"You have a really handsome boy...", Shihyun mumbles to Sejoo as soon as Sooji left.
"My boy?", Sejoo looks at Shihyun confused.
"Shian..."
"What?? Hahahahahaha....", Sejoo burst out laughing. "Sorry...", he clears his throat trying to stop laughing. "I know Shian is handsome...but he isn't my son..."
"Oh...", Shihyun doesn't know whether to feel relief or even sadder. "Mmm...where is...his father?", he wanted to say 'Sooji's husband'. But only thinking about those words, hurt already.
Sejoo is staring at him sadly. "It's Sooji's story to tell...you should ask her yourself..."
"Okay..."
Shihyun dawns his second bottle of beer. Remember his conversation with Sejoo yesterday. Sejoo's word and the way he stared at him made him think. Was Shian's Dad not in the picture? Is he dead? Or was he left them? No matter what's the answer Shihyun can't imagine the pain that Sooji has been through. Alone. And he wasn't there for her. Damn it!
Asking Sooji to leave was his bigger regret. And it tortured him every day. Now it gets worse. Imagining that she's all alone. He wished he could turn back time and stopped himself from making stupid mistakes. From hurting her. From breaking his promises. But he knew he can't do that. The only thing he can do now is asking for her forgiveness. And hoping somehow, she would let her stay by her side.
====================
Sooji is staring at the red roses that she put in the corner of her bedroom. Stupid red roses. It's technically from Shian. But it reminds her of Shihyun. She sighs. Out all of the people at the wedding, why Shian has to bump with him. It's like the universe trying to mock her. Should she tell him about Shian?
"I am sorry about last night...", Shihyun looked at her guiltily.
"What about last night?", Sooji asked trying to act as cool as possible. Even though she still remembered vividly the taste of his lips last night.
They stared at each other for a minute before Shihyun finally said, "Nothing..."
"Nothing...", she repeated. What happened last night was nothing. Her heart broke. That was the time she decided not to talk about it again. Ever.
"Mom..."
"Huh?", Sooji's back from her daydream and found Shian peeks from her bedroom door.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?", he pouts.
"Sure...come here, baby...", Sooji smiles.
"I am not a baby...", Shian gets up to Sooji's bed and lays on her side.
"You will always be my baby...", Sooji pokes his nose playfully. But instead of smiling, Shian looks at Sooji sadly. "Why? Are you worried about your new school?", she asks Shian knowingly. And he just nods. "Don't worry...everything will be okay...", she strokes his hair.
Shian looks up to Sooji. "Everything will be okay...", he smiled repeating Sooji's words. "Because I have you...", he grins.
Sooji can't help but chuckles. He's so cheesy sometimes. She wonders from where he got that gene. Shihyun.
"Huh?", Shian looks at her curiously.
"Why?"
"You just called uncle Shihyun's name..."
Did she just say that out loud??? "No...you must mishear it..."
"Liaaaar...", Shian protests. He's pretty sure he heard his mom call uncle Shihyun's name.
