Taehyung

"It was hard," I sulk and whine over the call as I sip my cup of coffee, sitting at the edge of the couch.

"It will be hard, she's still a young child. We need to be very patient with her, Taehyung," Maya responds calmly.

"I know..." I answer wearily, my shoulders slumping. "Maya, thank you for stocking up things and cleaning the house yesterday. It really meant a lot," I pass on my words of gratitude for her help yesterday, and Maya laughs softly.

"Anytime. Did you cook breakfast for her, TaeTae?" She asks in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I'm going to make sandwiches, but if you hadn't given that wake-up call, I wouldn't have even opened my eyes," I speak softly as I finish drinking my coffee.

"Will you be taking her to the ballet class today?" Maya has already memorized Areum's schedule, and she seems to be full of questions, but my brain is so exhausted that I'm finding it hard to keep up.

"Yeah, I have to. I only don't know how to handle her questions," I answer quietly.

For the past few weeks, Jang-Mi would usually pick up Areum after her ballet class, and she would take care of her lunch as well. After that, I would pick her up from there to spend the rest of my day with her before dropping her off at Jang-Mi's place at night. But today it's going to be a little different.

Maya exhales deeply, sensing the anxiety and exhaustion in my voice.
"TaeTae, breathe. Take it easy, baby. We can find a way to give her the answers, don't worry about it and stress out," her words feel like soft breeze blowing on my open wounds, the tone of her voice making the creases on my forehead to disappear.

"Can we meet for lunch? At the usual diner. I think it's time for Areum to meet you," I put forward a plan out of nowhere.

"I was actually about to ask you if I can cook some lunch and bring it for you both to eat after her class ends. But if we go out, do you think she'll like it? As in, if I accompany you both..." Maya asks a little hesitantly.

"We'll have to see, but I think if she gets to know you gradually, it'll be a lot better than something too sudden..." I respond quietly, leaning back on the couch and allowing my body to sink into the softness.

"I guess so too..." Maya says after a bit. "She might not be okay with outside food, Taehyung. Do you want to bring her home? I'll cook what she likes," she suddenly sounds a little cheerful.

"That sounds better, actually. Honestly, after just one night, I'm already craving some warm and tasty homemade food, and I bet she'll want it too. And, yeah, Areum likes bibimbap and fried chicken with low spice," I laugh softly when she lets out a squeaky little 'yay'.

"So that makes two of you for bibimbap then," Maya chuckles. "What time will you be here?" She checks with me.

"I'll bring her there after her ballet class," I pull away my phone and check the time on it before putting it back to my ear. "It's time to wake her up now. I'll see you then...around 12?"

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll see you guys then," Maya passes a kiss to me before we end the call.

I proceed to wake up Areum, who starts off her day with a cartload of questions about Jang-Mi, and why she isn't here yet. It is then that I'm really tempted to ask her if she ever did the same when she was away from me on the other days of the week.

"Bubba, you've asked so many questions. Can I ask you one?" I ask her as I make her sit down on the kitchen counter and pick out two slices of bread for her.

"Yes, appa," she confirms, swinging her legs and banging her heels on the cabinets beneath the kitchen counter.

"While you are with eomma, do you ask about me? I'm just curious," I shrug a little as I spread a dollop of butter on one slice of bread while keeping my eyes trained on my daughter.

"Yes, I always ask eomma. She says I can meet you on Saturday. Eomma also said that we're at halmeoni's house because she got bad dreams while sleeping here, but there she can sleep nicely," Areum complains in a pout, moving her hands in an animated manner as she speaks.

"Oh? So you knew why eomma isn't here, then why do you keep asking me that?" I pause my work and question her.

"Because I want eomma also to be here, appa," her voice suddenly grows sadder, and it makes me panic if she might start crying.

"Hey, cheer up, bubba. Bad dreams aren't very nice, right?" I ask her, and she shakes her head a little in response.

"I want to take you out somewhere after your ballet class today. So eat up now," I extend the plate with her sandwich to her, and she takes it from my hand.

Ruffling her soft hair, I watch her nibble on the sandwich. It definitely looks a lot better than the sloppy pajeon that I made last night, and Areum actually seems to like it.

All I'm doing for now is distracting her from the actual topic, and I'm sure it isn't going to work for long. I will have to answer her questions some day, but given that she isn't as resistant to the idea as she was the first time we told her about it, I'm guessing that Jang-Mi must have already explained things to her in a more understandable manner.

She seems to have partially understood the fact that Jang-Mi and I would be living separately, but she can still spend time with both of us.

After about an hour, I drop off Areum at her ballet class and head back home to do the dishes and take a shower. I'm still unsure about what would happen over lunch today, and if Areum would even like it.

Last time at the airport she wasn't too friendly with Maya, but I'm hoping that at least this time they get to speak a few words to each other. After all, she has to get to know Maya at some point, and I definitely don't want it to be a sudden or unexpected revelation for my daughter.

***

"Where is this, appa?" Areum asks me as I park my car outside Maya's home and unbuckle my seat belt.

"We're having lunch with someone, bubba," I give her a short and calculated reply—one that I had prepared earlier within my head, also carefully avoiding the word 'friend' at all costs.

"Oh, who is it? Will we eat chicken for lunch? I want ice-cream," she keeps talking as I help her out of the car.

"We'll see what's there for lunch, and if you be a sweet girl today, we will surely have ice-cream too, okay?" I send her a smile as we reach the front door and knock on it.

Maya opens it quickly, and her face brightens the moment she sees us there.

"Hi, Areum! Hey, Taehyung! Come on in," with a big smile on her lips, she motions for us to enter.

"Hi," I smile a little as I puff out a breath through my mouth and step inside with my daughter.

We both take off our shoes and enter her home, and I notice that Areum doesn't seem too impressed. She has a look on her face that doesn't exactly give away how she's feeling on the inside, and it obviously makes me a little paranoid.

"Are you hungry, Areum? We can eat when you're hungry," Maya goes down on her knees and talks to my daughter who looks up at me and then glances back at Maya.

"Yeah, I want to eat now," she nods a little and speaks in a low and squeaky tone.

Soon enough, Maya takes her to the dining table and places a big bowl of bibimbap and a portion of Areum's favorite fried chicken at the center of the table. We both sit facing each other with Areum on one side of the table.

"This looks so good. Do you have a written recipe for this?" I ask Maya as I pull up the sleeves of my sweatshirt and split open the egg using my chopsticks, mixing the bibimpap together thereafter.

"Yeah, I tweaked it a bit though. I'll send you the recipe. Are you planning to make it sometime?" She asks me, and then she turns her head to look at Areum. "Does appa cook, Areum?" Maya asks my daughter.

"No," Areum shakes her head, giggling. "He never cooks. Yesterday appa made pajeon, but it wasn't like what eomma makes," she is flat-out embarrassing me.

"Hey, but you still said you liked it," I protest in my own defense, making Maya laugh.

"You should try this and tell me how you like it," Maya serves a portion of the meal in Areum's bowl and places it in front of her.

After taking a few bites, Areum confirms that it tastes great, and she polishes the bowl clean after getting a second serving. She also eats about two pieces of fried chicken and announces that she's full.

Maya and Areum exchanged a few words over the meal, and it made me feel so relieved that Areum isn't at least resisting Maya's presence like she did the first time. I was extremely nervous when we came here, but our mealtime seems like a happy pill that I never knew I needed to feel charged up.

After the meal, Areum and I wait on the couch while Maya brings out individual bowls of Areum's favorite strawberry ice-cream for all of us. My daughter's mood instantly pipes up when she sees the ice-cream, and she begins digging into it happily.

None of us speak much during our dessert time, and even my attempts at initiating minor interactions between the two ladies ends faster than I start them. So I'm not pushing anything and just going with the flow for as long as things remain quiet and calm.

Once we're done with the ice-cream, I decide to go back home with Areum because she usually tends to feel a little sleepy after having ice-cream, and handling her when her sleep is disrupted is extremely hard.

"Thank you, Maya. I think Areum had a good time too, is that right, bubba?" I ask her as she wears her shoes.

"Yeah," she nods a little with a sweet smile.

"Alright," I laugh softly, glancing back at Maya. "We'll leave now. Take care," my eyes stay on her, and even though I want to kiss her right now, I won't ever do it again in Areum's presence.

No, I'm not even going to hug her.

Things were different last time, but this time Areum is in a very sensitive period, and I don't ever want to trigger things in her.

"Thank you for coming, Areum. I really enjoyed having you over," Maya uses her words with caution and smiles at my daughter before she diverts her eyes to me.

"Bye, Taehyung," she smiles at me, and then at Areum after which I head outside to my car.

The drive back home is silent for a while before Areum begins asking questions.

"Appa, where is bunny?"

"You didn't bring bunny along, bubba. Because we went to lunch directly after your ballet class," I answer her as I take a peek at her through the rear-view mirror and see her yawning.

"I want bunny," she sulks in an upset manner, and I can see that she's already starting to feel a little sleepy.

"We'll be home in ten more minutes, and you can hold your bunny and take a nap once we're there, okay?" My response has no effect on her, and she still has a dissatisfied look on her face.

In about ten minutes, we arrive at our house, and I park my car outside. The late afternoon sun lashes down on our faces as Areum and I walk up to the front door, and if she doesn't get to hold her bunny in bed in another five minutes, then all hell will break loose for sure.

I put my hand inside the pocket of my trousers, hoping to retrieve the house key, but it doesn't seem to be there.

My eyebrows come together, and I desperately fish for the keys in the other pockets of my trousers as well, only to end up not finding it anywhere.

"Hold on. I think I left the keys in the car. Wait right here," I jog back to my car while Areum whines behind my back.

I swiftly unlock my car and search everywhere, but the house keys are nowhere to be found. Wondering if I left them at Maya's home by mistake, I place a call to her phone while walking back up to the front door where my daughter stands, angrily glaring at me.

"Hey, by any chance have I left my house keys there?" I ask Maya once she answers the call.

"House keys? I'll look around for it. Where are you now?" She quizzes me curiously.

"We're right outside my door, and I can't seem to find the keys anywhere," my eyes move to Areum as I speak, and I notice that she's growing more impatient with each passing second.

"Relax and think well. When did you last use it? Did you lock the door while going to pick up Areum?" Maya tries to deconstruct the whole situation and help rewind things within my mind.

Rubbing my aching temples with my fingers, I begin thinking deeply, and it actually takes me just a few seconds to remember where it is.

"It's inside the house," I answer her while not moving my eyes from Areum who quickly catches up on the conversation and sends me a death glare.

"Uh-oh! So you locked yourself out? That's such a careless thing to do," Maya's words aren't helping the situation. "What to do now?" She adds worriedly.

"Jang-Mi's keys are also inside, and Areum is very sleepy right now," I begin chewing my lips as I explain the situation to Maya.

"You should bring her back home and take care of retrieving the keys," Maya announces without hesitation.

"I guess that's the only thing I could do now," I speak with my eyes on my daughter whose face is red with anger right now.

Of course, I just had to screw it up this way, didn't I?

Do not forget to vote and comment!!
💜💜

👆🤧
That's Taehyung when he realizes that he has successfully locked himself out of his own house.

Published on : 06/05/2022