DINNER WAS EXPECTEDLY AWKWARD FOR HER. Kris didn’t seem bothered by the silence as he ate the curry rice he had ordered while Yuri felt like she was swallowing sand instead of the sashimi she had gotten. The only sounds she could hear were the low ambiance music being played by the fancy restaurant Kris had brought her to, the calming water from the small fountain in the corner of the private room they were dining in, and the occasional sound of the utensils clanking against the bowls as they ate. She couldn’t even concentrate on the fact that the food was super good yet expensive or that the rice wine they had was probably the best one she’s ever tasted; she kept thinking about the feeling of Kris’ big hand that was holding hers back at the hospital, his hand at the lower of her back as well as that one phrase Kris had said when he first arrived.

What was it again?, she wondered as she tried to recall it.

Kris, on the other hand, had stopped eating to stare at his wife who seemed so lost in thought that she was nibbling onto the chopsticks in her hand instead of feeding herself food. He would’ve found it amusing if he wasn’t feeling bothered about their current predicament, and Kris hated feeling unsure about his own actions.

“How far away are you?” he decided to ask after a while, breaking the loud silence.

Brown eyes darted to his face in surprise, and Yuri’s face reddened when she realized that he had caught her daydreaming in the middle of their dinner. “Sorry, I got caught up with my own thoughts,” she apologized with an embarrassed smile.

Kris sighed, but it wasn’t of annoyance or anger. In fact, he seemed amused as he placed down his chopsticks and gestured down at the food on the table. “Are these not too your liking?” he asked.

“No, that’s not it. I love sushi,” she quickly assured him. Kris nodded, seemingly satisfied by her response and refilled both their glasses with iced green tea. Yuri watched him and blurted, “What does ‘baobei’ mean?”

Kris flinched, almost spilling the tea he was pouring into her glass but he was quick to recover before Yuri could notice. He placed down the jug he was holding and looked at her. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I was just wondering what it meant because that’s what you said when we were at the hospital,” she explained. She then tilted her head and frowned to herself. “At least I think that’s what you said.”

Kris hummed, enjoying the look on her face before a small smirk crossed over his lips. “I’ll let you find out by yourself,” he said, surprising Yuri at his somewhat teasing tone. “It won’t be fun if I tell you myself.”

“That was an insult, wasn’t it? You purposely called me that because no one else understands,” Yuri accused him with narrowed eyes. “You do know that I will figure it out sooner or later?”

Kris unexpectedly laughed. It wasn’t loud and it sounded more like a chuckle than a laugh, but it still caught Yuri by surprise. It was a pleasing sight for her though and she didn’t stop the smile that crossed her face at his reaction, dropping her gaze after a while so she could concentrate on eating again. The ambience between them felt lighter after that despite the lack of conversation between them. For once, Yuri felt comfortable in his presence, and her appetite returned as she began to enjoy the expensive Japanese cuisine before her.

Once they were done and Kris had settled the bills, Kris informed her that they would be stopping by another place before heading home, and Yuri knew that they were going to pick Sophia up from his parents’ estate. She could see the spark in his eyes as he drove, and again, there was a pleasant feeling in her chest when she saw his reaction. She could tell that he loved and dotted on his daughter very much, and even though he’s only been away for a few days, he really missed his daughter and was very much looking forward to reuniting with her. Yuri wondered how it was like for a busy man like him to raise a child alone all these years, and how he even found the will to do so by his own.

“It must’ve been hard,” she unknowingly said aloud, making Kris turn to her with a questioning look even when he was driving. When their eyes met, Yuri looked at him in confusion. “What is it?” she asked.

“I should be asking you that,” he retorted. “What was hard?”

Yuri frowned and let out a quiet gasp when she realized what he meant. Wait, I said it out loud? Kris glanced at her once more when he got no response and sighed, making her turn back to him. She decided that it was best to just feed her curiosity instead of annoying him when things had been just fine between them tonight.

“Uh, I was just thinking to myself actually,” she explained sheepishly.

“About what?”

“How hard it must’ve been for you to raise Sophia alone,” she said. Kris let out a hum at that, eyes focused on the road as he continued to drive. “How did you do it?”

Kris was quiet for a few seconds more before he replied, “I don’t know.” When he glanced at her again and saw the creasing of her head, he added, “I don’t know how I did it. I just did it, the same way I did when I was building my company.”

“But this is a life we’re talking about. It’s not a business.”

“True. With Sophia, I had to learn how to feed her, change her, put her to sleep; I think of it as a similar concept when it comes to building my business up.” The car stopped at the traffic light and Kris turned his head to look right at her. “It took a lot of sleepless nights for me to get used to things, but it was worth it. It was difficult, yes, but I had help.”

“Your mother?”

Kris nodded. “Not at first,” he told her just as the lights turned green again. Yuri watched him as he started driving again but this time with only one hand while his right arm rested against the compartment between them. “I mostly had help from my friend, Chanyeol. You know him.”

Yuri thought to herself for a while, noting that the name did sound familiar and it took her a while before she remembered. “You mean, Dr. Park Chanyeol, our hospital’s medical director?” she asked, wide eyes and surprised. Kris nodded. “H–How did you know Dr. Park? I mean, I think he was at our wedding but I didn’t think you were close to him or anything.”

Kris let out a scoff at her outburst. “He wasn’t just there during our wedding, but he was my best man,” he told her, not really surprised that she hadn’t noticed but somewhat hurt at her lack of attention.

As for Yuri, she could feel her face turning red in embarrassment and horror. Did I really not notice that Dr. Park was his best man?, she wondered to herself. She looked at Kris again to see that he was back to driving with both hands, eyes trained onto the road and she noticed that his jaws were clenched. He must feel hurt and disappointed with me, she thought but then frowned. But why would he be? Why would he care if I forgot things from that day? It wasn’t like it was the best day for either one of us.

But as she looked at him again and noticed the return of his cold expression, Yuri began to wonder if she was wrong. Yet she couldn’t figure out why Kris would feel that way, so she sat quietly in the passenger seat, somewhat regretting the tense silence that had returned and missing the light ambience they briefly had. They had shared their first private meal together and she even had him laugh for their first ever outing together, yet now she’s ruined it, and Yuri could only slouch back dejectedly with guilt written all over her face.

“Sophia.”

The moment her eyes settled on the tall figure standing by the doorway, Sophia let out a loud shriek of delight and hurried to get off from the floor to run to him. Kris took a few steps forward and crouched down to grab her under her arms before lifting her high in the air, making her laugh and bringing her down again so he could kiss her cheeks. Sophia wrapped her little arms around his neck and rested her cheek on his shoulder, her little fingers gripping onto the back of his shirt like as if she didn’t want to be pulled away from him again.

Yuri smiled at the sight just as Madam Wu, her mother-in-law, approached her and placed a light hand on her elbow, making her turn to the elder lady.

“Let’s leave them be, child.”

Yuri nodded and followed her out of Sophia’s nursery, letting the elder lead her towards the library. As a bookworm, the sight of the books was enough to elevate her mood and she smiled happily as she looked around the room. It wasn’t her first time in the library, but the smell of books always made her happy and she loved it that her mother-in-law shared the same sentiment with her when it comes to books.

“Come, dear. Let’s have some tea,” Madam Wu said as she gestured her daughter-in-law to join her on the couch. There was a light fire burning from the small fireplace in the room, giving the library an even more authentic vibe that Yuri truly loved. Yuri sat across from the lady and took a sip of the tea that had been poured into her cup, smiling once she felt the hot beverage trickle down . The elder lady chuckled lightly in amusement before asking, “How are you, Yuri?”

Yuri looked up and smiled at her. “I’m fine, Mother,” she assured Madam Wu who then gave her a reprimanding look, making her smile sheepishly. “I mean, Mama. Sorry, I’m still not used to it,” she admitted shyly.

“Maybe if you came over more and spend time with me, you will get used to it sooner,” the lady said with a teasing look, but Yuri could still detect the hidden meaning behind her words. Obviously Yuri hadn’t been spending time with her in-laws, but in her defense, she had been busy with work and barely had any time for herself. But she kept the excuses to herself and could only flash the lady an apologetic smile. “It’s alright, dear. I know you’re still adjusting, and not to mention, you’re busy with work too. It’s not easy working as a doctor. I have high respect for those working in the medical field – your life basically revolves around the hospital and your patients.”

Yuri could only nod in agreement, quietly t