Min Ja may only be five, but that weekend was the worst weekend of her life. Her dad took her and Hyo Bin to the park, and they watched movies and had a fun time, but all Min Ja could think about was what he had told her. That Mr. Hobi moving in meant her Dad couldn't come back in, and that Mr. Hobi was doing this on purpose? Why would he do something on purpose to make her Dad upset? But...if Dad moved back in, would that mean he and Mommy would be a happy family like he promised, or would they go back to fighting? No, no! She had to trust her Daddy; she didn't want him to be sad. By Sunday, she spent the entire day in bed, not wanting to get up, no matter how much Hyo Bin and her father tried to lure her out with candy and games in the living room. She stayed in bed until her father had to take her and Hyo Bin back home, before dinner time.
"Min Ja, are you upset because of what we talked about?" Weong-Bin asked curiously, and his daughter glanced up at him.
"A little. I want to see you and Mr. Hobi every day, but you said I can't. That makes me sad." Weong-Bin sighed.
"I'm sorry that makes you sad, sweetie. But if you want Mommy to be happy, it has to be that way. And I can make Mommy happy, I told you, I worked hard to fix my mistakes, remember?" Min Ja nodded. "Good." He held her hand tightly as they exited the elevator and went to your apartment door. Weong-Bin knocked, and it took a minute, but the sound of footsteps headed to the door grew louder before you opened the door. Your hair was a bit messy, and you wore some throwaway clothes that were covered in dust and dirt. Despite your disheveled appearance, you were beaming as you opened the door.
"Mama!" Hyo Bin shouted in glee, reaching out to hug you. Without missing a beat, you held her tightly and kissed her cheek.
"Hi, my princess~." You cooed happily. "Did you have fun with Daddy all weekend?"
"Uh-huh." She said. You looked down at Min Ja, who walked up to you as you knelt to her level.
"Hi, sweetie." You smiled, pulling her into a hug. She hugged you back tightly. "I missed you so much."
"You too, Mommy." She said. Once you stood up, you set Hyo Bin onto the floor. Min Ja took her hand and led her into the bedroom so they could put their bags away. When they were gone, you turned to Weong-Bin.
"She seems to be okay. Did you talk to her?"
"I said I would." He smiled a bit. "She spent all day in bed today, though." He saw you frown. "But she'll be alright, I think. She's just a bit confused now, but she'll come around." Hearing that made you relaxed a little bit.
"Thank you." You said softly. Weong-Bin nodded. "I'll see you Wednesday, then."
"Alright." He said. "I'll call the girls later." As he waved you off, you closed the door and sighed. It was so uplifting, and you hoped that whatever Weong-Bin had said, it would help her feel better. But for now, all you could do was head into the bedroom and help the girls unpack and catch up on their weekend.
Min Ja seemed to be doing just fine, telling you about what they did with their Dad on Saturday. She was beaming as she talked about it until you asked about what kept her in bed this morning. Her smile fell into a frown, and she pressed her pointer's fingers together.
"I was just tired, I think." She said simply. "Daddy said I could stay in bed until we had to come home." You sighed, smiling a bit as you ruffled her hair.
"Well, okay then, as long as you're feeling better now." Min Ja nodded, resting her head on your shoulder as you rubbed her back. Hyo Bin was sitting with you as well, stacking up some of her blocks. Min Ja sat beside her and took some blocks of her own, putting them wherever she could to help Hyo Bin make a big tower. You smiled a bit, fixing your hair as you watched the girls, happy to have them back with you again. Weekends with Weong-Bin were torturous for you.
As the three of you sat in the bedroom, enjoying each other's company, you heard a knock on the door. A loud, high-pitched voice called your name, and the three of you looked up. As you stood up, stretching out your legs, you turned to the kids.
"Girls, I'm going to get dinner started in a few minutes, okay? Just let me know if you need anything." Min Ja nodded, both girls turning back to their little block creation as you went to the door. Opening it, you saw Hoseok standing there, panting. It looked like he was drenched in sweat, but he was grinning the minute he opened the door and saw you. "It looks like you ran a marathon. Another long day of rehearsal?"
"Yeah, my kids love to run me through the wringer." He said, stepping into the apartment. He went to lean in for a kiss, but you pulled back, smiling as you saw him pout. "Hey."
"Go shower first, you stink." You teased, pushing him playfully into the apartment, "Then I'll give you a whole bunch of kisses."
"Aaah, a whole bunch?" he asked, eyes going wide. When he saw you nod, he playfully hurried towards the bathroom, making you smile slightly. As he passed the bedroom, he saw the door propped open, getting a slight view of the girls occupying themselves with blocks. He stopped in his tracks, propping the door open and smiling. "Hey girls." He said happily. "What are you doing?"
"I think we're making a house." Min Ja said, looking up at him. "Hyo Bin is in charge this time, so I'm just doing what she tells me." Hoseok smiled a bit. "...You smell."
"Heh...hehe, I just got home from work that's why. I'm sure Mr. Jimin smells the same way after he dances for 3 hours straight." Min Ja pursed her lips a bit.
"...No, Mr. Jimin always smells good when I give him hugs." She said. Hoseok laughed a bit, before finally leaving the room and heading to take a shower. While he was showering, and the girls were busy, you began to get started on pasta. You were in the mood for some Western cuisine recently, thinking the change of pace would make everyone happy. You got to work, making some pasta and frying some chicken to mix in a delicious combination. As you stood by the oven, watching the pasta cook, you heard the sound of the shower turning off and footsteps eventually approaching the kitchen. You kept your eyes on the pasta but saw Hoseok approaching out of the corner of your eye.
"Mmmmm, I was promised a bunch of kisses~." Hoseok cooed as he got closer. You looked over to him and smiled. "Now that I'm clean, I plan to get them~." Without missing a beat, he hurried up to you and pulled you into his arms, making you squeal out in delight, giggling as Hoseok wasted no time peppering you with kisses. It took a few minutes of playful pleading, but you finally got him to back up.
"I need to finish cooking, you lunatic." You said with a playful grin, returning to the stove. Hoseok opened the fridge as he shook some leftover water droplets from his hair, leaning down to grab a Sprite from the fridge. Cracking it open, he let out a satisfied hum as he eagerly began to drink the beverage.
"Did Weong-Bing talk to Min Ja?" he asked curiously.
"It seems like he did. She seems to be doing okay. He said she stayed in bed today, though. She must be trying to sort it all out in her mind." Hoseok nodded as he watched you cook. "Which is good, because I want to mention to her that we've been talking about moving in." He smiled a bit, passing you the Sprite so you could take a sip.
"Do you think she'll take it okay?" He asked.
"I think if we word it correctly and be honest, she'll be okay over time." You looked at him. "I feel safe knowing that you're here. I think the girls will too." Hoseok smiled happily.
"That means a lot to me." He said softly. "If you think it's the right time, then maybe we could look into-."
"NO!" You both heard a child shout from behind you. Looking over, you saw Min Ja standing at the entrance of the kitchen. Her eyes were wide, and they were welling up with tears. It looked like her little body was trembling.
"Min Ja..." you gasped. Quickly, you turned off the stove and walked over to your daughter. Kneeling, you blinked. "How long have you been here?"
"I heard you scream..." she sniffled. "But when I came out here, Mr. Hobi was giving you kisses and you looked happy...." A small smile formed on your lips at first. "But then you said you wanted Mr. Hobi to move in...." she sniffled. "And he can't, Mommy! He can't!"
"Min Ja..." you frowned. "Min Ja, please, calm down." You soothed gently. "Mr. Hobi is here all the time; you don't want him to move in and see you every day?" Min Ja was silent at first, but she eventually shook her head.
"No! No, he can't! What about Daddy?! What about Daddy? I want Daddy back! Mr. Hobi can't move in, he can't!" The next thing you knew, she began to cry in absolute hysterics. You quickly pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her back as she clung to you, sobbing and begging you not to let Hoseok move in, he couldn't move in! "P-pleaaaase, Mommy, noooooo." She sniffled.
"Min Ja, Min Ja look at me." You said softly, tilting her chin to look at you. She was still sniffling. "We don't need to worry about it right now, okay? No need to cry...." You felt your heart shattering with every tear you saw drip down your daughter's face. How could you even suggest this when Min Ja was not ready? "I would never do anything that makes you sad, okay?" Min Ja nodded, sniffling as much as she could and wiping her nose when it became too much. Hoseok walked over, kneeling and handing her a tissue. She hesitated, but took the tissue from him and wiped her eyes and nose.
"...I-I'm sorry..." she sniffled, looking at Hoseok. He only offered her a kind smile.
"Sorry for what? Don't be sorry, Min Ja." he said gently, running a hand through her hair. "Mommy and I don't want to do anything that will make you and Hyo Bin upset, okay?" Min Ja nodded, and her body finally stopped shaking like a leaf. You pulled her into your arms, giving her another tight hug as you felt her arms wrap around you and nuzzle into you.
"Do you want to go back inside and rest until dinner?" you asked her gently. "Or do you want to stay out here with me and Mr. Hobi?"
"I wanna stay with you, Mommy..." she choked. You glanced at Hoseok, who was already getting onto his feet.
"I'll finish dinner, then." He offered, smiling happily. "Go on inside and relax." After a moment, you let out a soft breath and nodded, standing up with Min Ja in your arms. As Hoseok went back to the stove, turning on the flame and watching the chicken and pasta as it finished cooking, you took Min Ja back into her room. Hyo Bin was standing by the door, eyes cast up at you curiously. The yelling of her older sister must have worried her too.
"What's wrong, Mama?" she asked curiously as you stepped into the bedroom. Slowly, your legs gave out and you held your girls tightly in your arms, silence overtaking the three of you for the next few minutes until Hoseok said dinner was ready.
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"I'm so sorry about that." You said softly, sitting at the kitchen table as you served both yourself and Hoseok some tea. Dinner was silent, and dessert was a bit more talkative, but after Min Ja's meltdown, the apartment seemed as if it had shifted, and nobody knew what to say. The girls went to bed pretty much straight away, you even skipped the bath tonight because you just physically couldn't. Hoseok was sure to keep his distance this time, not joining in reading bedtime stories or saying goodnight. He didn't want to make Min Ja anymore upset tonight. When you returned, you practically collapsed into his arms.
"Don't apologize." He assured, threading one of his hands through your hair. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Obviously I'm not making this any easier for her." You said. "I thought she was okay after she put you in that picture, but she wasn't. I thought she was okay after Weong-Bin talked to her, but she seems to have gotten worse!" You groaned. "Either Weong-Bin fucked up what he said, or he said something that had the exact opposite effect." Glancing at your phone, you sighed. "I'm going to call him. He's still up, probably out flirting up his coworkers again." Hoseok watched as you stood up, grabbing your phone and walking towards the balcony door, pressing the phone to your ear. It rang, and rang, and continued to ring.
You've reached Cho Weong-Bin. Unfortunately, I can't come to the phone right now. Please le-.
"Voicemail, of course." You sighed, hanging up. "I don't buy that he's asleep at 7 p.m. I'm calling him again." You heard Hoseok call out your name, but when he saw you put the phone to your ear, he only chuckled. It rang, and rang, and rang again.
You've reached Cho-.
"He's doing this on purpose." You huffed, hanging up once again and tossing your phone onto one of the counters. You rested your elbows against the counter, your hands pulling at your hair. "I can't believe I was so selfish. Min Ja is going through all of this and all I can think about is making you move in, even when she's not ready. I knew this would happen." Hoseok sighed, finally getting out of his seat and walking over to you. He turned you to face him, untangling your hands from your hair and setting them at your sides. He saw your eyes were watering and he quickly lifted his hand to wipe those tears away. "Sorry..." you said.
"Jeez, this family loves to apologize to me It's gonna boost my ego." You chuckled a bit, resting your head against Hoseok's chest. You felt Hoseok's arms wrap around you tightly as if he was trying to squeeze the guilt out of you. "It'll all happen in time, you know." He said. "Let's worry about getting Min Ja to feel better."
"Okay." You said softly, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Want to watch a movie or something to get the depressing air out of this apartment?" Hoseok chuckled, his beaming smile helping heal you already.
"I'll go pick one~." He said giddily, hurrying into the living room. As you watched him, you turned back to the table. Grabbing the tea, you set the empty cups into the sink and filling them with some water and quickly wiping them down. Once they were clean, you headed into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Hoseok plopped himself down beside you and turned off the lights, allowing the glow of the TV to be your source of light.
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You've reached Cho Weong-Bin. Unfortunately, I cannot come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the beep, I promise I'll get back to you soon. *BEEEP*
"Weong-Bin, pick up." You said into the phone, trying to hide your frustration. It was already Monday, and you were heading into work still trying, but getting no result since you started last night. He didn't call the girls Sunday night as he promised, he didn't return any of the voicemails and texts you had been sending him. "Come on. You can't avoid me forever; you need to pick up the girls Wednesday." Though you were reluctant to even send them with him until you had a straight answer, you had no choice. "Please call me. If I don't hear from you, don't think I'm going to let you take the girls Wednesday. I'll pick them up early." You a frustrated huff, you quickly closed your phone and stuffed it into your bag. As you passed the doctors and older nurses, you said your hellos before entering the backroom and putting away your belongings. Jungkook was already there, locking up his little locker of stuff he had, and he turned to you.
"Good morning~." He said happily. When he saw how annoyed you were, he pouted. "Are you alright? You look awful."
"Weong-Bin again. Still won't answer my calls." Jungkook sighed.
"He's probably guilty. Once, I broke my mom's old vase and the guilt ruined my so bad I hid at my friend's house for a week and didn't answer the phone."
"And what happened?" you asked, amusement in your voice.
"She was even angrier. But the point still stands, he's guilty of something."
"Trust me, I know. He did the same crap when he was having an affair." Closing your locker, you shrugged. "But he can't hide forever." Jungkook chuckled as the two of you went to the secretary table to prep for the day before the doctor's office officially opened. You tried to remain focused, but you were getting nowhere with Weong-Bin. It was bothering you that he wasn't answering, he must have no excuse, and Jungkook was right, he must be guilty of whatever he did to Min Ja.
Whatever he did to Min Ja..., just thinking that made you want to put your fist through the table. However, you didn't know anything. Min Ja wouldn't tell you what he told her, she would just start crying about it and apologizing constantly. It upset you so much. But there was nothing you could do about it until you heard from Weong-Bin. Your eyes looked up at the clock as you finished wiping down the counters and counting down the hours until you could get off work. You needed to talk to Weong-Bin.
Work was busy, so before you knew it, the time was flying by. If Jungkook wasn't on the phone with a customer, you were, and if you weren't dealing with a patient, then he was. Nurses kept running up to you asking you to push through prescriptions, make copies, and whatever else was needed for the doctor's sake. By the time 4 hit, you were using a wall to prop you up.
"Why are my busy days always so brutal?" You asked, opening your locker. Jungkook looked completely unphased, grabbing his stuff and running a hand through his hair. "I'll never understand how you manage to look as if you've been relaxing on a beach all day, every day." That made Jungkook's cheeks tint pink and a smile formed on his lips.
"I have good stamina from working out." He said simply.
"Fair enough." You said. Just as you finished gathering your belongings, you heard the sound of a buzzing coming from your phone. You quickly pulled it into view. "Oh God, please be Weong-Bin." You begged, pulling the phone up to your face. However, instead of seeing Weong-Bin's name on the Caller ID, the one time that would ever happen, you were met with the phone number from Min Ja's teacher. "What the-. Why is the teacher calling me?" You quickly answered the call and put the phone to your ear. "Hello?"
"Yes, Miss. Cho. This is Mrs. Song, Min Ja's teacher."
"Yes, hi. How are you? Is everything alright?"
"Yes, yes. Min Ja went home with San-Ha and her mother when the school day ended. This is something different. Uhm, are you free tomorrow afternoon?"
"Afternoon? Yes, I am. Why?"
"I wanted to see if you and Min Ja's father were available to meet with me after school for a meeting." You felt your heart sink. Oh God, a meeting with her teacher? Was this a good thing? Did Min Ja start acting out in school too? Your mind was racing, and you tucked hair behind your ear as you turned away from Jungkook.
"Uhm sure! I can be there if you just give me time. I'll work around my job hours. I've just been having trouble getting into contact with my ex-husband, so it may-."
"I already called him." She said. You blinked. "He said he would be free whenever you had the time this week."
So, he can call back the teacher but not the mother of his children? Yeah, let's see that bite him in the ass. You thought to yourself. "Okay, then I can get there right when school lets out."
"Fantastic. I'll see you then." You nodded, hanging up the phone and letting out a deep sigh.
"Everything okay?" Jungkook asked curiously, putting a hand on your shoulder. You glanced over at him and offered a small smile.
"Min Ja's teacher wants to have a meeting with me and Weong-Bin." You said simply. "So, I need to look into leaving a bit early so that I can make it to the school on time." Waving Jungkook off, you went to hopefully talk to your boss about leaving slightly early the next day. Even after it was approved, and you headed home to your girls after that, you couldn't help but be worried about what that meeting would hold.
That night, as you put Min Ja and Hyo Bin to bed, Min Ja pressed her fingers together.
"Mommy, my teacher said you and Daddy are going to talk to her tomorrow." She said softly. You nodded, sitting on the end of her bed.
"That's right. Mr. Hobi is going to take you and Hyo Bin to the park while we talk."
"Did I do something bad?" she asked curiously.
"I don't know, did you?"
"N-no." she said quickly. "I promise, I didn't do anything bad." You smiled, kissing her head gently and rubbing her back.
"Okay, then don't worry. Just get some rest for now, okay? Let Mommy and Daddy worry about the meeting." Min Ja nodded, laying fully in bed as you covered her with the blankets. "Goodnight, honey. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight..." she said softly. You watched her close her eyes and snuggle deeper into bed as she tried to fall asleep. Once you saw her breathing even out slightly, you snuck your way out of the room.
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Weong-Bin was standing outside the school building, arms crossed as he looked at his watch. The school was letting out in 10 minutes, and you had just texted him that you were on your way, having just gotten Hyo Bin from daycare. He didn't respond, but he got the text. As he looked around, watching people pass on the nearby streets, he was also wondering why he was called to this meeting. Did Min Ja confide in her teacher about what was going on? Has she been acting out? What was she saying or doing to concern the teacher enough to call a meeting? Just as his mind began racing, he heard you calling out to him. Turning over, he saw you walking down the street with Hoseok at your side, carrying Hyo Bin in his arms. He groaned, turning to face you.
"You were almost late." He said.
"Well I had to go pick up Hyo Bin." You said simply. Weong-Bin sighed, turning back towards the entrance of the school. You sighed, running a hand through your hair. "Why haven't you been answering my calls?"
"I've been busy." He said simply. "My job is demanding, you know."
"Oh, please, cry me a river." You scoffed, putting your hands on your hips. Weong-Bin glared down at you, but before either of you could continue to bicker, the doors of the school let out. Kids began hurrying out of the building, shouting and cheering in glee at the sound of the ending bell. Younger kids would meet with their parents and other friends before heading home, while older kids started going home solo. The three of you didn't move, watching as the hoard of students began to thin out. As children began dispersing, you saw Min Ja's teacher. Mrs. Song was a young lady, probably only a few years older than you. She had brown hair pulled up into a tight bun, and wore a pencil skirt with a nice blouse. She was a sweet young woman, who was well-liked by all of her students. When she caught your gaze, she smiled and took Min Ja's hand. Min Ja looked up from the floor and took her hand, both of them walking towards you.
"Hello, Miss. And Mr. Cho." She said happily, shaking both of your hands. "I'm glad you could make it."
"Of course." You said, nodding. "And this is Hoseok, my boyfriend." When Hoseok introduced himself and shook Mrs. Song's hand, you saw Weong-Bin clench a fist behind his hand. Glancing down at Min Ja, she looked up at you. "You're going to go with Mr. Hobi, okay? We'll come to get you when we're done." Min Ja's wide eyes fell to Hoseok, who offered her a hand and a warm smile, fixing his arm that was holding Hyo Bin.
"Come on~. We're going to have some fun." Min Ja nodded, taking his hand. "We'll see you guys later." He said happily. He looked at Mrs. Song. "It was nice to meet you."
"You as well~. Take care." She said happily, watching as Hoseok led the girls down the road to the nearby playground. With them gone, Mrs. Song looked at the both of you. "Shall we?"