Citrus

Chapter 19

It was a cloudy morning and Nayeon and Mr. Yoo are at the dining table eating breakfast while Mrs. Im was busy doing something at the kitchen counter. Jeongyeon was nowhere to be found. After Mr. Yoo came home, their missing chair suddenly appeared and is where their father was sitting now, which surprised Nayeon. As they ate, she wants to get to know her new father so she continued asking him some questions.

"So, you've been traveling around the world and teaching people?"

"Yeah. I quit the academy, only to build another school and teach there." Mr. Yoo chuckled.

"What are you doing, appa?" Nayeon sighed and and chuckled as she rested her hand on her chin.

"I know right? Seriously, what am I doing?"

They continued talking and chuckling until Nayeon heard the front door creak open. She checked who it was, only to find Jeongyeon already leaving for school. "Hey, Jeongyeon! What about breakfa— ah she just left." Nayeon could only sigh as a loud bang from the door cut her. Nayeon felt a little guilty for slapping her last night, just a little since it's Jeongyeon's fault. She walked back at the dining table with a sad face. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, sweetie, it's okay. It's my fault things have gotten awkward, not yours." Mr. Yoo assured her.

"Appa, I think you should just talk—" she was cut off by her mother who was standing behind her as she poked her daughter's cheek while smiling.

"You know, sweetie, Changjoon's just a tsundere!" Her mother exclaimed as she retracted her finger from her daughter's cheek. "He may be spreading love to children around the world, but he can't manage to do the same for his own daughter." She chuckled and hugged the big teddy bear which was placed at Jeongyeon's chair since last night. "It's a shame he's not more honest, really, since he really loves her."

"Oh god, honey, please stop." Mr. Yoo was embarrassed because his feelings were exposed by the cheerful Choi Se Ah, aka Mrs. Im. But that didn't stop her from talking.

"You know, he keeps coming back because he's worried about Jeongyeon, but he always gets upset trying to figure out how to act around her."

Nayeon stared at her father. She didn't know that he came back just to check on Jeongyeon, but he can't approach her since he didn't want to disappoint her daughter for showing up after a long time. "What the fuck?" She muttered under her breath.

"Alright, enough about me already." He sighed as he lowered his head. "As for Jeongyeon..." he paused, remembering the time he told an eight-year old Jeongyeon that he would leave the academy and travel the world. He comes back from time to time, but he never had a chance to come back for the last five years because he became busy with the school he built. "... I know I left her when she needed a parent, a father, the most. I grew up under the Yoo family, so my own words...would probably confuse Jeongyeon even more." He looked up at Nayeon who was just staring at him while he talks. "Nayeon-ah." He smiled. "Please give Jeongyeon the support she needs."

~~~~

Nayeon walked alone while holding an umbrella since the rain would pour down in any minute from now. Yes, she hated holding one yet she didn't have a choice since she's in Seoul. Back in Busan, she really hated holding umbrellas to the point that she walked to her previous school with a small carton box placed on her head covering her face and two little holes in front to make her see her tracks. The people didn't mind her there and she also didn't mind since her face is hidden, but if she did it in Seoul, the people would probably think she's weird and crazy.

As she walked, her thoughts were lingering on her and Mr. Yoo's conversation this morning. I know appa told me that, but is that true?

"Nayeonie!" Someone called her from the road. She was shocked when she saw Sana paddling on a bike while Momo sits on the sidecar holding an umbrella for her friend. Droplets of rain are now falling down from the dark clouds. "You're gonna be late!" Momo shouted.