"Ugh." Suhyun groaned and her hand shot up to block the sun from her face. "What time is it?" She mumbled to herself. She sat up and something felt strange. Where's Fany? Her eyes shot open and true enough Fany wasn't on the bed where she usually slept. She stood up in a frantic search for her baby. To her surprise, Fany was asleep soundly in a cot at the corner of the room. Kris must have gone out early to get that cot. 

She sighed as she thought about the conversation she had with him the night before. Still feeling a little upset, she decided not to talk to him unless it was needed, in order to avoid unwanted friction and arguments. Truthfully, she wanted to be back by his side but she could not ignore the feeling that he was only changing and doing everything because now she had Fany. Why didn't he change before? 

Taking opportunity of Fany sleeping, she hurried out of bed hoping to finish some household chores before Fany woke up. As she made the bed, something yellow caught her eye. It was a note from Kris. It read, "Hey Suhyunnie, oppa had to settle something at the office but I'll be quick. See you soon." At the end of the note, he drew an awkward looking heart. She couldn't help smiling while reading it. 

Mornings were usually the busiest times for her. She had to prepare milk for Fany, sterilise her milk bottles, wash her clothes and clean the house a little before heading to her cafe. All of that was usually completed within two hours. She was feeding Fany when she felt a strain in her back and arms. She shrugged it off and continued to rock Fany in her arms. As she laid Fany down in her new cot to rest, she felt her head growing heavy. Maybe it was a good idea for her to stay at home to rest. After calling Kyungsoo to take care of the cafe, she curled into bed and slept. 

It was barely 15 minutes before she was awoken by Fany's cries. She immediately got up from the bed and rushed to Fany's side. But before getting to the cot, her vision blurred and she fell. She rubbed her forehead where it hit something hard. Just then the sound of the main door shutting could be heard. Kris was home. Being the stubborn person she was, she refused to call out for help instead she just sat there waiting for the dizziness to go away while Fany continued crying. 

Kris came home as soon as he finished his work. He liked spending more time at home now, even if it meant doing household chores and taking care of Suhyun and Fany. As soon as he entered the house, Fany's loud cries echoed through the whole house. He thought it was strange and hurried over to the bedroom only to find Suhyun on the floor, massaging her forehead. 

"Suhyunnie? What happened?" He helped her up quickly and placed her on the bed. He was able to feel the heat from the body and concluded she was probably running a fever. He swiftly placed a pacifier into Fany's mouth before turning back his attention to Suhyun. "You're running a fever." He informed her before leaving to get a towel. 

He rolled up the sleeves on his dress shirt carefully as he filled a basin with water. He placed the basin on the bedside table carefully and squeezed the towel before placing it on her forehead carefully. As the wet towel came into contact with her forehead, she winced in pain. He noticed it and removed the towel immediately; the red scratch was obvious on her pale skin. He tried to hide his worry as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. She very much wanted to react to the kiss but she didn't have the energy to. So she laid there quietly with her eyes shut. 

In a few minutes he was changed in causal clothes. "I'll go to the store to get some medicine and ingredients for dinner. I'll take Fany with me so you can rest properly. I'll be quick. Wait for me." He whispered and planted a quick peck of her cheek before leaving. 

She awoke once again when the sky was dark. She pulled the sheets up and shivered. It felt colder now than before. Was it raining outside? As if on cue, Kris came into the room with a bowl of porridge. He the table lamp and smiled when he saw her awake. "Are you feeling better? I thought you might be hungry." His voice was soft and gentle. 

She nodded and tried to sit up but failed miserably. "Where's Fany?" She didn't hear Fany cry at all. 

He smiled as he helped her to sit up. "Don't worry. All taken care of. She's sleeping in her cot in the study. I was worried she'll wake you up so I brought her cot there. It's better that way so she wouldn't fall sick too. I'll leave the door open so I can hear her if she cries." He picked up a small spoon of porridge and started feeding her. She initially refused but she felt too weak to even move her head. 

After eating, he disappeared out the door but left it open just in case. She tried closing her eyes to sleep but she felt colder and colder. Although she resisted calling for Kris, she finally gave in and called for him softly. Within a few seconds, he appeared by her side. "O-oppa, I'm c-cold." She shivered underneath the sheets. Instinctively, he felt her forehead and it was still hot. 

"The medicine should take effect soon. Should I get you a towel?" She could see him frowning as the faint light from outside shone on his face, highlighting his handsome features. 

She shook her head, remembering how it stung when the water touched the scratch on her forehead. He went outside for a moment before returning and lying beside her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, using the warmth from his body to keep her warm. 

She froze in his arms. "Maybe you should sleep outside with Fany. It'll affect your work if you're sick." 

That didn't make him leave or loosen his arms around her. In fact he tightened his arms around her. "In sickness and in health." He whispered into her hair. 

"W-what. We aren't married." 

He chuckled at her response. She was still able to diss him while being sick. "Actually, I've a ring prepared. It's ready for you when you're ready. I hope you'll say 'yes' some how." He continued chuckling awkwardly. She didn't respond. How could he still be so confident about her reply when she somewhat rejected him the day before? 

He took her silence as an opportunity to continue talking. "You know how much I love you right? I know it was wrong of me to hurt you in the past and letting you leave was my biggest mistake. I'm glad you're back in my life again and it finally feels complete. When I came to the cafe the other day, I didn't know you had Fany. The moment I saw you again, I knew I needed you back in my life. And when I found out about Fany, all the more I needed you back." He placed a gentle kiss on her head. "I really hope you'll give me another chance. I promise that I won't ever treat you the way I did before. And I-" A small snore escaped and he smiled as he closed his eyes to sleep. 

The next few days passed as if the conversation about the proposal the other night never happened. He continued to take care of her as she slowly regained her strength. He didn't bring up what he said that night when she was sick as he thought she fell asleep and didn't hear him. But in fact she heard it and was thinking hard about it. She didn't want to jump to any decisions quickly as this involved the rest of her life as well as Fany's life. 

She was working on a new cake idea in the kitchen. Her cupcakes sold well but she needed something that would draw customers back. She tried to combine cupcake and coffee, two things that her cafe currently sold but it could be something different when placed together. He looked at her working on her new creation quietly; he thought she was absolutely beautiful. He mentally scolded himself again for treating her badly in the past. She didn't notice him watching her as she was so focused on baking. He crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist gently. She jumped and almost dropped the bowl she was holding. "Ya! Oppa, what are you doing?" Her face turned bright red. 

He chuckled as he rested his head on her shoulder. "Just coming to see what you're doing." He tightened his arms around her waist. "So what are you doing?" 

She scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brows. "I don't actually know what I'm doing. I'm trying to combine two of our cafe's specialties together. Coffee and cupcakes. And yet I'm trying not to make it simple like a coffee flavored cupcake. I want it to stand out." She shifted her weight and leaned more onto him. He smiled as she did that and he supported her weight. 

"Hmm, how about cake in coffee? I don't think anyone's done that before." He suggested. 

As soon as she heard that, her eyes lit up. "That might just work! Thanks oppa!" She planted a quick kiss on his cheek before returning to her baking. 

She wasn't fully recovered so Kris went to the cafe with her new creations on her behalf. It was on his way to work so he would have enough time to drop it off and leave. "Kyungsoo? I've got new products from Suhyun." He shouted as he entered the empty cafe. 

Kyungsoo excited ran over and took the box from Kris. "What is it? I've always loved our boss' original creations. She used to have many original creations on sale but it was hard to manage while taking care of Fany alone." Kyungsoo opened the box and his already big eyes grew even wider. "Cake in coffee? That's just brilliant. The sweet cake will soak up the bitter coffee and it will compliment each other! I can feel it's going to sell out!" 

Kris felt proud of Suhyun. He grew more and more worried as the days passed and Suhyun wasn't his wife. His heart was uneasy as she could still leave him anytime she wanted. He hoped she would accept his proposal soon, that would definitely put his heart at rest. 

Suhyun was beaming after receiving a call from Kyungsoo about her new creation selling well. She decided to cook up a feast for Kris as he did help her with new creation. It was almost time for Kris to come home when she finally finished preparing. Half the table was covered in his favorite dishes. As she was about to wake Fany up for her feed, the doorbell rang. Was it Kris? But he had keys to the house so he didn't need to press the doorbell. 

To her surprise, a well-dressed lady stood at the door. "Hello who are you looking for?" Suhyun asked politely. 

The lady scanned Suhyun from head to toe and frowned. "Where's my husband Kris?" She asked before pushing her way into the apartment and sitting herself down on the sofa. "I'll wait for him here. You call him and tell him I'm waiting." 

Suhyun couldn't believe her ears. Kris' wife? What was wife who cheated on him doing here? They aren't legally married and therefore she wasn't his wife at all. Instead of going to call Kris, Suhyun went into the room to get something. 

As expected, Kris came home. He almost yelled when he saw the lady in his house. "Are you crazy? What are you doing here?" 

The lady shot up and immediately clung onto his arm. "Oppa, did you miss me?" Suhyun watched the scene from the kitchen and kept silent as she listened to their conversation. 

He immediately removed his arm from the lady's grasp and stepped away from her. "I believe we no longer have anything to do with each other. So would you please kindly leave. This is my home, not some place you can come as and when you like." He maintained a poker face as he spoke. He didn't know why she was back but he didn't want to have anything to do with her. 

"We got married, don't you remember?" She continued, as if she didn't hear anything he said. 

"We didn't. It was just a ceremony which I consider as just acting." He kept his volume low but it sounded like he would shout anytime soon. At that moment, Fany woke up and started crying. Kris was ready to rush and pick her up but Suhyun was faster. The lady's eyes almost popped out when she saw what was happening. "Don't tell me that's your baby." 

He couldn't take it any longer. "Yes, she is. She's my daughter and that's my wife. You do understand what's going on here right? You thought you could use me to elope with your boyfriend but in fact, I ended up gaining even more. I found my family." He looked lovingly towards the room as he thought about Suhyun and Fany. "So please leave, you have absolutely no business here." The lady stomped her feet out the door.

Kris sighed in relief. He immediately walked to the room where Suhyun and Fany was in. "Is she asleep?" He whispered as he found the room to be quiet. She smiled and nodded while placing Fany gently into her cot. 

Just then, under the dim light, he noticed something shiny on her finger. It felt like his heart stopped for a moment. Did he see right? He took a step closer and picked up her hand gently. To his delight, he didn't see wrong. She was wearing a ring! The ring he got for her! 

She felt herself blushing again as he continued to admire the ring on her finger. "How did you find it?" He finally managed to say. 

"I searched the drawer of your desk just before you came home." She replied shyly. 

"When did you have it on?" He seemed shocked but a wide smile was plastered on his face. 

"You mentioned it the other night so I went to get it when the lady came to our house. I didn't want her to come back…" The heat rushed from her cheeks to her ears. 

"So you heard everything I said the other night?" He paused. "Does that mean..." 

She nodded, without hesitation. She felt a little embarrassed for taking it without asking but it was her way of letting him know that she was now ready to accept him. 

He wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Thank you! I promised I'll never ever let you go again! I'll always be by your side to take care of you and Fany too." 

She wrapped her arms tightly around him too. She smiled. She felt contented. "Thank you for coming back to get me and for working hard to change." She whispered. 

He leaned back and stared into her eyes lovingly before leaning down and planting a kiss on her lips. 

- 끝 -

Posted 21st January 2014