26 Butterfly's Return 12: Butterfly Kisses

A year and a half later after Yunjae and Jinho married…

An excerpt from Kang Jinho's diary:

Remembering the years that passed, I recalled how I used to loathe each and every day – my actions driven by anger, by revenge. There was one thing I've learned after that. Revenge would take you nowhere. If you thought that by hurting the one you love would lessen the pain in your own heart – you thought wrong. The one whom you'd hurt the most by hurting the one you loved was yourself.

I knew it. I felt it. I regretted it – and when I did, I was surprised.

I just realized that by forgetting my resentment, I was finally able to see clearly. With it, I was able to save my heart and reach my dreams.

I now have my heart which had been broken a long time ago pieced back together again. After two years of going on living each day without direction, I now found my purpose once more – and that's to be with the love of my life and our children.

Sometimes, when you reached that part of your life when all you've ever dreamed of having already came true, the small things, small wishes that people never thought could become very important became your source of strength, hope, and happiness.

In spite of the painful years that had gone through, alas, fate had decided to smile upon me, and I treasure every moment of my life now. I was a butterfly who finally found my home.

======

A loud sound of glass shattering echoed from the other room, and the man who was seriously working on his laptop computer looked up towards the doorway where the tall oak door creaked open and a tiny slip of a boy came peering inside.

Almond eyes met almond eyes and the man's mouth curved into an inviting smile as he beckoned to his eldest child – his son with the crook of his finger. "Yuan," Jinho called, and the young boy puffed his cheek as he shyly entered his father's office, and slowly, clumsily padded the carpeted floor towards his sire.

"What happened? What was that?" he softly asked his son as he lifted him up and settled him on his lap.

Yuan was still young – only almost three years of age but the way his baby boy pouted and looked forlorn as he fidgeted in his makeshift seat meant he understood his father's question. Not only that, the way his son looked at him sheepishly told Jinho that his son had something to do with the crash. "Yuan?" he prompted and he tried hard not to smile when his son glanced at him under his heavy lashes looking very guilty.

Yep, his son got into mischief alright.

Jinho was not alarmed however since he'd glanced over Yuan's small frame and there was no trace of any injury. He should by any means scold his son if he did something wrong though, else his wife would reprimand him in return for letting their son get away with his wrongdoings, spoiling him in the process.

God knew, ever since he found out about Yuan's existence, he'd been chided by his wife that he'd been letting the boy off easily when he did something wrong. Yunjae couldn't blame him for his earlier lax in disciplining their child, however. Jinho had missed so much in Yuan's babyhood that he just wanted to cosset his son. He felt that he owed that to him.

Jinho had to agree on the other hand that Yuan was growing and he had to be a little stricter when it came to rearing him. He really shouldn't let his son get away with his mischief nor willfulness – his refusal to speak for instance. Until now Yuan couldn't say anything else aside from his usual "dadas" which was a cause for their concern since his learning process was delayed – or not since as the doctor said, Yuan could but just didn't want to speak.

"What happened back there, sport?" Jinho prompted once more as he ruffled his son's hair, making his baby feel that he could tell him what's wrong –and hoping that he'd somehow make him talk.

When Yuan opened his lips, Jinho's breath faltered in anticipation, but his hopes plummeted as soon as his son spoke.

"Dadadada," Yuan said woefully with his head bowed down in guilt and his father sighed as he smiled in surrender just as the door opened once more and his wife who carried their sleeping daughter on her shoulder stepped in.

"Ah, so you ran towards daddy again," Yunjae commented as she shifted Na Young in her arms who stirred for a while but didn't wake up. "Have you told daddy what you did?" she added sternly as she stopped a few feet away from them and rocked the sleeping infant.

Hearing his mother's voice, Yuan dove in his father's chest, hiding his face in his parent's shirt as his chubby arms clung onto him. The gesture took Jinho by surprise, rendering him speechless as he stared wide-eyed at his son's head, his lips parting, his hands slowly lifting to wrap around the child's tiny body as his throat clogged with tender emotions like butterfly kisses in his heart which overwhelmed him whenever he held Yuan in his arms.

The feeling of awe he had when he first held Yuan was the same – and it never changed since.

"Jin," his wife called his attention and he slowly turned to her.

Yunjae wasn't really angry though her voice was stern – but Yuan didn't know that. "Your son tried to get some cookies earlier. He knocked the jar when he tried to reach the table," his wife's melodious voice informed him, and Jinho felt Yuan wiggle closer to him, seeking for sanctuary from his mother's wrath.

Silence hung between them as Jinho stared at his beautiful spouse, his heart washed over by another wave of warmth as he looked at Yunjae's dancing doe eyes with her red lips – the lips he'd kiss countless of times tilted into an amused curve as his missus eyed him back.

Seeing her beauty reminded Jinho how blessed he was that he was able to find her again after losing her for two years.

His wife, his son, his daughter – to Kang Jinho, they were now his world, his everything.

"Jin, you're not listening to me…"

Yunjae's voice cut through his thoughts and the businessman snapped out of his reverie in time to see his wife's amused expression, and he cleared his throat as he tried to recall what his wife was saying.

"Ah so he ate some cookies?" he asked randomly making his spouse smirk at his inattentiveness.

"No Jin, Yuan broke the cookie jar before he got his hands on them," his wife said as she mouthed "scold him a little, will you," before pointing her lips at their son who seemed to have permanently stuck his head on his daddy's chest.

"Scold him?" he asked absentmindedly making his wife roll her eyes as she smiled and shook her head in his direction.

"Discipline daddy," Yunjae reminded him. "The little boy did something bad so I'll leave him to you, daddy," his wife added before winking and mouthing "AJA!"

Their daughter then chose that moment to wake up and start fussing in hunger that Jae had to leave. "I'll take Na Young to her room now," her sweet voice announced as she gave her husband a charming smile – a smile which reminded Jinho of their wonderful life together.

"I'll handle this," Jinho promised and he watched as his wife left.

Alone with his son, Jinho cleared his throat and Yuan only tightened his hold on him. "Sport," he called softly but firmly. He still hadn't gotten the hang of things and he sure didn't really like reprimanding his child – but as his wife said, he really should learn how to discipline their children.

Starting with their son.

Jinho didn't find sneaking cookies really bad. God knew he did his share of cookie-sneaking when he was his son's age. Rules were rules however and it's about time Jinho got used to being a firm kind of daddy, else mommy Yunjae would be displeased.

"Yuan, why did you disobey mom? Do you remember what she said? No cookies before dinner – right?" he prompted though this time he was no longer waiting for a reply. He knew his son would just say his 'dadas' in answer to his questions anyway. It was enough that he'd get his message across –that it wasn't good to disobey his mother.

The shaking of Yuan's tiny frame told him that his son understood that he did something bad and was crying based on the moisture he started to feel on his chest. He wasn't through with his lecture, however. The inexperienced father was about to open his mouth to deliver his rebuke when his son lifted his face to stare up at him, his eyes brimming with fat tears as his lips trembled.

"Dad….dad..dad…dy…"

What?

Jinho blinked several times as he tried to absorb what his son just said, his earlier plan of reprimanding Yuan already forgotten. "What did you say sport?" he asked in awe, the small butterflies in his chest flapped their wings in his elation.

Could it be? Could it be that his son finally started to speak? He couldn't have just imagined it … right? He wondered just as Yuan sobbed his words again.

"D-d-ddaa-dddy…" his small voice repeated again and again over tears and hiccups, and the happy father was a goner.

"My baby boy," Jinho murmured as he squeezed his son into a bear hug.

Outside the study, Yunjae, who remained there to watch her husband and son through the crack of the door, sighed as she rolled her eyes before smiling and shaking her head. "Oh well…" she murmured as she turned around with her already alert daughter whose huge eyes stared at her. "Na Young, your big brother sure knows how to handle your papa," she chuckled as she walked away.

In spite of being a strict, shrewd, and difficult to deal with businessman, Kang Jinho was putty in their children's hands. Yunjae surmised that if she wanted their kids not to be spoiled rotten, she'd have to deal with both children as well as guide her softy husband.

"I guess I'll be the one to do the disciplining…"