The first few minutes of silence were painful but Baekhyun couldn’t help but to worry, he had no other feelings about what happened but concern. He didn’t know what happened or if anything serious happened at all but he was positive that, definitely, something did. “W-why are we stopping here?” Yerin caught him just as he parked on the side of the road, close to the nearby river. “Our reservation is at eight, we still have time. You want to breathe? Go ahead.” He offered, gesturing her to get out of the car. “Oh. . . I’m so sorry about whatever happened, it’s nothing. Nothing happened. Let’s go.” Yerin smiled but he could feel that she was still bothered.

He sighed before smiling. “I’m not going to make you tell me anything that you don’t want to tell, never. But if you just need to take the time to breathe, I can stay in here and go ahead. You look like you’re suffocating.” His tone was very understanding but it only made Yerin feel even worse. She leaned the back of her head on the chair and sighed, heavy enough to let him know that she’s letting go of the suffocation. She put the car windows down instead of getting out. “Just tired of dealing with the situation of being a single mother, I guess. You know. . . there was a point, which went on for a long time by the way, that I waited for Inyoung’s father.  I was young and stupid.” She chuckled before turning to him.

Baekhyun comfortably leaned on the chair, turning his body more to the side to face her better. “Well, I would hope so. I’m sure you had some history however it may have ended and. . . you have a wonderful child together.” He reacted, Yerin was delighted that he wasn’t trying to turn down the offer to talk about her past relations, it was a big turn on for her. “We did, it wasn’t very long but we did. At one point in the past, I remember feeling very compatible with him despite that we never actually dated. You know? You’re young, you get to know someone on a deeper level without intending to. But we were a mess. Together, we’ve always been just a mess after having an unplanned child. It just that. . . Inyoung has to see that every single day. How her parents are a mess together.” She shook her head while folding her arms across her chest.

Shrugging his shoulders, Baekhyun let go of the steering wheel to stretch his arms back and put his palms together on his nape.  “It doesn’t have to be a mess, you know. You guys have one goal and that is to raise Inyoung to be a wonderful person which she already is, you guys just have to talk about it calmly.” He muttered softly. Yerin turned to him with a solemn smile. He looked back, their eyes meeting for that honey-like contact that lingered for a while. “Have you met him?” She made herself chuckle by her question. “I think. . . whatever we all see on the outside, he seems like a good man. I can see it every time he picks Inyoung up from school; how he holds her, how he talks to her. That, alone, is something to be thankful about. He didn’t leave Inyoung behind like some dudes would. Those uncool dudes.” Yerin looked at him with awe.

“I think you’re a cool dude.” She replied. “Coolest dude I’ve met so far.”

Baekhyun laughed. “Well then, this cool dude is wondering if he can drive you now to this fancy restaurant he made a reservation in which in all honesty he’s not looking forward to because he doesn’t know how to act fancy at all, let alone know how to use all those ten-piece silverware they usually have on the table but it, I’m with a gorgeous lady whom I’m hoping will teach me.” Yerin laughed even harder because of how he delivered his respond. “Well, we have a problem, I have no idea how to use them either but I’m pretty sure they’re only about—let’s say—maybe seven-piece usually.” The two stared at each other in terror before bursting out of laughter again.

Baekhyun shook his head. “No, I swear to god there were like ten in this teacher’s ball I was forced to attend to last year.” Baekhyun argued as he drove off, not letting go of the subject. Yerin couldn’t stop giggling and smiling throughout the drive, he made her laugh so easily. “You know where we should go? To a buffet.” Her suggestion made Baekhyun quiet for a good five seconds. “Uh-hoh, don’t tempt me. That’s going to be too much for a first date, you’ll see a side of me that you don’t want to see.” He chuckled while playing piano on the steering wheel, acting funny and cool about it but he was actually saying the truth. He eats way too much to be eating at a buffet on a first date. “No, please.” Yerin insisted making him even flusher than he already was.

In the end, the two agreed to ditch the reservation after all. Both found out that they hated formal dinners so it didn’t matter where they went. “Oh my god, I have never done this. This is so weird.” Yerin laughed as she held a piece of chicken drumstick with one hand and covering with the other. They ordered KFC for to-go and they got the family feast order, it was a huge meal for two people. They got it for fun knowing they most likely won’t be able to finish it. “I know. You’re here looking gorgeous with that hair and dress but there I was ruining it with our family feast mukbang.” Baekhyun responded before taking another bite on the chicken on his hand.

Yerin blushed at the statement, she looked down to her food to suppress the urge to smile too much. “I know we both wanted this but I just feel like you deserved better. You know? I. . . I haven’t done this in a long time so I must be acting such a for letting you have this kind of dinner date.” He then added making her frown. He looked out towards the river; they were seated on the long concrete benches that goes as far as the river view, away from the open plane where people usually exercise or jog at, meters away from the river’s shore. It was a perfect temperature to be out in the night.

“Are you kidding me? This is exactly what I need.” Yerin looked up the night sky. “A breather. Just. . . relax and not think too much.”

Baekhyun smiled in satisfaction after her assurance. He really was hesitating when she suggested to do such a simple lowkey dinner date. He tilted his head while scanning her face. “I know it’s so ignorant to say but whenever I look at you, I would never think you have a problem. You just have this. . . light in your smile if that even makes sense, you glow when you smile and I know everyone can see it.” Yerin chuckled as she looked back. “But it takes just about five seconds of your gaze to know that there’s something missing. I guess. . . I just couldn’t look at you long enough before but now I can.” His words were sugar, spice and everything nice—as how the Powerpuff Girls intro goes—and it’s starting to give her a hard time breathing.

He was silent for a second or two before he shook his head slowly and stifled a “Wow.” like always. Yerin snorted a laugh because of his consistent reactions. “Here we go again.” She whispered in a cough earning a childish glare from him. There was a slight gap between them but Baekhyun felt the big warmth hugging his body just by hearing her laughter. He couldn’t understand how a simple laughter could make him fe