“Hello. Really? Okay thanks Jonghyun.”

Yonghwa ended the call and smiles.

“I can be a little at ease with them around Shinhye.”

He thoughts and wore his neck tie. He combs his hair and smiles to his reflection before he heads down to the dining room.

He saw Shinhye in the kitchen, making pancakes for breakfast. He smiles and walks to his daughter. She was playing by herself on her baby chair.

“Eunmi ya, I’ll be there in a while neh.”

Shinhye said from the kitchen.

“It’s okay Shinhye. I’m here.”

Yonghwa answers and carry Eunmi to the dining table. He sits on the chair and make Eunmi sits on the table.

“Oppa, she hasn’t showered yet.”

“Kenchana.”

Yonghwa kisses Eunmi’s cheek.

“My daughter is always smells good right?”

He teases her nose with his which make Eunmi giggles.

“Omma.”

She said suddenly.

“What did you say Eunmi ya? Say it again?”

“Omma.”

She answers and claps her hands.

She keeps repeating the words with a bright smile.

“Shinhye, she speaks.”

Yonghwa said in a daze.

“Really?”

Shinhye wipes her hands and walks to Yonghwa.

As soon as she saw her, Eunmi held out her hand to Shinhye.

“Omma.”

She said and giggles.

Shinhye smiles and hugs the little creature lovingly.

“You call me omma?”

Shinhye turn her view to Yonghwa.

“It’s her first word oppa.”

“She knows you are her omma Shinhye.”

Yonghwa smiles and hold her shoulder. He squeezes it.

“You are a great mother. Eunmi got a great mother.”

Shinhye smiles and kisses Eunmi’s cheek.

“Let’s eat breakfast?”

Shinhye nods and put Eunmi in her chair before she prepared the table.

                                                                              ***

“I’m hiring two bodyguards.”

Shinhye who was feeding Eunmi turns her view to Yonghwa.

“It’s for you and Eunmi’s safety.”

He said calmly and put a piece of pancake into his mouth.

Shinhye doesn’t talk. She keeps feeding Eunmi.

“Are you okay with that?”

Shinhye nods.

“It’s up to you oppa.”

Yonghwa look at her face.

“It seems like you don’t like the idea.”

Yes. Yonghwa is absolutely right. She doesn’t want any bodyguard, even one is bothersome. She will be questions in her every steps. It’s like living in a prison once again.

“Ani. I’m okay.”

She said finally.

Yonghwa sighs.

“I’m afraid Yoomi will do something to hurt Eunmi, to hurt you. That’s why I make this decision. She keeps threatening me and the boys.”

Shinhye wipes Eunmi’s mouth calmly.

“It’s okay oppa. I’m fine with it.”

“I know you will understand. it’s not that I don’t trust you; it’s just that I want to make sure you both are safe when I’m at work.”

Shinhye smiles.

“I understand oppa.”

“They will accompany you in the house. If you are not comfortable, I’ll ask them to stay outside. Whatever it is, you are still the boss. Don’t do anything they say okay.”

“Deh.”

She answers shortly.

“I’ve asked them to come this evening. They will start working tomorrow.”

Shinhye nods.

Yonghwa sighs. It’s become harder and harder for him to hear her voice now. One day she is friendly, one day she will act like stranger. He sighs again before he looks at her.

“Shinhye, let’s be friend.”

He said finally.

Shinhye look at him with an undescribed expression.

“I don’t know how to describe our relationship now. It seems complicated. We only talk when necessary. We hardly see each others face. Let’s start off as a friend, maybe we can be more comfortable with each other.”

Yonghwa smiles.

“Will you be my friend Shinhye?”

“But oppa.”

“Wae? You don’t want to?”

“It’s not that I don’t want but we already married.”

“I know, but our situation is different. Let’s be friend okay.”

Shinhye nods and smiles.

“Deh oppa.”

“Let’s talk more after I’m back from work neh.”

Shinye nods.

Yonghwa sips his last drop of coffee before he stands up and kisses Eunmi.

“Take care.”

Shinhye simply nods before she sends Yonghwa off with her eyes.

She turns to Eunmi and smiles.

“There is something wrong with your appa right?”

She said and giggles when Eunmi just say her first word-‘omma’.

“Let’s locks the door and get your shower sweetie.”

                                                                                              ***

“Tell me about you.”

Yonghwa and Shinhye were resting on the living room after their dinner. Shinhye lets Eunmi plays on the carpet with her toys before she joins Yonghwa on the sofa as he asks her to do so.

“There isn’t much interesting things about me. You know that I grow up in the Orphanage right?”

Yonghwa nods.

“I remember seeing you when I go there with omma.”

“Deh. I was close with omma. She always looks for me if she came to the orphanage. I feel like spending time with my own mother.”

She smiles.

“Can I know why you accept her proposal on marrying me?”

Shinhye breathes before she answers.

“I’m not going to lie. I decline at first but then I accept it solely because of omma. Futher more, I can’t bear to see Eunmi lives without a mother figure.”

She smiles again. Yonghwa looks at his daughter. She was playing happily.

“Thanks for completing this family Shinhye.”

She smiles.

“I’m the one who should thank you oppa. Even though I gone through a bitter life, I get to taste a family lives. Getting married to you gives me opportunity to get loves from omma and appa. I’m happy.”

She smiles all along.

Yonghwa touches her hand and holds it tight.

“I promise you that I won’t change to the man that you saw after we got married. I will try harder so that I will be able to become a good husband to you.”

Shinhye smiles and nods.

“Don’t you want to know about me?”

Shinhye smiles.

“Can I?”

“Of course. We are friends right?”

Yonghwa chuckles.

“I’m not going to boast about me but I am a very dutiful son back then.”

He smiles.

“I know, omma tell me once that her son is a very good son.”

“Really?”

“Deh. Omma really proud of you.”

Yonghwa smiles dryly.

“Oppa.”

Shinhye called him hesitantly.

“Waeyo?”

“Can I know how you met unni?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to. I understand.”

Yonghwa sighs.

“I met Yoomi when I study in Seoul University. She takes the same major like me; business and management. We are also in the same club. We met, we talk, we exchange numbers and I fallen for her in few months after.”

He paused when Eunmi crawls to his leg. He lifts her up and makes her sits on his lap.

“Let her lie down on my laps.”

Yonghwa nods and places Eunmi on her lap. Shinhye pats her slowly as she continues to hear to Yonghwa’s story.

“She had a close friend that she calls oppa. He is a senior in our faculty. I come to know him when he always there with Yoomi. I envy their relationship at first because I feel that I always been left out when we were together. But, I come to know that they were friends since childhood and I try to be more considerate. I am the one that she loves after all.”

He pauses again and sighs.

“We got married when I was 24, three years before. I proposed to her when I succeed my first big project. She agreed the next day, with her close oopa as witness. She is a good wife and granddaughter. Omma and appa loves her so much. She is a perfect housewife; she makes me happy. She become close to my friends, she joins omma in her society and she do all the sorts of things that a wife and granddaughter will do.

“When I know she was pregnant, I’m the happiest because finally our precious child will come to meet the world. The witness of our love will be born. I’m so damn happy at that time.”

Yonghwa smiles with teary eyes. Shinhye squeezes his hand with her free hand to show him her support. He must hurt a lot. His eyes show it.

Yonghwa turns to her and smiles before he stares blankly to the wall.

“She changes from that day. I don’t mind at all. I know that it must be the effects from her hormonal changes. Omma also gives me lots of support. I endure it all. I endure when she wants to sleep alone. I endure when she don’t let me kiss her. I endure it even I’m dying to hold her.

Yonghwa fists his hand to reduce his heart ache. Shinhye listens calmly while hugging the now sleeping Eunmi.

“She wasn’t her usual self since the day she gives birth to Eunmi. Poor my daughter, she doesn’t even get to taste her omma’s milk. She doesn’t want to feed her at all. She doesn’t even want to look at her. Do you know how hurt I am at that time? I’m seeing a completely different Yoomi. She isn’t my wife; she isn’t the one that I love anymore.”

Yonghwa palms his face before he sighs.

“One day, she left when I’m back from office. She left a letter saying that she left with her close friend. The one that I once jealous of. I feel like I’m crushed at that time. How could she. How could she left her two months old baby like that? The most hateful line of her is that she says she never loves me, the one that she loves is always her close friend.”

Yonghwa breathes.

“I come to hate women from that day. I don’t have any faith in them. I changed my personality to a cold person, I become more mature. I changed my secretary to a man; most of my workers are males too. I try to avoid making deal with a woman clients, I cancel it right away; even before I read their proposal.

“That is why I behave like that to you. I’m not prepared to start off a new married life yet. I don’t want to loosen myself to you. I become meaner when I come to know about your relationship with Woobin hyung. I thought that you must be having affair. Forgive my ridiculous mind Shinhye. I know I’m ridiculous.”

Yonghwa turn his view to Shinhye after a while.

“Now that you know about me, what do you think? Can you accept me?”

 

 

 

 

Can she?

I’ll tell you her answer in the next chapter…

Thanks for your comments, I love it all…

Love you all sweethearts…

^________^