Unknown: Reconstructions. Book 2

POV: JaeMin

"Mom... Do you really feel okay? Stay a little longer to rest and..."

"JaeJae! I'm fine, my love."

"If you want, you can stay, Mrs. Song," JunKoo said, looking at her. "We won't mind..."

I could feel that he was also saddened by her departure. We had been living together for over two months, so letting her go like this hurt.

"I would love to, but I can't. I need to take care of my hotel, or it will turn into a mess."

"Alright," JunKoo calmly replied, grabbing her suitcase. "I'll take you to the station then."

"No need, I can call a taxi."

"No way," he quickly responded while cradling Jiwan. "We're all going. I'll just grab a coat and dress Jiwan warmly."

"Not happening," she quickly waved her hands. "You're not taking me, and your little Jiwan is too young to be exposed to the pollution in that place, JaeJae."

"But Mom..."

"But nothing, JaeJae! I'll let Jun take me, but you both stay here. There's too much pollution outside for such a little baby."

"Alright, but call me, okay? And we'll visit you soon."

"I'll be waiting for all of you, especially my little grandson," she smiled and came to us. "I'm leaving, right?"

I nodded sadly and gladly received the kiss she left on my forehead, along with a warm hug.

Jiwan watched everything from my arms and made little sounds while looking at all of us.

"Grandma will wait for you there, okay?" she addressed the baby. "We'll have a lot of fun in that huge swimming pool."

Jiwan smiled at her, causing Mom to release tears that she was surely holding back as much as possible.

"Oh my goodness... It's so hard to leave behind that toothless smile..."

"Mom..." I called her and opened my arms, welcoming her along with Jiwan. "We'll miss you so much..."

"I'll miss you too, JaeJae... Take care, my dear."

"Alright. Have a safe trip."

"I will," she smiled and planted one last kiss on my forehead, and gently caressed Jiwan before stepping back. "Bye-bye, my love."

"Bye," I smiled and watched her pass through the door, heading towards JunKoo's car. "Be careful in traffic, okay?" I said to him, seeing him pick up her suitcase to leave.

"Alright," he came to me and placed a calm kiss on my lips. "If you need anything, call me, okay? I'll come running."

"Okay," I smiled and gave him one last kiss before watching them leave.

I observed them through the living room window. The weather was very cold, so staying inside with my little one in the warmth of the heater was the best choice.

Mom waved one last time with a smile, and I couldn't help but have the urge to go over there and hug her, crying and begging her not to go.

I was afraid of going more years and years without seeing her, as we usually did.

The car slowly drove away, and I stayed at the window until it disappeared from my sight.

Once they were gone, I turned my attention to Jiwan, who was already asleep in my arms. I climbed the stairs slowly and placed him in the crib, turning on the baby monitor, and taking advantage of the little free time to have a long, hot shower.

***

A loud cry quickly woke me up from the nap I was taking. I rushed to my little one's room and saw his legs kicking on both sides, irritated, and his face red.

"Shh, shh..." I approached and picked him up. "What's wrong, my love?"

I looked at the baby, who was starting to calm down, only letting out low sobs.

I wiped away the tear-soaked cheeks and planted a kiss on the top of his head.

"Daddy was just taking a nap..." I spoke as I walked downstairs with him in my arms. "Are you hungry?"

I placed the baby in the stroller and had to try to ignore the crying that started again, to prepare the bottle.

"Take it easy, my son..." I spoke while rocking the stroller with my foot, as I poured hot water into the bottle. "I'm alone here... Your grandma is gone, and Daddy Jun hasn't arrived yet."

Jiwan started crying loudly. With all his might. I looked at the stroller, feeling my heart tighten, and tried to speed up preparing the bottle.

My hands worked quickly while my foot continued to rock the stroller, trying to somehow calm the baby.

"Oh, I arrived at the right time!" Jun came in smiling, looking at the kitchen. "Daddy is here, my love."

I breathed a sigh of relief and stopped rocking the stroller with my foot.

"I'm finishing his bottle..."

Jun nodded and approached, smiling at the baby, but before he could get close, I stopped him.

"Wash your hands," I looked at him anxiously. "Street bacteria..."

"Oh!" JunKoo quickly exclaimed and nodded.

I watched him go to the counter next to me and wash his hands thoroughly, drying them on the diaper I had with me.

"How was it with my mom?"

JunKoo spread the blanket on his arms and picked up the baby, starting to calm him down.

"It was fine... But she cried a lot on the way," he said, smiling.

I sighed and finished preparing the bottle.

"Let me feed him, you go take a shower and rest."

"And what about you?" he asked anxiously, handing the baby back to my arms.

"Believe it or not, I already took a shower," I sat on the couch. "Jiwan just woke up... I took a little nap..."

JunKoo nodded and sat next to me, gently stroking the baby's long hair.

"I was thinking... How about hiring a nanny? We'll need a cleaning staff for the house, but what do you think about a nanny?"

"Jun, you don't need to. We're managing with the baby."

"But what about a cleaner? You agree, right? The house is huge, and we'll need help with cleaning and cooking."

"For me, we could do it ourselves... But I understand that we'll really need it. I'm swamped with work, you are too, and with the baby... We won't have any spare time."

"Okay, then." He got up and kissed my forehead. "I'll place an ad to find someone as soon as possible. Now I'm going to take a shower, okay?"

"Sure." I smiled and nodded.

Jun hurriedly went upstairs.

I turned my attention to Jiwan and saw him let go of the bottle nipple and start babbling.

"You're going to be a talker, aren't you?" I stood him up and lightly patted his back. "What will be your first word, huh? Daddy?"

Jiwan burped and let out a loud laugh right after.

I placed the little baby on my lap and started playing with him, watching him give a smile just like mine every time my hair brushed against his fingers.

"Love!" JunKoo shouted from the top of the stairs, coming downstairs wearing only sweatpants. "Did you pick out an outfit for tomorrow's lunch with TaeYang?"

"No," I said, watching him approach us. "There's no need, Jun. It's just a lunch."

"Alright, it's just that I know how much you like to dress up, and now that you can wear your old clothes, it makes me excited just to see you happy."

"You're silly." I rested my head on his shoulder and looked at Jiwan, who was observing him. "He likes looking at you."

"Do you enjoy staring?" JunKoo asked, looking seriously at the baby. "Do you want to intimidate me, huh?" He raised his eyebrows, quickly wiggling them.

I held back my laughter and looked at Jiwan. The baby had his hand in his mouth, attentively watching JunKoo.

"Come on, answer me!" he spoke to the baby again, wiggling his eyebrows even more. "Do you want to intimidate me?"

Jiwan burst into loud laughter and raised his little arms towards JunKoo, as if wanting to be picked up.

"Do you want to come to Daddy?" Jun gently picked him up and placed him on his lap. "You're getting chubbier every day, little guy."

"My arms can testify to that." I chuckled, throwing myself down beside them, watching their playtime.

JunKoo continued wiggling his eyebrows, holding the baby close to his face, making him see and observe, and Jiwan laughed every time.

"Look, love!" Jun exclaimed loudly, drawing my attention to the baby, who was making babbling sounds. "He's trying to do it too! My boy is very clever, isn't he?"

I sighed, finding the scene too adorable. The two of them seemed to be getting along well, smiling and playing.

A loud fart noise was heard, and I looked at JunKoo in surprise.

"It wasn't me!" he quickly said, looking at the baby. "Was it you?"

He approached the baby's diaper and made a face at the same moment.

"Yeah, it was you."

Smile and stood up, ready to take the baby.

"No, I'll clean up. Order something for dinner."

"I can cook..."

"You're tired, honey. Just ask, and I'll give this little guy a bath, okay?"

I nodded and watched him stand up, carrying the baby with him to his room.

I grabbed my phone and placed an order for two servings of Pad Thai, since I knew JunKoo had a passion for Thai cuisine.

I went to the table and decided to set it up to make the dinner somehow cozy and intimate.

I laid out the placemats on the table and arranged the cutlery and glasses.

I fetched a wine from the cellar that we had previously enjoyed, not too strong, so it wouldn't cause any harm or risk of getting drunk with a baby at home.

Soon, the food arrived, which surprised me a little since our house is quite remote from the city center.

I arranged our dinners on the table and went upstairs to call them down.

I approached Jiwan's room and heard JunKoo's voice.

"I met him when you were already there, you know? He was very sick, and Daddy rushed to help..." JunKoo had his back turned, sitting in the nursing chair, gently brushing the baby's hair with a soft brush. "I know it might sound cheesy... But I fell in love at that moment. I was so scared for his pain, and when I found out that you were already there, inside his little belly, I got even more scared... It was as if Daddy already loved you, even without knowing... But I guess I already did, since I made sure to come back the next day..."

I smiled foolishly in the corner, still watching them. JunKoo was a very good person, but for Jiwan, I was certain he was the best.

"Your Daddy was tough, you know? Uncle SooJin helped me... He told me everything Daddy liked, and I slowly won him over. Every time he smiled, I felt one step closer to happiness." JunKoo paused and placed the brush aside, switching the baby to his other arm. "When we had our first kiss, I felt you kick... I guess you didn't like being hugged, huh? You kicked me every time I tried to give a little kiss to Daddy Mochi."

Jiwan just looked at JunKoo, with his hand in his mouth, paying attention.

"And when you were born? Woah... I thought I was going to faint! I saw you, and my heart raced instantly..."

Jiwan let out a little laugh, and JunKoo brought him closer to his face.

"You felt it too? Your Daddy Hyun almost fainted for real." JunKoo laughed. "He's very emotional, but he loves you so much, too."

Jiwan started kicking his legs, making JunKoo laugh.

"Do you want to run? You have to learn to sit first... When you grow up, I'll teach you wrestling. I'm really good at it."

"Hmm..." I knocked twice on the door, getting their attention. "Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but dinner is ready."

"Oh, we're coming." He said and adjusted the baby on his lap, coming towards us. "He's squeaky clean."

I picked up my little ball of joy and gave his spiky hair a sniff.

"You smell so good."

JunKoo nodded and started walking ahead, being careful, with me and Jiwan following behind.

"I always ask you to use the elevator, love."

"JunKoo, I don't even know why we still have it. Nobody uses it."

"It will increase the value of the house when we sell, don't you think?"

"So, are we really going to sell?"

"It's probably better, don't you think? But we still have time to think about it."

"Alright." I put Jiwan in the stroller and brought him closer to us. "I ordered Pad Thai, I know you like it."

"And did you choose the same wine as before? Did you like it?"

"Hmm-hmm." I nodded. "It's sweet, and the alcohol percentage is only three."

JunKoo nodded, sitting at the table, facing me and Jiwan.

He insisted on serving the food and wine, and I smiled as I saw the joy on his face when he took the first bite.

"Oh my god, this is so good!"

I agreed and started eating too.

"I'll learn the recipe and try to make it next time."

"I can learn it too, then we can make it together, sipping a glass of wine while classical music plays..."

"You watch too many romance movies, Jun." I smiled and took another bite. "I can just picture you burning yourself or hurting your finger... You're so clumsy."

He looked at me and pretended to be completely offended.

Even Jiwan next to us started making a lot of noise, holding his foot up.

"Even he agrees, love."

"I'll prove to both of you that I can cook without burning my finger." He said confidently. "I'll make the next dinner."

"We need to go to the grocery store first," I suddenly remembered. "And this time, I'll pay."

"You're the money man here now," he commented absentmindedly while eating. "You can spend as much as you want."

"I'm thinking of buying a car... I also want to save some money for Jiwan's future."

"It's up to you... Jiwan already has a guaranteed future if it depends on the two of us and LinHyun."

"I want to teach him the value of things... I'm afraid Jiwan will grow up with the wrong mindset, knowing that he's the heir to Korea..."

"Yeah... He's got a lot of money indeed..."

"Not just him, but us too. Jiwan has three successful fathers, and that can result in an arrogant child without character or humility..."

"Never." He said calmly, taking a sip of wine. "He will have the best education, love. I mean, at home... If we teach him, that will be our biggest concern."

"You're right." I took a sip of my wine and looked at the baby playing with his own feet. "He has me, you, and Hyun... I know Hyun has changed a lot and is more humble now... But he used to be quite arrogant and believed that money was his greatest treasure."

Smile of JunKoo. "The greatest treasure is right here," JunKoo pointed to the baby with his chin, smiling. "I can see that he's trying... He wants to be part of the elephant's life..."

"Hmm-hmm." I finished my plate and drank the rest of the wine. "Do you want more?"

"No, I'm satisfied," he smiled.

I nodded and cleared the table, leaving only the wine and glasses for us to enjoy a little more.

While washing the few dirty dishes, Jun went upstairs to brush his teeth.

Jiwan stayed by my side the whole time, playing.

After JunKoo came back downstairs, it was my turn to go up.

It was always enjoyable to see JunKoo alone with the baby.

He had his own way, calm and caring.

He was playing with the baby, holding him and supporting him on his legs, while Jiwan bounced up and down, jumping and laughing.

"These legs are strong, you know," I commented as I returned. "He's not even two months old, and he's like this already?"

"He told me he wants to wrestle and asked me to teach him."

"Oh, really?" I smiled and sat next to both of them. "And how did he tell you that?"

"Easy." JunKoo supported the baby on his legs, looking at him. "Come on, tell Daddy Mochi how you want to wrestle."

Jiwan brought his hand to his mouth and started babbling loudly, kicking his legs in all directions, laughing every time JunKoo pretended to be surprised.

"See?"

I nodded, smiling, enjoying their company.

Jiwan was drooling, smiling, and after a few minutes like that, he started yawning.

"You're such a sleepyhead," I touched his chubby tummy, making him laugh even more.

"I'll change his drooled clothes and put him to sleep, alright?"

"Alright, don't forget to turn on the baby monitor when you come back."

JunKoo nodded and left, laughing with the baby, heading to the bedroom.