Chapter 22

 Something is weird.

I may just be thinking about this, but it seems like Rae In is avoiding me. She has been talking to me stiffly since this morning and I think she is also trying not to have any eye contact with me – for some reasons which obviously, I don’t know.

This morning, too, she left without even saying anything to me. She only said goodbye to Dannie and rush out of the door since I was scheduled to take and pick Dannie up from school today.

“Did mommy say anything to you this morning, sweetie?” I ask Dannie as I pick her up from school and while we are on our way back to our home. It’s past 2 pm already.

She thinks for a while and shrugs her shoulders innocently while looking at me. “I don’t think there is such thing, daddy. Why?” As usual, Dannie is one curious child.

“Nothing. I just think something’s bothering your mom since last night.” I tell her as I naturally just open up a topic like this to a 6 year old child. I don’t have anyone else to talk about this with anyway. It’s only me, Dannie, and Rae In at home, so if someone else knows about Rae In’s thoughts, it’s probably her child.

“Hmm…” Dannie crosses her arms as if she’s a young lady. How cute. She looks up, thinking intensively what could really be the reason why her mom looks worried or something like that. “What do you mean something’s bothering her?” She asks again to which I just shake my head.

“I’m not sure, sweetie, but mommy’s not talking to me since last night when we came home from the event.” Eventually, I completely tell her everything, but I don’t know why I suddenly feel like Dannie can understand me, and that she’ll be able to give me some good insights

“Is it because of the girl last night?” She looks at me and frowns. “The girl who seems like she’s going to have a fight with mommy. Daddy, does that girl like you? She seems to like you a lot.”

This child is really very intelligent and she’s a really good observer. However, I wish she won’t be able to witness a lot of scenarios like that last night. Now, to be honest, I don’t know what to tell her.

“Daddy’s not sure.” I only say. “But why would she get mad? It’s not like I defended that girl.” I am talking to myself but Dannie can still hear it.

“Maybe she’s not really mad.” The little girl tells me. “She is not just feeling well about something. Why don’t you ask her, dad?”

“She won’t tell me.”

“Did you ask her already?”

Yeah. Right. How do I know that she’s not going to tell me when I have not really asked her about it? Wow. I can really get something just by talking to my precious daughter.

“I will, baby. Thank you.”

“You should tell mommy not to feel bad anymore. She’s beautiful, and she’s different than any other girls out there. Besides, it’s her that you really love, right, daddy? Then she must cheer up and always be happy since she has you, and she has me, too.” She smiles sweetly at me as she says those meaningful words. Dannie is such a great help for me right now that I can’t read her mother’s thoughts. Perhaps, it really has something to do with the girl she met last night, though I might say, that she really did well defending herself and me from that person.

“Should you drop me off to Uncle Jinki for a while?” She talks again after several minutes. “You should go see mommy and pick her up from her work, too, then talk as you go pick me up from Uncle Jinki’s clinic.”

“Aayy~ Dannie’s up to something?” I narrow my eyes and look at her playfully. Dannie giggles. “You don’t need to do this, Dannie. I don’t want you to think you’re being a disturbance to us.”

“I don’t think that way, daddy.” She smiles. “I just think I’m too young to hear your conversation with mommy, so I should not be there, and besides, I love playing with Uncle Jinki.”

I have a feeling that Dannie will take much of Rae In’s personality. It’s been how long already since we got together? It’s not that long yet but I’m seeing Rae In through Dannie little by little. I just hope she won’t grow up with the same level of sharp-mouthedness as her mother. It won’t be too good, you know.

So like what she said, I drop her off to Jinki hyung’s clinic and tell her I will be back with her mommy in a bit. She nods cutely and holds her uncle’s hand as they go inside the clinic to play together.

------ ------ ----- ------

“You sure you don’t want to go with us?” I’m with some of my officemates, Hansu and Seohee, in the elevator as we are done with today’s work. They are asking me to go with them on a blind date since they invited three guys on a nearby coffee shop.

I roll my eyes on them, raise my hand and show them my ring. “Excuse me?”

“I just can’t believe you marry all of a sudden to someone we haven’t even met!” Seohee blurted. “That’s why I’m sorry, Rae In, but we don’t believe about such married. Maybe you did that because you want to get Dannie from the orphanage?” She asks and the two start to irritate me with wanting to know the truth.

I won’t tell them.

“He is my long-time boyfriend and he studied medicine. You don’t see him around coz he is not that type of guy to even bother picking up his girlfriend.” Do I smell bitterness with the way I sound? I don’t know. I’m not sure.

The elevator opens and we go straight to the lobby and out to the main door.

“You can tell your ‘husband’ that you just hang out with your friends. Come on, we haven’t bonded together since ‘you got married’.” Hansu speaks as if she doesn’t mean it. I only shrug my shoulders.

“I still have to take care of Dannie a-“ I automatically stop when my eyes dart on a certain familiar someone. He is standing outside his car leaning against it, looking towards our direction. I frown. “What is he doing here?”

“Who?” Hansu and Seohee both ask and look at the direction I’m looking it. They see Taemin.

Then he smiles, starts walking towards us and I could hear the other two squealing beside me. He really has this effect when it comes to girls.

“I arrive just in time.” He says with a genuine smile on his face and nods to the girls as an acknowledgement. “Hi. Are you Rae In’s friends?”

“Oh- yes.” They even stutter upon answering the question.

But… really, why is he here?

Does it have to do with the way I keep on acting since last night? Does he notice it? He should not. I don’t know how to explain myself if he asks.

“I’m sorry I never really had the chance to introduce myself.” Taemin says and grabs my hand, holding it tightly. I look up at him. “I’m Lee Taemin. Song Rae In’s husband. It’s nice meeting you.” He holds out his other hand and offers a handshake to the two. Hansu and Seohee comply, but they look in awe and in disbelief. “Are you going somewhere?” He looks at me, waiting for me to answer.

I blankly just shake my hand. I am surprised, too, and puzzled. Really, why is he here? And why is he acting like the nice husband he is again?

“Oh. No, not really.” Says Hansu. “Actually, we’re going to say bye to her. Bye, Rae In-ah, Taemin-ssi. It’s nice seeing you here.” She says and as if someone is chasing after them, they leave immediately and run to the other direction.

“Are you supposed to hang out today with them?” He asks after they’re gone.

“No. Not really. I already said no before you came.” I answer. “But why are you here? You didn’t tell me that you’re going.”

Oh. Right. Someone from the orphanage must have come to check on us. He probably follows Taemin around!

“Someone following you?” I ask almost whispering.

“What?”

“From the orphanage? That’s why you came here? To show the spy that we’re sweet and good?”

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. It probably irritates him that I just realized it now. Right. Why do I question him about being sweet in public all these time? I forgot about the spy and the possibility that someone’s looking after us to see if we’re really married!

Tsktsk. Sometimes, I am just so dumb.