Junghwa looked at her husband and gave him a sad smile. Never in her life had she imagined hurting someone as bad as she did to him. Ever since the incident the previous night, the two hadn’t talked and it bothered her. She cared for him like a wife should; she gave him the attention he needed, she tried her best to love him like anyone who would but at the end of the day they both knew it was all false. It was a simple facade the two had grew to develop over the years of being together.

Haru’s cried interrupted Junghwa from her thoughts. She rolled over to the edge of the bed and gently took off the blanket that covered her body, trying not to wake an exhausted Sunggyu. She tiptoed her way out of the room and close the door behind her then proceeded to her daughters which was located right across theirs.

Upon opening the door, she saw Haru moving about in her bed, still crying. “Haru,” Junghwa called out as she picked up Haru. “What’s wrong?” She asked as she gently bounced her daughter up and down in her arms. She made her way towards the diaper changing table and laid Haru down. “Let mommy change your diaper first, okay?” she said while taking out a new diaper and quickly going to get a new change of clothes for her. Haru began to squirm around the changing table when Junghwa returned to her with her diaper, clothes and a small toy to keep her occupied.

Junghwa began to change her diaper then proceeded to strip her of her clothes then changing her into a new, pale yellow one-piece. Junghwa took the toy from Haru as she picked her up again.

It was Sunday which meant a family lunch at the Kim mannor. Junghwa looked at the clock as she made her way downstairs and noticed it was only eight in the morning. She placed Haru in her walker and made her way to the kitchen with a bouncing Haru following after her. Junghwa opened the fridge and took out the carton of eggs and the bag of shredded cheese to start breakfast. She glanced back at Haru and saw her daughter smile at her.

"Should mommy make pancakes instead?" She asked her. Haru babbled a reply in her baby talk and Junghwa nodded her head at the answer and placed the cheese back in the fridge and took out the ingredients for pancakes. Haru followed her mother around the kitchen until Junghwa had to turn the stove on. "Okay, Haru," Junghwa began to push her daughter out of the kitchen. "I have to do something hot and it's dangerous for you to be in here," she said as she placed chairs out to block her daughter from getting in the kitchen. "Watch mommy from there until daddy comes and gets you, okay?" She turned her back to her daughter and began to cook their breakfast.

After half an hour of cooking all of the batter, Junghwa turned around and saw Haru smiling at her. A smile appeared on Junghwa's face as she made her way to her daughter. Her eyes wandered towards the stairs and she didn't see Sunggyu yet. She bit the inside of and wondered to herself if it was her fault.

"Let's eat, baby," she said, picking up Haru and placing her in the highchair at the table that was suited for almost ten people since Sunggyu said: "The bigger the better!"

A smile appeared on her face as she went back in their kitchen and grabbed the plate stacked with pancakes and appeared back and saw Sunggyu sitting beside Haru with a tired smile on his face.

"Good morning," she greeted her husband with a smile as she placed the food in the table.

"Good morning, love," he said in a hoarse voice making her bite back a laugh.

"Can you get her cereal for her, please?" Junghwa looked at him before turning back to the kitchen to grab the plates and forks and syrup that she previously heated up.  She heard Sunggyu move around behind her and made his way towards the kitchen following her movements. He opened the pantry and went inside to get the food that was wanted for the morning. When he got out, he saw Junghwa with a sippy cup with apple juice and two glasses tucked in her arms while her other hand held the juice carton.

Sunggyu let out a small sigh at the sight of his wife. After her meltdown last night, he could tell she was straining herself to be better, but he didn’t know how she could be better. Sure there was talk around the companies saying that the only reason why the two married was because of that boyfriend of hers a few years back which caused quite a commotion within the community and Sunggyu didn’t know why it would, but it did and it still lingered. He could feel it when they went out to parties and he wasn’t sure what to do because the topic of the companies would always steer towards their marriage and if there were any problems. The husband and wife duo didn’t enjoy the attention their relationship was receiving and one time, Junghwa almost snapped at a lady who said she was an obstacle in Sunggyu’s future, but of course, being the wife of a well-off man, Junghwa said something about the other woman’s marriage then stormed off to calm down.

But this time, it was different. It wasn’t like her other meltdowns before, she broke down and screamed. And he couldn’t help but blame himself for being so stupid and not know what to do. He sure as hell knew that Junghwa was officially done pretending to be a wife she was not, but he knew she would save face for her family and herself. Sunggyu hoped she was alright somewhere inside. He prayed she was stable to stand up soon and he would do his best to help her.

He entered the dining room with Haru’s breakfast and saw a plate with two pancakes and a glass of juice on the right side and a bowl of fruit for him. Sunggyu gave Junghwa a smile as she took the bowl from him and began to feed Haru while eating her own breakfast. He observed his wife and saw she was exhausted and it was probably from the previous night. She cried during the movie then she had a small outburst and she seemed drained. Sunggyu poured syrup over his food and began to eat.

“Want to go to the zoo today?” Sunggyu asked Junghwa who was feeding Haru, “Or we can go on a picnic at the park or that one garden you always wanted to go to or--”

“What about lunch with your family?” She placed the spoon down and gave it to Haru who began to play with her food.

“We can always skip,” he shrugged. “We have been going to their house every Sunday after our honeymoon,” he whined, making her laugh.

“Fine,” she sighed, agreeing to his wanting to go out. “Call mom and tell her we can’t make it.” Junghwa instructed him, taking back the spoon from her daughter. “We can go to the zoo then have a picnic at the garden or something,” she said.

"I'll give Haru a bath quick and pack her bag," Sunggyu said.

Junghwa nodded her head at his proposal. "I'll make lunch then."

"I'll find the basket and stroller and what not when I'm done with the little princess," Sunggyu look at Haru who had her food on her shirt and bib. "Want to invite your grandma?" He asked, glancing at Junghwa who took a sip of her juice.

Slowly she nodded her head, indicating a yes to his answer. "I'll call her," she quickly said. "I'll call and see if she'll want to come with us."

Sunggyu knew his wife missed her grandmother. She was the closest family member to Junghwa and she was the only one who knew about her meltdowns and she understood the reason behind them. Sunggyu was trying his absolute best, but he knew nothing could help and when she saw Woohyun two nights ago, he knew she was better, a little scared, but better. He didn’t label her as a crazy woman, never would he do that, she was sad and he didn’t like it one bit.

“I’ll go and take care of Haru now,” he said, glancing over at his daughters bowl of food and noticing she was finished and a big mess at the moment. A chuckle came over his lips as he used a napkin and wiped her face and clothes of the food. He placed the bib on the table before he grabbed her, hoisting her up in his arms. “I’ll come and help clean, okay?” Sunggyu kissed her left temple then made his way upstairs.

Junghwa sat at the table and saw that there was still a stack of pancakes sitting on the plate and she saw the mess she made with cooking breakfast and the mess on the ground from Haru. A sigh escaped her lips as she thought back to Mrs. Kim back at her parents’ home. She wanted an extra hand to help around the house sometimes and with Sunggyu staying at the office longer these past few weeks, things have been hard on her. She felt herself straining when she would wake up at six when Haru cried and Gyu had already left for work. She knew her husband was working hard for the family, and being appointed the CEO for four years wasn’t doing any better.

When she and Haru would go and out to the stores or the malls managed under the Kim family, she would hear talk about her and her husband and sometimes her daughter as if they weren’t old news anyways. She was always uncomfortable when she was asked how her marriage was doing by some of the older women she would run into at the malls, but nonetheless, she would reply by saying the two were doing great with their daughter. Junghwa noticed how they would glance over her as if she was something dirty but she turned her head the other way, not minding what they thought, but in all honesty, she knew the attention the family was receiving was really bad. Haru shouldn’t be known for what her mother did before her marriage, but she hoped that Sunggyu would understand what was going to happen sooner or later.

Junghwa began to place the food in a container and set it on the island while she placed the plates and pans in the dishwasher to be cleaned. She wiped the counters and made sure that everything looked nice before she went to go and clean Haru’s spot. Sending a glare to the high chair, she began to wipe off her cereal from the table and ground before standing up and looking at the now clean corner. A triumphant smile appeared on her face as she made her way back in the kitchen and took out the ingredients for kimbap for later.

Ever since she got married to Sunggyu, she’s been practicing her cooking, trying her best to be the perfect wife for him. She could make only simple things but for the most part, the more complex the dish, the more stressed she gets, worried about how it’ll taste or if Sunggyu would like it, but of course, being the good husband that he is, would always compliment her cooking, saying it tastes good or she’s been improving a lot, which made her smile at his words. He was the best husband anyone could ever ask for. 

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