I didn’t know Rae In’s mother was coming over until I saw her a while ago. I’m surprised, and I think I was caught on not knowing what to do in front of her. Good think she looks kind and gentle.

She nods at Rae In one last time before leaving with Dannie to her room. I am left with Rae In in the kitchen. “I ask her to come since I need help with the cooking.” She says once they are completely gone. I nod once, walk towards the stove as my curiosity pushes me to take a peak of what’s boiling on the casserole. It looks like chicken.

“I’m not aware they are going to Korea until this afternoon, too.” I explain to clarify my abrupt notice hours ago, which probably put her into panic that she had to call her mother. “I’m not sure if they are staying here, though, or they will move to have some unit during their stay. I’m not sure how long they will be here as well.”

“Don’t they have their own house?” I look at her as she speaks and I see the surprise expression on her face. I think she is embarrassed that she suddenly sounds like she doesn’t want them in my house. “I mean, their house while they were still living here.” She corrects herself.

“They sold it.” I let out a soft chuckle. Until now, I still believe selling a house you own just because you’re leaving the country is funny. But for them, it’s no big deal. They can buy a unit or even one big house in a snap of fingers. “No one’s gonna leave there anyways since I moved in as well. We have a vacation house in Jeju, though, but I don’t think they will choose to stay there right now.”`

“I see.” She nods and I can feel that she’s absorbing all the things I’m telling her. It feels good that she has interest on knowing what’s up with my parents.

“By the way…” I continued. “They know we’re real.”

“Huh?” Her eyes grow a bit wider again as she looks at me with shock. This is fascinating, that specific expression of her.

“Oh. We’re real anyways.” I say in a boastful manner and she suddenly blushes. Right. We are real. That’s what I want to happen so that’s what is going to happen. But of course, I’m wishing this is not really just one sided. I do hope she feels the same way. As far as I can see, she probably likes me, too. But who knows? She’s the most unpredictable girl I’ve ever met.

“This isn’t the right time to play, Lee Tae Min.” She speaks with a serious yet nervous expression. Suddenly, it makes me uncomfortable to see that nervous expression on her face. It makes me feel like she’s guarding herself too much from me. She stares at me and I stare back, trying to read her thoughts. Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of superpower, and unless she tells me what’s up in her mind, I wouldn’t know a single thing. “Tell me, do you like me?”

“Oh.” That is an unexpected question. I never really consider her asking that. It is too straightforward that I watch her swallow after saying that. She’s probably surprised with herself again. She’s that type. Randomly saying what’s in her mind. For sure she’s thinking about that since some time ago, and now she has said it.

“You said we can’t fall in love with each other.”

“I… did.” I hate to have this situation when I become speechless and she has a lot to say. I hate that I can’t defend myself coz it seems like I’m guarding myself from her as well.

“You see...” She sighs before continuing. It takes so much courage to say these things out really, and I never had enough courage to do so, so I’m surprised she’s doing it. “I believe we are clear about this even from the start, and I understand that you can’t play with your women because Dannie and I are around. You’re doing me a bigger favour than I do to you, I know that, and I recognize that, but if you keep on playing like this, treating me like how you a wife should be treated. Kissing me, hugging me, telling me words that make my knees weak, it’s unfair. It’s unfair because you’re used to this. It’s unfair because you know this game, and I don’t. I’ll end up losing this if it goes on and on. I’ve never really been seriously in love and I’ve never experienced flirting, fooling around, making out, so I can’t go along your games, Taemin. I’ll just end up falling deeper, until I can’t pick up myself anymore.”

There is silence and I notice her wiping some little tears that got out of her eyes. “I’m sorry, I just got a bit out of the line.” She chuckles awkwardly and turns her back on me to face what was being cooked. I am about to say something, but her mother comes in.

“Good, mom. I’ll just get something from our room.” As soon as she feels her mother’s presence, she washes her hands and runs out of the kitchen, leaving me there alone with her mom.

“Excuse me.” I politely say so I could run to follow her.

“Lee Taemin-ssi.” Her mother calls out and I pause to look at her. “Did you just make her cry?”

I lower down my gaze, feeling ashamed of what just happened, but eventually nodded to admit my fault. “I’m sorry.”

“I know this would happen.” She tells me, half of her attention is in the food, but I could sense that she’s also fully focused on talking to me. “Either one of you, or both of you, have fallen in love with each other, but no one wants to admit it.”

She likes me, or I like her, or we both like each other.

“You were the guy she used to hate during highschool.” I am surprised by what she said. I thought she didn’t know about me being her daughter’s greatest enemy in the past. “I know that, I read the articles she had written, and I saw many many times her expressions when she’s cursing you. I remember your face, so I’m surprised she still lied to me when I saw you that day.”

“But… you still allowed us to be in this situation.”

“Because I believe that’s for Dannie. I treated Danmi as my daughter, too, so I really would want Rae In to get her child when she passed away. You presented her an agreement that would make her have Dannie. I couldn’t just refused. And besides, somehow, you still look nice to me.”

I smile a little, and she continues what she is saying.

“If you like her then say it. If you don’t like her then don’t be too good to her. She’s not used on having someone take care of her but her mom and dad, so her feelings are easily swayed.”

She stops talking and settles with her work. I stay there standing behind her, my eyes on the floor thinking about everything that Rae In and her mother said just now. Is her mother telling me that Rae In really has fallen for me? Honestly, I’m not used on the serious thing, too. She’s right. I can play games, but taking this for real, I don’t know what to do.

“These are all settled. Can you just help her fix the table later on?” She smiles at me and I nod curiously. “Right. I don’t want your parents to see me here since I want them to think Rae In has prepared all these for them. I’ll go after saying goodbye to her and my grandchild.” She wipes her hand with the towel, walks to me and pats my shoulder. “It’s okay to make her cry but don’t do it too often, okay?”

----------

The cute Dannie is dressed in green dress. Her hair falling freely on her shoulder and she has a green headband on. She looks very pretty. My parents would surely adore her.

Rae In, on the other hand, is wearing a tight brown skirt which extends just above her knees, and a loose white blouse that highlights her fit body. Her hair is tied up in a messy bun and the only jewellery she wears is our wedding ring and there’s her silver watch on her left wrist.

Since the confrontation a while ago, we never really have long conversations again. An hour has passed already.

Then we hear the door rings. I see her swallows. She’s probably nervous as I am. I don’t know, but somehow, my parents’ sudden visit makes me nervous. They won’t be here for no reasons.

When I told them I got married, both of them panicked, enraged about the fact that they were not even there to witness the marriage, and also annoyed by the fact that I didn’t introduce her to them first before getting married. They felt that their right as my parents were breached. They warned me that they’ll go here, but I just laughed it off, thinking they might be too busy to bother going home.

But the thing is… they did. They’re now here in the country, and just now, one of them rang the doorbell.

I stand up, look at Rae In and nod. I start walking and I feel her following with Dannie beside her.

Suddenly, I feel one cold hand entwining itself to mine. I look down and see both our hands clasped together. She’s closer than how I would request her to be. After what she said a while ago, I figured out I need to distance myself to her a bit so as not to give her more burden. But now she initiates it, probably to show me that it’s okay to pretend that we’re really lovers in front of my parents.

This won’t take too much. I’m sure they will be here for few days only.

We go to open the door together: I, Rae In, and Dannie. “Let me carry you.” I tell Dannie and immediately lift her on my arms. As the door opens, we are welcomed by my mother and my father. My mom immediately smiles, and in an instant, she clasps her hands together. It’s a sign that she is appreciating something.

“Oh, how beautiful this little girl is!” She almost screams in delight and reaches for Dannie’s cheek. The child might have felt the warm recognition from my mother so she smiles back, making my mother even more fond of her for the first sight.

Then abruptly she looks at Rae In, estimates her for a while and smiles widely again, “You’re prettier than I expected.”

A/N: You know, I'm supposed to be cramming out for a 20 page Literature Review this Saturday but here I am writing. You just can't really ignore the desire to write, and I don't want my thesis paper to be about Rae In and Tae Min. It would be weird. Hahaha. 

And that explains why I really seldom post updates. I need to graduate guys. Need to earn money, go have some work, fly to Korea and marry - oh.