Chapter 19. Home

Seohyun just noticed how time passed while he drove and they talked about this and that and, really, nothing at all. It was easy to talk to him this way, like talking to a random stranger at the doctor’s waiting room, or at the bank, or somewhere else. And then, there was his laughter. She noticed how he would laugh a lot with mostly nonsense things she would say.

Maybe if they did really meet in a different circumstance it would have been better.

Different place.

Different time.

But then again—

“We’re getting close…”

His voice drowned out her thoughts and she became more aware of the changes outside the moving vehicle. Trees lined up along the way and buildings were starting to disappear one after the other. He made one turn and the ride was a bit hilly. Seohyun stared ahead to see some big houses a few meters apart from each other. They passed by a private golf club that she reckoned the neighborhood was one of the upscale suburban housing communities doting the outskirts of Seoul.

“The house is on the farthest end of this area but we get the most of what this place can offer.”

Seohyun noted the we in there— as if she and Euna were already part of this.

They may as well be.

“Taxis can come up here so you need not to worry if you want to go out. There are parks and a couple of playgrounds around the area where you can take Euna,” he continued without looking at her, “Do you know how to drive?”

“Yes...” she replied feeling this overwhelming sense of excitement as some of those parks and playgrounds he mentioned came into view.

“Okay, I’ll leave this car for you to use then.”

The casual way he was mentioning things surprised her. He may have planned so much in the couple of hours they parted just a day ago and Seohyun could call him out on this excessiveness but she remained quiet. Despite his deadpan expression, she could tell that he was somewhat excited about this which was unexpected considering how they were just a few days ago.

A few days ago.

It felt like a lifetime.

She sighed.

A few more minutes passed until Seohyun noticed how the road narrowed and she knew that at the end of it would be their new home. And she was right. He stopped by the side of the path and she frowned seeing only that small bridge where an obvious man-made brook flowed.

“I can drive around that area,” Yonghwa pointed at the left side of the bridge where tall bushes hid the path, “But the delivery truck is parked inside the yard so the path is blocked.”

She nodded dumbly since she could not really understand. She reckoned that the little bridge and the flowing brook were just a sort of decorative addition. Yonghwa laughed the moment she voiced that observation.

“You’re both right and wrong.” He unbuckled his seatbelt but didn’t do anything more than to look at her and explain, “By design, that bridge is indeed just an ornament but beyond that is a security gate that anyone coming in on foot would need the passcode to enter the property. Over there hidden behind those bushes is a detached garage where the brook is still flowing underneath. It’s like an island, really. You’ll understand once you get there. You probably think that the brook is man-made; it isn’t. The first owner of the land filled the brook with dirt to level the ground but a few years later, the water flowing from the mountain dig it back again feeding the lake around this area.”

Looking outside, she could only see bushes and trees around her like there was nothing more beyond them but forest. However, knowing that his house was behind the greens gave her that sense of excitement to finally be there. Seohyun found herself smiling back at him.

“Ready?” Yonghwa asked to which she gave one shaky yes. He understood her caginess and reservations and he somewhat conditioned himself to the thought that one day she’d change her mind once more. What was more important was that she and her baby were here— to his home. With the rest of those thoughts set aside, he got out of the car and circled to get Euna out as well.

Seohyun took her baby from him the moment he got her out of the car seat. Carrying some of their bags, Yonghwa led them towards the closed gate. It was then that it rushed through her— the realization of a new life. The moment she stepped through that gate, Seohyun knew her life would never be the same again—

“Welcome home…”

The gentleness of that voice and the impact of those words made her shiver. She took a deep breath and smiled when he turned around and took a few steps closer to where she stopped. Seohyun’s gaze rose towards the wide expanse of space. At the far end was the lake house. Her first sight of it took her breath away.

“It’s beautiful…” she managed to speak.

“It is,” Yonghwa grinned with an obvious pride written on his face. Then, he took Euna’s tiny hand, “Look, sweetheart, you’re home…”

Seohyun masked the effect of that simple statement by smiling when Euna yawned, “She’s not impressed.”

“Hard to impress girls these days,” he shrugged leading them towards the path.

“Really now,” she said jokingly, “I wonder how many girls you’ve impressed by bringing them here…”

A thunder of laughter erupted and she raised her brow when he looked back at her.

He shook his head unaffected by that comment; he didn’t need to answer that. It was up to her to find out exactly how many— none.

“Careful…” he said as he led her forward.

She nodded taking really careful steps on that woode