Being a medical professional, Nam Ji Hyun was prepared to face every situation despite being under pressure or even the worst case scenario. She always remained calm and logical as she goes through her job, since it requires her to do so.

Never would she even think of being calm and logical in this kind of situation. 

She paces back and forth in the living room, her slippers squeaking on the hardwood floors. Her mother watched her with furrowed eyebrows as she tried to make the most of her situation. So far, she couldn’t even fathom a coherent thought to rationalize everything. 

"Do they know about him?" Her mother grasped her left knee as she sat with her legs crossed.

"I... I haven't really given them anything about him, to be honest." Ji Hyun breathed out, pressing her nails into her palm.

Here’s the thing about this situation: she only expected and planned it to be out by the time the two were probably in their adolescent years, knowing very well that the time has passed and there would probably be less chances of meeting him, or probably proclaim he's dead to keep the box shut forever. But alas, time really had it’s ways to betray your plans somehow. She put the thought of it by the back burner, but she never really expected that her children would be this determined to find so much about their father. 

"Ji Hyun..." 

"I can't talk about him." She shook her head. "I can't risk that." 

"They have the right to know. He's still their father."

"Who is also a top Hallyu star that has a solid fanbase that could rip me and my family into shreds if they knew." Her voice cracked as she explained, her face reddening from the frustration. "I don't want them to experience the horrors of the public, if they knew. Everyone can tear down my children, online and offline. They're too young to experience that."

"And him?"

"I..." She trailed off, thinking about his earnest smiles and dimples, the way his eyes crinkled whenever he looked at her with such glee. 

"He has a solid career, as far as I'm concerned. One scandal like this and he'll fold down like a house of cards. He wouldn't like that. He wouldn't like anyone disturbing him and his career."

"I meant what about him to you?" Her mother raised an eyebrow.

Ji Hyun sighed. "I don't know anymore. He's probably moved on from me. I contacted him before... about the twins...but his agency kept denying where he was and kept me from talking to him. And then... Then those rumors about his romances came up... That's when I gave up altogether." 

"But do you still love him?" 

She pressed her lips together, before shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know.”

It was probably the most accurate answer she could give to her mother. She wasn’t even sure if it was love, or it was just a momentary fling that made her heart run around in circles and knots. Either way, she wasn’t entirely sure if there was something there inside her that still made him special. 

"Well, I want you to figure it out." Eomoni sighed before she stood up, sauntering towards her as she tucked some stray hairs away from her face. "Ji Hyun-ah, you can't hide the truth forever. It's all bound to jump out any time soon, might as well tell them now." 

"I don't know if I'm ready to talk about him, eomma." Her voice breaks, a small tear falling from her eye. "I'm so scared about what's going to happen next. I just want them to live a happy and normal life, that's all I ask."

"Then try and give them that." Eomoni caressed the side of her face, wiping a few of her tears. "But, it's still important to tell them the truth. No matter what happens, at least you knew to yourself that you've done your best to give them what they deserve. And also, you can't keep killing him to keep the three of you alive."

Ji Hyun sighed in defeat, knowing very well that her mother was right. Whether or not he's in their lives, her children deserve to know. Maybe not tell them everything at this moment, but maybe the small details, until they’re both ready for the entire story. 

----

"Eomma, can you tell us about appa?" 

Ji Hyun stilled as she sat by Hee Young's bed, her fingers in her daughter's hair stopped moving as she heard the question. 

"What... What about him?" She smiled at her.

"Who he is? How you met him? What does he do?" Hee Young asked, counting with her fingers.

"Is he handsome, eomma?" Chung Ae piped up as he sat up on his bed, and she turned to look at him with an amused smile.

"I thought you were asleep." She chuckled. 

"I heard the two of you talking about appa so I had to speak up." 

"This boy." She murmured, shaking her head. 

"But really, eomma. Can you tell us something about him?" 

Ji Hyun holds her breath. She doesn't really know what to say at this point. Even after her pep talk with her mother, she still felt like saying her usual lines towards her children. It was like she was wired to say it at this point, after years of being asked by various people about the identity of their father. But now, just as when she was ready to be honest, he throat constricted, like she couldn’t say anything. 

"He's..." She started with her usual script. "He's a man who looks similar to the two of you—"

"Eomma..." Hee Young pouted. "Please tell us something different about him."

She knew that they were getting fed up by her explanations, but she was still wary of not giving everything away. 

“He...” She started, before taking a deep breath. “He’s... a wonderful man. When you see him, you can’t help but fall in love him and be charmed by him—“

”So he is handsome?” Chung Ae interrupted, and Ji Hyun ruffled his hair with a laugh. 

“You two wouldn’t look this good if it weren’t for the both of us, right?” She joked, pinching her children’s cheeks. 

“Eomma...” They both whined.

”Alright, enough questions about him. It’s time to go to sleep—“ 

“Eomma...” Hee Young held onto her mother’s hand tightly. “Please tell us more about Appa. Please tell us how you met him and who he is.” 

Ji Hyun gave her a sad smile, grasping her hand as well. “I... Well... Your Appa and I met somewhere far from this city. I was there because I visited my Imo, and he was there because of his friends. We got along very well after that, and then...” 

“What happened, Eomma?” Chung Ae asked when he watched her mother sigh, a distant look in her eyes. 

“I’d rather tell you in another time. Alright?” Ji Hyun smiled, before giving them both a kiss on their foreheads. 

“Sleep tight. I love you both.” She whispered to her two children. 

“We love you too, Eomma.” The twins responded, and Ji Hyun tiptoed out of the room after switching the lights off, the yellow light from the lamp by their desk illuminating the dark room. 

After a few moments, Chung Ae bolted up from his bed and took his glasses as he tiptoed back into his drawers, taking the item from it, before moving towards Hee Young’s bed. 

“Hee Young-ah.” He whispered, and she immediately bolted up. The young boy twisted the lamp knob to brighten the room as he showed the item to his sister. Hee Young gasped, before looking at her brother. 

“How did you find this?” She asked him. 

“I went through eomma’s boxes a few days ago.” He whispered. “Although, I’m not entirely sure about this.” 

Hee Young stares at it further: it’s a picture of a man wearing a white shirt and some pants, sitting by a motorbike, the view of the sea behind him. His smile reached until his eyes, as if the more you stare at him, the more you’ll feel his happiness, but one noticeable part of the photo is that it was ripped in one side, as if there’s something else in this picture that’s hidden or taken out. Another thing was his hand holding onto another hand, which makes the picture seem... weirder. 

“Wait...” She asked him. “Why did you think this could possibly be him?” 

Chung Ae said nothing as he turned to the back of the photograph, only to find a note, and a date written behind it. 

“Busan, South Korea. 11/21.

May you keep me with you forever. I love you.”

The two looked at each other before looking back at the picture. There was still an air of uncertainty of whether or not this was the real deal. But there was one thing they were slightly sure of: this was their possible father, and they will try to find it out one way or another.