Author's POV

Jiyong looked up at the ceiling. He still couldn’t stop smiling. Furthermore he couldn’t even get a wink of sleep. He was too excited and happy that he couldn’t even think of anything else but Dara. He bit his lower lip as he thought of Dara's smile and yet again his smile just wouldn’t stop.

He tossed and turned but his excitement didn’t die down no matter what he did. It was an exhilarating feeling.

He bit his lower lip trying to hide stop his smile from coming out but for some reason whenever he thinks about Dara he just couldn’t help but smile.

It all felt like a dream. He just couldn’t believe it.

But as he was swimming in his happy thoughts, his phone suddenly rang.

Thinking it was Dara, he immediately answered it with excitement.

Jiyong: Dara?

Kaede: Unfortunately, this isn’t the woman you've decided to cheat my little princess with.

Jiyong looked at the phone's screen to check who was calling. His eyes widened when he saw that it was Kiko's mother calling him.

Jiyong: Mrs. Mizuhara...

Kaede: I trusted you with my daughter Jiyong. How could you do this to her? My husband and I cannot accept this foolishness. You will meet us and tell us what is truly going on!

Jiyong: I'm not in the position to refuse.

Kaede: (scoffs) of course you don’t. After what you did to our daughter... You're lucky we're not looking into—

Drew: That's enough Kaede. We'll talk to him face-to-face.

Kiko's mother ended the call and Jiyong just stared at his phone.

The excitement he felt a while ago has now been covered with worry and anxiousness. He stood up and took a jacket to head out. He needed a drink to clear out his mind and the best place would be with his friends.

Jiyong sighed before finally opening his car door. He went down and looked at the café where he was about to meet Kiko's parents. He was contemplating whether to let Dara know what he was up to and decided to let her know.

He didn’t want to repeat his mistake last time.

He walked into the café's door and immediately saw the backs of the people he was supposed to meet. They were very poised and dignified yet something felt off about them. The moment he opened the door, they both looked and there was sudden tension in the air.

He felt his breath get stuck in this throat.

The way Kiko's parents looked at him was the same way Dara looked at him when she first learned that he was engaged to someone else...

That same look that his brother gave him when he was trying to tell him that Dara wasn’t his wife...

That look his father always gave him whenever he looks at Jiyong.

That look of disappointment.

He made a fist and dug his nails into his palm. Feeling the pain, he was able to wake back up to reality and remove his thoughts of anger.

Seeing people's looks of disappointment just brings out memories he doesn’t want to remember.

Jiyong walked to the table and they all sat back down. Jiyong was facing Kiko's father while Kiko's parents sat beside each other.

Kaede: We trusted you to take care of our daughter Jiyong. How could you do this to her? Leaving her as soon as you find a to—

Jiyong: With all due respect Mrs. Mizuhara, but Dara is not a . I may have hurt your daughter but Dara has nothing to do with it.

Kaede: (scoffs) has nothing to do with it? Bull!

Kaede Mizuhara, an old woman who had a hard time having a child due to different complications in her body. Having Kiko was a miracle. Furthering down how important her daughter is to her. Her only child has been hurt by someone like this?

Why did she trust him?

Because she saw how happy her daughter was. She wanted the best for her child, only the best. And seeing Kiko happy with someone made her forget her worries. She thought Jiyong would take care of her most important person. And yet here they are, looking at Jiyong defending that... .

Kaede: She has everything to do with this! The moment you came back to Korea, you suddenly turn around and hurt my daughter? For a fling that won’t last you long? What type of seduction did she do to get you? What do we have to do to get you out of that illusion?!

Jiyong gritted his teeth as he listened to them. He was already boiling inside but he thought of this as his punishment for destroying their trust.

But lord knows he can only take so much of what they are saying, especially when they're dragging Dara into this when she didn’t have an ounce of mistake in this whole problem.

Drew: Jiyong, you said you were a man of your own words. Were you not the one who promised to take care of our child...?

Jiyong looked at Drew Mizuhara dead in the eyes.

Jiyong: I am a man of my words. And I did tell you that I will take care of your daughter. And that's exactly what I did.

Kaede: This is how you take care of her?! By pushing her away and flirting with another woman?!

Jiyong: I made sure that I took care of Kiko while I was with her. And I also made sure that I wasn't cheating on her. It might be stupid and I'm monster to you but would you rather see me with Dara while I continuously hurt Kiko? Kiko deserves someone better than me, I know it. And that's why I told her the truth.

Kaede: Don’t you even feel guilty for what you did to my girl?!

Jiyong: Look Mrs. Mizuhara... I—

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