Chapter 97. Blind Spot

Yonghwa laughed as the baby in the backseat was trying to compete with the nursery song he had on the stereo. Euna was only belting ‘ahhh’ in monotone but hitting another note before and after she would take a deep breath. He was worried that she would throw tantrums when Seohyun left but it seemed that she hadn’t even realized her umma was no longer in the car with them.

They tried to take her out to say hello to Yuri but she kicked and screamed so they decided against it. And thinking she wanted to have the car to keep moving, he decided to drive around for a bit just so her mood wouldn’t change. Humming along, he was just waiting that all this singing would make her sleepy so he could finally take her out of the car and into the baby spa.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh….” Euna continued after a long sigh then she started coughing but she tried to continue in between coughs that had her appa laughing.

“Aigoo,” he cooed loudly then decided to just turn the volume of the stereo down, “You okay back there, sweetheart?” In reply, the baby coughed loudly and looking at the rear-view mirror, he could see that her legs were kicking high up in the air.  Yonghwa hurriedly pulled up in the nearest possible parking space he could find and gave her a bottle of water. To his amusement, the little girl grinned widely at him and quickly on her drink. He chuckled while brushing a hand on her forehead, “You need to rest that voice too, rockstar.”

Euna spat out the of her bottle then cooed at him with brows meeting in the center.

Whatever his baby was saying, it must be something important so he replied back, “Really? Yeah, I think you can sing that well too. But Euna, are you ready to go to the baby spa? Do you remember that? Where you went swimming and met other babies?” She cooed back before grabbing her milk bottle filled with water once more, “Alright then, after this water, we will go and meet your friends, okay?”

Once Yonghwa was sure that she wouldn’t throw him any more fit, he went back to driving and could only be relieved when he realized that she had fallen asleep. His stomach started growling when he reached the baby spa and he had to find a café to take care of his hunger pangs. His baby slept through the whole process of being taken off the car seat to the stroller they always kept in this car that had been a sort of a ‘family’ ride. Thankfully, there weren’t so many people inside the café to bother her sleep and Yonghwa could eat peacefully.

Afterwards, he decided to call Seohyun as promised before they separated. She answered after a few rings, and he chuckled at the sigh she heard on the other line, “How’s it going?”

“It’s good, but I’ll tell you more later,” she replied in a hushed tone then continued with a normal voice, “How’s Euna? Did you make it to the spa already?”

“She’s sleeping,” he reached out to touch their baby’s cheek, “I had to drive around until she fell asleep. I’m eating now in the café near the spa.”

“Oh yeah, I’m sorry… you must have been hungry. I hope she didn’t give you a hard time,” she sighed, “By the way, I made the reservation for one p.m. but I told them it might be later.”

“That’s good,” he nodded, “I have time to enjoy my coffee for a bit. And you don’t have to rush meeting us, okay? Enjoy your time with Yuri.”

“Enjoy your time with Euna too,” she said in a tone that suggested her smile to him but then that changed into something playful when she continued, “Oppa, I prepared something special for you at the spa.”

Yonghwa’s eyes narrowed as if she was right there in front of him to see it, “What is it?” The laugh on the other end of the line seemed to tickle him as well and he knew that he wasn’t going to get a reply so he snorted instead, “Is it going to be a threat to my masculinity?”

Seohyun laughed—a hearty laugh that made him chuckle, “Just enjoy, okay?”

“Just?” He groaned. This weird feeling of keeping her on the phone just to hear her laugh, to keep her talking—to keep having this feeling.

Until Euna started whimpering in her stroller. Yonghwa leaned over and grinned when his baby’s face registered this big relief upon seeing him. “She’s awake now,” he whispered as he offered his finger to their baby which she easily wrapped around her hand.

“Did you finish your coffee at least?” Seohyun asked worry lacing her voice.

“She’s in a good mood,” he replied in a coo as if talking to Euna instead. She smiled then rubbed her fist on her face as she yawned. “You better hang up now,” he sighed noticing that he sounded disappointed and easily regretted that when Euna gave him her fishy smile. After Seohyun did, he took the baby in his arms and she squealed tapping her little hands on his face.

“Did you have a good nap?” He asked kissing her chin until she started cooing which sounded close to her saying ‘appa’, so he replied, “Ne? Are you hungry? Do you want your milk now?”

He had been doing this for a while now and he easily managed to put her back to her stroller without any more commotion and she quietly drank her milk while he finished his coffee. It was then that he noticed this group of women around his age at the far end of the café. They were trying to catch his eyes— but nothing, he felt nothing. Yonghwa couldn’t even remember what he would do before, before this little one came along.

“Apppppaaaaaahhhh.”

“Ne?” He lilted back then chuckled when she just grinned and put her milk bottle back in . Rubbing his finger on her cheek, he cooed back, “My eyes are only for you, Euna. I won’t even look at them again.”

And he didn’t as Euna grabbed her left foot with her free hand and happily chugged her lunch.

Yonghwa never felt this content— as content as his baby with her milk.

~~~~

“I’m so sorry to be the bearer of this kind of news,” Yuri hooked her arm on Seohyun as they walked around this particular shop after their lunch.

Sighing, she shook her head, “Aniyo, at least I have an idea with what’s happening now and probably start figuring out the best options.” Her unnie moved to one aisle and gestured for her to follow with that sneaky grin. Seohyun laughed softly seeing the displays in front of them but before she knew it, her fingers were running through lace after lace, colors after colors. The soft fabrics skin but the thought body. She swallowed realizing she was getting excited just by the idea of him seeing her with any of these lingerie. “So many… how to choose?” Seohyun murmured almost to herself but a soft tug made her turn to see what the older woman had in her hands.

It was the skimpiest pair of underwear, pure lace and almost see-through despite its deep red hue. Despite being advertised as boyshorts, the back cut would definitely show an ample of curve maybe to match with the half cup bra top. She gasped taking the hanger in her hands and shaking her head at Yuri, “No, no… I can’t. Not this one!”

 “You look terrified,” Yuri laughed grabbing it back at her, “Something like this, Hyun. It would definitely blow his mind while you blow his—”

Seohyun didn’t need to hear the rest so she moved to another aisle where the swim wears were located. She didn’t really plan to go swimming and owned a few pairs at the lake house already but it would probably a good tease for him. She shook her head smiling to herself since this was totally not her— at least in the past but this time she found her sensuality because of him and she was totally embracing it.

And exploring some more— with him.

She found a perfect set of bikini in the same color as the lingerie her unnie showed. Biting her lips, she had this wild idea of taking those, with the bikinis. And in no time, she found a sheer robe that could be a perfect match for her lingerie set. Yuri seemed to have realized that she wanted to do this by herself so she wandered off by herself. Once they met again, Seohyun gave her a knowing smile when she saw that her unnie also got herself some ‘goodies’. Perhaps it was also the reason why she left her by herself, she didn’t ask anymore but she hoped her Unnie also has someone special to share it with.

Afterwards, they both deposited their shopping bags in the car and headed to the baby spa. The quiet ride only made her even more aware of her situation. Yuri was right that it was a better choice if she work for her brother. Growing up, her brother had been her protector although she noticed that the pressure had been pressed more on him than her. Maybe because she was a girl, maybe because she was younger but her parents seemed to have been lax with her. But after overhearing her parents talk about arranging her to marry someone, she realized that she may be another pawn for them.

And yes, now that her ‘arrangement’ with Yonghwa was getting closer to the end, Seohyun should really consider this. Turning to her unnie, she started sweetly as if she was not serious at all, “Unnie, I have an idea.”

“Hmmm?” Yuri shifted to her for a second before focusing back on the road as she drove.

“I’ll say yes to Oppa if you accept his offer too,” she spoke giddily but laughed when she snorted, “Aw come on, Unnie! How nice it is to see your first love every day?”