A week passed by faster than Se Ryeong imagined. She had daily lunches with her team and quickly grew to understand what are each of their strengths and how to utilize them to maximize work output and performance. Once in awhile she’d bump into Jong In at work but the latter seemed too preoccupied to pay her any heed. Sulli always accompanied her when she’s over at the Byun’s to pretend to be taking care of Baekhyun’s mom and she’d bring over her laptop so they could watch dramas which Sulli made appearances in. Baekhyun’s father brought up marriage once or twice during dinner but thankfully Jong In’s mom didn’t seem keen on letting them get married this early into a relationship.

Baekhyun’s mother was also making some progress, slowly but surely. When their family doctor made a house visit for HyunA’s mom, Sehun got the doctor to give Eun Sook an assessment too and the woman was prescribed some medication after a counselling session. With a suitable diet and adequate exercise, Eun Sook was now able to move around the house without someone constantly holding on to her. Byul-ie had never ending stories to share and that seemed to help Eun Sook too as she tuned in to stories of the outside world she’d gotten disconnected to.

Baekhyun showing up at her house on Saturday morning was a surprise. He had his suitcase behind him and his hands were full of groceries when Sehun answered the door. When it took too long for her appa to come back in, Byul-ie came running out in search of her father and squealed delightedly when she saw her favorite Silly Ahjussi.
“Wait, Byul-ie!” Sehun caught her before she leapt towards Baekhyun who was still struggling with all the bags. “Baekhyun wouldn’t be able to catch you. Look at all the things he’s carrying.”
“Why did you buy so much stuff, Silly Ahjussi?” the child took a bag from him and peeked curiously into it. “It’s filled with meat! Are we having a barbeque party?” she bounded excitedly.
“Yes, I promised your Se Ryeong umma we’ll have a barbeque party when I’m back.”
“A party!” Eun Byul repeated with a huge grin plastered on her face. “Appa, let’s show these to the halmonis!”

The three women were in the backyard doing stretching exercises with Se Ryeong when Baekhyun appeared, startling the latter who believed he was arriving in the evening.
“Surprise!” he grinned. “Miss me?”
“In your dreams.” Se Ryeong stuck her tongue out at him.
“You hurt my heart.” Baekhyun joked as he slapped a hand over his chest playfully. Turning his attention to his mom, his eyes widened when he witnessed how alert and healthy she looked. The hollows in her cheeks had filled out and there was a healthy flush of pink from her workout.
“Umma,” he smiled as he approached her and enveloped her into a hug.
“How was your trip, Baekkie?”
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