❝The ones who notice the storm in your eyes, the silence in your voice, and the heaviness in your heart are the ones you need to let in❞ - Steve Maraboli. 

                                   _________________

Their hands were still entwined together, they didn’t let go when Baekhyun had led Gayoung to the outdoor area, he didn't let go when he made her sit on the bench to sit right beside her to still holding onto each other's hand on Gayoung's lap who was slowly trying to adapt to the situation to immediately tilting her head to the side to see Baekhyun looking at her with ever so patiently yet worryingly. 

"What happened?" 

Baekhyun asked, softly, finally letting out his question since he was worried about her as it hadn't been an hour since he left her at the Café and now he was seeing her down which made him wonder what exactly happened to have her in the hospital to find her like this. 

Gayoung just stared at him blankly, trying to find some words to tell him but couldn't since she herself didn't know about the whole situation to even talk about it and Baekhyun could see her hesitation as he nodded. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me-" 

"No." Gayoung immediately cut off with a shake of her head vigorously. "It's not that I don't want to tell you but it's just something even I'm not sure about nor I know the whole thing but that doesn't mean I don't want to tell you." 

Baekhyun's heart warmed at her words as he nodded with a soft smile while his thumb caressing the back of her hand. "Okay, I understand but know this, whenever you feel like talking about it, I'm here and if not, I'm still here." 

Gayoung couldn't help but feel a warm beam through her heart seeing him so understanding with his hand grasped in hers warmly as she gave him a nod. "I know." 

She slowly looked away down to her lap with her eyes gazing at their entwined hands which she didn't find the urge to let go nor he did, while Baekhyun still stared at her with a pondering look as how to get out of her lost self for a while. 

In the moment, a hankie was presented in front of her as Gayoung frowned, staring at the hankie. "I'm not crying though." 

"Yeah, but my hankie seems to like you very much since it always comes to you," He paused, when Gayoung met his eyes with a confused look where Baekhyun pointed at the hankie with a scrunch of his nose. "So it's not a bad thing to dry your eyes from it." 

Both of them stared at each other with a blank look before breaking out in a laugh as Gayoung scrunched her nose. "What the hell was that?" 

"You're laughing though." Baekhyun smiled, and Gayoung smiled back, getting why he did it as she chuckled, taking his hankie. "But it wasn't even funny and it's weird that I'm laughing at it." 

"Because you're into lame jokes." 

"I'm not!" 

She whined, making Baekhyun to laugh where Gayoung couldn't help but chuckle back while staring at him softly yet thankfully before noticing him in clad in the scrubs, and it was the first time she was seeing him dressed in it where she had to admit that it really looked on him while an unknown wave of pride rushed in her heart to see him like that. 

"Oh, Sister-in-law!" 

Both of them turned to the voice to see Yixing standing by the entrance to the outdoor area as he walked to them, not before his eyes immediately taking a glance at their entwined hands which made him happy where Baekhyun frowned. "Since when did you get comfortable calling her that?" 

"Since we met at the Café." He snapped at him and Baekhyun rolled his eyes where Gayoung chuckled. "What happened?" 

"Your friends are waiting for you." He told, and Gayoung gasped, immediately standing up making Baekhyun do the same thing as their hands were clasped together as he looked at her confusingly. "Why did you come here though, are you hurt?" 

"Not me but Soo-Ah got a twist in her foot." She gave him an assuring look before sighing. "But I should go now." 

Soon enough, they began to walk to the hallway to the elevator with their hands still grasped together with Yixing walking behind them to feel like a third wheel between them but still glad to see the sight of them walking together. 

As the elevator opened, Gayoung immediately looked at Baekhyun. "Oh, I-" 

"It can wait, we can talk about it later." 

He spoke, assuring her uneasy heart again as she nodded, with their hands slowly slipping off their palms with a warmth slipping away like a discomfort but for now it had to go to come around again. 

As Gayoung entered the elevator, Baekhyun stared at her for a moment, to enter as well as he looked at Yixing. "I'll be back." 

Yixing nodded with a satisfied grin. "Cool." 

The elevator closed, with Baekhyun pressing the first floor while Gayoung looking at him confusingly. "What?" 

"What?" 

"What? Why are you also coming?" She asked, and Baekhyun shoved his hands into his pockets giving her a knowing look. "I can't leave you alone till I watch you getting in the car." 

"Am I a kid? I can go on my own." She snapped, with a light scoff and Baekhyun nodded, with a hum. "Sure, I left you at the Café a few minutes back to find you here, very good." 

Gayoung frowned. "That kid was speeding up his bike and almost ran over Soo-Ah so it's not my fault!" 

And the way she was telling him felt like a kid whining about she didn't do anything wrong with an innocent look as he couldn't help but find her cute right now, before nodding with a smile. "Okay."

The elevator opened with them reaching their floor while Gayoung huffed to herself for couldn't able to say anything back as they walked out to outside where they saw Ji-hu's car with them already seated inside and as Gayoung was about to open the back seat door, Woo-Jin's voice from behind stopped her. 

Baekhyun and Gayoung both turned around to find him changing into his casual clothes to walk towards them as he smiled at Baekhyun who reciprocated it while looking at Gayoung seriously. "I'm coming with you." 

Baekhyun peered through them curiously yet seriously as he was wondering if Gayoung's earlier lost self had something to do with her family before he met Gayoung's eyes. "I'm going with Woo-Jin but I'll be back quickly." 

Baekhyun nodded, not trying to pry much though he wanted to know but he knew Gayoung would tell him later. "Okay, be careful." 

Both siblings sat in the car with Baekhyun walking back as Gayoung watched his back disappearing inside not knowing how he was walking inside with a much concerned feeling towards her. 

Gayoung's eyes averted back to Soo-Ah who asked, sitting in the passenger's seat. "Where did you disappear suddenly?" 

"I have been calling you but you're even picking up." Ji-hu spoke, starting the engine where Gayoung was getting in her lost self again but Woo-Jin was quick to hold her hand. "We saw Yoon Tae-woong." 

The car stopped with a jerk, and the next second, Ji-hu turned to them with a shocked face. "You saw whom?" 

"Yoon Tae-woong." 

Gayoung spoke, sighing deeply as the name left her lips after a long time yet it didn't leave a pleasant feeling because the memories she had weren't really pleasant ones where Soo-Ah looked at Gayoung through the rear view mirror with a worried face. "Are you sure?" 

She nodded, and Woo-Jin sighed. "Min-Jae Hyung was with him." 

"No way." Ji-hu blurted out, feeling angry, hurt and lost after hearing about his former friend. "When he was abroad, how did he meet Min-Jae Hyung? And since when?" 

"That's what we want to know." Woo-Jin said, where Soo-Ah and Ji-hu were feeling confused about it before Ji-hu looked at Gayoung worryingly. "So where to?" 

"Home." Gayoung blurted out, and Ji-hu sighed. "Which home, Gayoung?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"You have got two homes now." He said, and Gayoung's eyes automatically averted to the hospital with Baekhyun's along with Areum and Seojun face flashing in her mind. "Yeah, I have two homes now." 

"Go to mine." Woo-Jin nodded, and Gayoung looked at him with a look. "It's my home too." 

The siblings got in a small banter again with their friends just casually listening to it, yet Gayoung couldn't feel the exact ease which she felt with Baekhyun, like how his hand had comforted her to feel it again. 

The car pulled over by Gayoung's maternal home, as the four of them got out to walk inside with the two males helping Soo-Ah walking inside to make her sit on the couch of the living room where Gayoung wandered her eyes around to get a glimpse of her mother as she got to know about Sung-min and Jung-Min being at their business trip and that's why the house was empty yet so silent since her Dodo would be watching dramas at this time. 

"Kiddo?" 

She turned to the voice to find Min-Jae coming downstairs with a confused look as he looked at everyone. "Why are you all here?" 

"Where is mom?" Woo-Jin questioned, looking around as he walked out of the kitchen with some water before settling down on the couch where Min-Jae sat by the end of it with a sigh. "Market." 

"But is everything okay?" He asked, looking at Soo-Ah and Ji-hu sitting across from him with a serious expression toward him before looking at Gayoung who looked serious as well. "Can someone tell me what's happening?" 

"We have to talk, Min-Jae." 

Min-Jae got taken aback to see her so serious and he knew it would be something serious so he didn't joke around, only nodded while patting the place between him and Woo-Jin. "Okay." 

Gayoung immediately sat between her brothers to look at Min-Jae with a harsh swallow. "Since when have you been meeting Yoon Tae-woong?" 

Min-Jae's lips parted. "How do you know?" 

"Noona and I saw you with him." Woo-Jin spoke, looking at him with a frown. "Since when have you been meeting him? And why didn't you tell any of us about it?" 

"Woo-Jin, let's calm down and let him talk." Soo-Ah intruded, as she noticed Woo-Jin almost bursting out in anger and it's the only thing they didn't need at the moment because the topic was serious yet sensitive to them to let the anger take over them. 

"Min-Jae, I know you must have a reason to hide this from us and we are ready to hear you out but don't take anything out of it." Ji-hu said, and Min-Jae nodded, letting out a deep sigh. "I really didn't want to hide this from you but he asked me not to tell you anything." 

"Why would he? After everything that has happened, why would you do what he would ask you to do?" Gayoung blurted out her question, something frustrating her throughout the whole ride, throughout her whole past years. 

Min-Jae grabbed her hand gently to look at him softly. "It came as a surprise to me as well when I met him three months ago in the hospital, I didn't know he was my client whom I was supposed to meet regarding some work stuff, and believe me when I saw him I almost beat the hell out of him for what he had done but I couldn't when I found out he was diagnosed with a brain tumor."

Everything felt like it stopped for a moment as the four of them stared at Min-Jae in shock but couldn't say anything as Min-Jae continued further. "He was diagnosed when you both were still married-" 

"No, it can't be because he would have told me!" Gayoung exclaimed, almost immediately and Min-Jae sighed. "He just didn't tell you." 

"So he chose to hide it, and run away from me, from us." Gayoung scoffed, feeling an unpleasant tightness in her chest as she felt angry over it with Soo-Ah who was grasping the situation. "I don't think it's everything, there's something else too." 

"I can't believe it too, we were friends, he wouldn't have chosen to run away just like that." Ji-hu said, and Gayoung let out another scoff. "He did, he has always been like that!" 

"Gayoung, you can't just say anything just because you hate him!" Soo-Ah intruded, with a frown towards her best friend who was letting out her emotions with a much burst of past years and Gayoung looked at her surprised. "You're seriously taking his side, Soo-Ah?" 

Soo-Ah clicked her tongue. "I'm not taking anyone's side, I'm just saying there's a reason behind everything and he must have had too but we just chose to ignore it like he chose to run away, like you chose to run away from your answers because you were scared of them!" 

Gayoung went silent, looking at her taken aback for a moment as her words had hit right on the spot which she was afraid to feel as her heartbeat quickened anxiously again at the thought of it. 

"Why are you both fighting?!" Min-Jae shouted, "That's exactly why I didn't want to tell you about it!" 

"Wait-" Ji-hu blurted out, taking everyone's attention as he looked at Min-Jae confused. "You said it was three months ago, I get it because it would have been hard when Gayoung was getting married to Baekhyun but it was before their wedding so why didn't you let us know about it?" 

At this Gayoung also got confused with Min-Jae looking at her with a guilty look. "I wanted to tell her but I saw that she had been moving on, and she's getting married so I couldn't bring myself to bring her past in front of her future which has been holding her back." 

"But that's exactly what has been holding me back, Jae." Gayoung let it out in a whisper, her eyes teary as she looked at him. "Because that's exactly why it was hard all this time for me, for us." 

"I know, I'm sorry I just wanted the best for you but I hurt you in the end." He caressed Gayoung's head slowly as his eyes got teary as well with Woo-Jin caressing her back before something hit his head. "So all this while you were coming to meet him as a client and I didn't even know about it, nor I saw him." 

"You hardly come on the third floor so I guess that's why. " Min-Jae shrugged, and Woo-Jin's eyes widened. "So, has Baekhyunee Hyung seen him?" 

Everyone looked at him confusingly and they got even more confused when Min-Jae avoided their gaze where Gayoung frowned. "Jae, has he met him?" 

"Actually, I didn't meet him but Tae-woong told me that Baekhyun has been persuading him to get the surgery." 

"So I wasn't wrong when I saw his report chart on his laptop." Gayoung blurted out, recalling that day and the elevator day as well when they had first met to hear Yoon Tae-woong's name where everyone looked at her surprised. "You saw his name on his laptop and you didn't get any clue?" 

"What do you mean clue? Are we solving a case or something? How would I get it?" Gayoung frowned, and Soo-Ah looked at her calmly. "So what are you going to do now?" 

Gayoung stared at her blankly. "I don't know but I think I should tell Baekhyun-sii about it." 

"You don't have to," Min-Jae said. "What if something happens?" 

For a moment Gayoung feared it, but then she realized that Baekhyun wasn't that kind of person as she gave Min-Jae a light smile. "I don't have to but I want to, I trust him, and I would fear it more and feel guilty if I don't tell him about it. I know he has nothing to do with my past and it would have been okay if I didn't know about it but I do now, and if I still don't tell him after knowing about it, it's just… it just doesn't feel right to me. "

Everyone stared at her with a warm look as how she had changed over time, because the old Gayoung would have run away from it, not baring the fear of it but there was still some which would change soon. 

At that moment, Gayoung got a text to which she checked to see it was from Baekhyun. 

Baekhyun - Are you home? 

Gayoung - Not yet. I'll pick up the kids then we'll be home.

Baekhyun - Okay, I'll be home soon. 

The fact that he knew about her picking up the kids after her work already yet he asked about it which Gayoung got it that he wanted to ask about her being alright and him without directly asking to not be too intruding made her better yet glad. Whereas, Baekhyun was also glad about her understanding it to let him know that she was alright to not to worry about it yet he was but still satisfied with her answer for now.

That's how their unspoken words were being spoken in their own way. 

"It's time to pick up the kids so I'll leave now." 

Gayoung stood up, with Woo-Jin standing up as well. "Let's go, I'll drop you off." 

Gayoung nodded, as she hugged Min-Jae who gave her an apologetic face to which she just waved it off knowing the reason behind it, as he was just being a protective brother who wanted to see his sister happy though the method wasn't right but Gayoung understood. 

Soo-Ah and Ji-hu left in his car as they would talk about it later since both of them also had to adapt to this fact as well since it wasn't Gayoung who went through the pain but they did as well. 

As Gayoung and Woo-Jin were on the way to the kid's school, Woo-Jin kept glancing at his sister with a worried face as she was just looking ahead, without talking like her usual self where Gayoung sighed, not even looking at him. "Eyes on the road or we'll meet with an accident." 

"Noona," He said. "Are you sure about telling Baekhyunee Hyung about it?" 

Gayoung was silent, pondering over it for a moment. "Isn't it better to know from me than from the others later?" 

Woo-Jin thought about it for a moment as it had been going well with Baekhyun not knowing about it since he hadn't bump onto Min-Jae till now but there's no guarantee that he wouldn't and lying to him would be the worst thing which could lead to another worse situation later so his sister could probably be right about it. 

"But why are you calling Baekhyunee Hyung, Baekhyun-sii?" He commented, frowning as he looked at Gayoung to find her confused look greeting him. "What should I call him then?" 

"Just his name?" He shrugged. "I mean it's been more than 2 months since you have gotten married then why are you both still formally calling each other?" 

Gayoung pondered over it as she blinked a couple of times. "I don't know, I guess we've gotten used to it, that's why." 

"Then stop getting used to it or I'm going to tell Dodo about it!" 

"You insolent kid!" Gayoung exclaimed, hitting his arm and Woo-Jin whined. "It hurts!" 

He immediately stopped the car by the school as Gayoung got out the next second, to walk through the gate where she found her two little beans of her heart running towards her with their ever delightful smile warming her heart as she smiled with her arms opening up widely. 

"My babies!" 

Seojun and Areum were quick to hug her waist with their adorable giggles. "Mommy!" 

Gayoung bent over kissing their heads before straightening up to look down at them with a smile. "Did you have fun today?" 

"Yes!" Seojun exclaimed, beaming. "I almost threw the color box at the teacher." 

"What?!" Gayoung gasped, immediately looking at Areum. "Did he get scolded?" 

Areum shook his head with a giggle. "No, I caught the box!"

"Areum is so good at catching!" Seojun exclaimed, both of them looking at each other where Gayoung couldn't help but smile. "My both babies are talented like mommy!" 

"And dad too!" 

"Okay, dad too." Gayoung made a face jokingly making them laugh before she saw Mrs. Tae walking towards them with a smile as Gayoung smiled back. "Shall we go now?" 

Mrs Tae looked at her confusingly. "Me too?" 

"Yes." Gayoung nodded with a smile where Mrs. Tae nodded back to follow the trio to the car and as soon as the kids sat in the backseat, they gasped together. "Jiniee Uncle!" 

"My babies!" 

"They are my babies!" Gayoung intruded, fastening her seatbelt where Woo-Jin smiled at the kids. "Your mommy is jealous." 

"What is jealous?" Areum asked, with her confused round eyes at him and Seojun raised his arm. "I know!" 

Mrs Tae looked at him confusingly. "You know?" 

He nodded, enthusiastically with a beaming smile. "It means burning." 

Gayoung immediately slapped Woo-Jin's arm with a whisper-yell. "I told you not to teach him weird things!" 

"He was watching the drama with Dodo then how is it my fault?!" 

The bicker between siblings continued as Woo-Jin began to drive with the kids telling about their day to their mother until Woo-Jin began to speak again. "Who wants to have an ice-cream?" 

"Me!" Both of the kids raised their arms with Gayoung raising her hand too to which Mrs Tae chuckled, where Woo-Jin stopped the car by the shop while looking at Gayoung who looked at him with a scoff. "Seriously?" 

"Go, buy us some ice-cream." 

She rolled her eyes but still complied, as she got out of the car leaving them and taking this chance, Woo-Jin began to play with kids while showing them some tricks of how to light up someone's mood by doing some weird face to which kids laughed yet complied leaving Mrs Tae with a shake of her head towards them. 

Soon enough, Woo-Jin went back after dropping them off with the kids resting and playing in their room while Gayoung was in the backyard, walking around with her bare feet while her mind caught up with several thoughts, her past memories flashing right in front of her again which just made her even more hard for her to untangle her thoughts about it. 

She wanted to talk to her Dodo who always help her out with her tangled thoughts, her confused mind but he was on a business trip so she didn't want to stress him out about it when he would be tired but right now, she was in need of someone to listen to her to ease her heart. 

She didn't even realize when the sun had set down to bring the dawn afterwards, or when in her caught up thoughts she had sat by the step of the stairs of the backyard and in the moment, a pair of small arms had hugged her neck from behind flinching her where the next second, a weight was settled down on her lap. 

Blinking a couple of times, she found Seojun in on her