Chapter 15. Change of Heart

After that unceremonious goodbye, Yonghwa found himself seated outside her little home on that wooden bed positioned at one end of the open space. Part of it was protected from the sun by the eaves of the roof and it was a good space to relax outside even under the scorching heat of the day. Yonghwa stared out of the wide expanse of the sky.

Seohyun was right, it was a perfect place on that corner of Seoul and he could only imagine it at night. The bustling of the city life seemed far away even though the central road was just a few blocks away. The wind blew cold enough to make him shiver but it was a good idea to stay for a while. He smiled as she listened to her cooing inside— the obvious sign that their baby remained awake.

Their baby.

Her baby, he scolded himself. Euna didn’t belong to him anymore.

That little girl. It was a mystery how she managed to capture him this way. All she did was to be born— that was all. She couldn’t even smile or beg for his attention, she just had to exist in his life. But now— he sighed.

Then there was Euna’s stubborn, beautiful mother.

Yonghwa smiled as he ran his fingers through his hair. He could already tell that she would be a great mother. It was a shame he could no longer witness the lives of these two girls who came to him as sudden as the breeze passing by. The melancholy was washing all over him and he needed to stop.

His eyes lingered listlessly around. Despite the condition of this building, he could just imagine Euna running around on that open space while her mother work on her herb garden on that empty plant box. Two or three years from now, Seohyun would be sitting on this very bed as Euna lie on her lap learning her first songs. He smiled and shot a glance into the sky and realized that it was only the city lights that would compensate to the absence of the stars every night. Euna won't be able to see the sky that he always sees by the lake house.

Yonghwa stood and decided to go on his way. Before leaving, however, he clipped the money on the clothesline in front of the window where she could easily find.

~~~

Seohyun could feel his presence behind her closed door. She knew that he was still there for some reasons. She smiled to herself. It was not even a week but they managed to affect each other’s lives so surprisingly this way. If she had known him in a different circumstance, she wouldn’t even have the will to talk to him or make his acquaintance. Yonghwa was not the kind of person she would even consider having in her life.

She sighed. He probably felt the same for her. The chime by the open window danced with the wind stealing her thoughts about the man who became her angel, a warrior giving her strength at her weakest and most important day of her life. The man she would probably never get to meet again. She could feel the smile on her lips as she stared at her baby. One day, maybe one day she could tell Euna about their guardian angel— the man who almost became her appa, even for a year.

She took a deep sigh. Finally, it was only her and Euna— the way it should be. It was the start of her life as a mother despite the unknown future. Because of their condition, she must really get back on her feet so that she could go to work right away. She was still in pain once in a while but nothing she couldn’t handle. She was just worried that physical stress might have a bad effect on her if she would start working right away.

The money she kept would only last for a few weeks, and then she remembered the one she tucked inside the baby bag. It was supposed to be for her hospitalization and for the other medicines but everything was taken care of by her random benefactors. Something she was so thankful for. She smiled and decided to keep the money for emergencies. Aunt Hyeon Ji told her that whether she liked it or not, Euna would surely be in and out of the hospital because babies have frail bodies and their health are not always good. She should prepare for that, and the money she kept was a big help for them.

The sudden fear of the future came pouring in that she didn’t even notice the string of tears rolling down her cheeks. The heavy feeling in her chest was too much to just disappear in a single thought so she allowed herself to cry. Whatever happened, she would just hang on to believing that she could make it. Besides, she was not the only single mother in the world so she knew that she would surely surpass that feeling of helplessness. Right now, she would try her best not to break down and go running back to her parents. She left on her own will and on a mission. She was just side-tracked right now but she would continue her search.

With Euna, she would continue her search.

Seohyun dried her tears when Euna started her first part of piercing wails.

It was really the start of their life alone.

“Euna-ya, we don't want to bother the neighbors, do we?”

~~~

He drove languidly convincing himself that he would never look back on that five crazy days he just had and hopefully, his family would be on his side. It was late for him to go back to the office so he just decided to head home and drink alone. Whenever the thought would cross his mind, he would always end up feeling lucky that he found that perfect spot amongst the busy life of the city. His lake house rest by the hill just a few meters away from a private golf club. His nook was tucked away from the rest of the commercial district which he accidentally discovered when one of his girlfriends took him to play golf. The developer and owner of the area jokingly asked him to make a special plan for that chunk of land, whatever he felt perfect for it. At first, he envisioned a health spa and a bungalow that could serve as a luxury hotel.

One night, he drove on that vacant lot out of frustration from another ‘spatting’ bout with his father. He sat by the edge of the land and watched as the sun commanded the sky to turn purple and blue on the west and orange and gold on the other.

That moment, peace enveloped him.

He found his place.

It was in the middle of the night when he found the house of the owner of the land. If he believed in fate, then it was fate who really gave him what he wanted.

He diverted his thoughts back to the road as he neared the garage and noticed the familiar cars parked by the sidewalk. Yonghwa cursed out loud. He knew that he got company.

Hyeon Ji waited excitedly by the poolside constantly glancing over