Wonhee doesn’t know how to feel. 

Should she feel betrayed by her mother who decided it’s best to invite Baekhyun for their mother-daughter dinner without consulting with her first? Should she feel scared of facing Baekhyun again after disappearing from his world in the last nine years without leaving any message or a simple explanation? Should she feel thankful to her mother for arranging this lovely surprise because it reunited her with the love of her life? 

Wonhee feels as if she just got hit by a tsunami, her emotions overwhelming her to the point that— 

“Wonhee, darling, are you alright? You’re turning green—” 

She holds her hand up, signing to her mother that she needs to leave. “I’m sorry. Just—”

Wonhee bolted towards the girls’ bathroom and locked herself inside a cubicle where she dumped the contents of her stomach. 

This was not how she expected to act when she meets Baekhyun again after a long time.

Letting her mind speak Baekhyun’s name again made her feel her nausea return that she vomited once more. Wonhee feels a bit disgusted with the way she’s kneeling on the floor, her whole body covered with cold sweat because of her mother’s surprise. 

She knows she has to get back there, but how could she if facing Baekhyun makes her want to barf? 

Wonhee groans at how pathetic she is at the moment. She hates herself for acting this way—she looked so weak, as if she doesn’t have any backbone when she had been so brave to sacrifice herself to save the family’s crumbling reputation. 

She pushed herself on her feet and flushed down the toilet’s contents. Wonhee slowly made her way to the sink, and was flabbergasted to see her defeated reflection stare back at her. The horrified look on her face forced her to break her connection with her reflection. She swears she look worse than when their scandal broke out years ago.

It’s been nine years, she shouldn’t be this affected. 

Wonhee looks up again, meeting her reflection this time with a determined gaze. “You can do this,” she mutters to herself. 

It’s a good thing the bathroom is empty or else she would’ve looked like she’s out of her mind because she’s talking to her own reflection. But she needed this pep talk. She needed to convince herself that she is indeed ready to hold a proper conversation with Baekhyun again. That she’s now ready to face the things she left behind. 

She can do this. Besides, she’s been able to keep up her unbeatable, strong facade for the past nine years. Surely she can keep it up for far longer. 

She takes another deep breath before making her way outside. She kept her eyes trained on the floor, her mind going empty because of her current predicament. 

Because of her getting so lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the pair of shiny, black shoes that were right in front of her own two feet if it wasn’t for its owner speaking to break her out of her self-induced trance. 

“You’re really good at leaving in the worst times, Kang Wonhee.” 

Hearing the judgment in Baekhyun’s voice gave Wonhee that boost of courage she badly needed to meet his chocolate eyes. “And I see you’re still full of prejudice.” 

“I wouldn’t say my statement is prejudiced when it’s backed up with historical data.” Baekhyun smugly replies, crossing his muscled arms in front of his chest as he arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow at her.

Baekhyun - 1, Wonhee - 0. 

Wonhee swallowed the guilt that slowly crept its way on at what Baekhyun implied. She raised her chin in an attempt to display an unfazed reaction. “A one-time event is an inconclusive evidence, Byun Baekhyun.” 

“But it didn’t just happen once, Kang Wonhee. Don’t deny it.” 

Baekhyun - 2, Wonhee - 0. 

There’s nothing she can say that will make her win against Baekhyun’s argument. However, Wonhee’s pride will never let her bow down to Baekhyun’s judgmental attacks.

She admits she made a huge mistake, but surely there’s a way for her to make amendments, right? That’s why she decided to return even though she knew she still wasn’t fully ready to come back home. After everything that happened between her and Baekhyun, Wonhee admits that she expected a bit of Baekhyun’s forgiveness when they see each other again. 

Looks like she disappointed herself, and she’ll be disappointed more in the long run. 

“What brings you here?” Wonhee steps down, not bothering to argue anymore. 

She starts walking back to the private room because with Baekhyun trailing her, it means that her mother’s left by herself there. Also, she’s hungrier than ever. Puking her guts out has given her an appetite of two persons and she needed to satiate her hunger as soon as possible. 

“Mom told me to check on you since you were so green a while ago,” Baekhyun answers her question, this time, placing his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “Is my face really that disgusting to you?” 

Wonhee outrightly rolls her eyes at Baekhyun even though she’s aware that it’s one of his pet peeves. Why should she mind? The last time she checked, they’re not exactly in ‘talking terms’ anymore. “It’s jet lag. It’s just a coincidence that you’re there when my stomach decided it was the right time for me to empty all of its contents.” 

Baekhyun lets out a soft hum. “Well, mom’s really worried so—” They almost collided into one another when Wonhee abruptly stops in her tracks. 

“What the hell.” 

Wonhee turns around and faces Baekhyun with fire in her eyes. “Why do you keep calling my mother ‘mom’? In case you forgot, our parents are already divorced so she’s not technically your mother anymore!” 

It annoyed Wonhee even more when Baekhyun laughs at her outburst, making her feel as if she’s not being taken seriously by the person she’s speaking with. “I’m being serious right now, Baekhyun. Why the hell are you laughing at me?” 

“I’m laughing because you’re such a clown,” Baekhyun calms down, traces of his laugh still evident in his plump lips. “In case you also forgot, I’ve acted more as her child than you for the past nine years. Surely that earns me the right to still call her mom after the divorce, right?” 

Baekhyun - 3, Wonhee - 0. 

K.O. 

Wonhee avoided Baekhyun’s piercing eyes and turns back again to avoid his gaze. She exhaled a sigh of relief when she sees the door to the private room because all she wanted at the moment was to stop spending time alone with Baekhyun right now. She can’t deal with having a private conversation with him because Wonhee can already envision herself getting on her knees to beg for his utmost forgiveness. 

She thought she managed to leave her behind with her brisk walking only to catch herself with a surprised gasp when she felt his hot breath behind her left ear. 

Baekhyun whispers using that damn low voice of his, “Cat got your tongue, little strawberry?” 

Wonhee turns rigid as she heard Baekhyun use his term of endearment for her when they first met before their parents’ marriage. She didn’t have the chance to retort because Baekhyun left her alone, mouth open as he closed the door at her face.

“Baekhyun here is such a sweetheart,” Kang Sohee says for the tenth time. 

Yes, Wonhee has been keeping count of how many times her mother complimented Baekhyun this evening. She already doesn’t know what to expect of her mother since she opened the door and found two persons waiting for her before starting dinner. However, she least expected that she will be forced to swallow her food while hearing her own mother give endless praises to her former stepson. 

Wonhee was sixteen years old when her mother announced that she’s finally getting married. After being left to manage motherhood on her own when they discovered her unwanted pregnancy, Kang Sohee was able to find herself a better man who wou