seventeen

  “Why are you actually doing this, Mi-hyung?”

  Kyuhyun was bewildered, but at the same time, he could almost predict what Zhou Mi had went to the school to do. It had been the first day in weeks that Zhou Mi had taken a single step to the school grounds, and he had felt a rather pained sense of familiarity as he trod on the sand in the playground, inhaling the sweet scent of the flowers that were planted in the garden. Many expectant parents were waiting in front of the doors, checking their watches with much impatience as they waited for their children to be dismissed from the kindergarten.

  Zhou Mi inhaled slowly. “It’s been more than a month since I’ve seen Huiling. I can’t do much about Vic, at least for now… It’s difficult to do anything.” He seemed rather helpless, as he spoke. “Huiling is still my daughter, after all. Ever since I went off, it’s like there’s this broken radio repeating the same lines in my mind over and over again – that I’ve got to see Huiling.”

  Kyuhyun gave him a puzzled look. “And why is that? Vic’s waiting for you to make a move, Mi. You can’t just do nothing about Vic and sneakily come to see Huiling. It’s either you come to see both, or don’t come at all.”

  Zhou Mi heaved a sigh, for he knew Kyuhyun’s words were doubtlessly true. The wedding ring was slipped back upon his finger, however, his wife had not returned. Each night as he tossed and turned, he felt that the bed was too empty, just too empty, and each morning, he would not hear the sweet sound of Huiling calling his name, or to receive loving kisses from Victoria. He missed it all, truly, but still, he could not bear to say a word.

  “…What are you doing?” Kyuhyun blurted out his question, knowing he just had to ask. “Really, Mi-hyung, what’s happening? There has to be something that you’re just not willing to say, something that you’re concealing from us, right?”

  Zhou Mi paused, reluctant to reply. “…I’m not having an affair, that’s for sure.”

  “Then it should be alright to tell us what’s going on, right?”

  “…As long as it’s not an affair, it doesn’t matter what else is going on.”

  “You can’t treat this lightly, Mi.” Kyuhyun began to admonish him. “It’s not just a trivial matter. Things have stretched on for more than a month, and now it’s becoming more severe with each passing second. It’s not a matter that you can carelessly say as you wish, and hope everything will be okay. Fix things with Victoria, and tell her the truth, whatever the truth is.”

  “Kyu-“

  “Victoria’s been my best friend for the longest time.” Kyuhyun said earnestly. “…She’s a real prick who annoys me at times, but she’s a genuinely good person.” He inverted his gaze on Zhou Mi. “…Don’t hurt her like this. She’s got the right to know what’s going on.”

  “I know she does…”

  “Then tell her.”

  At that moment, the bell rang loudly, startling the both of them. The door creaked open slowly, and little children began to toddle out, wobbling to their parents’ arms. Two little girls with identical pigtails rushed out, cheerfully laughing and playing with each other before stopping and scanning through the playground for their parents.

  Huiling was stunned as she saw a familiar figure leaning against the fence, softly gazing back at her. “Daddy?” She murmured once, barely able to believe it was him. “Daddy!” She exclaimed, coming to a realization that it truly was her father.

  Zhou Mi squatted down, stretching out his arms as Huiling bounded towards him, wrapping her in a tight hug the moment they made skin contact. “Huiling-ah…”

  “Daddy, I really, really missed you!” Huiling’s words came out as a barely audible whisper as she wrung her arms around her father’s neck. “Daddy…” She could not help but call him over and over again – it had been more than a month after all.

  Zhou Mi was not a man of many tears, but he distinctly felt tears come to his eyes as he clutched the tiny body of his daughter. “…I’m sorry, Huiling. I didn’t make it to hear your speech, and I didn’t-“

  “It’s okay Daddy, but you’ve got to take us home, okay?” Huiling, despite the feelings that overwhelmed her, was able to remain rational and reasonable. “Take me and Mommy home… Please?”

  “I will, Huiling… soon.”

  “Why not now, Daddy?”

  Huiling, despite being a girl who hardly protested, threw a rather exasperated question at her father. She had been vexed at her father’s actions, especially when she observed her mother continuously shedding tears each night. She was young, but her age did not stop her from getting the gist of the situation. And with that gist, she knew the only one that could procure a solution that would solve the problem, was her father.

  Zhou Mi, unsure of how to answer, just chose to give his daughter reassurance. “Soon, soon… Huiling. Just believe Daddy, okay? You believe Daddy, right?” He held up his pinky. “Promise Daddy that you’ll believe me?”

  Huiling was not convinced, but out of love for her father, she made a pinky-promise. “You have to promise to take us home soon too, okay Daddy?”

  “…I promise.”

  However, even Kyuhyun, who was meters away, could hear the uncertainty that was in Zhou Mi’s words.

  Luhan let out an exhausted sigh as he trudged into the living room, heading towards the fridge and staring at in exasperated. Yoona, who had heard the resounding steps approaching the living room, sat up with a start, her attention diverted away from her magazine and to her husband, watching him with much amusement.

  “Your son…” Luhan was seemingly fatigued. “…officially hates me.”

  Yoona raised an eyebrow. “Jun doesn’t hate you.”

  “You should have heard the boy just now.” Luhan frowned at the thought of what had happened, grabbing a bowl of washed strawberries from the fridge. “He was whining and whining about not having his mommy put him to bed for naptime, and he kept talking about how Mommy was doing this for him, Mommy was doing that for him.”

  Yoona smirked, as Luhan took a seat next to her. “Is the perfect daddy jealous?”

  “I’m envious, Yoona.”

  “Jealousy and envy – it doesn’t make a difference.”

  “Jealousy is more severe, and more on the negative side.” Luhan was quick to correct her, but he found himself rather defeated, defeated b