"No, no. No. No. No!" You sprinted to the door at the sight of your 4 year-old reaching for the knob, a slight victorious grin plastered over her face, which died as soon as you reached for the wooden surface and shut it flat before she could take a foot further.

You placed a palm on your chest and breathe a sigh of relief. "Christ!"

Swooping up the disappointed looking child, you placed her on your hip, dabbing the heel of your palm over your sweaty forehead.

"Mommy~" Areum puckered her lower lip, your fringe, eyes drooping at the sides. "I want to go out. I want to play."

You sighed, noticing how her usually smiley face now turned bitter and sulky. "Baby, we'll go out very soon, okay?" You kissed her temple and heaved a relieved sigh when your daughter laid her head on your shoulder and snuggled close. "I promise, darling."

"O.K," she mumbled, twirling your ponytail with her tiny hands.

Moving up her free hand to your cheek, she smiled, nuzzling her nose to against your neck. "I love you, mommy."

"I love you more, sweetheart."

 

[…]

 

"You're pathetic!" You laughed, slapping your hand on your friend's arm as she kept imitating your cranky boss and her whiny voice. "Stop it before she sees you, idiot." You said, stifling a laugh.

Eunji grinned, passing you a smirk before swiveling her chair around and popping a tamarind candy into . "Want some?"

You shook your head and placed a fist over your mouth, yawning, which didn’t go unnoticed by the diligent friend of yours.

"Areum kept you up last night?" Eunji asked, eyes on the monitor, hands rigorously typing away at an inhuman speed.

You shrugged. "She had a nightmare." Another yawn escaped your mouth and you- inelegantly just let your mouth open, hands occupied with the keyboard. "She's been having these since last month. I don't know what's wrong."

Eunji frowned, setting her hands idly on the mouse before turning to you. "Have you thought of taking her to the doctor or something, Bomi?"

You gnawed your lips and shook your head. "I can't afford to take her to a doctor, Eunji. You know how it is at home."

"Then ask your boyfriend for help, Bomi-ah. I'm pretty sure he won't mind helping you. And, also, it's not like he's short on the financial department." Eunji grinned, tapping her pen to her chin.

You scowled. "Baekhyun is not my boyfriend."

"Yeah, you keep saying that to yourself, honey." She brushed her hair off her shoulder and returned her eyes to the screen. "You've been seeing each other for years already."

"That doesn't mean we're in a relationship." You scream-whispered, narrowing your eyes, cheeks reddening with every passing second. "We went on one date, Eunji. Let me repeat that- One, O-N-E!"

The girl paid absolutely no heed to your explanation as she chewed on her candy and shrugged. "But he's still around, isn't he?"

"Because we're friends," You argued. "Can't we be just friends?"

Eunji put the pen down and gaped at you. "'Friends'? Seriously? It's pretty obvious that you like him and I bet he feels the same way too. What's the harm in going official, Bomi? Is it because of—" she stopped, knowing how you disliked hearing the name you so wanted to efface from your life.

You sighed.

This was the reason why you didn't want to talk about boys or relationships with  Eunji because she always managed to complicate things, leading into a development of fractured messes of nothing.

Yes, you spent quite a lot of time with Baekhyun. And yes, he's breathtakingly handsome, mature and receives a monthly income of almost double the amount that you get for your annual income. And not to mention, he’s the only friend who stuck around when the rest broke their bonds with you when you became too ‘big’ and a little uncomfortable to be seen around with.

"It's not as easy as you think it is, Eunji-ah." You replied, tucking a stray hair behind your ear. "You won't get it."

"Then please," Eunji wheeled her chair towards you, crossing her leg and propping her chin on her elbows. "Explain,"

You wrinkled your brows in disgust, "This is silly."

Eunji tilted her head to the side. "No, it's not."

Your eyes narrowed further, nose wrinkling in distaste. "You'd only get it if you were in my place, which you're not."

The silence that followed after your words was deafening, to say the least. You knew you'd gone too far and you needed to apologize.

Just as soon as you opened your mouth to ramble an apology, your thigh jerked, a tingling sensation tickling your body as your phone vibrated in your pocket.

You squinted and pulled your phone out to find a new message.

 

From: Baekhyun
Received 11:34am

 

Hey! Can you get off early tonight?
I was thinking of heading to the new
restaurant my friend just opened last week.

 

You sighed dejectedly, despite feeling a fluttering in your stomach- it was pretty impossible to miss that you were obviously attracted to the man.

Butterflies didn't just pop up whenever you saw hot guys. As a matter of fact, all those fleeting feelings took an abrupt stop right when your ex-boyfriend left you the moment you told him you were 4 months pregnant and carrying his child.

The vibration of your phone jerked you awake, turning your attention back to the little screen in your hand.

 

From Baekhyun
Received 11:36am

By the way, I'm getting off early so,
don't worry about picking up Aru
from school. Leave that to me, alright?

I'll see you later. :)

 

Aru. Baekhyun frigging calls your daughter 'Aru' and you didn’t even have a nickname for your daughter.

Excellent,

You slapped your hands to your cheeks, letting out an unpleasant groan as you slammed your head on your desk, face void of any emotion.

Eunji silently watched you attacking your hair in frustration, pulling your bangs and unclipping the bobby pins supporting your, now-disheveled bun.

Her shoulders slumped. "Bomi-ah, you need to take a rest."

You groaned again, waving a hand in the air- the apology completely out of your mind. "No, I’m fine."

You heard her sigh and turn back around to her computer, leaving you alone to think over whatever had suddenly evaded your rusty mind.

You'd once been an excellent student, the child prodigy, the daughter that everyone wished to have, until you entered college and met this y , too-pretty-to-be-a-man Chinese stud who promised you sweet nothings and vowed to love you to the moon and back.

You were gullible, naive and all the traits that constituted of being a certified schmuck.  Despite all the warnings people around you offered, you fell for him hard and gave yourself a little hope that he could turn his game around and would become better, for you.

 

If only you could tell your 20-year-old self to be more careful of guys like him and that happy endings were only a fantasy, it never happens in reality.

 

[…]

 

Fiddling with your key and sparing a glance at your watch for the millionth time, you realized it’d passed 7- 2 hours later than your usual log-off time. All thanks to your teammate who’d conveniently forgotten to submit his auditing work, for which your entire team had to work together and submit it before midnight.

Pulling your phone out from your pocket, you squinted as you registered the 7 missed calls, all from the same number- Baekhyun.

Opening the new text message, a sigh escaped your lips as you read the content.

 

From Baekhyun
Received 6:13pm

I guess you’re still at work.
Don’t worry about Areum, alright?
She’s with me.
She dozed off in the car.
I’ll get her back later.
 

 

Just as relieved you were to hear that your daughter was okay, you weren't sure if you could trust Baekhyun with Areum. It definitely wasn’t his first time picking her up from school and babysitting her, you knew he could take care of her. But what worried you was the aftermath of Baekhyun spoiling Areum; you knew you wouldn’t be able to keep up with it, not with the expensive splurges on toys and dresses he often spent on her.

As if on cue, the elevator dinged open, revealing a happily grinning Baekhyun, carrying Areum on his shoulder, the little pink-Rapunzel- bag hanging off his right shoulder, a huge purple teddy bear clutched between his left arm, his hair a mess as Areum held onto it for support.

You wrinkled you eyebrows and stared at them quizzically.

"Ah! Mommy~" Areum’s eyes lit up, waving her tiny hands at you. "Look! It's mommy." She pulled on Baekhyun's hair, earning another laugh from the said man as he walked towards you, a grin glued over his face.

You crossed your arm, "Where were you?" You demanded, looking at Areum, directing the question at the guilty looking man before you, bending down to settle Areum on her feet. "It's almost 8. You know what it means?" You squatted down, staring at your daughter pointedly. "Dinner time,”

She nodded, still smiling brightly like a ball of disco. "I had so much fun, mommy. Daddy bought me so many toys; it’s in his biiig car!! And, and..." Areum bounced, squatting away the sweat drenched bangs off her forehead with her free hand, while the other held onto Baekhyun's. "We had dinner too,"

You blinked. All the air seemed to have deflated out of your lungs as you lifted your eyes to find Baekhyun looking pretty taken aback just as much as you.

"Honey," you croaked, scooping her off the floor and into your arms. "Let's...uhm—" You mumbled, unsure of what to do next, eyes flickering from the tiara on Areum’s head to Baekhyun as he stood behind you, scratching his head. "Let's wash you up, okay?"

Areum nodded eagerly, wrapping her arms around your neck. "Mommy, you should've come with us today. It was so much fun!"

You chuckled lightly, digging through your purse for your key, which, luckily, you found quickly.

However, it disappeared as soon as you held it in your palm.

"Let me," A low husky voice said and you turned to see Baekhyun pressing his lips tightly between his teeth as he inserted the key and swung the door open, gesturing for you to enter first.

"Thanks," you managed to squeak, sliding into your tiny apartment. Areum crawled away from your grasp as soon as you reached inside and removed her shoes before slipping into her fluffy pink slippers. "Go wash your face, honey."

"Okay!" She called behind her back, disappearing into the wash room, leaving you and Baekhyun alone, much to your discomfort, not because of his presence, but the circumstance that your little girl had so-conveniently put you both into by muttering the forbidden word.

You busied yourself in the kitchen, while he quietly sat at a corner, fiddling with his car keys.

It seemed like an entire lifetime until Baekhyun finally broke the silence. "Bomi,"

You whipped your head up from the lemonade you were pouring. "Yeah,"

"Are we still up for the thing I asked you earlier today?" He mumbled, fiddling with the strap of Areum’s school bag. "You didn't reply my texts."

"Oh, that." You twisted your lips. "I-I don't know, Baekhyun. The babysitter doesn’t do after 7pm. Sorry,"

Baekhyun shook his head. "It's alright." He slapped a dismissive hand in the air. "We can do it another time."

You nibbled on your lower lip before walking over to his side and placing the glass over the coaster. "You look beat, this'll help you."

"Thanks," he smiled tightly, plucking the glass off the table.

 

Silence

 

"Baek," you squeaked, eyes on his hands as they drummed on the rims of the glass. "About what Areum said earlier, I'm really sorry if it made you uncomfortable."

You waited for him to reply, but when he remained silent, you took your chance to explain further.

"Areum, she.. She's started asking questions, you know? About her father and why it's just always me and her." You swallowed, "She kept asking if her father didn't want her, if he'd left because he wanted a baby boy and she was a girl." You chuckled, placing your now-empty glass down.

You noticed the concern in Baekhyun's eyes as he turned to you, his thighs slightly brushing against yours. It was hard; trying your best to not break down and embrace him like there was no tomorrow.

Baekhyun was the best thing that happened to you since Areum and you didn't want to scare him off.

You didn't want him to leave you, not yet.

But you knew better than to just fall into another messy relationship. You had a responsibility, one which Baekhyun absolutely had no reason to be burdened with. He could find anyone else, especially with his looks, his personality, his … Everything.

He was perfect,

A little too perfect for someone as imperfect as you.

Afraid of frightening him away and being abandoned again, you began thinking of ways to ease the situation by explaining Areum’s slip of word.

"She called you 'Daddy' because I told her that her father loves her and cares for her, you know, all those crappy stuff." You shrugged, face turning red from the awful explanation, eyes b with tears, which you held back by staring at the ceiling.

You swallowed the bile forming up in your throat and continued, "I guess, she thinks you love her and, you know, she must’ve assumed you were her father or something since you’re always around and—" You buried your face into your hands. "God, I'm so sorry. That was just… Awkward."

You took a deep breath and felt your nerves calm down a bit until heard a shuffling sound, a warm pair of hands brushing against your knees.

You peeked from your hands to find Baekhyun smile warmly, his knees on the ground, sending weird shivers to your spine. It was unexplainable, the way his smile made you want him.

It was selfish of you, you knew. But you couldn't help but feel better when he reached out to cup your face and all you could think of how wonderful he'd been to you and Areum for the past 5 years of comfort he'd offered by being a friend, all throughout your pregnancy and going through the hassle of finding you a decent job, an apartment, being your very own chauffer and so many other things that you’d lost count.

And the weirdest part of it all was that Baekhyun was your child’s father’s best friend, and, he was doing a better job at being what his friend failed to be.

"It's weird," he muttered, moving an inch closer. "I didn't think anything of what Areum said to me. If at all, I was surprised because I was ecstatic she saw me like that."

"You don't have to act like it is okay." You rolled your eyes and moved away from his grasp only provoking him to move closer, both his hands now caressing your neck gently.

He tilted his head, lips slightly tugged upwards. "What made you think I was uncomfortable about what she said?" He asked, his eyes running around your face, as if memorizing every inch of it, adoring it. "I love being around her just as much as I love being with you."

You swore your heart stopped. It was beyond your imagination, why he would stay this long with someone like you out of all the people he could be with, even if he saw you just as a friend. Why couldn’t he hang-out with people who didn’t have a daughter waiting to be tucked into bed every night? Why didn’t he just ditch you and your petty excuse of an and join his other friends for dinner instead of always booking a table for three- 2 for adults and 1 for a child? Why wouldn’t he just stop being so nice to your daughter and spare her from mistaking him as her father?

Why?

His gentle laugh pulled you away from your self-loathing thoughts and you could only see the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, how his nose wrinkled, and his lips- that beautiful squarish smile; never failing to send the butterflies in your stomach to flutter around and your mind to drift off to a magical mystery place.

"I know I haven't made it clear to you, what I feel about you." He said, eyes boring into yours. "It was because I assumed you'd get the message loud and clear."

You opened your mouth slightly and almost spoke, but decided against it as his hand slipped behind your neck and drew lazy patterns over your tingling flesh.

"You're so naive, Bomi-ah." He chuckled, bending forward and placing a peck on your forehead before joining his with yours.

"W-what do you mean?" You quivered under his touch, not out of fright, but out of nervousness- the things his little touches did to you. "You should l-let go, Baekhyun. Areum might come out any minu—"

"She'll get used to sights like these as long as you say yes, Bomi." He said, pulling away from you. The warmth disappeared, suddenly making you wish you hadn't said anything.

It hadn't even occurred to you that he'd slipped his hand into his pocket to pull out a light- robin egg blue box.

"Bomi,"

You jerked back to reality when you heard your name being called gently; a gasp soon came following your surprised expression. "Bae-baekhyun,"

He closed his eyes for a mere second, as if trying to calm his equally tensed nerves. "I know it seems quite rushed but, trust me when I tell you that I've been planning this for God knows how long."

You frowned quizzically despite your dazed state. "Planning? W-what?"

Baekhyun laughed, shoulders shaking slightly. "I was supposed to do this at the Chanyeol’s restaurant today, with the band playing us a song, glittery confetti and all that stuff, yeah."

Your mouth hung open in shock. He'd gone through all that just for... Me?

"I.. I love you, Bomi. I don't know when it happened, but it did." He said, eyes on the box as he pulled the ribbon and took of the lid. "Maybe it was when I first saw you when Luhan introduced you to me, or maybe it was when you came to me when you told me he left, or.. Maybe it was when I first saw holding Areum in your arms and promising to always being there for her through thick and thin."

Everything seemed to stop when he leaned forward and pulled out the most beautiful ring you'd ever seen in your entire life.

He cracked a smile, settling himself into a position you only saw in Hollywood movies- propping one knee up. "Or maybe I loved you always."

Your breath hitched, when he took a deep breath and stared into your eyes.

"Yoon Bomi," he said, a nervous yet excited smile playing over his lips.

"Will you marry me, baby?"

Baekhyun saw you through your best and your worsts.

He stayed beside you when you dated Luhan, he stayed even when Luhan left you and ran away, he stayed when you gave birth to Luhan's child, he stayed when you told him you didn’t need his help, and he stayed when you tried to push him away.

 

He stayed.

 

He stayed because he loved you, always.

 

You only realized you were tearing up when his soft thumb grazed over your moist cheeks.

"Baby," he cooed, placing another kiss on your temple as he hugged you. "You don't have to say yes, if you don't want to."

You chuckled against his chest, his shirt.

 

Way to ruin the moment, Byun Baekhyun!

 

"You're not going to get rid of me of easily, Byun Baek."

You felt him stiffen under your embrace, pulling away to hold you by your shoulders. "Wait, does—” he held back a cough, staring at you, bug-eyed, looking like a lost puppy, “Does that mean you're not saying no?"

You shook your head and jabbed your left hand on his chest, cheeks flushing just as red as his.

He blinked. "I-is that a yes? Bomi, a-are you saying yes?"

You nodded eagerly, forgetting about all your worries as he slipped the ring into your finger, wrapping his arms around you and giving you a desperate, hungry kiss like he’d been waiting his entire life, waiting for this moment to happen.

"I love you so much, Bomi." He muttered against your lips, "I love you!"

You smiled and pulled away from the kiss to give him another hug.

How you didn’t realize it before, you didn’t know. But what mattered the most, was that you knew it now.

 

"I think…. I love you more, Baekhyun."

 

 

Unbeknownst to you and Baekhyun, a little girl snickered, watching the two of you from behind the wall, fist pumping in the air, a victorious smile gracing her tiny face.

 

“Mission successfully accomplished.”