Chapter 4 (Heedragon)
One week more to go before Christmas, the the Kwon household could line up as one of those already prepared for holidays. It was not Jiyong's idea to have such decorative appearance in the house, unfortunately, his daughter made sure he said yes to all she wanted this Christmas. And that could be the cause why the place glowed in the middle of the night.
If possible, all who would pass by their place needed to use sunglasses just to look at the place. Jiyong was thankful enough that their place was far enough in the street not to attract attention.
At least, a part of the house was on left alone, the way Jiyong likes it and that would be their living room. No ridiculous decors were planted and decorated. Even a single pine tree was out of perception. However, it didn't take long when his daughter gave such interest to the particular place— she wanted to decorate it.
"Soleil, I've already agreed about the garden, the yard, the kitchen and how could I forget the other 7 to eight rooms in this house, but this time you have to agree with me. No decoration in this part, understand?" Jiyong muttered.
Soleil’s sulking and pout easily distinguished in her innocent face. "I don't. I want this place to have a Christmas tree and many gifts under it."
The grown man sighed in utter annoyance. Why was his daughter so grating at times? He remained his calmness nonetheless. "I will agree in one condition."
The little girl's eyes sparked in hope, her hands clasped one another in excitement "What is it?"
"We will remove those eye sore lights outside."
"What! NO!" Soleil said with her eyebrows furried together
"Then my answer will be no as well." Jiyong folded his arms.
"B-but…if I say yes you will put a Christmas tree in our living room?"
"That's the condition."
Soleil stared at her father, scrutinizing his expression. She couldn't read his mask, Soleil sighed in defeat and nodded her head. "Fine, no Christmas light outside." she gave up.
"Good." Jiyong said and turned around, leaving his daughter in front of the living room.
"Daddy…" Soleil prompt, running. "I want to decorate it on myself."
"What? The maids can do it."
"No, I wanna try it. Can we do it this Saturday? I'm planning to invite Aunt—"
"If you're talking about So- Miss Ahn, enough, you're bothering her too much."
Soleil's face lighted. " I didn't saying any name yet, why did you think its Aunt Sohee I'm talking about."
Jiyong froze from his position, why did he think about it? He cleared his throat and avoided his daughter's eyes. "W-well, that's because you always bother her."
"I don't bother her, if I do she would say so. It's final. I'm going to invite her here to eat dinner with us. Topic closed."
"Soleil, I didn't agree with that…."
But the little girl was walking, more like running, up the stairs.
"It's not in the condition, so I suppose it's alright. Goodnight daddy, it's getting late you have to sleep now." Soleil continued her “walk” up to her bedroom.
"W-wait?" Jiyong grunted. His daughter outwitted him again. He somehow considered of not letting Yoobin or Sunmi to take care of his child any more. Their misbehavior merely introducing in his daughter's mind like a plague would do as though eating and consuming her brain.

Saturday came and Soleil was all excited to see her Aunt once more. She made it sure that everything were under control.
Christmas décor, checked; food for dinner, checked; cookies for snacks, checked…her father? Soleil strode to his room but the place was vacant. She went to his private office but no Jiyong found.
"Where's papa?" Soleil strode down the stairs and asked every maid she could find. There must be a lot of maids in the Tsukimori household but no one of them ever saw Jiyong or his presence in the place.
Anxious grew in her heart; this was not what she expected. She walked past the living room toward the kitchen. She halted, why in the world was her father doing in the kitchen? She shrugged the thought and turned to the living room once more, waiting for her father to appear.
Not long after, the said father welcomed her. She stood but paused midway when she realized that her father was not alone.
"H-Hello." she muttered, quite uncertain.
"I saw her not far in our place." Jiyong began his explanation knowing his daughter needed one.
"Huh?" Soleil responded eyes still transfixed at their guest.
"My car broke when I'm on my way here, I called you earlier but you're not answering my phone calls."
Soleil blinked, understanding came down in her mind. "EH? S-sorry Aunt Sohee, I didn't know."
Sohee chuckled. "It's alright, good thing Ji- I mean your father was on his way home too."
Soleil smiled back, it seemed her plan was taking its own route without her making an effort. "Ah! Aunt Sohee, come…come, I help Mrs. Cho in preparing our dinner." Soleil tugged the lady's dress, telling how she helped the head cook in the preparation of their dinner.
Both adults glanced at each other, chuckle slipped at Sohee's lips while Jiyong looked at her with raised brow.
"Here we are!" Soleil ushered her guest at the side chair beside her and turned around to smile at her father in front of them.
They started to eat their dinner. Soleil smiled and glanced at Sohee. "Aunt Sohee, can you stay for a while, we're going to decorate the Christmas tree."
Jiyong mechanically slapped his forehead, how could he forget the most imperative fact this very moment. Sohee loves decorating Christmas tree…his face made another surprise appearance when he realized that until this time he knew about it.
"Daddy, are you alright?"
Jiyong gulped and gazed at his daughter. "Yes, go on."
"Aunt Sohee said yes, isn't it nice? She'll help us."
Jiyong nodded his head and secretly glided his stare at the lady. He could see her smile. Smile that could on par with his daughter's beaming toothy grin.
Crap. Jiyong cussed in his mind, following the two ladies toward the living room after they had finished their dinner.
"So, Aunt Sohee, do you think the silver is better than gold?" Soleil muttered shoving the golden balls and the silver balls upward.
Sohee looked at her in her thinking position; hands resting in her chin while her index finger tapping her cheek. "The golden is better. Are you planning to match it with the red ribbon?"
"Ahm, yeah."
"Gold is better." Sohee grabbed the golden ball from the kid's hand.
"Ok, if that's what you said." Soleil chuckled as she looked at her father. "Papa, why are you standing there, will you mind helping us."
Jiyong, frozen in his current position, melted right away, nodding his head as he strode where the ladies were.
"You can put the ribbons around the tree..." Sohee said, lending the ribbons with a smile on her face.
Jiyong just stared at her, looking how those eyes turned to puppy eyes. He mentally shook his head and grabbed the ribbons. "Is this right?" he asked, preventing any eye contact with the lady.
"Just, right. Ahm…more to the left."
"Here?"
"No, right."
"So?"
"Wait left."
"Is it ok now?"
"Put it back."
"What?" Jiyong glared back.
"But it's much better that way." Sohee's lips curled up into pout. Jiyong remained his stares at her face, brushing her expression with his eyes in such detailed.
Sohee looked away, avoiding his gaze as she turned around to aid the kid.
Soleil merely left a chuckle sound and grabbed the lady's invitation of lifting her up.
"Y-You're heavy." Sohee muttered, staggering. She didn't think that the kid was that heavy despite of her little form. Her feet, wobbled as she almost lost her balance; fortunately her back hit something to support her weight.
Instead of sighing in relief, Sohee only gasped in surprise as one arm held her own. She looked back, words caught in . "U-ummm…"
"Will you two be careful." His warm breath bounced at her head, making her face hued with color.
"S-sorry." Sohee stepped away, kid still in her grasped, as adrenalin rushed to her body making her to fully lift the girl without any effort. Soleil became weightless as Sohee focused herself with the enticing feeling in her heart, in which it should not be there.
They sustained their work in silence, clunking of the Christmas balls and sliding of the ribbons could be heard in the silence. Murmurs of maids in their quarters, dogs in their guard house, and cats wondering the mansion amplified in the air.
"So UNCOOL, why aren't you speaking." Soleil broke the agonizing silence. "This is not what I expected. I want Aunt Sohee to be happy with us this time. Why aren't you two talking?"
"It's not necessary. We're busy decorating the trees we don't have time to talk." Sohee went closer to the kid and patted her head.
"Hmm…" she kept her pout, gesturing for her father to come forward. Jiyong complied and walked closer. "I want to put the star on the top of the Christmas tree." She muttered.
Sohee chuckled with her cute antics as she glanced at the lad. Jiyong sighed once more, lifting his daughter and walked back in front of the Christmas tree.
Sohee followed and gave the star at the kid. In return, a big beam festooned on the kid's lips. "Thank you!"
"Yeah, Soleil , it's finish." Sohee cheered smiling at the kid.
The girl nodded. "Right." her eyes fixed at the Christmas tree as it started to gleam different colors of the rainbow. Her eyes reflected the light, glowing with her feature when both adults looked at her.
Her face, adorned with delight as a big smile on her lips seemed so priceless in the eyes of the two spectators. "Thank you…"
The two smiled. Jiyong, who seldom do such, merely couldn't stop the curving of his lips as he watched her daughter staring at their first Christmas tree for four years.
Soleil  glanced at the two. "It's the most beautiful Christmas tree in the world!" she gestured by moving her hands upwards. "I hope it'll be the same next year." her eyes started to flutter as she walked to her father.
"You're sleepy now. Get some rest." Jiyong  lifted the kid.
"Hn, I will…" Soleil responded and glanced at Sohee. " Can you sleep here? Just this one time, please."
Sohee glanced at Jiyong, seemingly asking if it was ok with him; however the man didn't react or respond to her.
"Ah, I-it's…" Sohee paused, exhaling before she  sustained. "It's fine with me."
Soleil giggled. "You'll stay by my side Neh, Aunt Sohee." She yawned.
The lady strode closer to touch her cheek, "I will, go to sleep now."
Jiyong excused as he brought the kid to her room while Sohee stayed downstairs to help the maid in putting the excess décors in the box.
After some time, Sohee muttered approaching the lad in front of the living room door. "Is she sleeping now?"
"Yes," in one word he responded.
"Do you want some coffee?"
"Thank you." Jiyong responded, nodding while he walked to the sofa.
"I'll be right back."
Moments later, Sohee walked back, hands occupied with two big mugs. Jiyong opened his eyes as he heard footsteps making a hard step on the floor.
"Why didn't you ask help from the maids?" Jiyong helped her.
"It's such a bother. I did it on myself anyway."
"You are more bothersome. What if you accidentally spilled it to your hands, you know that—" he paused. It was not his concern anymore, why does he still dig his nose in her life.
Instead of a shock expression, in Jiyong obviously expected, what he saw were smile gleamed on her lips, followed with a light chuckle that was music to his ear.
"You're still the that guy I know."
"I never changed." His voice low, gentle and warm.
"But things around us changed a lot," she said. Sadness laced through her words giving light prickles in his heart. In spite of it, she remained the smile on her lips.
He didn't know how to react or how would he respond. All he did was to bow his head, preventing her eyes as far as possible.
Two hands wrapped itself at the side of his cheeks, pulling it upward to meet hers. "It's already in the past. We can't change it anymore." she said, reading his eyes with much attention.
Realizing what her impulse did, Sohee hurriedly unraveled her hands around his cheeks face plastered with multiple shades of red. "U-umm…" her eyes met the mug, collecting it as she walked once more. "The coffees are already cold, I'm going to reheat it fir—"
Her words cut short. Arms flew instinctively around her from behind. Her heartbeat raced in such haste, her breath stopped for a moment. His arms tightened its grip, making her to lean closer against his body.
"Ji- Mr.Kwon…?" dried and vacant, mind block and vague.
They remained that way for a while, sharing equally the warmth in the middle of the cold night. Sohee's hand crawled up to his arm, holding it as well.
Jiyong was the first to move away, his eyes meeting the floor. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know why…I'm sorry." Jiyong shook his head, running his fingers through his hair.
Why did he suddenly do it? Everything was blank, when she let go and moved away, the only thing that processed in his mind was she was leaving. A part of him didn't want it that way; he didn't want to be far from her…for the second time.
Sohee forced a smiled. "I'm going to reheat these coffees."
He didn't budge a move; eyes were the only things following the lady's descending form.
She took her time in the kitchen, fearing that he stayed in the living room. Her mind cut into two folds, her heart undecided. A part of her wanted to move, to distance but another part of her couldn't take even a small space between him and her. Sohee sighed, walking back the living room but just to find him still present.
Form, sleeping in the sofa, one arm blocking his view as it rested on his forehead. Sohee walked where he was, melting in the soft fabric beneath her feet as she closed their distance, scrutinizing his sleeping form with her meticulous eyes.
"Many things had changed." her quivering hand brushed the locks blocking his face. "I waited for so long. You promised me that you will return and we will be together but you didn't, you returned for the very first and last time but just to give up everything. You didn't know how it hurts…how it felt when the one you loved is with another woman. You don't know what I feel, but…" tears formed in her eyes. "But…despite of all those pains you had given to me, I still can't hate you, I can't loathe you, I can't do anything that can harm you because…with all the years that had gone, my feelings." she exhaled. "My feelings never changed…even once it didn't."
She knelt down, leaning closer as her lips pressed against his. I still love you…Tears started to flow from her eyes, they drop down to his cheek as it glided downward.
His hand came into  contact with her cheek, lightly sitting up but never breaking the kiss as he kissed back.