“What are we doing at the Seoul National Cemetery?” Wu Fan couldn’t help but wonder whether Soojin was making fun of him or pulling pranks on him. After having spent happy hours in Lotte World, it rather surprised him that she took him to the cemetery.

She didn’t say anything though. She just gave him a small smile that left him absolutely curious about what she’s thinking. Since he practically doesn’t know anything about her, except the fact that she’s an auto mechanic’s daughter, he wanted to know who she’d visit in the cemetery.

Once he had parked the car, he trailed after her, a series of questions lingering in the air. But all he could do was stare at her back and wonder if she’s ever going to tell him what they were doing here. And he’s never seen her looking so serene.

Couple minutes later, she stopped and bent down to her knees. She glanced at him, gesturing for him to sit next to her and stay quiet. And surprisingly, he obliged.

He watched her take a deep breath, utterly lost on what to do next. Studying the words embedded on the grave, his heart was overwhelmed with understanding.

“My Mom died when I was at the age of seven,” she explained, tracing the gravestone with her index finger. “My Dad told me it was because she was really depressed. That’s why she died. The doctors told me the same thing. They said she had terminal depression.”

“…why are you telling me this?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Because you’re a good person.”

He frowned. He wasn’t a good person. He’s done so many things that don’t justify him as someone good. But he didn’t say anything.

She shifted into a more comfortable position. Giving him a small smile, she continued talking, “After my mother died, we moved to Seoul to start anew. Living in Busan didn’t do us any good. The memories of my mother just keep on replaying inside my head and haunting both of us. It makes my father miserable. Even if I didn’t like moving, I had to. I knew it was for the best. Besides, my Dad had a shop in Seoul anyway so it was better to live closely to where he works.”

A thin line formed on her lips. “Then he met this woman named Jea and he liked her. At first, she was really kind to me. Or that’s what I thought. I wasn’t particularly happy at the thought of my Dad replacing Mom. So I hated her. I didn’t think he was serious with his relationship with her after one day, he brought her home.”

She sighed. “He also brought along her two daughters. One of them seems pretty nice; one isn’t. It’s like a Cinderella story, right? Only the main protagonist was pretty and she’s actually a good person who doesn’t hate her stepfamily. I hated mine. Ever since then, I’ve been pretty distant from my Dad. We weren’t as close as we were before.”

“But I’m glad my ahjussis were there,” she added happily.

He cleared his throat. “Ahjussis?”

She nodded. “Yes, you should see them,” she says, her eyes glowing. “They’re the best men I’ve ever known. They can be erts occasionally but they’re really nice. I’ve grown up with them ever since they started working at the shop. They treat me like their own kid and I treat them like they’re my fathers, too.”

“Fathers?” He gulped nervously. Did she seriously want him to meet them? And what if he does? Why exactly did she want him to meet them? “Exactly how many are they?”

She glanced at him. “Four,” she replied. “Would you want to meet them someday?”

He nodded hesitantly. “I… think it would be a nice idea?”

She chuckled. “They’re not scary, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

He forced a scoff. He wasn’t scared at all. Perhaps, the correct word would be nervous. In the past, he had never met his ex-girlfriends’ families. Because he doesn’t take them seriously and dating was just… a process he had to try while undergoing puberty. That was back when he was in high school. After realizing that he had full responsibilities in their business, he had stopped playing around and swore never to date again.

“I wasn’t scared,” he jeered.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

He grimaced. “I wasn’t!” he argued. “I was just… curious as to why you would let me meet them.” Perhaps, it’s because she likes him?

“So they would know who I’m really working for,” she answered, a sad smile drew on her lips. “Do you remember that time when we had that argument? That was like, yesterday or something. I was late, remember?”

He remembered it too clearly. “I do! I was so mad at you. You were supposed to come early.”

“You had Victoria unnie,” she reasoned out. “She’s your executive secretary in the first place. I didn’t even know what I was supposed to do if I were to come early.”

“You could have at least told me you’d be late!” he defended.

She frowned. “So what if I wasn’t there? You’ve been there before. What difference does it make if I were there with you?”

Everything, he wanted to tell her. “…well, you still work for me.”

She rolled her eyes, forcing a weak chuckle. “You’re so stubborn.”

He heaved out a sigh. Moving closer to her, he laid out a hand. She looked up, wondering what it was about. For years, he’s been pretty rough on people. It wasn’t because he liked it. It was because he had to. If he wouldn’t… I’m never going to impress my father, he concluded sadly.

“Your hand,” he whispered.

She raised an eyebrow, giving him a wary look. “Look, I don’t know what you’re—”

He cut her off when he grabbed her right hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. Looking away, he didn’t want her to see how his cheeks were turning red of what he did. He wasn’t used to this. He wasn’t used to making the first move. Dating was a thing he wasn’t really good at, even if he was one of the most eligible bachelors in South Korea.

He gave it a little squeeze. “Continue what you were trying to say.”

She blinked, feeling a little curious. “I had a fight with my Dad that day.”

He turned, facing her swiftly. Was that why she was late? The guilty feeling started to succumb into him. All those words he had said has turned into regrets, wishing he could turn back time and apologize. How was he supposed to know? She never told him anything.

And why would she?

She gave a thin smile. “I’ve been going home late for the past few days,” she explained, waving her left hand. “I don’t blame you. I realized how much responsibilities you have in your hands and I wanted to help. I offered. Besides, it was part of the contract we had made. My Dad noticed it and he accused me of… um, doing something I don’t do.”

He shot her a look. “Something you don’t do?”

She nodded. “He thought I was… a hooker or something. Because of the new phone and the new dresses, he thought I was selling myself to anyone. He accused me of that and I asked him where he got that idea. He looked at Jea, that wicked stepmother of mine, and I got so mad. I got so mad at him and I’ve never seen him so mad at me, too.”

A hooker? Her father had thought she was a hooker just because of the things he bought for her? Oh, God. How horrible—what has he done?

“I realized,” she continued, “that he was drifting away from me. No matter how scared I am of losing my own father to someone else… I can’t help it. I feel like there’s a part of me saying that I was going to lose him. Someday. So I ran away. I didn’t know what else to do but run away.”

“Then I had to…” he finished, feeling more and more depressed of what he had done.

She squeezed his hand. “It wasn’t your fault. Perhaps, something happened and you only had to blurt out all your miseries on me.”

“I bet I hurt you with my words.”

“No, I bet I hurt you more with mine.”

“My father wasn’t happy.”

“I could tell.” She looked down.

“…I only wanted to be the son he wanted. I only wanted to have him tell me he’s proud of me. I only wanted him to love me, to notice me.”

She pulled on his head, bringing it to her shoulder. “He is,” she whispered gently. “He’s proud of you. But your father has just the cruelest way of showing it. The way I see it, he isn’t exactly an affectionate type of a father.”

His eyes watered. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she cooed. “And Kris?”

“Yeah?”

He felt her smile. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m happy that I got to know you.”

He closed eyes, wishing nothing more but to stay with her forever. There were three things he was absolutely positive: First, he has less than 90 days to change his life. Even if it means disappointing his father, he has to correct his mistakes and be the son his father would definitely be proud of. Second, he felt her lips on his forehead, probably just something to make him feel better. Nevertheless, he loved it.

And the last?

He lost the game. He’s fallen into a deep trouble. And he definitely fell hard.

didn't proofread 'cause i thought i owe you guys an update.

and i was sick yesterday, and had major exams that's why i couldn't update.

so sorry guys. authornim was just in a state of... mild depression? lol