You didn’t look behind you as you ran down the street. The kids' voices didn't stop you, nor did Taekwoon's. You were running away from this nightmare. This can’t be happening. No, it can’t. You kept telling yourself as you signaled a taxi and hopped in, giving the driver the address of the recording company. The buzzing in your purse didn't stop. You looked through it for the ringing cell phone to see "My Baby ♥" on the screen. Your heart skipped a beat when you figured it was Taekwoon. My baby? This nightmare is getting worse. You definitely never imagined calling anyone 'baby.' You put the phone on silent and threw it back inside the purse, with one thought in your mind: I need to see Yoongi.

Looking through the window, you noticed a lot of changes in the road leading to the company. A few celebrities conquered the Ads spread across the streets and you were confused when you couldn't recognize any of them. The street signs led to new streets, new stores took over the ones you used to visit on your way to the company.

The company itself looked a bit different. You stared at the building for a few seconds. It somehow still felt the same to you despite the few renovations here and there. It was the first familiar thing you’ve seen ever since you woke up.

This all confirmed Taekwoon's story, or at least the fact that a lot of time had passed since the night you met him at your studio. But you still needed to know what exactly happened. How did you end up marrying Taekwoon and having 5 kids with him? How did he convince you to give up your life to be with him? What happened? Only Yoongi would be able to give you a satisfactory answer.

Despite coming here on your own will, your steps out of the elevator were hesitant. There was no escape that this was now your life, regardless of whether you could remember your past or not. You looked around the floor as soon as you stepped out of the elevator, and the sense of familiarity suddenly disappeared when you found yourself surrounded with strangers. The door of your studio had a new name plate. An invisible string pulled you toward it, and you let your fingers trace the name plate that had previously carried your name.

You quickly pulled your hand away when the door opened and a pair of eyes stared at your face.

"How can I help you?"

Your cheeks heated up as you retreated and mumbled an apology. You turned around abruptly when you bumped into someone behind you.

"I'm sorry."

You were surrounded by strange faces staring at you in confusion. I should have stayed at home. You thought to yourself as you desperately looked for a familiar face.

“Hoseok!”

You almost yelled when you spotted Yoongi's assistant among the crowd. He turned around to look at you and his eyes widened in surprise when his eyes met yours. He walked in your direction, rubbing his eyes and questioning himself.

"Am I really looking at you?"

He asked, staring at you unbelievably. You couldn't control the beating of your heart when you finally found an old friend among all these strangers. You threw your arms around Hoseok's neck, finding shelter and solace after a long, exhausting morning.

“Are you okay?”

Hoseok asked. You pulled yourself out and looked at him.

"I am good, I guess."

He smiled.

“I have to tell Yoongi! He’s going to be so thrilled!”

“Where is he? I need to talk to him.”

"Follow me."

You followed him toward a room at the end of the hall. He opened the door without even knocking and Yoongi jumped from his seat to find you standing at the door of his new studio. His jaw dropped as he exchanged looks between you and Hoseok.

"What's wrong? Why are you here?"

"Is this how you welcome a friend into your new office?"

He titled his head to the side and looked at Hoseok before turning to look at you.

"This isn't the first time you've been to my office."

You swallowed hard at what he said. You were somehow expecting it, or something similar to it, anything indicating that you've been to the company before today. Yoongi stared at you for a couple of seconds before carefully asking:

“Where is your husband?”

You let out a sigh and sat down on the chair facing his as you said:

“I need to talk to you about this…”

“You can’t remember anything?”

You shook your head ‘no.’ Yoongi let out a sigh before saying:

“Well, this is weird.”

He said as he scratched his head. It was your turn to let out a sigh as you said:

“I know…”

Silence prevailed. Your eyes roamed the office, trying hard to remember if you've seen it before, very hard, to no avail. Yoongi broke the silence after a few seconds as he asked:

“So you don’t remember... quitting?”

You turned to look at him.

“No.”

He paused for a couple of seconds and then asked hesitantly:

“And you don’t remember Taekwoon ruining his one and only chance to become a singer because of you?”

Your heart skipped a beat at the mention of Taekwoon. You looked up at him, eyes fixed on his face as you tried to figure if this was a joke. When he didn't laugh or even stir, you asked:

“What? Why?”

He hesitated. It was apparent that you were completely unaware of this, but he couldn't take back what he said. He fiddled with his fingers, wondering where to start. You urged him to speak when his silence and your unanswered question were starting to test your patience. When he finally parted his lips to speak, he said:

“A while after you two started dating, it was obvious that he was too attached to you than I thought a normal boyfriend would be. When my vocal was receiving his final evaluation with the presence of the CEO and a number of representatives from other recording companies, Taekwoon was watching the whole process closely. When it was time for my vocal... I think it was Sunggyu at that time... when he signed his contract; Taekwoon asked him if he could look at it. He had read the contract and his motivation to debut suddenly died. You know what articles of the contract killed the singer in him?"

He asked and you shook your head 'no' quite hurriedly.

"He stopped at two articles. One indicated that he could not be in any hidden or public relationship as long as he was active, not until he had created a very strong fan base. The other article stated that, if he signs the contract, he will have to spend at least two years training abroad."

He paused for a second and looked at you. You looked dazed, trying to grasp everything he said. He continued:

"He asked if he can change these terms but he was told it was beyond impossible. Every artist has to go through the training period and personal relationships were always controlled. He was no exception. His eagerness to become a singer was incomparable to how attached he was to you. He started skipping the training sessions, became nonchalant about the evaluation... and..."

He paused again.

"And?"

You said impatiently.

"And he lost his chance to sign the contract with the recording company. Two weeks later you announced that you and him are getting engaged and I could finally see where this attachment was taking him.”

He looked at you and his eyes were met with the defeated expression on your face. You couldn't believe that Taekwoon, or anyone ever, would ruin his future for you.

"How did I agree to this?"

You stared at the floor under your feet, not being able to comprehend Yoongi's narrative.

“He lied to you. He told you that he needs to receive more training before being able to go through another evaluation. He then quit and told you he’ll be joining a better company as a song writer, which he did... but things went badly for him when his songs didn’t receive the expected target. He obviously needed more time before being able to start as a song writer... You tried bringing him back to the company but... if I remember correctly, he settled for an office job in his brother-in-law's company... things went fine for a good number of years until the company announced bankruptcy three months ago...”

“Why did he do such a stupid thing?”

You exclaimed when nothing of what Taekwoon did made any sense to you. When he joined the company it was obvious that he had something unique, he had potential and he was willing to do everything he could to make it work. Yoongi chuckled before saying:

“Because the dummy loved you. He did all this to be with you.”

You walked around the area aimlessly for what felt like forever. Yoongi seemed to enjoy the expressions on your face as the story evolved. He told you everything that had happened, leading to your resignation after giving birth to Hakyeon and being pregnant with Jaehwan. Getting married was never in your plans, so when he said you quit your job to stay home to take care of your children, you called him a liar. He simply chuckled, and the memory of the five kids waiting for you at home was brought back to your mind. He definitely wasn't lying.

Thoughts of Taekwoon took over you. The chances he wasted to be with you, giving up on his dream to be a singer only to get married to you, living a life he never imagined for himself only to be able to call you his. Why would anyone ever do that?

You suddenly remembered how you left him at home, probably pulling his hair for being left alone to look after five kids while wondering where you went. Your hand involuntarily went into your purse, taking your cell phone out. More than 20 missed calls from him and 10 more from a landline saved under “Home sweet home.” A hot tear rolled down your cheek, as more tears welled up in your eyes, threatening to wet your cheeks.

Helplessness engulfed your being. You were stuck in a reality you never saw coming, you never wanted or even dared to dream about. But... guilt was eating you up. You couldn't get over the fact that you ruined the life of the only person who truly loved you. You were torn between refusing to believe the turn your life has taken and between the family waiting for you to come home.

The phone in your hand started ringing again and another tear escaped when you saw Taekwoon’s name on the screen. You squeezed the phone tightly in your hand, and bit your lower lip as the phone continued to ring. A few seconds passed before you swiped your finger across the screen, lifting the phone to your ear. As soon as you did, you heard Taekwoon yelling from the other side of the line:

“Where are you? Do you know how worried we are?”

You sniffed, waited for him to finish his sentence before saying:

“I don't know where I am. Can you pick me up?”

Taekwoon arrived around 15 minutes later to pick you up. After leaving the company, and while walking around the area, you realized that your feet had taken you a few blocks away and you could no longer tell where anything was. You were grateful for the technology allowing you to send Taekwoon your location in a matter of seconds.

As soon as you spotted Taekwoon driving in your direction, you felt your heart sink. He pulled over near the bus stop where you were waiting. You opened the door, hopped in, and without exchanging a word with you or even looking in your direction, he drove you home. The drive home was silent. The only question he asked was "Are you okay?" and you simply hummed in response. The whole time you were looking out of the window, your eyes scanning the streets and your heart pounding in your chest the closer you were to the apartment where the kids were waiting.

You entered the apartment and walked toward the bedroom without paying the screaming kids any attention. One of them called you but you didn’t answer him as you entered the room and closed the door, locking yourself inside.

“Is she okay?”

Hakyeon asked as he stood next to Taekwoon, staring at the door separating him from his mother. Taekwoon ruffled his hair as he said:

“Yes, don’t worry. She’s just tired.”

Jaehwan ran toward Taekwoon before saying:

“Daddy, I’m hungry!”

Taekwoon knelt down near him, took him in his arms for a breif hug before placing a kiss on his temple.

“Do you want to help me with dinner?”

The boy smiled and clapped his hands excitedly as he said:

"Yes! I'll put on my apron and come back!"

“Wonsik and Hongbin ate and went to bed already. The babysitter left a few minutes ago after putting Sanghyuk to sleep.”

Hakyeon said and Taekwoon smiled at him as he patted his back.

“Thank you. I’ll go check on your mother and then I’ll make us something to eat, okay?”

Hakyeon nodded. Taekwoon stood up and walked toward the door. He knocked the door gently and opened it when he didn’t receive an answer.

“May I come in?”

You hummed without looking at him. He entered the room and closed the door behind him before sitting on the edge of the bed next to you and saying:

“We were so worried about you."

He paused for a second and then asked:

"Where did you go?”

“I went to the recording company."

You said faintly without looking at him.

“Why?”

He asked. You lifted your head up and looked at him.

“I needed answers.”

“You should’ve asked me. Why Yoongi?”

He almost yelled.

"Because I trust him!"

You yelled back. He was taken aback by your answer. You looked the other way when you saw the defeated look on his face. You stood up and walked away from him as you said:

“I’m tired. I need to sleep.”

“I... I’ll make dinner. Eat first and then go to sleep.”

“I don’t want to eat anything. Just… leave me alone.”

"You haven't eaten anything since morning..."

You gave him no answer. He let out a sigh before saying:

“I’ll be in the kids’ room if you needed anything.”

After prolonged tossing and turning, and occasional crying, you realized that Taekwoon had left the room for you. You were sure the kids were already asleep since it was past 12 p.m. and when he didn't show up you knew he was sleeping somewhere else. You pulled the comforter over your head trying to force yourself to sleep and failing miserably. Even though you were terribly exhausted, sleep didn't come easily.

An hour later you got off bed and left the room looking for Taekwoon and hoping that having a word with him would give you some peace. You looked around the living room and the kitchen before heading toward the other room at the end of the hall. Opening the door ever so slightly, and through the faint light coming from a night stand at the end of the room, you saw Taekwoon squeezed on one of the two beds with Hongbin and Wonsik who were cuddling close to each other with Taekwoon's arms around their tiny bodies. You heard a faint whimper and turned to find Sanghyuk sleeping in his crib. You walked up in his direction and stood in front of the crib watching him curl his tiny little fingers around Hakyeon's index. Hakyeon was sleeping on the other bed next to Jaehwan. The crib was brought closer to Hakyeon's side of the bed that his hand was inside the crib with Sanghyuk's fingers curled around it.

You caught yourself smiling at the scene. You knelt down next to Hakyeon and looked intently at him before pulling the comforter over his shoulders. You suddenly felt a hand on your shoulder and you flinched when you saw Taekwoon standing behind you. You stood up and he motioned you to follow him out of the room. You caught yourself taking one last glance at the sleeping kids before closing the door behind you.

“I’m sorry.”

You said in a whisper as you sat down next to Taekwoon in the living room. He looked at you but you avoided eye contact with him as you continued:

“I’m sorry for leaving like that, I’m sorry for not remembering anything and… I’m sorry for ruining your career.”

“What?”

“Yoongi told me everything.”

You lifted your head up and looked at him. Now it was his turn to avoid looking at you. You continued:

“Why didn’t you talk to me about it? Why did you give up on your dream so easily?”

“You are my dream. I couldn’t ask for more when you said yes.”

Your heart skipped a beat and your body shivered when his hand landed on your thigh.

“Was I... pregnant at the time?”

You stuttered. His eyes widened in surprise as he answered:

“What? No! I didn't have to marry you, I wanted to marry you. You… you only got pregnant after marriage. That’s what we agreed to do.”

“Why did you even marry me?”

You asked, tears welling up in your eyes. He lifted his hand up and cupped your cheek.

“Because I loved you. Can’t you see how much I love you?”

You were both alarmed by the door of the room opening and small steps making their way toward the living room. Hongbin appeared behind the corner, rubbing his eyes and walking in your direction, pulling his tiny pillow behind him. He climbed the couch and sat down between you and Taekwoon.

“When did you come back?”

Hongbin asked as he looked at you.

“You were already asleep when she did.”

Taekwoon answered him, ruffling his hair and giggling when Hongbin pushed his hand away.

“I didn’t sleep. I was waiting for you.”

You felt a smile creeping onto your face as you watched him struggle to keep his eyes open. Taekwoon tried carrying him but the kid wrapped his arms around yours.

“No! I want to sleep with mommy!”

He whined and Taekwoon looked at you, waiting for your response.

“Can I… carry him?”

You asked and Taekwoon nodded, a tiny smile creeping into his lips. You wrapped your arms around Hongbin's body and he placed his around your neck. Taekwoon grabbed the pillow and followed you to the bedroom. He then helped you lay Hongbin on your bed, supporting his head with his pillow and placing a bigger pillow behind his back. You lay down next to him and he immediately buried his face in your chest, wrapping his tiny arms around you.

“Where are you going?”

You whispered when you saw Taekwoon walking toward the door.

“I’ll sleep with the kids. Wonsik doesn’t like sleeping alone.”

You wished him a good night before pulling the comforter over Hongbin’s body and looking intently at him breathing steadily between your arms. You felt warm, both physically and emotionally. This was the first time you have ever carried a child let alone slept with one in your arms. You stared at him and in an attempt to remind yourself you repeated, like a mantra: “This is my son. My son! Mine!”

You woke up the following morning to a hand on your face and a foot up your chest. You blinked a couple of times before realization hit you. You almost forgot about the exhausting day you’ve been through and seeing Hongbin sleeping next to you caught you off guard. You gently removed his foot and got off bed. Walking out of the bedroom, you saw the kids sitting to the dining table waiting for Taekwoon to serve them breakfast. Wonsik jumped from his seat when he saw you coming out of the room and ran toward you. He dodged you and entered the room. Jumping on bed next to Hongbin, he nudged his shoulder as he said:

“You’re going to miss breakfast! Come on!”

You watched as Hongbin rubbed his eyes before letting Wonsik pull him by the hand and take him toward the sink. You chuckled when you saw Wonsik reach for the faucet and let the water run as he washed Hongbin’s face and then dried it with a towel before leading him toward the table.

“Good morning.”

Taekwoon said and gave you a smile when he saw you watching the kids. You walked up to him.

“Good morning.”

“Breakfast will be ready in a minute. Take a seat.”

He watched you walk toward your seat, so he approached you and whispered:

“You usually give each of the kids a kiss on their cheeks before breakfast.”

“Do I have to?”

You whispered and he nodded. You let out a sigh as you walked toward Jaehwan who lifted his head up giving you access to his cheek. You leaned closer to him and pecked his cheek before moving away hurriedly. He gave you a confused look and you said:

“I’m sick. I don’t want you to get sick too.”

You took your seat next to Hakyeon without kissing the rest of the kids. You were slowly accepting this new reality but you still had problems adjusting with things like kissing the boys or hugging them. It still felt weird to be around them and having them talk to you or cling to you.

You ate your breakfast in silence, watching the kids tease each other and joke around with you and Taekwoon. It was endearing to watch them feed each other and play around, giggles filling the place and a smile never leaving Taekwoon's face. This family is a happy family, you thought to yourself.

After breakfast, Taekwoon told you he was taking Sanghyuk to his sister before going to the company again. He said something about going for a second interview, which probably meant he'll get the job. He asked you if it’s okay to leave you again with the kids, and you told him not to worry as you sent him off and wished him luck.

You sat with the kids in the living room and watched them play around you as Hakyeon sat next to you reading a story. A while later, Hongbin walked up to you and climbed the sofa to sit next to you. He then asked:

“Mommy. Can I ask you something?”

You were taken aback by the word “mommy” coming out of his mouth. You were still not used to hearing them called you that. It took you a couple of seconds to smile and say:

"Sure.”

“What gift will you get me and Wonsik for our birthday?”

Our birthday? When is that supposed to be? You couldn't remember when the twins birthday was. What kind of a mother am I?

“What gift do you want?”

You asked, trying not to expose yourself.

“Wonsik wants a bicycle, and I want a scooter.”

You thought for a second. Those are such inexpensive gifts and you could definitely afford them, so you simply said:

“Okay! Why not?”

“Really? Wonsik! Mommy said yes!”

Hongbin yelled in excitement, delivering the good news to his twin. Wonsik looked in your direction before stopping in his tracks, causing Jaehwan to bump into him. The latter fell backwards and started crying. You freaked out and ran in his direction, not knowing what to do to calm him down.

“Shhhh… stop crying please!”

His crying became even louder and you had absolutely no idea what to do. Amid his cried, he turned to you and extended his arms in your direction, asking to be held. You hesitated for a couple of seconds before gathering him in your arms and patting his back gently. Your body was shivering as the boy stopped wailing and cried silent tears in your arms. He lifted his head up and looked at you, eyes puffy and tears rolling down his eyes.

“My hurts!”

He whined and you almost giggled as you lowered your hand and started patting his . He rested his head on your chest as you continued to his back and . Your heart was pounding in your chest as you looked at him relax in your embrace.

Wonsik approached the crying boy, kneeled down next to him and said:

“When mommy gets me the new bicycle, I’ll let you ride it first.”

Jaehwan pulled out of your arms and looked at Wonsik for a second before wiping his tears with the back of his hand.

“Do you promise?”

“Yes.”

Jaehwan pulled himself out of your arms as he said:

“My doesn’t hurt anymore.”

He then dramatically hugged Wonsik and Wonsik hugged him back. They remained like this for a couple of seconds until they heard the key turn and the front door open. You darted your gaze in the direction of the door and saw Taekwoon enter the apartment with a frown on his face. The frown immediately disappeared when Jaehwan ran to him. He kneeled down and kissed his cheek before walking toward the kids’ room and putting Sanghyuk in his crib. The corners of your lips lifted up in a smile when he came out of the room with Hongbin and Wonsik hanging around his thighs.

You walked in his direction, asked the boys to let him change and rest before following him toward the bedroom.

“How was it? Did the kids cause any trouble?”

He asked.

“Not at all.”

He took his jacket off and placed it on bed before walking toward the door.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll go make lunch. You must be starving.”

You titled your head to the side as you stared at him in confusion.

“You've been out almost all morning. Don’t you want to rest?”

A warm smile crept into his face as he answered:

“I’ll rest after lunch and then I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“Do you always do this?”

He looked at you, perplexed by your question.

“Do what?”

“Do everything in this house?”

“Well, I promised you I will take care of everything, and it doesn’t bother me at all as long as you and the kids are happy.”

Did I really marry this guy? You stared at him for a couple of seconds, without being able to form a proper sentence. You had so many questions floating in your head. Are you for real? Do you do this on a daily basis or is it a special case because I lost my memories? Is there an agreement that you're in charge of cooking?

All you could say after a few couples of silence was:

"I'll cook lunch. Just rest please."

He snorted, and you looked at him quizzically.

“What's so funny?”

You seemed slightly offended by his laugh so he stopped laughing and said:

"I'm sorry, but... you can't really cook, which is why I promised to take care of all the cooking while you took care of cleaning around the house and doing the dishes."

"Are you serious?"

You asked, recalling all the times you tried to cook yourself a meal. You weren't that bad, but he was probably a lot better.

"I'm not saying you're terrible. You wanted me to spare you the effort of cooking and I gladly accepted. Now, shall we go eat something?"