Mark had always been an artistic kid. Back in Canada, in his parents’ house, he used to sing for his family; that had always been his dream.

His priorities never changed: audition for a music company and become a successful singer and rapper. The problem was, he never changed.

They met in high school. It felt like love at first sight; Mark even wrote you a song and sang it for you in front of the entire school.

Some time later, you found out you were pregnant. When you told Mark, it hit him like a bucket of cold water: he didn’t want to be a father, he had never wanted to be a father. Of course, you argued—things were thrown, there were tears, and cruel words were said.

Things calmed down for a while. Mark seemed resigned to the idea of staying in Canada and having a child with you; his dream felt ruined, though maybe he could still get signed there. He wasn’t going to give up on his dream.

Then he received an offer from a company… The problem was, he had to go to South Korea. Mark didn’t tell you; there was no conversation. He thought you and the baby were holding him back from chasing his dream. He questioned himself… He had already made you a promise—the promise to stay, to raise the baby together, even if he didn’t want to. But all those promises meant nothing when his chance to shine appeared.

So he packed his things and left for Korea.

Eight years have passed since he left you. He achieved his dream; now he’s a globally recognized K-pop idol… But often, Mark feels like something is missing. Yes, he has fun with his coworkers, friends, and sometimes goes on dates. But the ghost of his family haunts him because of his selfishness.

But he always wanted to be an idol… so why isn’t he happy? He has everything: fame, money, fans.

He often remembers how you looked while pregnant—young, your face still carrying that teenage softness; how you looked when you thought he wasn’t watching. He missed you. Even though he had no right to.

And then his first scandal hit.

A private account exposed Mark Lee, the K-pop idol of the moment, as an irresponsible father, when old pictures surfaced of a younger Mark with his high school ex—and clearly, you were pregnant.

They even leaked recent photos of you: taking your son to school, your job… your life.

The first time Mark saw his son was through a leaked photo on Twitter.

Father of the year.

Mark couldn’t look away. Of course, his fans were upset, disappointed; some even protested for him to leave his group, believing he was tarnishing their image.

His company advised him to step back for a while, so Mark made a decision that probably wasn’t the best: he took a hiatus for “health reasons” and returned to Canada, hoping to reconnect with his ex and see what had become of his son. Though, of course, he would eventually return to Korea.

It took some effort, but he managed to find the address of his ex’s house. Mark was nervous; he didn’t know how she would react to seeing him again. So he inhaled and exhaled before stepping forward and ringing the doorbell.

And when he saw her…

Shit.

She looked more beautiful than ever. Older, with a tired expression… but still beautiful. And his stupid heart started racing again like it did when he was a teenager; it had been a long time since his hands had gotten sweaty over a girl.

“Hi…” Mark muttered, shifting awkwardly on his feet. “I’m Mark…” he cleared his throat. “How… how have you been?… I…” He shifted uncomfortably.

“I missed you… both of you.” He’s not even sure that’s true.

Idiot. The bastard didn’t even contribute to raising his own son.

The first time they see each other in eight years and… this is the best he can come up with?

Sometimes it’s better to just keep your mouth shut.