[CONTENTID1]21[/CONTENTID1]
[CONTENTID2]Without Her[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Sora opened the door as soon as the bell rang. "How was it?" She said, but Baekhyun and Junmyeon's faces weren't giving her good news. Her boyfriend's face was pale and he was standing with her uncle's help. It seemed like they were back from a war. "Uncle... what happened?" She stayed aside, giving them space to enter. 

"Don't ask..." The lawyer replied as he took off his shoes to walk in the house alongside Baekhyun.

Sora covered . "We lost?" She closed the door and ran in behind them. 

Junmyeon nodded as he made the younger man sit on a couch and took his coat off. "Take care of him." He stood up. "I got to go..."

She nodded and walked out with him. "Uncle, what's wrong with Baekhyun?"

"Prof. Byun is shocked... he just lost her daughter and I understand." He turned to her. "And you know what hurts more? Both of my daughters are gone, though I'm sure they love me with all of their hearts. Baekhyun, now he thinks his daughter preferred Chorong to him... cherish your boyfriend, he needs you the most right now." He sighed. 

"But... but why did they do that?" She asked. "The judge can't rely on Emma's decision only..."

"I didn't want to bring it up, but Baekhyun had a criminal record, the thing is I should understand it in the middle of the court! Are you kidding me? He is a criminal! You are literally dating a criminal!"

She gasped. "Criminal?"

Junmyeon opened the door angrily. "Aish! I hate losing!" He left. 

Sora walked back in the house and sat next to him, who was staring at a photo of him and Emma when she was a toddler. "Baekhyun..." She patted his back, looking at the photo. "Darling..." 

"Water..." He mumbled.

"You want water?" He nodded. "Ok..." She stood up and went to the kitchen. As soon as she stepped in the kitchen, she heard a sound of glass breaking. "Baekhyun?" The blonde ran back to him only to find an unconscious man on the couch and a broken picture frame on the ground. "Baekhyun!" She struggled to pick him up and held him in her arms. "Open your eyes," She slapped his cheeks slightly. "Baekhyun!" She checked his pulse and breathing. "Baekhyun, can you hear me?" She stretched her hand to take her phone.

____

Baekhyun and Emma walked in a luxurious restaurant. He helped his daughter to sit on a chair and then took the menu. Reading the menu, he sighed. Everything seemed too expensive and he wasn't in a good condition as a college student. His pride didn't let him ask for money from his parents or sisters so he had to stand on his own feet. "Daddy?"

"Yes darling?"

"Can I choose?" She looked at him innocently.

"O-Of course dear..." He handed her the menu. Emma was only six, she couldn't read, but the menu had pictures. "Choose whichever you like."

She nodded as she turned the pages. "Ok..." She hummed cutely. "Well... this one!" She pointed at a picture. Baekhyun moved the menu towards himself to have a view of the price. "150 dollars? What is in it? Gold?" He mumbled. "Ok, um... sir?" He called a waiter. 

"Are you ready to order?"

"Yes..." Baekhyun took the menu and gave it to him. "One lobster frittata." 

"Nothing else?" He asked.

"No. Thank you." The waiter left.

After some minutes of waiting, the waiter came back with the meal. Baekhyun put the plate in front of his daughter and she began eating. He was happy to see his little girl smile while eating somewhere her friends in the kindergarten had eaten. Emma had to have anything she aimed to. "Ah... eat carefully," He said after wiping her lips.

She looked up at him. "Daddy... why didn't you order something for yourself?"

"I'm... not hungry."

"Not hungry? How? You haven't had lunch..."

"I just don't like eating out." He stared at her affectionately, one hand cupping his chin. "You eat, I enjoy watching you eat."

She giggled. "Daddy, you're so funny." Baekhyun chuckled, he would do anything for the girl in front of him. "I love you..."

"I love you too, Emma."

____

When the doctor walked out of the emergency room alongside Minseok, Sora rushed to them. "How is he?"

"It seems like a heart attack, but-"

She gasped. "What do you mean Choi Minho-ssi? My boyfriend had a heart attack?"

"B-boyfriend?" His eyes widened. "Miss Kang, are you dating him?"

Minseok rolled his eyes. "Choi Minho!"

"Yes p-professor?"

"Say it or she'll have a heart attack for real..."

"Um... how to explain? It is not a heart attack, it's TTS."

"TTS?"

"Takotsubo syndrome."

"What's that? Is it dangerous?"

He nodded. "It is... but not in all cases. We usually call this illness, broken heart syndrome. It's a sudden temporary weakening of the muscular portion of the heart... emotional stressors can cause this syndrome."

"The custody battle..." She mumbled.

"Yes. Dr. Kim told me all and that's why I was ninety percent sure that it is TTS. Echocardiography proved it." He explained. 

"Will he be ok?" 

"Of course. He just needs time to get used to the new situation. Just... can you take the stressors away from him?"

She thought for some seconds. "I... I can take him to my house. I assume in his house, there are lots of reminders of Emma. Will this be effective?"

"Yes. It's a good idea." He looked at Baekhyun's tests. "Fortunately, he is in a stable condition, but it's better for him to be under our supervision for some hours."

"Fine..." She sighed. "I'll stay."

■□■

Emma looked around the palace like house in owe. "Chorong-ssi,"

"Yes my love?" Chorong led her upstairs, to her room. She opened the door. "Here's your house..."

"I can meet my dad, isn't it?" She walked in.

"Um... I'll think about it." She said. 

"Wh-What?" Emma asked with wide open eyes. "What does this mean? You want to avoid me seeing my father?"

"I said, I'll think about it. It means I'll decide when, where and how you can meet him." She clapped. "Now... Sunmi! Jay!" 

Sunmi ran upstairs and bowed to them. "Hello, young lady. Ma'am."

"She's my secretary, Lee Sunmi."

The boy walked to them slowly and exhausted. "But these aren't my duties, ma'am." He put Emma's suitcase down and touched his back. "Ah... it hurts."

"And he is my new deputy... Lim Jaebeom." She introduced. 

"Hello, you can call me Jay." He waved. "What have you put in your suitcase? It's really heavy!"

Chorong slammed his arm. "Dear Emma, you can tell them whatever you need or want."

"Ok." The young girl walked closer to Jay. "I need to rest." Gazing into his eyes, she took her suitcase without any effort and went back to her room.

"You saw that?! Saw that?" Jay pointed at her. "Does she have a superpower or something?"

"Aish... stupid!" Sunmi knocked his head.

Chorong started going downstairs. "What did you do with Kai?"

"He is with his lover..." Jay and Sunmi chuckled. "Be sure he'll be punished in the way you like, your majesty."

"Good... I like him to see that cop, Oh Sehun, couching up blood and then kill him." She said.

"Woo..." Jay whispered. "But I wonder why you get Emma from him. You've broken his heart once, why did you repeat it?" 

"I need him... you know that. I'll make him fall into his knees and beg me." She answered. 

"That's mean..." Sunmi commented. 

"No, Sunmi. No..." She turned to them. "I am mean."

■□■

"Thank you..." Sora whispered as she looked at Hoseok and Chanyeol helping Baekhyun to lay on his bed. "I'm really..." She bit her lower lip, feeling ashamed. "I really owe you guys. I'll make it up to you."

"Invite us to your wedding..." Hoseok said, wrapping his professor's body with a blanket. Chanyeol and girls chuckled.

"Yah!" She frowned and crossed her arms. 

"Wasn't the sedative they injected too strong? It seems like he is dead."

Sora slapped Mina's arm. "Bite your tongue!" She growled. "Dr. Choi said it's better for him this way..." She led them out. "When he is awake, he keeps thinking about his daughter..."

"How can a girl be mean like this..." Roseanne said. "I won't exchange my dad with anything, even if it is one billion dollars." 

"You can't say that... auntie has passed away long ago, so your only one is uncle." Chanyeol put his hand on her shoulder. "Children can never choose one between their parents. I'm sure she had a hard time choosing one."

"Yeah, you're right..." She whispered. 

"Anyway..." Sora sighed. "Coffee or Tea?"

"Green tea that is..." Mina said. "You've forgot our tastes?"

"Oh... don't start it now."

"We are your friends, how could you?" Hoseok asked in a disappointment.

"These are the effects of dating your professor and living with him. Just saying though..." Roseanne said, earning a laughter from her friends, except for Sora.

"Ha ha ha." She stopped in the middle of the stairs and turned back to them. "Shut up or I'll throw you out."

"Fine..." Chanyeol said and Sora started going down stairs. "Look, the way she speaks, walks and wears has changed. Typically the 'professor's wife' type." They chuckled together. 

"Park Chanyeol, I'm hearing you." The blonde said loud and clear, her voice echoed in the big house. 

When Sora placed the cups on the table, her phone started ringing. "Who's that? Who's that?" Hoseok asked rapidly. "Ouch!"

Mina knocked his head. "Haven't you learned not to ask such a question?" She turned to Sora. "Who's the caller?"

"What?" Her boyfriend raised his eyebrows. 

"It's Emma..." Sora answered the call and put it on speaker. She didn't have the time to hear her friends' nonstop questions. "Hey dear... how are you?"

"I'm fine, unnie... how about you?"

"I'm..." She looked at her friends. "I'm ok. Are you having fun in your mother's house?"

"Here's no fun to do... just a big house. I must be careful not to get lost, but being with Chorong is nice." She paused, maybe searching for good words to use. "How is my dad? I wanted to call him, but I felt... It felt... I couldn't... it's just..."

"Now she is talking about her father?" Roseaane grabbed the phone from Sora. 

"Yah!"

"Control her!" Roseanne stood up and ran out when she saw friends wrapped their arms around Sora. "I'm Roseanne Park, Sora unnie's best friend and also, your father's student."

"It's my pleasure to know you..." She whispered in her mother tongue, shocked.

"Oh... you know English? I've lived in Australia for some years too. So let's speak in this language." 

"Fine... but I just wanted to-"

"You wanted to know about your father? Let me tell you then..." The elder girl took a deep breath. "Your father is now suffering from broken heart syndrome. It mea