45

                                    

                                          
The torturous one week went by really slow that Jaehwa herself had lost count how many times she looked at the clock and calendar in a day, the ringing of her phone would be like an alarm that caused her to run to get the device, only to see that it was a call from her friends or family members. Jaehwa sighed and sank deeper into the couch, lips pouted out of habit.

Yerin who came out of nowhere settled down next to her, offering Jaehwa the chip in her hand only to have Jaehwa shaking her head weakly. The week put Jaehwa into a state that she herself couldn't figure out as to why she didn't feel like having fun or talking about silly things with Yerin like how she used to, but she couldn't thank her friend more for understanding the current circumstance. As soon as Jaehwa got back from the police station, Yerin didn't take much time to dash towards her, lifting up her chin to check on her facial expression. Yerin was too good at reading her that Jaehwa didn't have to tell what happened, didn't have to show how sad and shattered she was for Yerin to engulf her into a hug, rubbing her back as gentle as she could with hope that would let her know that she would always be there if she needed help.

From that hug, it turned into a session of Jaehwa explaining what happened, glad that Yerin didn't push her to elaborate but only listened to every bit of her story instead. With her hand in the friend's grasp, Jaehwa told her how she failed as Jeongguk's support system that she herself couldn't bring herself up when she fell down, breaking their promise to help each other when all she could do was remaining silent when she was supposed to reassure Jeongguk that everything would be fine. 

"Are you still thinking about Hyun? Has someone come to claim him?" Yerin asked before shoving the chips into her mouth, eyes widened in curiosity.

"Not yet." Jaehwa huffed, tired of being distracted by the case for almost 24/7. She wondered if Jeongguk was as tired as her, wondered if the guy could even sleep at night knowing Hyun was no longer next to him. "Yerin, do you think... Hyun's father will come to claim him?"

The moment Yerin placed the bag of chip on the coffee table and crossed her arms over her chest, Jaehwa knew that her friend was about to let out a long rant, blabbering about her thoughts on the situation. "You told me that his father gave Hyun to Jeongguk and asked him to look after the baby for two months, right?" Jaehwa nodded, confirming the statement. "Then two months passed. The day Jeongguk was supposed to return Hyun, the father didn't show up, even changing his phone number without informing Jeongguk." Yerin hummed, eyes glued to the ceiling of their shared apartment before she suddenly clicked her tongue. "Have you met the father before?"

Jaehwa shifted her position on the couch, pulling the cushion closer to her chest. "I have. The first time was when I followed Jeongguk to somewhere, and the last one was when Hyun was admitted to the hospital. He dropped by. That's all." 

"I'm 99% sure the father won't claim Hyun." Jaehwa didn't gasp or anything along the lines, because she herself could foresee that happening from the beginning. "First of all, he is a father and if he truly loves his son, he wouldn't give his son to an unmarried guy who knew nothing about looking after a baby. If I were in his shoes, I would consider so many things—what if Jeongguk abandoned my son? What if Jeongguk accidentally killed my son? Secondly, the fact that he just disappeared like a coward he is, showed how much he wanted to get rid of Hyun from his life. Imagine having an unprotected sex and decided to keep the baby only to leave him to a random person and disappeared. I swear to God, Jaehwa. If I ever met the father, I would chop his dick because that kind of person doesn't deserve to have kids and be a father."

Jaehwa groaned, burying her face into the cushion before she felt a light tap on her forearm. Tilting her head, she saw Yerin smiling sheepishly at her, the rays of sunlight coming from the balcony forced Jaehwa to squint her eyes as a reflex. 

"By the way, Jaehwa." Jaehwa had to knit her eyebrows in confusion when Yerin suddenly giggled like a maniac, her whole body trembled like a squid grilled alive. "I have something to ask you." She trailed off, the end of the sentence became almost inaudible to Jaehwa's ears. "It's a bit out of topic though."

Jaehwa looked at her friend in bewilderment, muttering a small what as she straightened her back, looking forward to what the question would be.

"You... and Jeongguk. Are you guys dating?" 

Jaehwa choked on her own spit upon the question, had to look away to blink her eyes repeatedly before she got a hold on herself. The absurd question forced a nervous chuckle from the back of her throat. "What?" Jaehwa chuckled again, asking Yerin if she heard the question right. "Are we dating? Is that the question?"

Yerin nodded frantically, her bang fell over her eyes when she scooted closer to Jaehwa. "I've never seen him but judging from his dulcet tone, I can tell that he must be attractive. Is he tall? Does he workout? How about his appearance? His personality?"

Jaehwa rolled her eyes in disbelief. Nevertheless, she responded to the questions one by one, only to have Yerin squealing at the top of her lungs. "Yes, he is tall that I have look up at him. He isn't that muscular but umm, he's buff. Broad chest and a bit of biceps. Jeongguk has a silky black hair, those kind of hair that you would want to cafuné on rainy days as the two of you cuddle." Jaehwa gritted her teeth, hoping Yerin noticed the sarcasm in her voice. "And his personality, it depends on his mood. I hope that gives you a very clear of picture of who Jeon Jeongguk is. And, no. We are not dating."

Yerin snickered, pushing the side of Jaehwa's shoulder in a rather harsh manner, probably disappointed to see how bitter Jaehwa was when she was feeling giddy to know more about the guy. "I mean, we haven't been able to spend our time together because Jeongguk keeps on taking you away from me. Maybe he asked you to come to his place everyday to see you more often but using Hyun as an excuse." Jaehwa's eyes widened when Yerin inched away from her, reaching for the bag of chip again afterwards. "Guys, you know. Some of them don't want to be obvious. Maybe he's one of them." 

Jaehwa forced herself to maintain a hardened expression, didn't know how to react upon what Yerin said. Well, it was true that they had gotten a bit too close recently but the idea of them falling in love and dating each other had never registered into her mind.

"He's a slick one, I believe." Yerin raised her eyebrows, nudging Jaehwa's elbow when she remained quiet. "Oh come on, Jae! No need to feel so taken aback! Unless... you guys really like each other but shy to express it?"

Jaehwa frowned, laughing nervously when Yerin suddenly wiggled her eyebrows. All she could ask for was her cheeks to not blush or else Yerin would never stop teasing her. "You're talking nonsense. I'm going to the police station to see Hyun-"

"With Jeongguk?"

"Hwang Yerin!"