— Next day —

Sunday, March 6th, 2022.

8:30 am.

I get out of my bathroom after my morning routine, still feeling tired after the short night I had. I head to my closet upstairs, and I look for the clothes I want to wear today. A white shirt, and a pair of grey, checked trousers. I put my clothes on, wear a belt, and I keep the first buttons of my shirt open. I leave my bedroom in this outfit. She is used to seeing me wear those types of clothes even when I’m home, so she will not be surprised.

I go downstairs but take a look at my phone. No message received from her. I walk down the stairs and head to the kitchen right away to cook breakfast while my sons are still sleeping. As expected, Bubble wakes up and follows me, so I make careful moves and check where she is all the time. I take all the stuff I need out and lay it on the counter, hearing her meow nonstop. I smile and stop to gaze down at her. "What do you want?" I stare at her blue eyes, and she goes up on two paws to rest the front ones on my calf. She meows at me again.

"I can’t understand what you’re saying," I step away and check her dishes to see if she still has some food and water. She does, so she is just whining for attention. "I can’t play with you right now, Bubble," I focus on my task. I want the food to be ready once Hajoon wakes up, so I cannot let her distract me.

40 minutes later…

I lay the last pancake on the other ones, and I turn the induction plate off, finally done with this. I head to the table to place the dish there, and I get the bowl of whipped cream as well so that he will be able to take as much as he wants. "It’s ready, Hajoon," I tell him since he has been waiting on the sofa with his little brother, and he hurries to get at the table, acting like a kid that I never feed. I take care of Hyejoon’s food so that we can all eat at the same time, and I put his dish in front of him. "Here you are, my baby," I turn towards the chair I want to sit on but catch sight of Bubble already occupying it while staring up at me.

I sigh but smile. This is impossible to be mad at her.

I hold her with one hand and sit down, and I leave her on my lap. "You better enjoy those pancakes because I woke up earlier just to cook them," I address Hajoon, who already has his mouth full, and he nods. "It’s good, thank you."

I lean forth to take one and eat as well but share with Bubble who will not leave me alone unless I put her in another room. "What about you, my baby? Do you like it too?" I fix my eyes on Hyejoon, and he shakes his head up and down, always expressing his feelings with a lot of enthusiasm and will. "This is good, daddy. Thank you."

"I’m happy then," I smile and finally have some time to relax. This is always the best moment of the day to me.

"Do you know when y/n will be here?" I question him about it, not finding a way to think about something else. "Around ten, so she’ll be here soon."

"Okay," I pretend to be calm as if there was not any excitement and fear inside of me. "I can’t wait to see her, it feels like time is way slower than usual," he expresses what I keep to myself. "Stop focusing on the time, and it will pass without you even seeing it."

"That’s what I’ve been trying to do since last night," he does not cooperate, so I give up on trying to help this boy. "Then wait, you’ll be even happier once she’s here."

"Yeah," he deals with it since he cannot do anything other than wait.

•••

10:15 am.

I heave the palm of my right hand up, sitting on the sofa with Bubble who is playing with my hand. I pet her small head with my finger, but she bites on my finger without hurting, and I shake it.

This moment of pure cuteness gets interrupted by the sound of the bell. Hajoon rushes up as soon as it rings into the house. "She’s here!" he does not retain his excitement, and he runs to the door without waiting for me to even stand up. He opens the door right away, and I see him throw himself in her arms. "I missed you so much!"

'YOUR P.O.V'

I keep a hold on the heavy bag that I have at the end of my fingers, and I hug him back, feeling touched by how happy he is. "I missed you too," I return the same feelings, and he steps back but beams. "Come in, look at how much Hyejoon grew up," he lets me in and closes the door behind me, but once I enter this new house for the first time, the only person my eyes can notice is Mister Jeon. I cannot believe he is standing before me, this sens unreal.

He is so buff now, and tan, with more tattoos.

"Hey," he speaks first, and we smile at each other. "Hey," I cannot even maintain eye contact, my heart is beating too fast. "Here he is," Hajoon takes his brother in his arms, but I realize once I discern his body, how much time I spent away from them. "He’s acting shy," he laughs at his behavior as the little boy does not want to look at me but only hides his face in his big brother’s neck. "It’s okay," I giggle at it, knowing this might be hard to face a stranger at his age.

I direct my eyes towards Mister Jeon as I cannot help but look at him, but I catch him already staring. "I…I brought some food for lunch," I avoid his piercing gaze and the effect it has on me, and I hold the heavy bag up, but he comes closer to me. "Let me help you," his voice sounds soft and low as if he was not so confident, and he takes the food to put it down on the kitchen island next to us. Now, I can see the grey and white kitten in real life. She looks so fluffy and small, she is adorable.

"You can take your shoes and jacket off, the furniture is right there," Hajoon locates it for me, and I get rid of them to feel more comfortable. I put my shoes in the lower cabinet, and then my jacket in the upper one. This feels so odd to see them again, I thought this would never happen.

"Do you want to see the indoor pool that we have?" he puts Hyejoon down, but this cute boy runs to Mister Jeon, who is getting the food in the fridge and never talking. "Yes," I do not refuse, even though I would like to stay close to his father. "Okay, come here," he leads me to the right, behind the kitchen, and he walks up to a black door to open it and reveal what I always wished to have in my house. "It’s awesome, right?" he speaks for me, and I completely agree with him. "It is. You’re so lucky," I do not enter the room since this is useless. "It’s yours too, you can live with us, you know," he closes the door, and his sentence echoes through my head. It means a lot to me. A lot.

"And here is the garden," he walks up to the large windows but does not open the door. "The other pool is over there, it is way bigger," he points his finger at it, and I enjoy the view. This house is even more beautiful than it was in the pictures. "Also," he gasps, joyful as ever. "Let’s get in the basement, there is the billiard table, the sofas, the bar, this is so good," he brings me to the living room and walks down the staircase that I did not even see, and we both walk down.

"Look," he lifts his hand up and rushes to the sofas to jump on one of them. "We’re gonna play together a lot, right?"

"I don’t know how to play a game of billiards," I tell him the truth without saying no. "I’ll teach you, don’t worry," he finds a quick solution, and I smile. "By the way," he leaves his seat and walks up to me but comes very close. "I couldn’t help but kinda let my dad know about this visit, so he knew, but he’s really nervous about seeing you," he whispers and exposes the blabbermouth he is. "Why is he?" I conceal the contentment he provoked inside of me. "He’s happy about seeing you. Like, really happy, but he’s just nervous since it’s been a while. He doesn’t know how you’ll feel around him now, but he missed you a lot."

I smile uncontrollably, loving the fact that he is telling me all those things. "I’m nervous too, but you already know that. Is it obvious?"

"Very obvious," he does not lie and laughs at me, but I accept it. That is how I am anyway, I cannot change that. "Well, I’m going to try to relax," I bite my lips, but we both throw our eyes towards the stairs at the sound of some footsteps. "What are you doing?" he peeks at Hajoon before having his eyes on me, and he joins us, tucking his hands in the pockets of his tight trousers. "I’m letting her visit."

"Okay," he clears his throat, but his eyes meet mine for the hundredth time as we both seem awkward around each other. "Would you like a drink?" he proposes, and I nod. “Just some orange juice if you have, please."

"All right, but have you eaten something today?" he runs his fingers through his hair, and I nod. "I did."

"Fine," he nods and moves back towards the stairs. "Are you staying here, or you go back in the living room?" he asks one last question, and I answer him. "We’re coming."

"All right, I’m waiting upstairs," he smiles at me and walks up to the upper floor. "I’ve never seen him like that," Hajoon chuckles at his father, but I just grin and go back to the living room with him.

Once I reach the sofas, I only look for Mister Jeon and make my way towards him. He seems to have changed, to be honest, but in a good way. He looks genuinely happier, and I hope this is not just a mask, I doubt it, but we cannot ever be sure. The only thing I wish he did not change is his cologne, I did not recognize it at first, this is not the one he used to wear before.

"Here is your drink," he turns towards me and hands it to me, so I thank him and take it to have a sip. "So, how do you find the house?" he shows some signs of struggle as if he were not comfortable with me, proving that his son’s words were true. "I find it amazing. It’s beautiful."

"She has a bedroom for herself, right?" Hajoon plays with the sleeves of his oversized sweater, smiling at his dad but making him grin and look away. "This is the guest room," his answer blows some cold wind at my face, and I swallow the juice that turned tasteless. "Why are you lying like that? We don’t ever have any guest, and Hyuk never stays home either."

Mister Jeon licks his lips but gives him a serious stare, gripping the edge of the kitchen island but looking somewhat scary. "Keep quiet, Hajoon."

"All right, I’m leaving you alone then," he widens his smile and flees away but takes Hyejoon with him, and he disappears upstairs, putting us both in an awkward situation.

I do not know what is happening with him, but we are used to calling each other almost every two days lately, so we are stupid for being so uncomfortable around each other. Maybe the fact that we face each other, that we are near one another causes some tension because we can remember literally the last time it happened.

My eyes peek down at his forearms that are in full sight since he rolled his sleeves up, and while he is pretending to be busy by filling a glass with water, I pay attention to his arms. He is wearing the bracelet I offered him on his birthday this year. I do not focus on that but scrutinize some of his tattoos, his build. His six feet five still impress me.

Seeing his body in real life and not just a picture stirs my mind up, this feels like a dream. I also did not think about it until now, but I did not hug him when I came in. I hope he did not take it as a rejection or hint that I do not want to be close to him again. I was so nervous that my brain skipped this step I thought and made scenarios about in my head so many times.

"Are you okay?" he breaks the unbearable silence, and I nod, I put my glass down but never get my hand off it. "What about you? You seem annoyed or something…" I try to make him say a word about his state of mind, but he gulps a lot of water down and walks up to the windows near us. "I’m all right, just maybe a bit antsy…" his smile says everything, and he opens a window. "Why are you?" I fake some ignorance, and he comes back while fiddling with the opening of his shirt that exposes his tough chest that I should not have my eyes on. "You know the reason," he peeks up at me, now acting like the shy one.

I smile at him, and his behavior allows me to gain some confidence. "No, I don’t. Mister Jeon," I try hard to loosen the tension in the room, and he chuckles but leans over the furniture, his veins jutting out of his skin to continue their way down his hands. "Because you’re here," he does not hide it anymore, and we lock eyes with each other. "There’s no need to be."

"I know," he breaks the contact once more, gazing down at the black, flat surface to avoid my stare. "Anyway, thank you for the food, I totally forgot to tell you," he remembers about it. His mind must be in a mess as well. I am glad to see I am not the only one. "No problem, I hope you’ll like it. I even tried to cook something for Hyejoon, I don’t know if he’ll eat it."

“That’s so sweet of you," he expresses some gratefulness. "I’m sure he will like it, he’s not picky. You stay for lunch and dinner anyway, right?" he asks without glancing away this time. "I don’t want to bother you when you-"

"You won’t. Stop using this word," he cuts me off, making it clear he still thinks the same as before. "Then…I’ll stay," I chuckle. "Good, I hope you’ll enjoy your time here."

"I already feel good, so I doubt I will leave and never want to come back," I state, knowing how he makes me feel, how I feel around them all. "That’s a relief. I’m going to cook for you today, finally,” he laughs, getting me to realize that I have always been the one to cook at his house when I was there. "I’m pretty sure that you’re a good cook now. I feel it."

"Not as good as you, but I learned from you so that should be fine," he grasps the first opportunity to compliment me, and I let a giggle run out. "We’ll see that. Hyejoon and Hajoon will tell us the meal they liked the most so that we’ll see who cooked the best."

"You’re really going to make my kids humiliate me…" he talks like he lacks skills when I know for sure he must be good at it. "No, don’t say that. Be optimistic."

"Okay, I’ll try," he passes his tongue over his lips, and he straightens his back. "Oh, and tell me if you’re cold. I just needed some air," he mentions the open window, but I tell him I am fine, even if the wind is chilly. He is always hot, I feel like now that he is even more muscular, he is even hotter even when the temperatures are low.

"Do you own a car?" he asks out of the blue, and I shake my head. "I don’t. I just have a small house for now, but I came here with a taxi."

"Ah okay, I always wanted to ask you but never did," he explains, and I take another sip of my drink. "I saw yours though. I like this new one. I don’t know the brand, but I like it."

"It’s an Audi Q4, Hajoon really wanted that one, so since I liked it too, I bought it," he gives me the name that I know I will forget in a few minutes. "Ah, you let him pick too."

"Yeah," he smiles but gazes down at his feet, the kitten meowing at him. "Stop being so noisy," he speaks to her but picks her up. "See what I told you, she slept a little, and now she’s already here."

"That’s cute," I laugh at the sight of her licking his fingers, his big hand holding her with ease. "She’s cute until she uses her claws," he presses a kiss on her head, this lucky one making me envy her. He comes closer to me but sits down on the stool on my right. "Here, you can hold her," he brings her towards me, so I sit down, and he puts her on my thigh, but I make sure to move the bottom of my dress up and not have too much of her hair on me. "You’re the first stranger she meets, but she’s pretty cuddly when she knows she can trust you," he reassures me in case I might have been scared to get bitten or scratched, and I caress her. "I hope she won’t hate me then."

"She won’t," he asserts, and I keep my thighs against each other in order to make sure she is safe. "I’m going to go back home with her if she likes me too," I joke with him, but he chuckles. "I won’t let you kidnap my baby. You stay here if you want to have her."

"Oh, then I’m staying," I do not miss this chance, and he looks up into my eyes but gives me that charming smile that used to make me melt. "I’m fine with it."

"You’ll regret saying that in a few weeks when I’ll exhaust you," I enjoy this topic to see what he would say about this, but he sighs and stares through my soul. "Y/n," he pronounces my name in a low voice, forcing me to nibble on my inner lip because of the effect he has on me when he does this type of thing. "One day, I’ll find a way to make you regret saying such stupid things."

"You’re too kind for that," I take the good words he said in a threatening manner, and I pamper Bubble with pets to act like I do not fear what he would be able to do. "Sure," he scoffs, concealing a smirk with a lip bite. He bends over and caresses her too. "I should keep you far away from this dangerous person, my baby," his eyes remain on her as his facial expression is exposing the amusement he gets from teasing me.

Since he likes to do this, I draw her closer to my chest and hold her against me. "She’s mine now, you’re dangerous too. You give her too much attention and love, she’s going to be way too dependent on you," I make it impossible for him to touch her, and she does not even complain or try to run away from my embrace, she plays with the fabric of my dress. "Hey, don’t make me stand up to get her back."

"Or else what?" I giggle, but he already rises from his seat and stretches his hand out to me. "Give her back to me, or I take you both."

I never break eye contact but smile at him, but our attention gets snatched away from one another once Bubble runs away from me, with a string of my dress in her mouth, and opens the front in a simple second.