The first thing that greeted Dong-Hoon was Kim Jong Kook’s dark gaze and flat expression. He clearly doesn’t have any idea that his hyung is going to make his appearance on his maknae daughter’s birthday. It has been more than five minutes but both of them barely talk.

“Hyung,” Dong-Hoon called and he dared himself to look at Jong-Kook’s eyes.

Jong-Kook let out an exaggerate sigh and glanced at Dong-Hoon as well, “You know it all this while?” He asked with his baritone voice which sounded extremely scary.

Dong-Hoon couldn’t help but to nod his head slowly without saying anything. However, the next thing that happened was Jong-Kook laying his fist on Dong-Hoon’s face. The punch was quite hard as Dong-Hoon could feel the stinginess on the edge of his lips.

“Song Dong Baek is my daughter.” Jong-Kook mumbled on his own.

“What makes you think that she’s your daughter? It has been seven freaking years and you are not the only man in her life.” Replied Dong-Hoon intensely.

His answered resulted in Jong-Kook scoffing loudly, “Do I look like a freaking fool in your eyes? Song Dong Baek is six years old and if my calculation is right, I am the only one who fits the father position.”

Kim Jong Kook ain’t a fool. Why would Ji-Hyo’s daughter bear her last name if she’s married?

Dong-Hoon kept silent in the next few seconds which started to drive Jong-Kook crazy meaning that there’s a high possibility that the little girl who’s named after Camellia is really his biological daughter.

“Why, Dong-Hoon ah? Why are you keeping it all of this from me?” Asked Jong-Kook as his gaze softened.

Dong-Hoon smirked at Jong-Kook instead, “Didn’t you remember that Ji-Hyo literally cried out loud just because she wanted to see you and all you did was shutting her out?” He argued, slightly raising his voice.

Silence. Nothing came out from Jong-Kook’s lips as his head is rewinding what happened seven years ago and it’s like opening his healed wound.

“Don’t tell me if I have never reminded you about this. I have asked you so many times to consider things from her point of view or else you might regret it.” Dong-Hoon continued and glanced at his own knuckles as he stayed silent for a while, “Dong-Baekie is not your daughter.” He lied and this time he walked out from Jong-Kook’s sight, leaving his hyung alone, dumbfounded.

Still Jong-Kook is lost in his own thoughts. It feels like there’s a big lump stuck in his throat where he couldn’t say anything except for letting out a loud sigh. He couldn’t hear anything except from the loud cheer coming from the garden area. His eyes tailed every movement of the little girl and her mother which surprisingly caused his lips to curl a little.

Walking out from the mansion, Jong-Kook walked back to the garden area where everyone cheered for the first birthday of Ha Songie. He doesn’t know why but his footstep stopped just a few meters across Song Dong Baek as if he still wants to keep himself close to that girl.

“Airplane ahjussi, where did you go?” Dong-Baek ran a little and asked directly as he went away for a little talk with Dong-Hoon earlier.

Jong-Kook smiled and shook his head gently, “Ahjussi is going nowhere. Where is your eomma?”

Dong-Baek was about to answer but her mother came to the scene.

“Dong-Baek ah, how many times eomma tell you to not let go of eomma’s hand?” Said Ji-Hyo who sounded worried.

However, the next thing that caught her eyes was Kim Jong Kook who’s currently standing in front of her and her daughter. Nothing came out from her lips for a few seconds as she tried her best to avoid his small eyes.

“How have you been doing?” Jong-Kook said, trying to broke the silence between them.

Ji-Hyo looked around and she could spot that Go-Eun was looking at her direction, looking a little uneasy as well.

“Dong-Baek ah, can you go to Go-Eun imo for a little while? Eomma has something to talk with Airplane ahjussi.” Said Ji-Hyo because she really doesn’t want Dong-Baek to know more about her and Jong-Kook.

Dong-Baek nodded and waved her hand at Jong-Kook, “Anyeong, airplane ahjussi.”

As soon as Dong-Baek left the scene, another awkward atmosphere hovered for another time. Ji-Hyo took a very deep breath before daring herself talk.

“Great.” She replied to his question shortly.

Jong-Kook opened his lips and he was about to ask about Dong-Baek but Ji-Hyo was quick enough to answer him as if she knew it beforehand what he’s about to ask.

“Dong-Baek is not your daughter.” Ji-Hyo continued, without looking at Jong-Kook.

Jong-Kook looked at her disbelief, “I am not a fool, Song Ji Hyo.”

She knew it either that Kim Jong Kook is smarter than anyone but still, she doesn’t have any intention to let him know the truth.

“Dong-Baekie is my daughter. I am both the father and mother to her. We are doing just fine.” Ji-Hyo replied firmly.

Jong-Kook scoffed silently inside his heart, “Don’t you think you are so selfish?”

Ji-Hyo smirked instead, “I am not the Song Ji Hyo you used to know.”

She’s right. The way she talked, her gaze and her gestures. All of those felt so foreign for Jong-Kook as if she’s not the person who he used to know. However, there’s still a question that he wanted her to answer.

“I have to go.” Said Ji-Hyo and turned around before Jong-Kook held her hand.

Ji-Hyo glanced at her hand and heaved a soft sigh as if she knew what kind of question he wished her to answer, “Even if Dong-Baek is your daughter, I will not let go of her.” Because Song Dong Baek is the only treasure she owns.

Jong-Kook slowly let go of his hand, “I didn’t say anything about taking Dong-Baek away from you.” He replied because fear is a little way too visible in her eyes.

Before Jong-Kook continued his words, Ji-Hyo was quick enough to vanish from his eyesight because the longer she stayed, the more dangerous it might be.

Never once in her life that she thought Kim Jong Kook will be coming back into her life. Just to be frank, the feeling of guiltiness is still there. She remembered how she traded his mother’s life for her parents when she thought that she can save everyone but in fact, she couldn’t.

“How do you feel after laying your fist on your best friend?” Asked Choi Jong Hwan to his son who’s currently sitting at the porch, gulping a glass of whiskey.

Jong-Kook glanced at his father and smiled a little, “Did Dong-Hoon tell you so?” He asked back.

Jong-Hwan shook his head and answered, “Jae-Seok told me everything.” He stopped at Jong-Kook’s eyes and continued, “Including that little girl.”

A soft sigh escaped from Jong-Kook’s lips as he gulped his whiskey again without having any intention to reply his father. Jong-Hwan took a seat beside his son and took away Jong-Kook’s alcohol.

“Drinking will not solve your problem, adeul ah.” Jong-Hwan said which sounds more like an advice.

Jong-Kook glanced at his father, “Abeoji, how does it feel like? When you first discovered that you actually had a son who has no idea about your existence?”

There was a brief silence before Jong-Hwan could answer his son, “It was a little overwhelming for me.”

Jong-Kook raised one of his brows, “What do you mean by overwhelming?”

Jong-Hwan uttered a light smile upon hearing his son’s question, “Did you remember what was the first thing you tell me when we first met?”

Of course Jong-Kook remembered. He was twenty years old and it was just a few months after Kim Won Seok’s death. The timing was kind of perfect as if Jong-Hwan was there to replace Won-Seok.

“Adeul ah, I really do not wish that what happened to me will be happening to you too. Just don’t let history to repeat itself.” Jong-Hwan reminded.

Jong-Kook’s still drown in silence when his father talked again, “You were mad and you told me that you will never ever changed your last name. Do you know that the feeling of guiltiness still haunts me till today?”

Jong-Hwan nodded his head and uttered a sad smile when he realized that his son’s attention is on him, “I still feel guilty each day for abandoning your mother. If only we hold on to each other tighter, things wouldn’t be this complicated.” He sighed softly before continuing, “When Jae-Seok told me that there’s a big possibility that Kook-Ran was bearing my son and the reason that I couldn’t track his whereabouts is because he’s using other person’s last name. It was overwhelming, Jong-Kook ah. I won’t lie to you but I felt the same joy when the first time Ae-Ri was born. Both of you are so precious to me.”

Words by words that came out from Jong-Hwan’s lips felt warm that made Jong-Kook to feel