The room was not dark. No, it was not. It was bright, bathed with rays coming through the gigantic windows, facing before the seemingly miniature city of Seoul. The TV was on, yet no one paid attention to it. It was just there, playing for the sake of it. Voices emitting from it erased the quietness, loneliness away. There he was, sitting before his desk. Attention on the paper, his left hand spinning the pen in between his fingers while occasional murmurings came out from his mouth, reading off the names on the paper.

Joonmyeon was going through the huge list of applicants by himself. Despite being offered help by his assistants and other employees, he insisted to finish it by his own. This is not business related. It is personal. It is something that he had always wanted to do. There’s no way he’s going to push the responsibility to others. He started it, and he planned on finishing every step of it.

“Yoon Jieun…”

“Ji Hannie…”

“Lee Bokyeon…”

Scan the profile, read the background, sign.

Scan the profile, read the background, shook his head, set it aside.

It keeps on going. There’s something like 600 applicants and since early in the morning, he had managed to go through something like 300 of it. Oddly, he didn’t feel any little bit of tiredness or boredom, instead he felt strangely energetic and excited. The excitement increases with every single application form.

He abruptly stopped at one application. “Kim Joonhoon,” he mumbled, again. The kid’s picture caught his eyes. Those eyes, those eyebrows. “This kid has a scary resemblance with me,” he gasps. Slowly, he decided to shrug it aside and proceeds on reading the profile.

“Mother, Lee Yookyung,” he read. His forehead crumpled. It sounds very familiar. He tilted his head slightly, squeezing his brain to recall the name. He sighed, two times. Lifting his head, his gaze fell directly on the TV, yet his attention was nowhere close to the program playing on it.

Lee Yookyung…

Lee Yookyung…

Eyes widened, mouth gapped. With shaky, urgent hand, he pressed the intercom.

“Yes, Mr. Kim,” Jongdae voice came out from the loud speaker.

“Jongdae-ah, bring all of our former employees files. Bring it to my office, now!” desperate, he accidentally raised his voice.

“Ye-yes, sir,” Jongdae stuttered at his boss’ raised voice.

Joonmyeon retreated his arm harshly to himself as he turned the chair around, facing the large window behind. His eyes scanned the whole city, every building, and every car. His feelings were jumbled up, worry yet excited, scared and curios, he felt faint. His left hand gripped the chair’s arm tightly as sweat formed on his forehead.

‘ I hope it’s her, yet I don’t want it to be her. She will complicate my condition, yet I feel the need to take responsibility. That kid, it can’t be mine. No. Is it mine?...’ Joonmyeon’s mind was clouded and at that point, he felt like crying.

“Uwah…”

That is the only thing that came out from Hoon’s mouth at his first sight of the school. His soon-to-be-school. It was not grandeur or spectacular. It’s just a simple, common-looking neighborhood school. Yet, for someone who hasn’t, ever, been to any, it looks even more exciting than Disneyland….

… No way, nothing can beat Disneyland.

Anyway, Hoon was walking inside, almost dragging both his mom and uncle Baek with him.

“Slow down, Hoonie, we’ll get inside,” Yookyung cooed. Her son, however, currently blinded by the school, just kept on dragging the two.

Inside the school, it was very crowded with parents, children, and some teacher-look-a-like. Or maybe they are.

“Hi, I’m Yooah.”

“I hope we’ll be in the same class together.”

“I wonder what they’ll give for lunch.”

“I need to pee.”

All those sounds come together into one symphony of madness. Hoon was taken by surprise. This is school. This is where they study, play and eat.

“Uwah…”

Both Baekhyun and Yookyung giggled at the kid’s reaction.

“Come, Hoon-ah. We need to go to the assembly hall,” Baekhyun said while picking him up and proceed to look for the hall, Yookyung trailing behind him.

“Daddy, there are so many people here today,” Minho gasped while he observed the surroundings through the car’s tinted window.

Joonmyeon gave a satisfied smile. His dream had finally come true. His dream of funding unfortunate children is finally in place. Those smile, that laughter, which is exactly what Joonmyeon had been expecting to observe on his way there.

“Of course, dear. Today, they are all here to hear your daddy’s speech. Aren’t you proud of daddy?” Jinju, sitting at the back seat, touched her husband’s shoulder. Joonmyeon softly pat his wife’s hand.

“Daddy, are you a great person?” Minho’s innocent question brought laughter to the car. Even Jongdae, Joonmyeon’s assistant, laughed along.

“Yes, young master Minho. Mr. Kim is, indeed, a very great person,” Jongdae mused. Joonmyeon looked to the side and gave Jongdae a small smirk.

However, Joonmyeon’s happiness soon vanished before his eyes. Minho, let’s hope your daddy is great enough to face the up coming trouble.

“… Now, a few words from the generous man behind the hundred scholarship event, CEO of SS Group, Mr. Kim Joonmyeon.”

Yookyung looked up, trying not to believe her ears.

Joonmyeon…

Kim Joonmyeon…

The CEO ascended the steps to the podium, standing on his glory and pride. Yookyung’s face stiffens while she’s trying to hold everything back. Her rage, her urge to shout at his face, telling him this is your son!

“Yay, daddy!” She hard an immature cheer and look to the direction.

On the left corner of the room, there was a lovely lady who looked like she belongs to an episode of Desperate Housewives. Beside her, there was a boy, around Hoon’s age, Yookyung guessed, cheering on his dad, the CEO standing on the podium. Everyone cooed at the child’s cuteness.

Yookyung, even though she shouldn’t have to, compared her and her son to the lady and the kid. They both have the same husband; their kids have the same dad, yet, how come the difference is so jarring. Both the lady and the kid looked so well groomed and well fed, whereas she and her baby looked like they are scrapping by day by day, despite Baekhyun’s generous helps. The lady and the kid was sitting at the ‘VIP’ section with bodyguards and an intelligent-looking man beside them, whereas she and her baby is sitting amongst the commoner, the unfortunate, the one receiving.

Yookyung’s eyes brimmed with tears. She can’t, this is too much. This is too unfair for her baby. She stood up, surprising Hoon and Baekhyun.

“I’m going to the toilet,” she whispered and walked out. Hoon, being an innocent child, just nodded and fixed his attention back to the handsome uncle on the podium.

Baekhyun, however, noticed.

‘Is he the one who tainted you innocence, Yookyung-ah? Is he your father, Hoon-ah?’

‘It is you, Yookyung-ah. I found you.’

NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:

"He's not yours! How many times should I tell you, Kim Joonmyeon? He's. Not. Yours."

"Oppa, I'm not comfortable with you being too generous and helpful towards Yookyung unnie. I'm sorry."

"Yookyung ah... I... I don't think I can help you and Hoon any longer."