The man standing in front of her looked obviously older than the man in her memory but she could see the similarities. Lee Jaehoon. His eyes still held that warmth that always comforted her whenever she was having bad dreams. His broad shoulders where he used to carry her on looked a bit drooped because of age. But he still looked like the strong father she used to have.

A painful pang squeezed her heart. Longing and betrayal fought within her.

“Dad, I found Minjung noona,” Jiho stated, cutting the silence between the two.

Dad? This kid is his son? She couldn’t say a thing. An overwhelming lump of emotions hit her hard.

“Jiho, come here,” Jaehoon said. “How many times have I told you not to wander on your own?”

Jiho pouted but walked towards his father nonetheless. “It’s boring in my room.”

Jaehoon crouched and put his hands on the kid’s shoulders. “I know it’s boring but you should tell me when you want to get out. Remember what happened last week? What if that happens again and I was not there to look out for you?”

His tone reminded Minjung of how he used to scold her as calm as possible. He never raised a voice on her.

“Sorry,” Jiho mumbled, dropping his head low. A sigh left Jaehoon’s lips.

“Just don’t do that again, okay?”

Jiho nodded. “Dad,” he started before turning to Minjung. “She’s Minjung noona, right?”

She stared at them, waiting for whatever the man was going to say. He looked torn, not sure if he should be honest to the kid. His lips parted as if he was about to answer Jiho’s question when his phone’s alarm went off.

“Is it that time again?” Jiho asked, complaining.

“Yes, son. It is.” It was a sigh that left Jaehoon’s mouth. He stood and patted the kid’s shoulder. “We need to go upstairs.”

Jiho turned to Minjung and stared at her. Looking at him, at his features, she could see the resemblance. When Jiho walked towards her, she found herself crouching. Jiho stopped in front of her and whispered something in her ear.

“I need to go. Dad does not like me skipping a session. Will I still see you around?”

He stepped back, waiting for her answer. She was not sure of what to answer but she found herself nodding nonetheless. There’s just something with him that makes her heart go soft as cotton. Maybe it’s the innocence in the kid’s eyes. Jiho grinned before walking back to his father. Jiho held Jaehoon’s hand. The former waved at her.

“Sorry about that,” Jaehoon sighed while looking at Minjung. “We need to go.”

Minjung pursed her lips tightly. Her brain was telling her to speak but her body was not following the instruction. They started walking away.

“Da-”

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Jongin’s familiar voice made her turn around. A smile was on his face. She quickly looked back at the direction where the two were heading to. She watched them entering the elevator. “What’s wrong?”

Minjung shook her head. “Nothing.” I just saw my dad after two decades and I never even said anything to him.

“Are you sure?” he asked while putting a hand on her shoulder.

She nodded. “I’m sure.” She held his hand. “Let’s go. Madame Park might be awake by now.”

Madame Park looked pleased to see and talk to Jongin. The woman even spilled some of the embarrassing moments that Minjung went through when she was years younger. They laughed, reminiscing those times but a part of her brain was still occupied by what happened in the hospital.

After the divorce, her adoptive father fell from the face of the earth. As far as she knows, he never contacted her mother after that – even when she was in the hospital, dying. She hated him for that. But seeing him again after all those years brought back the happiest memories during her childhood. That man was literally her Superman, her hero. He became the father she never had.

When her parents got divorced, she was left asking herself if she’s the reason why they ended up badly. She had seen them having misunderstandings. Their relationship was on a verge of breaking. She understood and knew where they were heading for so she tried to be the best daughter for them, thinking that maybe she could fill the gap between her parents.

They were a happy and perfect couple. At least that’s what people said about them. But Minjung knew that no matter how perfect a thing might look, there will always be holes and flaws in there somewhere. The gap started to crack and then the whole thing crumbled down. Minjung swore she did everything she could to stop that from happening.

But then again, things don’t always happen like how we wanted them to.

“Hey,” Jongin called out.

Minjung turned to him. She was not even sure how long she has stayed blank, thinking about her father. She put on a small smile.

“Are you okay? You were spacing out.”

She shifted on her seat and put her can of soda on the table. They were having a movie date in her place after getting convinced by Madame Park to go home and sleep at her apartment for the night. She has been sleeping at the hospital for 2 straight nights.

“I was just thinking,” she replied after a drawing a deep breath.

Jongin put his drink on the table as well. He moved closer to her. “About what?”

“About my dad.” A sigh escaped from her lips. She drew her legs together and rested her chin on her knees. “I saw him 2 days ago in the hospital.”

He remained silent, letting Minjung continue.

“After 20 years, I finally got to see him again.” She chuckled in disbelief, shaking her head. “He was with this little boy who called him ‘dad’. I thought I was already over all those feelings but-” She paused and pressed her lips together. “I can’t stop thinking of that day when they told me that they’re getting divorced.”

“Do you hate him for leaving?” Jongin asked with a soft voice.

Minjung nodded.

“I felt so betrayed. At that age, just when I was having the time of my life, he left.” She shut her eyes. “There’s a part of me that still resents him for what he did. He did not even visit after mom got sick. I tried contacting him but he never responded. My mother went through so much pain and he never showed up even during her funeral.”

She felt Jongin’s hand patting her back softly. She opened her eyes and turned to hi