It's been a couple of hours since Grace was admitted into the hospital. Doctors told the trio that her blood sugar level was very low due to not eating and was severely dehydrated. The three of them waited inside the ward, unsure who to call since neither of the two males were close to her, having just met her. As Dongwoo was talking to Myungsoo, explaining to him that Myungsoo will help Grace in taking care of Eunhye and with the funeral arrangements for Haerin, Myungsoo's eyes would often travel to the woman's sleeping form. 

The sound of the heart monitor next to her was beeping in a steady rhythm, an IV drip attached to her right arm. Her chest rising and falling steadily yet the dark circles under her eyes showed she had not been sleeping well for a while now. Although her heart was beating in a steady tempo, the creases on her forehead showed signs that whatever she was dreaming was anything but serene.  

"Uncle Soo, maybe you should kiss her to wake her up." Eunhye suggested and Myungsoo immediately turned his attention away from Grace to the little girl who was looking up at him. Her eyes were twinkling with innocence and it made Dongwoo chuckled, his eyes turning to crescents as he did so.

"Huh?" Was all he could answer the little girl and the girl just blinked at him. 

"You are a prince, Uncle Soo and she could be a princess." 

"A princess?" Dongwoo asked the little girl and she nodded fervently. "Uh-huh cause she is asleep, like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. You've to kiss to break the spell." Eunhye said matter of factly and Myungsoo just stared at her while Dongwoo ruffed her hair.  It was an innocent remark yet he felt strange when she said it. 

Contrary to popular belief, Kim Myungsoo is not the kind that fawns over a girl with a pretty face and a Victoria Secret angel body but the back of his mind, he wanted to date someone who would be as beautiful as he is (as self-centred as it sounds). Grace's not the kind of woman that will make people turn their heads the second time. She was not classically beautiful like Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly but she rather have a normal and plain beauty to put it bluntly. 

He knew that she was no princess as much as Eunhye puts it, that he could see. 

---

When Grace woke up, it was almost evening. Her eye lids flickered open, taking in the familiar off white coloured walls, the sound of a beeping machine next to her. Her head was pounding slightly and she was still disorientated. She remembered bits and pieces how she ended up in the hospital. Haerin's death, Haerin wanting Grace to take care of Eunhye and the lack of eating due to her work and this chaos from her friend.

Ex-friend. She reminded. 

Still heavy with sleep, she tried to push herself up, every bone in her aching as she tried to sit up. Her arms were wobbling and it didn't help when there was an IV tube sticking out of her arm. She heard the shuffling of feet coming to her aid and a firm grip grabbed her arm. She stared at the hand, a cream coloured with a black watch on his wrist. 

"Here, let me help you." Her head snapped up to the deep voice and met with a not so familiar pair of onyx coloured eyes. He looked like a young boy from his boyish features and how his hair was styled that simply did not match up to his features. He wore a grey striped shirt that looked slightly baggy on him and his sleeves were up to his wrist, hiding a silver watch on his left arm. He didn't wear a tie and the top two buttons were ed, showing off his neck and a peep of his collar bones (when he bends a little lower). 

His other hand reached from behind her and arranged the pillows behind her to make her sit up higher. He patted a few times for good measure and helped her leaned back. "Thanks." She said, her voice was hoarsed and he gave a sheepish smile, his dimple forming on his left cheek. He grabbed a glass of water that was next to her and passed it to her. 

"Drink. The doctor said you were dehydrated." He told her and she gingerly took the glass from his hand with two hands. As she was drinking, her eyes never left his form even as he sat down. 

"You were outside Dongwoo's office... With the girl." When she was done drinking her water and placed the empty glass on her blanket covered lap. He nodded. She looked at him, studying him again. He wondered what a young boy like him is doing here taking care of an orphan child. 

Suddenly, her brain started thinking up of possible scenarios:

Was he Haerin's drugs and booze buddy? She studied him, finding any tell tale signs that he is high on any substance but he looked normal with a side of tiredness. 

No, maybe he is Haerin's lover. Her eyes took in his boyish features. He looked like Haerin's type, the Peter Pan look. She dated Kevin Woo before who looked like a young boy but in actual fact he was a year older than the both of them. 

"I know you can't get enough of my good looks, Grace but your staring is making me uncomfortable." Myungsoo said with a hint of teasing in his tone. Grace nearly choked on her own saliva at that remark and he flashed his stupidly beautiful smirk that if Grace wasn't so lethargic, she would make sure that smirk would be wiped off permanently. 

'Oh, please. You aren't that good looking." She said albeit lamely. She saw his eyes flashed a steely look at her and she almost felt sorry for a person she just met.

Almost. 

"Right, since you already know my name, what's your name and what's your deal with Haerin?" She asked all in one go and Myungsoo gave that lopsided grin. She was beginning to wonder what is with him and with that stupid grin of his? 

Oh, of course she knows what that grin was about. He was one of those boys. 

To his misfortune, her heart has harden years ago. He was not going to get under her skin or in her pants or whatever with that stupid grin of his. 

"I am Myungsoo. Eunhye's counselor in nursery." Myungsoo said plainly, the smile disappeared.

Now, Grace was not expecting that to say the least. "So, you're not Haerin's love interest or boyfriend of that sort?" Myungsoo shook his head as if scandalized by the very thought of it 

"I don't see her that way. I am just Eunhye's counselor and she was just a parent who simply loved her daughter. She never loved anyone else besides her." 

A counselor? Someone so young, so good looking, he could at least be a model or a photographer or some musician in a band at a local jazz club.

Never in her entire mind would she thought he would be Eunhye's counselor. 

Which brings another question: "What's wrong with her?" 

He shrugs, leaning back on the slightly tattered and worn out leather cushion. Myungsoo contemplated telling her about Eunhye but he wanted to be selfish. Eunhye was out of all the kids in the nursery, his favourite little girl. Myungsoo adores kids to the T and if he ever had a daughter, he wished it would to be like Moon Eunhye. For a three year old, she was uncanningly smart. 

As much as he wanted to be Eunhye's guardian he couldn't. He was only a kindergarden teacher and his income isn't enough to take care of her. Haerin didn't explain it to him but Dongwoo did. 

"She already explained that if anything happens, she wanted her best friend to take care of her." 

When in reality, Grace has no idea who Eunhye is. They lost contact according to Dongwoo but something, a nagging feeling told Myungsoo that there was more than that. 

How could someone who was literally joined at the hip all their lives lose contact all of a sudden? 

And the way she saw Eunhye as if she saw a ghost. 

"There is nothing wrong with her. She has the occasional anxiety attacks after her grandparents' deaths and now her mother's." He told her truthfully.

"Oh." She said, her finger tapping the glass absentmindedly. "Where is she though?" 

"Dongwoo went to get her ice cream. I offered in taking her but he told her that he didn't mind. I secretly think that he wanted the ice cream himself and he was using Eunhye as an excuse." Grace chuckled and for some reason, she could imagine Dongwoo doing that. He looked like the easy going kind of dad who would do anything for his children since he was a big kid himself.

Come on, which dad would let their children give them green highlights and showing it proudly at work? 

And that was just it. Grace's not cut out in being a mother. Sure, she was a family lawyer but that doesn't mean she particularly likes kids. She doesn't hate them but if she was to choose on saving a dog or a child, she would choose the former. The thought of kids, even if she was already in her late 20s, never once crossed her mind. 

Even if it's Haerin's child.

She was scared. No amount of 'How to take care of a toddler for dummies' would help her in this problem. She wanted to curse Haerin to very depths of hell for leaving her with her child. 

Maybe she already is... She thought wickedly. 

The door opens and she stopped her evil thoughts from going further when Dongwoo comes in with a little overly happy toddler in a pink dress and a white jacket. She held onto Dongwoo's hand and when she saw that Grace was sitting up and Myungsoo was next to her at slightly close proximity, Eunhye's lips broke into a big grin. 

"Look, Uncle Woo! She is awake! Uncle Soo did it!" She said excitedly, tugging onto his hand. The man with the green highlights gave them a look and Myungsoo looked mortified. Grace gave her a confused look at Eunhye but she gave a sweet, feigned innocent smile at Grace. That smile, it mirrored Haerin so much. 

Innocence.

Sweet. 

Caring.

Loving.

Betrayal. 

"Grace, please let me explain." 

"You want to explain!? What is there to explain?!"

"It was a mistake. I didn't mean for this to happen." 

"No, this was not a mistake. You and I both know that." 

"Grace, I am guessing you've met Myungsoo." Dongwoo said walking towards them with Eunhye rushing towards her favourite male adult. He immediately stood up and carried her, twirling her slightly and making her giggle into his broad shoulders. "Do you want to go see the babies?" He asked and she nodded excitedly, her arms around his neck. Before disappearing with an equally excited Myungsoo, she just stared intently at Grace as if she has never seen another grown woman besides her late mother and her late grandmother. She felt a shiver go down her spine but she flashed a toothy grin before the two of them excused themselves. The way Myungsoo doted over her and how she loved being around him made her question as to whether she knew who her real father was.

"He will be helping out in taking care of Eunhye when needed be since he knows her better than anyone else." Dongwoo said, making her look at him, who is now sitting at Myungsoo's chair. 

"Dongwoo, as much as I appreciate this but I am not fit to be a mother. I am terrible! I don't know what comes first on being a mother of a toddler. Myungsoo looks like he is doing a good job at it. Ask him to take care of her, put him as the guardian." 

"You know that is not how the law goes, Grace. You are fit and very able. Myungsoo, isn't. He can't provide for her like how you could. He is only a kindergarden counselor and he is also a fresh graduate." 

"And I am a lawyer who has no fix time on when I actually do come back. I might be jeapordizing the poor kid's life! I am the worse kind of person to take care of her." 

"Hey, listen to me. You are jumping the gun here and I know this first hand. Eunhye is a sweetheart and give her a chance. She has taken quite a liking towards you. Myungsoo, is attached to the little girl and he is willing to help you every step of the way. I know it is going to be difficult right now but have a little bit of faith, hmm?" 

Grace sighed, frowning slightly. What more could she do? She doesn't want her to be in the care of social services. She knew the system and what it is like. She had worked with them many times before and understood first hand how difficult it is for children to adapt and to get adopted. While there are some who live happily ever after in their foster family's care but not all are very lucky. 

She reluctantly nodded and Dongwoo flashed his usual wide smile bearing all his pearly whites. "Now, to even more pressing matters." 

"Oh, this is not serious enough?" She said dryly. 

"The funeral since she has no one else, you will have to arrange her funeral. I am not sure if you've gotten till the end of her will but she wants to be buried next to the Lees." 

Grace pressed the bridge of her nose. This was an absolute nightmare and she felt sick just the thought of it. It was like even when she was dead, Haerin was torturing her, not wanting to leave her alone. 

Can't some people just die in peace?! Can Haerin just leave her alone? 

Grace honestly felt like she wanted to sleep for a thousand years at this rate, ignoring the world. 

"Sometimes, opening your eyes may be the most painful thing you ever had to do, Grace. I get it. I know you want to ignore everything at this point but you can't. At least for Eunhye's sake."

Grace looked at him when he uttered those words. "I am sorry?" She said and Dongwoo grabbed her hand, his wedding band twinkling under the yellow lighting. He gave it a tight squeeze and a grim expression replaced his bright personality. 

"I know that you and her ended on bad terms and I am not going to pry what it was about. It clearly pains you to even look at Eunhye or even talk about Haerin to me. I don't know what she did or what you did but try to put whatever animosity behind you for the sake of the little girl. She doesn't have to suffer for the mistakes adults have made in the past." 

It was a mistake. 

Grace looked at him, her eyes burning from the fresh tears in her eyes. Her hands trembling as she squeezed his hand tighter. "If you are not doing it for yourself or for Haerin, do it for Eunhye. She deserves that much." He told her. 

She didn't bother stopping the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. 

"I don't know if I can." 

He gave her reassuring smile, and a pat of the back of her hand. "You're the Grace Fang. You most definitely can."

---

 A/N:  hello! I'm back with another chapter :) hope you like this chapter. Comment subscribe and upvote :) xx