Pohang, South Korea. June 17, 2021.

It was a beautiful day for a stroll so Ji Hyo decided to go on a walk with Aera. When they were heading out of the house, she was surprised to see Kim Jong Kook leaning in his car outside their house. Holding Aera's hand, she quickly walked over to him.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Seoul? Don't you have any shoots today?" She asked.

"I finished them all yesterday. I told Gap Jin to clear my schedules starting today until next week. Well, not the whole week next week but you get my point. Anyway, I'm here to pick you and Aera up and drive you to Seoul or if you're not up for it, we can stay here in Pohang." He casually answered. But this didn't sit well with Ji Hyo. When she was about to answer him, she felt the pull of Aera's hand.

"Eomma, it's the ahjussi that made you cry." Her daughter's remark caught both Ji Hyo and Jong Kook by surprise. "Let's go eomma. I don't want you to cry again." Sensing that Aera was feeling uncomfortable, Ji Hyo carried her to the side and tried to calm her down.

"Aera, listen to eomma, okay? That ahjussi there is my friend. The one I told you I wanted you to meet. He is a really good person just like Kwang Soo samchon. And he didn't make me cry. Eomma was just crying that day because I was happy to be home." Aera then started to squirm in her arms so she put her down. "Why don't we go back there and say HI to eomma's friend?" Ji Hyo held her breath as they walked back to Jong Kook who was looking like he's ready to be buried in the cemetery.

"Annyeonghaseyo. Are you eomma's fwiend?" Aera questioned. Jong Kook nodded and extended his arms to her as a greeting. 

"Hi Aera. My name is Kim Jong Kook. I am your eomma's friend. You can call me Kook samchon. Can we be friends, too?" He asked.

Aera nodded and went to hold Jong Kook's hand. She wasn't big on strangers and she doesn't usually talk to strangers unless Ji Hyo prompts her to do so. The ease with which she grabbed Jong Kooks hand surprised her.

"Alrighty then. Where do you want to go, Aera? Samchon will take you and your eomma to where you want to go. And I can even buy you ice cream and lots of toys." Jong Kook was getting excited.

"No, you are not going to do that. I was only planning on taking Aera for a stroll and maybe buying some ice cream along the way but there'll be no buying of toys. She has more than enough back home. Now, if you want to join us, you better stick to my plans." Ji Hyo gave Jong Kook a warning look. He had no choice but to follow her.

Their morning was spent strolling around the parks in Ji Hyo's neighborhood. She let Aera play in the slides along with the other kids. Aera even let Kim Jong Kook push her in the swing which was something that surprised Ji Hyo as well. And the look on Kim Jong Kooks face when he was playing with their daughter was tugging Ji Hyo's heart. For the many years that he has known and seen him, she has never seen him this happy.

After playing in the park, they decided to grab lunch nearby. They had lunch like a real family. Jong Kook even had the opportunity to feed Aera some noodles. Ji Hyo took pictures of the sweet moments shared by her daughter and her dad. 

"Send me those pictures, Ji Hyo-ya. I'm going to show them to my mom." Jong Kook said.

"Eomeoni knows? You told her? How did she react?" She was surprised by his revelation.

"Well.. I couldn't keep it from her. She was always pestering me about getting married and having kids. And well... I told her. Not right away, though. Maybe a few days after you told me." He explained.

"I told you just barely a week ago. So how soon did you tell her?" 

"Okay fine. I told her the night after you told me. I can't help it. I was happy to know that I have a daughter, Ji Hyo-ya. Even more so that it is our daughter. And she was happy, too. Although she was a little sad that I only found out after three years but still, she was happy. And she told me she can't wait to meet Aera."

"Oh no. Oh no. How am I going to face your mom now?" She was worried about facing Jong Kook's mom. Ji Hyo was close to his mom but seeing as she hid his daughter from them for three years is something that will make her want to hide from his mom forever.

"Don't worry about it, Ji Hyo-ya. She's not mad at you. I explained to her everything. Although, I left out the part about the letter." This response earned him a smack from Ji Hyo. "What? I can't tell her about it. She might stop loving his favorite son." He said it jokingly. "But seriously though. I didn't tell her about the letter because I don't think it's something she has to know. I hope you understand."

"I understand. I think your mom only needs to know less painful things about us. Anyway, I'm happy that she's looking forward to meeting Aera. But oppa, it can't be this soon though. She still doesn't know that you're her father. I don't want to overwhelm her."

"I know. I already told my mom about it too and she's okay with it. She said she'll wait as long as she can. Afterall, she finally got a grandchild from me." They both laugh at his comment. "But Ji Hyo-ya, I hope we can tell Aera soon about me being her father. I actually want to spend more time with her and I don't want her to keep thinking that I'm her eomma's friend."

"I will tell her, oppa. One of these days. Like I said, I don't want to overwhelm her." 

"Eomma, can we eat ice cweam afte