The Age Of Love

Five - What A Feeling

Jeong Hyeok reentered the room, taking a seat in a chair by the bassinet. He focused all of his attention on his daughter as she dozed peacefully in his arms. There was an unnatural amount of silence in the room but he tried to ignore that. He knew that Se Ri and her mother were probably having an entire conversation without saying a word. As much as the two of them loved to talk, it was an entirely superfluous act when it came down to it. They were more in sync than Justin Timberlake and Lance Bass

Despite the tension in the room, he felt a smile tug at his cheeks as he continued to stare at the youngest lady in the room. He didn't think he could ever tired of looking at her, counting her perfect little fingers that clenched and released reflexively as she slept, her ten little toes, her long and fluttery eyelashes, her rounded and peach tinged cheeks.

But eventually, the feel of two eyes staring at him almost as intently as he was staring at his daughter drew his attention away.

"What?" he asked coldly as he looked up to meet Se Ri's gaze. The need for yelling may have passed, but his anger was still simmering just below the surface.

"Nothing," Se Ri sniffled, shaking her head. He could see tears pooling at the bottom of her eyes.

"Se Ri," he replied warningly. He had enough of her silence for a lifetime.

"It's just," she spluttered out, "It's just that... you're-- you two look so beautiful together," she managed to finish before bursting into tears.

Jeong Hyeok rolled his eyes but tried to keep his angry retort to himself. She had no right to be all sentimental over seeing him with his daughter when if she'd had her way, he never would have been here at all. Still, she was teeming with hormones, doped up with pain meds, and she'd just pushed a human out of her baby. He had to expect she'd be emotional.

She was wiping her tears away when they were interrupted by a tapping at the door.

"Knock, knock." a voice accompanied by the actual knocking as the room door opened a crack and Young Ae's head peeked in. "Oh good, I've got the right room." Jeong Hyeok's sister strode right in without waiting for an invitation. "Hello, Se Ri," she said dismissively as she strode past the woman in the bed.

Jeong Hyeok knew Young Ae was being aloof in solidarity with him but saw the way Young Ae's briefly fitted towards the mother of his child and the corner of her lips turned up for just the briefest of seconds before being forced back to the society face she'd learned from the best.

"And this must be my beautiful niece!" she cooed, approaching Jeong Hyeok and Eun Jung. Young Ae crouched down in front of the two of them and reached out to finger the baby's soft hair. "She's got your nose,"

"You can't possibly tell whose nose she has. Her face is all smooshed from the whole being-squeezed-out-of-a-vagina experience."

Jeong Hyeok and Young Ae both looked up at Han Jeong Yeon who had just spoken her first word since she had re-entered the room.

"Hello," Young Ae said, approaching Se Ri's mother and holding out her hand. "I am sorry, I should have introduced myself. I was just too distracted by all the adorableness."

"Understood. I am pretty sure it's an evolutionary imperative to fawn over cute babies,"

"Eomma," Se Ri broke in, her voice still a little hoarse from crying. "This is Eun Jung's aunt. Eonnie, this is my mother."

The two women shook hands, "It's nice to meet you," Han Jeong Yeon said.

"You too," Young Ae returned. Awkward silence engulfed the room again.