Chapter 130. Today Was Good

Yonghwa was lazing on his study with the remote on one hand scrolling away channels after channels. The volume was turned down low that he could hardly hear any sound so it was pretty worthless to watch anything else aside from some football. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled lazily when he saw Seohyun turning to him just in time. She yawned and shook her head when the baby sprawled on her chest twitched.

He nodded signaling that he didn’t mind waiting for her to give him time. The contentment of being home with them washed through him and there was nothing to complain about. Moments ago, Euna couldn’t contain her excitement as she explored the first floor of the lake house like it was a new playground for her— like she never spent most of her little life in here.

They just watched her with fascination and amusement as she strolled around in her walker mewling and babbling to herself. Before long she was exhausted and agitated but she didn’t really want to nap until Seohyun pulled out their sleeping mat in his study and laid down. He watched, entertained that her umma didn’t really coax her to lie down and she got even more annoyed of the lack of attention that she just crawled to her and laid down on her chest.

Euna whimpered and cried softly as her umma tapped her back gently waiting patiently for her to succumb to sleep. He could see her lids slowly closing but obviously fighting it. Yonghwa chuckled to himself at his little girl’s spirit— at this stubborn little character she was already showing. If Seohyun wanted her to fall in a deep sleep, she should might as well sleep herself because the little on would definitely wake up.

Just as he was having that thought, his phone killed the silence that he almost fell off the couch as he reached for it from the coffee table. He answered without checking who it was and mouthed an apology to Seohyun who rubbed the baby’s back when she started wriggling.

Quietly, Yonghwa slipped out into the balcony to answer the call without bothering the two. The baby’s excitement definitely got the best of her and he knew that tonight she would be as restless as she is now before her nap. “Ne, Umma?” He said softy after seeing his phone screen.

“Yonghwa, where are you?”

“At home…” he replied scratching his head at the sudden call, “How’s the old man?”

She laughed on the other side of the line, “Still stubborn.”

“He’s released today, isn’t he?” He asked softly realizing that this call was about that.

“Yes,” his mother answered then cleared , “Anyway, I called because your brother said you were at the party last night— with Seohyun.”

“Uh-huh,” Yonghwa mumbled thinking he was wrong. Sighing, he added, “She asked me to accompany her.”

“Does that mean they’re back living with you?”

“Not yet,” he muttered getting a little bit annoyed by the line of questioning, “It’s more convenient living in the city since Seohyun’s working.”

“I see…” her voice faltered and Yonghwa could tell she was thinking.                                                                                     

“Does Appa know that I was at the party?”

“No, he doesn’t need to know that,” she said matter-of-factly but continued with a sterner tone, “I don’t think your father appreciates the fact that she’s working—”

“I don’t think Appa appreciates Seohyun at all, Umma,” Yonghwa bit back growing more irritated by the second.

“Ya, Yonghwa, I’m not the enemy here,” his mother complained, “Nor your father. He just feels betrayed somehow.”

He exhaled loudly knowing she was right. His father’s stubborn pride was getting the best of him he couldn’t even be reasonable. He understood that completely but he couldn’t ‘understand’ why he wouldn’t open his mind for this— his own son’s happiness.

“Yonghwa-ya, are you still there?” His mother asked softly, and after he hummed a soft reply, she continued, “But don’t worry. The family is behind you on this, he will come around.”

“I hope that happens soon, Umma, and thank you for supporting us,” he finally managed to say, “We didn’t want to turn our backs on our families even more so that we didn’t want you to turn yours on us.”

“It will not happen, my son,” she sighed, “Anyway, I haven’t seen them in a while. I miss my granddaughter.”

“They are with me now, at the lake house. You can visit them any time you want, Umma. Seohyun only works from Monday to Wednesday—”

“I can visit you now,” she said cutting him off then laughed when he fell quiet for almost a minute, “All right, it seems that you want them for yourself.”

Yonghwa chuckled, “Aniyo, Umma. I was just thinking that Appa is just released today.”

“Aigoo, that’s why I want to leave the house for a bit. He’s insufferable!”

He laughed again shaking his head, “How about tomorrow then? Around lunch? We will probably drive back to Seoul before dark.”

His mother agreed and they talked a bit more before she hung up and he was left staring at the lake in front of him. He was protected from the heat of the sun by the canopy of the balcony and although the warm air didn’t seem to move along the quiet lake, he felt satisfied on how the day had been.

His mother’s affirmation of support for them was comforting thought and he knew deep within him that there would be nothing that could destroy his relationship with Seohyun. All he had to think now was how to convince her to marry him with or without his father’s approval. With that thought still unreconciled in his mind, he decided to rejoin them inside.

The smile on his face bloomed when he saw her approaching as he slid the glass door closed. Euna was laid down on her stomach over that big pillow facing away from them. Yonghwa knew that this would be their quiet moment for themselves, something that he’d been longing for.

She met him in the middle of the room and dropped her arms on his shoulders, “Work?”

“No,” he shook his head with a tiny smile trying to bring reassurance that nothing was wrong, “It was mom, just checking… I invited her for lunch tomorrow.”

Seohyun looked like she was musing that information for a moment before she spoke softly, “How is Abeoji?”

“Still stubborn, as per Umma,” he smirked before getting a whiff of her scent as he laid his nose on the side of her neck, “Now, can we talk about something else?”

She laughed, “How can we talk when you’re doing that?”

“What am I doing?” Yonghwa crooned without halting from giving her skin tiny kisses, “I’m not doing anything.”

“Oh, you aren’t…” she sighed, sagging in his arms.

He laughed slipping his arms behind her and lifted her up carrying her down on the couch and sitting her on h