Chung Ae and Hee Young peered from the bottom of their mother’s desk as they looked at the guest by the door, the faint slit by the doorway giving little to no clue about the person their mother's talking to. They could hear her voice, but the replies were quiet, and they were left guessing on who came over. To their surprise, when the figure came in, they immediately hid below the table, their mouths covered with their own palms as they looked at each other with wide eyes.

“Chung Ae? Hee Young? I know you're hiding behind there.” 

The twins scooted closer to each other when their mother called them out, and they looked at each other, not knowing what to do with the situation. 

“Come on, it’s alright.” 

Chung Ae gestured at Hee Young to come out first, but Hee Young shook her head. The young boy glared at her and kept gesturing her to come out, but in the end, she rolled her eyes and gingerly crawled out first. She peered from the side of the table, where she saw her mother’s blue flats and her father’s black shoes by the seating area. 

“Hee Young-ah, Chung Ae-yah, come out my loves.” Eomma smiled at her. “Appa's here. Let's meet him altogether.” 

Her knees almost gave out on her when she stood up, and she felt like her heart was pounding too much for her liking. It felt like a dream as she stared at the sight before her. Eomma was poised as she leaned by the sofa, and Appa was in a single chair, his hands folded together as he sat with his legs crossed. She walked closer to the seats, but she kept her gaze on the man sitting near her mother, who looked at her as well.

”I was about to call you about them, since I knew your shift was over.” Eomma spoke to him. “But luckily enough, you were by the door.” 

Hee Young sat down by the seat beside her mother, and it didn’t take long for Chung Ae to move out of the table and straight to the other seat beside their mother. The young girl could only stare at her hands, but she took glances at the man in front of them, the nerves getting the best of her, but he only looked at the two of them with a warm gaze. 

“Chung Ae, Hee Young, this is your Appa.” She lifted her chin towards his direction, and they could only stare at him.

”Come on, it’s okay. You can approach him.” She lightly patted their backs, and before they knew it, they waddled towards where he was as they gazed up at him. 

“H—Hello.” He stuttered with a smile as he blinked away some of the tears threatening to form in his eyes. “I’m Ji Chang Wook. I’m—"

He barely finished his sentence when he felt two pairs of small arms wrapping around him in a tight hug. Hee Young let a few tears fall from her eyes and onto his polo shirt when she felt his arms wrap around them as well, her heart feeling like it was flying and soaring somewhere up in the clouds. 

“Appa,” she hiccuped. “Appa, you’re my appa, right? This is really you?” 

She felt him nod by her shoulder. “I am. I'm here my little Hee Youngie, don’t worry.” 

“Appa...” Chung Ae sobbed. “Appa, I really missed you.” 

He could only laugh as he pressed a small kiss to his and her forehead. “I missed you two more than you could ever imagine.” 

When they pulled away from the embrace, their small hands were enclosed in his fists, looking at them with watery eyes and a warm smile. “I'm sorry again for what I did to you Hee Young-ie. Appa didn't mean for it to happen, I promise."

"It's my fault, Appa. I shouldn't have done that." Hee Young pouted, and he ran his palm over the top of her head. 

"Let's not get sad about this anymore, alright?" He cooed. "What matters is that you two are safe. I'm sorry it took Appa so long to see you, but don't worry. I won't leave you again. I won't go anywhere, alright?"

Toothy grins responded to his declaration, and somehow, it feels absolutely surreal that they're finally together like this. Chung Ae just realized that this was the first time that the four of them are together in one room ever since the accident, and with this, he held onto his father tighter. He wonders if this is what having a father since you were born feels like: warm and secure, heart beating steadily yet frantic, but ever so surely, knowing that he feels loved as well by someone he's been searching for. 

"What are you here for though, Appa?" Hee Young asked, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at him. She could definitely get used to calling him "Appa", but the foreign name for him still made her heart skip a beat. Oh my God! I actually have someone that I can call my father!

"I'm actually working here for a while." He chuckled. "It's for my main job."

"So you're working here for your other work?" Chung Ae tilted his head.

Appa nodded. "I don't know if you know this, but your appa is an actor. I act in shows and movies sometimes." 

"We know." Hee Young nodded. "We saw you on TV once."

They watched as his eyes widened, a little glimmer coming through when they mentioned it. "You've watched Appa before?"

"Well, we see you most of the time during commercials." Chung Ae scratched his head. "We couldn't really watch your dramas because Halmeoni said they air right after our bedtime."

He raised his eyebrows and pouted. "Fair enough. One of these days, I'll make sure you'll get to see your Appa in action on the television. You good with that?"

The twins cheered in excitement, but Eomma was there to remind them to keep quiet, and then they remembered that they were in the hospital, and anyone could come in at any minute.

"Sorry, Eomma." The two pouted, but she only sighed and gave them a smile.

"Alright, alright, I'll give you some time to bond later." She clasped her hands together. "But, can you two do me a little favor and buy me some tea and snacks from the cafeteria?"

"The usual, Eomma?" Chung Ae asked.

She nodded, before turning to the man by the other chair. "Do you want to buy anything?"

He shook his head. "I'm alright."

"Can Appa come with us?" Hee Young piped in.

Eomma could only give a sad smile. "I'm afraid he can't. I have something to talk about with him."

The twins pouted at their father, their eyes pleading for him to disagree, but he only gave a comforting grin and a pat on both of their heads. "You two go ahead. I'll catch up on the both of you later, alright?"

They nodded as they begrudgingly took the money their mother gave them for their food, but just as they closed the door behind them, Hee Young noticed halfway through her walk on the hallway that Chung Ae was left behind.

"Ya—"

"Shh!" Chung Ae placed his index finger on his lips, before beckoning her to come closer.

"What is it?" She mouthed.

He rolled his eyes and pressed his ear on the door, and it didn't take long until Hee Young got the drift and followed him. 

Meanwhile, Chang Wook watched Ji Hyun lean back on her seat, her arms crossed as they gazed at each other. It's been a while since they actually sat down together without arguing each other's heads off, but it seems as if there was another thing coming. 

"You came to see me?" She asked him.

"I was actually going to ask something to you, but it seems as if you have something to ask me as well." He mustered a small smile. 

"Well..." She trailed off. "It's... It's about the kids."

"What about them?"

She pressed her lips together. "Well, I'm ready to settle the terms when it comes to our kids. When you'll meet them and when you'll hang out and all. I thought it would be the right time, I guess."

He nodded. "What do you have in mind so far?"

"Well, for starters, I kind of want to give you some ground rules before anything else. One, I want to keep a safe distance from you if you ever want to see them. We can't be seen together, or you'll have more complications with your work and with the public."

He opened his mouth, but she held up her hand. "I know that you know you can protect us and yourself, but prevention is still better than cure, and the last thing I would want is hundreds of sasaengs running in this hospital to wreck my office and reputation once they find out the truth."

He sighed to himself and nodded. "Anything else?"

"Oh wait, hold on." She paused, before going back to her files and grabbing a piece of paper. Written on it were the conditions she set for their meetings and how they should settle for their kids. Typical Ji Hyun, he thought. It wouldn't be like her if she hadn't mapped everything out. He started going over the numbers. 

2. IF there was ever a time Nam Ji Hyun and Ji Chang Wook need to meet up without the children (just the two of them), they must not meet in a public location (e.g. restaurants, cafés, etc.) to avoid public speculation. 

3. Nam Ji Hyun and Ji Chang Wook must keep a professional relationship during the entire course of the volunteer program, and must refrain from showing signs of knowing each other personally, to avoid conflict and work issues. 

4. Ji Chang Wook is only allowed to visit the Nam residence, if and only if, anyone at the Nam residence has the knowledge of his arrival/stay. 

5. Nam Ji Hyun and Ji Chang Wook may spend time together with the children at least once a month. 

"Can we make it at least twice a month?" He asked. "At least let our children feel like we're still on good terms."

She sighed. "Fine, twice a month."

6. Nam Ji Hyun and Ji Chang Wook are allowed to date or mingle with anyone aside from them. 

7. Nam Ji Hyun and Ji Chang Wook must be devoted parents to Ji Chung Ae and Ji Hee Young, without reservations. 

But the last one really made the boundaries clear for the both of them, and where they stood. 

8. Nam Ji Hyun and Ji Chang Wook must always keep a platonic relationship at all times to avoid future conflict. 

"So, you went through all of them?"

He took a good scan of the list, before placing it back to her. "Well, it did need some of the minor changes, but..."

"But?"

He wasn't going to say it though, that he felt as if the way they're going to go with this is too restrictive, but he's a famous star, she's not, and he knew what place she was coming from when she wrote this. He knew better than to say that they shouldn't be too tight on each other, because this was Ji Hyun. She wanted to make sure that her personal feelings should be separated from her work, and he knew that they wanted to keep the truth far from the surface and away from the public. They don't even know what they would do once the public finds out, but they knew it was chaos, and the best thing they could do to protect their own flesh and blood was to keep them away from the limelight and the attention as possible. 

"It's nothing." He shook his head. "Any schedule we have to keep, euisa-nim?"

"I was thinking that maybe you can spend some time with them during the weekends. I was also thinking about maybe you can hang out with them when I have my two-day shifts— oh, wait. You're busy that time, right?" 

He didn't respond as he watched her sigh to herself and rubbed her temples. "I'm sorry, I forgot you have a few errands of your own."

"I can free up my time." 

She looked back at him with wide eyes. "Really? Are you sure?"

He nodded, but she furrowed her eyebrows. "But... won't you have a CF shoot? A magazine shoot? Will that be alright with you?"

"I can manage that," he leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "You don't have to worry about it too much. I haven't had a proper time to spend with my kids, and I'd like to change that."

He watched her as she sighed. She was still the same as she was eight years ago: thinking and caring about the people she was concerned about, considering their time and opinion but never compromising her own stance. He almost smiled at the matter, but there was another thing that stopped the smile from reaching his face. But first, he needs to get through this hurdle with her.  

"If you want, I can give you my schedule for this month, and even for the program. I'll just inform you in advance about something new in my schedule."

She nodded in response as he continued. "But, I do like the idea of spending with the kids every weekend. I'm usually not busy during that time."

"I'm glad to hear that." She curtly spoke. "Actually... I was thinking that you can start hanging out with them tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry it sounds so abrupt, but my eomma isn't available tomorrow, and I thought that maybe it would be a great time for you three to finally bond."

He pressed his lips together, wondering if the rumours are actually true. 

"Do you have a graveyard shift tomorrow?" 

She chuckled humourlessly. "It's... I'm... going on a date."

The last part was almost a whisper, but he heard it loud and clear. There was an unreadable expression on his face. So, it was true. 

Ji Hyun shrugged and plastered a smile. "I mean, it's nothing bad right? I think I deserve to go out once in a while, I guess... I mean, you've gone through a few dates as well ever since... right?"

He leaned back on his seat, fidgeting with his fingers as a chuckle left his lips. "It's not bad. You do deserve to get out and mingle with people, but you're wrong on one part."

"Why?"

"You're the last person I went on a date with."

Silence. 

"That's a lie, isn't it?"

"It's not." He gazed at her. 

"Do you expect me to believe you when there are rumours floating around for the past eight years?"

"I'm pretty sure most of them just probably caught me with my eomeonim and posted that I was with some other woman." He shrugged. "And I'm also sure that you're the last person I've ever went on a date with."

"You can't expect me to believe that the last date you've ever been is eight years ago."

"And you can't expect me to believe that you would believe rumours about me." 

"It's the only thing I would know when it comes to you, though." He heard her grumble under her breath. 

"Work is work, my private life is my private life." He reiterated, his eyes still piercing through her. "I didn't have the time to date either way... and I just didn't have the will to do so with anyone else. I guess... I was too busy looking for someone."

"Gee, wonder who that is."

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Maybe the mother of my own children, I guess?"

A pregnant pause. 

"Well," she mustered a laugh. "I can't really do anything now since I'm going on a date with someone else. I mean, we're both single, right?"

He sighed and nodded. "We are."

"So, I'm guessing this is your way of giving your blessing to me mingling with people?"

The smile never reached his eyes as he nodded, but he wasn't going to say anything as he saw the same thing in her eyes. "Well, I just hope you'll have fun and you'll come home safe. I don't want our children to miss their mother too much."

"Of course." She raised her chin at him, as if she was taunting him. "I will have fun, and I will be alright. Take care of the kids for me, alright?"

"Sure thing." He squinted his eyes at her. "The three of us will have so much fun that you will probably regret going on that date of yours."

"We'll see about that." 

On the other side of the clinic's door, the two children stared at each other with eyes, before squinting at each other. It's said that twins have the capability to have telepathy, and by the way they were looking at each other, they knew that they have to brew something in their hands as soon as possible. 

Speaking of which, the twins remembered the tea and snacks their mother requested, and their eyes widened as they sprinted to the elevator, with one mission to accomplish and another to go through tomorrow. 

If there was one thing that they both inherited from their parents, it was the determination and the tenacity to accomplish whatever goal they put their mind to. And in this case, they were determined to get them back together, whatever it takes.