“Sometimes a short walk down memory lane is all it takes to appreciate where you are today… -Susan Gale”

Song inserted in this chap: My Everything by Lena Park (credit to owner)

“Are you sure we really can go in?” Park Shin Hye looked at Min Ho with a hesitant gaze.

Min Ho smiled. “Of course. I have already got the permission from the school principal. Since it’s a year-end holiday now, no one will be in the school. We can do whatever we want here.”

“But appa, why do we come back to your high school? I’ll rather go to other places like amusement park.” So Won asked curiously.

Min Ho squatted down in front of his daughter. “Because appa want to show you how we bring you to this world.”

“Yah, what are you talking about?” Shin Hye glared down at Min Ho as her cheeks turned red with blush.

Min Ho chuckled as he stood up, looking at Shin Hye. “Yah, what are you thinking in your dirty mind?” He leaned forward with a cheeky grin on his face. “I just want to show my daughter the place where I first met her mother and how I fell so deep in love with her.” He whispered.

Shin Hye’s face reddened even more as she tried to suppress a smile. She looked away and pretends to feel nothing. But deep inside her heart she felt so sweet and touched.

So Won smiled sweetly looking up at her mother and then at her father. “Eomma is blushing.”

Shin Hye pinched her cheek softly. “I should just keep grounding you at home and don’t let you out.”

So Won held her mother’s hand and smiled widely. “Today is a very beautiful day. We should come out and have a happy day together. It just felt like the day we went to Lotte World during eomma’s birthday.”

“Are you sure you are not tired?” Shin Hye asked in a worried tone.

So Won shook her head. “I’m feeling very good today.”

Min Ho squeezed softly on So Won’s hand and smiled. “Let’s go in.”

Shin Hye nodded as 3 of them took a walk down memory lane.

“Here is where appa was standing when your eomma suddenly appeared from nowhere and fell down on top of me.” Min Ho said as he looked around the garden they were standing. He remembered that day was already autumn and all the trees and leaves already turned red. He slowly walked towards Shin Hye and held her hand tightly. “Here is where you fell into my life and stole my heart away.” He whispered as he looked deep into her eyes.

Shin Hye blushed again before letting out a soft smile. “I’m glad you are the one who tripped me and let me found you. Without you, there won’t be us today.”

“Is this how eomma fell down that day?” So Won asked as she laid down flat on the grass, smiling happily.

“Yah, Park So Won. What are you doing laying down on the ground?” Shin Hye’s eyes widened and quickly kneeled down beside her daughter.

Min Ho let out a soft laugh as he squatted beside them too.

So Won laughed as she looked at her parents. “I want to breathe the air that appa and eomma breathed before and feel the soft grass that appa and eomma felt before.”

Shin Hye pinched her nose and smiled. “Silly girl.”

So Won turned to her mother and looked at her. “Eomma, how do you feel when you first saw appa? Your heart must be beating real fast.”

“Why do you think my heart will be beating fast seeing your appa?” Shin Hye asked.

“Because appa is very handsome.” So Won answered.

Min Ho laughed heartily. “My daughter really has a good taste in man.”

Shin Hye rolled her eyes at him before looking at her daughter. “Your eomma is very beautiful too. Your appa’s heart should be the one that was beating fast.”

“I did. Especially when you were leaning so close to me. Your sweet scent took all my senses away.” Min Ho said with a grin plastered on his handsome face.

So Won smiled again. “I have a very handsome appa and a very beautiful eomma.”

Shin Hye leaned down and kissed her tiny nose softly. “Just like you. I have a very beautiful daughter too.” She smiled.

So Won sat up and wrapped her tiny arms around her mother’s neck. “Eomma looked most beautiful when you are smiling. I like seeing eomma smiling like this. You have to promise So Won that you will smile like this each and every day. Arasso?”

Shin Hye hugged her daughter tightly in her embrace as she bit her lip hard, trying to hold back her tears. She nodded her head. “Arasso. Eomma will always smile happily, just like So Won.”

Min Ho moved closer to them and kissed on the side of So Won’s head. “Appa will make sure both of you smile happily each and every day of forever.” He whispered.

Min Ho carried So Won and put her on a table. “This is where appa sits in the class and this one is your eomma’s seat.” He said as he walked towards the table beside and sat on the it.

“Your appa was the president of the student council. He was assigned to show eomma around the school.” Shin Hye said as she was standing in front of them. She looked around the classroom and those memories of her and Min Ho replayed in her mind like it was just happened yesterday.

So Won turned to her father. “Appa must be very smart in the class.”

“Indeed very smart. He got full marks in almost all of his exams and was the top student in our school.” Shin Hye said proudly.

Min Ho looked down and smiled.

“I’m lucky that I was inherited with appa’s smart brain.” So Won said cheekily.

Shin Hye pouted her lips as she glared at her daughter. “Eomma wasn’t that bad, okay.”

Min Ho laughed and looked at So Won. “Yes. She wasn’t that bad. At least she aimed for a pass in her exam.”

Shin Hye walked towards him and hit his arm.

Min Ho laughed again before pulling her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You are not too smart but you have a very beautiful heart. And because of that beautiful heart of yours, we were given a beautiful daughter that makes our life perfect.” He said as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for everything.”

So Won’s lips curled up into a wide smile. “Thank you, eomma.”

Both Min Ho and Shin Hye turned to So Won and smiled too. Although their hearts were very painful because of her condition but having her with them now was a blessing that nothing could replace it.

Shin Hye’s eyes widened in surprise when Min Ho took a key out and opened the door. He held So Won’s hand and pulled her into the gym with Shin Hye followed from behind, still looking surprised.

“How you get the key?” Shin Hye asked.

Min Ho smirked. “I have my way.” He then turned to So Won. “You told me you like basketball, right.” His daughter nodded her head happily.

“Okay. You are lucky today because you will get to play with the most handsome basketball player in town. You wait here and appa will go to take the basketball.” He said as he made his way to the store room where all the sport equipment was kept.

Min Ho was choosing the basketball in the big container when he felt a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind. He smiled as he caressed the soft hands on him.

“Just a few minutes you already miss me that much?” Min Ho .

Shin Hye kissed his nape softly from behind.

He turned around and looked into her eyes. He tucked a strand of her loose hair behind the ear before leaned down and kissed on her lips. “Here was where your first kiss was stolen.” He whispered with a smile.

“Yours too.” She said as she leaned closer with their chest pressing tightly together.

Min Ho narrowed his gaze at her. “Are you trying to seduce me here because if you really are, I’m not sure I can control myself.”

Shin Hye laughed softly before looking at him with a serious gaze. “I just want to stay close to you and let you feel my heartbeat was still beating as fast as 9 years ago when you were this near to me. Nothing has change and nothing will ever change. My love for you will stay strong and I’m confident that our loves could overcome everything.”

Min Ho caressed her cheek before he leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly.

So Won clapped her hands loudly when Min Ho shoots the ball directly into the hoop making a three point shot. “Appa daebak!”

Min Ho laughed as he passed the ball to his daughter. “So Won want to try?”

“I can try?” So Won asked excitedly.

“Of course.” Min Ho carried his daughter up and put her on his shoulders. He walked closer to the basketball hoop. “Okay, shoot now.”

So Won threw the ball directly to the hoop with her full strength and she laughed loudly when the ball went into the hoop.

“Yeah!” She shouted happily.

Min Ho put her down and squatted in front of her. He gently wiped the sweat on her forehead and smiled at her. “Hmmm… my So Won can be a good basketball player like appa.”

So Won nodded. “Yes. And I can play with Han Joon Suh when I go back to school.”

Min Ho bit his lips as he took away the ball that his daughter was holding. “No. You cannot touch basketball anymore.”

So Won widened her eyes. “Why? I thought you said I can be a good basketball player. I want to play with Han Joon Suh.”

“Because appa is jealous and you can’t play with another boy except appa. Arasso?” Min Ho pouted his lips as he stood up and started to run like a kid. “If you want to play then come to catch appa.”

So Won laughed as she chased him from behind. “Give me back.”

Min Ho turned around to face her daughter as he continued to run backwards. “Tell me who plays better? Appa or Han Joon Suh?”

“Han Joon Suh.” So Won said cheekily.

“Yah!” Min Ho glared at her and started to run towards her now.

So Won laughed and quickly ran away but was caught by her father in just few footsteps. He grabbed her tiny body and started to tickle her. “Say again, who plays better?”

“Han Joon… ahhh… hahaha…” So Won screamed and laughed at the same time as she can’t stand the ticklish feeling caused by her father.

Shin Hye who was sitting at the audience seats shook her head and laughed looking at Min Ho and So Won. After a while, the smile on her face faded as she let out a deep sigh. “I know I’m greedy but can this moment stay like this forever? We would give up anything just to exchange with our daughter’s healthy life. Please let her stay with us.” She whispered.

Min Ho tightened his arms around So Won as he turned to the side and kissed Shin Hye’s hair softly. He smiled as he closed his eyes to savour the moment. They were having a quiet and peaceful time under the tree where Shin Hye used to write her diary last time. Min Ho was leaning his back against the huge tree with So Won in his embrace and Shin Hye sitting beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“This is the place where eomma like to sit here and write her diary?” So Won asked as she leaned her ear against her father’s chest listening to his steady heartbeat and her eyes were looking at her mother.

“Hmmm… Eomma love to sit under this big tree and read books or write my diary.” Shin Hye said, looking at So Won too.

“Here was where appa first hugged your eomma and start our relationship.” Min Ho cut in as he looked down at Shin Hye. “I remembered she called me a jerk.” He laughed softly.

So Won looked up at her father in curiosity. “Why?”

Min Ho smiled. “Because appa couldn’t get eomma off my mind.”

“Huh?” So Won asked in confusion.

Shin Hye laughed too. She looked at her daughter and touched her cheek softly. “So Won-ah. You have to remember next time when you want to get a boyfriend, you have to find someone who is not too smart, not too handsome and don’t like to sweet talk. Arasso?”

Min Ho chuckled. “Wae? My daughter is so beautiful. She should get a boyfriend as smart and handsome as her appa.” He paused and looked down at his daughter. “But I agreed with your eomma. Don’t find someone who like to sweet talk. Must find someone honest like appa.”

Shin Hye sneered at him sarcastically. “You are such a thick skin pig.”

So Won laughed before she touched her mother’s cheek with her tiny hand. “Eomma is the beautiful princess and appa is the handsome prince. Both of you will live happily ever after.”

Shin Hye took her hand and kissed it softly. “You will find your prince too when you grow up and live with him happily ever after.”

So Won shook her head. “Eomma say before that forever is a very long time. So Won don’t want to think that long. So Won just want to remember now and stay with appa and eomma as much times as I can.” So Won wiped the tears that started to roll down from Shin Hye eyes. “Eomma already promised So Won that you will smile happily always. You cannot cry even if So Won go to heaven one day, arasso? You have to stay with appa happily like the princess and prince in the story book.”

Shin Hye bit her trembling lip, trying to hold back her sobs.

Min Ho wrapped his hand around Shin Hye’s shoulder and another one was holding So Won’s head firmly. “We will always stay like this no matter how. Don’t worry, appa is here.” He turned to Shin Hye and kissed her forehead. “I’m here.” He whispered.

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“Wah! There are so many people here.” So Won said as her eyes were busy looking around the Myeongdong Street.

“This is your first time coming here?” Min Ho asked.

She nodded.

“I didn’t bring her here before. This street is very crowded and I’m scared that she will get too tired and injured.” Shin Hye said as she looked down at So Won. “Are you tired? We have been to a lot of places today. You have to tell us if you are dizzy or feel uncomfortable.”

So Won smiled at her mother. “I’m not tired. I feel very energetic today. Appa said after we have a short walk here, he will bring us to Namsan tower to have a candle light dinner. I’m very excited.”

Shin Hye smiled as she turned to Min Ho. “Candle light dinner?”

Min Ho nodded. “A romantic candle light dinner with my two princesses.”

“Lee Min Ho-sshi?”

Three of them turned around when they heard someone called Min Ho.

It was a girl at her thirties, smiling widely at them. “You don’t remember me? I’m Lena, the one who sang the song You & I. You came to look for me to get the song for your proposal.”

Min Ho rubbed his nape in embarrassment. “Oh yeah, Ms Lena Park. I remember now. I’m sorry.”

Lena