Unexpectedly Falling For You

thirty-five

Daeun looked at her boyfriend with loving eyes as he dried her hair with a clean towel he had in one of his drawers. He sighed heavily and avoided her gaze, "It's raining. You don't have to trouble yourself coming to me."

Her soft smile soon curved into a frown, "But I want to. I want to see you."

He felt warmth rising on his cheeks before they turned into a soft red colour. He slowly brought himself away and acted like he was keeping the towel away. She followed him, "But the rain wasn't so bad after all. I would overcome my traumas just for you, Sunghoon."

He turned to look at her with surprised eyes, "Really? You would do that for me?"

She couldn't suppress her laughter any longer. His surprised expression made him look like an interested four-year-old.

"Maybe it's just a childish thing, being scared of the rain," she shrugged, "When I ran to you earlier, I realised that it was just water pouring down from the sky. And it was rather calming than frightening."

He listened to her attentively with soft eyes. She stopped talking and smiled at him, "I'm rambling nonsense, am I?"

"Do you know what I'm thinking right now, Ms Ahn Daeun?" He breathed out.

She hummed in response, waiting for him to continue.

"One of the things I hate is being alone. Especially when my mother just visited me earlier. But when you stepped into my office to check if I'm okay or not, it made me fall in love with you harder than before."

He stepped towards her and caressed her cheek, "May I kiss you?"

Daeun's smile grew wider, "Why not?"

He leaned in slowly before kissing her with his tender lips. She smiled in between the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, hoping for tomorrow to come a bit later.

•

Bina stopped herself from knocking on the hospital door that belonged to Daeun's father. She bit her bottom lip nervously and backed away from the door. She instantly looked to the right when she heard footsteps approaching her.

Jungwon rolled his eyes, "What are you doing here, Bina? If you're going to insult Daeun's parents–"

"No. You know what, Jungwon? Mind your own business. I'm not in the mood to insult anyone."

He looked at her worriedly, "Did something happen?"

"I can't bring myself to see Daeun's parents. Her father looks so similar to mine. It makes me hate my father even more."

The door suddenly opened, revealing Mrs Ahn. She looked at them in confusion before smiling, "Hello, kids. What are you doing here?"

"I came here to visit my uncle, Aunt Yejin. I brought some flowers and chocolates," Jungwon said politely before entering the room. Bina was left all alone in the hallway with her aunt.

Mrs Ahn looked at her apologetically before motioning for her to sit on the bench. She then sat next to her and sighed, "Something is bothering you."

"If I feel like being mean now, I would tell you to shut up and insult Daeun more. But I just don't feel like it."

Mrs Ahn chuckled and nodded, "Well, if you're not ready to tell me then I won't ask any further. But just remember that no matter how much you hate me, we're still family. So if you have any problems then you can come to me for some advice."

Bina immediately stood up when her aunt almost went into the room, "Wait!"

Mrs Ahn smirked before turning around, "Spill."

She sat next to the younger girl and waited for her to continue.

"I found out my dad is cheating on my mom. And my mom knew about this all along but she chose to be ignorant because they both have fallen out of love. And all this time my father wasn't there when I needed him the most because he was too busy spoiling his mistress."

"And I feel so stupid for thinking I can make this family work. I feel so stupid for trying to make my parents love each other again. They kept me away from their dark secrets and I feel like a dumb person. Everyone knew about their secrets except me. And I hate that I have to find out about all of this from the maids' gossip."

Mrs Ahn looked at her niece apologetically before patting her back, "I'm sorry to hear that, Bina."

"You shouldn't hate your mother too, Bina. I know Yeongja hates me but as someone who is listening to your problems now, your mother has tried to give the best to you. When your father wasn't there by your side, she was always there to care for and protect you, even if she shows it more harshly."

"Your mother tried to make you happy and give you a comfortable house to live in. She would always be there for you even when she has to work for the whole day. And sometimes I envy your mom for being so strong after what she has to endure."

Bina smiled softly and nodded, "Thank you, Aunt Yejin. I'll go see my uncle now," she said before entering the room.