Ara examined her, eyes full of worry when she stared back at Jimin.
"I got a call... they said my daughter was sick, that she w-was here-"
Her voice was cut off by Jimin's annoyed sigh. "Oh? And you came running over?"
"I was... scared," Ara wanted to leave them be, even though she wanted to be there for him, she knew it was not her place to stay. She silently bowed to them both before turning and walking to the bathroom. Jimin faced her, his mouth opening and then closing, understanding that she must have found it awkward to stay, even though he wanted her to.
"Seolhyun, you mean nothing to us, you aren't a part of our lives anymore-" his voice was cut off by her sniffles, and he looked into her eyes to see them red and glistening with tears. "Seolhyu- why are yo-" his heart ached. To see the woman he used to love so dearly, crying, because of him.
"I got scared, Jimin, I thought something bad happened to her."
He sighed, trying to hold back his anger and frustration, "She's okay, Seolhyun," his teeth were grit, hands balled into fists and his blood boiling. But he tried his best to hide it, knowing it wouldn't be of help to anyone in this situation.
"Is she? Is she really?" her eyes lit up in hope, and he didn't know what to think, or say.
"Yeah," he tried to remember what Ara was telling him before, "She just needs to rest, the doctors will take care of her and she'll be okay."
She heaved a sigh of relief, "Okay, good, I'm glad. Can I... talk to her? When she wakes up? She doesn't have to kno-"
"Seolhyun," he cut her off, "You walked away. I gave you that choice to stay, to look after our daughter with me, and you walked away. You made that decision, and I'm making mine now, I didn't want our daughter to have to feel abandoned, in the first place, by one of the people who should love her the most. And then meeting that person... " Jimin's voice trailed off, as he shook his head.
"Y-You're right, I'm sorry Jimin, I-" her eyes scanned to the window of Eunji's room, which made Jimin flinch. "I was just-"
"Scared," he nodded, "I got it. Thank you. Thank you for worrying, you can go now."
"O-Okay," her footsteps were slow, walking away from him, "I'll, uh, see you later."
And with that, she was gone.
He shook his body, trying to get into a good mood before walking into Eunji's room.
"Hi sweetheart," his face lit up when he saw his daughter smiling up at him.
"Hi daddy!" any worry Jimin had instantly vanished. "How was your day!"
"Better now that I'm with you," he grinned, sitting in the stool next to the bed.
She narrowed her eyes at him, "You're too cheesy, dad."
He chuckled, however it stopped when she smiled too and flipped her hair over her shoulder. The sight of her curls bouncing up and down surprisingly brought tears to his eyes. Was it selfish to want to hide her from her mother? Was he mistaking it and thinking he was protecting her, when he was really hurting her more?
"Where's Ara?" he asked after a while.
"She went out to get me cookies!" she cheered and Jimin clicked his tongue.
"I don't think that's very healthy, now is it?"
Eunji giggled, "Hmm... I don't know."
There was a knock at the door and Eunji and Jimin both turned to see a familiar face rush in.
"Sweetheart!" she exclaimed, running to Eunji, making her laugh. "Darling I'm so sorry I'm so late, what happened?"
Jimin rolled his eyes, "Nice of you to join us."
"Is she okay?"
"She's okay, just needs to be hospitalised for a bit longer, and keep taking medication," he smiled at his daughter, stroking her hair.
"Okay big guy, go get something to eat I'll look after the little one," Min Hee said and Jimin shook his head.
"No, it's okay, I'll sta-"
"Dad, Ara's out there alone too, can you look for her?"
"Oh," he remembered, "I'll go get her then."
--
She wasn't in the cafeteria, nor was she in the waiting room. He sighed, taking his phone out to call her, but that's when his eyes lay on someone sitting in the lobby close to the entrance, staring out the window with a bottle of water in hand.
He smiled, sighing deeply before walking up to her.
Jimin slid into the seat next to Ara, looking to the table. He couldn't lift his head to meet her eyes, but he felt her gaze on him.
"Hi," she said softly, smiling at him.
"Hi," he replied, in an equal matter.
"Are you okay?" she asked, craning her head down to meet his eyes. He finally lifted his head to look at her.
"That was..."
"Eunji's mom?" she finished his sentence, and he nodded, looking down again. "I thought so," she waited a few seconds before turning properly to face him, "But you didn't answer my question."
"Hmm?" he raised his eyebrow at her, and then smiled, "I'm okay."
"Are you really?"
He sighed, "Yeah," he smiled.
"Jimin," Ara reached for his hand, "I know you've learnt to be strong all this time, for Eunji," stroking his hand with her thumb, she continued, "But now you have me, and I don't want you to pretend you're always gonna be okay in front of me too."
His smile twitched, "I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, Ara," he sighed, looking down at their entwined hands. "Did I do the right thing telling Seolhyun to leave? I don't know what I'm doing, was that too selfish? Should I just let her back into Eunji's life? I'm not even doing a good job as a father maybe Eunji needs her-"
Ara lifted his chin with her index finger, looking into his eyes. "Honey," she whispered, "I'm gonna keep telling you this, everyday until it gets drilled into your head. You're an amazing father. You're putting your everything into looking after Eunji and that's really all she could ask for. She may not have her biological mother with her, but she has you, she has Min Hee, she has me," Ara grinned, "you've given her so much more than she'll ever ask for. And you've given her your whole heart. That's what a real parent's job is, and you've gone above and beyond it. Eunji loves you, okay? And I know she would never ask for anyone else but you."
His eyes softened, eyebrows less tense and smile appearing again, "What did I even do to deserve you?"
"I ask myself that everyday," her hand reached up to his cheek and she caressed it, "What did I do to deserve such a wonderful person?"
"Probably saved the world in your past life," he said simply, shrugging.
She sighed, pinching his cheek before picking up her water bottle again, "Sorry I asked."
He beamed, inching closer to her on the bench, "No, but really," he said seriously, "I am so grateful for you."
She scrunched her nose, leaning forward and pecking his lips, "Me too."
His eyes lowered from hers to her lips, hand on her back as he pulled her closer, pulling his lips onto hers again.
Little did they know that they would forever be asking what they did to deserve each other.
--
Jimin and Min Hee spent the next two weeks living at the hospital, Ara would visit everyday, bringing them both more clothes, food, and anything else really. Before they knew it, Eunji was all better and was finally able to go back home. Jimin had taken an extra week off work to stay home with her and look after her before she went back to school.
Ara loved getting his messages here and there;
Jimin: I keep forgetting she was hospitalised for two weeks she's literally always crawling over me
Jimin: We're watching Frozen for the seventh time
This text came coupled with a selfie of the two of them on the couch, Eunji's eyes trained to the TV while Jimin looked tiredly at the camera.
Jimin: 'Let's make cake' she said. 'It'll be fun' she said. I forgot about the messy part
Jimin: When is the last time I took a shower?
Jimin: I love answering 'why?' 32 times in a row.
Jimin: Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why is the sun so bright? Is the moon still up there? Where do the stars go? I want a sandwich.
Jimin: Save me
Attached was a photo of Eunji with blue face paint over her hands, and a photo of the two of them in the mirror, Jimin's face with blue streaks all over and Eunji's a small butterfly.
Giggling, Ara pressed the phone button next to Jimin's name as she was closing the preschool and answered before the first ring was over.
"Please tell me you're calling to save me."
She laughed, "From your daughter," she gasped, "I would never."
"Were kids always this tiring?"
"You tell me, you're the dad."
"But you're the teacher."
"I'll be there in ten minutes, let's all go out for dinner!"
"I look like a smurf," he deadpanned, "Did you not see my photo?"
"Still hot though," she smiled to herself when he heard her take a sharp breath in.
"Excuse me I don't think you should be calling your student's father that."
"I wasn't," she continued to flirt, "I was calling my boyfriend that."
"Oh God I miss you," he whined and she was taken aback by the suddenness of it.
"You saw me two days ago, Jimin."
"Yeah," he groaned, "Two days ago."
"I'm almost there, okay? Get Eunji ready we're going out tonight."
"Yes ma'am."
—
Jimin answered the door when Ara knocked, his exhaustion hitting her hard.
"Aww, honey," tiptoeing, she placed a hand on his chin, "You look tired."
Pecking her lips, he nodded, "You have no idea."
"You'd think you knew what it was like to be a parent by now."
He shrugged, putting his hands into his pockets as they walked into the house, "Well for the past few months I had been so involved with work and was seeing her less," he sighed, "I forgot what it was like."
Ara turned to face him, "Well isn't this a good thing?" she grinned, pinching his stomach and leaning up to peck his lips again, "So what if you're tired? You're spending more time with your daughter, isn't that great?"
He, however, was more focused with what she was doing, as opposed to what she was saying, craning his neck down to kiss her again, taking one hand out of his pocket and pulling her closer, resting the hand on her back.
She tried to protest, but he didn't let her, hugging her with both his hands now, he started to push her slowly backwards, until she was pressed against the wall.
"Eunji!" she breathed as he let her up for air.
"Oh I forgot to tell you, she's staying at Min Hee's place tonight."
"Huh? But on the pho-,"
"On the phone, I forgot."
"Ahhh what are we going to do with you."
"But that means we have the night to ourselves," he grinned, drawing little circles on her back with his thumbs.
"We do? What should we do?"
"We could continue what we were just doi-," he said, his lips hovering over hers, expectantly.
She smiled, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulled him down, "Jimin, you know," she started talking and he hummed, placing small kisses on her jaw, making his way to her neck, "You're my favourite."
He stopped, looking up to stare at her.
"No matter what happens, what people say, I'm so happy to have you in my life," her fingers wove into his hair as she felt tears prick at her eyes, "I lost hope in men when my father walked out on us," her smile faltered as she spoke. She had never told anyone about her father, and has never shown anyone this vulnerable side to her. "But you've shown me that men can be loyal, and fathers can be loving."
His eyebrows twitched, her tears triggering his emotions, her story, his tears. "I'm so sorry Ara, I didn't kno-,"
She shook her head, her smile resuming its strength again, "You have nothing to be sorry for. I've got someone so much better now," she pecked his cheek, "And I want you to know, Eunji is so thankful, even if she doesn't say it now she will in the future. I want you to know, no, I want you to believe that you are such an amazing father, I never want you to doubt yourself again."
"How could I? When you literally remind me every second you get."
"Good," she grinned, nodding, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
"Do you want anything to eat?" he asked, grabbing her hand and leading her to the kitchen.
"Now that you mention it, I am starved."
He gave a knowing smirk, "I could tell."
—
They watched a movie that night, A Quiet Place, and neither Jimin nor Ara could keep their eyes off the screen. Despite their attempts at holding hands, cuddling on the couch, and resting heads on each other's shoulders.
After the movie, however, they put on the first episode of Friends to lighten the mood, Jimin serving some ramyeon while Ara went back home to change into more comfortable clothes. She put on a pair of her (nice) sweatpants and a sweater, washing her face and doing her hair in a better ponytail before heading back. When she opened the front door as she returned, she felt the warm aroma of Jimin's noodles overwhelm her. And she loved it.
"I'm back," she grinned, peeking her head around the wall and looked into the kitchen.
"I'm almost done," he said, twirling in his spot as he sprinkled in the last bit of salt and turned the stove off. Bringing the pot to the kitchen bench, he poured the noodles into two bowls and took them to the couch. The next few hours were spent sprawled over the couch, tangled in each other, their legs entwined, eyes never leaving the other's and heartbeats aligned. It was an unconventional way of feeling the love, and was something that would never be mentioned in any romance novel. But to them, it was more love than could ever be fathomed.
—
When Ara opened her eyes the next morning, she was surprised to see Jimin staring down at her.
She rolled over to the other side immediately, not wanting him to see her.
But he just put his hand on her shoulder and turned her back, snaking his arm under her waist and hugging her tight.
"Good morning beautiful," he mumbled into her hair.
"Good morning handsome."
"What time is Eunji getting back?"
"Min Hee said she'll be dropping her off in the afternoon," he pecked her shoulder a few times before stopping, leaning back and resting on his elbow. "You have work, don't you?" his annoyed voice made her laugh.
'I'll call in sick," she grinned, looking up at him.
"You can do that?" he asked, wide eyed.
"Yeah, you egg, teachers get sick too."
"But you're not," he smiled, leaning back down to nibble at her lips before bringing his mouth up to trace her jaw.
"They don't have to know that," she whispered, threading her fingers through his hair.
"I don't know if I can trust you with my daughter anymore," he dipped his head into her neck, "You're so irresponsible."
"Hmmm, would you rather me go then?" she asked, bringing her hands down and stroking his bare shoulders.
"Definitely not."
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Hey guys! So I know this update is super super late, but Uni is so crazy stressful, honestly when I started I wasn't sure if I'd upload at all this year, but hey, one update this year is better than none... right?
Really though guys I'm so so sorry that I can't keep a writing/publishing schedule, I'd understand if you're actually sick of me, because I would be too
Anyway, how are you all? How is school/uni/work?
I hope you liked that update, I actually wrote it over the last few days as I was going to and from uni on the train! It was a little weird writing those kiss scenes with people sitting right next to me, but I love writing and it was okay because I was giving myself butterflies tbh haha
I hope you all have a good day, I love you guys so much!
-Tee xx