Chapter 101. Baby Daddy

“You taste like raw fish,” she managed to say when he tried to pull her for another kiss.

Yonghwa laughed rubbing a thumb on the sides of her lips, “Back at you, girlfriend.”

“Stop calling me that!” Seohyun grumbled pushing him away at the same time slipping off his lap.

“But you are my girlfriend, you said so yourself,” he shrugged taking his chopsticks from the table.

“And you’re using that to tease me,” she grumbled then murmured to herself although loud enough for him to hear, “I shouldn’t have said it then.”

“Hey, no taking back!” He warned her teasingly with the chopsticks pointed at her.

Rolling her eyes, she focused her attention on the food but her thoughts lingered on what just happened. It wasn’t something she’d thought of—obviously, she just blabbered nervously when he mentioned about extending. And she only realized the complexity of what she said now that she was able to think it through. Although he looked ecstatic, Seohyun knew she would regret this somehow.

But, like he said, there’s no taking back what she said.

Then again, Seohyun realized that she might actually get him to admit that he loves her somehow, and maybe she’d accept when he would ask her again. This thought made her giddy, silly of her to think that she’d only say yes if confessed his love for her. That was what she wanted because she didn’t want her daughter to grow up the way she and her brother did— in a loveless marriage, with a cold, cold set of parents.

Euna should be the lucky one, she promised herself.

“I can hear you thinking,” Yonghwa chuckled when she turned to him with brow raised after saying that.

“Of course I’m thinking,” she grunted but he only gave her a teasing smile.

“Is there anything we should be worrying about?” He asked lightly then dropped his eyes on his plate.

That made her sigh and shook her head. He was right after all. This was not the time to be thinking too much. Thankfully, they were distracted by their little girl whimpering in her sleep until she opened her eyes, her fingers scrating on her head like something annoyed her.

“That was a short nap, sweetheart?” Yonghwa smiled at their baby and picked her up from the stroller before she cried.

“She’s hungry,” Seohyun mumbled reaching out for the menu book, “Let’s see if we can get anything for this hungry baby.”

“I think they have porridge,” he suggested while fixing Euna on his lap but before he could get her settled, she lounged for the table again and got hold of the small plate of sauce. Yonghwa groaned just as Seohyun pushed it away making her angrier. “I’m sorry sweetheart,” he mumbled and as if she understood, she turned to him and dropped her head on his shoulder while her arms spread on his chest, “I feel bad for her.”

Seohyun smiled rubbing her hand on her baby’s back, “There’s a fish porridge, should be safe for her.” She called in to order while he coaxed Euna to take a sip of the fresh orange juice he was drinking but she turned away and babbled softly. Seohyun giggled, “She’s so upset.”

“Why are you so cute, Euna?” Yonghwa couldn’t help but kiss her cheek as she tried to squirm and push his face away. He gave her morsels of rice but they were too little to satisfy her that she only got angrier.  When her food arrived, she shifted from her Appa’s arms seemingly knowing it was for her that she started smacking her lips together and pushed herself on her Umma while she transferred some on a smaller bowl.

“Do you think you can eat all of these?” Seohyun asked then blew a spoonful of porridge. Euna groaned while reaching out to her and tried to grab her arm as the food came closer, “Oh baby, you’re so hungry?”

Euna opened so wide with her eyes following every movement of the spoon before it reached her. The moment she had that first taste, she stopped chewing her eyes blinked that looked more like a wink and she swallowed. “Uwah, it’s that good?” Yonghwa asked and was about to kiss her cheek but she pushed him away and opened .

They laughed but their little one grumbled and started yelling, her eyes trained only on her little bowl of happiness. Euna ate and ate barely letting up to the amusement of her parents; she was so happy that a giggle or two would come out in between her slurping her food. And when her umma scraped the little bowl clean, her eyes dropped on the bigger bowl.

“Oh, Euna,” Seohyun cried, “It wasn’t a dare when I asked if you could finish the big bowl.”

Laughing, Yonghwa arranged her on his lap and give her water, “Drink up first. You’re tummy’s about to explode.”

Thankfully, she took her feeding bottle but she was still looking at the bowl. Seohyun giggled, “Look at her! No one’s going to get your food, Euna.”

“She’s watching over it like a hawk,” he chuckled kissing the top of their baby’s head.

She only smiled thankful for her baby once more who created another escape from her own wandering mind. Yonghwa looked up to her at that moment and gave her a knowing smile as if he understood—

He probably did.

~~~~

“Unnie,” Eunsuk paced back and forth in her sister-in-law’s home office, “You have to talk to Yonghwa and Seohyun.”

Hyeonji removed her eye glasses and watched as the other woman finally retreated on the chaise across her, “What happened?”

“Her father’s firm will be opening soon and we can no longer hide this from Sunggwang,”

For the past months, they managed to keep this from her brother through the help of Jungmo whom they decided to let in to their secret just to be able to filter the happenings from the patriarch of the family. Although Yonghwa's eldest brother was not really happy finding out the truth, he couldn't do anything since he also agreed that the change in his brother's lifestyle was the best thing that happened to him. And since things seemed to be working out between her nephew and Seohyun, Hyeonji forgot that they have a potential problem in their hands. She sighed, “It makes me wonder what her parents are planning since they haven’t made any effort to reach out to us nor Seohyun.”

“Or she just didn’t tell us…” Eunsuk offered indignantly.

Hyeonji nodded although she didn’t totally agree with that but she realized that something must be done soon, “I will talk to Yonghwa.”

“Are you going to tell him the truth about the cancelled arrangement?” She inquired looking anxious, obviously unsure of the best way to go through this.

“We have to,” she touched her temple, if she only knew that this would turn out a lot complicated, she wouldn’t have encouraged this lie that they did. But seeing Yonghwa now, she recognized the changes in him and she hoped that her brother would just look at how he became with Seohyun and Euna.

“I