The Baby Daddy

Chapter 4

Sighs

Jihyo let out an exasperated sigh again. Lisa glanced over at her friend for what felt like the hundredth time. Jihyo's shoulders were hunched, and a deep frown marred her face as she sprawled out on the couch, making it look like her personal throne despite being in her cousin's friend's café. Lisa scanned the room and was relieved to see that only a few students were scattered around, a small comfort in an otherwise frustrating situation.

Lisa tapped Jihyo's shoulder, gesturing for her to move to a quieter corner and sit up properly. Jihyo groaned in response, grabbing Lisa's arm and pulling her along with her as she sighed again, clearly overwhelmed.

"Lili, how can you be so brilliant in civil procedure and still flunk your exam? Are you really that clueless?" Jihyo said, cupping Lisa's face in her hands and gazing at her with a mix of pity and frustration.

Lisa's eyebrows shot up in surprise and offense as she swatted Jihyo's hands away from her face. "Hey! I just saved you from Maestra Santiago's wrath! She was practically ready to toss you out of her class or fail you outright!"

Jihyo waved a dismissive hand. "The case didn't make any sense."

"It was straightforward," Lisa insisted, "You just needed to figure out the jurisdiction, then handle the pleadings, the service process, the discovery—" Before Lisa could continue, Jihyo slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with exasperation.

"Por favor, Lisa, have some mercy. My brain feels like it's about to explode. I'm fed up."

Lisa raised both hands in surrender, and Jihyo finally let go. With a huff, Jihyo reached for the menu to place their order. Lisa shook her head in amusement, just about to follow suit when an arm suddenly wrapped around her neck, pulling her back. She shrieked in surprise.

"What the hell?! Nicha!!!" Lisa yelped, slapping at the arm around her. She coughed as her friend settled beside her, still clinging tightly.

"Yes, please, strangle her. She's giving me a headache," Jihyo groaned.

"Yah, Jihyo! Is this how you thank your savior?!" Lisa protested, glaring at her friend.

"You deserve it for ignoring your best friend!" Minnie shot back, her mischievous grin evident.

"I'm making a mental note not to invite you three here during working hours." Niki said, arriving with an air of mock disapproval. She pulled off her apron and set a tray down on the table, presenting four iced lattes, each tailored to her friends' tastes.

"Oh, you love us, Niki," Jihyo said with a smirk, reaching for her drink.

Niki rolled her eyes as she sat down, draping her apron over the chair beside her. "Not when you're disturbing my customers. They're practically staring you down."

"Cous! Save me!" Lisa pleaded dramatically, reaching out to Niki, but she was met with a nonchalant shrug. Her two friends laughed at Lisa's futile attempt.

Seeing her best friend pout, Minnicha finally let go of Lisa, but not before planting a quick kiss on her cheek. "Sorry, bestie. I missed you. The EMS has been crazy busy these past weeks—so many incidents, I haven't had a chance to catch my breath!" She took her own drink from the tray.

"The café's been the usual. The only challenge is that I'm considering updating the menu since we've been attracting a lot of students lately. How about you? I'm not asking about Jihyo, though; she already looks like she's had enough."

Jihyo nodded in agreement, pointing at the menu as if to confirm Niki's observation. She then proceeded to scan the options while Lisa found herself in the spotlight. Lisa hesitated, searching for the right words. "There's nothing new at the moment?"

"You're such a terrible liar, Lili," Minnicha said, rolling her eyes. "So, what's going on with you and the neighbor?"

"As if she'd share anything!" Jihyo said with an exasperated wave of her hand. "I've been around her almost every day, and she hasn't mentioned a word about what happened two weeks ago!"

After what happened two weeks ago, the embarrassment hadn't diminished at all. Every time she closed her eyes, Lisa remembered all the shameful things she did that night. How could it be so difficult to give her first kiss to her first love, yet so easy to give it away to her neighbor? She couldn't actually recall how it felt, but she had lingering thoughts about how amazing it was. Damn, she's doomed.

"Because there's nothing to mention!" Lisa shot back, her tone defensive. "After that, we're just being civil. Plus, I'm kind of avoiding him..." Her voice trailing off as she looked away.

"Boring!" Jihyo exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "Tell me about the hot doctor you can't stand, Nicha."

"Nice try with the topic change, Jihyo," Minnicha said, giving her friend a pointed look.

"I'm the best," Jihyo replied with a smirk, clearly pleased with herself.

With the sudden change of topic, Lisa couldn't help but release a sigh of relief. She didn't think she was ready to share that her lips were no longer untouched.

"Oh, Doctor Namjoon Kim," Niki chimed in, playing along with a knowing grin.

"Stop it," Minnicha said, feigning annoyance as she rolled her eyes.

"He's really hot. I've been following him on Instagram ever since you told me he gave you his account and number," Jihyo said, her tone full of enthusiasm.

Doctor Namjoon Kim, a plastic surgeon who came all the way from Korea, had been causing quite a buzz among their group of friends for the past six months—long before her neighbor moved into Lisa's apartment. So, the teasing had actually been directed at Nicha, not her.

The doctor had boldly expressed his interest in Nicha after witnessing her handle a panicked uncle having an epileptic episode. The uncle was resisting help in the emergency room, but Nicha, with her expertise as a paramedic and her self-defense skills, managed to calm him down. Doctor Namjoon, who happened to be passing by at the time, was so impressed that he couldn't stop pestering Nicha, expressing his desire to get to know her better. Nicha, however, dismissed his advances immediately.

"Ugh, he's infuriating. He acts like all the ladies are swooning over him, and don't get me started on that dimpled smile—he's so full of himself," Minnicha retorted, her frustration evident.

"I mean, he does have that 'daddy' vibe going on. I don't get you—he's practically flirting with you!" Jihyo shrugged, her grin widening.

"Nicha prefers someone more like a golden retriever type," Niki added, chuckling. "But I understand the hype. I'm following Doctor Kim's Instagram too. I didn't realize he's such a museum buff."

"That's just a show to attract girls," Minnicha said dismissively.

"How do you even know that, bestie?" Lisa asked, joining in on the playful banter. If anything could get under her skin, it was Doctor Kim.

"Hunch," Minnicha said with a nonchalant shrug as she took a sip of her latte. Her friends shot her a look that mixed curiosity with skepticism.

"You just hate him, don't you?" Lisa said, squinting at her best friend, who only grinned and nodded proudly.

"Oh, by the way!" Minnicha said, setting her glass down with a sudden burst of enthusiasm that caught her friends' attention. "I saw him once when I had to deliver a young boy with a broken arm to the emergency room. Doctor Kim was hanging out in the hospital's VIP lounge. The kid's parents were loaded, by the way—hence the VIP treatment. Anyway, Doctor Kim had three equally attractive friends with him. They were planning a night out because one of them finally returned after being MIA. They're basically just privileged folks who live an easy life. One of his friends even mentioned going to Las Vegas just to blow off steam. They screamed 'fuck boys' all around."

Lisa knew damn well that not one of them was interested in the little boy's broken arm or how his rich parents got him moved to the VIP section. Clearly, that wasn't the case here. Her best friend had some juicy gossip to share about the guy she hates. It was obvious that the rich little boy and his broken arm was a mere backdrop to the real story.

"Damn, girl..." Niki said with a grimace, still processing the detailed story. "How do you even know so much? Were you secretly eavesdropping and planning to spread more bad rumors about him?" She chuckled, though disbelief lingered in her tone.

"So they're all hot doctors?" Jihyo asked, her eyes lighting up with interest.

Lisa shot a sideways glance at Jihyo, noting that after everything Minnicha had said, Jihyo's main takeaway was the attractiveness of the doctors.

Minnicha shook her head, laughing. "Not all of them, just Doctor Kim and the one who went to Vegas."

"What about the one who went MIA?" Jihyo asked eagerly.

Minnicha smiled excitedly, she for sure knows her friends would love her reply. "Oh, he was the hottest,"

"What kind of conversation is this, anyway?" Lisa interjected, shaking her head in bemusement.

After spending three hours catching up and laughing with her friends, Lisa felt a genuine smile on her lips. The relentless teasing and camaraderie had been a welcome escape from the stress of her declining grades. She knew her friends had needed this distraction just as much as she did.

As Lisa approached her apartment building, she was almost home. She only needed to cross the road when something caught her eye. Out of the corner of her vision, she spotted a familiar face—a little girl with long hair, Eunseo. The girl's body language was tense, and she appeared visibly uncomfortable as she spoke to a man.

Lisa's heart skipped a beat when she saw the man gripping Eunseo's forearm. Acting on instinct, she hurried over, her voice sharp and filled with concern. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"

The man quickly released Eunseo and stepped back, his face showing surprise and irritation. Eunseo, recognizing Lisa, hurriedly hid behind her, gripping her hand tightly. Lisa knelt down to Eunseo's level, her expression softening with worry. "Eunseo, do you know this man?" she asked in Korean, her voice gentle.

Eunseo shook her head vigorously, burying her face against Lisa's back.

"Why are you harassing this little girl?" Lisa continued, her tone firm. "There are CCTV cameras at the convenience store over there. I've already noted your car's license plate. Don't make me call 911."

The man held up his hands defensively. "Miss, I didn't mean to scare her. I just wanted to get to know her."

"Get to know her?!" Lisa echoed, her disbelief evident.

"I'm her father. I just wanted to—"

"Please, don't try to pull that with me. I know Eunseo's father well."

"But you don't know her biological father, do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not trying to cause trouble. Here, take my card. Please give it to her guardian."

Before Lisa could respond, the man turned and strode toward a sleek black BMW—a car clearly out of the ordinary for everyday folks.

Lisa's focus returned to Eunseo, who was still clinging to her. She crouched to meet the little girl's eyes. "Eunseo-ya, gwaenchanha? Ne appa neun eodi isseo?"

Eunseo looked up with wide eyes. "Papa has a client today, so he asked Teacher Ningning to take me home."

"Where's your teacher?"

"She went to the store. She said she'd just go to the restroom."

"Eunseo!" At that moment, Teacher Ningning emerged from the store, her freshly retouched makeup and perfectly styled hair betraying her recent grooming. Lisa couldn't help but notice Ningning's freshly preened appearance— clearly someone had been busy polishing their looks for a certain someone's attention. "Hey, who are you? What are you doing with this child?" Ningning rushed over, pulling Eunseo away from Lisa. Lisa rolled her eyes, her patience wearing thin.

Ignoring Ningning, Lisa addressed her with a firm tone. "You're a teacher, right? You should know better than to leave a 5-year-old alone on the street." With a final scowl, Lisa turned and crossed the road, heading towards her apartment.

Lisa stormed into her apartment, her mind a whirlwind of frustration and anger. She tossed her bag into the corner of her room, the sound of it hitting the wall echoing her pent-up rage. Collapsing onto her bed, she buried her face in her hands, trying to make sense of the chaos swirling in her thoughts. First, that insufferable Ningning, and then, that negligent father! How could he leave Eunseo with such a careless teacher? The poor child was terrified, utterly confused when that man claimed to be her biological father.

He couldn't just drop something like that in front of her! Clearly, he had no clue about being a parent. What an absolute jerk.

She could feel her blood boiling, and if she saw Mingyu Kim, he was definitely going to get an earful from her— But before she could even finish that thought, a knock on the door interrupted her seething. She glanced at the clock—was her mom home early?

Dragging her feet to the front door, Lisa wondered if her mom had forgotten her key. She swung the door open, and her breath caught in her throat. Her first instinct was to slam it shut, but Mingyu's hand was quicker, his fingers curling around the edge, preventing her escape. "Yah! Let go!" Her voice trembled with a mix of irritation and something else she didn't want to admit. But he was stronger, and the door remained stubbornly open.

Mingyu leaned against the doorframe, his tall frame casting a shadow over her, his presence overwhelming. His voice was smooth, almost too calm as he locked eyes with her. "Let's talk."

Lisa folded her arms tightly across her chest, her brow knitting together as she tried to mask the effect his proximity was having on her―what the hell? How had he gotten so close?! "No. I don't want to."

He didn't back down. In fact, he stepped closer, closing the distance between them until there was barely a breath of air left. "Stop being a kid."

Her chin lifted defiantly, her pulse quickening as she held her ground. "I am not a kid!"

His lips quirked into a smirk, the corner of his mouth twitching with amusement. "Fine, then we'll talk right here."

Lisa's eyes widened, her heartbeat drumming loudly in her ears as she gestured frantically toward the hallway. "Are you out of your mind?! Mama will be furious! Do you have any idea how terrifying Latina mothers can be?!"

Her mom is a Latina?

Mingyu's chuckle was soft, almost teasing as he leaned in, his breath warm against her cheek. "Hey, let me repay you."

Lisa blinked, thrown off by his sudden change in tone. "For what?"

"For what you did for Eunseo," he said, his words sincere, but the look in his eyes hinted at something more, something that made her stomach flip.

She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat. His gaze held her captive, and she could feel herself losing the battle to keep her composure. Mingyu noticed the shift, his smirk widening as he leaned even closer.

"Stop staring," he murmured, his voice dropping to a near whisper, each word laced with a challenge.

"What?" Lisa's voice was barely audible, her mind reeling, trying to grasp at any semblance of control.

Her mind is on buffer mode, if there is a machine in there it was probably overheating because she couldn't think straight. Who is Lisa anyway? Where is she? Cause right now, she's a goner.

He stepped even closer, the space between them almost nonexistent. "I said, stop staring."

Lisa's thoughts were a jumbled mess, her usual sharpness dulled by the intensity of his proximity. She stammered, "I... I—" but before she could finish, he reached out, his fingers lightly brushing against the sensitive skin on her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. Her cheeks flushed, and her lips parted slightly as she felt the heat rise to her face.

"If you keep staring at me like that," Mingyu whispered, his voice laced with a playful warning, "I might really kiss you, and then your mama will catch us red-handed."