ELEVEN

(Few minutes before Chanyeol arrived at the Kim’s)

“What a big teddy bear you got there, Mister. Are you planning to propose someone? I bet there’s a ring in the teddy’s pocket.”

The taxi driver playfully aired the question to Chanyeol as to start a conversation with him while looking at the said man through the rear mirror. Chanyeol was chuckling uneasily as his first reply to the driver. It would be so disgusting if for real, a dad wanted to propose his own daughter, he thought.

“Haha! You’re wrong. I actually wanna make a surprise visit at my daughter’s. She must feel really surprise after this because she thinks that I’m still attending my course at Daegu. I was supposed to be back here next week dawg, but everything settled quiet early.”

Chanyeol explained briefly as he didn’t want the driver to stay thinking like what he was thinking at that time.

“Oh, okay. What a great dad you are. Your daughter must be so happy.”

The driver praised sincerely and that had made Chanyeol to smile broadly when he received the praise.

******

“Here’s the change. Good luck with your surprise,” said the driver, in which making both of them to laugh.

“Thank you for getting me to arrive here safely. Have a safe ride,” Chanyeol told him back, and seconds after that, the taxi drove away.

Chanyeol huffed lowly before he turned his whole body to the Kim’s house’s direction. At the right side not so far from him and the house, he could see another taxi was being parked right there but didn’t bother to think who was the driver was waiting for. Chanyeol quickly proceeded with his plan. Luckily he didn’t have to press the bell as the gate was opened, and he saw Jongin’s car was there too. 

“Jongin must be back for lunch,” he thought.

However, just as Chanyeol was about to walk in, he stopped when suddenly he saw Jongin and Kyungsoo were walking out from the house while Jongin was calling for Kyungsoo’s name.     

“Kyungsoo, at least before you go, lend me your ears to listen to me first,” Jongin told, and it had made Kyungsoo to stop from walking again by God knew how many times was it already. 

“Jongin, I don’t want to. Can’t you understand me? Doesn’t matter what you’re gonna say, it still couldn’t change the fact that we’ve divorced!” Kyungsoo told him back in seriousness.

“W-What?!” Chanyeol asked surprisingly in his heart together with his eyes widen in shock.

The teddy bear that he was holding got dropped down on the floor as his grip was loosening, and his body suddenly felt weak after he accidentally heard the ‘news’.

Kyungsoo noticed that Jongin wasn’t really paying attention to what she was saying because his eyes seemed to focus on something else. Something else that Kyungsoo was sure was located behind her based on to where Jongin was looking at. It had somehow made her to wonder why Jongin looked so shocked and because of that, she decided to turn her whole body to the direction where Jongin was staring at too; the entrance gate. Just as she made her eyes to look at the targeted direction, she had created the same expression like Jongin did.

Her already big eyes were widening even bigger when she saw someone that was so familiar to her was standing still in front of the gate; expression full of confusion, seriousness, and shocked. Someone that neither the two of them would expect to see to be standing there at that time because that person was supposed to be at Daegu; attending his work course.

With the same word and at the same time, Kyungsoo and Jongin were then muttering the word surprisingly.

“Ap—appa.”

******

Meanwhile, Jessica had seemed to have returned back to her senses, and her blood was boiling up as she remembered what had actually happened to her. How dare Kyungsoo slap her face with her filthy hand?! Jessica couldn’t accept that! She scoffed loudly, and accompanied with the unsatisfied feeling, she then made her feet to walk outside the house. She wanted to pay Kyungsoo back, and as soon as she walked towards her, Jessica immediately pulled her arm harshly in which making both Jongin and Kyungsoo and even Chanyeol to feel surprise to see her action. The box that was being carried by Kyungsoo had unwillingly got dropped down on the floor as Jessica pulled her arm.  

“You moron! How dare you slap and call me b*tch, you b*tch!!!” Jessica told angrily and slapped Kyungsoo two times harder than Kyungsoo did before.

“Jessy, no!” Jongin told nervously while his hands quickly held his fiancée.

“Ya!!! Get your hand off from my daughter!!!” Chanyeol shouted loudly to Jessica until made her to startle.

Chanyeol quickly ran towards Kyungsoo and let her to be in his embrace. Kyungsoo didn’t do or say anything at that time because yeah, she still felt surprised to see her dad.

“Who the hell are you?!” Jessica rudely shouted at Chanyeol.

She didn’t seem scared to see him.

“I’m supposed to ask you that question, and Kim Jong In, you better have prepared an explanation to tell me!!!”

It was Kyungsoo’s first time to see and hear her dad behaved and talked like that. He looked so fierce, but Kyungsoo didn’t actually mind about that. She immediately buried her face onto Chanyeol’s chest and hugged him. The sound of crying that she produced for all of the sudden had made the other three to feel surprised when they heard that. Everyone was feeling surprised for numerous times already on that day.

“Appa … appa …” Kyungsoo called softly, yet sadly and tightened her embrace even more. She was a crying mess at that time, and her voice was the only sound that could be heard occupying the atmosphere. “Appa you’re here. Appa …”

For real, Kyungsoo was happy. Kyungsoo was happy to see her dad. What she had been through few minutes ago had been forgotten for a while as her happiness was taking a good part in her at that moment. Do Chan Yeol, one of her pillar of strengths, was already being there with her. Her very true protector and saviour had come to safe her from the unbearable situations that she had been facing all alone.

“K—Kyungsoo?”

“Appa, thank you. Thank you for coming. Thank you so much,” she told and ended up crying again and chuckling also; she was actually having a mix feeling.

She was happy and sad at the same time.  The just now fiery situation had been cooled down by Kyungsoo’s soft crying and chuckling sound.

******

(Techno Company)

“Sehun, do you know where does Jongin keep the tender document file? The latest one,” asked a woman to him with a warm smile hovered on her lips.

She was actually his boss’s daughter.

“Oh, Na—Nana-ssi,” Sehun stuttered; he clumsily got up from his seat and cleaned his dirty mouth with his hand as he didn’t want any piece of his food stuck on it.

Sehun’s act at that time was quite embarrassing himself. Well … he always unintentionally embarrassed himself in front of her every time Nana was talking to him. Since Nana moved in as a new worker few weeks ago, Sehun had been fallen for her.  He would feel crazily nervous whenever he and Nana was talking by staring at each other’s faces. Nana was holding herself from laughing and managed to maintain her sweet smile.

“So, do you know where it is?” she asked him again.

“Uh, I—I, I guess so. Let me check first.” With a quick move, Sehun went to Jongin’s table. “Ergh this guy! If he wanted to have his holiday, at least he left the important documents at the place where people can easily take it!” he grumbled childishly while searching for the document on the table.

Sehun went through every file on the table, but none of them was the file that Nana wanted. He opened the drawer as his last destination to search and voila! Luckily the file was in there.

“Why did he put it in here? Weird guy,” he said and then took the file. “Here it is, Nana-ssi.”

“Thank you. You can continue enjoy your lunch.”

She winked ily at him and then giggled while walking back to her own desk.

“Oh, Nana-ssi. If and only if you don’t have a fiancé, surely I’m gonna propose and marry you right away,” he whispered with full of hope in his heart.  He smirked at his own thought. “You wish, Sehun,” he told himself again.

Before Sehun wanted to close back the drawer, his intention got stopped when he saw a picture in a small frame that Jongin had put in it. He frowned while his hand naughtily took the picture. It was a wedding picture.

“It’s Jongin’s wedding pic! Finally I got to see his wife’s face.” Sehun stared at the picture for seconds before he startled a little. “Wait! How come her face looks so familiar?” Sehun didn’t feel satisfied. He stared at the picture again while his mind was trying to remember where he had seen the woman, and when he was sure that his guess was correct, a loud gasp was then escaping his lips. “No way! That patient!”

******

(Kim’s House)

“What is wrong with you, Jessy?!” Jongin asked angrily as soon as the two of them entered the house.

“What’s what?! There’s nothing wrong with me! I’m just doing what I needed to do!” she replied back; crossing her arms over her chest.

“You shouldn’t treat Kyungsoo like that! She doesn’t want to create a fight with you after all! You’re just being overly jealous!”

“Of course I am being jealous! You’re mine now, Kim Jong In!” she shrieked and seconds later, she cried.   

******

(Meanwhile)

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol were on their way to go back to Chanyeol’s house. Chanyeol knew that just now wasn’t a great timing for them to have a discussion as everyone; he actually, was not in a good condition to discuss the problem in a nice way. Her daughter was the victim in this problem, how would not he feel mad like crazy? So because of that, he decided to go back home first as he needed to cool down before they had the talk on the next day; so that every decision that they made later on would be based on rationality.

“Appa?” Kyungsoo called, and he hummed as a reply. “Thank you for the bear,” she said and then smiled broadly while hugging the teddy bear.

It was so fluffy and big.  

******

(Kim’s House)

“Shush. Jessy, don’t cry. I’m sorry, eo? I’m sorry for shouting at you. You shouldn’t be stressed. It’s not healthy for our baby.”

Jongin pulled the woman into his embrace and comforted her. Jessica was still crying.

“Sorry, jagi. Don’t hate me,” she said between her sob.

“What? No, no. I don’t hate you or mad at you. I just want you to promise me one thing.”

“W—What is it?”

She lifted her head up so that she could look at Jongin’s face. Jongin looked back at her and smiled.

“Promise me that you won’t act like that again when they come here tomorrow. Alright?”

                                                                                                                      ******

(Do’s House)

“Here’s your tea,” Chanyeol told and then joined her daughter to be sitting on the two-seater sofa.

Kyungsoo thanked him before she took a sip of the drink. Chanyeol was just staring at her daughter with full of sympathy because he knew that his daughter must had been hurting a lot. Although Kyungsoo hadn’t told him the exact story, he could feel that he knew what was happening actually. A married couple, and then there was another woman, of course it was ‘the husband cheating issue’.   

“Appa, do you still remember the day when I called you?” Kyungsoo suddenly asked, but Chanyeol managed to answer her.

“Y—yeah, why?”

“Th—that was the day … when I found out about Jongin’s secret relationship,” she told and then slowly lowered her head down. “That woman is pregnant with his child right now.”

“What the ?!” Chanyeol cursed.

That was unacceptable! Chanyeol felt like exploding, but luckily Kyungsoo could manage to keep him to calm down. The whole one hour plus was being spent by Chanyeol to hear Kyungsoo’s story. She had told Chanyeol from A to Z about what happened, and when she cried, the lovely father of her was crying silently with her too.

It was a tough decision that Kyungsoo had made. Chanyeol could see how much Kyungsoo loved Jongin, and he really couldn’t forgive Jongin for what he had done. Chanyeol engulfed his daughter into his embrace and enchanted some comforting words.

“Daddy’s little angel. You don’t have to worry. Appa will always be right by your side,” Chanyeol spoke quietly, his daughter’s head softly.

Kyungsoo smiled with tears rolled down on her cheeks. She hugged Chanyeol and mumbled a low thank you.

“I’ve lost Jongin, but I know that I’m never gonna lose you. Only God could separate us away, appa.”

“You’re right.” Chanyeol agreed; gave a peck on her forehead.

“You’re gonna be a great grandpa too starting from June next year,” Kyungsoo told again.

She was actually giving a clue to Chanyeol, but when she saw her father’s face who was frowning hard, she knew that Chanyeol didn’t get what she said. Kyungsoo wiped away her tears and stared back at her father with a warm smile.

“H—Hi grandpa,” she told, giving her clue once again to him, and she succeeded this time.

“W—Wait. Kyungsoo, are you telling me that … that …”

His face was showing a true happiness, and Kyungsoo chuckled while nodding her head.

“Ne, appa. I’m pregnant.”

She finally admitted. Chanyeol cheered happily. He was speechless, couldn’t say anything accept for hugging her daughter and laughed happily. The sad and emotional moment were being swept away when the happy news been told to him.