Billionaire Baby Daddy

08. Jiyong

I was certain of one thing—the kid was definitely mine. The resemblance between us was startling and couldn’t be ignored.

I hadn’t gone to Dara’s with the intention of holding Jisoo, but when she reached for me, my response had been automatic. What shocked me the most was that I found myself wanting to hold her, and the moment I did, something just clicked. It was like a switch had been flipped. I knew then I would do anything in my power to protect her.

It scared the shit out of me. This sudden and raw emotion was new to me. It was hard to describe what I felt for Jisoo, but whatever it was, it was an emotion I’d never experienced before.

When Dara had suggested I stay, I’d almost taken her up on her offer. But, the uncertainty of my role in their dynamic urged me to leave and take a step back while I processed. It wasn’t because I feared responsibility. Hell, I’d been responsible for myself for as long as I could remember. I could handle anything that was thrown my way, and I was confident that extended to fatherhood. But there was another factor I had to take into consideration, and that was where Dara and I stood.

All of those thoughts raced through my mind as I got ready for bed. But I knew one thing: I couldn’t worry about issues that were beyond my control. I’d have to take everything one day at a time.

I was awake well before my alarm the next morning. When it went off, I hit snooze. I wasn’t ready to get up and face the day. Gaho snuggled up next to me, happy to have me in bed a little longer.

My attraction to Dara was stronger than ever. Seeing her and Jisoo together only made me want her more. Not just because I saw how nurturing she was, but because I saw the pure joy on her face when she looked at her daughter.

Dara had made it clear that she wasn’t looking for a repeat of what happened. However, there was a spark between us, and this time, I didn’t want to let it slip away as I had before. I chuckled to myself, thinking of what she’d said.

“Um, thanks. You smell good.”

I hadn’t meant to touch her hair when I arrived. But when she’d turned around, she was just so damn beautiful. I’d wanted to kiss her senseless. I knew I’d thrown her off when she stared at me with her mouth hanging open. Then I remembered why I was there when we were interrupted by Jisoo.

My alarm rang again, and I forced myself out of bed. For once, I didn’t feel like going through my morning workout routine—instead, I took my time getting ready, preoccupied with thoughts of Dara and Jisoo. When I finally made it down to my office, Bom greeted me as she usually did.

“Good morning, Mr. Kwon.”

“Morning, Bom. How are you today?”

She seemed startled at my response, and it was then that I realized that I’d never greeted her properly before. Damn. Maybe Chaerin was right. Normally, I’d always gone into what I needed from her for the day. And I just called her by her first name without thinking. I had been so focused on other things, I’d barely thought about work in the last twenty-four hours.

“Um, I’m great. Thank you, sir. Youngbae Dong called. He scheduled a meeting with you for eleven. Your father also called three more times. I told him you were booked solid for the day. I think he bought it.”

“Thanks.” She handed me the tablet as I walked past her desk. “Can you come in my office in twenty minutes so we can go over a few things?”

“Of course.”

I sat at my desk, took a sip of coffee, and tried to focus on catching up from the day before. It proved easier said than done—I just couldn’t concentrate on what I was supposed to be doing. My inbox was flooded with messages, and after attempting to answer a few, I abandoned them altogether.