A second shot at love

One

Eight years later...

"What can't you guys get back together?" A now twelve year old Hyein asked as she looked up at Minji with sad eyes. "I miss seeing the two of you together." She said and Minji could feel her heart breaking at her daughter's words. She looked down at Hyein and brought her in to a hug.

"Hanni has built her life, Hyein-ah. And that's something me and you have to respect. I love your mother, I really do and because I do, I let her go so that she could be happy." Minji said as she looked at the sunset that displayed before them. Hyein frowned as she looked up at her momma bear.

"She wasn't happy with us?" The question tore Minji apart but she could only let her arms wrap around her tighter. "I wasn't what Hanni wanted anymore. And even though she stopped loving me, that shouldn't be a reason for you to be mad at her, Hyein-ah. Your mother loves you, she really does." Minji said looking down and pinching her daughter's cheek.

Hanni had called Minji saying that Hyein was begging to see her. It's not Minji's week to be with Hyein, but Hanni can't ever say no to her precious daughter. Seeing a smile on her daughter's face is all that she wants. Plus, her and Minji are very good friends now, even though one of them still loves the other.

And when Minji arrived, she realized why Hyein was so insistent on seeing Minji. Hyein still has some trouble trying to get along with Hanni's now husband Sunghoon. He wasn't a bad person or anything like that, but Hyein just doesn't want him for her mom, in her head, Hanni and her momma bear should still be together.

"But mom left you, she didn't want our family anymore." Minji quickly cupped her daughter's cheek and looked in to her brown orb. "Your mom did want our family, Hyein-ah. But she couldn't force herself to be with us, she couldn't make herself unhappy just for us to be happy, that wouldn't have been fair." Minji said and her tiny twin looked away.

"But you love mom, why can't you get back with her?" The little one asked and Minji let out a sigh as she played with Hyein's hair. "She's married, Hyein-ah. She loves her husband, and there's nothing I could ever do to change that." Minji said and Hyein gave her an even bigger frown.

"I don't like Sunghoon, he'll never be my father!" Hyein was now in the middle of what seemed to be a tantrum. Minji let out a sigh and grabbed her daughter, kneeling to the ground as she looked up at her. "Sweetie, Sunghoon sees you as one of his own, please, don't be so hard on him. He loves you too, and he's never treated you badly, right?" Hyein could only nod as she looked down.

"See? You guys are a family here. Plus, Hanni is so happy, you have to try and be happy for her too. If you act like this with the man she loves, it hurts her too. You don't want to hurt her, right?" Hyein once again shook her head.

"What about you, mom? You don't have a family like mommy does." Minji could only swallow the lump that formed on her throat. She looked over to the window of the house that Hanni lives in now, there she stood by the window. Looking at them with a smile.

Hyein noticed her mother being distracted so she looked at the direction and let out a big smile, she gestured for Hanni to join them and Minji could feel herself almost peeing her pants. Her interactions with Hanni have always been short, as she tries her best to respect her marriage with Sunghoon. She would never want them to fight because of her.

She watched as Hanni disappeared from the window and a couple of seconds later coming out to the backyard where Minji and Hyein were, Minji stood back up trying to look presentable. "As the days go by, she starts to look way much more like you." Hanni said, with a soft smile as she looked at Minji. The taller one gave her an awkward chuckle as she looked away.