part 44

"Will Hayeon be okay?"

"Don't worry. It shouldn't be a big problem."

Seung-rok and Mina were rushing to Hayeon. 

The person who called was his grandfather. 

They had ignored the call earlier because they were too busy with each other. 

The grandfather had called to say that Hayeon suddenly had a high fever and needed to go to the emergency room. 

Just a moment ago, Mina and Seung-rok were ignoring the call because they were lost in each other's bodies. 

Later, a text message came through. 

It said that the child had arrived at the emergency room. 

After giving her some fever medicine, the fever went down, and they were coming back home. 

But Mina, pale with worry, insisted they go home immediately. 

Seung-rok didn't argue and quietly followed her. 

He even fiddled with the condom he had bought. 

Seung-rok felt a pang of regret and was shocked at himself. 

He didn't show it.

But he felt disgusted with himself. 

A child was sick, and he was regretting not continuing their moment of passion. 

Was he really such a despicable person? 

Maybe he was always like this. 

He tried to justify it by saying it was just bad luck, but was it really? 

Maybe Hayeon was born as a result of his past sins of not controlling his desires. 

Hiding these complicated feelings, Seung-rok got into the car Mina was driving.

On the way to Hayeon, Mina sighed several times.

She was blaming herself and feeling very sorry for Hayeon.

She felt it was her fault.

She had been lost in a moment of pleasure with Seung-rok, not knowing the child was very sick. 

Actually, Hayeon was Seung-rok's child, just a client to Mina.

She had no reason to blame herself.

But still, Mina felt sorry for Hayeon as if she were her own child.

She even blamed herself.

The child had been wearing a thin stage costume, and Mina blamed herself for taking the child to the windy beach without thinking.

She kept saying how stupid she was, and Seung-rok shook his head firmly.

"It's not your fault, Mina."

"But…."

"The child wanted to go. It's not your fault. Don't think that way."

"...Okay."

Mina answered quietly and then closed her mouth.

She answered reluctantly, but it didn't seem like she was convinced.

She kept mumbling, "Why did I do that…" still blaming herself.

Suddenly, Mina said she would take care of the child for the rest of the weekend.

Seung-rok had to go back to work soon, and the grandfather couldn't stay with a sick child for long.

She said there was no one else to take care of Hayeon.

"You don't have to do that," Seung-rok said politely. 

He said it was just a cold from not being careful, and Hayeon should take responsibility for her deed. 

He told her not to worry and to spend the weekend as she wanted. 

But Mina was stubborn. 

She insisted on taking care of Hayeon, saying it was partly her fault.

"I'll do it," she said. 

She was so stubborn that even Seung-rok felt he couldn't stop her. 

She was right; there was no one else to take care of Hayeon. 

So, Seung-rok usually had to hire a hotel staff member, paying extra. 

No one from the hotel could win Hayeon's heart, but there was no choice. 

There was no one in the family who could do it. 

But a staff member was just a staff member, not family.

In his heart, Seung-rok also wished Mina would take care of Hayeon. 

He hated himself for that.

While Mina was openly blaming herself, Seung-rok was silently hating himself. 

Meanwhile, the car arrived at Seung-rok's house.

***

"Mina!"

As soon as Seung-rok got home, Mina rushed to Hayeon and looked into her eyes.

Hayeon clung to Mina like a sick kitten, looking pitiful. 

Grandpa watched us with a strange expression.

It was a scene where you might confuse who the parent was.

Hayeon's teacher hurried over from outside and hugged her tightly. 

In contrast, Seung-rok kept his distance, observing Hayeon with a cold expression. 

He was an astonishingly detached father. 

If Mina's problem was empathizing too much with the child's feelings, Seung-rok's problem was trying to use Hayeon's feelings too much. 

Both of them made the situation difficult in different ways. 

Neither of them knew how to find a middle ground.

While Grandpa watched them with mixed feelings, Mina disappeared into the kitchen.

"Kang Hayeon."

"Eek!"

Hayeon jumped at the sight of her dad. 

She seemed to expect a scolding.

"You…"

In the meantime, Mina had made some hot cocoa. 

She interrupted Seung-rok before he could say anything. 

"Wait a moment, Seung-rok."

Seung-rok immediately recognized the cocoa. 

It was the high-quality cocoa he had bought himself. 

But no one had touched it until now. 

This was the first time Mina had made it.

"Wow! What's this?"

Hayeon looked at the cocoa with wonder, as if seeing it for the first time. 

It was her first time having cocoa at home, so it made sense.

"Blow on it and drink slowly. It's hot."

Hayeon obediently followed Mina's instructions and started drinking the cocoa. 

Her previously downcast face began to brighten.

"It's... delicious."

Seung-rok could see the light returning to her eyes little by little.

Grandpa told us what the emergency room doctor had said. 

They didn't know the exact reason, but it was an acute fever. 

It was a common symptom among kids, especially during this season. 

The doctor said Hayeon needed to rest well and stay in a warm place for a while.

It was the usual advice doctors give to kids with a cold.

But Hayeon wasn't an ordinary kid.

That was the problem.

"No!!!"

We were in the final stages of play practice.

The performance was only a week away.

Hayeon started to throw a fit, saying she didn't want to miss practice.

"I have to go to school."

Seung-rok shook his head firmly.

"No."

"I have to practice!"

Seung-rok stood his ground, and things got chaotic. 

Honestly, he understood Hayeon's feelings. 

As a singer who always prepared for the stage, Seung-rok knew exactly how she felt.

With only a week left, it was clear what would happen if she missed practice.

There was no way to find a substitute now. 

If Hayeon rested, the play would be a mess. 

For a kid who had dedicated everything to the play, that was unacceptable.

But from Seung-rok's perspective, he had to stop her. 

Liking the play was fine, but her passion was making her overdo it.

If she kept pushing herself like this, who knew what other problems might arise.

"No!"

But Hayeon wouldn't back down.

As her voice grew louder, Seung-rok also tried to speak more firmly.

At that moment, Mina stepped between them.

She led Seung-rok to a corner of the room.

"I'll talk to her."

"You don't need to."

Seung-rok refused, but Mina nodded as if to say it was okay.

Then, Mina went to Hayeon and made a loud suggestion.

"Hayeon, you need to rest well and get better quickly so you can practice again. That's the only way you can perform."

"...."

"Can you perform when you're sick?"

Hayeon stopped complaining. 

Instead, she stared blankly into space. 

Seung-rok watched her with a curious expression. 

Hayeon was a rebellious child, like a wild horse. 

At least, that's what Seung-rok thought. 

But now Seung-rok saw that Mina knew how to handle the child better than he did.

Mina approached Hayeon, looked into her eyes, and held her hand.

"I'll stay with you. Drink lots of cocoa and rest well."

"...But I need to practice."

Hayeon showed signs of whining again. 

To Seung-rok, it seemed like an unreasonable demand. 

Yet, Mina just laughed softly.

"I'll read the script out loud to you until you get better."

"...."

"How about that?"

"Okay, that sounds good!"

The situation was resolved in an instant. 

But Seung-rok grabbed Mina's arm.

"There's no need for this. She's not even hospitalized. It's nothing serious."

Seung-rok said that, but honestly, he wanted Mina to do it. 

He hated himself for that.

So, he felt an obligation to reject Mina's offer more strongly. 

However, Mina insisted again.

"It's okay. I actually enjoy being with her. I've always wanted to work at a café. Making cocoa is my dream job. Besides, if the child is sick, I can't give lessons anyway. Instead of wasting my salary, I can help the child."

"....."

She always looked at everything from Seung-rok's perspective. 

How could she be so extraordinary?

Seung-rok tried to hide my amazement as he stared blankly at Mina.

"I'm fine."

Mina added quickly. 

Seung-rok was eventually worn down by her persistence.

***

"We want to include Europe and North America in this tour," manager Kim suggested.

Seung-rok frowned. 

A North America and Europe tour meant he wouldn't see Hayeon every week. 

And… Mina would be with her.

Seung-rok spoke up quietly, "I want to focus on Asia for now."

"Why?" manager Kim asked.

Seung-rok shrugged, "I want to focus on the Asian market. I'm a ballad singer, is there a reason to go to North America?"

"No one knows. That's exactly why we need to be more aggressive! It might be possible."

"If you insist," Seung-rok said, pointing to the other members. 

"How about forming a unit with the other members and going as a more aggressive rock band?"

At that, Boseong stood up abruptly.

"I like that!"

"Alright, give it a try," Seung-rok's lips twisted slightly.

Boseong had fallen into his trap.

Manager Kim frowned at Boseong. 

Everyone at TYB knew Boseong was lazy. 

What he said meant nothing.

But that wasn't Seung-rok's concern. 

Having thrown the bomb to others, Seung-rok slipped outside.

"Where are you going?" Eui-jin grabbed him. 

Seung-rok forced a calm smile, "Just to the bathroom."

Eui-jin stepped aside reluctantly. 

If he just stayed away for a bit, the North America and Europe tour would fizzle out. 

He knew the company's stance. 

They wanted their top star, Seung-rok, to go on the North America and Europe tour. 

Connecting with the American market could mean big bucks.

But Seung-rok didn't want that. 

Interviews and concerts were different from tours. 

A North America tour meant being away from home for at least three months, up to a year. 

He couldn't be away from his family that long. 

From Hayeon, and most importantly… Mina.

As soon as he reached the bathroom, Seung-rok looked in the mirror. 

He remembered he hadn't fixed his hair. 

And then, strangely, he thought of Mina messing up his hair.

He soon chuckled. 

Laughing in front of the mirror, Seung-rok realized Mina had become a big part of his heart.