Joohyun jumped when her phone buzzed on the kitchen table. She'd only set it down a few minutes ago. The brief relief she felt when Seungwan's voicemail picked up instead of himself faded fast - the number lighting up now was definitely the same she'd just called. 
 

Joohyun thought she'd have more time to prepare for talking to him again. And ignoring the call now would seem like straight up avoiding him, especially since it was only a few minutes passed. 

 

Not to mention, Karina only had Seung Ah for a little while longer before her daughter needed to come home for her bath and bedtime. The sooner Joohyun answered, the sooner she could meet up with Seungwan and get the whole conversation over with. 
 

 

Taking a breath, Joohyun steadied her nerves and answered. "Hello?"

 

"Joohyun."  Just hearing her name in Seungwan's y and husky voice brought back those memories Seungwan whispered dirty things to her ears. His tone had always been so magnetic. 'God..Joohyun..can you feel me deep inside you..so desperate to come..'

 

"I still can't believe you called," Seungwan said, pulling Joohyun back to the present. Though her cheeks still felt warm. "I thought I'd never hear from you again."

 

Seungwan sounded grateful, even happy, that she reached out. Something Joohyun didn't expect. "I saw the article and got your info. I was hoping we could meet up and chat."

 

"Yeah, of course," Seungwan replied enthusiastically. "I'd like that. How about tonight?"

 

“Umm, nights are difficult for me.” Which was the truth, since Joohyun had Seung Ah to take care of, though she was sure Karina would watch her if she asked.

 

But meeting in daylight set a different and more casual tone, one that he couldn’t misconstrue as a date. “Can you do lunch tomorrow, around eleven thirty? I live in Ikseondong and there’s a quiet cafe-type restaurant on Hanok Street called Yulhalmoni's that serves some really good bibimbap.”

 

She didn’t ask him if he was familiar with the area. But as a local who was working there, Seungwan undoubtedly knew his way around Seoul. 
 

“Okay,” Seungwan said agreeably. “I can definitely make that work.”

 

“Great.” Before he could ask Joohyun anything personal, she did her best to end the call. “I, umm, need to go, so I’ll see you tomorrow?”

 

“Absolutely. I’ll be there.” She heard the smile in his voice. “And Joohyun . . . I’m really glad you called.”

 

Joohyun just hoped Seungwan felt the same way once he discovered he was a father to a three-year-old little girl.

 

The morning after dragged on like molasses, even though Seungwan hit the ground running early at 6am. He had an early meeting with a client to discuss an ongoing property inheritance case.
 

Then Seungwan met with another client to go over some documents for an upcoming deposition.
 

At the office, he reviewed briefs for an appeal hearing and signed off on discovery requests to send to the opposing counsel. 
 

Finally it was time to head to Hanok Street for lunch with Joohyun. Seungwan wore his casual dress shirt with no suit and no tie. The drive took about 20 minutes, so he got to the café ten minutes early — wanting to snag a table before the rush.

 

While Seungwan waited impatiently, he reviewed some notes for an upcoming trial. Then cleared out all the voicemails from that morning that weren't clients, colleagues or case related.
 

Since last night he'd already gotten over a dozen calls from women who found his number before Hyunbin could take it down. Now that it was gone, Seungwan hoped to God the craziness ended.

 

After deleting the last message, Seungwan set down his phone and looked back to the entrance just in time to see a brunette woman walk into the restaurant alone. One look at that familiar face imprinted in his brain for three years and seven months, and his pulse jumped.
 

Joohyun spoke to the host and the girl pointed toward where Seungwan sat. She headed over, giving Seungwan time to take her in...from her silky soft brown hair, to the features that seemed impossibly more beautiful than she’d been before.  
 

The weather had started to be warmer for the spring, and Joohyun wore a casual floral dress hugging her curves that Seungwan knew well, showing those long slender legs he still dreamed of wrapped around his waist as he filled all that softness between her thighs.
 

God, just seeing Joohyun and his body responded like it had been waiting just for her to come back. The thought was crazy but true.

 

Seungwan looked back to her face, and he couldn’t say Joohyun seemed happy to see him. There was a tentative look in her eyes as she approached. When she was almost at their table, he stood and gave her a genuine smile.

 

"Joohyun..." Seungwan said, taking her hand and leaning in to brush his lips on her cheek - a move he probably shouldn't have done without knowing if she was still single.
 

For all he knew, Joohyun came to see him for legal advice, not because of their intense past connection.   
 

"Hi Seungwan," Joohyun replied, pulling back with a smaller smile.

 

Joohyun slid into the booth across from him and Seungwan sat too, unable to take his eyes off her.
 

"You look great," he said, which was an understatement. There was something about Joohyun that he found now was more – glowing, mature, and alluring, drawing him in.

 

"Thank you," she said softly, modestly checking Seungwan out too. "You look amazing too. Guess that Seoul's Hottest Lawyer title fits."

 

Seungwan winced, hating how uncomfortable that label and attention made him feel. "When my associates agreed to the article, I thought it'd be standard stuff about my law career," he explained.
 

"Didn't know they'd play up some joke about me being single. But if it helped me reconnect with you, it was worth it."

 

Before Joohyun could reply, their server stopped at the table. "You guys ready to order or need more time?"

 

"I'm ready," Joohyun said. "Mixed vegetables bibimbap please and barley tea." The server wrote it down and looked to Seungwan.

"Mixed vegetales bibimbap for me as well and iced tea," he said, returning both menus. 
 

Once gone, Seungwan turned back to Joohyun but could tell she seemed off, which was odd since she set up the meal.
 

Instead of sitting closer casually, her shoulders were stiff like she wanted distance. It wasn’t the cheerful greeting he anticipated.

 

"So, how have you been?" Seungwan hated small talk but needed to help her unwind. 
 

"Good. Busy," Joohyun replied briefly. Ahh, Seungwan thought, busy likely meant work. Something to build the conversation on at least.

 

“I don't even know what you do,” he said as their drinks arrived.  
 

A small smile appeared as Joohyun stirred her barley tea, stirring. “I used to work at an ad company as a graphic designer. Now I freelance, working from home for different clients.”

 

Silence fell again and the longer it lasted, the more she seemed nervous. Seungwan asked outright, thinking it may explain her unease. “Are you seeing anyone?” 
 

Her eyes widened in surprise and Joohyun shook her head. “No, I haven’t dated since Bogum.”

 

Her admission caught Seungwan off guard, as did the blush on her cheeks. Over three years without dating? Another strange piece in all this, especially as Joohyun didn’t seem eager to date him.  
 

So why contact him after all this time? He was so damn confused.

 

Their food came but the awkward tension grew as Joohyun ate, her anxiety increasing too. Any question he asked to chat was met with one or two words.
 

By the time they finished, Seungwan was beyond frustrated by her strange behavior - nothing like the Joohyun he spent the hottest, most emotionally and physically satisfying night with.

 

No, Joohyun from that night had been all smiles, laughs, sweetness and honesty while this woman seemed tense and uneasy.   
 

Seungwan wiped his hands and set down his napkin, exhaling before speaking. "Joohyun, I meant it when I said I'm glad you called but I don't understand why you're acting like you don't want to be here."

 

Joohyun wouldn't look at Seungwan, her eyes were on her half eaten bibimbap as she toyed with her fork. "You're right, I'm sorry."

 

Seungwan expected Joohyun to say it was a mistake and leave. What he never could have predicted was the fear in her eyes when she finally met his gaze.  
 

Joohyun swallowed hard. "God, there's no easy way to say..."

 

Seungwan frowned, worried by the dread in her voice and trying not to assume the worst - was she sick? "Tell me what's wrong, Joohyun. Whatever it is, I can handle it."

 

Her hands twisted together nervously. "You have a daughter," Joohyun blurted out, like the words were hard to force out.  
 

Her eyes were huge as Joohyun waited for his reaction, adding to his confusion. Seungwan tried to make sense of it but couldn't connect what she said to him.

 

Seungwan shook his head slowly. "I don't understand. I don't have a daughter."

 

"Yes, you do," Joohyun insisted more firmly. "That night when we were together...I got pregnant."

 

Seungwan stared at her in shock, feeling blindsided. There was no mistaking those words yet they'd used protection and Joohyun was on the pill.  
 

"How is that possible?" Seungwan asked, still reeling from the news when they had taken twice the measures - though the condoms they used had been in his bag for more than a year.

 

"I get it if one of the condoms was broken, but you said you were on the pill, right?"   
 

"Yeah, I was on the pill," Joohyun replied. "But my doctor thought maybe there was a food interaction that caused it to not work properly. Sometimes certain medications or foods can affect how well the pill works."

 

Seungwan rubbed his jaw, leaning on the table thinking. "A food could’ve done that?" 
 

Joohyun nodded. "Looks like in my case, it might have. And then with one of the condoms possibly failing too...here we are I guess."  

 

"She'll be three next weekend," Joohyun added. 
 

Seungwan frowned as he did the math and realized the timeline still seemed off. "You sure about she's mine? If she's almost three now..."

 

"She was born eight weeks early," Joohyun explained, pulling out a photo. "If you want a test to be certain, I understand. We can go up to Seoul City Hospital tomorrow if you want."

 

"She is yours.” Joohyun added

Seungwan stared at Joohyun for a moment. “Then that’s good enough.”

“I—really?” Joohyun blinked. 'Seungwan didn’t want to verify paternity? He just . . . trusted me?'

Seungwan nodded. “Really.”

 

"Here's a picture so you can see her."

 

Joohyun held a photo, showing it. One look and the breath left his lungs. The toddler didn’t look much like him, but had his sister Yejin's delicate features as a child.

 

But that smile - Seungwan's dimples and puppy-like grin, yeah those were all him, no test needed. He couldn't believe this precious girl sharing his exact smile was his daughter.

 

The chubby cheeked girl was smiling sweetly yet precociously in the picture, her grin an identical replica of his. It stole Seungwan's heart knowing she existed and was his. 
 

“What’s her name?” Seungwan asked.

 

“Her name is Seung Ah," Joohyun replied. 

 

"Seung Ah?" Seungwan glanced up questioningly.

 

Joohyun toyed with her napkin. "When I found out I was pregnant, part of me wanted to she has some connection to you, even though I didn't know how to find you. So I named her Seung Ah, taking the 'Seung' from your name Seungwan. I hope you don't mind to name her with your name without your knowledge."
 

 

Her soft explanation helped Seungwan understand her choice, His daughter's name now held more meaning.

 

Seungwan glanced up at Joohyun smiling, feeling the name was perfect. “I like that. It's a beautiful name." 

 

Seungwan studied the photo of Seung Ah again, tracing his finger over her face as he nodded. "It feels right, even if I didn't know before now. Thank you for that. For giving her a name that meant something to both of us, in your own way." Seungwan glanced up to look at Joohyun. "She's perfect."

 

Joohyun smiled at him but stirred nervously, "Seungwan..I want you to know when I realized I was pregnant, I swear I tried so hard to search for you..but without your last name and your contact....it was impossible. The hotel wouldn’t give me your name but when they finally did, they said an anonymous company paid cash. I tried, but I just . . . didn’t know where to start.”

Seungwan nodded as he still rubbed his thumb on the photo, thinking hard. "I get it. I believe you."
 

And he really did understand, even though part of him wanted to point out that things might have turned out differently if she hadn't left without saying goodbye that night.

 

He had a daughter now. And he'd already missed three years of her life. That hurt the most, because Seungwan never would have neglected a child if he'd known about her.

 

"I know this comes as a shock, that you didn't expect to have a kid after our one night together." Joohyun swallowed hard, twisting her hands in her lap, though she lifted her chin with strength. "I'm not looking for child support or demanding you be part of her life. I just felt you should know about her."  
 

Seungwan leaned back in his seat, feeling uneasy as he studied Joohyun's determined face. Even though she did the right thing telling him about Seung Ah, it was clear she was downplaying his role as the dad and making it seem like Seungwan wasn't responsible. 
 

Joohyun's walls were way up high, and she said she didn't want anything from him, not even him being in Seung Ah's life. But he couldn't say the same.

 

Did Joohyun really think so little of him, that Seungwan could just go back to how things were before, like this conversation never happened? That Seungwan could forget he now had a little girl in the world? No ing way.

 

Joohyun let Seungwan sit quietly for a bit to think, and Seungwan took the time because his life had totally changed in ways he never saw coming. But that didn't mean he couldn't figure out how to adjust to what being a dad would mean. Even if he was three years behind. 
 

Deep down Seungwan had always thought he had be married before having kids, that he had be there from day one as his child grow up with two loving parents like he did.
 

This wasn't at all what Seungwan pictured for his future, but it didn't change who he was deep down when it came to doing right by everyone involved. 
 

Unless...Seungwan frowned. "Is there some other guy that Seung Ah thinks is her dad?" The thought of someone else taking that role made his stomach turn.

 

"No," Joohyun said with a quick shake of her head. "I told you I haven't dated anyone since that Bogum."

 

Something wasn't adding up to him. "Then why would you think I wouldn't want to be part of Seung Ah's life?" 
 

"Most men aren't ready for an unplanned kid. I'm just trying to be realistic," Joohyun shrugged. But the way she said it seemed forced - she clearly wasn't as detached about these issues as she wanted him to believe.

 

“You’re trying to be realistic?” Seungwan tilted his head, looking right at her. “The reality is, we have a child together.”  
 

Joohyun's lips pressed together just a little. “Well, based on my experience, having a child together doesn't always mean raising them together is best for the child.”

 

Ahh, now they were getting somewhere. “Your experience? What do you know about co-parenting?”

 

Joohyun tensed up defensively. “Enough to know it isn’t always good for the kid.”  
 

Seungwan didn't know anything about Joohyun's past, but his gut was telling him the worry and fear he'd already seen in her came from something she went through as a child. And her motherly instinct was to protect Seung Ah from the same pain.
 

Seungwan couldn't blame Joohyun for trying to shield her daughter—their daughter—from any potential emotional fallout down the road.
 

Seungwan also got that despite their one night, Joohyun really didn't know him well enough yet to trust he would be a stable figure in the little girl’s life. That would take time.

 

Even though Seungwan wanted to know about her past, now wasn't the time to ask. For now, all he could do was prove he's reliable and steady for the people in his life that he cares about.
 

Whether Joohyun liked it or not, Seungwan cared not just about the daughter he hasn't met, but about her too.  
 

Seungwan folded his hands on the table, looking between the cute photo of Seung Ah facing him and Joohyun.
 

Taking a deep breath, Seungwan said, "Just so we're clear, I had no idea this morning that I'm the father of a three-year-old little girl. Will it take time to adjust since I just found out half an hour ago? Yes, but I'm not going to ditch my responsibilities. If I have a kid, I'll always be in their life emotionally, financially, any way they need."

 

"Okay," Joohyun said softly, but he still heard the doubt in her voice.  
 

Their waitress cleared their plates. After both declined dessert, the server set the bill on table. Seungwan took it before Joohyun could and paid with his card, grateful she didn't argue.
 

What's the point of having money if he can't treat the mother of his daughter to a meal now and then?

 

Seungwan put his wallet away, and one more thing needed to be said. "I want to see her, Joohyun," he said gently. "I'm not looking to turn her world upside down or confuse her. But she's my daughter, and..."

 

The rest of the sentence didn't need saying, and despite Joohyun's worried eyes, there was understanding too.
 

"Can we start with introducing me as a friend, and go from there?" Seungwan asked nicely, not demanding. No reason to make Joohyun more on edge.  

 

"How about Sunday?" Joohyun suggested after a pause. "There's a private park by my place. We can meet you there around eleven?"

 

Relief flooded through him and Seungwan quickly agreed. "That sounds great."
 

Seungwan picked up the photo. "Can I keep this? It'd be good to show my family how adorable Seung Ah is." God, his parents and sister were going to flip when he told them he had a three-year-old daughter. And Seungwan had no doubt they'd love her.

 

"Of course," Joohyun said with a smile.  

 

Once the check was paid, Seungwan walked out with Joohyun. "Where's your car?" Wherever it was, Seungwan wanted to walk with her.

 

Now that Seung Ah wasn't the topic, he was reluctant to let her go so soon.

 

"I didn't bring my car," Joohyun said, stopping on the sidewalk to look up at him. "I only live a few kilometers away, so I walked. It's such a nice day, and the sun, fresh air and exercise do me good."

 

At the word "exercise," Seungwan's eyes automatically traveling down Joohyun's body in the pretty dress, taking in those perfect s he still dreamed about and her curvy waist and shapely hips that seemed...fuller now.

His blood heated as sensual memories of their time in Busan surged through him. When he met her eyes again, her flushed cheeks said she was remembering too. That spark of chemistry and tension still simmered between them, even if she didn't want it to.  
 

"It's really good to see you," Seungwan murmured, stepping closer. When Joohyun didn't back away, he took a chance and pulled her in for a hug, gradually wrapping his arms around her waist until their bodies pressed intimately together.

 

She felt so good against hischest, and smelled even better. Soft, feminine, just like the woman, Seungwan had spent that one night with. 

 

The Joohyun, Seungwan had never stopped wanting.

 

Her body was tense. Seungwan a hand down her back, trying to soothe the worries he knew were there but didn't fully understand yet. "Just relax, Joohyun," He said near her ear.

 

"I promise I'm not your enemy or a bad guy or whatever you think of me in this," Seungwan said softly.  
 

"I know," she whispered against his chest. But he wasn't sure Joohyun truly believed it.  
 

In time though, Joohyun would come to understand the kind of person Seungwan was, the father he would be for their daughter...and the relationship Seungwan wanted with Joohyun too.

 

 

 

 

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A short update. Enjoy!!! p/s let's pray for something big for our wendy's chill kill tonight