Chapter 22

Keunsuk looked at the woman lying on the bed with curiosity. She’s still young & yet, she had a twelve year old daughter. From what Leeteuk told him, she had been a single parent ever since her daughter was born & she’s been juggling work, parenthood & other responsibilities for years. Looking at her gentle appearance, no one would guess she had this reservoir of strength inside of her. He shook his head when he felt a strange feeling coming into him. He smirked, reassuring himself, ‘I like my life as it is & I wouldn’t jeopardize the whole thing by bringing a woman into it. I could always find some girl when I want a companion. No string attached, thus no headache. So what if I admire this woman’s strength? No big deal.’ He shook off the soft, yet intense sensation he felt as he looked at her.

Women couldn’t be trusted. That was his first lesson in life. He had seen lots of women in his life who had thought infidelity was one of life’s spices. That life would be so bland without it. Since his early years, when his parents got divorced because of his mother’s affair, he had decided not to let any woman have any control in his life, ‘Leeteuk told me about this woman here. He said her husband died & she hasn’t dated any other guy ever since. Unbelievable. Leeteuk must have been pulling my leg. No woman could be that strong. Or so deeply in love that she found any other guy inferior to her deceased husband. No way. That kind of love doesn’t exists but her life must be very hard raising a child on her own.’ Keunsuk thought.

He was unaware that his sneer turned softer when he thought about her which was what Yoona saw the first time she opened her eyes. A soft smile so full of compassion. Gentle & understanding eyes looking into her own. Suddenly, she realized where she was, what had happened & jolted, “Minseo. What happened to me? Where’s my daughter?”

Keunsuk was startled when he saw Yoona jolting awake. With a soft voice & comforting smile, he reassured her, “Mrs. Lee, your daughter is fine. She’s in the cafeteria right now, having dinner with Leeteuk. You have been unconscious for an hour because of anemia. Your daughter called Leeteuk in panic for help when you fainted but waiting for you to wake up, their stomach kept growling so Leeteuk asked me to stay with you while he took your daughter to dinner.” He gave a paper to her & said, “You will need food rich in iron to help you. Here’s the list of things you need to add in your diet & daily routine & take plenty of rest to build up your stamina.” Seeing Yoona’s impatient nod, he smiled, “Take a minute first to steady yourself then you could look for your daughter.”

Impulsively, Yoona took Keunsuk’s hand & squeezed it in gratitude, “Thank you for your help.” A spark sizzled around them & shocked, they pulled their hands back. Keunsuk was stunned; he had never felt a sensation like that before. Blushing a little, Yoona started to get up slowly from the bed & walked towards the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she turned around, nodded in appreciation of what he had done for her & went out to look for her daughter. On her way to find her daughter, Yoona shivered, ‘Oh my god, he looks so much like Sungmin Oppa. Not the outward appearance. Outwardly, they looked totally different but the light in his eyes & the air around him are so familiar. The way he looked at me reminds me of the way Sungmin Oppa looked at me when we first got together. The way I feel when our hands touched was the way I felt when Sungmin Oppa first held my hand. My goodness, this can’t be happening.’

On the other hand, Keunsuk felt a deep sense of panic when his mind kept returning back to Yoona, ‘Yoona Lee. She could easily complicate my life. I should stay away from her.’ But a deep sense of reluctance hovered in his gut at the thought of purposely avoiding her.

All throughout dinner, Hyukjae didn’t say a word. He kept staring at Tiffany, thinking about ways to amend for his mistakes & wondering how to stay cool when the woman he loved was being ogled by slime like Sehun & had a perfect gentleman for her date.

Kim Shihoo, Tiffany’s date, noticed the look in Hyukjae’s eyes & hid his smile. He glanced at Tiffany & saw a signal for help in her eyes. Cringing inwardly, he decided to throw caution to the wind & crossed his long fingers. He cleared his throat & casually asked Hyukjae, “So, you are the guy who used to date Tiffany, right? The slime ball that she mentioned?”

His words were proven effective as the buzzing voices went dead instantly. Only a choking sound from Hyukjae was heard. Tiffany glared ferociously at him, warning him about retribution later. Shihoo grinned at Tiffany in apology & winked. Sehun was startled by his question & obtusely asked, “You are not together anymore? Does that mean my chance with you is still wide open?” Shihoo rolled his dark brown, almond-shaped eyes in incredulity, Tiffany grimaced a little & Hyukjae growled in his throat.

“Excuse us?” He pulled Tiffany’s arm, hauled her into his arm & rushed towards the exit. Shihoo grinned, seeing arms & legs flailed about, “Good luck, Tiffany.” He whispered softly. He put some money on the table & walked out. Sehun still sat there, mouth gaping, thinking of ways to settle the bill now that everyone was gone.

When Jaejoong reached Yuri’s house, Dohyun was waiting for him on the doorstep, his chin in his hands. It was a perfect picture of a young boy in boredom. Jaejoong grinned & ran flying, his hands in threatening position to tickle him, “Uncle Jaejoong.” Dohyun’s eyes brightened. Giggling, he leaped into his arms, knowing he would be caught. Jaejoong laughed & kissed his forehead. How he wished Dohyun was his & Yuri’s son.

He entered the house, hand in hand with Dohyun who was chattering all the way. Yuri’s presence was very palpable there & her touch was everywhere; the house reflected her taste. Elegant, yet homey. He looked around & nodded in approval. The living room was filled with antique furniture with toys scattered at one corner & a grand piano at another end. Dried flowers were placed in strategic places. Earrings were scattered on a colorful shallow bowl on the kitchen counter along with some loose change & pins. It was a woman’s house. Almost no touch of a male presence could be felt in the air.

Jaejoong frowned a little bit, feeling something was amiss & a little something kept bothering him in the back of his mind. Suddenly, his eyes widened as a thought flashed into his mind & he marched towards the foyer purposefully. He hesitated a little then opened the coat closet slowly. As he had predicted, all the coats & shoes were definitely female. Numerous of feelings flooded his system & he whirled to see Dohyun sitting on the couch, looking at him innocently.

He forced on a smile & sat down beside him. Casually, he asked, “Dohyun, where’s your daddy? Is he coming home tonight?”

Dohyun shook his head, “Daddy will come tomorrow with mommy. He said he would have to get some rest first then he will pick mommy up from the airport & come here.”

“Your daddy doesn’t live here?” He held his breath, waiting for Dohyun to confirm his suspicion.

Dohyun shook his head again, & leaned his head on Jaejoong’s arm, “Daddy lives in his apartment near the hospital. I live here with mommy, auntie Tiffany, auntie Yoona & Minseo but auntie Yoona & Minseo are staying with Minseo’s grandpa today & auntie Tiffany got dressed up & went with a man.”

Jaejoong closed his eyes & let out his breath. Relief, joy, confusion, suspicion & anger all tangled together in his mind. He felt guilty for questioning Dohyun but his curiosity got the better of him, “Isn’t he your daddy? Why doesn’t he live here?”

Dohyun looked up at him & grinned innocently, “Daddy is my godfather but I love daddy. He’s very nice to me. He’s very nice to mommy, too. I want daddy to live here but mommy said he can’t. They will have to go to the priest if daddy lives here & they would have to love each other but mommy said she loves my other daddy. My real daddy. She said she loves only him. Always him. When I find my real daddy, I would scold him for leaving mommy & me alone & tell him to ask for mommy’s forgiveness. Then I will ask him to live with me & mommy. Uncle Jaejoong, would you help me scold my real daddy?”

Jaejoong suddenly had trouble breathing. His heart thudded so loudly in his ear that he could hear no other sound. He couldn’t even comprehend Dohyun’s words other than Leeteuk was his godfather, ‘Teuk isn’t Dohyun’s biological father? Then who’s the father? Don’t tell me...Could it be?’ Those thoughts kept circling in his head. He cleared his suddenly clogged throat & asked hoarsely, “If Teuk isn’t your father, why do you call him daddy?”

Dohyun yawned & answered sleepily, “I used to call him uncle Leeteuk but my friends made fun of me for not having a daddy so he became my daddy.” Realizing that his chance with Jaejoong was better than with his mother, Dohyun’s eyes got brighter & he sweet-talked him, “Uncle Jaejoong, can I have some ice cream please?” Jaejoong nodded absently. Dohyun let out a shout of joy & ran to the fridge. Seeing Jaejoong still sitting statue-like on the couch, he ran back & pulled Jaejoong’s hand. Like a zombie, Jaejoong walked with Dohyun to the fridge & took out the vanilla ice cream. His son, was all he could think about. Dohyun must be his son & he called him uncle Jaejoong. He felt like howling in pain & rage but the rest of Dohyun’s words suddenly pulled him back from his trance. Yuri loved him. Only him. Always him. Those were what Dohyun had said. He began to smile; then his smile got wider & then he laughed joyously. He looked down & saw Dohyun looking at him with confusion, adoration & worship in his eyes. Not being able to control himself at the moment, he scooped Dohyun into his arms, hugged him & buried his face in his hair, feeling that for once, life gave him more than he deserved.

Dohyun, as if understood Jaejoong’s feelings, hugged him back & kissed Jaejoong’s cheeks, “You are the best, uncle Jaejoong. I love you.”

Jaejoong kissed Dohyun’s head lovingly, grinning all the way & held onto the most precious gift heaven had given him.