Smelling the sweet scent of perfume on the shirt and backed up by the evidence traced in his phone, she was almost certain something was amiss. She grabbed the shirt with her fist tightly and clenched her teeth while eyeing her way to the bathroom.

Her husband was showering inside after a so-called long day at work. He had immediately taken off his top and placed it on the bed without greeting her. Even when she asked questions about his day, he simply replied with a nod and moved quickly to the shower.

When he was shampooing his hair, his phone vibrated, signaling a new message had arrived. She had taken noticed of the message and peeked at the bathroom. He was not done with the shower. “There’s no harm done just reading one message. Just one.” She repeated to herself although she felt guilty for doing so.

“I’m his wife. I have the right to do this.” Consoling her own action, she picked up the phone and read the message. At that moment, she knew she had regretted her action.

From HyunA,

Doojoon, I have already booked a room at Rendezvous Hotel as you have said. Kekeke, I don’t know what you are up to but don’t cancel it this time, I had a hard time persuading the manager for this. See you tomorrow then.

HyunA?

Her own good friend?

She was trembling in her hands with one holding to a phone and another to his shirt. She could feel her tears in her eyes but she was not going to cry again. Doojoon hates it when she pulls out the crying act even though it was not intentional. She is a crybaby from the start and he does not like that trait of her.

With much courage, she used her phone and dialed for the number – just to make sure.

It was only until the second ring that the person on the other end picked it up.

“Doojoon, I’m glad you called. Have you received my message? The manager says he even picked out the best view out of all the rooms and… Hello? Are you there? Doojoon…”

HyunA’s voice was more than excited as she was describing the details to her. Gayoon wanted to shout at her but thinking of their friendship, she could not do so. As usual, she is still, after all, the meek and naïve girl who has never raised her voice at anyone – except for Doojoon.

“Mummy!”

Gayoon was snapped out of her thoughts when her daughter came forward and tugged her shirt. She gave a weak smile and bent down to her level, “Yes, my dear Sohyun, what is it?”

“Mummy, Mummy, look at the picture I drew for art class! It’s a picture of you, me and Daddy. I won first place. Are you proud? I am going to show this to Daddy later!” Sohyun exclaimed and showed the picture of them holding hands to Gayoon, “Mummy, are you crying?”

“No, I’m not. Mummy’s just exhausted. I bet Daddy will be proud of you. Show him later after he has showered, okay?” Gayoon wiped her eyes and cooed her 8 years old daughter to the living room. She locked the door and decided it would be time she confronted him about this.

Their relationship as husband and wife had been strained since two months ago. Doojoon was returning home really late, reeking of alcohol and raising his voice to Gayoon easily. Doojoon had forgotten about the special events with regards to the family. Sohyun had been really upset when Doojoon did not attend her award ceremony when she won first in the junior’s level of art. He had also missed her sports’ day and family day in school despite informing him way beforehand.

Gayoon had understood his plight because he was working up to a promotion but all of these were getting out of hand. It had been long since Doojoon had kissed her with his heart. He merely gave her brief kisses which seemed insincere and half-hearted. He no longer hugged her in his sleep and resorted sleeping at the living room because he claimed it was uncomfortable on the bed.

He said it was just the stress going on during work and he was so tired to be concerned about family matters. He had apologized but apologizing did not help me make up for the mistakes.

At that moment, Doojoon had come out of the shower looking lethargic even though he had washed up himself. Instead of putting on his home clothes, he had dressed himself formally and packed his luggage. Gayoon momentarily forgot about the message and questioned, “What are you doing? It’s late.”

“I have to go to Jeju Island for a short meeting with the clients. It’s a last minute decision and I’m going off in an hour.” Doojoon explained quickly and grabbed a few clothes before zipping his luggage.

Gayoon stopped his tracks when he was about to head out of the room, “I have something to ask you.”

“I’m tired, can we talk after I come back?” Doojoon sighed heavily.

She shook her head, “No, we have to talk now. You barely have the time to even converse more than three sentences each day.” Doojoon waited for her to continue as she hissed, “Are you sure you’re going on a trip with your clients?”

“Yes, I am. What are you trying to imply?” Doojoon said calmly.

Gayoon shoved his phone at his face and demanded, “Since when are you hanging out with my friend? HyunA? You never told me you are contacting HyunA.”

“Did you check my phone?” Doojoon took the phone out of her hands and raised his voice yet again, “How many times did I tell you not to touch my phone?”

“Answer me!” Gayoon was also raising her voice now, “Since when did you get so close to her?”

Doojoon sat down on the bed, “She happened to work for one of my clients and she’s the secretary. That’s how we got acquainted with each other. We just hit it off and become friends. We didn’t tell you because we’re busy with work to report minor details like this. We’re busy unlike you who just stays at home and do nothing, okay?”

Gayoon’s boiling meter was rising. How could he say she did nothing at home. Yes, she is a housewife but she had given up on her job to sacrifice her time to make this family right. Yet, he did not appreciate what she had done. She pointed at herself, “Me? Do nothing? I contributed to the family by doing the housework, paying the bills, taking care of our child and the well-being of your health… And you said I did nothing?”

Doojoon looked at his watch and stood up, “Look, Gayoon. I don’t want to start another fight with you. I need to go now.”

Without bidding farewell, he stomped out of the room with his luggage.

She followed behind without a sound until Sohyun came in front of Doojoon.

“Daddy, Daddy! Look what I have drawn for art class and I even won…”  She jumped up and down, excited to tell her daily school life to her father.

However, before she even completed a sentence, Doojoon had taken her art piece and looked at it for a few seconds before bending down to her, “That’s lovely, Sohyun. Daddy has to leave for work now. I’ll talk to you when I’m back, okay?”

“Daddy…” She mumbled and took his sleeve, “You just came back and we missed you so much. Can’t you stay for a little longer?”

Doojoon glanced at the disappointed face of his daughter and back to Gayoon who had a dull expression. What had happened to the beautiful family and happy faces he had looked forward to coming back every day? The house was no longer what he expected.

“I’m sorry, Sohyun… I…”

“Sohyun, do you want to send Daddy off?” Gayoon said in her usual gentle and angelic voice that was only towards her daughter, “I bet Daddy will love it if Sohyun does that. Isn’t that so, Daddy?”

“Daddy, Daddy! Can we?” Her eyes sparkled at the suggestion.

Doojoon and Gayoon have always addressed themselves as “Daddy” and “Mummy” in front of Sohyun. When they’re alone, they call themselves “Baby” or “Honey” but now, it never really came up anymore. They did not even call each other’s names.

Feeling a little bad for his actions, he nodded and smiled to Sohyun, “Okay, Sohyun, you can send me off.”

The car ride was silent except for Sohyun’s random singing. Gayoon was looking out at the window while Doojoon rode his car to the airport. He tried to make conversations but Gayoon always turned it down. Doojoon then started to speak to his daughter and converse with her.

They arrived at the airport with Doojoon repeatedly glancing at the watch. It was not his time to leave yet but he was feeling awkward with the situation. He unwillingly let out a yawn and covered his eyes. Gayoon crossed her arms and said, “Are you sad that we’re here?”

“No, don’t be ridiculous. I’ll be more than happy to spend my time with my daughter.” Doojoon snapped at her in a tone where Sohyun would not be able to hear. She was playing at the playground in the airport premises while keeping her eyes on her parents.

Although she had not said it loudly, she was hurt by his words. He had not mentioned her name and it had been a long time since he had said the three important words. He used to say it all the time before they slept but she could not remember the last time they talked to each other normally.

Doojoon stood up and called for Sohyun, “Sohyun, Daddy needs to leave now. I’ll be back after two days, okay? Give me a kiss!” Doojoon smiled and Sohyun gave him a peck on the cheeks.

Before he left, Sohyun tugged his sleeve again, “Daddy!”

“Yes?”

“You should let Mummy give you a kiss too. She always does that when you leave for work, remember?” Sohyun clapped her hands and anticipated. She turned to Gayoon and blinked, “Mummy?”

“Sohyun, don’t be like this…”

“Come on, don’t disappoint her. A quick one.” Doojoon interrupted and gazed at her. For once, his stare was not intimidating or cold towards her. It was as if their old relationship had returned.

Gayoon gulped and swallowed her anxiety. She moved closer to him and placed one of her hands on his shoulder before leaning in. He had also moved an inch closer to accommodate her height. Before she pecked his cheek, Doojoon had turned his head to let her kiss fully on his lips.

Doojoon did not know what made him did this. It was just a thought going on in his mind. Both of them stayed frozen in their position before Gayoon backed away. Their hearts had been racing really quickly and faces flushed madly from the long-gone physical contact. It was as if they had started dating and the feeling was returning back in their memories.

Sohyun clapped her hands and hugged both of them, “Daddy and Mummy are the best!”

Gayoon and Doojoon, for the first time, smiled warmly as a family. When they looked at each other again, the smiles faded with the coldness that returned as Sohyun broke away from the hug. Sohyun waved goodbye at Doojoon, “Goodbye, Daddy, see you in two days!”

“Goodbye, my girl.” Doojoon kissed her cheek and waved.

Gayoon took a last look at his husband before his figure disappeared behind the doors.

Sitting at the bench at the park, she was touching her own lips that had made contact with Doojoon. Memories of their dating days came back and she smiled to herself. The old days when Doojoon would randomly tickle her to death while she turned violent on him made her giggle silently. The day when she gave birth to Sohyun had freaked him out endlessly and cried when Sohyun was born.

Sohyun was still playing by herself in the middle of the night building a sandcastle. She laughed to herself and was impressed by her artwork. She would make everything perfect to show her Mummy she was capable of so much more.

“Mummy, look at the sandcastle! Isn’t it pretty? Next time, I’ll build a real one for three of us to stay!” Sohyun imagined their lives together as a family and could not help but feel fortunate.

Gayoon placed her on her laps and hugged her, “Sohyun, do you really love Mummy and Daddy?”

“Yes, I do. Mummy, do you love me?” Sohyun asked.

“Of course.”

“Do you love Daddy?” Sohyun was hesitant. She could be just eight but she felt something was funny between her parents but she shrugged it off, thinking everything was just alright.

“I…” Gayoon felt her heart warming up, “I love Daddy.”

They were walking home from the park where they passed by a café which had a TV on. She glanced briefly at it before noticing Doojoon’s flight number on the headline news. She walked into the café with Sohyun in her hands and listened.

“Breaking news ahead:

The Jeju Air Flight No. 7C1102 has some difficulty in flying due to poor visibility and bad weather. It has taken off but has issues of landing since the engine was reported to have minor failures. For the moment, the safety of the passengers and staff are still stable. More details will be given soon.”

“No…” Gayoon shook her head and gripped Sohyun’s hand tightly, “Doojoon… He can’t…”

“Mummy, what’s wrong?”

“We have to go back to the airport.”

-

A/N:

Hello guys, here's the first chapter! I made So Hyun the child (LOL, I still find it strange though.). Anyway, added a slight description at my foreword so check it out! Thank you! *blows kisses*