─── chapter seven.
❛ BABY MOMMA DRAMA ❜

Eun-Ji was filling the bath with bubbles for her daughter, who was still playing in her bedroom. She turned off the water and walked toward Joo-Won's room down the hallway, intending to fetch her for her bath.

As she passed through the kitchen, her phone rang on the counter. Surprised, she frowned—she wasn't expecting a call from anyone. Grabbing her phone, the name "Myeong-O" flashed on the screen. Eun-Ji groaned, having forgotten she still had everyone's numbers saved. With a sigh, she answered.

"What?" she said, crossing her arms.

"Hey, Eun-Ji, what's up?"

She rolled her eyes. "I know you're not just calling to check in. Do you need money, or—?"

"No, no!" he cut her off quickly, which only made Eun-Ji more confused.

"Myeong-O, can you get to the point, please? I need to give Joo-Won a bath."

"Did you know Jae-Jun has been bringing women over to his place during his weekends with Joo-Won?"

"What?" she snapped, not directly at him, but more in anger at the revelation about her ex.

"Yup, exactly what I said. You're lucky she wasn't there today, though—he had someone over." His smirk was practically audible, as if relishing the drama he was stirring up.

"Got to go," Eun-Ji said curtly, hanging up before he could say anything else. She slammed the phone onto the counter in frustration, accidentally hitting her fingers against the cool marble.

At that moment, she felt a gentle tug on her shirt and looked down to see her daughter standing there, signing, Mommy, hurry before my bath gets cold.

Eun-Ji nodded and scooped her up, carrying her to the bathroom. She decided she'd deal with Jae-Jun after Joo-Won's bath.

After undressing her daughter, Eun-Ji placed her in the warm, bubbly water and watched her play with the foam. She had an urge to ask if what Myeong-O said was true, but didn't want to drag Joo-Won into adult problems or make her feel like she'd done something wrong.

Still, she needed to know.

Reaching out, Eun-Ji gently touched her daughter's hair to get her attention. 'Joo-Won, did Daddy ever bring any new friends to his house?'

The little girl looked up at her mother with wide eyes, thinking. She then signed, 'Daddy brings lady friends home if that's what you mean, Mommy.'

Eun-Ji's stomach tightened with anger, but she kept her emotions in check. She couldn't let Joo-Won feel like she was at fault.

'Did they ever try to play with you?' Eun-Ji signed, trying to keep herself calm.

Joo-Won shook her head, her short hair bouncing as she did. 'No, but they always yell at me when they're about to leave. I don't know why.'

Her daughter's next words made Eun-Ji's heart clench. 'Daddy says it's because they're jealous of my cuteness,' Joo-Won signed with a proud little smile, her chubby cheeks rounding as she closed her eyes in delight.

Eun-Ji forced a smile in return. 'Alright, baby. Let's get you washed up before the water gets cold.' She quickly finished bathing her daughter, trying to keep her thoughts from spiraling.

After dressing Joo-Won in her Disney princess pajamas—the same ones they'd bought together on their "Mommy and Joo-Won" day—Eun-Ji dried her hair, kissed her goodnight, and tucked her into bed. Once her daughter was asleep, she headed back to the kitchen, where her phone lay waiting.

Without hesitation, she dialed Jae-Jun's number and pressed the phone to her ear, leaning against the counter.

"What do you want, Eun-Ji?" he answered, already sounding irritated.

"Are you bringing random women around my child?" she snapped, not caring how sharp her words were.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jae-Jun fired back.

"Don't play dumb with me, Jeon Jae-Jun. Did you bring these women around Joo-Won?"

There was a pause before she heard him sigh angrily. "And if I did?"

Eun-Ji felt stunned for a moment. She let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "You're a shit father, Jae-Jun. You're not seeing her this weekend."

"You can't do that, Eun-Ji," he replied with a smug tone, knowing she couldn't legally withhold visitation without facing consequences.

"If I find out that any of those women yell at my daughter again, or God forbid, lay a hand on her, I'll personally go over there and deal with them," she said calmly, though her voice laced with venom.

"Also, if I hear about any woman being around Joo-Won without my knowledge, I won't hesitate to fight for full custody," Eun-Ji added.

That hit a nerve. "You are not taking my daughter from me, nor are you getting someone to monitor me 24/7!" Jae-Jun growled.

"Then I suggest you stop your bullshit, right?" she countered, her voice steady.

"You wouldn't like it if I brought random men around her, would you? I haven't disrespected you, so don't disrespect me by bringing strangers into her life." Eun-Ji's voice rose as her frustration boiled over.

Before he could respond, she hung up, turning her back to the counter. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm the storm of emotions that raged inside her.

© 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗜𝗦𝗭𝗡  //  𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯