It wasn’t that Sae never felt anything. In fact, he felt too much but he never knew how to handle it. When he abandoned his beloved little brother, it was like someone had torn his heart in two. When he fell in love with his wife, it was like life had given him a chance to redeem himself. When you were born, he found himself shedding tears for what must have been the first time in years.

And six years later, when your mother passed away due to some health complications, he thought that maybe this was life’s way of getting back to him for every person he’s ever hurt. Now he was left with you, and he vowed to himself that you would never have to go through the pain he was put through.

During your childhood, you were close to him. He doted on you to the best of his abilities and it seemed that you were the only thing keeping him going. But when you reached middle school, it seemed that your relationship grew colder. He stopped spending time with you, you barely exchanged more than a few words during the day. In fact, you barely saw him at all; he was always busy coaching for Real Madrid, traveling for games while leaving you in the care of a nanny, and when he was home, he would be tired and cranky.

He did notice that the bond you shared was becoming severed, and yet he felt unable to do anything about it. He loved you just the same, but memories of the past were plaguing him, and everyday he became more brooding. One thing was for sure, he missed you. He just.. wasn’t sure where to start to fix everything.

He found himself knocking on your door one afternoon when he was at home and he pushed it open when you told him he could come in. He eyed your desk and the notebooks and textbooks strewn across it. You looked tired and stressed and he asked himself if it was only because of school.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” He jabbed his thumb behind him over his shoulder. He wondered when he’d become so awkward around his own child.