the next week, baekhyun called in sick. your little brother was looking forward to meeting soyeong; he made matching friendship bracelets for her. he was eager to give it to her; help her to wear it when he meets her; so when baekhyun sent you a text that he was catching a cold and had to take a day off to rest, you were concerned.

your little brother has your phone in his hands; checking on his teacher’s health. you could also get updates about it since your little brother told you about his progress. soyeong gave her dad a thermometer to check how bad it was and the device said that his body temperature was 37 degrees. he definitely has a fever.

a doctor already came to check on him; he just needs rest, the doctor said. but soyeong, being the kind-hearted daughter she is; wanted to help her dad as much as she could. can you please come over? we don’t have food in the house. please? you look at your little brother. he’s furrowing his eyebrows as if you didn’t say yes, he’d get mad at you.

okay, just tell me your address. we’ll both go. you told your brother to type that text and send it to soyeong. thank you, miss. you went ahead to get your bag and car keys; rushing with your brother to the address soyeong gave you. it was only thirty minutes from where you were; you drove a bit faster and reached within twenty minutes.

baekhyun’s house was nice. it was a two-story house with a parking lot. he definitely has wealth. you pressed on the bell and see soyeong with a frown on her tiny face. at least her face lights up a little when she sees your little brother. "i miss you, soyeong!” your little brother goes for a hug which she returns just as enthusiastically.

she holds the sleeve of your shirt and pulls you to baekhyun’s room. you were incredibly nervous to enter someone you’ve crushed on for a few months; you just hope you didn’t accidentally bump on something and make a mess. she opens the door and you see baekhyun lying on his bed; forehead dripping with sweat; mumbling in his sleep.

soyeong reaches for a wet cloth and wipes her dad’s forehead. you were incredibly touched by the sight. how does she know how to do these things? she’s only 6. “hey, you two watch over him, okay? i’ll cook something for us.” the two best friends nod simultaneously as you closed the door behind them.

you walked to the kitchen; rummaged through their fridge to see very limited ingredients. you see kimchi and some meat, so you decided to make a stew out of it. it didn’t take too long since you always make this soup for your little brother whenever he’s sick, so the recipe is pretty much stuck inside your head.

you served it with rice on the side and brought a glass of warm water. putting the food at baekhyun’s work table, you tell soyeong to wake her dad when you and your little brother have left the house. “but i don’t want you to leave,” she whined with tears pooling in her eyes. your little brother brings her into his arms; hugging her tightly to comfort her.

“are you sure your dad will be okay with us being here?” you ask, but mostly to yourself. you feel guilty for being here. this house belongs to baekhyun, his wife, and soyeong. you don’t belong here. “my daddy loves the both of you! he won’t mind.” he may love you, but you're sure it wasn't more than as friends. you exhaled heavily in an attempt to regulate your breathing. just being in front of this house’s doorstep earlier made you nervous.

soyeong wakes baekhyun up. he groaned, pushing his body upwards with his tired arms. every part of his body felt heavy. when he sees you and your little brother his eyes widen, but it softens immediately when he sees his daughter smiling from cheek to cheek. “i called them here to heal you, daddy!” baekhyun twirls his daughter’s hair and mumbles a soft thank you. he brings her to his lap and craddles her, as if she was still his little baby. 

“my princess sure knows how to make me feel better.” you stood up and get the tray of food, placing it on baekhyun’s lap. “it’s kimchi stew, eat it while it’s hot,” you said sternly. baekhyun didn’t expect you to ever use that kind of tone with him. it reminded him of someone he didn’t want to remember.

baekhyun takes a bite with the rice. he finishes up the food quickly; it brought a smile to your face. at least you now know he likes one of your dishes. you hand baekhyun a tissue to wipe his face; to which he thanks you. “i owe you another one,” he said with an awkward chuckle. he does his habit of scratching his head even though it’s not itching.

you took out the plaid shirt he lends to you and places it on his work table. “no, you don’t.” you smile and take the empty plates back to the kitchen and start to clean them up. all you want to do right now is honestly get out of the house. it was almost six in the afternoon, you don’t want to encounter baekhyun’s wife and let her get weird ideas.

after placing the plates and utensils where they belong, you went back to baekhyun’s room to bring your brother home. you were surprised when you saw the three of them laughing loudly. you were bitter you didn’t know why they laughed. you could ask your little brother later but a part of you doesn’t want to; afraid they’re laughing about you.

“sorry for interrupting,” you say as you grab your bags and your little brother’s hand, pulling him into your car. “what were the three of you laughing about?” your little brother crosses his arms and looks away, refusing to answer you. “i’m your big sister. tell me.” your little brother turns around. “uncle baekhyun was talking about you.”

-

the next week baekhyun has fully recovered; thanks to his daughter for giving him good morning and goodnight kisses every day; he said. the way he complimented her with those kinds of words made you smile. soyeong could only giggle in embarrassment as her daddy litters her chubby cheeks with kisses.

“today’s lesson is special. we’ll be playing and i’ll buy you all the delicious food!” the kids scream in happiness and delight. baekhyun brought plastic balls with him for the kids to play with and small water guns. everyone made teams of two and of course, your little brother chose to be with baekhyun’s daughter. they were inseparable.

baekhyun handed you a water gun with a cheeky grin on his face; leaning in to whisper into your ear; which tickled you because you’re quite sensitive there. “we’re going to spray the kids one by one but make sure you hit them on their backs.” you nodded and smirked; water gun in hand fully loaded; ready to blast at the kids.

after you became baekhyun’s partner, the kids grew so much fonder of you; complaining whenever you said you couldn’t volunteer because you had to catch up with university stuff. so they took this chance to be more playful with you; the ones with guns are preparing to shoot you; the ones with balls are ready to throw them at you.

you and baekhyun were facing the kids who are circling the two of you, ready to attack. “ready?” he asked, trying to stop himself from laughing. you were in the middle of raising the gun to aim when baekhyun abruptly turned his back; facing you now. “are you guys ready?” oh .

suddenly, water hits you from every angle; followed by plastic balls and splashes after splashes of water. you try to attack back but it’s almost impossible when you can’t see; baekhyun and the kids were relentless. even your little brother was having fun throwing plastic balls at you.

when it has slowly died down, you wanted to get your revenge. baekhyun’s was facing away from you; back muscles displayed in its glory; causing your mouth to water at the sight. today you don’t have time to think about his wife. you don't even think you can. the thoughts just completely disappeared from your head. you just wanted to spend a day with the man whose presence you enjoyed; whom you find comfort in and that was baekhyun.

you whispered to the kids to fill their water guns up and gather more plastic balls; arranging a revenge plot against baekhyun. everyone sneaked up behind him and started to go wild; you with your surprise counterattack using your water gun.

when you ran out of water inside the gun, you decided to just hit baekhyun on his back and shoulders; making him protest in pain. but none of you stopped doing whatever you were doing to baekhyun; too busy enjoying the moment. he turned around and scooped you into his arms; carrying you to the adult pool; where it was much deeper than the kids’. you giggled as baekhyun's hands held you up, holding you where it tickles. you almost could feel how big the hands that were holding you were. 

the kids counted down from three before baekhyun throws you into the water, causing a huge splash. baekhyun smiled in satisfaction, watching you wipe your face as you try to catch a breath. he laughed the way you just laughed despite choking a little bit for air. then the kids push baekhyun inside the water as well, falling just right beside you that it creates an even bigger splash than yours.

the kids’ laughter breaks once more when baekhyun’s hair became flat, completely covering his face. the swimming instructor throws his head back and shakes it like a dog getting rid of the water on its fur. the water droplets from his hair hit your face and create another buzz of laughter from the kids. you playfully hit him for making you need to wipe your face again. 

-

you spent the entire afternoon just being playful and having genuine fun with the kids. as time went on, the more you look at baekhyun and understand that he has pure love for children; the more you fall for him; but everything is making you feel even more horrible as your feelings grow. this is not someone you can be with, you thought, trying to assure yourself. you don't know how much more you need to convince yourself. 

baekhyun gets out of the pool and grabs a white towel for him and a small pink towel for soyeong. you notice how his arms flex as he rubs the towel on his hair; how his muscles constrict. not to mention that he went shirtless again for this lesson. you don’t know if you should be grateful for it or dreading over it. you felt as if the ice cream you bought from the little store earlier could melt any second. 

the kids start to get out of the pool to clean themselves up. your little brother holds baekhyun’s daughter’s hand, guiding her to baekhyun. her eyes are droopy; she did have a lot of fun today; the biggest reason behind her tiredness. baekhyun hauls her on his back like he always does whenever she’s tired.

“you should come over for dinner,” baekhyun offers with a hopeful look on his face. “i need to repay you for that kimchi stew. it was so good.” baekhyun fixes soyeong’s position on his back as he walks outside of the club with you and your little brother. “it’s so sudden, i don’t know if i can.” you peek at your little brother and watch his frown turn deeper and deeper each second.

“we should go!” he stomps his feet angrily and pouts. baekhyun bats his eyelashes at you with a silly grin on his face; imitating your little brother’s begging; making questionable whines that do not fit his age at all. “i don’t think i can. i have things to do,” you say; slowly trailing off; knowing that you were lying to baekhyun.

you just wanted to avoid seeing his wife honestly. you didn’t want to see the woman of baekhyun’s dreams because it hurts you that it isn’t you. you have tried to get over the taken man; the married man; to no avail. nothing works against your own feelings now and you have come to terms with it.

"it’s just dinner. i want to spend time with you,” baekhyun argues, a pout appearing on his face. has your little brother spent too much time with his swimming instructor? when you see your little brother pout, it reminds you of baekhyun. or have you gone crazy? why does every little thing remind you of baekhyun?

you shake your head; face looking at the road beneath you; as if they’re more interesting to look at rather than baekhyun (of course it’s not. baekhyun’s face makes you think of sunshine; warm; comforting; you love looking at him more than anything in the world). “i really can’t. you can go with him. i’ll pick you up when you’re finished.”

your little brother looks at his swimming instructor, an obviously disappointed look evident on his face. but you just can’t handle anything that has to do with baekhyun right now. "see you later! call me okay?”

-

your little brother called you ten minutes ago and now you’re on your way to baekhyun’s house. once more. your heart is racing; an undeniable discomfort is in your chest; tightness. you try yout best to take deep breaths to calm yourself down. You just have to face his wife head-on; be heartbroken; learn to move on.

but a part of you didn’t want to. this is the first time in your life you’ve been so attached to someone; let alone someone emotionally unavailable to you. baekhyun has shared his oath to cherish and protect a woman years ago but a part of you wished that woman was you. it’s ed up but those are your true thoughts.

the drive to baekhyun’s house was painfully short. as you stopped your car right in front of his house, your footsteps felt heavier and heavier. you honestly wanted to cry; let all the negative feelings out before you even think of entering. walking up the stairs leading to baekhyun’s front porch, you hesitate to press the doorbell so soon.

“oh you’re here already,” baekhyun blurted out as he opens the door because he saw your car outside his house. your blink numerous times to prevent tears from spilling out of your eyes; which is hard as . you can barely do it when you see the man right in front of you take you into his embrace; letting you bury your face on his sturdy chest.

you broke into violent sobs, trying to make as little noise as possible. you don’t want your little brother to see you like this or soyeong seeing her dad hold another woman. you want to stop; you really do, but it’s impossible. baekhyun twirls your hair with his fingers as he does to his daughter. “stop,” you pleaded in a tiny voice. baekhyun could have mistaken you for a little kitten. 

you pull away from him; hands still on his chest. you want him to let go, but his arms were still wrapped around your waist. “why? i like holding you.” your heart skipped a beat at the sentence. should he be doing these things with you? “what if your wife sees us,” you finally say; the taste of your own words bitter on your tongue; you want to spit it out.

baekhyun’s eyes widen; dazed, but he chooses not to answer. “is that why you’ve been acting so weird around me?” he cups your face with his hands, wiping the tears away. you could only look up at him in silence; biting your lip; contemplating how to answer his question. you decided to just give a short nod.

baekhyun goes inside and tells the kids to go inside his room and watch a movie. when he returns, he takes your hand and pulls you inside; letting you sit on his sofa before he hands you a cup of tea. “i raised soyeong alone. it has been like that ever since she was born.”

for some reason, it all made sense now. the subtle flirting through texts; his touchiness during lessons; the offers to take you home; all of it. how could you have not realized? if Baekhyun wasn’t interested in you; if baekhyun was looking at someone else; he would have said so ages ago. you looked like an absolute fool.

you want to start crying again, but it’s really hard to breathe when baekhyun’s mouth is already pressed on yours; kissing you deeply and letting his soft plump lips play with yours. he’s so so so good at what he’s doing. his pecks are intoxicating; sensual yet innocent; making your mind go hazy. his lips mold against yours like he's been kissing you for years. 

i've wanted this for so long, you thought inside your head. and you want baekhyun to know, so you say it once more; out loud. the y and cute (yes, he’s both y and cute now) swimming instructor smiles into the kiss, hands now traveling all over your skin. his fingertips are now on your arms and your body feels hot. he places a gentle smooch on your cheeks, tasting the saltiness of your tears.

“do you like me as well?” he asks, eyes gazing into yours. he didn’t even need to confess to you, his question says it all. do you feel the same way about me? do you think we’ll be more than friends? do you want this as much as i do? you feel like the two of you are sharing the same mind, you both have doubts, but one thing you do know is that you like baekhyun.

pulling back, you admire his pretty face. how many moles does he have on his face? god, you just want to kiss them all. his fingertips feel nice on the sides of your face now too. has he always smelled this sweet? you were falling deeper and deeper into a trance when baekhyun cuts you off. “the kids—.”

you pull away from baekhyun; your face feels warm and you just can’t seem to stop smiling; you’re like a teenager experiencing first love and you should feel ashamed at how smitten you are but you didn’t care. baekhyun gets up from the sofa and tells the kids to come outside.

“she likes me back.” your little brother and soyeong high fives and starts laughing as if they’re satisfied with something. they could see the confusion on your face. “remember when daddy was sick? when you went to the kitchen, daddy told us he wanted to tell you he likes you but he doesn’t know how! so I told him to invite you to dinner. even though you didn’t come, daddy could still tell you he likes you!”

you glare at Baekhyun. has he been thinking of pulling this off for weeks now? you had to go through all that emotional rollercoaster for months. you almost want to curse at him but quickly remember that the kids are there. you do want to hit him though. you were about to raise your hand when soyeong yawns.

“does princess want to sleep?” soyeong could only nod as she slowly dozes off before falling into baekhyun’s arms. you see that your little brother is getting sleepy as well. they played a lot so their tiredness makes sense. baekhyun was about to head upstairs when soyeong starts speaking, “i want mommy to tuck me in please.”

baekhyun looks at you; jaw hanging; as he mouths “you don’t have to” with an apologetic smile. you tell baekhyun to go up before telling your brother to wait outside. climbing up the stairs, you enter soyeong’s all pink room while baekhyun sits beside her bed. “are you going to give me a goodnight kiss?”

you could only nod as you pull her my little pony duvet over her body before leaning in to give her a long kiss on her forehead. “i’ve always wanted a mommy,” she murmurs; her eyes closing as her chest rises in a slow and steady rhythm. baekhyun smiles; a bittersweet feeling lingering on the expression of his face. 

baekhyun closes the door as you went downstairs. he had a lot of pictures hanging on the walls. there were a few of his family, and lots with soyeong in the picture. they have such big smiles on their faces. you really can't help but smile along to the pictures. one, in particular, catches your eye. it was of an old picture, more than ten years, you think. you squint, trying to focus your eyes on someone. your eyes widen when you see a familiar face; and when you say familiar you mean it’s your own face.

it was a picture of the anniversary of the swimming pool club; you were wearing a red-colored swimsuit; holding hands with a little boy. “which one are you?” you asked when you noticed baekhyun stops and points at the boy standing beside you in the picture. “i’m the boy beside the girl wearing a bright red swimsuit.” you glanced at baekhyun in disbelief. 

“that’s me, baekhyun," you said, pointing at the girl holding his hand in the picture. "we knew each other.”

baekhyun smirked. "oh yeah. i knew it was you when you bought the same flavored ice cream. i bought that flavor for the girl back then and it became her favorite ever since.”