It’s only dawn when he gets back to the hospital. Again, he tries to close his eyes and calms his breathing. When Jong Kook has finally managed to fall asleep, a phone is buzzing on the nightstand. He rubs his sleepy eyes and finds it’s Ji Hyo’s phone that’s ringing.

Jong Kook checks on the caller. ‘Nae Dongsaeng*’. Joong Ki. Did something happen to Jin Joo?

He picks it up immediately. “Yeoboseyo, Joong Ki-yah.” He’s nervous.

“Eomma?” A small quiet voice is heard through the phone.

“This is Appa, Jin Joo-yah.” Jong Kook stands up and goes to the other side of the room. When there’s no answer from his daughter, he calls again, “Kim Jin Joo?”

“Appa?” Jin Joo repeats.

He can hear the sniffle. “What’s the matter, aegi*-yah? Bad dream?”

Jin Joo nods, not realizing that her father can’t see her. It’s silent for a moment.

“Is Joong Ki Samchon there?”

Again, Jin Joo doesn’t answer but only shakes her head.

“I can’t hear you, Jin Joo-yah,” It’s been silent. The only thing that he can hear is her sniffle. That’s how he knows that she’s still on the phone.

“Samchon is sleeping, Appa.” Her quiet voice answers.

Now he wonders how she gets ahold of his phone. But it doesn’t really matter when his daughter is crying. “What’s wrong, Jin Joo-yah? Why are you crying?”

Jong Kook notices of how Jin Joo is not one of those kids who cry easily. Especially late at night.

“Are you in pain? Are you hurting somewhere?”

Jin Joo nods, “Ne, Appa. Manhi apayo*.”

Jong Kook widens his eyes as panic settles in. “If you’re hurting, please wake Samchon up and ask for his help. I’ll come pick you up as fast as I can.” Jong Kook opens the door and already jogs across the hospital hallway. “What hurts, Jin Joo-yah? Are you dizzy?”

“A little bit, but it’s not because of my head,” Jin Joo answers. Jong Kook starts slowing down his pace. “It hurts here, Appa.”

“Where? Can you explain to me where it hurts?” Jong Kook gets into the elevator and presses the basement button.

“My heart. I feel sad.”

Thump thump thump. Jong Kook heart beats faster. “Why do you feel sad?” Jong Kook has never been good at this kind of stuff. As stereotypical this may be, Ji Hyo is always the better one with kids.

“I had a dream that Eomma and Appa are fighting in angry voices. Then a monster come and take Eomma. I try saying please to monster, don’t take Eomma away but the monster still take Eomma,” Jong Kook tries to listen carefully to every word Jin Joo’s saying. He’s trying to understand since Jin Joo’s talking 100 km an hour. “I ask for Appa’s help, but Appa go away.”

Jong Kook sighs. “Nothing like that will happen, Jin Joo-yah. I won’t let any evil monster take your Eomma away.”

Jin Joo stays quiet for a moment, before answering her Appa, “Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise.”

“Are you doing the pinky promise, Appa? We have to kiss it to seal it.”

Jong Kook chuckles, then holds his left pinky up. He looks around and thank God no one’s in the basement with him.

“I am, uri gongjunim*. Let’s kiss it to seal it. Hana, dul, set*.”

“Hana, dul, set!”

Both of them count at the same time and kiss their own pinky fingers.

“Don’t worry about anything, okay? I will never let you and Eomma go.” Jong Kook assures her. “Now, go back to sleep, I’ll see you later.” Jong Kook starts walking back to the elevator. His daughter is okay, just having a nightmare.

-

He finally arrives at his office at exactly 8 in the morning, after saying goodbye to Ji Hyo and promises her that he will come back as soon as he can. He has to work to catch up from all the works he leaves behind. The office is quiet, only a few people overwork themselves, since today is not exactly a working day. While he’s relaxing his muscles in his chair, he sees Eun Hye walks towards his office. Why in the world is she here? Right then, he knows he’s in trouble. Big trouble. He hasn’t contacted, let alone told Eun Hye a single thing.

He just doesn’t feel like talking to her anymore.

He doesn’t even care about her name anymore. It just doesn’t matter.

She is in a matching black blazer and pants with dark pink blouse as the inner. Slim, curves in the perfect places, milky white skin, long black silky hair. She’s stomping her feet on the way to him. She has a habit of doing that whenever she is angry, frustrated. Jong Kook will not be surprised if she is thinking on hundreds of ways to kill him.

Eun Hye stops in front of Jong Kook.

“What have you been doing?”

“I’ve been busy.” Jong Kook shrugs.

She grinds her jaw. “You can’t even pick up a single phone. You didn’t reply any of my messages. What were you doing?”

In that perfect moment his phone decides to light up, showing a notification’s coming in. Eun Hye glances and can see that his phone background is the picture of Jin Joo’s playing lego and Ji Hyo’s watching her with a smile. He has never once used her photo or any photo as far as she knows, he used a picture of a sport car as his background before.

Jong Kook immediately hides his phone away and clears his throat. He looks up and sees storms in her eyes. This is going to be huge.

“Let’s talk at the park down the street.”

“Why not here?” Eun Hye folds her