"You heard me," Lee Ho-Joon said shortly.
"Uhh, well, I'm leaving the country," Hyesun said softly while Lee Ho-Joon furrowed his brows in question.
"You have anyone to meet there?" Lee Ho asked as Hyesun nodded her head.
"I have an aunt there. My mom's twin sister; is a doctor and has a hospital in New York. She owns the hospital," Hyesun explained while Lee Ho nodded.
"If that's what you have planned, then you can stay here for the months you have requested," Lee Gu said coldly.
Lee Ho-Joon doesn't know why he is doing so much for Hyesun. He saved her life, helped her get well, and she is staying in his villa, which he has never opened to any stranger before.
He has never brought anyone to the villa in the four years since he moved in after breaking up with his ex.
Hyesun is the first woman he has brought to live in the villa, but it is all because of her situation.
Lee Ho-Joon stood up from the couch he was sitting on and glanced at Hyesun.
"While you stay here, make sure you let me know if you need anything, or you can tell one of the staff working in the house," Lee Ho said while Hyesun nodded her head quickly and bowed several times, thanking him.
"Thank you, Mr. Lee Ho. I appreciate your kindness," Hyesun said, causing Lee Ho to frown slightly.
"I'm not kind; I'm just trying to help you," he said coldly, causing Hyesun to look shocked, but Lee Ho didn't care about her reaction as he left her room.
"What's wrong with this cold man? He is nice but cold," Hyesun muttered to herself and chuckled as she shrugged her shoulders.
—————
It's been a month and weeks, and next week, Hyesun is flying out to New York. During the month she has been saved and well, living in Mr. Lee Ho's villa, she has become very close to Mr. Lee Ho's little daughter, Lee Aera.
Hyesun treats the little girl with the love and care a mother provides—something the little girl has never felt before.
The little girl is fond of her and loves Hyesun like her mother and has started calling her "Mommy."
It started one day when Hyesun was helping her with sketching and coloring.
"Can I call you Mommy, Aunt Hyesun?" the little girl suddenly asked as Hyesun focused on the sketch the little girl had drawn and colored beautifully.
Hyesun was shocked to hear her say that and withdrew her attention from the drawing book, turning to the little girl with a surprised look.
"Aera, who taught you that?" Hyesun asked, looking at the girl with an unbelievable expression.
The little girl shook her head innocently. "No one taught me. I just want you to be my mommy. I want a mommy too," the little girl said pitifully with her innocent baby face.
Hyesun was speechless as she looked at the girl, drawing her closer, hugging her, and patting her head.
"It's okay, Aera. Aunt Hyesun loves you, okay?" Hyesun could only say that to her, while the girl giggled happily, breaking free from the hug and looking at Hyesun with a happy, smiling face.
"Really? I can call you Mommy now," the little girl said happily, causing Hyesun to look at the girl.
"You don't have to call me Mommy, little Aera. Call me Aunt Hyesun; I love it when you call me that," Hyesun said, while the girl frowned and shook her head.
"No, I want to call you Mommy," the little girl insisted just as the door cracked open and Lee Gu walked in.
He had just come back from the office and came to check on his daughter in her room as usual and found the girl hugging Hyesun. Immediately, when the girl heard the door creak, she turned and saw her father. She stood and ran to hug him happily.
Lee Ho picked her up in his arms and kissed her forehead. The girl giggled and pouted cutely.
"Daddy, I want to call Aunt Hyesun Mommy, but she said she loves me calling her Aunt Hyesun," the little girl complained to her daddy, while Hyesun, who was standing, couldn't raise her head to look up as she felt uncomfortable hearing the girl complain to her father.
Lee Ho glanced at Hyesun and then back to his daughter.
Hyesun nervously cleared her throat.
"I should leave now. Baby, I will come to check on you again, okay?" Hyesun said to the little girl and quickly walked out of the room before the little girl or her father could say something.
"Daddy, I want Mommy too. I want to call her Mommy," the little girl said innocently, while Lee Gu frowned and dropped her, bending to her level and speaking softly.
"You can't call her Mommy, okay? She will be uncomfortable. Do you want her to feel that way?" Lee Ho said gently, while the girl shook her head sadly.
"But calling her Mommy is not bad, Daddy. Aunt Hyesun doesn't like me, right?" the girl said with tears in her eyes, causing Lee Gu to frown because he was getting frustrated, but he couldn't yell at her and didn't know how to explain to the little girl.
Lee Gu thought it was almost time for Hyesun to leave, so maybe he could just allow his daughter to call Hyesun whatever she wanted until she left for good. He turned to his teary-eyed little daughter and patted her hair.
"It's okay, baby. You don't have to cry, okay? You can call her that," Lee Ho said, while the little girl's eyes lit up in excitement as she hugged her father.
"I love you, Daddy," the little girl said happily as she hugged him.
"Stay here, okay? Daddy needs to go freshen up first," Lee Ho said as he set his daughter down on the bed.
The little girl nodded her head while Lee Ho kissed her forehead before leaving to check on Hyesun.
Lee Ho knew how close his daughter had grown to Hyesun over the month and a few weeks Hyesun had been living in the villa since she got well, often leaving her room to look after his daughter and treating his daughter as if she were her own.
Lee Ho could only interpret Hyesun's actions as her being a little kids' lover. She must love little kids very much.
Lee Ho knocked on the door before he entered and found Hyesun standing in front of her bed, bowing to him slightly as she saw him walk in. Lee Ho nodded his head and scratched his nape; he had never felt so nervous about saying something, but right now he felt a bit anxious as he opened his mouth.
"Let my daughter call you Mommy; don't say no. You are leaving soon, and I think she will get over it once you leave," Lee Ho said softly, causing Hyesun to look shocked.
"What? But…" Hyesun stopped, not knowing what to say.
"She is still a kid and knows nothing. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say," Lee Ho said while Hyesun could only remain quiet.
Hyesun was curious to ask about the little girl's biological mother, but she knew Lee Ho was a private person and wasn't sure if he would tell her, so she remained silent and wondered in her mind what might be the reason why the little girl's mother was not with them.
The girl is pitiful and innocent.
Hyesun knows the feeling of not having a mother and not receiving motherly love.
She was like that too. Her mom died when she was two years old; she learned this while her stepmother would treat her badly and give all the love and care to her stepsister.
She would cry and lament until she grew up enough to understand that her stepmother wasn't her biological mother.
"Are you okay, Ms. Hyesun?" Lee Ho's cold voice jolted her back to reality.
"Huh... yes, I'm okay," she said, realizing she was crying.
"You don't look like you're okay. You are crying," Lee Ho said softly, causing Hyesun to touch her face to feel the tears.
She was surprised to find that she was truly in tears.
"Oh no, have I been crying while lost in my thoughts?" Hyesun thought as she quickly wiped her tears.
"Ahh, hehe, yes, I'm okay," Hyesun said, laughing nervously.
Lee Ho looked at her before nodding his head.
He felt a pang in his heart at the sight of her tears, but he shrugged off the feeling.
"I must be feeling pity for her because she is nice to my daughter too," Lee Ho thought and shook his head to push the thought away.
"Okay, I should take my leave now," Lee Ho said quickly and left the room.
Hyesun sat gently on her bed and smacked herself in anger.
"You are so dramatic, Hyesun. I can't believe I just cried in front of Mr. Lee Ho. Ahhh, that's so embarrassing," she said to herself and slumped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and knocking her head.
"Ouch, that hurt. Hmph, I'm so stupid.