“She needs her mother.” He said, tears in his eyes as he tried to convince the other man.

“HaeRim loves us. You and Me. She can go see her mother whenever she wants without her parents living together.” He shook his head, looking at the girl as she played with her mother in the living room.

“Ha Yul went through so much to get back to her husband.” He tried again.

“That doesn't mean her husband still loves her.” a tear fell from his cheek.

The other man sighed, reaching up and feeling for the man's face. He wiped away the tears and pulled them both together into a hug. “Yes, yes you do, Hongki.”

“But Jonghun, what about us?” Hongki whimpered, refusing to let go of the man.

“What about us?” Jonghun laughed, a bitter and sad sound. He pulled away and turned his back on Hongki. “HaeRim has a chance to have her mother and father back. You've got a chance to reclaim the family that you once had. All of the wrongs that were done to your family can now be righted.”

“But us..” Hongki said again. “I..I love you..”

Jonghun gulped, turning back around and facing Hongki. Though he was blind, Hongki felt as if Jonghun was staring right into the center of his soul. “There's sometimes things more important that our hearts, Hongki. You still love her. The two of you deserve this chance to make things right.”

Hongki sighed. He leaned forward and pulled Jonghun into a kiss, long and deep and desperate and passionate as the sun. “I'll never forget you.”

“I'll always be right here.” Jonghun returned, a smile finding its way onto his face. “But I'm not going to come between you and your family.”

“So this is goodbye?”

Jonghun nodded silently, and that was how it ended. The thing between them that had started in the strangest of ways. The beautiful love that could have been, quenched before it really could ever begin.

Hongki took his and HaeRim's things and moved into the mansion with Ha Yul. Hongki took over as CEO of the company in Mr. Kim's place, now that the company belonged to Ha Yul. Weeks passed by and Hongki slowly began to get used to his new life. He slowly began to feel more comfortable with his wife back by his side and in his arms at night. He slowly began to get used to wearing designer suits every day and driving a fancy car.

Months passed by and he slowly got used to the ache in his heart. He slowly got used to the empty feeling in his gut. He slowly learned to live with the pain that plagued him every day when he would kiss his wife and feel another man's lips against his own.

A year passed by and HaeRim's birthday came around, and an extravagant party was thrown in her honor with all of her new friends from her fancy new school. And one lone present wrapped in simple brown paper that no one knew had come sitting aside from all the rest. A pretty pink dress with a pretty pink bow.

“It's not the same, is it?” Ha Yul's voice came as a soft whisper into his ear. It was dark. Hongki stared up at the few stars that littered the sky.

He sat on the balcony of his bedroom as the wind blew past his face. A two story home with a view that would never quite compare to that one overlooking the entire city. Ha Yul had walked out to meet him in her night gown, a silk wrap around her body.

He looked up at her and sighed, holding his arms out for her. She curled up into his lap, his arms wrapping around her. She looked up at him with a sad, resigned expression on her face.

“I'm not sure if things will ever be able to be the same again.” He told her.

“Your heart isn't here. It never has been.”

Hongki shook his head. “I do love you. You're the first person I ever loved, the mother of my child.”

Ha Yul slid from his lap and turned his face gently to look into her eyes. “That doesn't mean that we have to be together forever. Hongki, I love you. I love you so, so much. But you're heart isn't in this marriage.”

Hongki gave a little chuckle at that. “We never really got remarried, you know.”

Ha Yul grinned as well. “All the more reason why you don't have to keep making yourself sad. HaeRim and I will both be alright if you want to go back to him.”

“I could never leave HaeRim.” Hongki told her.

She shook her head. “Of course not. You've raised her all these years without me. I'll always be able to come visit her whenever I want, and she can come back to stay with me on weekends. But we're keeping her in the school she's at now. I'll take her in the mornings if it's too much trouble with your work schedule, but you are the CEO after all, you can go to work whenever you please.”

“You're talking like I'm leaving you.” Hongki spoke, his voice soft, sad almost.

Ha Yul pecked his lips and shook her head. “No, my love. I'm leaving you.”

“Why?”

“Do I really have to answer that question?” Ha Yul leaned back, her expression sad. “Our time is over. You belong with someone else now. Far be it for me to keep you from that. But hey..” He tucked some hair behind her ear and then reached over to do the same to him. “At least we gave it a shot.”

“At least..” Hongki responded. “He probably won't have me back.”

“I know for a fact that he will.” Ha Yul returned the words.

Hongki looked up at her with question in his eyes.

A smile fell on her face. “He came by on HaeRim's birthday and brought her a present. He's so in love with you, Hongki. He will take you back.”

Hongki couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face. Couldn't even stop the little giggle of happiness that bubbled up from his chest. Ha Yul slapped him gently and laughed all the while.

“Come to bed now, dear, and in the morning you can go find him.”

Hongki nodded, and followed her into the bedroom they had shared. He wrapped her tight in his arms for the last time, and for the first time in a long time dreamed of happiness.