Third Person's POV
Today is a sunny and bright day, the day being Sunday, means Family day. A lot of families are seen enjoying their time at the park with kids running around, dads helping their children fly their kites at the sky along with the cold breeze of the wind, Christmas already lurking around with the month being mid September.
As Families are having fun at the park, a ten year old girl is seated at the back of the car looking out the window, watching as they pass by every building and trees and sometimes kids walking with their parents.
She sometimes sees two best friends walking hand in hand while laughing about things she couldn't hear about, she misses it, she misses laughing with the girl she's been with since she was little, she misses moments she had with her, misses everything about the girl she had left for four years.
"You okay back there Win?" Chaeyoung asked looking at the girl from the mirror, he saw her looking at him for a split second before giving a subtle nod and looking back out at the window again.
"You know you can always tell me if something is bothering you right?" Chaeyoung spoke again, eyes now focused on the road, Winter just gave a hum as a response before a small sigh left her lips.
"So...what's wrong?" He asked after hearing the sigh that left the girls lips.
"I just...I just miss Karina unnie," Winter answered looking away from the window and placed her attention to the bracelet around her wrist, the bracelet that Karina gave her before with their initials on it.
"Do you think she still remembers me dad?" She asked looking up to Chaeyoung who gave her a short glance before facing front again and nodded.
"Of course she does Win, what's makes you say otherwise?" Chaeyoung answered with a light chuckle that Winter responded with another sigh.
"I don't know...maybe because it's been four years since we last met and she probably found someone else because I left her," Winter answered as she looks out the window again and sees the familiar road back to Changwon, back to where she lost her parents.
"You like her don't you?" Chaeyoung asked glancing at Winter from the mirror and saw the girl tensed up in her seat with her eyes wide open that the racer giggled at.
"W-what? Of--of course not dad, I-i mean she's my f-friend but I don't l-like her like that,"Winter stutteringly answered causing a small laugh leave Chaeyoung's lips.
"Well your stuttering says other wise," He said with a chuckle as his hands maneuvered the steering wheel to the direction of his farm.
"Don't worry Win, it's okay if you like her more than a friend, it's normal to fall in love, and don't think that you liking a girl would make me be mad at you or something homophobic people would do, your heart chooses who you love and I support you in everything, okay? I would never get mad at you," Chaeyoung said with a smile on his lips that Winter smiled at too as she feels another warmth in her heart, another fatherly love that she felt after losing her dad.
"Thanks dad, you're really the best," Winter said with a smile that Chaeyoung giggled at as he stopped his car and removed his seatbelt before looking back to Winter and gave her a smile -- the kind of smile that she had missed from her father.
"Anything just to make you happy kiddo, now why don't we go, Mrs. Kwon has been waiting to see you," He said that made Winter giggle before she dashed out the car and walked fast inside the farm.
Chaeyoung on the other hand watched as he saw Mrs. Kwon embraced Winter in a hug, he saw how Winter smiled widely and brightly while talking to Mrs. Kwon. He saw how much she cried after her parents died in a car accident where only she survived, he saw how much she looks for them even when she's sound asleep, he witnessed how she came from the hyper and bubbly Winter to a quiet and reserved Winter. Since he took her with him to New Zealand and New York he did anything and everything just to bring the bubbly Winter back, somehow it worked, she became happy and talked more again, but he could still see the longing in her eyes that he couldn't take away, so he figured that going back to Korea would be the solution, because Korea is where Winter's happiness lies and lives, this is where her parents are, and Korea is where Karina is. He hoped that if he made Winter and Karina meet again it would make the longing in his daughters eyes go away, he knows that aside from her family, Karina is one of the reasons Winter was always happy back then, so now he hopes that he would see that again.
"I see that you finally came back," Mrs. Kwon said as a smile appeared on her lips when the racer embraced her in a hug that she returned.
"I had to, it's for Winter to get better again, I wanna see her smile genuinely again," He said glancing behind Mrs. Kwon where Winter is walking by the flower area as she smiles, the flowers reminded her of Karina, the blue flowers reminded her of the girl she likes.
While Chaeyoung? The flowers reminded him of Mina, how bright and beautiful she is just like those flowers, he remembers how happy Mina was when she saw the flowers in his farm for the first time ever, that day was the day after she got sick because of her car breaking down in the middle of the road while very hard rain poured down on her, that was the day that she got to explore the house Chaeyoung grew up and also the house where he witnessed the murder of his parents.
"You really adopter her?" Mrs. Kwon asked also looking at Winter as she stands beside Chaeyoung whose lips has a wide smile plastered on watching the little girl stop for a moment and looked at the flowers in front of her, Blue Star flowers to be specific, Karina's favorite flowers.
"I wanted to give her a complete and happy family, I promised her parents that I'd take care of her and give her another family, I thought about bringing her to the Orphanage, but my heart couldn't take seeing her so lonely and I thought that giving her to another family wouldn't be a good idea, I mean look at her," He stated and gestured to Winter who now can be seen sitting on a bench holding Blue Star flowers in her hands as she looks up at the blue sky with a faint smile on her lips.
"Would I want to give her to another family seeing her in that state? Nope, I'd rather let myself adopt her and make her happy again than give her to other people that can't make her happy," He said feeling his heart clench when he noticed the way Winter's shoulders were shuddering up and down -- he knew that she was crying again, probably missing her parents again, missing Karina again.
"You're parents would be so proud of you if they see you right now, from a reserved and quiet boy to a loving and caring man, and I'm sure Winter would be back to normal soon, she's just like you when you were little, she just needs to find the right person just like how you did and changed," Mrs. Kwon muttered looking up at him and saw him smiling before a chuckle left his lips at how he remembered Winter's flustered state when he said that she likes Karina.
"I'm telling you Mrs. Kwon, she already found the right one for her earlier than you would expect," He said with a chuckle before his smile faltered a bit when he saw how Winter's shoulders wouldn't stop shuddering, and when Mrs. Kwon noticed the fall of his smile she knew that he wanted to go to Winter already.
"Have you told her?" She asked, Chaeyoung looked down to her with a questioning look before looking back up to Winter.
"After lunch, I'll take her to the park and tell her," He shortly answered while Mrs. Kwon nodded in response.
"Go on, go to Winter, your daughter needs you," She said with a smile that the racer immediately returned, he gave her another hug before walking towards the bench near the flowers.
As he draws nearer to Winter he started hearing the faint sobs the girl was letting out, he felt his heart clench one more time with how quiet her sobs were and how her breathing was becoming shaky and uneven. He now finally stood behind her, he got to see her shoulders shuddering up and down as her sobs were quiet like she was trying to stop them but failed as her breathing just goes uneven.
Once he sat down the bench he was immediately embraced into a tight hug when Winter felt his presence behind her. Her head was snuggled to his chest as her hands were clutching at his coat tight like she was holding on for dear life. Chaeyoung once again felt his heart tighten at the sight in front of him, he hugged her back and started rubbing random shapes on her back as he tells her comforting words.
"It's okay Win, everything is going to be okay, I promise you that," He said continuing his comforting actions on her back as Winter finally let out loud sobs that even Chaeyoung could her breath hitching every now and then as her hold on him tightens.
"Just cry it all out Minjeong-ah, dad is here, I'm right here, okay? I won't leave you, just let it all out," He once again said letting the little girl hug onto him and cry.
He knows how much pain the girl is feeling right now, he once was in her position after losing his parents years ago, he was in the same state as her, crying, longing, heart in pain. He didn't want Winter to go through the same state as he did, he wants her to have a happy childhood, the childhood that was taken away from him by someone so greedy, he wants her to be happy as she grows up, far from pain, far from anything that would take away a happy childhood from her.
After more long minutes of crying and sobbing, Chaeyoung felt Winter's hold on his coat loosen as her sobs finally subsided. Now she just stays in the embrace of her adopted father, well although he's just her adopted father she didn't really see him as that, ever since Chaeyoung took her with him until he decided to adopt her, she didn't see him as a stranger or an adopted father, she sees him as a real father, she looks at him the way she looks at her father, and that always warms Chaeyoung's heart whenever she would look at him like that, or whenever she would call him dad, or when she would hug him whenever she's happy, those small but fluttering actions of the girl never fails to give Chaeyoung that heart warming feeling, that fatherly feeling and instinct would always spark up when he's with Winter, when with his daughter.
"Say, I have a surprise for you later, after lunch we'll go to the park then I'll show you my surprise, sound good to you?" He asked, Winter pulled away from him and smiled before giving a nod and hugging onto him again.
"Thanks again dad," She muttered a little muffled as she was snuggled onto his chest, Chaeyoung let out a giggle before pulling away and wiped the tears left on her cheeks and smiled.
"Anything for my daughter, you know that I promised to do anything just to make you happy again right? I'll fulfill that and give you a happy childhood Win," He said as they both smiled at each other before bursting out into a fit of laughter.
"What's so funny~?" Winter questioned as she looks at her laughing father, and of course because of how infectious his laugh is she followed and laughed too.
"I just realized how much we were alike when I was a kid, I cry at one moment then the next I'll be laughing, mental? No?" Chaeyoung said as he laughed with Winter.
Both stayed seated on the bench talking about anything that would make them always burst out into a fit of laughter, that is until Mrs. Kwon called them saying that lunch. After responding to Mrs. Kwon, Chaeyoung was first to stand up before Winter followed him back to Mrs. Kwon's house that was just beside the farm.
Their lunch was full of laughs and stories that Chaeyoung did in New York and New Zealand, Mr. Kwon would also always ask Winter questions that the girl would always politely answer. And now here they are, walking to the park as they talk just about anything, Winter would ask her dad questions and he would answer them all.
Upon reaching the park and entering it, Winter roamed her eyes around the park, seeing the familiar place she had met Karina in that autumn season back when she was five, the older already caught her attention even at such a young age, Karina, in Winter's eyes was perfect, well she would always be, they may just meet every summer because Karina lives in Seoul, those summers will always be the best summers that Winter ever had, specially since all of those were spent with Karina.
"You said you have a surprise for me dad, what is it?" Winter asked looking up to her dad who was smiling at her before pointing behind her. So even with a questioning look she looked back, then and there, she knew, she knew that looking back was the best decision she made--
Because right behind her, a few meters away, she saw her, she saw the girl she had been longing for, the girl she waited four years just to see again. There stood behind her was Karina, looking back at her with a wide smile on her lips, happiness evident in her eyes as she finally sees the young girl she had been waiting to see and hug again.
Looking back to her dad, Winter looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes, Chaeyoung giggled seeing the forming tears in her eyes, he knelt down and wiped the tear that escaped her eyes and smiled at her.
"Go now Win, she waited four years just to see you, and I know that you've been wanting to see her, so go, I'll be right here," He told her with a smile, Winter let out a small sob before latching onto Chaeyoung and hugged onto him tight as she cries. The racer stumbled back a bit by the force but regained his balance and hugged her back. Looking at Karina who was standing behind them, he gave her a signal to wait with a smile, Karina smiled back and mouthed that it was okay.
"Thank you so much dad, thank you thank you thank you, you don't know how happy I am right now," Winter said as she showered her dad's face with kisses that he giggled at.
"I made a promise to you Win, and I'm keeping those, so go, your crush is already waiting for you," He said and giggled when Winter whined before smiling again and looking back seeing Karina still waiting for her.
"I can't thank you enough for everything you did for me dad," She said still smiling at him, Chaeyoung gave her a warm smile before pushing her hair back a bit clearing them away from her face.
"You don't have to thank me Minjeong, I'm doing this as your father and because I want you to be happy, now don't make Karina wait anymore, she waited long enough," He said, Winter nodded before giving him another hug, she pulled away and kissed his cheeks before smiling again.
"I love you dad, thank you," She said before turning back and walked towards Karina in a faster pace as Karina met her half way, once they were already standing in front of each other, Winter didn't waste any more time and hugged the older girl, Karina let out a small grunt before being replaced with a giggle as she hugs the younger girl back.
"You got taller Rina," Winter muttered hugging Karina closer to her, the older let out a chuckle and smiled.
"You got me going crazy for four years and that's what you say after meeting again? Where's the justice in my waiting for years in that Win?" Karina jokingly said with a chuckle before both of them pulled away, she giggled again upon seeing the young girls puffy eyed and red nose, probably from crying.
"I was just kidding, you don't even know how much I missed you," Winter said as a small pout appeared on her lips causing the older girl to giggle and pinch her cheeks.
"I missed you so much Win," Karina said with a smile on her lips, Winter smiled back before embracing her into another hug again.
The whole time the two girls were having a conversation Chaeyoung was just watching them with a smile on his face, he finally got to see Winter smiling so widely and brightly -- he finally got to see her smiling genuinely after four years, and that is because of Karina again.
His watching the two girls was interrupted with the ringing of his phone, so like his usual habit, he answered the call without looking at who the caller was.
"I'm guessing you didn't check who was calling," The caller said with a chuckle.
"Don't ruin my moment whoever you are, just who are you?" Chaeyoung asked still looking at his daughter happily smiling while talking to Karina.
"Chill bro, it's just me, the one and only eagle," The caller said, Chaeyoung pulled the phone away from his ears and saw an unknown number on his screen.
"How did you get my number?" He asked curiously hearing another chuckle leave Dahyun's lips.
"Jeongyeon wouldn't tell me, so I forced it out of Daniel, why didn't you tell me you were back already?" Dahyun asked his voice a little more curious with a hint of sadness in.
"You didn't have to," Chaeyoung shortly answered sitting on the bench behind him giving Winter and Karina a smile and a dismissive wave when the two silently asked him that they'll go around.
"Okay, I'm kind of offended, why didn't I have to? I'm still your best friend Azai Chaeyoung, if you forgot," Dahyun said with a scoff that made a small laugh leave Chaeyoung's lips.
"I'm not even in Seoul so there's no point right now,"Chaeyoung said hearing a gasp leave Dahyun's lips.
"Where are you then? In Chang-won?" Dahyun asked as Chaeyoung gave a hum in response.
"What are you doing there? Daniel just mentioned you already went there after I forced your number out of him," The tofu asked again as his curiosity peaks.
"I brought my daughter here, she needs this time to recover," Chaeyoung answered another gasp being given to him as Dahyun yelled.
"Since when did you have a daughter?! Daniel didn't mention this to me! How?!" Dahyun exclaimed that Chaeyoung had to pull his phone away from his ears for a moment at how loud he was.
"Geez, you didn't have to yell, you almost broke my eardrums," The racer said earning a low 'sorry' from Dahyun.
"But seriously though, since when did you have a daughter? The last time I checked you didn't have one," Dahyun asked again.
"Well Winter isn't really mine, I adopted her and took her to New Zealand and New York with me," The racer answered simply.
"Adopted? Winter? Isn't that the kid you told us about? One of the kids you and Mina were the last time you were there?" Dahyun asked, Chaeyoung hummed in response.
"And you adopted her because?" Dahyun asked.
"Because her parents died two weeks before I arrived back from Hawaii," Chaeyoung answered.
"But why did you adopt her? You could've just taken her to the orphanage and let other family adopt her," The tofu said in as-a-matter-of-fact tone.
"I don't know..I just..I saw myself in her when I was young, she was in the same state as I was after losing my parents, and I didn't want her to be taken care of by other people when she's in that state, I'd rather have myself take care of her and help her recover than give her to other people that might not treat her better," He answered, Dahyun gave a low 'wow' at his best friends words, never have he ever thought of hearing Chaeyoung speak those words, he grew up more than he already was, more matured in mind and words.
"I'm speechless, does going to overseas make you this matured?" Dahyun jokingly asked earning a playful scoff from the racer.
"Yeah, so why don't you go overseas to and try being one," Chaeyoung countered with leaving his lips.
"Yeah yeah whatever, so when are you two coming back to Seoul? We'd like to see our best friend again you know?" Dahyun said.
"After a day or two, I'll give Winter more time here," Chaeyoung answered.
"Let's all meet up then, bring your daughter with you too," Dahyun told the racer who gave a hum as he looks at his daughter and Karina walking towards him with a crying child in between them.
"Yeah sure, next week, I gotta go now Hyun, Winter and Karina are back," Chaeyoung said as they both bid goodbye to each other. Once the call was done he put his phone back in his pocket and met Karina and Winter halfway with the crying child holding onto the two girls hands.
"What happened?" Chaeyoung asked looking down at the three children in front of him.
"We saw him crying by the swings, so we took him with us because he was alone," Karina answered looking up at the racer who knelt down to even the height between him and the boy.
"Hey kid, why are you alone? Where's your parents?" He asked the child who didn't stop from crying.
"Don't cry now kiddo, Hyung isn't a bad guy okay? I won't do anything to you hmm? I'll just help you, but you need to tell me your name and where your parents are first," Chaeyoung said soothing the kid by putting a hand on the kids arm giving him a reassuring smile.
"M-mama told me n-not to talk to s-strangers," The little boy said through his sobs and hiccups with his one hand not holding onto Winter anymore as he rubs his eyes.
"Well then, I'm Chaeyoung hyung, these two girls are Winter and Karina noona, now we're not strangers right?" He introduced the three of them to the kid who gave a nod answering his question.
"Now that we're not strangers, can you tell me your name?" Chaeyoung asked again, and gladly this time the kid gave a nod and stopped rubbing his eyes just to look at the racer and saw him smiling back at him.
"I can't s-say my real name, b-but you can c-call me Ian," The kid, Ian said in between his hiccups still looking at the smiling racer.
"Ian? Are you a foreigner Ian?" Chaeyoung asked but the kid shook his head.
"It came from my second name, my n-nanny couldn't pronounce my name properly so she calls me Ian instead," Ian answered as Chaeyoung nodded and smiled.
"Okay Ian, now that I know your name, can you tell me why you're alone here? Where's your parents?" Chaeyoung asked again.
"I'm only here with my nanny, my mama is busy today so she couldn't come with us," The boy answered, the racer gave a nod again.
"Well how about your dad? Where is he? Busy at work too?" Chaeyoung asked again, but he grew confused when the boy gave a shake of his head again.
"I don't have a father, I never met him," Ian answered shortly but the sadness in his voice didn't escape Chaeyoung and the two girls ears.
"Oh, well where's your nanny?" Chaeyoung asked diverting his attention away from the father topic.
"She told me she'd be back, so I waited by the swings where she left me, she took long that I started crying and that's where Karina and Winter noona found me," Ian answered looking up to both Karina and Winter.
"You wanna go have ice cream with us while we wait for your nanny to come back?" Karina asked the boy, he looked at her and smiled while nodding his head vigorously.
"You'd stay with me? Really?!" The boy exclaimed happiness now evident in his eyes and voice as he looks at the three of them.
"Of course! We'd stay with him right dad?" Winter asked her father who nodded smiling at them.
"Yeah, we'd stay with you, now let's go and buy ice cream!" He said as the three ran ahead of him and went there way to the ice creak truck while Chaeyoung followed behind them.
As the three children ran to the ice cream truck, Chaeyoung just watched them, a wide smile on his lips, finally, he sees his daughter smiling widely again, the longing in her eyes gone, he was right, going back to Korea was the solution, giving Karina to Winter was the solution to bring her back.
After buying ice cream for the four of them, they all walked back to the park, the three children were seated on the bench while Chaeyoung was on the grass in front of them eating his ice cream.
"How old are you Ian?" Winter asked turning her head to look at the boy.
"Four, turning five on December," Ian answered earning surprised looks from the three.
"You're only turning five? How come you speak so fluently already?" Karina asked the kid who was busy licking his ice cream.
"Mama taught me at an early age, said it'll be a great advantage for me in school," Ian answered not taking his eyes away from the ice cream in his hand.
"What grade are you on then?" Winter asked him again.
"Three, I accelerated from kindergarten, teachers told mama that the things they teach in kindergarten is too basic for my brain considering that I already know how to read and write already, I can even solve equations fast," The little boy said with a smile on his lips as he looks at the three then back to eating his ice cream.
"With the way you speak right now, I can tell that you'll be accelerating in more grade levels soon, you have a pretty brilliant brain," Chaeyoung said throwing the last piece of ice cream cone into his mouth facing the three children.
The four of them stayed seated in their places talking and asking Ian things about himself and all that while they wait for his nanny to come back. Ian answered every question they throw him with full politeness that they adored about him. Winter and Karina seem to grew fond of him at short span of time, they even learned that Ian came from Sebastian which was second name, they wanted to ask him about his name but they know that going that far would be too much already.
"Ian!" They all turned their heads with the sound of Ian's voice coming from behind them, they saw a woman running towards them, which Chaeyoung assumed that was Ian's nanny.
"Oh my god Ian! I've been looking for you!" The nanny exclaimed kneeling down in front of the boy checking him for any injuries, but once she saw nothing she gave a sigh of relief and looked at him.
"Why did you leave the swing? I told you to wait there didn't I?" The nanny asked the boy who chewed on his ice cream cone before answering.
"I was crying already, I thought you left, then Karina and Winter noona came and took me with them," The boy answered pointing to Karina and Winter who smiled at his nanny.
"Oh, thank you for looking after Ian, I would've been dead to his mom if she finds out I lost him," She said bowing to Chaeyoung and the two kids, the kids smiled at her but Chaeyoung only gave a nod.
"It's okay, just next time don't leave him that long, someone else would've found him, people nowadays aren't to be trusted that fast," He said, the nanny nodded taking Ian's hand and bowed to them again.
"Understood, thank you again for looking after him, but we get going now because his mom will be here soon, thank you once again," She said with a smile and bowed again before looking down to Ian.
"Say goodbye to them now Ian," She said, the boy looked up to the three and smiled before taking his hand away from his nanny and hugged both Karina and Winter, the two girls were surprised but soon hugged him back. Ian broke away from them and moved to Chaeyoung, he looked up at him with his arms open wide asking him for a hug, the racer smile and kneeled down only to be embraced into a tight hug by the boy.
"See you again soon Hyung, noona's," The little boy said hands holding onto his nanny again as they walked away from the three.
"Well that was a long day, let's go now too? I'll cook dinner, you can stay Karina, I'll just tell your parents you'll be sleeping over with Winter, I'm sure she'd like it, right Win?" The racer said looking at his daughter whose cheeks were flushed pink that Karina giggled at.
"I'll like that too, sure I'll stay." Karina said glancing at Winter as both her and Chaeyoung laughed at her flustered state.
------------------------
"Ian, your mama's here," The nanny told the boy who was seated on the couch in between his grandparents who were smiling at his excited state.
"Mama!" The little boy exclaimed as he runs to his mother who he quickly hugged, the woman picked him up and hugged him properly.
"I'm taking that as you missed me?" She said as the boy nodded his head vigorously while smiling, though his smile faltered when he saw a guy standing behind his Mom.
"What's he doing here?"
Hey everyone! Chapter 51 is up!
As promised yesterday HAHAHAHA here's an update, this was supposed to be published last night but I slept on it HAHAHAH anyway enjoy guys!