| CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE |

Take Two

Baekhyun watched her finish the last few sips of her drink, chuckling at the bubbling noise she was making with the straw. “Never seen a person finish a large McDonald’s drink that fast. I gotta say, I’m impressed.” He lifted his eyebrows while nodding in approval. Jiwon glared at him before placing the now empty cup into the brown bag along with the other trash they’ve collected after eating. She leaned on the car seat and sighed while rubbing his tummy. “Thanks for the food, I needed that.” She admitted with a wary smile. With a patient grin, Baekhyun lightly brushed his knuckles against her cheek before starting the engine. “Nah, don’t worry about it. The moment I knew I loved you, I accepted my fate that I need to buy you Happy Meals ironically paired with a supersized Coke for the rest of my life.” He said earning a snort from the woman. “So, off we go? Do you wanna stop by the grocery first before we go back home?” He added.

Jiwon remained silent for the next minute. Thirty minutes ago, before they had the food, she would have definitely said yes. The food might have played a big role but most importantly, the time away from that first interaction was crucial for her. It freaked her out. He was right there, in full flesh. Her father was real, alive and healthy. The picture of his face replayed in her mind. He felt familiar despite that it was her first time meeting him. He felt … close to home and it was the most bizarre feeling she’s ever had.

She took a deep breath, staring in space, as she framed the decision in her mind for one last time. She looked at her fiancé once before facing the window again. “I want to go back. One more try.” She nodded eagerly, to convince herself even more. Baekhyun’s grip on the steering wheel loosened, shocked of what he just heard. “Wait, seriously?” He asked with a hesitant smile. “Are you saying that … all it took was … food?”

Jiwon shot a glare at him before smiling. “Shut up and drive before I change my mind.” She bumped the back of her head twice on the seat and let out a deep sigh. “If I don’t do this today, I won’t be able to fall asleep tonight and it’s going to be like that until I try again and who knows when I would again, knowing myself. So, what’s the point of procrastinating on something I’d have to eventually face. Let’s just get this done and over with. Like you said, it’s not like I have to build a relationship with him if he really was the douche bag I grew up think of. I’m not doing this for him, I’m doing this for myself. If I get pissed at some point of our conversation, I can always use my fist to silence him.” She added. Baekhyun quickly covered her smaller fist with his. “Okay, calm down. We’re not planning on going to jail today, we have two small children to think about. Put that down. “ He laughed before driving off.

The drive back to the counselling clinic was pretty quick as they went to the nearest fast food chain from where they came from. As soon as their eyes landed on the same building, Jiwon’s chest started pounding once again. The urge to run away came back but she fought it. She was sick of feeling it, she was tired of enduring the heaviness on her chest and the undeniable curiosity that had been running through her mind since she was little. She fought through the fear by thinking of Hansol and Hana – they needed her in her best shape, physically and mentally. She needed to heal in order for her to take care of them the best way she can.

It was now or never.

Baekhyun parked the car and leaned on the seat. “You think it’d be better if I stay here? Would that make you less nervous? I can wait.” He reached for her hand on her lap. “Well, it’d make me less nervous but then after, I’d have to tell you everything he said all over again and I don’t want to have to do that especially if it’s going to .” Jiwon frowned, feeling very conflicted at the moment. Baekyun shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “Okay, well then, I won’t ask. I promise, you can keep the conversation between the two of you. You don’t have to worry about that.” He assured.

Jiwon nodded until she frowned again. “Yeah, but I would want to tell you. It’s going to be hard not to tell you because you’re my partner and I won’t be able to shut my mou—“

“Oh my god, you are impossible.” Baekhyun grunted in disbelief before taking out a coin from his pocket. “Heads, I will stay here. Tails, I will come with you.” He closed his fist into the coin while waiting for her to agree. “Okay.” Jiwon bit her bottom lip while nodding. Baekhyun flipped the coin in the air and they both watch it land back to his palm. He quickly covered it with his other palm and stared at Jiwon. “Okay, whatever this is we are going to do it. You gave me no choice so you cannot argue with me once we known which one it is. If this is heads, I will respect it and stay he—" He was silenced when Jiwon opened the car door and stepped out. “Come with me, I need you to hold my hand the whole time!” She groaned in defeat as she skipped away from the car.

Baekhyun sighed in relief before looking at the coin on his hand. “Ooh, heads. Good thing she spoke up.” He chuckled before turning off the engine.

He chased after her and grabbed her hand as they both enter the clinic again. The front desk easily recognized them and bowed politely. “Oh, we didn’t know you’d be back so soon.” One of the staff spoke, the same girl from earlier named Hana. Baekhyun walked over to them along with Jiwon and bowed. “Yeah, sorry, if he had to take in a client after we left, we can wait again. If that’s still okay? I’m so sorry again, there was just an emergency. We still want to have the couple’s counselling.” Jiwon remained silence, she was saving all her energy for the moment of truth and she felt so lucky that Baekhyun was there to handle things for her at times like this.

She just couldn’t imagine going through all of this without him.

“Don’t worry, he’s free of clients for rest of the day. I think he’s planning to leave soon but he’s still in the office so you’re just right in time. You can come with me.” The staff politely gestured them to walk around the front desk and follow her through the same hallway they went through earlier. “Uhm, are you sure it’s okay? I mean we’ve been bothering you since earlier, my apologies.” Jiwon finally spoke up, feeling the genuine guilt in her system.

The staff looked at them and smiled. “Don’t worry, ma’am. He already left us a note that you two are special clients so you can meet him in any way as long as he’s available.” Baekhyun raised his eyebrows in delight. “Oh, that’s nice. Well then … Miss Hana, I’m sorry for lying earlier but we’re actually not planning to break up. I’m sorry to get your hopes high.” There was a brief silence between the three of them as Hana hesitantly smiled. “Uhm, sir? Hopes high … what do you mean?” She giggled in confusion. Jiwon sealed her lips in a tight straight light, leaving it all up to Baekhyun who was now looking more horrified than ever. “Oh my god, are you just naturally giggly and shy?” He asked in disbelief.

“My apologies if I have shown any unprofessionalism, sir. I just started here a couple days ago and I’m still a trainee. I can assure you that it will not happen in the future.” The staff said and bowed before gesturing them the door. “Here’s his office, sir.” She knocked on the door and opened it once she heard a signal from inside.

Once they had a full glimpse of the office once again, Baekhyun tightened his grip on Jiwon’s hand. The staff left them and they went in again. “Uh, sorry for uh—sorry for running away. It was uh … a little stuffy in here and I needed fresh air.” Jiwon started the conversation this time. She looked at Baekhyun who looked like he wanted to add something to her excuse in which she responded with a light pinch on his sides. “And I got hungry.” She added herself, knowing her own fiancé would have explained it in a sillier way. The old man standing by the office table walked around and gestured them to the couch. “No no no, not at all. It’s totally fine. Take a seat, you two. I was just about to leave, good thing I was kept by an email I was reading.” He smiled widely, evidently glad to see them again so soon.

 Once they were all seated, with Jiwon’s father right on the armchair beside the couch they were in. “So … tell me about you and my mom or … whatever you need to tell me, Dr. Kim.” Jiwon hesitantly spoke, her eyes glued down in space but her grip on Baekhyun’s hand tightened. There was a brief silence in the room until the old man broke it with a light smile. “Well, your mom and I dated back in high school until we were in university. So, around three or four years, I can’t remember exactly.” Jiwon blankly nodded while nibbling with her bottom lip. “I get that part, let’s just go straight to when you two had me and you left.” She spoke with a shaky voice.

Baekhyun moved much closer to her and put an arm on her tensed body.

Again, the man grew silent. He looked down while rubbing his palms together. “I just want you to know that … whatever happened, I know how much your mom loved you.” He paused for a second before continuing. “But I … initially didn’t know she was even pregnant when she … cheated on me.”

Finally, Jiwon looked up in disbelief. “What?” Her voice raised. She just couldn’t believe it. Jihyeok—her father—looked away and rubbed his face. “It’s very difficult to tell you this in a way that you wouldn’t think I’m trying to change what you thought of your mother. She was an amazing woman but at that time, I just couldn’t be the best that she hoped for me to be. I only had a scholarship grant in the university that’s why I was able to afford it, I was working two jobs at night after school, I was helping my own parents who were both not able to work and Hanbyul had a hard time accepting that and so she … cheated.”

Jiwon shook her head while chuckling. “No, wait, she wouldn’t cheat—you have got to be kidding me. My mother would never do such a thing. You’re making that up.”

Baekhyun put a hand on her lap and sighed. “Babe, calm down, please.” He hushed and kissed the side of her head. Jihyeok remained silent for the next few min