“I’ll walk you to your apartment,” Jaebum offered. Hyojin nodded, gesturing him to follow her. She entered the code to her apartment, letting Jaebum go in first.

 

“His room is the first on the left,” Hyojin whispered, pointing down the hall. Jaebum nodded, taking off his own shoes while Hyojin put down Hyun Tae’s shoes that she was holding in her hands, putting her purse and coat on the couch before following Jaebum. She stood at the doorway as she saw Jaebum placing the little boy on his bed, tucking him under the covers.

 

“Good night, little one,” Jaebum whispered, patting the boy’s cheeks lightly before standing straight to see the girl staring at him, smiling softly.

 

“Thank you so much,” she said, taking him back to the living room, handing him a glass of water. “Was he good?”

 

“He taught me Baby Shark,” Jaebum chuckled, taking a sip. “After about the first 100 times, I don’t think I’ll ever get it out of my head,”

 

“Yeah, that song haunts my dreams,” Hyojin giggled, sitting on the other end of the couch. “It was cute at first, Hyun Tae insisted that I call him Baby Shark, and he would call me Mommy Shark. My parents thought it was hilarious until he had been calling them Grandma and Grandpa shark for a month,” she laughed.

 

“He’s a good kid,” Jaebum looked over. “You raised him well,”

 

“I like to think that,” she sighed. “But I know that I’m not the perfect parent,”

 

“Well, no one is. All parents make mistakes,” Jaebum said, moving the slightest bit closer to her.

 

“I can’t afford to make mistakes. I’m the only parent that Hyun Tae has, and he doesn’t say it, but he probably gets jealous of the other kids when he sees them with their fathers. He hasn’t asked about his father, but what am I supposed to do when he’s older and he wants to know his father,” Hyojin looked at Jaebum for the first time since they’ve met, he could look into her eyes and see worry and realized just how young she was. “I don’t want him to hate me,” her voice reduced to a whisper as she felt her cheeks warming, her vision blurring with hot tears threatening to fall. “I’m sorry,” she said, turning her head away. This was the last thing the man in front of her needed.

 

Jaebum didn’t think as he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around the girl to bring her towards his chest, his cheek on the top of her head as he rubbed her back. “You’re always looking after Hyun Tae, your parents, your friends,” he whispered to her in the dimly lit apartment. “Who looks after you?”

 

“I don’t need someone to look after me,” Hyojin whispered back. His touch around her felt so warm and she was just so tired, she didn’t want to let go. She wanted to do something out of the norm, put down her walls and just be taken care of.

 

She closed her eyes, a few stray tears falling as she leaned her head on his chest, her hands gripping his shirt as if it were her lifeline.

 

“But if I want to,” Jaebum spoke, his voice so soft that she almost didn’t hear him. “Would you let me?”

 

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After that night, Hyojin went out of her away to avoid Jaebum. Her heart reacted in a way that hasn’t acted that way in five years, and she couldn’t handle another heartbreak, especially when what she was feeling for Jaebum was much stronger than what she felt for her ex.

 

However, of course, the world doesn’t work the way she wanted to.

 

She was trying so hard to avoid Jaebum and he was appearing everywhere. She would always bump into him in the mornings despite the fact that she tried to leave a different time everyday, she always saw him getting his mail when she was as well, and it didn’t help that her kid had somehow become obsessed with the handsome cop next door.

 

“Mommy, can I have a playdate with Officer Jaebum?” the child asked, one week after her intimate moment with the man.

 

“We can’t keep bothering him, Hyunnie. He has a hard job and has to concentrate on that,” Hyojin answered, pulling the car into her parking spot. “Come on, you gonna help me carry groceries?” she asked, opening her trunk. She gave the small child the bag with the bread, knowing it wouldn’t be too heavy and carried the rest of the groceries in her hands, adjusting her grip due to the quantity of bags.

 

“Would you like any assistance taking your groceries up, Ms. Cha?” the doorman asked, looking at the young mother.

 

“I’m fine, thank you Ajusshi,” she smiled. “Enjoy your evening!” she walked behind Hyun Tae to wait for the elevator, praying it would come down fast. She knew that she should’ve had a small cart with her for when she bought her groceries in bulk, and could feel her palms turning red from the weight of the bags.

 

She was adjusting her grip when all of a sudden her hands were empty, turning to face Jaebum who was holding the bags in his hands. “I can do it, I don’t need help, I got it,” she said, reaching to grab the bags when he walked forward into the elevator.

 

“Are you not getting on?” Jaebum asked, smiling at her. Hyojin pouted but followed the man and her son inside, standing as far from him as she could.

 

“Good evening, Officer Jaebum,” Hyun Tae smiled, bowing at him.

 

“Hello, Hyun Tae,” Jaebum smiled at the child. Despite not having much experience with children, in his heart, Hyun Tae was hands down the sweetest child he had ever met. “Hello, Hyojin,” he looked at the woman. Hyojin didn’t know how much she loved hearing someone call her name until Jaebum did.

 

“Evening, Senior Officer Im,” she mumbled, avoiding eye contact with him. Jaebum looked away from the girl, not missing her pink cheeks as his smile widened. When the elevator arrived to their floor, Hyojin practically flew out towards her unit, inputting the code faster than ever before turning back. “Thank you for your help, I got it from here,” she said, her words ignored as Jaebum walked inside, taking his shoes off.

 

“Hyun Tae, where should I put these?” he asked the younger boy who pointed to the island.

 

“What are you doing?” Hyojin asked, closing the door to follow them.

 

“Well, I have no food at my apartment and I really wanted more of your cooking,” Jaebum explained, scratching the back of his neck.

 

“Well, it’s gonna take me awhile before anything is ready, and I don’t have any leftovers,” Hyojin said, shocked at his words. “I have to bathe Hyun Tae first, and then cook the food, which can take time,”

 

“I can wait,” Jaebum said, a little too eager. “Plus, you owe me,” he said. He didn’t really want to use that against her, but he had no choice left. She had been ignoring him and he just wanted to spend some time with her.

 

“Mommy, can he please stay, pleaseeeeeeeee?” Hyun Tae begged, pouting his lips together as his eyes resembled a puppy, knowing it was his mother’s weakness. Jaebum looked in amusement at the child, turning to see Hyojin’s facial expressions softening.

 

“Oh alright, no need to gang up on me,” Hyojin said, turning away to put the groceries away. “Hyun Tae, go get ready for bathtime, I’ll be there soon, okay? Jaebum, you can...hang out in the living room, I guess, and I’ll start cooking after,”

 

“I can give Hyun Tae a bath,” Jaebum offered. “If you’re okay with it, of course,” he quickly added.

 

“Yeah, he can give me a bath so you can make food, Mommy!” Hyun Tae exclaimed, running towards the bathroom.

 

“Are you sure?” Hyojin asked. It was an intimate thing to ask him to do, and she wasn’t sure how she felt letting Jaebum into her life this much.

 

“Don’t worry, Hyojin,” he flashed a small smile at the girl, turning to follow the child. Hyojin sighed, knowing today was going to be a long evening.

 

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Hyojin lifted the spoon to her lips, taking a small bite and nodded, satisfied with how it tasted. She turned the gas to a low heat, setting an alarm for 30 minutes before closing the lid on the pot to let the dish fully cook. She washed her hands, drying them before looking down the hall. She had been cooking for about 40 minutes now and Hyun Tae must have finished his bath by now, but she couldn’t really hear anything. She walked to the bathroom, opening it to see it was empty. She turned her head to see the light in Hyun Tae’s room on and quietly opened the door to see Jaebum and Hyun Tae.

 

The little boy was in his pajamas as he was snuggled against Jaebum on his tiny bed, his eyes on the screen of Jaebum’s phone that the older was holding. Upon a closer look, Hyojin realized that Jaebum’s eyes were closed as he dozed off, but his hand was still propped up to hold the device for the child.

 

Taken back by how adorable the two looked, Hyojin reached for her phone in her back pocket, turning her ringer off before taking a few pictures of the two. Looking at the two of them like that made Hyojin comfortable, happy. Satisfied, she closed the door softly to avoid making a sound and walked to her own room to take off her makeup and grabbed a change of clothes before heading to the bathroom to take a shower while she was waiting for the food to finish cooking.

 

Exiting the bathroom 20 minutes later, Hyojin quickly combed her wet hair before going back to Hyun Tae’s room. Opening the door, she noticed that the child had fallen asleep, clinging to Jaebum’s shirt while Jaebum’s arms were around the child, half his body hanging off the tiny bed. Hyojin felt her heart beating faster at the image. The two looked like a family, like a father holding his son. Ignoring the pounding of her heart, she walked closer to the sleeping figures.

 

“Senior Officer Im,” she whispered.

 

Nothing.

 

“Senior Officer Im,” she repeated slightly louder, but sighed when she once again got no response. She shifted a little closer to shake his body slightly. Jaebum’s eyes opened slowly, blinking a few times to let his eyes adjust before looking up at Hyojin.

 

‘Just because he’s really good looking and Hyun Tae is obsessed with him, and he looks so soft right now doesn’t mean anything, Hyojin,’ she told herself, feeling her cheeks become warmer.

 

“Dinner’s ready,” she whispered.

 

“Should I wake up Hyun Tae?” Jaebum asked.

 

“No, once he’s asleep, he’ll just be cranky if I wake him up. He ate a small meal before we went to the grocery store, so he should be fine,” she explained, and the man nodded. He shifted his body, gently taking Hyun Tae’s hands off his shirt and moved the boy into a comfortable position, tucking him under the blanket. He got up, fixing his ruffled clothes.

 

“I’m just going to quickly wash up,” Jaebum said, pointing to the bathroom, and Hyojin nodded, walking towards the kitchen. She turned off the gas, tasting the food to confirm it was cooked before taking two plates out from the cabinet. After placing the food on the table, she thought for a minute before getting two wine glasses and placing them with the plates, filling them with rosé.

 

“Thank you for the meal,” Jaebum spoke before picking up the chopsticks to eat. It took all his being to avoid letting out a moan once his taste buds got a taste of the cooking. “This is by far one of the best meals I’ve ever had,” he said in between bites. “I can eat your food for the rest of my life if I could,” he said, savoring the last few bites.

 

“I’m glad you enjoy it,” Hyojin giggled, her cheeks warming at his compliment. “I made extra if you want seconds,” she said, getting up to take his plate when he stopped her.

 

“You eat, I can get it,” he assured her, walking to the pot of food to help himself. Hyojin turned around, leaning on the chair to look at Jaebum. The sight of him in her apartment this comfortable made her feel good. “I wish it was always like this,” she said softly, not realizing that she was thinking out loud.

 

“I wouldn’t mind dinner with you every night either,” Jaebum said, walking back to the table.

 

“Huh?” Hyojin was feeling flustered.

 

“Don’t worry. I usually don’t like people staring at me, but there’s something about you that makes it okay,” he flashed her one of his heart stopping smiles before digging into his food. At a loss for words, Hyojin went back to eating as well, but she couldn’t help but look up every so often, blushing when she would see Jaebum looking at her too. “Say, why do you call me Senior Officer? You make me seem so much older,”

 

“Well, you must be somewhat older than me if you’re a senior officer? It felt weird calling you Ajusshi, so…”

 

“I’m only 26,” Jaebum said. “I’m just really good at my job that I was made Senior Officer at an early age,” he smirked.

 

“Damn, good-looking and talented,” Hyojin muttered under her breathe. Jaebum’s smirk grew wider as he heard her words, but didn’t comment on it.

 

“Call me Jaebum,” he insisted.

 

“Okay, Senior - sorry, Jaebum,” she said, looking up at him. His smirk had softened into a smile, and she couldn’t help but smile back at him.

 

After they had finished eating, Jaebum insisted that he had to help her do the dishes as he had intruded on her evening despite the fact that she owed him a favor. After he was satisfied that he was a good guest, he announced that it was time that he head to his own apartment.

 

“Good night, Jaebum,” Hyojin waved at him at her door.

 

“Good night, Hyojin,” Jaebum said softly, pressing a light kiss against her cheek before walking to his door, waving at her going inside. Hyojin closed her own door, leaning her back against it as she closed her eyes, her cheek burning where Jaebum’s lips were moments ago.

 

‘Calm down heart, calm down,’

 

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“Just ask him out already!” Seon Joo exclaimed from the other end of the FaceTime call. “I’m getting impatient, just get to the part where you guys make out all the time and then get married and you guys are so beautiful so your kids are gonna be so beautiful,”

 

“Are you saying Hyun Tae isn’t beautiful?”

 

“The only right thing your ex did was have good genes, which is why Hyun Tae looks like he was crafted by an angel, but if you have kids with Jaebum? Hyun Tae is going to have competition,”

 

“I’m not going to have kids with Jaebum,” Hyojin rolled her eyes. Although, thinking of a married life with Jaebum, having a child with him, Hyun Tae being the perfect older brother...it was a daydream that she had often. “Anyways, I’m not going to make a fool of myself by asking him out just to get rejected,”

 

“You don’t know that until you ask him!” Seon Joo exclaimed. “Jinyoung! Get in here and talk to her before I go crazy!” Hyojin could hear the phone being thrown on the bed, and a few moments later Jinyoung’s face appeared.

 

“Hello there young one,” he smiled.

 

“You use the same nickname for my 5 year-old son and me?” Hyojin chuckled.

 

“You two are mentally the same age, I forget,” he made a face at her, sticking his tongue out.

 

“No need to be mean,” the girl pouted. “I won’t let you talk to Hyun Tae then, I know that’s the only reason you and Seon Joo talk to me,”

 

“Don’t be mean!” she heard Seon Joo’s voice in the background, causing Hyojin and Jinyoung to laugh. The bond that Seon Joo had with Hyun Tae truly was incredible.

 

“Anyways, you should ask that cop out,” Jinyoung spoke up when their laughter subdued.

 

“You too?” Hyojin sighed. “I already told you guys that he doesn’t like me like that. He probably just feels bad for me,”

 

“Does he though?” the man spoke. “You two have met what, two months ago? He carried your groceries home for you a week ago, and from what I’ve heard from Seon Joo, he’s been having dinner with you and Hyun Tae everyday ever since. He even bathes Hyun Tae and reads him stories before bed - that’s exactly what you want in a boyfriend, and you actually like him, so you’re not settling,” Jinyoung took a deep breathe, his tone was less serious, more gentle now. “When are you going to put yourself first?”

 

Hyojin sat there, putting her phone down so that Jinyoung wouldn’t see her face and from the corner of her eye, she could see Seon Joo’s face re-appear on the screen. “We only want you to be happy, Jinnie,” she heard her best friend’s voice. “If not asking him out will make you happy, then okay, we respect your decision,”

 

“Thank you,” Hyojin answered in a small voice, leaning forward to hang up the call, her best friends’ words replaying through her head.

 

“When are you going to put yourself first? We only want you to be happy, Jinnie,”

 

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Later that night, it was just Hyun Tae accompanying her for dinner. Jaebum had texted her that he was caught up with a case at work and probably wouldn’t make it. Hyojin tried to hide her disappointment when she put the third plate back in the cabinet, but the child was another story.

 

“Where’s Officer Jaebum?” he asked, his mouth full of rice.

 

“He’s working, baby. He won’t be coming tonight,” Hyojin answered. “Why, you don’t like spending all your time with Mommy anymore?” she joked.

 

“I like him,” the child said, his voice turning soft. “And you smile more with him too,” Hyojin paused in her movement, looking at Hyun Tae before resuming her eating.

 

“Hyun Tae,” she spoke slowly. “If Mommy got a boyfriend, would you be okay with it?”

 

“I want Officer Im to be your boyfriend,” the child spoke. “He’s the only one I will share you with,”

 

“Well, he doesn’t like me like that,” Hyojin shrugged. “What if I date your teacher’s assistant, Mr. Tuan?” she giggled.

 

“Ew!” Hyun Tae’s face bunched together. “He’s an old man, Mommy!” Hyojin’s laughter increased, knowing very well that Mark Tuan, the teacher’s assistant for Hyun Tae’s class, was in fact the same age as Jaebum.

 

After joking through dinner, the mother-son found themselves cuddled on the couch. Hyojin was laying down on the couch, her back against one of the arms rest, with Hyun Tae on her lap. Previously engaged with the movie that was playing before, he was now sleeping, clinging to his mother’s body, while she was reading a murder mystery novel, letting out a tiny scream when she heard her front door opening. The only people that she had given the code to were Seon Joo and Jaebum, but one was in Busan, while the other was at work.

 

“Who’s there?” she whispered, moving Hyun Tae’s body off her to walk to the front door, grabbing Hyun Tae’s plastic baseball bat. “I have a weapon, and I’m not afraid to use it,” When she didn’t get a response to walked closer, closing her eyes as she took a swing.

 

“Ouch!” she heard a masculine voice say and opened her eyes to see Jaebum’s body on the floor as he held his head in his hands.

 

“Oh my gosh!” she said, letting go of the bat she fell to her knees, holding his head in her own hands as she studied his face. “I thought someone was breaking in and then you didn’t answer me - ”

 

“I had the bag in my mouth while I was taking my shoes off,” he said, voice slightly strained. “I got ice cream for Hyun Tae,” he continued, pointing to the plastic bag. Hyojin peered inside, her guilt exponentially growing.

 

“Did I give you a concussion?” she asked, her voice filled with worry. “Are you going to die? You’re going to die of blunt force trauma to the head, and then they’ll know I did it because you’re in my apartment, I can’t move you to your apartment without anyone seeing. I don’t even have a fake alibi, and then Hyun Tae’s going to go in foster care and - ” she was trailing off.

 

“Wait,” Jaebum stopped her. “Why wouldn’t they find your prints off the baseball bat?”

 

“I would either clean it or just get rid of it, of course,”

 

“You know I’m a cop, right?” he stared at the girl. “You are literally describing how you would try to get away if you murdered me,”

 

“I watch a lot of Law and Order,” she whispered before realizing their position, instantly pulling away. “Uh, come in, I’ll get you some ice for your head,” she said, grabbing the plastic bag from the floor. She placed it in the fridge, taking some ice cubes and wrapped them with a clean kitchen cloth before turning to the living room couch, where Jaebum had taken her place with Hyun Tae’s sleeping head on his lap, his eyes closed with his head leaned back as she the child’s hair.

 

She walked over to him quietly, handing him the ice. “Are you hungry?”

 

“Not anymore,” he sighed.

 

“I’ll take Hyun Tae to his room, sorry he’s clinging to you,” she said, walking forward to pick up the child when Jaebum grabbed her wrist.

 

“It’s fine, I don’t mind,” he said. “Come sit,” he opened his left eye, gesturing to the couch. The couch was perfect for her and Hyun Tae on a normal day, but on a night where the child was sprawled out and Jaebum was siting? She hesitated for a minute and Jaebum noticed, shifting himself and the child to the middle of the couch so there was just enough for Hyojin to squeeze in. “You were watching this movie?” he spoke up, pointing to the T.V. where Frozen was playing.

 

“Ah, Hyun Tae was watching as he fell asleep, and I didn’t mind the background noise,” Hyojin exclaimed. “It’s really not that bad of a movie,”

 

“I’ve never watched it,” Jaebum said, causing Hyojin to gasp.

 

“You can’t tell Hyun Tae that, he loves this movie!” she leaned forward to grab the remote, starting it from the beginning. “You have to watch it now, I can’t let this injustice continue,” causing Jaebum to chuckle, adjusting himself so he was comfortable. Hyojin could feel his shoulder bump into hers slightly and when she felt his thigh come into contact with her own leg, she wasn’t sure she was the only one that felt the electric shock, but neither of them pulled away. As the movie went on, Hyojin was fighting her own drowsiness until Jaebum noticed her head swayed every few minutes. He gently pushed her head, bringing it down to lie on his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her body to lean against his.

 

“Just sleep for now,” he whispered, his voice like a lullaby as she gave into the sleep. “I’m here for you, don’t worry,” he pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead, so light that Hyojin could’ve sworn she dreamt it if she didn’t have her eyes slightly open.

 

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Hyojin woke up with a stiff neck the next day, groaning a little as she massaged her neck. She opened her eyes, confused when she realized she was in the living room. She then felt a heat source and looked to the side to see Jaebum’s sleeping figure with Hyun Tae’s body on top of her now. She realized then that Jaebum must have placed the child on her during the night not only so she could stretch out her body, but so that she would be sharing the blanket with her child. Jaebum, on the other hand, was now on the corner seat of the couch, still in a sitting position with his arm around Hyojin’s body, his pointer finger in Hyun Tae’s tiny hand.

 

Hyojin decided in that moment that no matter how sore she felt at that time, she wanted to wake up like this again.

 

She wanted to wake up like this everyday.

 

Fully aware of how close they were, she moved over so she could further snuggle into Jaebum’s body, placing her head against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat as it lulled her into slumber once again.

 

Once she was asleep once more, Jaebum’s eyes opened, smiling softly at the girl in his arms. He didn’t have the happiest childhood, seeing his parents fight all the time before they eventually got divorced. He was convinced that he would never get married and have kids if this is all marriage would lead to.

 

But then Hyojin came into his life and changed everything he had ever thought about his future.

 

Maybe he did want to give someone a ring. Maybe he did want to teach his children to ride a bike.

 

But he didn’t want to do it with just anyone.

 

He wanted it all with Hyojin.

 

her hair, he didn’t realize that the girl was a light sleeper until her eyes fluttered open again, looking up into Jaebum’s eyes.

 

“Were you watching me sleep, creeper?” she whispered, a blush working its way to her cheeks.

 

“You’re just so captivating,” he whispered back, his fingers entangled in the hair.

 

“Jaebum,” the young mother started, Seon Joo and Jinyoung’s words from the other day playing through her head.

 

“Hyojin,” he smiled at her.

 

“I have something to ask you,” Hyojin turned her head away, unable to look at Jaebum unless she wanted to turn into a blushing mess

 

“You can ask me anything you want,” Jaebum replied, gently turning her face so she was once again facing him. The room was filled with silence, the room filled with orange and pink hues and the sun was rising outside.

 

Her voice came out in a soft whisper.

 

“Will you go out with me?”