted his back.

Kwanghee looked at her with a gratified expression. “I don’t know how else to thank you so… just relax and I’ll take care of everything. We’ll probably stay for a week. 2 weeks at most.”

“Did you told JoKwon yet?:”

Kwanghee’s hands dropped from her shoulders looking dejected. “That’s one conversation I really don’t think I’m looking forward to. We just made up and now….”

Dara slapped him on the shoulder playfully. “Now I feel better that I have a smooth sailing life and you have a complicated one.”

“Sometimes I wish I could be an old maid like you,” Kwanghee said wistfully.

Dara laughed. “Yeah right. You wouldn’t last a day.”

Kwanghee smiled fondly at her. “Thank you Dara.”

They flew to Korea after 3 days from the time they had made the plan in her office. Riding in the car that Kwanghee’s family had sent for them, Dara looked out at the bright blue sky while holding Haru as he sleeps in her arms. She sent Becky in a vacation while she’s in Korea. Kwanghee was on the phone on her left. Probably talking to JoKwon. She didn’t ask how Kwanghee had managed to tell him that but knowing JoKwon, he would forgive Kwanghee about everything. She sighed at that. She wished she can be as forgiving as him. She looked down at Haru and smoothed out his hair, his paicifier still in his mouth.

Donghae knew they are going back to Korea. He called yesterday while she was packing and she put the phone in her ear after he talked to Haru.

“My uh…” He sounds awkward and hesitant. “My mom and my dad wants to see Haru and… I told grandma and… well basically all of my family and… they wanted to meet him. Is it… is it okay if you can bring Haru… for a visit? I can fly back there and pick you up.”

Dara didn’t speak for a moment, feeling a little awkward too. After hitting him and basically telling him everything that happened to her after he dumped her was a little weird. “Uh… we’re… I mean… you don’t have to. We’re coming to Korea.”

It was Donghae’s turn to be silent on the other end so Dara continued, “We’ll be flying tomorrow so… I can just send you a message when we’re already there. I’m going to my mom’s so….”

“Of course,” Donghae said silently.

Silence ensued once more and Dara pursed her lips together. “So I guess I’ll just see you then,” she just said dismissively.

Donghae responded in a quiet tone, “I’ll see you, Dara.”

She had sat down on the edge of the bed while holding her phone. How come the way Donghae said that made her think that he said I miss you, Dara? She shook her head as the ridiculousness of her way of thinking. Kwanghee had influenced her much more than she thought he did. She let out a breath before resuming her packing.

“Do you want me to rent a hotel for you while you’re staying here?”

Dara was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Kwanghee say something. “What?” She blinked questioningly at him.

Kwanghee didn’t make a comment on her spacing out as he’s got a lot on his own mind to notice. “Do you want me to rent a hotel for you while you’re here in Seoul?” He repeated.

“No. I’m gonna stay in Busan with my mom. She would literally kill me if she found out she won’t get to see Haru 24/7 while I’m here.”

“But… you’ll be working at our Corporate Office like you said. Are you gonna travel back and forth?”

Dara nodded smirking at him. “I can handle it. I’m not really gonna work 8 hours a day since I got the permission of the president, anyway.”

Kwanghee smirked back at her. “You have a really influential person backing you up.”

“I’m just gonna rent a car—“

“You can use my car,” Kwanghee interrupted. “At least while we’re still here. And I can use my dad’s car. He’s got about too many of them anyway.”

“Sounds good. Just don’t blame me If I end up totaling it.”

“I won’t. You just need to pay me for it.”

Dara just chuckled and adjusted Haru’s head in her arms. Minutes later, she heard Kwanghee snoring on her side while the car trekked along the street to get to her house in Busan. She smiled as Haru tittered in his sleep, probably playing in his dreams again. Excitement filled her at the thought of seeing her mom and her brother again. Her brother is already an intern at an engineering firm, something which she is immensely proud of. Her baby brother, already building dream on his own. Her mom still has her laundry shop and her neighbor, Mrs. Nam, who became her closest friend, always helps her out. They were both widowed so they get along very well. And Mrs. Nam is living alone in her apartment, her children already have families of their own so she find comfort in Dara’s mother’s company.

Kwanghee helped her with her luggage when they arrived and SangHyun burst out the door when he saw them from the upstairs window. She grinned when Sanghyun looked disappointed that Haru was still sleeping. He helped Kwanghee put her bags inside the house while her mom placed the food on the table for them to eat. She immediately took Haru in her arms when his eyes opened sleepily while SangHyun hovered behind her making faces at Haru to make him giggle.

Kwanghee was very polite and courteous, sometimes passing on a joke or two while they were eating, that made her mother and SangHyun laugh. Haru was in SangHyun’s lap and was figuring out the complication of holding a spoon steadily. It was already dark when Kwanghee informed them that he needs to leave to go home and visit his mom now. He hugged Mrs. Park, clapped SangHyun’s shoulders and kissed Haru’s head. Dara walked him out to his car and he hugged her tight thankfully.

“I’ll be picking you up tomorrow at around 1 so we could have dinner with my parents,” Kwanghee said.

“I’m probably gonna be in Seoul. Donghae asked if his family can see Haru.”

Kwanghee narrowed his eyes at her teasingly and Dara rolled her eyes knowing he’s already in his good mood to start making fun of her again. “Aahhhh Donghae’s family.”

“Shut up,” Dara said.

Kwanghee chuckled. “Alright, alright I get it. Just let me know where and what time for me to pick you up.”

Kwanghee got inside his car and Dara watched it drove away. She noticed her mom stepping beside her and watched the car drove away too.

“How’s Kwanghee?”

Her mother knew her and Kwanghee’s set up. She will never keep secrets like that to her mom. Kwanghee’s okay with her knowing anyway.

“Still the same,” Dara said with a smile.

“He looked like he had lost some weight,” her mom commented. “His face looked a lot thinner from the last time I saw him.”

Dara chuckled and joked, “That’s what you call surgery, mom.”

“Really?” Her mom looked surprised which made her shook her head.

“Mom, I was kidding. Geez. Kwanghee’s going through some rough time but… he’ll get over it.”

Her mom watched her face in concern before asking, “How about you, Dara? Did you get over it?” She never really directly asked her about Donghae since she returned. Which Dara appreciates since she doesn’t really want to talk about it with her mom. That would be more than awkward to discuss your disastrous relationship with your mother.

Dara rolled her eyes. “Of course I did. Mom, this is me, your daughter.” She put her arms up to show her biceps. “I maybe skinny but I’m stronger than SangHyun.”

Her mother scowled. “Mmm-hmmm,” her mother just said. Her mother looked at her like she wanted to tell her something but then she just shook her head slightly as she turned. “Go back in. It’s chilly here.”

Dara smiled as she watched her mom go inside and realized she had missed her mom much more than she thought she did. Her dainty, reserved movements, her nagging, and her ministrations. She breathed in the cold night air feeling enormously glad that she came home. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out and saw that Donghae Is calling her. She hesitated for a minute before answering.

“Yes?”

“Om my god! Dara!” A female voice shrieked on the other end and Dara had to literally get the phone away from her ear.

“Hi Chaerin.” She smiled with a grimace after several minutes of her shrieking on the phone.

“You little . I am really really really mad at you right now, like you have no idea! But I’m just so glad that Donghae oppa found you. With my nephew! I’m so excited to see him! What did he look like??? Oppa said my nephew looks like him which I really doubt! God wouldn’t be so cruel as to give my nephew his face. Like, please no!”

Dara smiled as Chaerin babbled on without stopping and she took a seat on the brick bench as she listened to her. She missed this totally tactless girl too.

She heard Donghae in the background. “Have you seen my phone?”

Chaerin kept on talking until she heard Donghae again. “Is that my phone?”

“Please come here for a visit!” Chaerin continued as if she hadn’t heard Donghae and Dara could almost see her pouting.

“Shut it! Gimme that!” She heard Donghae again.

“You shut it!” Chaerin fired back at him. “I’m talking to my girl here. Ow! Get off! Ow! My nails!!!”

“Go play with your own phone, jesus christ.” She heard Donghae grumble. “Who are you talking to on my phone?”

“I’m talking to Dara!”

“Why did you call her? She’s exhausted from the flight! Why did you think I wasn’t calling her? Don’t badger her!”

“She would want to talk to me! I’m her best friend!”

“Give her time to rest!”

They already forgot she was on the other line and can actually hear them. Henceforth, she was a little touched that Donghae wasn’t calling her because he thinks she’s tired from the flight. She sighed inwardly. God, she’s hopeless. After everything he said to her, she still had it in her to be touched by a single show of his consideration?

“Girls don’t work that way. They would want to hear from their girlfriends they haven’t seen for so long instead of sleeping it in. She’s fully awake when I called!” Chaerin was saying.

“Of course she’s awake because you called her!”

“Hmp! Well you oughta know, she’s still there. I haven’t hung up yet,” Chaerin said sounding disgruntled.

Silence. And then Donghae’s voice came clear. “Hello?” he said hesitantly.

“Yup, still here,” Dara said fighting the urge to smile.

“Oh.” Was only Donghae’s short reply like a silent breath whooshing out of his mouth. Neither of them spoke for a second.

“Uh… How’s Haru?” He asked after what seemed like a long silence.

“He’s with SangHyun and my mom,” Dara said.

“Did you… did you have a safe flight?”

Dara smirked now. “Duh.”

He can hear Donghae’s soft chuckle probably realizing how stupid that question is. It made Dara feel more weird that they were able to talk to each other without biting each other’s head off. Maybe they should stick in speaking through the phone