Hello everyone!

I apologize for the delay... RL kinda has gotten a bit in the way as both Sandy and I are busy and dealing with stuff, so I'm afraid that the updates might be a bit unpredictable for a while longer!

I'm very sorry! But I hope you guys can be a little patient with us! and that you enjoy this chapter.

Thanks so much for sticking around, and to Sandy for being the awesomest ever.

Chapter NINE

Present Day.

On Saturday morning, Baek Ah grumbled as he arrived at the national theater. He made his way to one of the smaller rehearsal spaces toward the back of the main building, all the while damning Hae Soo and her cute face that had extorted Baek Ah's secrets out of his besotted cousin.

If Wang So hadn't opened his big mouth, Baek Ah could have been sleeping in before waking up at midday and going out for a fabulous breakfast before Eun dragged him off to the Park Dojang for Jung's trial or exhibition (or whatever Eun's excuse was to go drool after Park Soon Deok).

But nope, instead he had to get up at an ungodly hour – for a Saturday – and go to work.

He had been innocently standing around, keeping Wang So company as his cousin waited for Hae Soo and Seol in order to take the two of them out for lunch. Then Soo had shown up, looking harried, and told him she had to cancel their plans because she needed to find a musician for the Traditional Dance Company's rehearsals.

"Baek Ah knows how to play traditional instruments."

At that, Hae Soo had turned her big, brown eyes on him and asked if he could help her out.

"Of course, he'll help," So answered before Baek Ah could open his mouth.

Then Seol-ie had come barreling into So's legs and asked about lunch. Baek Ah hadn't wanted Seol-ie to be disappointed, so he agreed.

But he was NOT happy – and he had made sure to let Wang So know! – yet, here he was.

To his surprise, the dancers were already gathered and seemed to be finishing their warm up; the pretty dancer Baek Ah had seen talking to Soo a few times seemed to be in charge.

Baek Ah didn't know her very well, but he had a small inkling that she hated his guts.

"You're late." She snapped at him in a whisper, all the while smiling through her pearly teeth.

"You're aware I'm doing you a favor, right?"

The girl harrumphed and vaguely motioned toward the one available chair in the room and the table with the instrument. "The music sheets are there."

Baek Ah unzipped his hoodie and sat down, pulling the table closer and adjusted the gayageum, glancing quickly at the notes of a well-known folk song.

"Ready when you are."

With a glare, he began to run his fingers over the chords, strumming the instrument. His fingers stumbled a little before the notes began to flow a little more easily. Out of the corner of his eye, Baek Ah could see the movement as the dancers started following their leader, as she led them through various steps.

And then he couldn't look away. There was something inherently graceful in the way she moved; it was mesmerizing.

-000-

Seol was happily humming to herself, strapped in like an astronaut in the booster seat So had gotten for his car. Her plushie wolf was sitting on her lap while she looked at the pictures of one of her books.

As he drove, So stole yet another glance at his daughter in the rearview mirror, and at the toy in her lap.

"I can't believe you've kept that thing all these years," So commented. He had been so surprised when, as he tucked Seol in one night, she asked for the toy. He had realized it was the one he had won for Hae Soo years before at an amusement park, shortly before they… separated.

"Seol loves it," Soo shrugged. "It was the only thing that got her to stop crying when we came home from the hospital. I still have to pry it from her arms when she sleeps so I can wash it."

So smiled, enchanted by even the smallest detail he learned each day about his daughter.

They drove for a couple minutes more until the dojang came into view.

"Oh, this place hasn't changed at all!" Soo said in awe as he parked.

"It has been the same since I was a kid." So said, getting out of the car and going around to help Soo out before unbuckling Seol.

They started walking in. Seol was between them, holding their hands, but after just a few steps, Seol let go of Soo and tugged at So's shirt. "Appa! Up!"

So smiled and lifted her high before setting her on his hip.

"Seol-ie! We have talked about this. You are a big girl now, and big girls don't need to be carried everywhere!" Soo admonished, already knowing it was a lost cause when Seol's bottom lip trembled and pushed out into a pout, before the little girl hid her face in So's neck.

"Yah it's okay," So said soothingly, patting Seol's head and back. "She'll walk in a little bit, right princess?"

"Yes, Appa!" Seol answered. She was happy in her perch, her pout already gone.

Soo shook her head but didn't push it. In the last couple of weeks, Seol had regressed to a few behaviors from when she was younger – like wanting to be carried and held all the time or pointing rather than talking – especially when So was around. Soo had checked in with the pediatrician, who told her it was normal given the recent changes (the move to Seoul and So's inclusion in her life) and that she probably just wanted her father's attention.

Since So was more than happy to baby their daughter, Soo didn't worry too much.

Instead, she enjoyed walking in the sun with her little family and didn't even startle too much when So reached for her hand. So had always been a hand-holder, she remembered that now.

There was a real festive atmosphere all around the dojang. There were paper-streamers, food stalls and even some other games installed around the garden that surrounded the dojang proper and separated it from the Parks' home. So promised Seol to take her to buy snacks once they said hello.

Inside the dojang, preparations were well underway. There would be an advancement trial for five of Master Park's students, including So's younger brother Jung, and an exhibition afterward. Many young people – both boys and girls – clad in their jis were moving mats and arranging the stands around the perimeter of the building so people could watch comfortably.

So walked around, saying hi to some of the older students who seemed to know him until they reached Park So Kyung and Soon Deok. They were busy arranging some tables and chairs where the sound equipment would go.

"Master Park!" So bowed, even while holding Seol. Maybe So had a higher rank at the Taejo Group, but at the Park Dojang, no one was above Park So Kyung.

"So, you do remember how to get here, uh?" Park So Kyung asked.

"Yah, I've been busy, that's all! You know that better than anyone!"

"No work-talk in the dojang, you know the rules!" Soon Deok interrupted. "I'm glad you came Unnie and that you brought Seol-ie!"

"Soon Deok-ssi! Seol said happily, reaching out with her arms. Since Soon Deok had been meeting with Soo often to hammer out the custody agreement, Seol had become quite familiar with the young lawyer – who was always willing to pick her up or play with her.

"Master Park," So said, handling Seol off to Soon Deok. "These are my girls, Soo and Seol."

"Thank you for having us," Soo said in greeting, not before digging her elbow into So's ribs.

"Honey Bear has told me a lot about you two," Master Park nodded a little shyly before turning to So. "Well now, since that lazy brother of yours isn't here yet, you can help me bring out the rest of the equipment."

"Now I remember why I don't visit as often," So complained but followed Park So Kyung to his office, chatting all the while.

Then Seol announced – loudly – that she needed to go to the bathroom, and Soon Deok offered to take her to the main house since it was less crowded there. Soon Soo found herself standing in the middle of the dojang, all alone.

"Yes, this isn't awkward at all," She mumbled to herself, pulling out her phone to at least check her messages while she waited. She was just reading the first email – a resume of someone applying to be Madame Oh's second secretary – when she was jolted by a tall, lanky young man who collided into her.

.

Jung was running late, and it was all his brothers' fault. With So acting weird and Yo being irritable about it, Jung had been rather distracted of late – and just when he needed to focus the most! – and he hadn't been sleeping well…which was probably why he had overslept that morning, after passing out in Eun's couch at two in the morning.

He knew that by now, Master Park was probably angry, so he needed to be sneaky about this, so neither Park So Kyung nor Soon Deok found him out. He had been looking out for them when he collided into a much smaller person.

"I'm so sorry!" He said, reaching out to steady her. It was a rather pretty girl.

"It's all right, nothing's broken." The girl smiled.

"I-I haven't seen you around before? Are you a friend of Soon Deok?" Jung asked, coming closer into her space.

"She's with me actually," a new voice said. "And you're late." Wang So stepped right in and pulled Soo back toward him.

"Hyung!" Jung said, straightening up and stepping back. "I-I didn't know you would be here." He added nervously.

"Soo-yah, this is my brother Jung-ie."

"Hyung! Don't call me that. It's embarrassing." Jung whined, making Soo laugh, which annoyed So.

"It's nice to meet you. Your brother used to tell me a lot about you," She offered her hand, and Jung took it even though So glared.

Hae Soo was cute, bubbly, and pretty, and Jung might have gotten an instant crush...which did not escape So's notice.

"You really should get a move on, Master Park is already angry at you."

"Oh, crap!" Jung said, and snuck off without even saying goodbye.

Eventually, Seol came back, already munching on a candied-apple that Soon Deok had bought her, and the three of them found seats to watch the whole thing.

-000-

Kang Mun Seong sat in silence in the passenger seat of Yo's car, trying not to sigh as her last conversation attempt died down after Yo answered with monosyllables yet again.

He had been irritable since the day after she burnt her hand. He had yelled at her over not calling him when she had been hurt until she had nearly cried. Then he had taken her to the hospital again because he wanted his own doctor to check her wound – which turned out to be a good thing, since she had gotten water into the dressing and it needed changing – and then driven her home in a huff. She hadn't even gotten lunch.

And sure, he had come back later that night with take-out and apologized for yelling at her, telling her it was just because he was worried. But the irritated distance between them was still there.

After all these years with him, she understood there was something else bothering him. He waved it off as being pressured at work, but she knew that wasn't it – Yo thrived on pressure, his analytical brain loved the challenge. This was something else entirely, and she suspected her name was Hwangbo Yeon Hwa.

She had been down this road with Yo before a number of times- after they had broken up, Yeon Hwa had opted to leave the country, first to Europe and later to the US, but she would return every couple of years to visit her family. Whenever Yeon Hwa was in the country, Yo became distant, easily annoyed by Mung Seong and just… checked out.

She didn't know if they even saw each other anymore – they had a lot of friends in common – but Mun Seong couldn't help feeling like he was always mentally comparing her to the sophisticated Yeon Hwa and finding her lacking. Eventually, Yeon Hwa would leave, and he would snap out of it. He usually took a few days off from work and took her for a short holiday, to make up for it.

"I think I'm going away next weekend," Mun Seong said suddenly.

"You are?"

Mun Seong looked down, playing with the ring on her finger. "I want to take some pictures in the mountains."

"I don't think it's a good idea with your hand still hurt," He said seriously. "And I can't go with you if that's what you're hinting at."

"I didn't ask you to go with me. I never do – I know you hate walking around and looking at the scenery while I take pictures."

"I don't hate it, I just don't find it very productive."

"I'm a photographer."

"I meant productive for me."

"Oh, that makes it better."

"Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"You think I could?"

"Sarcasm doesn't become you," Yo snapped.

"Thanks for letting me know," Mun Seong answered. But then she just felt tired and her voice got smaller. "Anyway, it doesn't matter, I haven't decided yet."

Yo sighed. He hated how Mun Seong always backed down whenever they were on the brink of a fight. It made him feel worse than actual screaming and recriminations, like he had kicked a puppy or something; which made him feel like she was trying to manipulate him, although he knew full well that was not the case.

Mun Seong was just confrontationally adverse. Probably because her older sister, Mun Gong, was a drama queen that thrived on it. Often, Yo thanked the heavens that his mother hadn't taken it into her head to marry him off to the elder Kang sister.

"I'll be busy either way, so just do whatever you think best," Yo said, letting go of the steer wheel for a moment to pat Mung Seong's hand ever so gently, mindful that she was still healing.

And then, he was lost again in his own thoughts – not registering that Mun Seong hadn't answered – and going over his last conversation with Yeon Hwa over and over again.

He had known meeting her for dinner had been a mistake, but it was a mistake he had made before: whenever she was in town, Yeon Hwa made it a point to call him and meet him for dinner, showing him that her life was perfectly fine without him and that she was over him already. Knowing he had strung her along far longer than he should have, Yo always agreed that she was still gorgeous, and fun to be around… and he had always stopped short of actually cheating on Mun Seong – an important distinction in his mind.

Wang Yo indulged in his little fantasies of what could have been, and then Yeon Hwa would leave and things would be fine once more… but this time it was different.

…000…

Two Weeks Before.

"I thought you should be the first one to know that I'll be staying for good this time," Yeon Hwa had said.

"Really?"

"I think it's finally time I take a more active role in the family's company. Wook is a bit stuck, and busy taking care of his sickly wife. I mean to take over for him soon."

"Does he know that?"

"Not yet, but he will," Yeon Hwa smiled, the dimple on her chin dancing. "I think he has done as much as he can for the Hwanbo Holdings. Now it's my turn."

"I see."

"If you ever get bored with that Kang-girl your mother picked, let me know… maybe we can work out some sort of… alliance."

…000…

Present Day.

Wang Eun walked nervously into the dojang. He had waited until the exhibition was over, because it always made him nervous whenever he saw Soon Deok sparring – she was solidly built, but her frame wasn't particularly big and he hated seeing her face off against her opponents, even if she had things under control.

In his hand, he clutched a bouquet with red and orange gerbera-daisies, yellow and pink daffodils and irises. It was a bit larger than he had intended, but he had gotten excited at the flower shop.

A few people still mingled about, but most of the guests had moved toward the garden and the foods and games set up there; Soon Deok, however, was still inside, supervising as some of the other students put way the mats and equipment.

"Eun-ah! I thought you weren't coming!" Soon Deok said, surprised at seeing her friend now that the event was almost over.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to see you, but I'm sure you were brilliant," He held out the bouquet. "These are for you."

"Yah! I didn't even do much! You should be congratulating Jung, he moved up a rank!"

"I don't think Jung would like it if I gave him flowers," Eun said with a grin.

"Probably not," Soon Deok agreed, taking the flowers and smelling them. Flowers always brought up happy memories of her Umma's garden from when she was very little, something Eun knew fully well.

"Do you need a ride home? I can hang around for a bit while you finish up."

"You know, I think I'll take you up for it. Appa is making Jung clean the dojang anyway, since he was half an hour late and then wasted even more time trying to flirt with Soo-unnie while So-oppa watched."

"Jung does seem to have a death wish." Eun laughed.

Eun had met Soo and Seol a couple of days ago, when So had brought them over to HB Toys in order to obtain some toys for Seol. While Eun had been busy blowing his new-found-niece's mind with cool toys, he had also taken time to observe his cousin with the pretty Hae Soo. It was clear that So-Hyung had it bad for his baby's umma.

Soon Deok nodded in agreement before adding: "I'll go tell Appa that I'm leaving and then we'll be off."

Eun nodded. "Do you want to stop for food along the way?"

Soon Deok grinned and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "Sometimes I think you can read my mind."

If only she could read his.

-00-

Elsewhere, Wang So couldn't help grinning as Soo and Seol explored his new house. After the exhibition and Jung's trial, So had brought his girls home and let them loose. He had showed them the bedroom that would be Seol's for when she stayed over, and shown them the garden, where he had installed a playhouse and a brand-new slide and swing set.

"You are spoiling her," Soo said, standing next to him as they watched Seol (and her toy-wolf) go down the slide over and over.

"Well, she is mine to spoil," So answered with a smile… but something about the tone in which he said it didn't sit well with Hae Soo.

Before she could pinpoint why, Seol called out "Umma! Appa! Look!" She giggled, waving her hands to catch their attention before she went down the slide again.

"I'm looking, princess!" So called out as he walked toward her.

Soo sighed, deciding not to ruin such a happy, sunny day with gloomy thoughts. She was with those she loved the most, after all.

.

Later that afternoon, Seol napped snuggled against So, who kept stroking her hair and smiling at the sleepy, contented sounds she made, while Soo drank some wine and read the brochure he had given her.

"I don't know So, I hadn't thought of this school at all."

"I know you hadn't considered, but I went here, and my brothers did as well. Mu's children go there now."

"It's kind of out of the way, though."

"I'll drive her in the mornings, and the school transport can drop her off at the National Theater or my office afterward."

Soo sighed, "It's expensive. And hard to get into."

"I talked to the headmistress and she said they will take Seol any time, since she's a legacy student." So answered, ignoring the money question.

"She's not even five! It's nursery school!"

"Just think about it, okay? This school has a great reputation, and she can move on to the elementary school when the time comes, without having to switch schools later on…"

Soo sighed knowing how stubborn Wang So was when he wanted something, and he currently wanted to send their daughter to a school that cost more per month than her rent.

Author's Note:

From next chapter:
So shouldered her backpack - he looked a little ridiculous with the sparkly pink backpack with a swirly unicorn horn attached, but he didn't seem to mind.