He left the mansion at the middle of the night… drove around the dark city just to clear his messed up mind…

Making a stop at one familiar place… a place where he and his brother used to go… a place where they used to release all of their stress… drinking their minds out just to forget their problems for a while…

He never expected himself going back to that place… since his brother left, he never tried going back in there again… what’s the use of it…? If the one who showed him that refuge… the one who always told him not to give up was the first one who gave up and left him…

Looking over at the city… he stopped at a hilltop… dragged himself out of his car and leaned on it as he watched over the flickering lights of the now quiet city…

Suppressing himself to close his eyes for he would always see ‘her’ face… would always bring him an excruciating wave of pain whenever he sees it…

And just then, a drop of tear escaped his eye… too shock of what happened, he quickly wiped it off…

‘Is this really my payment for the pain I caused you…?’

A thought brushed his mind as he watched the city.

He chuckled at his own thought… now, he can’t even control the works of his mind… seemed like everything is completely going on out of his hands already…

A night away from her… away from reality… hoping that after the night he could go back to his tracks… clearing his system of thoughts of her… but in the end… he just still couldn’t…
--
And just right after he arrived at the mansion… yet again, he found himself looking for her… just like last night… the way his body dragged itself towards her… it all happened too fast that he couldn’t stop himself.

He just found himself watching her again… even just by her reflection, it already fed the emptiness he’s feeling inside… and just like it’s already normal for him… he was not surprised feeling his insides thumping really hard… now used to the tightening of his chest he just stood there… stayed still as he watched her beauty that outlined the mirror… watched her having her moment reminiscing her memories…

He stayed glued on the ground… unable to speak, unable to move…

Until she opened her eyes he came back to his senses as well…

She quickly turned around to face him… a few steps of gap between them… they shared another eye contact…
He looked away first… finally able to control himself… he made his way inside and towards his closet… she watched him… wondering why he’s there…

He rummaged through his closet… brushing away the awkward feeling inside him… got new pair of clothes and went directly to their bathroom…

She waited for him… still standing in front of the mirror…

He went back wearing his new clothes… noticing that she’s still there, he looked at her…

She blinked her eyes and cleared before speaking.

“Ah… Ji- Jiyong… since when uhmmm… I thought you’re-….”

She stuttered... can’t figure out the right words she wants to say…. Wants to ask him why’s he there…? How come he’s not in his lover’s house…? Where did he spend the night…?

He cut her off…

“I went somewhere last night…”

He heard himself explaining… it just came automatically from him…

Her eyes widen a bit… first time he bothered explaining to her… and just like that, silence then consumed them.

“Oh…”

The only word that she managed to say.

He noticed the forming awkwardness once again… his turn to clear his throat… he walked towards their bed finishing to button up his shirt.

“You’re going somewhere…?”

He asked without looking at her… but before she could speak… they heard her niece yelling in excitement as it made its way towards their room.

“Omma…! Omma…! Uncle Youngbae’s finally here…!”

Soojin ran inside their room and towards her aunt with a wide smile plastered on her face… but as soon as she saw Jiyong sitting on the bed her smile got wider and ran towards the man.

“Uncle Jiyong…!”

She yelled once again… extending her arms as for him to carry her.

Jiyong stood up and carried the little girl in his arms.

“Hi there angel...”

He reached for the child’s face and pinched its chubby cheek which earned a giggle from the child… his wife on the other hand blushed upon hearing him saying such sweet words towards her niece… even for the fact that it’s not directed to her… hearing him saying soft words could already make her flutter.

“Uncle… since when did you come back…? Where did you go…? Omma said you’re busy…”

The little girl immediately bombarded him with lots of questions… he looked at Dara before turning back at the child…

Dara just stood in front of the two… clasping her hands tight in front of her and bowing her head a bit.

“I went somewhere last night baby…”

He explained again… and then turned back to Dara

“Why’s Youngbae here..?”

He asked her monotonously… she quickly looked up.

“We’re… uhmm-“

She started but her energetic niece beats her.

“Uncle Youngbae will bring Soojin and omma to the beach..!”

She cheered on his arms… throwing her arms up in the air and then back at wrapping it along Jiyong’s neck.

Upon hearing it… he unconsciously raised a brow… and continuously looked at his wife