Oh Gosh it's been a really long time since I wrote this story :'') Hello to you guys, sorry I've been on an unannounced hiatus. Been busy with college. As you and I know I haven't been updating in a very long time, but now that I have a little time suddenly I want to continue this story and so this is it. Sorry if it's a bit off, I haven't been writing for the past few months. Maybe I'll double update or something, but I don't make promises haha. Anyway, enjoy ^^

The kid really hates me, the thought once again crosses my mind with a shake of my head, as I watch Chaeri play with her dolls. She is sitting at the corner of the living room after getting her clothes changed – in courtesy of her spilling her apple juice to her dress – and is now in a purple fitting t-shirt and a tutu skirt, her short, chubby legs covered in a pair of white leggings with polka-dots on it.

She looks so adorable and I really want to scoop her up in my arms and kiss her chubby, rosy cheeks, if not for the fact that she’s sending me scowls every once in a while.

The little girl has proved her point that she adores her uncle so much and disapproves my presence anywhere near her – or him, for that matter – just as much.

The babysitting day started out with the not-so friendly introduction from her side, and I thought – hoped – it couldn’t get any worse. But well, it did.

The first thing I did to appease the scowl she was sending to my face was pull out my gifts for her, holding up one of the little dresses I’d bought her in my hands. I watched her carefully, looking for any signs that would be pulled up into a grin or her eyes would bright up in delight.

Fat chances. All it did to her was change the direction of her scowl. At first she was scowling at me, and the next thing I knew she was sending laser-beamed eyes to the dress. I was surprised her scowl didn’t tear the dress to shreds.

“That is for me?” she asked with incredulity, still sitting on Hyukjae Oppa’s lap, crossing her arms over her chest. Even I couldn’t miss the wince on his face when we heard her sharp tone.

“Um, yes,” I was so sure the dress tactic would placate her mood, since Hyukjae Oppa has told me earlier this morning that she liked to dress up. But judging by the hateful stare she was giving the poor dress, suddenly the information wasn’t as convincing anymore. “Do you like it?”

“It’s pink,” she stated as if that was enough to explain her hatred for the dress.

“It is,” I said not understanding her point.

“Pink is for little girls.” She said again, her bottom lip jutted out. I frowned, still not getting what she meant. She looked downright irritated at my response. “I’m not a little girl.”

Then, finally getting what the point was, I had to listen to her blabber about purple. Apparently she found purple as a pretty, elegant, and perfect color for big girls. I’ve never thought there was a toddler in this world who hated pink until this one. Hyukjae Oppa caught my eyes and mouthed a “Sorry” over the top of Chaeri’s head. I only smiled weakly.

A few hours later when lunch time came, I offered to cook. I’ve just learned how to cook a homemade pizza from Sunhwa Ahjumma a few days ago, with her convincing me that, after all, I am going to be the one cooking for Hyukjae Oppa once we’re married. She just knew how exactly to talk me into it. So with my spirit on its cusp, I tried cooking with her and found that it wasn’t as bad and hard as I thought, and I wanted to show Hyukjae Oppa just how good of a future wife I was for him now.

Chaeri wasn’t having any of it at first, but after Hyukjae Oppa gave her a stern look and stated something along the lines that he didn’t appreciate girls with bad behavior – while I selfishly felt grateful of him for this – she nodded and sulked at the corner of the living room with her Barbie. I noted idly that Barbies were the only pink stuff she liked.

A few minutes after starting with the work, I felt Hyukjae Oppa slide his arms around my waist from behind as I stir the pizza sauce on the fry pan. “I’m sorry,” he whispered gently, nuzzling his nose to my hair. The motion sent the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.“I should’ve told you she hates pink.”

Yeah well, she hates pink. And me.

I shook my head. “No, you wouldn’t have guessed I’d buy her everything pink.” I told him. “I should’ve asked you what color she likes.”

“I didn’t know she would be this snippy.” He groaned quietly against my temple. “Honestly. She’s not usually in a permanent bad mood like this. She’s a handful, but never like this. She was always lovely and cheerful. To everyone.”

“Everyone but me, apparently.” I piped up with an almost humourless laugh. The next thing I knew I was suddenly spun around by Hyukjae Oppa in his arms.

“Don’t say that.” He said sternly, our foreheads nearly touching. “She likes you.”

I sighed at his words, he was still trying to convince himself that all the scowling Chaeri’s directed at me was her unique form of affection.

“I really hope she does, trust me,” I smiled and brought a hand to his cheek. “But maybe she needs time to adjust to me, to the fact that his prince is now with a girl that just gave her so many pink stuff and doesn’t even resemble one of her Barbies. Don’t you see how much she adores you? She just wants a perfect girl for you.”

He sighed in defeat.

“Then maybe she’d have to see that you’re as perfect as a girl could be for me.” He leaned down and caught my lips in a soft, lingering kiss, smiling as I giggled against his mouth.

The kiss and the one, sweet sentence that escaped his lips were the things that boosted up my confidence, before it was stomped down once more when Chaeri took a bite from my pizza. We were sitting at the dining table, my pizza looked edible and good. Not even two seconds after she took a bite from her piece, she made a face, and knowing she was about to spit it right out of , Hyukjae Oppa grabbed a napkin and held it to .

She didn’t even comment on my pizza. “I want a take-out!”

Hyukjae Oppa blinked, his face clearly saying it couldn’t be that bad, could it? before he tasted the pizza himself. I bit my lip when I saw his face almost turn green. He glanced briefly at me, forcing a small, placating smile on his lips, as he slowly tried to chew on the food, and it seemed like it took every willpower in him to swallow it.

He cleared his throat, and I knew my homemade pizza was doomed. “Uh,”

“Let’s get a take-out.” I forced the voice out of my mouth, still stung that my pizza had caused such reactions.

Hyukjae Oppa, ever the gentleman that he was, offered me another one of his apologetic smile and reached across the table to the back of my knuckles with his thumb. Our eyes locked briefly when I looked up.

It’s alright, the words were sent from his eyes instead of his mouth. I nodded, watching as he went out the front door to buy take-out.

It is a few hours later that Hyukjae Oppa walks out of Chaeri’s room, closing the door quietly behind him after tucking the little one to her bed. Chaeri has completely refused being tucked into bed by me, of course. Plus, it looked like she wanted to have her little moment with Hyukjae Oppa alone while he read her bedtime story – even though it’s just an afternoon nap she demanded one – so I got out of her room without even being asked. The little girl is probably the best at making me feel left out.

“How was it?” I ask from the couch of the living room. Hyukjae Oppa sits himself beside me and smiles.

“The kid was completely out the second I started the first paragraph of the storybook. She’s such a sleeper, just like her mother.” He remarks with a light hint of amusement, looking in the direction of the door to her room. I look at him for a moment, and sighing, I look down to my lap. Hyukjae Oppa takes it to notice. “Baby, you okay?”

Another sigh as I shake my head. “I’m not a very good wife material, aren’t I?”

I feel Hyukjae Oppa stiffen beside me. “What?”

“I’m not very good with kids and I’m not good at cooking. Not even a homemade pizza. It’s just...” I feel a little embarrassed getting upset with small things like that, but I feel like letting it out in the open for him. “It felt easy, you know? The cooking. I made pizza with Sunhwa Ahjumma a few days ago, and it was a success. It tasted good and I thought it was me doing the work, so I wanted to show it to you.” I pause to look up at his eyes. “I probably am taking this too seriously, but, I was just... I was thinking of this whole babysitting stuff as a practice for me, a trial to be a good wife. I thought of doing the house chores, cooking the foods... I tried. But I messed up. I can’t even wash the dishes without dropping one platter onto the floor. I’m just not good enough. I-”

“Nana,” Hyukjae Oppa interrupts me. “Did you hear what you were saying?”

“I know,” I throw up my arms. “I’m being unbelievable. I’m upset over a small thing like this. I just-”

“No one, Kang Nayoung,” he says firmly, looking into my eyes, “Can be a motherly figure to a 5-year-old kid in less than a few hours. Especially when you and I both know, Chaeri hasn’t been very... cooperative. And about the pizza,” he cradled my face in his hands, “It’s alright. Everyone’s learning. You don’t expect yourself to be a chef with only one cooking session with Sunhwa Ahjumma. And I never expect you to be able to cook or do the house chores or be good with kids.” He starts to smile softly. “You could just sit all day long in a chair doing absolutely nothing and I’d still be glad to see you at home when I got back from work. It’s you that makes my heart beat so fast, Nana. Not your ability to cook or to be a good wife. Do you understand that? And never,” he reprimanded, “Never, ever, say that you’re not good enough. Because I’m sure I’ve told you this about a million times already, but I feel like I’m the luckiest man having you.”

For a few seconds there my ability to talk completely leaves me. I cover his hand with mine, once again floored by his words – and wondering how he could always have such effect on me – as a billion butterflies wreak havoc in my stomach. “I think you’re going to be a great husband... and father.”

“And you’re going to be a super great wife and mother.” He leans in and rubs his nose against mine. Then, looking into my eyes hesitantly, he says softly, “We’re going to make a great pair of parents. Right?”

I know immediately where this hesitance comes from. My indistinct answer to his proposal in Jeju must have triggered it, and I feel like a total bad guy in making him feel unsure about this.

“Yes, we are, Oppa.” I tell him, placing my arms around his neck. Kissing him lightly, I rest my head on his shoulder as I see him smile at my answer. “Yes, we are.”

Vaguely, but determinedly, I make a mental plan to talk to Kyuhyun sooner.