Fifty chapters already?! 

*pats self on the back*

I really enjoyed writing this particular chapter XD

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He glanced over his shoulder to see what his daughter was doing and found her wrapped up in my arms.

He smiled at the sight in front of him. I always told him that Eunjung looked like a replica of him but when we were together, like I was now, and smiling he couldn’t help but think Eunjung took after me.

The autumn breeze tousled Eunjung's hair and pinked her cheeks. The warmth that had been in the wind just last week had either evaporated into the sky or leached into the earth. It gave life to the long grass at the side of the road, still yellowing from the high August sun. The strands swayed out of time with the gusts brought on by the traffic, a postage stamp echo of the prairie wheat fields she knew as a small child.

Red, orange and yellow, in various different shades. All of them floating gracefully on the soft breeze. It was as if a friendly hand was gently lowering them to the ground. Whispers between these leaves filled the air, whispers and mutters. The air was cool and crisp, like a refreshing drink of cool water after hours in a desert. The breeze fluttered around, gently caressing everything it touched with fingers that had been a comfort to so many over their long, lonely years.

As if both of us could sense his thoughts I turned my attention to him.

He watched a smile spread across both of our faces and I turned away from him to look at each other before laughing again.

“Look, Eunjung. Boys would be boys,” I commented.

When I walked in JongIn was juggling apples. Of course they weren’t all the same, he had picked one of every colour in the store.

This was how he relaxes, losing himself in the moment, watching the apples arc through the air and back to his hands. Not long ago he dropped them all the time, but in recent years they sailed through the air with no chance of ever getting a bruise.

Sometimes I walk by and just swipe one out of the air - just to hear him cry in mock protest. Other times I sneak up behind him and shout real loud to shock him, make him drop the lot, but that rarely works anymore.

So instead I just fetched an orange and added it in – then I stood back with Eunjung in my arms and watched him. He worked that bit harder to keep them all in the air until he could aimed the new addition at my head.

He got me a few times, but I'm getting better at dodging.

He continued to smile but he was sure that his face was displaying confusion.

He felt a little jealous that he was out of the loop of the joke. He really wanted to know. But he didn’t want to ask to be included.

Still, he walked over to the both of us.

I kissed him on the cheek and gave Eunjung a second to kiss him on the cheeks as well.

“Hey, you,” I grinned like I had the best joke in the world.

He raised his eyebrows. “Hey,” he said hesitantly.

“Eunjung,” The girl turned to face me. “Say mummy.”

Eunjung has been saying the korean word for "daddy" (abba) for a while now. I tried my best not to take it personally when she refused to say mummy (omma) despite the length that I'd go to-- to try get it out of her.

My heart was hammering as I waited not so patiently for her to say the word

Her eyes formed into crescents and mumbled. “Mummy.”

I tried to stay calm as my eyes met JongIn’s.

He blinked.

I quickly took it off with Eunjung in my arms. “Mummy!”

Squealing, I twirled her around.

Finally.

He watched my face go slightly pink as he walked over to me. “Say mummy.”

“Mummy.”

“Mummy!” I repeated, my voice going up eight octaves.

JongIn chuckled softly. He was almost sure that he looked like that when Eunjung called him ‘daddy’ for the first time.

“Woohoo,” I had to get her to say it over and over again. “Say mummy.”

Eunjung pressed her hands together. “Mummy!” She said with enthusiasm.

“YEAAAHAYYYYYY!” Happiness flowed through me, warming my skin like the rays of an early summer sun.

“Mummymummymummymummymummy,” Eunjung kept on calling out.

When he heard me laughing beside him, he felt a bubble of annoyance in him.

Still, ‘daddy’ was her first word. He argued in his head.

“Gosh, she loves me,” I commented and stuck my tongue out at my husband.

Eunjung nuzzled her nose against the skin of my neck. With her eyes closed she let her mummy’s voice flood her like an early summer breeze. They weren't always gentle and soft, but they soothed her just the same.

“Oh,” I snapped my fingers. “Can I just say she loves her mummy?”

I glanced at JongIn.

He sighed and shook his head. His lips twitching slightly to fight back a smile.

I cocked my head slightly at my daughter, “Mummy or daddy?”

Without any hesitation she blurted out, “Mummy!”

His eyes opened wide as his mouth fell open. I smirked at that sight.

I covered my mouth and laughed at his reaction. 

“Eunjung,” I placed one hand on her chest to calm her down. “Mummy or daddy?”

“Mummy!”

I couldn’t stop the giggles that were threatening to erupt. “Mummy or daddy?”

Eunjung raised her hands as she shouted, “Mummy!”

JongIn felt his shoulder slump. “Mummy or daddy?”

Eunjung blinked at her father for a while.

“Mummy.”

He was not giving up. “No. You can’t. Say –”

“Mummy,” Eunjung cut into his sentence.

I whipped my head back and snorted. “Mummy!”

JongIn bent forward till his eyes were level with Eunjung. “Oppa, it’s not going to work.”

He swatted his hand at me lightly. “Mummy or daddy?”

“Mummy!” Eunjung squealed.

I punched my fist in the air. “Mummy, mummy, mummy!”

JongIn tapped Eunjung’s shoulder. She turned away from him. He scoffed lightly under his breath.

I placed my hand on his chest. “You’ve had your moment of happiness. She’s mine now.”

In my arrogant triumph, I smirked - just a small pouting of the lips; a narrowing of the eyes and a tilting of the head. It was so subtle, it was even more infuriating for JongIn who caught a glimpse of it.

Well after many months of feeling betrayed I finally had my moment of elation when she said it. 

She looked in between her father and me. She wasn’t catching what was going on at all.

She was just wondering why her mummy was grinning like that cat from Alice in Wonderland.

The smile on my face was so warm and happy.

She shrugged her shoulder. If her mummy wasn’t worried then she didn’t have to be worried.

Right?

She buried her head into the crook of my neck.

Daddy is still sulking, she noted it in her head.

Right.