8.

“Mommy will you come and see us performing?”

I turn to my son and meet his imploring eyes looking at mine. Seeing that face full of anticipation of me attending the event, I couldn’t help but to feel bad for not being able to fulfill his request. So a pout forms by my lips as I put the chopsticks down on the plate and moves closer to where Joonie is sitting.

“I’m sorry, baby.”

My hand caresses his soft locks as I apologize, “Mommy has some work to do, but Daddy will watch you guys singing.” Then I lifted my gaze, directing a look to Chanyeol who is stuffing his mouth with the food from his plate. “You will attend it, right?”

Likewise me, that guy also put his cutleries down then nods. “I will, surely will. Those who under the foundation would be the participants so I will be there as well.” His big hand reaches Hyun Joo who is sitting right next to him and pats her head meanwhile the girl is still quietly focusing on taking the cucumber away from her plate of fried rice. “And of course for the kids too.” And he beams. “You don’t have to worry, Secretary Jung definitely would use his videography skills and record the performance for you to watch.”

“All Mommy does is working…” The little boy is obviously frustrated to the point of something like that would come out from his mouth before he gets off his chair. “Why are you always busy? And you always leave us with Daddy.”

All three of us have our eyes on him whose shooting a glare on me. However I try to stay calm as I speak, “Baby, Mommy couldn’t leave Mommy’s job. Didn’t I just told you, Daddy would be ther–”

“Daddy is not even our weal Daddy!”

“Hyun Joon!”

“Oppa!”

Both of me and my daughter scream at the same time, and she glances at me who had the eyes piercing on my son. That little boy is raging, his eyes are on fire as he looks at me and his sister but his lips eventually turns down forming a frown before he stomps and runs away, vanishing behind the door of his bedroom.

I am about to get up for my son but I was stopped by a little hand reaches for mine and Hyun Joo’s calm face comes to my sight. Her lips form a thin smile as she reassures me, “It is okay, Mommy. I’ll talk to Oppa.” I see how her little finger secretly points at somewhere behind us before she dashes away to her brother; then only I realized there is another person in the room who is still in shock of what just happened.

My head turns to take a look at Chanyeol and obviously, his body stiffened and his eyes has become wider than before. With slow moves, the man silently takes his pair of chopstick and continues to munch his food.

“Chan–”

“It’s okay,” he murmurs then tilts his head up to look at me with a brittle smile. “That was the truth, anyway.”

“No…I mean…” I get up from my seat and shift my position to the chair which Hyun Joo sat just now. “It’s all my fault for making this happened, I never knew he would say things like that.”

“So the kids have always been knew about it, right?”

“Since they knew their surname is different compared to yours, so yes. But I never thought Joonie would say something like that.” I am at the edge of crying while thinking of it. “I’m sorry, Chanyeol, I really am. But trust me, he loves you so much. The kids really love you, I could guarantee that.” My hand move up to cover my face as I continue, “He must be hurting all this time that I left him and his sister so often. And what kind of mom was I…for not…”

Soon as I choked up with my own tears, Chanyeol pulls me into his embrace. Like nothing has hurt him, he shushes me just like he always do.

“I should have known…I’m sorry…”

“This isn’t your fault, my dear.”

“No.” Then I pull away and wipe the tears off my cheeks. After taking a deep breath, I utter, “I should have realized that this would end up with you getting hurt. I was blinded by your kindness, Chanyeol. I did not realized that I took too much from you.”

The guy’s hand shift its position, going down to hold mine. “Trust me, I would never regret for what I did, for the road that I chose. Remember what I’ve told you before? I helped you in the past, without hoping for any forms of payback. We are friends, and if you want us to continue as what we are now, I would be really glad to respect your decision. And I've seen him and you, I'm sure the love are still there.” He calmly states it, making my heart warmed and then again Chanyeol calls my name. “You raise your kids, whom are his as well, of course you would see him in them. And he will surely loves you more than before for an amazing person you are, for how strong you are. For how beautiful the kids have become. They are very, very beautiful, I swear they are. Well, Joonie is just…” he chuckles in between, “…he’s only five, he would never meant any harm by what he just said.”

A sigh escapes my mouth when I think about it, “I know but again, that little rascal is just five.” I fuss under my breath while getting up to go and get my son in his room but a loud laugh from Chanyeol halts my steps right away.

And so I turn to him, confused by looking at him cackling his off, shaking his head upon my acts. “I’m sorry,” that man giggles, “Joonie reminds me of you. You were that rebellious, aren’t you?”

Jokingly I squint at him and ask, "How did you know that he got it from me?"

"Because well, I don't think his father was like that."

With that, a smile forms on my face. “Chanyeol.”

“Yes?” That guy ends his laughter and looks at me with those big eyes of his, full of curiosity of what I have got to say.

"I know I've said this a lot, but...thank you, really."

My palm holds the doorknob and slowly, I pivot on it, carefully opening the door which reveals the sight of the twins sitting on the floor right next to each other. Joonie is hugging his knees close to his legs meanwhile Jooie sits with her legs crossed, silently lending her shoulder for her brother to lean on. Both of them tilt their heads up to look on who is entering, and at the moment Jooie sees me, a smile of relief creeps on her face meanwh