Thank you all for waiting for this chapter to arrive! I was really busy and really sick up until yesterday, so any time I didn't spend working on real life stuff was spent resting. You guys are amazing!

And a huge thank you to my amazing beta (who I always forget to thank): Krysyuy. I love you, man.

Hae Soo

She stood by and watched as Wook sat on the floor of the living room with Mi in his lap, rocking their rumpled baby girl and murmuring words of comfort. Their daughter held onto him, mumbling nonsense in her half-asleep state.

Just five minutes earlier, Wook had gone up to kiss their girls goodbye before walking downstairs with their oldest in his arms. Mi had woken up and refused to let Wook go, holding onto him until he was forced to bring her with him.

At five in the morning, Soo was ready to return to bed, but she also wanted to make sure her baby also made it back. She gazed at the pink pajamas that softly complemented Wook's black suit and necktie. The little girl's blush-colored stars added a splash of color to the older man's monochrome.

"Daddy… don't leave," Mi whined, rubbing her eyes.

Soo smiled when Wook kissed their daughter's messy hair. He chuckled slowly, pressing his cheek to the crown of her head. "Daddy's only going for a few days. You won't even miss me."

"But I…" Mi paused to yawn, "I will."

Wook hugged Mi and pulled her shirt down so that her belly was covered. "Hwang Bo Mi, you have to be strong and brave and protect Mommy and Yoonie, okay?" Wook asked. "When Daddy's away, you have to make sure Mommy and Yoonie don't cry."

"Yoonie's a baby," Mi retorted. Soo muffled her laugh as her daughter yawned again. Pressing a hand to her lips, Soo sighed and watched Wook nod serenely. He ran a hand down Mi's back, lulling her back to sleep the way he had when she was a baby. "She's gonna cry because she's littler than me."

Stepping forward, Soo felt her bare feet pad against the cold, wood floor that Wook protected their daughter from. She reached her arms out and gently coaxed Mi against her chest, pulling her away from Wook and holding her in her arms. "Mi, how about we sleep together in Mommy and Daddy's room?" she suggested, hoisting the girl against her hip. Soo had not realized how much her little girl had grown and she found herself pausing in surprise at just how much Mi weighed.

Even before Soo opened her mouth, she knew Mi was asleep. "Bye bye, Daddy," she whispered for her child.

"Bye bye, Princess," Wook whispered back, standing. Soo smiled at him as he kissed Mi again, resting a hand against her frizzy head. Soo accepted a side-hug from her husband before walking him to the door. She held her daughter close as Wook nodded to his bodyguard. "Take care of our girls and yourself, Soo," Wook said quietly. He pulled his coat over his suit and Soo nodded as Mi's head tipped against her shoulder.

"Do you even need to ask?" She met eyes with Wook as he tied his scarf around his throat.

"Of course not. You're a phenomenal mother."

They smiled at each other and Soo reached a hand to smooth his scarf. "You're a wonderful father, Wook. Enjoy Paris." Her husband stepped close to her. Soo held Mi towards him and felt Wook brush their child's hair aside to look at her sleeping face. Her closed eyes and little nose were Soo's, but her lips and chin were definitively Wook's.

"Look how big she is," he murmured. Soo smiled when his fingertips traced over Mi's eyes and nose before being swatted away by a sleepy hand. "Sorry, Princess." Wook chuckled and shook his head as he gazed at the child in Soo's arms. "Our beautiful little baby."

"She's not a baby anymore… she's been adamant in being called a big girl." Soo smiled wistfully as she hugged her child close. She watched Wook tilt his head, a loving grin on his lips.

"She'll always be our baby."

"Goodbye, Wook."

"I love you, Wife," he said. Soo met eyes with her husband and nodded. The words came easily, flowing without much emotion.

"I love you as well, Husband."

And with that, Wook was gone- off to a Paris summit for four days.

Once the front door shut and her husband took his seat in the back of his car, Soo carried Mi into the master bedroom.

Opening the door, she stepped into the dark room and carried her daughter to the bed, setting her down on Wook's side and pulling the thick blankets over her chest. Mi mumbled in her sleep and Soo listened to her daughter grind her teeth. Soo quietly stepped around to her side of the bed, lying beside her little girl. She turned towards her baby and traced Mi's silhouette in the dark.

Her daughter snuggled close to her, burying her face against Soo's chest in the way she had when she had been a baby. Soo stroked the back of Mi's head as her daughter's hands clenched her shirt. "Oh, darling, look how much you've grown," she sighed, looking down at the seven-year-old she had once carried in her stomach.

Happy to be spending a night with her daughter, Soo kissed Mi's forehead before closing her own eyes.

Soo woke, curled up against her daughter as the sun shone through the curtains. She left Mi in bed, washing up and dressing in silence. Something felt wrong.

A tugging in her gut made her dress faster, forgoing makeup and quickly going over reasons for her worry. She poked her head out of her closet and stared at the little lump on the bed that kicked the down blanket aside. There seemed to be nothing wrong with Mi and Soo narrowed her eyes at her daughter, checking her over for any sign of duress.

Mi drooled onto Wook's pillow and continued to sleep.

Shaking her head, Soo snatched her phone off of its charging stand and accessed the camera within Yoon's room, waiting to see if it was her youngest that was making her feel anxious.

As soon as the screen lit up, Soo raised her eyebrows at her daughter as she sat on the floor, her legs splayed and her chin tilted upwards. She must have fallen off of her bed. Soo waited for the audio to load and then realized why she had felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Yoon bawled, her fists rubbing her tired eyes. Soo gasped and pressed a hand to her mouth in surprise. But before she could rush over to her daughter, Soo watched Yoon's door open.

The camera flickered, but the person was unmistakable.

So stepped into the bedroom in exercise clothes, a pair of headphones around his neck. Without hesitation, he immediately made for Yoon, sitting on the floor before her. "Yoon, it's Mr. So," Soo heard him murmur. He leaned towards the little girl and Soo smiled when her daughter opened her arms to him. Soo watched her partner pick her daughter up and sit her in his lap. His arms cocooned her, hiding her entire body from view. From her position, Soo could only see So's back as he swayed.

Tossing her phone aside, she made for her daughter's bedroom and leaped up the stairs, skipping many of them in her attempt to reach Yoon that much faster.

When she arrived at Yoon's door, Soo paused in front of it, listening to a deep voice gently singing. She knew the song; it was a nursery rhyme that every single child in the country knew… but hearing it in his voice was different. "Butterfly, butterfly, come to me. Yellow butterfly, white butterfly, dance and come to me." Soo listened as So's voice guided Yoon into a sense of safety, his soft voice slowly shifting her wails into hiccups and then into silence. A tingle ran down Soo's spine and she quietly pushed the door open, smiling at the two people on the floor: Wang So in his black compression gear and workout leggings, Yoon in her bumblebee striped pajamas. They were an adorable pair.

"Good morning," she whispered. Soo met eyes with So and she closed the door behind her, sitting down beside him. Yoon's plush carpet crushed beneath her pants and Soo made sure her baby's eyes were closed before pressing a kiss to So's lips. She could taste the sweat that must have resulted from his morning workout as her skin met his stubbled face.

"Good morning," he replied. Soo listened to the voice she so loved to hear and watched as he continued to rock Yoon. "I came back from a run and heard crying, so I investigated."

Soo shook her head, patting So's shoulder. His body was almost too defined beneath the constricting workout gear that acted as a second skin. His muscles rolled and relaxed as he continued to rock Yoon in his arms, and Soo caught herself as she admired the way her daughter fit against her partner- like a little monkey holding onto its parent.

Leaning close, Soo gazed at her daughter. "Baby Dinosaur, are you hurt?" she asked.

Yoon's eyes popped open and she immediately squirmed away from So. Soo watched as he opened his arms to release Yoon. "Mommy," the toddler whimpered. Soo allowed Yoon to sit in her lap and pressed a kiss to her youngest's cheek, stroking the back of her head and pulling her baby close. "I falled off the bed." Yoon sniffled, rubbing at her nose. Soo used her sleeves to wipe Yoon's eyes before pressing her forehead to her daughter's.

"Did Daddy forget to raise your bed guard?" she sighed. "Well, as long as baby dinosaur isn't hurt, it's alright."

In just a few minutes, Yoon was sedated, her whimpering sniffles fading into curious hums as she touched Soo's earrings. Soo let go of her daughter and watched the little girl bounce out of her bedroom, calling for her sister. "I'm in the living room!" Mi's voice echoed through the house and Soo shook her head as the girls shouted at the tops of their lungs to find each other.

"They're cute," she heard So say.

"They're loud and obnoxious," Soo replied with a click of her tongue. She stood, leading him out the door. Soo smiled when Mi and Yoon found each other in the living room.

"Yoonie!"

"Mi!"

Soo turned toward So with a shake of her head. "But I suppose I love them for being loud and obnoxious." There was no need to look around before Soo wrapped her arms around So's shoulders. The second floor only housed her children in the morning and both were currently downstairs.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Soo asked as So's hands met her hips. She gazed into his narrow eyes and accepted the prickly kiss he placed to her cheek. "You're good with kids, you're good with managing a security team… You're good with me," she added quietly. So only smiled and Soo watched his eyebrows quirk at her words.

"Since we're going to the park today, I expect you to be in comfortable clothes," she murmured as his hands moved to her back. Soo laughed when So pulled her against his chest, resting her cheek against his shirt. "No more suits. Wear something cute… like a cardigan."

"Do you want me to freeze to death?" Soo could feel his chest rise and fall as he chuckled and she rolled her eyes. She wrinkled her nose when So kissed her forehead. "I'll wear something cute," he promised.

Soo breathed in the brisk winter air and took a sip of her cappuccino before nabbing a bite of So's scone. "You can't steal my coffee because you don't like sweets," she said smugly, chewing on his snack. So raised an eyebrow at her and Soo laughed when he swooped to press a glancing kiss to the side of her mouth. Beneath his black coat, Soo noticed a gray sweater.

"Crumbs," he murmured. "If you're going to steal my food, at least do it cleanly."

"You still owe me three thousand-some kisses," Soo said back to him. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder before straightening herself and making sure no one had seen. "And I charge interest."

She listened as So chuckled, his laughter mixing with the shouts of her children as they ran around the snow covered playground, throwing slush at each other. Neither could aim very well and Soo often found herself ducking blasts of ice from Yoon's clumsy hands.

Of course, Soo found that she never actually had to duck. Whenever a rogue snowball made its way near her, So's hand would reach out and he would block every single one with deadly precision. There was never a target he did not miss and Soo found herself attracted to her bodyguard even more.

"Careful, baby!" she called to her daughter. Soo laughed when her little girls slid on the ice, falling against each other and giggling.

Soo wished she could lean against So and nuzzle close to him, letting him shield her from the cold, but she knew her girls would see something as obvious as that. So she shared a park bench with him instead, chatting with her partner and enjoying the weather.

"Hi, Mrs. Hae!"

Turning at the sound of her name, Soo smiled when she saw her neighbors' son hopping off of his bike and wheeling it beside him. The gangly teenager jogged towards her, his yellow parka shining in the afternoon sun. "Hello, Jung," she said to him as he bowed. "How are you?"

"I just came back from hanging out with my friends," the boy panted. Soo felt her smile deepen at the disheveled teenager's red nose and pale cheeks, noticing an awkward hint of stubble on his pimpled face. He was a handsome young man and Soo wondered where she had seen his eyes before. They almost reminded her of So's eyes, but Jung's lashes were too long to be an accurate match.

"Did you have fun?" she asked. Mi and Yoon rushed towards their neighbor, their barely masked glee echoing around the playground.

"Jungie!"

Before the teen could answer, Soo watched her girls tackle him into the snow, rubbing slush into his hair. "Mi, Yoon," Soo called. "Play nice."

She sat back and shook her head, laughing as Jung roared and began chasing Mi around the playground. He ran after the girls and picked them up in his arms when he caught them.

Their boots quickly destroyed the pristine frost that covered the ground and Soo glanced at So as he chuckled, also playing spectator to the boy that played with her children. "We've known Jung since he was about twelve," she sighed. "He doesn't have any siblings because his parents can't have children, so I think it's nice he has Mi and Yoon to care for. They think he's their older brother next door and he seems to think the same. He used to call me Aunt Soo when he was little… I wonder why he stopped."

"Perhaps he grew up," So replied steadily. Soo exhaled into the cold air. "He reminds me of my younger brother… the one I told you about," he murmured.

Nodding, Soo remembered how So had told her about having a younger brother he had not spoken to in over twenty years. "Is he Jung's age?" she asked.

So clasped his hands together, his eyes moving away from the teenager that rode on the swings with Yoon in his lap. So gazed down at her and Soo tried to reassure him without touching him. "I don't know where he is or how he's doing, but if he's alive, he would be around Jung's age," he explained. "I was in my last year of high school when he was born. He was never named because my parents did not expect him to survive."

Soo listened to So's account of his life as she watched her babies scamper around. Dressed in designer parkas lined with mink, Soo knew they would never endure what So had gone through. She felt like a villain, listening to a tale of children pushing through hardship while watching her own ruin hundreds of dollars of couture in a snow fight.

But when she looked into So's eyes, he reassured her that she was not as despicable as she felt. He gazed at her with warmth and Soo felt at peace, relishing every little detail her partner divulged, clinging to his fears and sorrows in order to alleviate the pain in his heart just a tiny bit.

"I went to college and finished in two years," he explained quietly, his voice dropping. Soo nodded and offered him a gentle smile, wanting nothing more than to hold his hand and pull him away from his past. "I knew my parents could not afford to raise another child, nor did they want to, so I prepared and I got a small flat and a job as a part-time trainer at a gym. I was a legal adult, so I was going to adopt my brother away from my parents."

Smiling, Soo looked at their hands, noting how they were so close, yet so far. She could see So as a young father, working hard while raising his brother. He was as loyal as he was loving and she found that part of him admirable.

"I went back home, ready to take him from my parents and name myself his legal guardian… but he was gone. They'd already put him up for adoption while I was in college and had never told me." So's gaze fell and Soo nodded, discreetly lacing her fingers with his. She gripped his hand tightly, trying to distract him from his sorrows.

"So, there was nothing you could have done," she murmured. "You were young and… and your parents were cruel." Soo could not mask the utter disdain she had for the people that had hurt the kindest, most beautiful soul she knew. "You did your best. It's their fault that this happened. Your parents never deserved you as their child."

A glance toward her children and Soo saw them sitting on a different bench with Jung, staring at his phone as he showed them a game.

Taking her chance, Soo raised So's hand and pressed her lips to the scar on his palm, kissing the white lightning bolt that streaked across his skin. "Let the past go," she murmured, letting her lips drift over the rough calluses that lined his palm. "Close the door to your pain and let it all fly away. I'll be here to hold your hand and be with you."

She released his hand before her children looked up. Soo looked at her partner as he nodded and smiled at her. "You are stunning," he murmured. Soo met eyes with him and found herself engulfed in the raw emotion she saw within.

"Aunt Soo! Can I have lunch at your house?" Jung called.

Blinking away from So, Soo smiled at the re-emergence of her old name. "Of course, Jung! Grab your bike and come with us. We're having Chinese food- but make sure to call your mom first!"

She waved the three children over and Soo checked each one for injuries before sending them off. She paused before following behind them, standing with So and watching Jung hold Mi's hand, letting the little girl guide him.

"I think your brother is doing alright," Soo said quietly. She felt So's hand graze against her wrist.

"I hope he is. His other brothers are both doing well. I hope he's happy and safe and healthy."

Nodding, Soo tilted her head to the side, gazing out at her children and their adopted brother. "That's all we can wish for the ones we love, isn't it?"