Chapter 43. Reconciliations

“Hi, appa…” Seohyun smiled waving the frowning baby’s hand but Yonghwa only grunted as he passed her by and went to the fridge to get water. She pouted and kissed Euna’s cheek whispering rather out loud, “It seems that umma is the only one not grumpy tonight.”

Yonghwa grunted again.

Seohyun laughed and put Euna on her baby swing then walked to the rice cooker putting rice on the two small bowls. “Bad day?” She asked but he didn’t reply and just took his seat by the counter. Her brows pulled together when she placed a bowl in front of him. The side dishes were already set on the table so he started eating.

“You’re not going to talk to me, huh?” She sat across him, dropped one elbow on the table then rested her chin on her palm. Looking at him, she noticed that he definitely looked broody. She smiled to herself.

How silly this man could possibly get?

She sighed out loud, pushing her chair back and leaving the table with her baby in her arms.

“You’re not eating?”

She heard him say behind her when she was almost out of the kitchen. She couldn’t help but smile. Without turning to look at him, she replied in a tight voice, “I’m not hungry anymore.”

He grunted, “Come here and eat.”

Seohyun remained frozen, hiding her grin from him. She intentionally stuttered, “You’re mad at me.”

He groaned then sighed, “I’m not, okay? Come here…”

She walked slowly and cradled Euna on her lap. While she was making her baby comfortable, Yonghwa dropped some kimchi on her bowl.

“Put her on the swing so you can eat properly…” he said firmly.

“Ne…” she replied and did as told. The dinner was quiet mostly because she didn’t want to probe anymore realizing that something might have happened and he chose not to tell her. It saddened her somehow that he would distant himself from her if something bad happened. Perhaps she still couldn’t be someone like a confidant for him.

But then again, why would she even consider herself as that?

The saddest thing could be that he only wanted to sleep with her.

She finished eating at that point and placed her empty plate and bowl at the sink but he called out to her that he would do the cleaning and the dishes so she could put Euna to bed since she was already asleep. Their poor baby might have fallen asleep from the silence. She realized that they were as silent as this when they were at the beginning of their relationship.

Relationship?

Do they even have one?

After putting Euna to bed, she soaked in the bath knowing that perhaps he wouldn’t want her company as he worked this evening. She took her time until she got sleepy so at least she wouldn’t spend the rest of the time thinking unnecessary thoughts. When Seohyun emerged in the bedroom less than an hour later, she found him already asleep beside Euna, and by the looks of it, he already showered in the guestroom bath he had been using.

Quietly, she laid herself on the bed and faced them. He must have had a rough day at the office and she shouldn’t be upset over the fact that he just fell asleep without assuring her that it wasn’t about her.

Or was it?

Seohyun tried to remember anything about the weekend that might have made him upset but nothing really came to mind. It was only when she retraced her day back in the morning when she realized that it was possibly because of her after all.

She smiled.

This silly person.

~~~~

The next morning, Seohyun made sure that she got up earlier than him and prepared breakfast and his coffee before he came downstairs. And when he did, he went straight to the baby swing she placed near the kitchen patio so Euna could have some morning sun.

Their daughter seemed to be too excited to see her appa that she yelped in excitement when he knelt to her and got her. Seohyun pretended to go about her usual routine but she was fully focused on the two in her background. He played with Euna for a while until he stood and sauntered the kitchen but before could make it to the coffeemaker, she already poured him a cup and set it on his place at the breakfast nook.

She went to the sink cleaning Euna’s bottle and casually started, “Your friend called me yesterday inviting me and Euna for lunch today.” Seohyun looked over her shoulder for a moment and noticed that he shot her a quick look but didn’t say anything, “I have been meaning to take Euna to that daycare that was suggested to us at the clinic but I want to check it out first. Then I’ll drop by your office around noon and we can have lunch with him if that’s okay with you…”

Seohyun closed her eyes when he didn’t answer. Maybe it really was the reason why he was upset so she turned to him and mentally prepared herself for anything that may come. But then again, his attention was focused on his food so she shrugged, “Fine, if you still don’t want to talk to me.”

“I’ll drive you to the daycare then pick you up at lunch…”

She bit her lips trying to stop herself from smiling when he looked up to her. He sighed as if in resignation so she tried her luck, “Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?”

Yonghwa finally stood and walked over to her and raised his hands then dropped them almost carelessly on her shoulders, “I don’t know if there would be anything you could do that would upset me…”

“So you’re basically saying that I’m perfect,” Seohyun grinned realizing that he was finally back.

He frowned but smiled and took another heavy sigh, “Alright, Seohyun-ssi…” Yonghwa turned away.

“I’m sorry if I said yes to him without asking you first,” she said in a soft voice that stopped him in his track. Seohyun could actually and definitely justify her action but this time, she knew that if that was the real reason for him to be upset this way, then maybe it was not a good thing to do.

Yonghwa turned to her with a restrained smile, “There’s nothing to apologize. I should be a little flexible.”

“But you’re not jealous right?” She just couldn’t resist asking that one then giggled at the sudden surprise he couldn’t mask off from his face.

“Jealous? Ha…” he finally walked out of the kitchen.

“Right…” Seohyun muttered.

Why should he even be jealous, right?

~~~~

He was pissed. Not jealous but pissed.

Not to her but to his friend.

His bestfriend at that!

Yonghwa just couldn’t wrap the thought around his head that Jonghyun would invite Seohyun out. Come to think about it, that punk even beat him to it. Although they have been co-habitating, he hadn’t really tried to ask her out— just the two of them. He couldn’t even consider the party since it was an event he needed to attend to where he was expected to bring someone as a date.

He must think of something solely for the purpose of taking her out.

Once he was finished preparing to leave for work, he went back to the kitchen to tell her he was leaving but they weren’t there. He found them in the garden, sitting on a play mat with some of Euna’s toys, a pillow and her baby sheet. Yonghwa stood by the doorway and watched them silently.

The baby was on her lap, a colorful toy train was moving around the mat and Euna was obviously engrossed on it. Her hands were on but her little feet were fidgeting especially when the cars would move close. Seohyun had that smile and her lips were moving perhaps cheering the baby on to whatever she was aiming for her to accomplish. Finally, one of Euna’s hand stretched out and he