“You've brought everything?” Jiyong asked the lady seated beside him softly, as though she was going to break any minute. Taeyeon was so frozen in her seat Jiyong thought she might simply break into pieces of ice if he had spoken any louder than he should.

“Yes.” She responded monosyllabically, a pattern now familiar to him after he had guilt tripped and then insisted that she let Baekhyun know about her daughter.

“Right.” He responded equally stiffly, uncomfortable with the frozen presence in the car. He hadn't forgiven her either, for the words she spoke, no matter how right she was that he had failed in saving her that day. Those barbed words that fell were the truth, but they currently hurt too deep to heal.

“We're here.” He heard Taeyeon grind her teeth in exasperation, fighting the urge to stay in the car.

“If you don't want to go through it we can stay here.”

“Are you mocking me? Kwon Jiyong, first you guilt trip me into telling the person we both hate the most about my little girl, then now you're telling me that I don't have to go through it? Do you really think I'm that stupid?” Joyong raised his hands sheepishly.

“No?”

“Then let's go.” She slammed the package in her hands into Jiyong's arms. Jiyong sighed and followed,

“We're here with permission to see Byun Baekhyun.”

“Forced to.” Jiyong nudged Taeyeon as she mumbled under her breath.

“Don't.” He hissed. She glared at him, before the buzzer sounded and the doors slid open.

Both of them sat resolutely in silence, one crossing her arms in disgruntled anger, the other, simply shaking his foot nervously.

“Stop it.” Taeyeon snapped.

“Oh, did I get called out just to hear your lovers spat?” Baekhyun sat down with a smirk on his face, watching as the two in front of him ignored each other. Years of spending time in jail had made a scraggly beard grow slightly on his face, giving his youthful face a more Haggard look.

“We aren't lovers.” Taeyeon hissed angrily, eyes narrowed. “And for your information, I was dragged here against my will.”

“Mhm.” Baekhyun twiddled lazily with his fingers. “Still as beautiful as ever, Taeyeon.” Taeyeon slammed her palms against the table, fury etched on her face.

“I told you we shouldn't have come here!” Meeting the man who had her four years back had taken its toll on her, increasing her stress and anger to beyond what she could bear. “A leopard will never change his spots.” She spat angrily.

“He's just trying to rile you up because you're being the easy target.” Jiyong said placatingly, sliding his arm around her waist and her back comfortingly. Taeyeon relaxed fractionally, leaning slightly into his touch. Baekhyun's eyes narrowed sharply at Jiyong's hand around Taeyeon's waist. “Both have us have come in peace, Baekhyun, because I think there's something you deserve to know. Taeyeon didn't want to tell you about this, but I felt that this was what I owed you, since,” Jiyong gave a soft laugh, “ It's partly because of me that you're in here.”

Baekhyun's eyes narrowed at his words.

“What the do you mean?”

“What I meant is that---”

“You have a daughter.” Taeyeon interrupted him, turning her face to the side angrily, not willing to let them see the tears threatening to fall down her face.

“What?” Baekhyun sat stunned in his seat.

“After you me.” Taeyeon spat, “I found out I was pregnant with your baby. I kept my little girl.” Her chin raised proudly. “Byun Baekhyun, you may be her biological father, but she is in all and every way, solely mine.” Jiyong sighed and lifted the pictures from the package that Taeyeon brought.

“This is her. Eun-yeon.” Baekhyun's fingers reached tentatively for the photos of the bright smiling girl, then recoiled.

“She's..I..” He visibly swallowed, not looking at Taeyeon but at Jiyong. “She's so beautiful.” Jiyong gave a small huff of laughter. “She has Taeyeon's genes. How can she not be beautiful?” A flicker of a smile crossed Baekhyun's face, his previous arrogance fading away as his eyes glued to the pictures of his daughter. “She knows who I am?” He directed the question to Taeyeon nervously, fingers touching the girl's face in the picture.

“No.” Taeyeon said resolutely. “I didn't tell her because---” Her voice caught in .

“No no. It's fine. Thank you for not telling her.” Baekhyun's eyes softened. “I assume you're going to be her dad then? That's why you felt guilty.” Jiyong scratched his head sheepishly.

“Yep.”

“What is she like?”

“She's perfect. Beautiful. Kind. And sweet.” Jiyong chuckled. “Really strong too. But you should ask Taeyeon more about her. I've only met Yeonnie for a couple of weeks.” Baekhyun's eyes turned feverishly towards Taeyeon. Taeyeon swallowed.

“I..”

“Who is she like?” Baekhyun asked softly. “If I know better I would say she'd be like you since you're everything good that I'm not, but some part of me is being selfish to hope that she's at least a little like me.” Taeyeon's eyes softened as Jiyong slid his hand towards her and squeezed comfortingly.

“Tell me why are you like this after you've seen her? It makes no sense to me since you've always treated me like the worst object in your life.”

“You were the best.” Baekhyun confessed immediately. “How could you assume that you were the worst? The only person I had ever loved so much was you. It's just that..” He swallowed. “ I didn't know how to express it. Before you, I was close to my sister and mother. You know what happened.” Understanding lit up in Taeyeon's eyes.

“They left.” She whispered.  

“I couldn't really take it and I was so scared you would leave! Mother told me because I wasn't harsh or strong enough to keep them beside me that's why they left.”

“It still didn't give you reason on how you treated Taeyeon.” Jiyong cut in. “I understand where you came from. But no, what you did to Taeyeon was unforgivable.”

“I know!” Baekhyun snapped. “I just didn't know how to express myself. I had gave it lots of thought while I was in here.” He gave them a wry smirk.

“Then that front was just to keep up your arrogant status isn't it?” Jiyong chortled. “God, you're so predictable.”

“I still beat you to the punch before that. You didn't find Taeyeon on time.” Taeyeon automatically flinched, and Baekhyun sighed. “Sorry.”

“Anyway.” Baekhyun tried to smile briefly. “Why are her fingers blue?”

“She has Hypoplastic Left heart syndrome.” Taeyeon's whisper filled the empty space between them. “That's cyanosis. The lack of oxygenated blood to her body that's causing a blue tinge.”

“She's sick?” Baekhyun's voice rose shrilly. “Why didn't you tell me earlier!?”

“She just had a heart transplant. A few