This Saturday was supposed to be a good day. It was a sunny and hot day of July. I’d paid the rent. The apartment was clean. And I had some time to myself to relax. Yeah, a good day since a while! I was in a good mood this morning as I’d proposed to Haru to go picnicking. Just her and me. It had been a while since we hadn’t have a little mother-daughter moment. I even cooked Haru’s favorite dishes for the occasion.

“Haru, what are you going to wear today?” I asked as I looked into Haru’s dresser  

“I don’t know” Haru shook her head

“Really? So… We aren’t going to wear the lovely new dress I bought?” I asked holding up the little blue dress in front of her. But Haru folded her arms across her chest and scrunched up her nose.

“No, it’s too girly mommy!”

“But you’re a girl Haru, it’s totally normal to wear a dress!” I sighed and placed the dress on her bed,

“I hate dresses!” she grimaced

“Come on Haru, you’ll be the most pretty little girl in that dress. All the boys will loves you when they’ll see you!” I smirked at her poking her cheek

“Mommy, don’t embarrass me!” Haru hide her face in her hands and shook her head

“I need to finish preparing our food and I want you dressed so I can do you hair, right?” I asked and Haru nodded

“Fine. But I’ll wear that dress only if you wear one mommy!”

“Deal!” I rolled my eyes and my heels

My daughter was a real evil manipulator!

I packed all the dishes in my handy-bag. Kimbap. Potato Salad. Soy sauce braised beef. Rice cakes. Water. , I was forgetting the coffee! I rapidly made some coffee and took the thermos from. I opened it and put it in the sink as I decided to wash it quickly before pouring the coffee in it.

“Are you ready Haru?” I shouted turning on the hot water

But as I did I realized the water mysteriously seep through a hole or a gap in the pipe or whatever and it was quickly forming a pool on the floor.

“Omo! ! Stop it! Stop it!” I shouted panicky as I turned off the faucet

But it was too late as it had already soaked the floor of the kitchen. And it was cascading in the living room. I groaned shaking my hair with my hands.

Aish, this day was too good to be true. The sink was ruined. And if it wasn’t enough as someone decided at the same moment to knock at the door. Grrrrrrhhhhhhh!

I was going to murder whoever was on the other side of my door!

“Wello!” Jiyong grinned with a cheerful little wave

It had been a month since my accident and it happened that my neighbor, Kwon Jiyong, was more and more present in our life. Because first, he was our neighbor and secondly because Haru was literally fond of him. The night at the hospital was actually the first time I asked someone help to raise my daughter. I always thought I would be strong enough to protect her but I never imagined she would be alone if something would happen to me. I was lonely.  Moreover Haru was without a loving fatherly influence. Jiyong was good with her. And unexpectedly good with me. He was really just a big kid but when he wasn’t being an idiot he was actually good company.

“Jiyong, what are you…” I raked my hand through my tangled hair

“Hello to you too dear neighbor!” he said interrupting me his brown eyes laughing at my grumpiness

“Yong-Yong! There’s water everywhere!” I heard Haru shouting behind me before I saw her running toward Jiyong excitedly. Jiyong braced himself for impact just before she flew into him giving his legs a giant hug, pressing her face against him.

“Hey, kiddo.” Jiyong greeted her, So mommy turned the apartment into a pool?” he raised his head to look at me with an amused glint in his eyes

“The sink is ruined.” I sighed putting my hands on my hips

“Yeah, that’s why I’m here.” He pointed at the tools box he was holding

“What do you mean?” I frowned

“My neighbor, Mr. Park is leaving just under your apartment and his living room also became a swimming pool thanks to your sink.” He explained wincing

“Really, Oh my god I’m so sorry!” I exclaimed raising my hands on my mouth

“Yeah, he was kinda furious.” He grimaced, “He was going to call Mr. Gong but as I know you’re not in good terms with him, I told Mr. Park I’ll try to fix everything.”

“And how are you going to fix my sink?” I raised my eyebrow suspiciously

“Well, I’m not a plumber but I can do everything with my fingers!” He smirked one of his eyebrows quirked up in challenge

I rolled my eyes.

“Come on, enter then mister genius”

Jiyong grinned and followed me inside the kitchen, “Well, I should have taken my swim pants with me!”

He opened the cupboard under the sink where the pipe that was leaking was in.

“So do you think you can fix it?” I asked curious sating atop my kitchen table

“I’ll do my best. I’m not one to leave a lady in distress.” He said as he crouched down and opened his tool box.

He lied on his back under the sink wrestling with the pipe. His pants and shirt were slowly getting wet from his over longed exposure to my soaked floors.

“That sink has always been a problem. I should probably call a plumber. You don’t have to keep trying.” I said a concerned look on my face.

“It’s alright. I refuse to be bested by a kitchen sink. It’s became a point of honor now.” His reply was muffled, mixed with the sound of clinking metal on metal.

Aish, men’s ego!

“A-Ah!” a loud thud later Jiyong emerged, “It’s gonna work! Could you flush the water open to check?”

I stood up and poked my head below the sink to look at the pipe. I didn’t know much about plumbing, okay I knew nothing, but I did know that pipes weren’t supposed to look like that.

“Jiyong, are you sure you fixed it?” I looked at Jiyong as we were extremely close.

He huffed, “Of course. I know how to fix a simple leaky pipe, because I’m a man!” He smirked and lied back under the sink, “Go on test it!”

I quirked my eyebrow and shrugged. “Okay then.” I the water

But then as I did there was aloud clanking sound and water began shooting everywhere in the floor spraying over Jiyong face with renewed fury. He yelped and grabbed the pipe with his left hand stopping the water and wiped his wet face with his right hand.

I couldn’t help bursting with laughter. Tears were prickling the corners of my eyes, my stomach beginning to ache.

“Well, you did say you knew what you were doing?” I grinned unrepentantly and stared down at him

“I did, I mean I watched my dad doing this hundred of times when I was kid!” he pushed out from the sink, “turn off this ing water!”

His look of total affront was equal parts ridiculously put-on and inexplicably attractive.

“Oh yeah sorry!” I said as I turned off the water

Jiyong finally closed the main valve under the sink before straightening up with a sigh and running his hands over his face, shaking some water off.

“So it’s decided, I’ll call a plumber even if it hurts your ego!” I handed him a clean towel

“Anyway, my ego is already dead.” He smiled and wiped off the water off his chest decidedly making me bugging on his wet shirt that clung to his frame. There were things a girl couldn’t help but notice.

Like a well-propotionned man in a wet t-shirt, toweling dry in front of you. I really tried to keep my eyes to myself but his damned shirt acted like a spotlight sticking to his muscle and leaving very little to the imagination.

 “Oh, f-fine then…” I stumbled and tried to gain composure

 “But you won’t say I didn’t do my best.” he pulled his tank top loose from his stomach where it was sticking

 It was becoming a torture…

 “Take off your shirt.” I suddenly ordered before realizing the words escaping my mouth

“Excuse me?” Jiyong grinned back surprised

Gosh, what were you doing Lee Chaerin, you did well controlling your hormones for four years, it’s not time to fail in front of Jiyong!

“I-I mean, you’re going to catch a cold like this!” I swallowed blushing hard

“As you wish.” He smirked and obeyed slowly taking off the shirt and threw it on the floor leaving him clothed only in a pair of ratty jeans

I should really have shut my mouth because it was even more tempting. I stared open mouthed on him as my eyes reached his naval and to the thin line of hair that lead to his pants. I tried not to think about where they ended though my eyes did roam their too. I wasn’t a ert, but it had been years since I saw a man shirtless, for real, you could understand me!

“S-stay here. I-I’ll make it dry in the bathroom…” I took his shirt and walked my way to the bathroom.

I needed to cool off now!

~

“Chaerin, are you alright?” I asked confused as I was still waiting shirtless in her kitchen

It’s not that I was getting cold but well, I realized Chaerin took more time that necessary in the bathroom. Did she faint again?

I smirked. The sink may have killed my ego, I was reassured by the way her eyes rake over me. I hoped she liked what she saw. I think I left a good impression on her!

“Yong-Yong, what’s on your arms?” I heard little Haru asking me as she was staring at me standing on the sofa

“Oh, these? It’s my tattoos. It’s inked in my flesh.”

“It’s beautiful! I want a tattoo too!” she exclaimed

“Huh, no you’re too young for that kiddo. It hurts as hell, I even cried for that you know! And don’t tell your mother about it right?” I frowned already imagining Chaerin shooting at me because her daughter wanted a tattoo like me!

As I tried to warm up a bit, I heard the jangle of keys outside the frontdoor. Oh god, what if Chaerin was involved with someone else? Someone who had the keys? A sudden boyfriend?

I suppressed the wave of jealousy and straightened up. I was going to show the guy I was the boss here! The door swung open and I froze in place when I saw a woman making her wide entrance.

The woman was around 50 or 55, she was as tall as Chaerin and she had short black hair. She looked as surprised as me to see me in the kitchen. Shirtless. And wet… Well, a lot of people could misunderstand the situation.

“Well, look at who we have here! And I thought my daughter was against the idea of nightstand!” she suddenly laughed

“Oh, I’m not, that is… I’m just…’

“Boy, I’m hardly one to judge.”

“No! I’m really not…”

“Though I must say,” she studied me with a critical eye, “I can say my daughter has good taste.”

I blinked stupidly. “Thank you.” Then I hurridly added, “I’m not sleeping with your daughter!”

“Oh? Then what are you doing shirtless in Chaerin’s apartment?” she raised her eyebrow strictly waiting for an answer and I swallowed

I was saved from an answer by the hurried stomping of Chaerin from the bathroom, “Oh, hi, mom!”

“Chaerin, aren’t you going to introduce us?” she asked pointedly

“Mom, this is Kwon Jiyong my neighbor and Jiyong this is my mother.”

“Your neighbor? Well, you didn’t go far to bring home a boy!” she gave Chaerin a not so discret thumbs-up approval

“Mom, Jiyong is the one who saved me the other day and looked after Haru. He’s here because the sink was ruined and he tried to repair it.” Chaerin sighed visibly embarrassed by her own mother.

“Oh, really? It looks like you can do everything Mr. Kwon. You’re the perfect son-in-law!” she smacked me playfully on the arm with her hand

“I’m sorry” Chaerin mouthed to me

I met her eyes and gave her a small nod of understanding.

“Oh, Haru you must have grown a foot since the last time I saw you!” her mother said when Haru hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, “And you’re so pretty! What are you doing to do today?”

“Mommy and I are picnicking!” Haru exclaimed in her arms

“Oh really? Then you should take mister perfect with you!” the mother winked at me

“What?” Chaerin shouted from the kitchen as she was desperately trying to evacuate the water

“Oh, I mean mister Jiyong or course.”

“I-I don’t think Jiyong would want…”

“Yes, of course I want,” I responded before she finished her sentence

I wasn’t one to lose the opportunity to spend an entire afternoon with them. Especially with Chaerin. I was as excited as a child actually. Chaerin lifted her eyes on me and I willed the hot flush threatening to take over my face.

I cleared my throat and tried to play it cool, “I’ll get some clean clothes and I meet you in an hour?” I winked at Chaerin who seemed totally speechless

~

I watched in stunned disbelief as Jiyong strolled cheerfully out of my apartment door. Did that just happen? My mother prearranged a date for me?

“Why did you invite him?” I immediately shouted at her

“My position is very clear on that: just grab the guy and have some fun.” She replied sitting on the sofa Haru in her arms

I growled and raked my hands through my hair.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m having a panic attack. Can’t you tell?” I replied dryly.

“No, no sweetie. What you’re having is an attack of stupidity. I don’t know why you’re freaking out like this!” she continued, “He saved you, take it as a way to thank him.”

“I already thanked him.” I snapped back

“Wait, so you two already…” I saw the devious twinkle in my mother’s eyes.

“I already told you no mom! Aish, I’m freaking out because this guy is taking too much place in our lives. Particularly into Haru’s life. A month ago, he was still a stranger and now it’s like he’s part of the family!”

“It’s just a picnic, for God’s sake!”

“But it looks like a date!”

 “You won’t be alone with him. Haru will be here. The attachment thing with Haru is a little weird, I’ll give you that but you’re the one who admitted Haru needed a fatherly figure! So I don’t get why you’d have a problem with that!”

“I don’t have a problem with that.” I forced a laugh

She glanced up to gift me with a rise of a shapely brow.

“Okay, maybe I have a problem,” I amended, “I just don’t know how to keep my distance with Jiyong while he’s spending time with Haru. I don’t want to mess everything and hurt Haru.”

Indeed I was a bit lost with Jiyong around me. I wasn’t used to a masculine presence in my life anymore. I didn’t know how to act around him. He was just so teasing with me that I was totally clueless. I had never left more like a teenager girl with a crush before, not even when I’d been a teenage girl. Not that I was saying that I had a crush on Jiyong. Totally not.

My mother sighed when she saw I looked more frazzled than before, “Honey, don’t you think you’re thinking a little too hard?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sweetie, you act like he’s dropping one knee on the floor when it’s just a picnic. Haru likes him. He likes Haru. He’s your neighbor. Right now, that’s all that’s going on. I’m not asking you to open up entirely to him because I know it’s hard for you to start trusting someone else after what Haru’s father did to you. But if you want to get off it, you’ll have to move on one day.”

“I know mom. I know.”

Hi guys! So As promise I updated! But I’m not that happy about that chapter… The weather is so hot in my country that I spend my days in the dark and it’s not easy to write XD So the picnic will come maybe tomorrow I hope!

Wait for it

Chu ~