"Is the little girl your wife is holding your daughter?" Mary asked him as he nodded. "Did something happen? Why's there a hole?"

 

"I had a bad past. I was burning all the photos that reminded me of my ex-wife, but I came across this photo during the burning," he said with a weak smile. 

 

"What happened between you and your ex-wife?" Mary asked as he looked at her. She blinked and bit her bottom lip sheepishly, "I'm sorry. I'm being too nosy."

 

"Don't worry about it," he said and continued. "My ex-wife wasn't really marriage material. She disrespected me and my mother. Once she gave birth to our little daughter, she didn't care of her. I had to do all the work, although I didn't mind it because my daughter did love me more."

 

"That's terrible, but at least your daughter still had you," she said with a warm smile. "But what happened next?"

 

Doctor Kim chuckled at the way Mary looked so interested, like a child would during story time. He looked at the photo and sighed. "My ex-wife and I constantly fought, which was unhealthy for our relationship. My daughter would runaway from us during our arguments and I'd go find her, if not then my ex-wife would. She hated how we fought all the time."

 

Just like me when my parents fought.

 

"My daughter cried all the time and I would hold her to sleep to make sure she was alright. She even asked me to sing for her once because she met a boy at the park, who sung beautifully to her," he said with a warm smile. "But because of the relationship I had with her mother, I left."

 

"Why didn't you take your daughter with you?" Mary asked, furrowing her eyebrows. 

 

"I lost custody of her, so I couldn't take her," he said with tears in his eyes. "She was all I had, but I lost her to that woman."

 

"That's horrible," Mary softly said, almost like a whisper. This sounds just like my past. Appa would always take care of me...

 

"I never got to see her then," he said looking at the photo. "This is the only memory I have of my daughter, this photo. It doesn't even show her angelic face."

 

Mary looked at the photo and sighed. "You must really miss her."

 

"Of course I do, I basically raised her until my divorce," he softly said. "But I know she's in good hands. My mother took custody of her, since her mother suddenly left. I heard she's doing well."

 

"Why don't you go see her then since your mother is taking care of her?" Mary asked Doctor Kim as he shook his head. 

 

"I don't want to just pop out of no where and say I'm taking them under my arms; that wouldn't be right. I don't think she'd accept me anyways," he said with a sad smile. 

 

"You're her father, she'd have to," she said with a sweet smile. "If my father came back for me, I would immediately jump in his arms and cry my heart out to him. To tell him how much I've missed him."

 

"Would my daughter really do that?" he asked as she shrugged. 

 

"I don't know about your daughter, but I know I would," she said and looked at the clock. "Oh, I should get going. It was nice meeting you ahjussi."

 

"Just call me Mr. Kim," he said with a smile. She returned a smile and twisted the door knob. "Again, about the hospital bill. You don't worry about it, I'll handle it."

 

Mary nodded and left his office. Doctor Kim looked at the closed door then to the photo. "Will my daughter really accept me?"

 

He took the photo out from the frame and looked at the back to see their names and the date.

Minhyun. Younha. Mary at the age of 5. May 23, 1998. 

 

--------

 

Daehyun walked out of the company to see a familiar figure up at the bus stop. He got closer and rounded his eyes. 

 

"Mary~!" he shouted her name, making her turn her head. She smiled and waved at him as he ran to her, giving her a hug. "Where were you this morning? I was worried about you."

 

She smiled and hugged him tight. "I'm sorry. I should've told you."

 

"So, where did you go? Did you skip out? Was it because of me? Did I-"

 

"Oppa, it has nothing to do with you," she giggled and released the hug. "I had to talk to the doctor about my grandmother."

 

Daehyun felt relieved that she was alright, but his heart broke a bit. "How is your grandmother?"

 

"She's..." Mary trailed off to hold in her cry. Daehyun knew what was going to happen next, so he embraced her as she slowly let her tears out. 

 

"Don't cry Mary. She's still here with you, right? Think of the present and enjoy every last minute of it," he said, soothing her. She nodded and held Daehyun closer to her. The bus came and they both got on, heading home silently. Daehyun held onto her hand the whole entire bus ride and soon their stop came. He walked her home and watched her go up the stairs. You'll alright, right?