A/N hi guys. another update. hope you like it. *wink* Hope it answers your questions about the previous one.

A couple of days went by peacefully or that's what it may seem like.

Taeng was always with Tiffany and if he was really needed at the office, he will bring Tiffany with him or if she refused to, he would make sure that she was never alone in his house or somewhere else, always accompanied by his stepmother.

Tiffany was getting more comfortable and familiar with Taeng’s family and home. However, she was still awkward around Mr. Kim and always avoided him at all cost.

One day, Taeng sat down with both Tiffany and his father, wanting to find the reason behind the girl’s peculiar fear of his dear father. He didn’t think that his father was ever mean to her, infact Mr. Kim was really fond of the girl.

“So, what do you want to talk about, Tae?” Mr. Kim said as he took a seat across the ‘couple’.

“Dad,” Taeng started. “You want to know why she’s scared of you right?”

“Yeah. Did you find out?”

Taeng shook his head. “She won’t tell me too.”

“Oh, then what are we doing here?”

“You should ask her.”

Mr. Kim was confused. “errr, she’ll answer me?”

“I think so.”

Tiffany blinked her eyes and looked at Taeng confusingly too.

“It’s okay, Fany. Nothing bad would happen to you.” He wrapped his arm around the girl and rubbed her arm.

“Yah, Kim Taeng. Do you think I’m a bad person?”

Taeng chuckled. “No, just want to get the answer from her. Come on, ask her, dad.”

Taeng’s father sighed and directed his eyes to the girl. “Tiffany Hwang, do you hate me?”

Tiffany immediately shook her head.

Taeng chuckled seeing the cute action, and couldn’t help but to peck his girl’s cheek.

“Hey, Tae. Stay out of this. I’m interrogating my future daughter in law here.”

Taeng stopped chuckling immediately. “Aishh, dad, stop saying that.”

Now it was his father’s turn to laugh to. He found it funny that Taeng will be so nervous like he was right now whenever he mentioned the word.

“Well, Fany..”

“Dad, I’m the only one who calls her that.” Taeng pouted.

“Aigoo, fine. Tiffany, do you think that I’m a scary guy?”

Again, the girl shook her head.

“I’m a bad guy?”

“A lousy guy? A bad husband? An awkward person? An old person?”He stopped questioning when he saw his son nodded his head at the last one. “Yah! I wasn’t asking you, Tae.”

Taeng grinned. “Can’t help it. You are old.”

“You ungrateful son.” He shook his head at his son’s behavior.

“Let’s continue, shall we?” He paused and thought for a while. “If there’s nothing wrong with me personality wise, then maybe my looks?” He thought out loud. “That’s impossible though, because I’m such a handsome man.”

“Dad…..” Taeng whined at his father’s boasting.

“Okay, okay.” He laughed. “Ahah!” He snapped his fingers. “Tiffany, do you not like the way I smell?”

Taeng couldn’t help but laughed out loud hearing his father’s brilliant conclusion. “Dad, do you think that you have a certain smell? Aishh, Really?”

“What? I’ve heard of this before. How a girl doesn’t like a certain smell from guys. Especially a pregnant woman.” Taeng’s father gasped. “Oh my god! Am I going to be a grandfather soon?”

Taeng was again speechless, his cheeks turned red by his father’s absurd questions.

“Is it true, Tae? Oh Lord, I should tell your mother this.”

“Dad, please!” Taeng quickly prevented his father from calling his stepmother here. It would be embarrassing for them if his Umma comes and joined his father silliness.

“What? It could be true.”

“Dad, you don’t even let me be in the same room as her, how do I…” Taeng shouted in pain because the girl has pinched him.

Tiffany glared at Taeng for even having that thought about her.

Mr. Kim laughed seeing that. “Alright, alright. I was just kidding you know. And you still are not allowed in her room after midnight.”

“Fine.” Taeng huffed.

“So, Tiffany? How about it, you don’t like the way I smell? Because honestly that’s the only thing I could come up with.”

Taeng expected another shake of her head this time but it never comes. He narrowed his eyes at the girl as she nodded her head instead.

“Really? Why? I mean, I smell like this even before this. And you like me before this!”

Tiffany poked Taeng and asked for the sketch book he was keeping away from her. He sighed and brought out a small note pad instead and gave it to her.

Tiffany quickly jotted something on it and showed it to Taeng’s father.

“Cologne?”

Tiffany nodded her head.

“You don’t like the smell of my cologne?”

Again, she nodded her head.

Taeng was quite shocked too. He didn’t know that his father even wore one.

“Alright then. I won’t wear it anymore and get rid of it. Maybe, I’ll buy a new one.” His father said which surprised Taeng because his father was never this easy to be persuaded to change something. And Tiffany wasn’t even asking him too.

“Are you sure, Dad?”

He laughed. “Of course, Tae. It’s only cologne. Besides, I don’t want your future wife scared to be around me anymore.”

Taeng blushed and nodded his head. “Okay, dad. Thanks.”

“Anything for the smiling angel.” His father said.

“Dad, you’re really cheesy. I cringed. Seriously.”

“What? It’s true.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I’ll go now. Take a long shower and get rid of this smell. Maybe then you can give me a hug, Fany?”

Taeng grunted in protest while Tiffany hesitantly nodded to be polite to the elder.

Mr. Kim laughed again before walking upstairs leaving his son with his girl.

“Is that really it? His perfume?”

Tiffany nodded and smiled.

“Why? I mean he’s been wearing the same one since a long time, I think. That smell isn’t that strong and you were alright with it before.”

And then, he felt it. The body he was sitting close stiffened, he recognized it as the usual reaction from the girl whenever they would try to talk about the night. He immediately connected the dots.

“Is him, isn’t it?” He growled, his eyes were changing. “He wore the same one.”

Tiffany finally looked at Taeng and saw his furious face, jaws clenching. It wasn’t that long before Taeng stood up and marched upstairs to his parents’ bedroom. Tiffany followed him quickly, afraid that he would do something bad.

Taeng went through his father dresser and found the cologne. He took a sniff before throwing the bottle at the wall, smashing it into little pieces.

He was going to curse but froze when he saw Tiffany at the door, looking at him.

“Fany,” Taeng muttered under his breath, before finally snapping from his anger earlier.

“What is going on out here?” Taeng’s father walked out of the bathroom to see his room filled with glasses and the smell of cologne swept up the air. “Yah, did you do this?” He asked his son who was now standing in the middle of the room.

“Fany, hey, look at me.” Taeng ignored his father and went straight to the girl.

Tiffany couldn’t help but to remember to the night where she was almost as she sniffed the familiar cologne. She put her hands at the sides of her head and tried really hard not to fall into that walk of memory lane.

“Fany, you’re alright. You’re not there. You’re here, with me.” Taeng wrapped his arms around Tiffany and calmed her down, with his comforting words. “I’m here.” Taeng whispered to her ears as he rubbed her back.

Tiffany started to sob in Taeng’s chest, she couldn’t help it, she was scared of that memory, but she was glad that Taeng was there to snap her back to reality. She immediately returned the hug and tightened her hands around him, her protector. Wanting to stay there instead of going back to her past.

“Baby, you’re okay now. I’m here. I’m here.”

Taeng didn’t stop chanting those words until Tiffany finally stopped crying. He released a sigh of relief and kissed her hair. “I love you, I won’t let anything happen to you again.”

Taeng’s father could only stare at the scene and he was also touched by his son’s action. He has never seen his son that protective over someone, not even towards his wife that left him a long time ago.

“Tae..”

“Dad, I’m sorry. I’ll clean it up.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll ask the maid to do it. You go and get her out for air.”

Taeng nodded his head and got out of the room, with Tiffany still clinging to him.

Since that day, Taeng’s father never wear the same cologne ever again, afraid that it will trigger Tiffany’s bad memories again. Taeng had explained to him the day after about his behavior, apologizing to him. His father understood his reason and didn’t punish him because of his action only reflect his protectiveness for the girl.

***

Taeng was sleeping soundly in his room one fine weekend when he heard footsteps closing in and sneaking into his room. He was going to open his eyes to see who it was but suddenly he found it hard to breathe.

“Omfffhh.”  He grunted and tried to turn around to see who it was on his back. A kiss was placed on his cheeks and instantly he knew who it was. He finally able to turn his body and carefully held onto the body without risking it to fall. “Good morning, Love.” He said and kissed her forehead.

Tiffany grinned and a blush was seen on her cheeks. She was going to pick up her sketchbook to greet him back but Taeng only held her tighter to his body and shook his head. She raised her eyebrows at him.

“Greet me properly.” Taeng stated. “Like you did earlier.”

Tiffany’s blush was getting worse when she realized what he wanted. These couple of weeks, Tiffany found a new way to please and make Taeng happy which was by showering him with surprise kisses. Although it was her who started doing it, it was still hard for her at times, because deep down she was still that shy girl who didn’t know much about love and affection. Gathering up her courage, she bent down to kiss Taeng on his cheek but the latter turned his head and captured her lips instead.

After a couple more of light pecks, he finally let Tiffany go and stared at the girl who was now hiding her face in the pillow. He chuckled. “You’re happy today.”

Tiffany peeked from her palms and saw Taeng staring at her with a cheeky smile on his face.

“Any particular reason?”

She frowned when she thought that he forgot about it. He made a promise to her that they would have a small pool party at Yul’s new house with their close friends.  The reason for it? The newlywed couple has just moved to a new house which was not that far from theirs, and it would be a small housewarming between close friends.

“What?”

Tiffany shook her head, disappointed but she didn’t want to show it to him because she knows how hard it has been for the boy these couple of days with his job and of course dealing with her. She was going to get off the bed when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back, making her now laying on the bed, with Taeng hugging her from behind.

“I was just kidding, Fany-ah. We’re still going to Yul’s house.” He whispered and kissed Tiffany’s shoulder before letting her go to take a shower. He took off his shirt, leaving him only in his boxer and turned around to the girl who was sitting on the bed. “Are you going to just sit there and watch me strip?”

She shook her head and immediately ran out of the room leaving Taeng laughing at the girl while proceeding to take a bath.

***

“You’re telling me that Sica is going to cook for us?”

Yul nodded with a smile spreading on his face. “She’s getting better, Taeng.”

Taeng scoffed. “That’s for your standards. I don’t want to have an upset stomach all day.”

Tiffany chuckled hearing Taeng’s words. She nudged him when she joined the three friends at the kitchen.

“If you have a problem with me cooking, then you can starve all day.” Jessica coldly said before going to the sink to wash the vegetables they just bought from a short trip from the market.

“I can always order something.”

“Or, you can try her cooking, Taeng.” Yul said, still excited to show off his wife’s cooking.

“Why do you insist?”

“Because this is my house, and my wife is doing the cooking around here.” He grinned.

“Yeah, Taeng. Just try it, I think it’ll be good.” Dennis supported his friend. He was also curious of Jessica’s improvement in cooking.

“Thank you, Den. I’m going to cook extra for you.” Jessica said while shooting her sweet smiles to him.

Yul smiled too. “Taeng?”

“Fin