~Minho's POV~

Fuck, my eyes are burning. I shut them close and stretched my arms, trying to strengthen my back which was hurting like hell, then looked at the time.

1:41 AM.

Fuck, no way.

I stood up with urgency and grabbed my coat, making my way outside.

I can't believe I worked so much, fuck. I cursed inside my head, going out in the pouring rain until I reached my car.

Unlocking it, I jumped in and started driving home, thinking of all the possible apologies I could give Miss Park for having her wait for me to come back until this unorthodox hour.

I reached the apartment and put in my code, unlocking the door, and the house was quiet, the only light source coming from the dim lights in the living room. I decided not to make any sounds, not wanting to risk waking Nari up, so I went as quietly as possible towards the living room, where I found Miss Park fast asleep on the sofa.

She was laying on her side, breathing in deeply, and she seemed to be dreaming quite peacefully. Her shirt rode up a bit, exposing a few purple marks on her abdomen.

Damn, that's pretty bold of you, teacher. I chuckled to myself. I wondered if Flame had similar markings on her skin after spending so many nights with me. I haven't been exactly careful when biting her.

It felt weird not seeing Flame this week, and I wondered if she was perhaps disappointed or sad that we haven't met tonight. Was she confused about me cancelling on her?

With my grandma in the hospital, it was unlikely that I would have time to book her again on Saturday...

Turning my attention back to Miss Park, I pondered on whether I should wake her up or just let her sleep like this until the morning.

I decided to go with the latter and went to my room to grab a blanket and a pillow for her, and when I returned, I put the blanket over her, and tried to raise her head high enough to put the pillow under her, but she woke up, confused.

"Hm?" She opened her eyes slowly.

"I'm sorry, I woke you up." I apologised. There were a million other things I needed to apologise for, but I went with this one instead.

"You're back?" She smiled lazily, then sat up and stretched a bit, and yawned. "What time is it?"

"Just shy of 2 AM."

"Damn, they made you work, no joke."

"They did. We have a tight deadline and a lot to do." I chuckled. "Thank you for taking care of Nari. I sent you some money and tried to message you, but I think your phone died."

"Yeah, poor phone, I didn't grab my charger with me. Again." She laughed, and I remembered when she was at that bus stop last week in the rain.

Does she have the hickeys from that night? I wondered. If so, that guy she's seeing is a fucking idiot for not asking her to stay over after marking his way into her skin like that.

"You should put one in your bag and leave it there."

"I should, shouldn't I?" She laughed.

"Mhm. What did you do with Nari today?"

"Well, we went to the mall, ate some ice cream, went to the playground, then came home and cooked something."

"Oh, didn't you order?"

"No... Nari wanted a homecooked meal, so we made some potato stew."

"Damn, that sounds good." I pouted. I skipped dinner and felt horribly hungry.

"Do you want some? I made too much. I could reheat it for you?"

"Really? Yes, that sounds amazing. I'm starving."

"Didn't you have anything for dinner?" She frowned.

"No, I lost track of time, and..."

"Okay, let's eat, then." She stood up and went towards the kitchen, and I watched her, completely captivated. It felt so unusual to have a woman other than my mom or Ye-Jun in here, and she marched her way out of the room so sure of her steps, it felt almost natural to see her going from room to room in my house.

I went after her and sat down at the table, following her instructions to just relax after work, while she put everything in front of me. A glass of cold water, some bread, and the potato stew she cooked, which smelled heavenly.

She sat down next to me and urged me to start eating, and after taking a bite, I realised that the food not only smelled heavenly, it tasted like that too.

"Fuck, you're a good cook." I blurted out. "Oops. Sorry, Miss Park, I didn't mean to curse." I covered my mouth, and she started chuckling.

"Jieun." She replied after she stopped laughing.

"Huh?"

"My name is Jieun. You can... call me that." She smiled briefly.

"Oh. Ohhhh." I nodded. "Uhm, okay. Jieun. That's... a pretty name." I said and looked into her eyes, and I swear I saw a tint of a blush forming on her cheeks.

"You think so? It means 'something hidden', which is... pretty funny." She chuckled again.

"How so? Do you have many secrets?" I asked, and her smile dropped for a split second.

"Me? No way." She chuckled and seemed almost nervous. I decided not to press further.

"I'm Minho." Was what I said instead.

"Minho... I really like your name too. Fits you. You seem like a really nice person, especially when it comes to Nari. I really look fondly at the relationship you two have."

"Thank you for saying that. There are no words to describe how much I love Nari. She's my everything."

"If all parents were like you..."

"Workaholics?" I chuckled bitterly. "I feel so bad, leaving her all day in someone else's care just because I have to work. I know she wants us to spend more time together..."

"She does, but she also understands that you are a bit busy sometimes. She is looking forward to tomorrow, though, so I hope you'll keep your promise and spend the day with her." She said, almost scolding me, and we both started laughing.

"Of course. Hey, thanks so much for the food, it was really good."

"No problem. I will clean this up, and afterwards, can you please call me a cab? As you know, my phone is-"

"A cab? At this hour?" I frowned. No way was I letting her go back home at almost 3 AM with a stranger in this weather. "I'll take you."

"Take me? Mr. Choi-"

"Minho."

"Minho, you worked the whole day, and you must be tired as fuck- sorry, you must be really tired. How could I possibly accept you taking me back?"

"You can curse." I chuckled, and she seemed caught off by me ignoring the most important part of the conversation – which was her refusing me taking her home.

"Minho." She chuckled as well. "Don't be stubborn. We can't leave Nari home alone anyway. A cab is the logical solution."

"Absolutely not." I shook my head. "I don't feel right letting a young woman take the cab at this hour."

"I'm not that young." She protested.

"You definitely are, be serious. You can't be older than 25! That's young!"

"Well, thank you, but I'm 27!"

"That's still 5 years younger than me, so you're young!"

"Oh my, is 27 too young for you?" She gasped in fake shock.

"Of course not! 27 is perfect! But you're pretty damn attra- uhm, I meant- who knows what creeps work so late as taxi drivers?!" I stumbled on my words, annoyance in my tone that this was getting nowhere, then I realised what I said.

27 is perfect?

You're pretty damn attractive?!

What the fuck, Minho?!

"I guess." she burst out laughing, covering her mouth to not be too loud and wake up Nari by mistake. "Although I didn't necessarily have many bad experiences with taxi drivers in the past year since I moved here."

"I'm done arguing with you." I waved my hand around and chuckled. "No taxi. I either take you back, or even better – you spend the night and leave tomorrow morning."

"Spend the night? H-But-Wh-what about Nari?!" She was the one to stumble on her own words this time. I was glad that both of us seemed to be a bit awkward, but still, her presence was pleasant, and I enjoyed talking to her.

"What about her?" I shrugged.

"What will she say if I'm still here when she wakes up?"

"She will probably just be very excited, but other than that..."

"We have to make sure she doesn't tell the other kids at school." She scratched her nape. "I don't want the other parents to get a weird idea. I mean, it's not a good look for a young, single teacher to spend the night at one of the kids' dad's house, you know?"

"Of course. I don't want you to lose your job or anything. We'll keep it a secret."

"Thanks." She smiled.

"I'm gonna go bring you some cozy clothes and get changed as well. I'll show you to your room, too." I spoke, then exited the kitchen and headed towards one of the guest rooms. She followed me closely, then glanced around the room, curiosity in her eyes.

"I like it." She said after a while. "It's pretty spacious for a guest room."

"Right? This apartment has been a good investment so far. I thought we're gonna need some space as Nari was growing up and Jiho and her parents would keep coming over to our old house."

"Oh, haven't you been here for long, then?"

"I think we moved in this neighbourhood... 5 years ago?"

"I see." She nodded. "Thanks for the clothes."

"No probs. I'm gonna go take a shower and get changed as well."

"Okay. I'm gonna take one as well, I feel like going to the mall covered me in germs." She laughed.

"Sure, have fun."

"You too." She chuckled.

I turned around to leave, but something in the back of my mind told me I should spend more time with her, even if I was tired as heck, even if it was 3 AM. I just... wanted to get to know her better.

"Uhm... Jieun... if... if you're not too tired afterwards, would you like to drink some wine together?"

"Wine?" She tilted her head. "I mean... doesn't sound bad. Let's do that."

"Meet me in the living room in, let's say, 15 minutes?"

~

After taking a shower and washing off the day from my skin, I went to the kitchen and grabbed two wine glasses, then a bottle Jonghyun – one of my friends – gifted me a few years ago, that I was keeping for special occasions.

I don't know what about tonight felt like a special occasion, but it felt right to grab that specific bottle, so I didn't overthink it.

When Jieun entered the living room, the lights were once again dim, and soft tunes were playing from the TV – one of my favourite playlists that I made for lonely nights like this one. Seeing her, however, shifted my whole perspective, and I realised that tonight was not going to be lonely at all.

Jieun was good company. She was funny and smart, she was gorgeous, and she cared so much about Nari and got along with her so great, it was actually insane. Nari has always been cautious about strangers, especially after getting bullied at her formed school, so seeing that she finally has a feminine influence around her that actively encourages her to expand her horizons and do what she's passionate about was possibly one of the best feelings a parent can have.

It felt like Jieun was a breath of fresh air.

On the other hand... ever since that night last week when I found her dressed similarly to Flame, in that short, slutty skirt, with the ruffled blouse with the shoulders cut off, whenever I thought about Flame, I would no longer think about the faceless woman with a nice silhouette I got to fuck whenever and however I wanted. I started picturing Jieun instead, which was crazy of me.

I was sailing on dangerous, deep waters, and seeing Jieun walk in my living room at almost 4 AM dressed in one of my white shirts, wearing a pair of my pants, her neck exposed, few faded hickeys on it, going down to her collarbones, almost made me sink.

Fuck.

"Hey." She smiled and sat down next to me casually.

"How was your shower?" I asked, then cursed in my head for making myself think of her, naked in my house, water trailing down her body, caressing her skin, her breasts-

"Pleasant. Yours?"

What the fuck was I thinking about? Pull yourself together, for fuck's sake!

"Amazing. Here." I leaned over the table and grabbed the two glasses, handing her one.

"Thank you." She took a sip, then smiled. "I'm no wine expert, but this tastes quite rich."

"Does it? I'm glad you like it."

"Yeah. I haven't had wine in a while."

"Doesn't your boyfriend serve you any when you go visit him?" I blurted out, pointing to her hickeys. I don't know why I asked or did something like that. It was totally inappropriate.

"Damn, I didn't think they were this visible still." She noticed the way my eyes trailed to her neck and touched the marks briefly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No worries. No, he's not my boyfriend, and we don't spend nearly enough time together to drink wine or anything like that."

"I see." I nodded and took a sip as well. Was he just a friend with benefits? Nothing more? I mean... everyone has their urges, and I am literally seeing a prostitute every week to have sex and cuddle someone, so who am I to judge her for meeting a man just to fuck?

"What about you, Minho?"

"What about me?" I asked, turning my head to look at her properly.

"Did you see anyone else after your wife..." She hesitated.

"No. I just... couldn't. Did Ye-Jun tell you about her?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry, it wasn't something I was supposed to know of, necessarily..."

"Why not?" I shrugged. "You... are taking care of Nari. It's normal to know about her mom."

"Today I did something... I maybe shouldn't have." She said, looking down at her glass before taking a large sip and emptying her glass. I refilled it. "Jiho ran into Ye-Jun's arms, and... I couldn't bear seeing Nari look at them so sad... I didn't act like a teacher, or babysitter... I took her in my arms and acted like..."

She took another large sip, almost emptying her second glass.

"Like?"

"Like a mom...?" She looked into my eyes, her expression serious. "I'm really sorry. I overstepped, and-"

"Was Nari happy that you did that?"

"She... yes. She had the biggest smile-"

I don't know what came over me, but hearing how well she's been taking care of my daughter, I became so emotional, I wrapped my right arm around her waist and pulled her into a hug.

She seemed taken aback at first, but soon, she put her chin on my shoulder and hugged me as well.

"I really like her, you know?" She spoke softly. "She is such a bright child. I just couldn't see her make that sad face."

"Thank you, Jieun. You are so amazing for that. As long as Nari is happy... nothing else matters to me."

We parted after a few more seconds, and I emptied my wine glass as well. Jieun was already starting her third.

"You seem to like children a lot." I noted, and she chuckled.

"I do. I really like them. Being a teacher has always been my dream, and... I don't know, I'd really like to have some of my own one day."

"I had Nari when I was 24." I chuckled, remembering how panicked my group of friends were. Everyone, except Jinki, who was in the same situation as me, having gotten his girlfriend pregnant by mistake. "I didn't even have a stable job by then. I was working my ass off doing side projects and applying to all music companies, but everyone rejected me."

"No way! Really?" Jieun laughed. "That sucks so badly. How did you pull through?"

"I didn't have a choice." I laughed as well. "Nari was coming, and I needed to be able to provide, so I kept doing my best, and I eventually landed a job – this job, actually. It's crazy that I'm still here, 8 years later, being so recognised and sought out, honestly."

"Yeah, it's insane. You did well." She patted my shoulder and grabbed the wine bottle, noticing my almost empty glass.

After she refilled it, the red liquid in the bottle was over, so I stood up and grabbed another bottle, opening it and refilling her glass as well.

"Thanks." She smiled, taking another sip. "You know, spending time with you like this is pretty refreshing. All my friends are in my hometown, so ever since I moved to this city, I didn't really have anyone to hang out with."

"You did mention moving one year ago. Why did you?"

"Hmm... my grandmother is really, really sick..." Her voice trailed off, her eyes becoming watery. "I wanted her to be in the best hospital, even if it meant leaving my life behind. After my parents died, she was all I had..."

A few tears made their way on her cheeks – now bright red from all the wine she drank – and I instinctively wiped them off him my thumbs. She looked directly into my eyes.

Fuck.

She's so beautiful...

My hand stopped on her left cheek, my thumb slowly brushing over her lips, and something about her face was so familiar to me. It didn't feel like the first time I touched her.

We continued looking at each other, and it was way too late, and we were way too intoxicated, so I quickly retracted my hand from her and drank some more wine, because if I kept staring at her, I would kiss her.

Fuck.

How did I get here with Jieun? The first person I've had an urge to kiss after Ellie died was Flame, after so many nights together, and now... Jieun.

It must be the alcohol.

It's just the alcohol, dumbass.

I told myself over and over.

"I think I'm prettyyyy drunk." Jieun spoke, then burst out laughing, making me turn my attention back to her. "It's so late. Aren't you tired?"

"A bit." I laughed as well, watching her stumble on her words.

"When will Nari wake up?" She asked, leaning back on the sofa, her head resting against it.

"Probably early. She's an early bird just like me, but she usually-"

"Oh no, are you a morning person?" She chuckled lazily, her eyes only half open. She must've been tired.

"Pretty much. I work out every morning."

"Fuck, you're insane. I could never." She laughed.

"Yes, you're pretty drunk." I nodded and took my glass, drinking from it while she laughed again.

"And you're pretty pretty." She replied, and I almost spat out the wine in my mouth. "What were you saying about Nari? She usually..."

"Right. She usually paints or does something else until everyone wakes up."

"What a good child." Jieun's voice trailed off, her eyes closed.

"You should go to your room and sleep."

"I'm sorry, I don't think I can stand up right now."

"Hmm, is that so?" I smiled and stood up, then lifted her into my arms. She was light, and somehow... I once again got a déjà vu feeling. It felt like this wasn't the first time I was picking her up, even though it was impossible.

She was way too similar to Flame, build-wise.

"Mhm. This feels nice." She whispered, burying her head in the crook of my neck.

"Yes, yes. Let's get you to bed." I chuckled, taking her to the guest room and placing her carefully on the bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was once again fast asleep, so I covered her with the blanket and left the room, going to mine and plopping into bed.

Once I closed my eyes and started thinking, I couldn't stop picturing her.

Jieun was... nice.

I truly enjoyed her company tonight.

Is this the wine talking? I chuckled to myself and drifted off to sleep quickly.

---

(A/N) Keeping my promise of posting every day until my trip, hehe

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Love,

Storm