“Yes, Sunbae-nim, This is Junhee,” she said replying hello from the other line. “I’ve sent my revision you asked for a week ago. Would you please check it and tell me what you think about it?” Junhee opened her journal and start writing. “Okay, yes. Thank you”

Junhee sighed. That week had been really hectic. Her professors were being as annoying as possible by giving them a lot of assignments, the publisher she was interned in was going to release a book of collection of short stories as the result of the short story writing competition that had been held month before.

“Junhee” she heard a voice called her. That was her father. She opened her room’s door and found her father there. “What do you want for lunch? Your mom just left without cooking anything this morning. May we have deliveries or eat out?”

Junhee stood there like a statue, stunned by her father’s doing. Her father had been trying his best to get closer with her since Yifan came to her house. It was not that Junhee didn’t want to ‘reconcile’ with him, she was just too busy. Forget it, that was the most lame excuse.

“Can we eat out please? Can you take me to the tteokboki house down the road?” Junhee asked in small voice. “Umm, since it’s not too far, let’s not take the car. Em, maybe we can go on foot?”

Junhee’s father smiled so widely at his daughter’s statement. Finally, it was daddy-daughter time after years. “Why not. Let’s go”

…

Junhee never let go her father’s hand. She refused to sit in front of him and sat beside him instead. “Aigo, my spoiled Junhee” her father cooed. He was still amazed how friendly Junhee talked to him when they were walking to the tteokboki house.

“I miss you, Daddy” Junhee whispered. She felt safe to be back to her father’s embrace. She smiled and her eyes got moist.

“Me too, my daughter. Me too” her father replied affectionately. He patted Junhee’s hand that held his tightly. “You’ve grown up amazing. I’m so proud of you”

“I’m so sorry for being distant and cold to you” she said, looking into his eyes. “Can I know why you approved Yifan?”

“So you decided to reconcile with me only to know that?”

“Of course not”

He took a deep breath, looking into her eyes. He could see that she missed him, she wanted to reconcile with him long, long ago but didn’t know how to start. That was why when he took the milestone she became clingy automatically. She was his daughter after all. “Because he didn’t ask me if my daughter is seeing someone”

“What does that mean?” her eyebrows furrowed in confussion.

“He asked me if someone has proposed to you. I said not yet then he said that he wanted to propose. He told me he had met you once. I asked how he could be so sure to propose my daughter and he answered because you don’t seem a person who can lie. All that is in you is so honest and has a positive energy. He likes how you appreciate little things he does”

Junhee felt silent, clearly not expecting an answer like that. “Doesn’t that sounds so simple?”

“Because you warm his heart. Listen, Junhee, there is one same thing about me, Yifan and his father. We really like to work and have big ambition to achieve something big, and bigger. Men like us, tend to think romance and marriage can be big obstacle. But, if our partner show us that they support us, we will treasure them more than anything” her father explained.

“I don’t get it”

“Not now, baby. Just wait and you will understand it when the time comes”

…

“Hyung, have you had your dinner?” Yifan looked up at the voice and found Chanyeol, his cousin who was just back from his management training in China a few days ago, standing by the door with hands in the pocket. “It’s 9 already, you know”

“Is it?” Yifan stood up and stretched his stiff muscles from sitting for hours without much movement. He checked his phone and smiling at Junhee’s message that received three hours before reminding to have dinner and not to torture himself. “Let’s go out”

“Why are you smiling like that? And let’s go home sounds much better than let’s go out, to be honest”

“It’s a secret”

“Oh, I know” Chanyeol claimed. “You’re seeing someone, am I right?”

“And if I am? You will whine saying why I am seeing someone while you are still single?”

“Of course not! And what do you mean I am still single? I am not!”

Yifan stopped walking and looked at his cousin. “Tell me! Or I will ask your father to send you somewhere again”

…

“Aigoo, what should I do, Junhee?” Yifan’s mama patted Junhee’s hand lovingly. “I don’t know he’ll be this late”

That day was Sunday. Yifan’s Mama called her the night before to have a cup of tea together. She had been sitting with Mrs. Wu for forty minutes and Yifan hadn’t come yet. Junhee asked her mom to come together but Mrs. Kim chose to go on a date with her husband which made Junhee ate her breakfast with a pout.

“It’s okay, Mama. Maybe he wants to buy you your favourite sponge cake” That was right. Yifan’s Mama asked Junhee to call her Mama, whined a little about Yifan stopped calling her like that since high school.

Junhee let out the breath she unconsciously hold, internally praying Yifan would really come with his Mama’s faourite sponge cake. She listened to her who was still chattering this and that. Junhee glanced around. They sat on the terrace overlooking the backyard of the Wu’s house. The backyard was spacious enough to house in urban areas. She realized there were many pots of flowers and bonsai trees. There were also many ornamental plants are of course covered with snow. She then decided to change the subject, to talk with Mrs. Wu about the backyard. Mrs. Wu’s expression turned bright and then she eagerly told Junhee that her husband was so kind let the rear the backyard which was once a special building where Yifan played converted into a park. Mrs. Wu told me how happy she was when spring came and the flowers would bloom. “That must be a lovely sight” Junhee complimented.

“Of course it is”

“Is that basketball court?” Junhee asked when she spotted a no grassy area, covered with cement and there was a ring there.

“Oh yes, we made it for Yifan. He likes to play basketball” she sipped her tea. “He often plays until lost track of time”

Junhee chuckled. She thought he did like that when he was working, too. That was when the door opened, revealing Yifan with a flower bucket in his left hand and a box printed with a famous bakery’s logo. “Hello ladies, sorry for coming late. I must have made you guys waiting for a while”

Yifan kissed her mother and smiled at Junhee. “What is that? Why don’t you kiss her?” his mother asked in surprise.

“Mother, we’re not in a relationship in which I can kiss her,” He answered while taking hs coat off. “yet” he added then smirked at Junhee who was starring at him, making her blushed. “I see your exam week’s over, am I right”

“Yes, that’s why I can go out now” she grinned.

“Can I take you to a vacation trip? Not really soon, do mind waiting until the remodelling finish next week and the conference preparation start the next two weeks?”

“A vacation trip? That’s great? Where do you guys want to go? I’ll pay for everything” the mother cutted excitedly. “Hawaii is a good option, or LA? Europe?”

Junhee chuckled at how enthusiastic his mother about vacation plans. “No need to, Mama. I’ll see if Yifan is able to provide every single thing I need during the vacation” she looked at Yifan, smiling oh so widely. “Yes, I will go with you and I don’t mind when we will go, just finish your work first. Can you take me to a quite place? I don’t really like crowd”

“Aigo, what’s with formal languange you both use to each other. Use banmal, Junhee” his mother protested. “Oh by the way, quite place, Junhee? Wow! You hope my son to take you to quite place so you guys can..“ she then added kissing sound.

“Mother!” Yifan cutted her when he realized the playful tone she used, knowing other meaning in her sentence. “She doesn’t mean something like that”

“Something like that is okay, Son. Very very okay”

Junhee who catched thing she said a little late chocked on her breath and blushed furiously.

…

“Yes, Dad. Can you please pick me up?” Junhee asked while buttoning her blouse. Her dad called just a few minutes after her yoga class ended. “Alright, I’ll be waiting at the front café”

“Your daddy?” Baekhee asked. Junhee glanced at her and smiled. “Glad to know both of you have reconciled”

“It’s not that we were at war, Baekkie” Junhee shrugged her shoulders. “Yifan asked me to go to a vacation trip”

Baekhee blinked her eyes two times. “Wow, I’m just surprised that your busy boyfriend asked you to go a trip”

“Not my boyfriend”

“Well, yet”

…

Yifan sipped his tea and when he put his tea cup back, Junhee’s daddy cleared his voice. “So, you’re planning a trip with my daughter”

“I’m so sorry that it’s too quick, I just think to give Junhee a relaxing time after her exam ended” Junhee’s daddy called Yifan to his office to have a talk and Yifan decided to ask his permition. “Of coure we’re not going without your permition, Sir”

“I just got my baby Junnie back and you’re trying to take her from me?” his tone was sharp, but Yifan gave him a polite smile.

“I’m really glad to hear that, Sir. Junhee told me that she likes being in your arms again”

“She’s so precious, Young Man, you must know that. Once I know you make her upset, I’ll do the same thing to you” Junhee’s daddy wasn’t done with his threat when his phone rang. “Ow, it’s my baby, seems like the yoga class has ended. Well, you go back to your office so I can fetch her. Now shoo!”

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