The meeting lasted for a few hours. As soon as it ended, everyone hurried to get home to their families for the holidays. They immediately stood up, collected their things and flew out the door the instant the meeting was adjourned. Almost everyone in the room was excited knowing that the people they love were waiting for their return. Thus, upon seeing the warm expressions on their faces, Min Jae couldn't help but feel envious.
Meanwhile, there'd be no one waiting for him when he comes back to that huge but empty house. His wife won't be there to welcome him home anymore, not even his own children. A heavy feeling began to cloud his heart. He wouldn't deny that he terribly misses them. He wouldn't reject the fact that a part of him wants to selfishly have them back in his life again. However, that can't be. It's only right for him to suffer this way. After all, it was the least he deserved for everything he had done.
Thinking back, he remembered the last time he saw Eun Young. She seemed contented already. She seemed to be happier with her life than when she was with him. From there, Min Jae thought that regardless of what he felt, he couldn't ruin her life again. There shouldn't be a place in her life for him to begin with--especially when all he ever did was hurt her.
"Mr. Lee, shall I drive you back to your residence this evening?" Secretary Yoo politely asked.
Snapping back to reality, Min Jae turned to him and shook his head. "It's okay. I can handle myself." He replied. "You can go ahead and leave work early today. I'll just contact you when something important comes up."
Yoo Joong was surprised with his offer. Even so, he quickly recovered and bowed to show his gratitude. "Th-thank you, Mr. Lee." He said.
Min Jae was left alone in the conference room as soon as Secretary Yoo departed. When he looked out the window, he noticed that it was heavily snowing outside. A memory of last December suddenly came into his mind.
"Daddy can I eat snow?" Little Jung Hyun asked.
Min Jae turned to look at his son. With a serious tone, he warned. "Don't. It's dirty."
Little Jung Hyun pouted. He was really curious about what snow tastes like. He could already imagine it tasting like ice cream! If that's the case, he should've brought some syrup with him too. He frowned upon realizing that he brought nothing else but his dinosaur toys.
Looking up the clear sky, little Jung Hyun watched as snow slowly began to fall. He was about to ask his dad again if he could try eating a snowflake. However, when he turned to his father's direction, he caught him trying to catch one himself. "Hey!" Little Jung Hyun exclaimed.
He ran up to Min Jae and tugged his coat. "I thought you said snow is dirty! Why are you eating them now?!" He angrily scolded. He was deceived!
Min Jae chuckled upon seeing his son's reaction. And so to appease the little one's temper, he bent down and picked up his son. "Well... why don't you try eating a snowflake rather than eyeing snow that already fell on the ground?" He suggested. He pointed at the thick snow in between his shoes. "Seriously, this is dirty." Min Jae explained.
Little Jung Hyun scowled at him. But then, after a few moments, he forgot all about it as he tried catching the snowflakes on his own. It wasn't long before a snowball fight began as the father-son duo enjoyed a snowy day. It was just an ordinary day for the two of them. But to remember it now, Min Jae was very thankful for the memory.
The next day, Min Jae stayed at home. He couldn't allow himself to remain idle and so even though it was a holiday, work continued for him. He had long cleared his tasks for the week. But since he had gotten used to the distraction already, he had allotted the rest of his time to focus on some departments in the company that needs to be reinforced.
He was in the middle of revising a few details for their upcoming project when his phone suddenly rang. Without even checking the caller's ID he answered. "Hello?"
"Good Day, Mr. Lee! Am I calling at a right time?" The caller asked. Min Jae checked the screen only to see that the number was unregistered. Regardless, her voice seemed familiar.
"Yes. May I ask the purpose of your call today?" He directly questioned.
"I am the genetic specialist that accommodated you and Ms. Choi last week. I am calling to discuss with you the results of the conducted Non-invasive Pre-natal Paternity DNA test. Would you be able to drop by the hospital today so that we could personally review this matter?" The woman from the other line asked.
Min Jae paused for a while. It didn't occur to him that it was finally the time to unveil the truth. He's been waiting for this all week yet now that it's here, he was still a bit overwhelmed. His heart raced as he answered. "Yes, I'll be on my way."
It was only a short drive to the hospital. In less than half an hour, he was already at the place. The hospital was less busy today than when he last visited. There weren't many patients around and seemingly, there weren't many doctors and nurses too. Regardless, the hospital was still up and running.
When he arrived at the Genetics Department, he was immediately greeted by the genetic specialist who contacted him. Apparently, he was the only one meeting with her today. "Thank you for making time today, Mr. Lee. I've contacted Ms. Choi too but I couldn't reach this morning. She must be spending the holiday with her family." The woman concluded.
She pulled out a white folder from her drawer and placed it on top of her desk. At that moment, Min Jae's heart was beating rapidly as if it was going to burst any second. He tried hard to mask his worried expression.
The woman handed him the paper inside the folder. "Here is the certified true copy of the results." She declared.
Min Jae received the paper with trembling fingers. As soon as the paper was finally on his hands, he instantly took the risk and read the conclusion.
"Your DNA matches with the fetal DNA collected from Ms. Choi, Mr. Lee." She announced.
"Hence, we can safely conclude that you are the father of the unborn child Ms. Choi is carrying."