“This isn’t right,” L.Joe said as he prevented Maddie from actually kissing him. He kept her away at arms length. “You’re drunk, and I can’t let you do this.”

            “Why not?” Maddie asked pouting. “I like you, can’t you see?”

            “This isn’t right. Let’s get you to bed.”

            “Only if you come with me.”

            L.Joe sighed as he looked at Maddie. “I’ll sit beside you until you fall asleep,” he said deeming that that would probably be good enough. He never saw Maddie drunk before and never knew about what she would do if she were, but he guesses that she just becomes a more open person after drinking.

            Hesitantly, L.Joe put his arm around Maddie and began leading her to the bedroom. Immediately, Maddie latched onto him, but L.Joe couldn’t do anything about it until Maddie was in her bed.

            No matter how much L.Joe was actually trying to get over his feelings for Maddie, she still made his heart flutter, especially now that she was close and leaning on him. “Here, your room,” L.Joe said as he opened the door and led Maddie to her bed. “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll be sitting over here.”

            “But Byunghun,” Maddie whined as she held onto his arm to prevent him from leaving. L.Joe sighed as he looked at Maddie. “Please, don’t leave me, too.”

          “I’m not,” L.Joe said as he pointed to the chair that was near the desk. “I’ll just be sitting over there, alright? Get some sleep, okay? You probably need some.”

           “Alright, alright,” Maddie said as she closed her eyes and nodded her head before she flopped onto the bed. “I’ll sleep. Goodnight, Byunghun.”

            “Goodnight Maddie,” L.Joe said with a smile before he went over to the chair.

            As soon as the room was quiet, a thousand different thoughts began entering L.Joe’s mind, not only about Maddie, but about the whole Jaerin situation, too. L.Joe wondered if it would be better for him to tell Myungsoo about the situation before Jaerin did, but on sensible terms, L.Joe was sure that Myungsoo wouldn’t react well either way.

            It was a hard thing, confessing to someone that he had a child. L.Joe remembered how hard it was to bring it up with his parents two years ago, but that time had passed and slowly, L.Joe suppressed those memories, only to have them reappear as Jaerin reappeared before him. Still, though, L.Joe was curious about his daughter. He was curious about what she would look like and how her personality was and he wondered if she took after him in any way. In fact, he was excited to have his daughter live in Korea, he just wasn’t entirely sure how well things would go with Jaerin back.

            But besides Jaerin, Chunji was also on L.Joe’s mind. L.Joe wondered how Chunji would be able to cheat on Maddie, it just didn’t seem like it was possible. After all, there had to be some story behind it because if L.Joe knew anything, it was that Chunji really liked Maddie, so why would he cheat?

            Slowly, though, L.Joe felt his eyes grow heavier, but as he attempted to keep himself up, he only made himself feel more tired than he was before. Sighing, L.Joe stood up and walked over to Maddie’s side to thankfully find her sleeping. After taking one last look at her, L.Joe made his way to the living room to get some sleep.

L.Joe woke up in the morning to the door opening. Groggily, he sat up and rubbed his eyes to find Chunji in front of him. “Hyung, what are you doing here?” L.Joe asked at the sight of him.

            “I could ask you the same thing,” Chunji said with a chuckle as he saw L.Joe’s messy hair and wrinkled clothing. “Why are you here?”

            “I…Maddie was drunk last night,” L.Joe sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “She called me and I figured that it wouldn’t be good for her to stay home alone and drink herself away, so I came over. Why are you doing?”

            “I’m getting the rest of my things. Didn’t you hear? The wedding is off,” Chunji sighed.

            “I don’t know if Maddie is in the best state to see you right now,” L.Joe began. “What exactly did you do to her?”

            “What do you mean? I don’t know what I did to her. She just started going on about all of these things…”

            “Do you remember any of those things?”

            “No,” Chunji honestly sighed. “I don’t remember very well. Lately she’s been acting kind of weird though, that’s why I thought giving her space would help things, but it apparently only made them worse.”

            “She thinks you’re cheating on her, hyung,” L.Joe said as he got up from the couch and approached his brother. “She thinks you’re cheating on her. She told me before about how she saw you with a girl and how the girl kissed you on the cheek,” L.Joe began to explain as he remembered Maddie explaining to him what she saw. “I know well that we don’t have a sister, so tell me, hyung, are you cheating on her?”

            “Are you out of your mind?” Chunji scoffed. “Why in the world would I cheat on Maddie? I love her.”

            “Well love isn’t the only thing that holds a relationship together,” L.Joe said as he remembered Maddie’s words from the previous night. “But hyung,” L.Joe said as Chunji began walking towards the bedroom, “for one, don’t disturb her sleep. And secondly, for loving a girl, you’re doing one heck of a job of trying to get her back.”

            Maddie awoke an hour after Chunji left with his remaining things. Since he didn’t have any important classes, L.Joe decided not to go to university and stayed at the house to help Maddie since he was sure she would have one heck of a hangover the next morning, and he was right.

            “Byunghun?” Maddie asked as she saw him standing in the kitchen. “What are you doing here?”

            “Do you not remember anything from last night?” L.Joe asked as he placed the hangover soup he made in front of her as she sat down at the counter.

            “Why? Did we do anything?” Maddie suddenly asked with wide eyes.

            “No, no, no,” L.Joe said with a chuckle, “we didn’t do anything. You just called me and I came over to make sure you didn’t drink too much.”

            “Well it feels as though I was hit by a truck,” Maddie said as she looked down at the soup that L.Joe prepared. “Thanks.”

            “For what?” he asked as he pulled up a chair next to her.

            “Thanks for always being there when I need someone.”

            “No problem, I’m good with that type of thing. Now eat, you don’t want it to get cold.”

            “Alright,” Maddie said as she slowly began eating it. “It doesn’t taste that bad.”

            “Awesome!” L.Joe exclaimed.  “But…Maddie,” L.Joe said after there was a brief period of silence.

            “Yes?”

            “What’s really going on with you and hyung? Are you really breaking off the wedding with him?”

            “I’m seriously considering it.”

            “So then that means that nothing is finalized, right?”

            “Right…but why are you asking all of this?” Maddie wondered.

            “Because I think you and hyung are good for one another, I don’t think you should just suddenly break up with him.”

            “But I’ve had this suspicion all along…ever since we started dating. I always thought that maybe there was another girl in the picture.”

            “You’ve had the feeling ever since the beginning?” L.Joe asked. “Then why didn’t you do anything?”

            “I thought it would stop,” Maddie sighed, “I thought that it was just a wrong feeling and that it would pass. Honestly, that wasn’t the first time I saw him with another girl, but it was the first time I saw him with another girl since we got engaged.”

            “But you didn’t bring it up with him before that?”

            “No,” Maddie said as she shook her head. “I don’t know why, though. Do you know that feeling? The feeling of wanting to say something but not knowing the words to say?”

            “I know that feeling all too well,” L.Joe said as he thought to the Jaerin situation.

            “Well I didn’t know what to say to him. What do I say? Do I tell him that I just saw him cheating? Do I say that I don’t want to be with him anymore because he’s like a player? As easy as those words are to think, they’re not that easy to say, Byunghun.”

            “I understand,” L.Joe said with a gentle smile. “If you want me to, I can talk to him.”

            “Just give me a little time, then maybe I’ll be able to approach him. Maybe then we’ll be able to have a conversation with one another, a civil conversation where we can understand each other’s feelings.”

            “Alright. I’ll just tell him not to give up yet, that there’s still hope.”

            Without saying anything, Maddie simply looked at L.Joe and gave a gentle smile. She was thankful to L.Joe since he was always there when she needed him the most. “Why are you looking at me like that?” L.Joe questioned as he saw the look in Maddie’s eye.

            “No reason,” Maddie said shaking her head as her eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. “Ah, don’t you have to get to classes?”

            “I’m not going today,” L.Joe calmly said. “I thought I’d hang out here and help you if you needed.”

            “No, your education is more important,” Maddie said as she frantically looked at him. “You should go to classes. It’s still early, you could still catch a couple.”

            “But—,” L.Joe attempted to interrupt.

            “No buts,” Maddie said. “I’m a big girl, I can do it by myself. You should go get an education, you don’t want to just sit around and do nothing all day, right?”

            “That would be nice…” L.Joe muttered.

            “Nice or not, you should go to class.”

            “Alright, alright,” L.Joe said with a chuckle, “I’m going. If you need me, just call, I’ll always come.”

            “Got it,” Maddie said with a smile as L.Joe began gathering his things to go. “Ah, Byunghun,” Maddie said stopping him before he was able to make it out the door. “Thank you for making this.”

            “You’re welcome,” L.Joe said before he left to quickly go home and change clothes before attending his two afternoon classes.

            After changing, L.Joe made his way to class, and while going, his mind drifted back to the conversation he had with Maddie. L.Joe figured that maybe, just maybe, he might be able to tell Myungsoo himself. It would be more honest since L.Joe now remembered about the past that he had with Jaerin and maybe he wouldn’t have to lose a friend.

            “Hey, I didn’t see you this morning, where were you?” Myungsoo asked as he approached L.Joe once he got on campus.

            “Just sorting out a couple of things. Did anything interesting happen?” L.Joe asked.

            “No,” Myungsoo said shaking his head, “does anything interesting ever happen?”

            “Myungsoo, before our next class, can I talk to you for a minute?”

            “Yeah, what do you want to talk about?” Myungsoo asked with a confusing expression. He wasn’t entirely sure what L.Joe wanted to talk about since it was strange for L.Joe to be asking that sort of question.

            “It’s about…Jaerin,” L.Joe slowly began as his phone abruptly started ringing. “Ah…um…let me answer this.”

            “No problem,” Myungsoo said as he watched L.Joe walk a little distance off to answer his phone.

            “Just the person I wanted to talk to,” L.Joe said once he picked up the phone.

            “Why would you want to talk to me?” Jaerin wondered on the other line.

            “I’m telling Myungsoo. I’m telling him about our past together and I’m going to do it right now.”

            “Before that…let’s do it together,” Jaerin suggested.

            “What? What are you talking about?” L.Joe asked. “You want me to wait until you’re in Korea to tell him?”

            “That’s the thing, I’m already in Korea,” Jaerin confessed.

            “You’re what? I thought you left to go back home.”

            “I never really left. Yes I know I was at the airport and I went on a plane, but I didn’t really. Me coming first was to settle down before my parents and Jocelyn came over.”

            “What are you talking about?” L.Joe asked as his mind started going in circles. “You can’t be here, you can’t be in Korea already. Are you crazy?”

            “Really? Turn around,” Jaerin said.

            Slowly, L.Joe turned around and saw Jaerin standing behind him pushing a stroller with a little girl in it. “Jaerin?” Myungsoo asked as he ran up to the two of them causing L.Joe to quickly turn his head to look at him before turning back to look at the little girl. “Who is that? Your little sister?”

          “Hi Myungsoo,” Jaerin said as she pushed the stroller closer. “No, this isn’t my little sister. It’s my daughter.”

           “Daughter? But how—,” Myungsoo began to ask when he saw L.Joe and it finally hit him. There was no way, but the way that L.Joe was looking at the little girl, there would be no other explanation for it. It was a loving expression, one of awe and of amazement. It wasn’t the expression that just anyone would give. “But…but I thought you guys didn’t know each other.”

            “I’m sorry, Myungsoo,” Jaerin apologized. “But this is Jocelyn, my and L.Joe’s daughter.”

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What will happen now that Myungsoo knows? Will Maddie and Chunji make up? Will L.Joe be able to bond with his daughter?

Here's Chapter 12. Hope you enjoyed :D

And sorry for not updating in forever, but things are starting to get good...at least I hope they're starting to get good.

Anyway, have a good morning, good afternoon, or goodnight. See you soon :)