Chapter Text
Jeongwon woke up his back a little bit painful, and very hungover. Last night he cried his heart out to his friends, on how he was so stupid to run away and left Gyeoul all alone by herself. His friends agreed, not even consoled him throughout their sudden drinking session. He rose from where he was laying and found Junwan, Ikjun, and Seokhyeong all splattered on the ground of Seokhyeong’s basement.
He carefully tiptoes to not wake them up and lavish himself with a glass of water. Last night, Ikjun told him how devastated Gyeoul was when he left, how she collapsed in front of Seokhyeong and Minha when she found out you boarded the plane to somewhere only he knows. How she tried to run after him although she knew he was already gone. Self-centered jerk. That’s how his soulmate Junwan described him. Among all of his friends, it was Junwan who was very angry at him that he even let him punch him to make him realize what he had done.
“I couldn’t even meet Gyeouls eyes, you bastard. Especially when I found out that you got her pregnant and just…..left.”
He heaved a heavy sigh, his hands balled into a fist. His friends were right, he’s a jerk, a fool, a sensitive prick who runs away when things get a little hard. If there was one thing he realized when he was at the camp in Africa, it is that he still loves her. Her. Jang Gyeoul. The woman who turned his life around. The person who embraced his flaws, who loved him, every inch of him.
The moment he saw her last night at the cathedral, it was no doubt, that he still insanely is in love with her. He missed her. Everything about her. When their lips met for the first time in a year, he lost all rational thoughts and just want to lavish her, show her how much he missed her, how he regretted his decision. He was ready to submit himself again to her, to have her back in his life. To apologize right there and then on his abrupt leaving. He didn’t realize that there were something much deeper things he needed to apologize for. He has a daughter.
Immediately he took his phone from his bag – Junwan handed it to him last night, he’s very grateful he kept it and dialed her number. He held his breath when the other line started ringing. Please pick up the phone, he silently prayed. He knows he has a lot of things to fix and get back, and he knows exactly where to starts.
“Hello?” Gyeoul speaks from the other line. Her voice sounds tired and he heard her sniffles. Is she sick?
“Hi, it’s me.” He answered. “I was wondering if I could see you?” His toes are on guard in case she says no. He can’t blame her though, but he was hoping she could give him a chance. He heard a cry in the background and his heart soars. It’s her. His baby. Although he wasn’t sure if he’s eligible to call her that.
“Ummm.” Gyeoul hesitated for a moment. “That would be great, Oppa.”
That’s his queue. He woke up Ikjun who was still deeply asleep. He asked if he could borrow his car, in his half-asleep form, Ikjun gave him his car keys and get back to sleep again. He fixed himself first when he realized he stinks of beer and tteokbokki from last night. He freshen up to look decent at least then drove to her apartment, afterward.
He is now standing in front of her apartment door, his hands shaking, his heart beating loudly. He’s nervous yet excited at the same time. This is his first step of getting her back, and this is not the time to be a coward. No more running away, then he pressed the doorbell.
The door opened and he saw the two most important people in his life right now. Gyeoul with her hair down, wearing a plain white shirt and shorts, revealing her legs. He feels hot all of a sudden just thinking how those pair of legs used to wrapped his waist on some occasion. But that is a story for another time.
“You’re here.” Gyeoul breaks the silence. She gestured him to come inside which he gladly obliged. He looked at her, and the tiny human she’s carrying. The baby was crying and she is doing her very best to calm her down. “Sorry, I think she’s in a bad mood.”
He walked to them like it was a natural reaction from him and asked Gyeoul if he could hold the baby. She was caught off guard by the sudden request but she did let him in the end. The moment Jeongwon held Grace, Gyeoul felt those butterflies all over again. She saw how Jeongwon was so gentle with her, how he looked at Grace like she was the most precious thing in the world. He started humming a lullaby, rocking her gently in his arms.
She can’t look away. She’s been dreaming of this day to come. Now, it’s finally happening in front of her eyes. After a while, Grace finally stopped crying. She fell asleep in his arms.
“I think she likes me.” He proudly tells her. There it was, his smile. The warmest smile I had ever encountered. The very same smile I fell in love with. She missed it. She missed him. To be completely honest, she's afraid and she's not sure if him being here was a good choice.
She still loves him, that's a fact. After all this time, it never wavered. But she's scared of the possible "what-ifs" yet a part of her is betting on the "why nots".
Can they...really start over?