Reaching for Love (COMPLETED)

49

The weekend is just a usual time for Chaeyoung to relax at her apartment. She makes herself busy with cleaning the whole apartment that she has been living since her university days. She stops for a while when she has done cleaning the store room which Lisa used to stay at with her back then.

"Huh...this is so tiring. I need 5 minutes rest.", she says as she walks out and goes to the kitchen to get a drink.

She grabs the fruit drink that Jungkook bought for her and drinks it to half.

"Only my room is left. All the other places are done. Thank God.", she says as she looks at the clock at the living room.

♡♡♡♡♡

Jimin looks back to the man in front of him with guilty eyes. "Samchon, are you sure you don't want me to take you straight to Chaeyoung's house?", he asks as he looks at the man he drove from Busan to Seoul.

"It's okay, Jimin-ah. I'll take the bus instead. I don't want her to scold you for telling me everything. Let me handle it myself from here, okay?", Haejin says to the young man in black hoodie.

"Okay, samchon. Again, I'm sorry if I meddle in your family issue. I'm so sorry.", Jimin says while bowing down a few times to Haejin.

Haejin stops him from bowing more and tells him that he just did what he had to do. He also tells Jimin that he does not blame him for seeking information about Chaeyoung. They shake hands for the last time before Haejin excuses himself to get on a bus that will stop at the apartment Chaeyoung lives in.

♡♡♡♡♡

The knock on the door makes Chaeyoung stop admiring how her room looks after she has cleaned it. She wonders who would be visiting her that day since she is not expecting anyone. She goes to the door and opens it to see her father standing out there.

"Oh..abeoji...", she says in shock of seeing him.

"Annyeong, Chaeyoung-ah.", he greets her with a faint smile.

Chaeyoung freezes for a few seconds before letting her father to come in. She does not know what to say as she is thinking of why her father suddenly comes to visit her in Seoul. He never mentions anything about going to Seoul when she went back to Busan.

Haejin sits on the sofa and turns to see Chaeyoung who stands next to him quietly.

"Are you surprised with my visit?", he asks as he puts his backpack down.

"Ah..yes, abeoji. When...did you get here? You...took the bus from Busan, is it?", Chaeyoung stutters in questioning her father.

"No. Jimin sent me until the bus station. Then, I took a bus from there to get here.", he says calmly while looking at Chaeyoung who now sits on the couch next to him.

Her eyes widen at the mention of Jimin's name. She is thinking whether Jimin told her father anything about her job. She tries to stay cool by looking away as she stands up.

"Abeoji, you want to drink anything? You must be tired from the long journey.", she creates the excuse as she walks to the kitchen.

Haejin looks at Chaeyoung's awkward acts but he remains silent about the reason he visits her. He tells her that any drink is alright with him. He follows her to the kitchen and sees Chaeyoung opening her fridge to see what she has in there.

"Umm...I don't have tea but I have some fruit drinks here. Abeoji, which one you like? Strawberry or orange?", she asks as she takes out the two flavours of drinks to him.

"I'll take orange.", the mid forties man replies as he takes the orange fruit drink from Chaeyoung.

♡♡♡♡♡

Chaeyoung prepares the food for dinner before she goes to call her father who stays in the store room to eat. Her father prefers to stay in that room since she has an extra sleeping mattress there. When she reaches the room, her father has already turned off the light and ready to go out from there.

"Oh, abeoji. Let's eat.", she says as she still feels uncomfortable with his sudden visit.

It is not that she does not like him visiting her but she is worried of the reason of his visit. Her mind has been thinking about it since her father came in the evening but she does not dare to ask why. She is scared that her father knows about her working at J Group. More specifically, working as Jungkook's PA there.

When they are eating, both of them are quiet at first. No one speaks anything. Chaeyoung is busy eating the dumplings, Haejin is busy eating the chicken soup. They do not talk anything as if the food is the only thing they matter at that time. Only when Chaeyoung sees her father's bowl is empty, she speaks to ask him if he wants extra rice.

He shakes his head and keeps watching Chaeyoung being the usual big eater she is. When they have done eating, he helps Chaeyoung to put the dishes on the sink before he sits back at the round shaped dining table as Chaeyoung does not want him to help her with the dishes.

As he watches her at the sink, he calls her name to talk to her.

"Yes, abeoji.", she replies.

"Why do you not tell me where you work exactly?", he asks her.

The question makes Chaeyoung to stop what she is doing. She knows that her father will going to talk about it. He just waits for the right time to say it.

"Abeoji...did Jimin oppa tell you?", she asks him back as she slowly continue washing the dishes.

"He was just doing his job, Chae. I can't scold him on finding a lot of information about you. About our family. Now back to my question, why you don't tell me that you work at J Group?", he repeats his question.

"I want to see eomeoni.", Chaeyoung answers as she puts the last plate on its place before turning to look at her father.

Haejin shakes his head. "Does she know who you really are? Have you meet her?", he asks in a concerned manner.

Chaeyoung nods before saying, "I've met her but I don't think she knows me, abeoji. Don't worry..."

"I am worried, Chaeyoung. I am so worried. That's why I come here as soon as I found out from Jimin.", he says without waiting for her to finish her words. "I shouldn't have let you come to Seoul. I shouldn't have let you to study here.", he goes on to blame himself for what is happening.

"Abeoji, you don't have to worry. Eomeoni or Jungkook don't know about me..."

Again, Haejin cuts her off. "Until when?! Until when do you think they will not find out about you? Sooner or later, they will find out too. Did you ever think of what will happen if they find out who you really are? Did you think that?", he scolds Chaeyoung.

"I...do realize that...I might hurt anyone but..."

"But you're selfish. You don't care what happens next, do you?", Haejin asks.

Chaeyoung shakes her head to her father's accusation of her being selfish.

"Abeoji, I'm not selfish. You might think I am but no. I just want to see my real mother and maybe find out how I got switched with Jungkook, your real child.", she pauses as she looks at Haejin's face.

"You better not do that, Chae.", Haejin replies.

Both of their eyes are now wet with tears that wait to fall anytime soon.

"I have accepted that you are my real child even though not by blood. So, don't go and hurt any of them, Chaeyoung-ah. Quit from there. Leave Seoul. Go back to Busan. Stay with me.", he tells her as he wipes the tears from his eyes.

"But I can't just quit like that, abeoji.", she replies.

"I've told you what to do. Now, I want you to think of everything you're doing. Do what is right before it's too late, Chae.", he tells her before he leaves the kitchen.

♡♡♡♡♡

Forty ninth chapter ✔

😢