A/N: It's late but it's still Saturday, right? LOL

For the first time in many months, Jongdae unlocked her darkroom. The competition is fast approaching and she had to get working. She had put it off until the last minute because she didn’t think she will be able to look at the pictures she took of Suho. But she can’t let Eunji down. Not when the dream they had together was finally within their reach.

Her savings was enough for the amount she needed to join but Kyuhyun insisted to pay for everything. She was more than thankful for all the support from her family. She knew that if only her father was able to ship her somewhere so he can’t see her moping all day, he will.

She brought out what she needed for photo development. It was one of the processes she enjoyed in photography. Kyuhyun built her a state-of-the-art darkroom for her eighteenth birthday. Over the years, she tried to use digital and Polaroid cameras but the pictures she took with them didn’t have the same character as the ones she took with film.

After making sure the door was locked (her aunt opened the door one time and exposed a total of five rolls of film and months of hard work), she prepared the developer. After checking the right temperature, she mixed the stop bath, making sure the ratio of water was correct. When her chemicals were all ready, she turned the lights off and training her eyes in the dark, she started the process. Soothing music was playing from the phone in her pocket to entertain her while she waits.

And wait she did. For months now actually. She always made sure her phone was charged and she had enough minutes on it in case Suho called. To tell her that everything was just a huge misunderstanding. To make sure she’ll be waiting for him when he sailed down south. Or to make true of the promise he made on that piece of paper she found inside the wine bottle.

Jongdae knew it was pathetic to wait for someone who had no qualms of chasing her away without hearing what she wanted to say. And there were a lot of things she wanted to say to him, too. She wanted to ask him many questions like why she invited her—a stranger—to sail with him. Or why he kept his identity even after she brought him home to meet her family.

A digital timer signaled that the negatives were ready for examination. She carefully chose the ones she will use for the exhibition. She placed them in a proofing preserver and labeled the ones she will enlarge from the ones she will scan for the digital displays throughout the venue. The event will be huge—that she was certain. Delegates from all over the world will come to Korea and renowned photographers and photo enthusiasts alike were expected to be in attendance.

She tried to distract herself but she must admit she was not as excited as she was before. Especially when she had to be in Seoul and be reminded of what happened with Suho. She considered going to his office again and try to talk to him for once. For a moment, she was ready to swallow her pride if only she can get the answers to her countless questions. Not until she saw the news about the recent union of Choi Yifan to supermodel Zhang Yixing. The newlyweds uploaded few photos from the wedding on their respective SNS accounts and the media clamored for them since none of them was invited to witness the event.

Suho was there, smiling merrily with other members of his family. They were all very beautiful and Jongdae never felt so inadequate. And to see that he was doing fine without her killed her. Maybe they were not meant to be in the first place. Maybe Suho—or Choi Joonmyeon—was destined to be with a princess or a dignitary or some famous celebrity. Maybe there was no hope for them afterall.

Aside from her family who actually met him, she didn’t tell anyone about him—not even Eunji. Nobody would believe her anyway. Why would Choi Joonmyeon bother with a nobody like Kim Jongdae anyway? It was preposterous! People might think she’d gone nuts and was living in a silly fairytale. A fairytale that didn’t end in a happily ever after.

*********************************************

"Uncle Xiao Lu." Minkyung called from playing with Jessie, the Kim family’s pet Collie.

"Yes, honey?" Luhan looked up from reading some documents that he brought home. Or Minseok’s home for that matter. She left for a business conference in Milan. He didn’t know if it was just an excuse to get away and put off whatever they agreed (or disagreed) upon longer but he wanted to make use of the opportunity to spend more time with his daughter.

They were at the Kim mansion’s sprawling backyard and he saw that Minkyung was holding a piece of a rather large twig and was writing incessantly on the moist soil. "How do you write your name in Hangul?" She asked. He removed his reading glasses and put the papers down. He crawled over to where she was and sat himself next to her. "Is this correct?"

"Uhm, Xiao Lu is just a pet name." He said slowly after reading what she wrote. He erased it using his fist. "But I write my real name like this," He snatched the twig from her and wrote the corresponding characters on the soil.

"Choi…Luhan?" She gasped. Her hazel brown eyes were wide and glassy and he was suddenly alarmed.

"Yes. Why, what’s wrong?" He scooped her into his arms and lulled her. "Hush, baby. Don’t cry. Why did I do?" To his surprise, she hugged him even tighter – such a powerful grip coming from a three-year old.

"Imo. . .she told me my father’s name is Luhan. It was a secret we kept from Omma because it will make her cry. Your name is Luhan, are you my Appa?" She raised wet innocent eyes up to him. His throat constricted from unshed tears. He gathered her in his arms once more.

"If. . ." He swallowed. "I tell you that I am your Appa, will you still keep it a secret from Omma so she won’t cry?" He asked, voice trembling. Jessie Minkyung’s tear-stricken face. She nodded fervently and her cries were louder than ever.

"I have my Appa!" She gave him a huge, resounding kiss. He realized that however intelligent his kid might be, she’s still as innocent as a baby. How liberating it was to finally introduce himself to his daughter. "Can I call you Appa?" She pouted.

"Of course, baby. Do you love me?" She nodded. "I love you too! So very much. I’ll never leave you again."

"Do you promise that we keep this a secret from Omma? I don’t want to see her cry! I love Omma so much too."

"Pinky promise." He stuck his pinky out and she giggled. They went on to spend the rest of the day together. They played catch, they rode their horses and had toured the enormous Kim property.

"Appa," He heard it a hundred times already since this morning but he’ll never get tired of it.

"Hmn?"

"If you are my Appa, then does that mean Uncle Chanyeol and Aunt Hunnie are my real uncle and aunt?" She inquired, puffing her cheeks. She looked so adorable that he can’t help but chuckle. She never stopped asking questions the whole afternoon.

"Yes, honey. And you also have four other uncles because I have three more brothers. They are Uncle Yifan, Uncle Joonmyeon and Uncle Jongin. And there’s also Aunt Yixing, Uncle Yifan’s wife and your cousin Martin, their son."

"That’s quite a lot!" She mused.

He chortled. "Are you complaining?"

Minkyung shook her head frantically. "Aniyo."

"Good ‘cause you still haven’t heard about your Grandma Hankyung and Grandpa Siwon." He got off the Arabian stallion and helped her off the palomino. "And lots and lots of my cousins and friends and their husbands and wives."

"I have a new grandpa and grandma?"

"Uh, how do I say this? Okay," He toyed with his lips, struggling for the simplest and most appropriate words to say. She was eyeing him expectantly, clearly not into the idea of abandoning Yesung. "Haraboji is still your grandpa. She’s from Omma’s side. But you also have your grandparents from my family." He never knew explaining to a three-year old with an overactive imagination would be so difficult. "The more, the merrier, aint it?"

"Ohhh, okay." She sighed in relief and Luhan can’t help but smile. His daughter was acting like an adult already. If he didn’t know better, he’ll surely be surprised. He realized how difficult it must have been for his mother, taking care of six Minkyungs before. "When am I going to meet them?"

Good question.

"Well. . ." He crouched down to her level and held her face gently. "You do know why we have to keep this a secret, right? Truth is, Omma and Appa don’t get along. For now." He’ll do everything in his power to get his Xiumin back. Or so he said. "So until we fix this. . .we both have to wait." He messed her hair up playfully.

"Why did you two fight? Omma always told me it was bad to fight."

"If you’re older. . .some misunderstandings are inevitable."

"What’s inevitable?"

"It means you can’t help it." He gave the ropes of both horses to the stable boy and they walked hand in hand back to the main house.

"Don’t you love Omma? Is that why you can’t help but argue with her?" She asked, sounding protective all of a sudden. Luhan stopped in his tracks.

"Where did you get that idea?" He lifted her up and carried her to the house. "Minkyung-ah, your Omma and I love each other that’s why you’re born. And we love you just as much. We might disagree on some things but you always come first on our list. Now, don’t worry your pretty little head about these nonsense, alright? How about we get some marshmallows and make smores?"

"I like that!" She shrieked. Now, who wouldn’t say they’re father and daughter? They share almost the same interests and even the same favorite dessert!

*****************************************

"Ms. Kyungsoo? It’s ready." Kelly’s head poke through the door of the office. Kyungsoo thanked her and proceeded to locking the safe and the drawers. It’s over. The ultimatum that she gave herself. She set a timetable for her and Jongin. She’d been sending him treats for the past week and she promised herself that if she didn’t hear from him in a week then she would make the first move. She'd been talking to Myungsoo and Sunjong. And Hyunsik. They've all been very blunt in saying that if she wanted to be happy then she had to do something. And she believed them. Especially Hyunsik. She admired him enough that she thought, at one point, that he'll be an ideal boyfriend. Not just the ideal boyfriend for her. If he was brave enough to admit that friendship wasn't the only thing he wanted from her but then honest enough to recognize the fact that he wasn't the one that could make her happy, then he must be something, right? Perhaps she should make it a crusade to look for someone that could make Hyunsik happy. Yep, that's right. She made a mental note of it and smiled to herself.

Aunt Nancy confessed she warned Jongin against looking for her in Switzerland. She reckoned her heart needed time to heal. Besides, she was there to learn and she didn't require any distractions. But the truth that he came looking for her sparked some hope in her heart. But whatever spark it might have, had died down after a week of sorry waiting. Why, he didn't even bother to say, "Hey, thank you for all the toothache-inducing stuff you sent to my office!" Well, a year wasn't short and he definitely had women (yes, plural) waiting at bay. But cowardice wasn't a word that can be associated with a Do Kyungsoo. Though her nerves were screaming otherwise. Well, it'll be their first meeting after so long and she told herself it was normal to feel that way.

She went straight to the main kitchen and looked for Kelly. She gave her a thumbs up when she saw the unique box of the Swiss meringue cookies she made herself. She asked Kelly to wrap if for her. It was one of their bestsellers and one of her best creations so far (according to Winter Angel Cafe's sales record) and she wanted Jongin to sample them. Speaking of which, she wondered if Jongin did get the desserts she sent him.

"I better get going Kels, please take care of everything. If anything unusual came up, please give me a call."

"I will, Ms. Kyungsoo and good luck!" That, she needed. She sauntered to the dining area and swiped the whole area with one final look when she caught sight of a couple of diners in a corner table. Krystal.

She didn’t know what got to her but she found herself walking towards their table. "Hi." She greeted when she was close enough. Krystal looked up from wiping some icing on the small girl’s lips. Kyungsoo took note of the metal crutches leaning on the glass wall.

"Hey. I know you!" Krystal’s face stretched onto a genial smile. "Kyungsoo, right?" To her surprise, she stood up and gave her a short hug. "It’s good to see you again."

"Yeah. . .I’m glad you remember. So, are you enjoying the food so far?" She turned to the little girl. "Huh, cute one?"

"Oh. Is this yours?" She asked happily. "Wow. Everything that we tried just blew us away! Minyoung specially liked the ruebli torte." She patted the little girl’s head lightly.

"Why, thank you."

"By the way, this is my daughter Minyoung. Honey, say hello to your Aunt Kyungsoo."

"Yellow." She bowed a bit and but didn’t make an effort to stand. "Did you make all these, Auntie?" Pointing to the half-empty plates of sumptuous sweets and tall glasses of dessert beverages.

"Some of it, yeah. Do you like them?" She asked gently.

"I love them! But I like the sweet sushi best!" She experimented with left-over nori once and soaked some sticky rice into some coconut cream and made it into sushi stuffed with seasonal fruits. She had let some of her staff sample it and it was unanimous decision that they add it to their menu.

"She miss home already and sushi is the closest she can get for now. At least in the next few weeks that we’ll be here." Krystal laughed and Kyungsoo can’t help but feel ugly once again. Was this woman out to let the others feel insecure all the time?

"Mom! Let’s go see Jongin-appa now!" Minyoung whined. For a moment, Kyungsoo thought all of the oxygen was knocked out of her. Had it been a fraction of a second longer, she might have died right then and there. Was it the reason why Jongin didn’t even bother? Oh God, she’s ruining a family here. A seriously grave offense! If only she knew.

So, they’ve reconciled. And they have a daughter!

"Kyungsoo? Gwenchana?"

"N-Neh. I--" She cleared . "Here, Minyoung-ah, please take this." She gave her the box and the girl looked up with a confused expression etched on her face. "I baked these myself. I hope you like it." And she scruffled away, an utterly confused Krystal burning holes on her back.

***************************************

Eunji parked the rented car carefully. They figured it would be convenient for them since they’ll be staying in Seoul for ten days. “Ready?” Jongdae took a deep breath and nodded.

In heaven’s grace, the International Photography Intitute’s exhibition was being held at no other than Seoul Trade Tower. When she learned about it, she almost broke down. She was on the verge of withdrawing from the competition altogether. She didn’t even know if she’ll be able to make it for ten days. The possibility of seeing Suho was very high—they own the friggin’ building for Christ’s sake—and she didn’t know what she’ll do if that happened. And not being able to say how nervous she was outloud didn’t help.

“Hey, it’s fine. We’re going to be fine. It’s not like you to be nervous about these things.” Her best friend chided. They went straight to the venue, carrying boxes of trinkets they brought to decorate their booth. Eunji took a flight a day earlier to set it up and it just needed some finishing touches before the exhibit open officially today.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s just that I can’t believe we’re here.” She swallowed the lump in .

“Hush, you know you’re good.” She started to unlock the roll-up door to their booth. There were already a lot of people milling around the venue. It was a closed off area right in the retail section of the building. There were a total of five floors dedicated to some of the most expensive fashion brands in the world, gourmet restaurants and a 4D cinema. Eunji turned the lights on. “Surprise!”

Jongdae was speechless to say the least. Their booth was a total knock out. It was transformed into their private beach in Mokpo. There were real sand, distressed lounging chairs and wooden planks that resembled a small dock. They even put a small rubber boat to complete the look. But what really caught her attention were the large blown up photos of the yatch. And Suho. “Oh my God.”

“Exactly.” Eunji laughed. “You can thank me later. I want something fancy for dinner.”

“I’ll throw in a couple of drinks, too. This is so pretty!” She gushed. Photos taken by Eunji were very good, too. After seeing the photos she took, they agreed that the sea will be the theme of their entries. One of them perfectly captured the pigeons of Hae Eun Dae beach in mid-flight, a boy building a sand castle, a Caucasian water-glider and an old couple walking hand in hand by the shore with the beautiful sunset as the backdrop. Eunji liked her subjects to be unaware. She’d like to capture the real beauty of simple everyday things.

She remembered the box she brought and placed it down the small wooden folding table under the colorful umbrella. They both got down to work. They only had a couple more hours to spare before the opening event started. She installed the dimmer and made sure all photos had appropriate lighting. She was about to put away her box when she noticed one last thing in it. She thought twice about putting it on display but it looked good beside the sand bucket and her collection of large shells.

*********************************************

A white lace dress from Nanette Lepore welcomed Sehun when she got out of the bathroom. It was placed carefully on top of her bed along with a few velvet boxes of appropriate jewelry and a small golden clutch. The gold firewings stilettos from Giuseppe Zanotti were on the foot of the bed. She rolled her eyes. There was no backing out now. She knew Han Kyung chose everything for her. The welcome party for the participants for International Photography Institute’s photography competition will be held tonight and she’s to represent her family.

Tao threw a tantrum when she said she can’t beg off the event. Seoul Trade Tower hosted the exhibit and naturally, they’re all invited. However, everyone had prior engagements. They left Yifan and Yixing in Italy where they started their global trek for their honeymoon and the rest were busy one way or the other. She knew it was just an excuse to make her come home. Even if her parents promised all of them not to meddle with matters of the heart, she knew they’ll take her away from Tao in a heartbeat.

When Tao kidnapped her from the wedding party, he brought her to Naples where a small cabin was waiting for them. With her skills, she can easily run away from him but as they sailed silently, she thought better of it. They needed to talk this out once and for all. For the sake of both their sanities.

She was ready to launch herself on to a lengthy explanation on why they shouldn’t be together but she saw him crying again like what he did when his father died. She scoffed. “Hey, if there’s anyone who should be crying, that should be me. My family must be worried by now.”

“I asked permission to speak to you.” He sniffed.

“What?” She wouldn’t think her parents would permit such a thing. On an important occasion too.

“I mean, Zian did. Just hear me out, please.” She never thought he’ll hear him beg like this. He’s the Emperor of China for crying out loud! All she could do was nod. He held her hand and entwined their fingers, like he knew she’ll run away any second. “I promise to make this work. To make us work. Just give it a chance. “

“We didn’t have anything to work out, Huang Zitao. We are nothing! What are you saying?!” Suddenly, she was screaming at the top of her lungs. All the pent-up frustrations brought about by their last encounter were coming out and she cannot control herself.

“Then do you kiss just anyone?!”

“I didn’t kiss you! You kissed me!” Not her brightest moments but she started throwing everything she got a hold of. Damn him for doing this to her. “Don’t talk to me like we have any say about this matter! Like you have a say in this matter!”

“I will give up everything for you!” The silence that followed was defeaning.  Tao looked like he didn’t mean to say what he just did.

“Are you willing to walk away from everything just to have me?” She mocked. Her words dripped with bitterness. She already paid tooth and nail for her past actions but why must she be punished like this? Why can’t she just love like a normal person? Why can’t she just find someone with a decent job and decent family? How can she compete with a whole country vying for this man’s attention?

“You promised to show me the world. I’m counting on you.” His voice was so small—far from the arrogant prince she met long ago.

“Tao, you already know we don’t have a future together.”

“I will announce our engagement tomorrow.”

“What? No! Oh my god! Are you crazy?”

“Then come with me and keep your promise or you can just watch the presscon tomorrow.”

They returned to the party after that. She was fighting the urge to strangle him for blackmailing her. When she told her parents that she’s coming back to China with Amber, they didn’t say anything much. Though Tao’s less than desirable ways to get her to return to China and be with him, he’d been nothing but attentive to her. He almost didn’t allow her out of his sight. She was given her own pavilion inside the Forbidden City.

He was there even before she can wash off her morning breath. He even brought her breakfast once. They will work together inside his office. They even went out once to visit a Prefecture that had the least employment and literacy rate despite the government’s provided resources. She will wait for him there if he had meetings. It was almost like they were a normal couple. When she told him that she will return home for the exhibit, he almost cried again like a baby. He was only pacified when she told him that she will return right after the event. And if she was true to herself, she’ll say that she kinda missed him, too. She smiled at the thought.