Irene looks up from the magazine, "So? How was the day?"

"Good. All thanks to you. You handled everything pretty well in my absence." Seokjin loosens his tie.

Irene nods. She wants to talk about it with him but cannot understand how to begin. She is sure he remembers.

"Jin...I wanted to talk to you about something." She finally speaks.

He looks at her and puts his glass down. Somewhere he knows what she wants to talk about.

"Yes?"

"I had sent some flowers to Joy at the hospital, a month ago."

"Yeah, I know. You told me that." He takes his clothes out of the cupboard.

"I should have visited her. Actually we should have visited her."

"Irene..." Seokjin sighs in exasperation.

"No, Jin. Listen. It will be a whole year tomorrow and you are still..." Irene gets up and walks towards him.

"Yes, Irene. I remember." His cold tone makes her flinch. 

"I know you are still angry but how long? Not for her..." She still tries.

"Irene..." He shakes his head.

"But at least for the baby!" She bites on her lower lip, "I meet Aera almost everyday at her school. I mean don't you feel like meeting your niece? What is that child's fault?"

Seokjin would have said something but she beats him to it, "Jin.We should not be vexed at others' children where we cannot have any of our own." She walks to the bed and lies down, facing away from him.

He sighs. It is not just my self-esteem that is stopping me to patch up.

"Deiji! Do you know what day is today?" Joy runs her finger softly on her face and the baby yawns in sleep, "It is your umma and appa's 1st anniversary!!" She laughs when their daughter opens her eyes at the revelation, "Yes! See, it is 1 a.m. in the morning and the next day starts at 12 in the midnight." She explains in a way as if the baby will understand. She s her shirt to feed the baby.

"Your appa is not here. He left for a meeting in Busan. The flight was on 10 p.m. He went straight from his office, after an overtime. He should have reached by now.  He has not called yet. The driver left him at the airport." Joy looks at the phone worriedly.

"Should I call him, Love?" She asks Deiji who has finished her meal and snoozed off, "I hope it would not disturb him."

The weather is too harsh and the whole mansion is asleep. Except her. 

"May be I should." Before she can call, the telephone starts to ring.

The sound wakes Deiji up and she whines. Swinging and calming her, Joy picks up the phone. 

"Hello?" She whispers.

"Hello."

"Namjoon? Did you reach safely?" She asks feeling relaxed after hearing his voice.

"Uhh, no. I am standing outside the door."

"Outside?!" Joy takes the baby monitor and rushes to open the door.

"Namjoon?! I thought..." She moves back to let him enter.

He walks inside and sighs loudly. His heavy winter clothes have turned white due to snow.

"Yeah, the flight got cancelled." He does not have to explain anything else.

"Oh! And the meeting?" They cross the lobby.

"It is cancelled. Apparently, the partners are also stuck." He loosens up the coats.

"Will you have something to eat? Or drink?" She asks looking at his tired face.

"Yes, actually. I would like to eat something." 

"Okay, you go and change and I'll get something ready." She removes the snow from his clothes.

"You? You can ask any maid." He raises his eyebrow. Her hands are still on his shoulders. Joy looks at them and quickly lets go. Namjoon shakes his head and goes to his room.

Joy is about to go to the kitchen when she hears the equipment making sound. She checks on their daughter first. She comes back with Deiji tied to her front.

"What to make?" She checks the fridge."Something quick, easy and filling."

Namjoon enters the kitchen to find Joy cooking. Then his eyes fall on her. She was crying. He has heard her crying over the phone.

"Namjoon! Please sit. I am almost done."

He nods and sits down. He observes Joy work and he has to agree she looks quite comfortable. She must have learned to cook. He has not tried anything made by her, yet.

"Here you go. I hope it is okay." Joy puts the plate infront of him.

"Omurice?" Namjoon looks amused. When was the last time he had it?

"Yes, I thought it will be fast and good for you." She smiles. She sits infront of him. 

"It...it is very good." Namjoon comments on the food.

"Really? You think so?" Joy asks excitedly. This is the first time she has cooked something for him.

"Yes. I must say I am surprised to see you come up with this in such short time." He nods. 

"Well, the rice was already there. I just chopped some vegetables and put some chicken sausages..." She stops when she feels his eyes on her. He is smiling slightly. She looks down and blushes, "Thank you."

"I should be thanking you. You could have asked any maid." Namjoon scoops the rice in his mouth.

"I know I could have but I did not want to."

He looks up from his plate to find her watching him eat. There is something in her eyes which he used to see when they were dating. After that night, it was gone. Which reminds him, his eyes shot open in realization. He remembers now! It was today. He pays attention to the food and begins to eat again.

"What happened?"

"Nothing." He does not know whether he should talk about it. Also how.

"Will you like some brownies? Yeri brought them. It is a special of their cafe." She says when Namjoon finishes everything on the plate. She had made a good amount. He must have been starving.

"I am full but...okay." He shrugs. 

She happily gets a box out of the fridge and keeps it infront of him. She washes the plate and joins him again.

"Did you have your dinner? I mean you looked very hungry." Joy asks taking a piece out of the box.

"No. The last thing I ate was a sandwich at lunch." He was so busy getting the works done that he forgot to eat. It is nothing new to him.

"Eh? Why?!" She frowns.

"Well, I was supposed to be away. Many things were to be taken care of. There would not be any problem in my absence."

"Yes, but skipping meals? That is not right." She shakes her head.

He shrugs again.

"Then, it will be okay if you do not go tomorrow? I mean you need rest." She suggests. Nowadays she does not have to be much cautious around him.

"Uhh..." He is interrupted by her.

"You would not have gone if you were in Busan. If there is any sort of emergency, they can call you." She insists.

He blinks at the confidence in her voice. It is really unusual for him to have someone exert authority on him, other than Irene. And he cannot say that he does not like it.

"Alright then. I will stay in." He bites his dessert.

"Good. Cuz the snow may not let anyone get out of their house anyway." She nods.

 "Yeah, the office may have to be kept close." He looks at her and frowns in bewilderment, "You are dropping food on her head?! What are you doing?!"

"Huh?" Joy looks down to see brownie crumbles and traces of chocholate frostings specked on the tiny head, "Oh no! It must have happened when I was eating!!" She tries to clean it but gets it more smeared with her sticky hands. The tissues are not helping. And she cannot put any pressure on the delicate skull.

She gets up to wash her hand when Namjoon stops her. He rolls his eyes at her activities, "Let me help."

"Be very gentle, her head is very soft." She looks down at her sleeping baby.

He nods and wets a tissue. He wipes the smudges and Deiji squirms to open her eyes. She looks at him with her almond shaped eyes. They keep looking at each other for a long time. He absent-mindedly runs his thumb on her patch of hair. Old man.

Joy is so happy. It is for the first time he is so close to the baby! Touching her!

Namjoon breathes out when Deiji smiles at him with his dimples.

"She seems to like you."

Namjoon blinks at Joy's voice. He looks up to see her smiling,"Thank you." She puts the box back in the fridge. 

"It is okay." He looks at Deiji again who is still very elated to see him, for some unknown reason.

"I should get some sleep now. Good night and thank you for everything." Namjoon smiles slightly. He walks through the corridor when Joy calls him, "Namjoon."

"Yeah?" He turns and raises his brows in question.

 She walks towards him nervously, "Happy anniversary!" With that she gives him the quickest hug possible and flees to her room.

Namjoon just stands there still thinking what just happened.

"Did she just wish and hug me?"