Muacks…

Park Shin Hye let out a small smile the moment she felt a pair of soft lips pressed against her cheek. Her eyes were still tightly closed, enjoying the morning sunlight shining across her face, warming her with it coziness and adding to the comfort of her mattress.  

“Lazy pig… it’s time to wake up.”

The smile on Shin Hye’s face widened and without any warning, her eyes fluttered open and with one quick motion she flipped the tiny body onto her back, gently pinning her against the bed.

A beautiful sound of a child’s laughter quickly filled the room, sounded like some soft bells chiming. This is definitely the sweetest sound she had ever heard and will never get tired of hearing it. And this beautiful voice belongs to the love of her life, her precious little princess, Lee Yeo Jin.

“Lazy pig?” Shin Hye glared playfully at her daughter before she moved her hands down and started to poke the side of her tiny body, earning a high pitch squeal and laughter from her.

“Eomma… eomma… stop… ahhh… ” Yeo Jin screamed as she wriggled and tried to break free from her mother’s hands.

“Say again… who is the lazy pig, huh?” Shin Hye asked playfully, leaning her head forward and planted a big kiss against Yeo Jin’s chubby cheek. She stopped tickling her and gently pulled her tiny body up into her arms.

Yeo Jin looked up and smiled sweetly at her mother. “Eomma… good morning.” She lifted her short arms up and wrapped them around Shin Hye’s neck, bringing herself closer to her face. “It’s 7.30am already. Eomma have to wake up and go to the hospital.”

Shin Hye nuzzled her nose against Yeo Jin’s chin and looked at her with a smile. “Why are you waking up so early today?”

“Eomma…” Yeo Jin pulled back a little, tilted her head cutely and stared at Shin Hye with a strange gaze. “Are you getting old already? Eomma need to go to hospital, Yeo Jin need to go to kindergarten as well. Seonsaeng-nim said we shouldn’t skip our classes.”

Shin Hye raised her brows as she tried to recall what is the date today. “Ahhh…” Her lips parted slightly. “Today is Friday, not Saturday. Uri Yeo Jin has to go to school too.”

Yeo Jin nodded her head. “Eomma, faster go to brush your teeth. Ahjuhma has prepare breakfast for us.”

“Ahjuhma is here already?” Shin Hye asked in surprise.

“Yes.” She nodded again. “Ahjuhma know eomma is on morning shift today. She came early to bring Yeo Jin to the kindergarten.”

“I see.” She smiled, smiling at herself for always being so forgetful and careless. She wondered how her life would be without Kim Sung Mi. Since she moved to this apartment seven years ago, Kim Sung Mi has been taking very good care of her. From a 19-year-old teenager to a young mother, Kim Sung Mi has been there, witnessing and helping her throughout the whole journey.

She was a single parent child. Her mother passed away few months after giving birth to her and her relationship with her father is not as close as what other people thought. So, she is very grateful to have Kim Sung Mi to stay by her side in all these years. Without her, she won’t be able to cope for being a mother and complete her studies at the same time. Even though she is just a maid but to Shin Hye, Kim Sung Mi is like a mother, like a family.

~~~~~

“Good morning, ahjuhma.”

After finished taking her shower, Shin Hye came out from her room with Yeo Jin holding her hand. She greeted and smiled at the older woman as they walked towards the dining room. The nice smell of food seeping through the room, savouring the enticing scent as it seduced her senses. She could feel the stomach vibrates and rumbled.

Kim Sung Mi turned to the direction where the voice came from and her lips immediately curled onto a wide smile. “Good morning, samo-nim.”

Samo-nim.

What a beautiful yet hurting title. Shin Hye sighed silently.

“Agasshi, come over here.” Kim Sung Mi waved at Yeo Jin as she pulled the dining chair for her little young lady.

Yeo Jin gently let go of her mother’s hand and ran towards Kim Sung Mi. “Thank you, ahjuhma.”

Kim Sung Mi’s smile deepened when she saw Yeo Jin started to eat her breakfast happily. “Eat slowly. Ahjuhma know uri Yeo Jin love to eat French toast with berries. I made a lot today. After you are done eating, ahjuhma will bring you to the kindergarten.”

“I’ll be going to the hospital after the breakfast too. I’ll send Yeo Jin over.” Shin Hye said as she took a seat beside her daughter. “You don’t need to go all the way to her kindergarten and then walk back to the apartment.”

“I’m used to it already.” Kim Sun Mi smiled as she poured a glass of fresh milk for Shin Hye. “But since you will pass by her kindergarten when you are on the way to the hospital, I’ll give you a chance to spend more time with your princess.”

Since Shin Hye graduated and officially became a doctor two years ago, she has been very busy and having a hard time trying to cope with her job and taking care of Yeo Jin at the same time. Being a doctor is very time consuming. If possible, Kim Sun Mi will try her best to give them more time to spend together.  

“Yay!” Yeo Jin turned to Shin Hye and let out a happy smile. “Eomma is sending Yeo Jin to school today. I want to tell Han In Sik that my eomma is sending me to school like her mother too. He cannot laugh at me anymore.”

Shin Hye stopped eating and looked at her daughter. “What do you mean of Han In Sik laughing at you?”

Yeo Jin pouted her lips as she continued. “Han In Sik said I’m a pity girl. Everyone have appa and eomma send them to school but Yeo Jin only have ahjuhma. He also said that appa and eomma doesn’t love me.” She paused and shook her head. “I don’t agree with Han In Sik. I told him that eomma love Yeo Jin a lot. Eomma didn’t send Yeo Jin to school because eomma is very busy. Eomma is a doctor and need to save a lot of children who is not feeling well.”

A sharp pang of guilt hit Shin Hye like a bullet when she watched Yeo Jin’s innocent face. Besides her off day, she would come back home to keep her accompanied right after she has finished her work. But because she need to work in shift, she couldn’t send her to school every morning and sometimes she even need to leave her at home with ahjuhma when she was on night shift.

“Yeo Jin-ah…” Shin Hye brought her hand up and caressed her chubby cheek. “Mianhaeyo. Because of eomma’s job, Yeo Jin has to suffer and laughed by your little friend. But this won’t continue for long. Eomma have already apply to work permanently on morning shift and once it’s approved, eomma will have more time to be with Yeo Jin and will send Yeo Jin to school every morning.”

“Chincha?” Yeo Jin looked at Shin Hye with an excited gaze.

“Yes. Eomma promise you.” Shin Hye smiled as she hooked Yeo Jin’s little pinky finger with hers. “Yeo Jin is eomma’s little angel. Eomma will do anything for you.”

Yeo Jin giggled and gave Shin Hye a bear hug. But then, she suddenly recalled something as she pulled away from her mother and looked up at her. “Eomma, next week is Yeo Jin’s birthday. Will appa come home and celebrate with us?”

Appa.

The moment the word ‘appa’ echoed into Shin Hye’s ear, she felt a lump growing in . Whenever Yeo Jin asked about her father, she find herself doesn’t know how to reply.

Taking a meaningful glance at Kim Sung Mi, she silently asked the older woman for help. Kim Sung Mi understood right away as she cleared and looked at Yeo Jin with a kind smile. “Yeo Jin-ah, have you forgotten what ahjuhma told you yesterday? Your appa is still on business trip. He is a busy man and need to fly here and there for work. Appa need to earn a lot of money so that he could buy Yeo Jin a lot of toys and beautiful dresses.”

Yeo Jin titled her head as she tried to understand what Kim Sung Mi is saying. “If Yeo Jin doesn’t want a lot of toys and beautiful dresses, can appa not work so hard and have more time to stay at home with us?”

This time, it was Kim Sung Mi’s turn who become speechless and don’t know what to say. Shin Hye let out a soft sigh before she gently turned Yeo Jin around to face her. “Eomma know Yeo Jin missed appa a lot. But Yeo Jin knows harabeoji is not feeling well lately, right? Appa needs to help harabeoji to take care of his company. We have to understand appa. Yeo Jin have to be a good girl so that appa could work without any worries.”

“But… he is always not at home. It has been more than a month since appa came back.” Yeo Jin bit her lip. “And… it’s Yeo Jin’s birthday next week. I… want to see appa.” The last sentence came out in a soft whisper.

Shin Hye inhaled a deep breath, feeling the same pain that her daughter felt. Nowadays, children are very precocious and sensitive. Yeo Jin often asked ‘why appa always didn’t come home?, why didn’t appa send me to kindergarten?, why appa and eomma didn’t sleep together?’. Facing her daughter, Shin Hye could only helplessly smile and said ‘appa is busy’.

Busy?

The man that called himself her husband and Yeo Jin’s father… is he really that busy? Busy with work… or busy with taking care of another woman? In his life, their marriage and Yeo Jin’s birth were just an accident to him. It might means nothing to him at all.

“Eomma…”

Yeo Jin gently shook Shin Hye’s hand and her sweet voice shook Shin Hye off from her deep thoughts, bringing her back to her senses. Taking another deep breath, she gazed down at Yeo Jin and smiled. “Arasso, arasso. Eomma promise Yeo Jin that I’ll call appa tonight and ask him to come back for Yeo Jin’s birthday, okay?”

“Chincha?” Yeo Jin widened her huge round eyes and when she saw her mother nodded her head, she threw herself into Shin Hye’s arms and laughed heartily. “Yay! Appa will come back for Yeo Jin’s birthday.”

Shin Hye smiled weakly as she looked up at Kim Sung Mi. The older woman held her gaze and gave her a sympathy smile. She knows how hard it must be for Shin Hye to make that phone call.

“Yeo Jin-ah, we are running late now. Quickly finish your breakfast and let eomma send you to school. Don’t make your eomma late to work.” Kim Sung Mi walked over to them and gently pulled Yeo Jin away from Shin Hye and let her continued with the breakfast. At the same time, she is trying to stop the sensitive topic and give Shin Hye a peace of mind.

Looking at Kim Sung Mi again, she let out a small smile of appreciation before she grabbed her glass and took a sip of the milk. But just when she wanted to eat her food, the sound of the ringing phone suddenly filled the room. She took her phone out from her pocket and saw a familiar number flashing on the screen.

“Yoboseyo.” She answered the phone.

“Park Shin Hye. It’s me, Yuri.”

Shin Hye smiled. “I know.”

“Where are you? I know you start work at 9am today but… you need to come back now. I mean… now!”

Shin Hye furrowed her crease, confused with the anxiousness in Yuri’s voice. “I’m at home having breakfast with Yeo Jin. I need to send her to the school later. What happened?”

There was a brief silence from the other side before Yuri’s voice was heard again.

“They are here again in the ER. The boy is having a seizure and it seems serious this time. Doctor Jang is with them now but… I think you should come back. He doesn’t seem happy when I told her you are not around.”

“Seizure?” Shin Hye’s eyes widened in shock as she stood up from her chair at the same time. She ignored the last sentence because her attention was completely caught up by the first one. “Give me fifteen minutes. I’ll rush back.”

“Okay.”

After Shin Hye ended the call, she turned to Yeo Jin and looked at her apologetically. “Yeo Jin-ah, I’m sorry. There is something urgent in the hospital and eomma have to go back immediately.” She paused and bit her lip. “Eomma can’t send you to the kindergarten today.”

Yeo Jin stared at her for a moment before she spoke. “What happened? Is it because of some small children who are not feeling well again?”

Shin Hye smiled and nodded. “Yes. There is a child who is sick and needs eomma to take care of him. Can Yeo Jin be a good girl, finish your breakfast and go to school with ahjuhma? Eomma will rush home before dinner tonight.”

Yeo Jin nodded obediently. Ahjuhma told her before. Eomma is a doctor. Her job is to save little angel who is not feeling well. She has to be a good girl and can’t disturb eomma’s work. She remembered. “Yeo Jin will listen to ahjuhma and wait for eomma to come home.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Shin Hye leaned over and kissed her forehead. Although it’s very comforting to have an understanding daughter like her but she also felt very guilty at the same time. “Listen to seonsaeng-nim and take care of yourself in school. Eomma will see you tonight. Goodbye.” She said as she kissed her again before she pulled away from her and took her bag on the couch.

Kim Sung Mi followed her from behind and walked her to the door. “Is it him?”

Shin Hye held her eyes and nodded softly. “Yes.” She smiled and gave the older woman a soft pat on her arm. “Don’t worry. I’m okay. I’ll see you tonight.”

Kim Sung Mi nodded as she opened the door and watched Shin Hye half running to the elevator. A deep, breathy sigh escaped her lips, feeling her heart aching for the young woman.

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After dropping her bag in her office and putting on her doctor gown, Shin Hye rushed to the ER immediately. Just when she was about to enter the room, a soft voice called her name from behind.

“Shin Hye…”

She turned around and saw a beautiful young woman walking towards her. She looked at her before her gaze shifted to the man, who was following closely behind her. For a moment, she felt her heart skipped a beat when her eyes locked at the intense and dangerous gaze.

Seven years. The man that was legally known as her husband has been with her for seven years. But every time when she look at him, he still feel like a total stranger. Except for having Yeo Jin to bond them together, she couldn’t find anything to convince herself that they are actually a married couple.

“Shin Hye… you have to save Dae Hyun. He had a seizure again this morning. It didn’t happen anymore after the surgery two years ago. I’m very scared. Will anything happen to him?” Choi Soo Young held Shin Hye’s hand an