8 Years [ENGV]

#13

JISOO

It took Haein and I two days to find an apartment to live in together. It was spacious, airy, and child-friendly, with 3 bedrooms, all en suite. Haein and I would have the room with the balcony, Haeji would have the room across from ours, and the room next door would be for guests — also known as Lisa.

It also didn't take long for the furniture to be bought and everything to be decorated. It was almost comical how quickly the companies responded to our demands. They were not in power anymore, now all the power is with Haein and I.

With everything organized, I couldn't help but feel as if a new phase in my life was beginning. A new phase full of good things. However, I repressed that good feeling that took over my being — I didn't want to create too many expectations and get frustrated when something went wrong.

Fear still consumed me, despite that good feeling that things were and would continue to work out, the fear was still present. But I tried to throw everything into the bottom of a figurative trunk and locked it away.

Friday arrived and as anxious as Haein and I were, there it was Lisa — she was amazed by my new address, the room she would sleep in and Haeji's room. She said she would go out, because that moment should be just for us, but we left her in the apartment packing her things in the closet and went to the boarding school.

I looked at Haein who was driving relaxed and focused on the traffic. We didn't even talk about our relationship, and we were already living together. He never seemed to want to talk about it, so maybe it was all a lie to him? Just appearances so we could have Haeji? Perhaps, after we had Haeji we would each go our own way and our connection would only be to our daughter?

"What are you thinking about?" He asked without looking at me, but maybe noticing that I was looking at him. I looked away, clearing my throat, thinking about something else. Now I would like to run away from that conversation.

"Is Haeji waiting for us?"

"If they told her, maybe." I sighed nervously.

The rest of the way was silent, but a pleasant silence, full of expectations. We arrived at the boarding school. For the first time, I noticed the building; it was huge. The blue glass on the doors and windows, separated only by a white border, gave the place a futuristic air. Haein slowed down when we arrived at the building where Haeji's class was. Haein parked, and we got out of the car, he took my hand and squeezed it, giving me confidence. We went in, greeting a couple who were leaving with their daughter and saw two other couples waiting — a lady with short hair and bangs next to a tall, slender, pale man, and a pot-bellied man with a round face with a woman by his side who looked too young to be his wife and was dressed as if she were at a nightclub, that fabric didn't hide anything. I looked at Haein, seeing if he was staring at the woman, but he didn't even seem to notice.

Upon seeing us, the principal waved to an employee who was accompanying another girl, and she nodded and left. I watched the little girl who had come down go to her chubby father and heard her complain, "Another girlfriend, dad?", but my attention was drawn away from that family drama — which would change nothing in my life — when Haein squeezed my hand, I believe involuntarily.

Haeji was coming, and when she saw us, she smiled excitedly, as if she wasn't believing in what her eyes were seeing — a good surprise — and ran down the steps, not heeding the principal's order not to run on the stairs. She stopped in front of us, hesitant, holding the straps of her pink and white backpack.

"You came!" She said excitedly. I knelt down and hugged her. "Shall I go with you today, or will I have to talk to Miss Hoo?" She asked as she pulled away from my embrace and looked at Haein — who shook her head.