As the sun set in the distant horizon, the landscape of the tranquil hillside, slowly disappeared into the dark of night. Dae-Jung closed his eyes and felt the brisk wind brush against him as he pictured her tear stained face and whispered softly, “I miss you, but I know the summer solstice will bring us together again.” He contemplated that if she was by his side during this difficult period of his life, his hardships might have been slightly eased. Dae-Jung’s deep thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the loud ringing coming from his telephone. He flipped open the phone and answered in a haggard voice, “Hello?” He was greeted on the other line by an older gentleman who hastily replied, “Dae-Jung, come home your Grandfather’s condition is deteriorating!”

Without another word, Dae-Jung rushed to his car and drove wildly towards the main house. He knew that the doctors had advised his family to be prepared for his Grandfather’s passing, but the prospect of losing another loved one was more than he could bear. Dae-Jung rushed into the grand foyer, passing several maids, who stood at attention with distressed looks upon their faces. He rushed up the stairs and ran down the long corridor. He only stopped momentarily when his arm brushed against a porcelain vase, which sent the beautifully crafted ornament, crashing to the ground. Not concerned with the broken vase, Dae-Jung continued down the corridor and flung open the closed double oak doors and rushed to his Grandfather’s bedside. He tenderly grasped his Grandfather’s hand and looked earnestly at the elderly man’s worn features. Dae-Jung could barely hear his Grandfather’s shallow breathing over the beeping sound coming from the heart monitor, which filled the silence in the room.

Dae-Jung looked up at the doctors who surrounded his Grandfather’s bed and the earnest expression on his face prompted the head physician to say solemnly, “His vitals are very weak and we do not believe that he will make it past tonight. We would like to assure you that he is not in any pain.” Dae-Jung’s non-responsiveness incited the doctors to take their leave. After a few moments of silence, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather slowly opened his eyes and forced a weak smile as he looked at his Grandson’s worried expression. In a low raspy voice Dae-Jung’s Grandfather said, “My dear Grandson, do not be so sad, we all must die sooner or later. My life has been fulfilling and I am very happy that I will soon join your Grandmother in heaven.”

Dae-Jung could not respond and only fought to restrain himself from bursting into tearful sobs. His Grandfather continued, “There is one aspect of my life, which I greatly regret. My dear Grandson, open the top dresser and get me the picture in the frame that is faced down.” Letting go of his Grandfather’s hand, Dae-Jung walked to the dresser and took out the only picture frame that was in the drawer. He flipped over the picture and looked at the image of Sang Hee’s smiling face. He brought the picture over to his Grandfather, who gently traced the outline of the image of the young girl’s face. Looking up from the picture, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather said tearfully, “Our family owes her everything.” Dae-Jung simply nodded in agreement and sat back down by his Grandfather’s bedside. His Grandfather earnestly asked him, “Do you remember when she first came to our household? I can’t recall that day, but I am very sure it is a day you will never forget.” Dae-Jung responded softly, “Yes, I remember the day as if it was yesterday.”

Dae-Jung recalled that on the day Sang-Hee arrived at the Kang household, the family’s plans to go the beach was to be cancelled. He remembered that he had greatly looked forward to going to the beach, since the summer’s heat was beginning to intensify. Dae-Jung was only fifteen years old at the time of her arrival and wondered why a young maid’s admittance into their household would cause his family to cancel their planned outing.

Dae-Jung watched from the balcony of his room as the young girl’s mother and father stood outside the house speaking to his Grandfather. He watched his Grandfather hand the couple an envelope, which he could only assume was money. The couple seemed please to receive the money and hastily left without as much as a single word to their young daughter who looked longingly at her parents as they left. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather gingerly led the young girl to the front door as tears trickled down her face. Scoffing to himself, Dae-Jung said pointedly, “You shouldn’t be crying; you should be honored to work for us.”

Dae-Jung later heard from his mother that the young girl’s parents owed a great deal of money to his Grandfather and requested that she become a live in maid for the Kang household to cancel out the debt. Dae-Jung’s mother further noted that his Grandfather had reluctantly agreed to the arrangement because the young girl’s Grandparents had been very loyal attendants for the Kang family. Dae-Jung thought sarcastically to himself, “Oh so that’s why it’s such a big deal, she’s the Granddaughter of some attendants, you would have thought she was the Granddaughter of some royal King and Queen.”

Dae-Jung’s Grandparents greeted the young girl warmly and assured her that they would treat her well. They explained that her parents did not have the ability to take care of her and her education, which is why she was to come and live with them. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother gently stroked the young girl’s head and asked her, “What is your name?” The young girl held back the tears pooling in her eyes and replied, “My name is So Sang-Hee; it is an honor to meet your acquaintance.” Dae-Jung’s Grandmother was delighted at the young girl’s disposition and commented on how polite and well spoken she was for her age. Sang-Hee smiled weakly and was thankful to be working for such a nice couple. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother insisted that she would help Sang-Hee get settled into her new living quarters and decided it would be best to introduce her formally to the family in the morning when everyone was available.

Sitting in her room alone, Sang-Hee took out a picture of her parents and began to cry. Her tears soaked the picture in her hands. Once she was able to regain her composure she said softly, “I am very happy that I could be of use to you Mother and Father, I hope you live well.” With that, she wiped off the remaining tears on her cheeks and placed the picture into the drawer of the dresser by her bed.

When she looked up from the dresser she saw that there was a frog only a few feet away from her face. Startled she screamed loudly and fell back onto the floor. She looked up with a shocked expression at the young boy who stood in front of her, frog in hand. He was thoroughly amused by her reaction and asked laughingly, “Aren’t you a little too old to be scared of this little thing?” Before he could continue his taunting, Sang-Hee stood upright and responded, “I wasn’t scared of that little thing! I was startled by your strange face.” He looked at her incredulously and said in a heated tone, “How dare you speak to me like that!”

Sang-Hee was mild-mannered but she tried her best to never let anyone pick on her unnecessarily. Even though she was out of her element, she surely would not let this guy walk all over her. Dae-Jung let the frog go out the window and returned his attention to the rude girl that stood before him. He said confidently, “If you knew who I was, you wouldn’t be acting like this.” To which she replied, “If you were a nice person, I wouldn’t be acting like this.” Dae-Jung was confused by her response and wondered how she could be so daring when she was in his house. He finally said in a boastful voice, “I am the young master of this house, Kang Dae-Jung.” Upon hearing his name, she looked down onto the floor and wondered what she should do since she had no where else to call home. Understanding her situation, she reluctantly responded, “Well young master, I am sorry for my behavior.” Dae-Jung smiled knowing that he had won this little battle and said in an amused tone to himself, “Things sure are going to be interesting from here on out.”


Chapter 2: Her Past

Dae-Jung turned his attention from his private thoughts of victory back to Sang-Hee as he said, "We look like we’re around the same age; so I think that you’ll be waiting on me. Let me give you some ground rules, just so you know what’s in store for you." She looked at the prideful expression on Dae-Jung’s face as he continued his speech and wondered to herself, "How am I going to pass the days with such a troublesome young master?" Noticing that she was staring off into space, Dae-Jung loudly asked, "Are you paying attention?"

Startled by his loud questioning, Sang-Hee quickly looked over towards him and vehemently nodded her head in affirmation. With a slight smirk Dae-Jung asked, "So what is that I was saying?” Sang-Hee stood silent, not knowing what he had said to her. Dae-Jung shook his head and said, “I knew you weren’t listening,” to which Sang-Hee quickly responded, “I don’t remember your exact words, but I am sure you were saying that I will need to do everything you say from here on out, right?” Satisfied with her succinct response, Dae-Jung nodded his head in agreement and answered, “That’s exactly right.” With that final sentiment, Dae-Jung happily strutted out of her bedroom leaving Sang-Hee awe struck by their first encounter.

Left alone, Sang-Hee looked around at her strange surroundings and climbed into bed. It was not long before she fell asleep, exhausted from the events of the day. As she slept, the reoccurring nightmare that plagued her sleep appeared once again. In her nightmare, Sang-Hee found herself back in the poorly lit room, on the wooden makeshift bed, shuttering from the cold night air that seeped through the poorly constructed shed. Her teeth chattered together prompting her to look outside as she saw the first winter’s snow beginning to fall.

She soon realized that her physical discomfort was the least of her troubles when the master of the house entered the shed. Startled by the sudden intrusion, Sang-Hee backed herself up against the back wall hoping that the master had entered the wrong room. “Are you sleeping already?!” shouted the angry man as he stumbled into the room in a drunken state. Making his way towards her, he angrily flipped over a stool, which stood in his path. Sang-Hee was terrified by his violent behavior and tightly shut her eyes anticipating the worse to come. She yelped in pain, tears streaming from her eyes as she felt herself being yanked up off of the bed by her hair. “Please don’t” was all that she could mutter before the man yelled, “The card room is a mess, did you do nothing today!”

Before he could continue his rant, Sang-Hee heard a voice coming from the doorway screaming at him to let her go. In a fit the man let go of her hair and shoved her to the ground. The lady entered the room and pulled the man away from Sang-Hee before saying, “Don’t hit her again, you know she’s useless if she’s injured. Don’t you remember the last time?” The man huffed at the woman’s words and shot a frightening glare over towards Sang-Hee as she continued to cry on the ground. The lady angrily shouted, “Stop crying, do you know what time it is?!” Fearful of the consequences of further angering the man and his wife, Sang-Hee held back the tears as much as she could and uttered, “I am truly sorry, I am truly sorry” while bowing repeatedly.

Before her nightmare could continue, Sang-Hee was suddenly awakened by a light knocking at her door. Her eyes flung open and she wiped the perspiration spilling down her forehead. A familiar voice came from behind the door and asked, “Are you awake?” Realizing where she was, Sang-Hee quickly responded by saying, “Yes, I am awake. Please come in.” With that, the elderly couple from the day before entered her bedroom. Sang-Hee quickly got out of bed and formally bowed towards the approaching couple. “There is no need for such formality at this early hour,” assured the elder Mr. Kang as he helped her upright from her bowed position. Sang-Hee smiled shyly at the affectionate man and looked over at his equally affectionate wife.

The elder Mrs. Kang walked over to Sang-Hee and handed her a folded garment and said, “Here this is for you. I hope that it fits you well. I think that I have estimated your size correctly.” Sang-Hee looked at the garment in her hands with astonishment. The elder Mrs. Kang smiled as she saw Sang-Hee’s expression and said, “Try it on; we will wait for you in the hallway. Let us know if it fits.” With that the couple exited her bedroom and left Sang-Hee alone to change into her new clothes. Sang-Hee unfolded the garment and smiled widely looking at the white cotton dress with hand-embroidered sunflowers. Never in her life had she seen such a beautiful dress. She was amazed that the maids’ outfits of the Kang household were so elegant.

Not wanting to keep the couple waiting, Sang-Hee quickly put on the dress and was excited that it fit her extremely well. She looked at herself in the mirror and was amazed at the reflection that peered back. Sheepishly, Sang-Hee opened the door and walked out into the hallway looking onto the ground at her dingy shoes. Although, the elder Mrs. Kang was happy that the dress fit so well, she soon realized that Sang-Hee’s old shoes did not match her new outfit. Upon seeing this, the elder Mrs. Kang asked Sang-Hee her shoe size and then called for one of the maids instructing her to grab a pair of white shoes from the closet in the main hallway. Luckily, the clothes and shoes that the elder Mrs. Kang had purchased for the children at the local orphanage had not been sent away.

The maid quickly followed her mistress’ orders and returned with a new pair of white shoes. The elder Mrs. Kang ushered Sang-Hee to try on the shoes and was delighted when they fit so well. The elder Mr. Kang looked at Sang-Hee and smiled commenting to her that, “You look like a little princess today.” Sang-Hee was confused by his comment but quickly thanked the couple for their kindness, yet again. The elder Mrs. Kang then said, “Everyone is waiting in the main hall, let’s go before they all get too anxious.” Sang-Hee noted to herself, “Rich people sure do make a big deal out of everything; even the introduction of a new maid is so elaborate.”

Without further contemplation on the strange customs of rich families, Sang-Hee closely followed the couple as they made their way into a large hall with a sparkling crystal chandelier, which hung from the ceiling. In the room, a number of butlers and maids stood at attention towards the back, while a refined lady and a handsome man sat on a leather sofa in the middle of the room. Next to the refined lady sat a guy, whose face Sang-Hee was all too familiar. Albeit the dazed expression on his face was slightly different than the expressions he had shown to her on the previous day. Starring at Sang-Hee as she entered the room beside his Grandmother, Dae-Jung wondered, “Is that her? What’s with the outfit?” His thoughts were interrupted by his Grandfather’s voice as he addressed all the people in the room by saying, “I would like to introduce everyone to So Sang-Hee. She is the Granddaughter of my closest friend and will be living with us from now on. Treat her as though you would treat any member of the Kang family.”

Shocked by his words, Sang-Hee with her jaw slacked looked over towards the elder Mr. Kang’s face and asked herself if she had heard correctly. Before she could compose herself, she heard everyone’s acknowledgement of the elder Mr. Kang’s instructions. Although, Sang-Hee was surprised by the declaration made by the elder Mr. Kang, it was clear that no one in the room was more shocked that Dae-Jung, who blurted out loudly, “What the heck!” His outburst caused Sang-Hee to look over at his gob smacked expression. Sang-Hee’s wide eyes locked with those of Dae-Jung’s as both were trying to figure out what had just happened.


Chapter 3: Her Smile

Dae-Jung’s sudden outburst prompted a stern look from his mother who attempted to keep her son’s behavior in check. Realizing the inappropriateness of his declaration, Dae-Jung smiled weakly and apologized, “Oh sorry about that, I just realized that I have a test tomorrow that I completely forgot about. Go on Grandfather; please continue what you were saying.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather chuckled at his Grandson’s back peddling, but was more than happy to help the young man out of his current predicament.

Re-addressing the room Dae-Jung’s Grandfather continued, “Sang-Hee should be addressed as Miss Sang-Hee and I hope that she will enjoy all of the love and respect that you have always shown to me and my family.” All of the maids and butlers in the room reassured the elder Mr. and Mrs. Kang that the new addition to the family would be welcomed and treated with equal love and respect. With the formal introduction completed, the elder Mr. Kang dismissed the staff to resume their daily duties. The staff quickly dispersed from the room, leaving only Dae-Jung’s Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, Father and Sang-Hee sitting close together in the middle of the main hall.

Sang-Hee sat silent looking around at the faces of the people who now surrounded her. She was nervous and was unsure of the type of reaction she should display in light of the startling introduction that she had just been given. To break the tension, Dae-Jung’s father said laughingly, “Father you should really have given Sang-Hee here a script of your speech ahead of time.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather laughed at the comment and agreed that it might have been less shocking to her and Dae-Jung if the script had been provided beforehand. Sang-Hee smiled nervously but was happy to find that the family was willing to welcome her into their household so readily. She of courses noted that this did not include the young master whose expression still showed his displeasure of her joining the Kang household. Sang-Hee’s contemplation of the current situation was interrupted when Dae-Jung’s father said, “Well Sang-Hee, I am sorry I cannot stay longer to have breakfast with you and the rest of the family, but I must go to work. If you ever find that you need something don’t hesitate to call me.”

Sang-Hee quickly stood up and bowed upon seeing Dae-Jung’s father stand from his seat and said, “Have a good day Master Kang.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather quickly corrected Sang-Hee by saying, “You must remember that you are now a part of our family and not a worker. Since you and Dae-Jung are about the same age you should mimic the way he greets us.” Before Sang-Hee to interject, Dae-Jung’s Grandmother said, “She has a mother and father and so it is not appropriate for her to use the same greetings as Dae-Jung. It would be best if she greeted us as Dae-Jung’s Grandfather, Dae-Jung’s Grandmother, Dae-Jung’s Father and Dae-Jung’s Mother.” The elder Mr. Kang nodded in agreement as he said, “You are absolutely right, those would be the best greetings.” With everything being settled, Dae-Jung’s father took his leave. As soon as Dae-Jung’s father left the room his Grandmother suggested the remaining party go to the dining room for breakfast.

Sang-Hee stared wide-eyed as breakfast was brought out by the kitchen staff. Each person had their own place setting with a complete set of individual dishes. She thought that their breakfast was even more elaborate than all of her birthday celebrations combined. Seeing that she was not eating, Dae-Jung leaned over and asked, “What the food isn’t to your liking Miss Sang-Hee, should we have the kitchen cook something you’re more accustomed to? Porridge with dry sardines maybe?” Sang-Hee looked over towards him while pools of tears began welling in her eyes. His rude remark made her more aware that she did not belong in his household sitting beside him at his dinner table. In addition to the pain she was experiencing, she also felt offended by his uncaring attitude towards the plight of those less fortunate than himself.

Feeling ashamed of her background and current imposition on his family, Sang-Hee slowly stood up from her chair and addressed the elder Mr. and Mrs. Kang, “I am sorry, but I am not feeling well and would like to request for permission to return to my room.” The elder Mr. Kang looked at her soured expression and asked, “Are you sick? Do you need to see a doctor?” She replied politely, “No I am not very sick, I think I am just very tired and would like it very much if I could return to my room.” Not wanting to pressure Sang-Hee to remain with the family, the elder Mr. Kang responded, “Yes, that would be fine. Go to your room and rest. When you are hungry let the attendant know to get you some food.” Sang-Hee bowed to everyone and took her leave.

Dae-Jung watched as she left the room and felt a tinge of guilt at his rudeness, he was pretty sure that it was his comment that made her feel uncomfortable enough to leave without eating. He thought to himself, “She sure is touchy, it was just a joke.” His internal rationalization of his rude behavior was interrupted by his Grandfather who said, “Dae-Jung, if you have some time today, go and help Sang-Hee prepare for school.” Confused, Dae-Jung asked, “What are you talking about Grandfather?” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather clarified, “We will be enrolling her at your school later this week, she’ll start school with you starting next week, so help her prepare for what she is to expect there.” Shocked, Dae-Jung asked incredulously, “She’s going to be attending my school with all of my friends?” His Grandfather answered, “Yes, she’s part of our family now, so I want her to have the best education possible, which means your private school. Is there a problem?” Dae-Jung knew that even if he said that there was a problem, his Grandfather would not care so he simply shook his head “No.”

Dae-Jung finished his breakfast and excused himself from the room. He sat on his bed and looked up from his text book and realized that he had been studying for at least two hours. He figured that these two hours were enough studying for the entire week and tossed his text book to the ground. He went to his computer and began to surf the internet before his thoughts shifted to Sang-Hee. He wondered if she had gotten anything to eat after resting and decided that he would just go and ask for curiosity’s sake. He called his main butler into the room and asked casually, “Do you know if Miss. Sang-Hee has asked for any food yet?” His butler thought for a short while before responding, “We have not had any orders from the kitchen, so I don’t think she has asked for food.” Dae-Jung nodded his head acknowledging the butler’s response and finally said, “Okay, thanks. I was just wondering.”

Dae-Jung’s butler bowed and took his leave since the young master did not have any further instructions. Sitting in his chair Dae-Jung wondered out loud, “So she’s planning to starve herself. Well I guess I can go bring her some food because if she starves to death then how will I have any fun harassing her.” With that reasoning, Dae-Jung made his way into the kitchen and casually retrieved a large piece of strawberry soft cake from the refrigerator and made his way to Sang-Hee’s bedroom.

He knocked on her door and heard her ask, “Who is it?” He did not respond since he was sure she would not open the door if she knew he was there. He knocked again and heard her respond, “I am coming, please give me a minute.” Trying to look as uninterested as possible, Dae-Jung waited as she opened the door. Both Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee stood still looking at each other wondering how they should interact with one another. Not wanting to stand in the hallway any longer, Dae-Jung resolutely walked past Sang-Hee leaving her confused as to why he was entering her bedroom. Placing the plate of soft cake on her dresser, Dae-Jung said casually, “I heard you didn’t eat anything yet so I just brought this over since it was on my way.” Sang-Hee looked over at the plate that he had brought and wondered what he was up to.

“Are you going to eat it?” he asked coldly before continuing, “My Grandfather asked me to help you prepare for school, so why don’t you just eat that while I fill you in on the school requirements.” Sang-Hee looked over at the delicious cake on the plate and thought it wouldn’t hurt to have some, since he had brought it specifically for her to eat. She slowly walked over to the dresser, grabbed the plate and sat back onto her bed and began to eat. Dae-Jung slightly smiled as he watched her eat the dessert happily, it was the first time he had seen her smile so comfortably. Seeing her eat the cake he said to himself, “So that’s all it takes to make this girl smile, a piece of cake.”

Sang-Hee saw that Dae-Jung was watching her eat and asked self-consciously, “What were you saying about school?” Dae-Jung looked away upon hearing her question and responded, “Grandfather and Grandmother will enroll you in my school and you’ll probably start next week. You’ll have some core classes and probably a college preparatory class, an art class or music class. The school is a co-ed school.” Sang-Hee interrupted him as she pointed out, “Of course it is co-ed, or else we wouldn’t be attending together.” Dae-Jung did not take kindly to her pointing out his obvious blunder and shot her a warning glance to which she quickly averted her eyes.

He continued, “As I was saying, the school is pretty much the same as all of the other schools, except we pay more and the students are a bit more arrogant because of their family backgrounds and things like that.” Sang-Hee realized that as much as she felt out of place in the Kang household, she would be even more of a duck out of water at his school. The apprehension on her face was clear and Dae-Jung could guess what she was now worried about. To ease her fears he said casually, “Don’t worry about the other students, when you start school I am just going to tell everyone that you are a family friend that will be living with us.”

Sang-Hee was comforted by his assurance and was about to thank him when he suddenly interjected, “I’ll come up with a good back story for you so don’t worry about anything, it’s not like I want people to find out where you and your family really come from.” Sang-Hee stopped eating instantly and stood up quickly as she abruptly handed him the plate of unfinished cake and asked him to leave. The suddenness of her request was enough to make him startle and without realizing what had happened he was quickly ushered out of her bedroom. He heard the door slam behind him and he thought to himself, “What just happened?” Recalling their conversation before he was rudely kicked out of the room, Dae-Jung finally realized that he had once again put his foot into his mouth and said to himself, “Why do I keep saying those kinds of things?”






Chapter 4:Troublesome Girl

Sang-Hee sat alone in her room feeling dejected and wondered if her behavior had been inappropriate given the circumstances. Dae-Jung’s statement about her family and their background was not untrue. Furthermore, she could sense that he did not hold any ill-will towards her despite his gruff attitude. But for some reason his words seemed to cut too deep, wounding her already fragile sense of pride. As to not inconvenience him any further she decided that from that point on she would do her best to endure his worst. After all, she was now dependent upon his family, who had shown her nothing but kindness.

Night quickly fell and Sang-Hee could hear the rumbling of her stomach as it ached from hunger. The feeling was not a sensation that was new to her, since she rarely if ever had a fulfilling meal. A short while later, the maid who had brought Sang-Hee her shoes earlier, summoned her for dinner. Excited at the prospect of finally getting something to eat, Sang-Hee quickly followed the maid who led her to a more informal dining room.

Sang-Hee entered the room and saw that the entire family was already seated at the dinner table. She bowed politely and made her way to the empty seat by Dae-Jung; he glanced over at her but did not say anything. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather asked her if her fatigue had been reduced from resting and was happy to receive her affirmation that it had. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother insisted that the family eat comfortably. Happy to oblige Sang-Hee smiled and began to eat as comfortably as was possible for her. The dinner consisted of the most delicious food she had ever eaten and quieted her hunger pangs.

Dae-Jung peered over at her and chuckled to himself before leaning over to say teasingly, “are you saving some rice for a midnight snack?” Not understanding his taunt, Sang-Hee looked blankly at him. Pointing to her cheek, Dae-Jung said, “You have some rice, right there. If you aren’t planning to save it for later, I suggest you wipe it off.” Embarrassed, Sang-Hee quickly wiped her cheek to remove the grain of rice and looked up shyly at the rest of the family who had watched their amusing exchange. Dinner concluded without further incident and it seemed that the Kang family was greatly enjoying the new addition to their family.

Over the next couple of days, Dae-Jung found himself busy with the examination requirements of his courses and seldom if ever saw Sang-Hee, except when they ate their meals together. He had heard from his mother that she and his Grandmother had also been very busy buying new clothes and supplies for Sang-Hee’s entrance into school. Dae-Jung asked his mother, “Have you already enrolled her and submitted all of the paperwork?” His mother replied that they had already done so and would have Butler Yang go to the school to get her school books and course materials once they were available from the student store.

The next morning, Dae-Jung stood against the wall with his backpack in hand and wondered if it would better if he retrieved Sang-Hee’s school materials so that she could at least review them over the weekend. Before coming to a final decision on the matter, he felt a heavy slap on his shoulder and heard a familiar voice ask, “What’s got the young master Kang thinking so intently? Must be a girl, right?” Dae-Jung looked over and scoffed as he saw Jae-Hwa smiling mischievously at him. Dae-Jung responded, “You are the one who is always thinking about this girl or that girl, so don’t put your interest on me.” Jae-Hwa shook his head and joked, “If you aren’t thinking about a girl, please don’t tell me you are thinking about a guy.” Not responding, Dae-Jung simply shook his head in amazement at Jae-Hwa’s always irreverent attitude.

Hearing the second bell ring, Dae-Jung and Jae-Hwa headed towards the direction of their economics class. Numerous girls giggled, pointed and whispered to one another as the two walked by. Jae-Hwa commented, “I am so tired of the girls at this school swooning all over me, it gets boring if the fun of the chase is not there.” Dae-Jung said in an uninterested tone, “I’m sure you’ll find that one special girl that will reject you sooner or later.” Jae-Hwa laughed at the comment and replied, “I really doubt it, but here’s hoping for that day to come soon so I can add some excitement to my dull existence.”

In class, the teacher had instructed the students to form groups to discuss the results of the last set of examinations. Dae-Jung, Jae-Hwa and their two close friends formed a group and pretended to do as the teacher instructed. Not interested in economics Dae-Jung said, “This has to the biggest waste of time ever. Do the people at this school really think that we need to worry about economics?” Dae-Jung’s group members readily agreed with him adding that economics should only be required for the poor people attending public schools.

Changing the subject, Jae-Hwa asked Dae-Jung in a highly interested tone, “So I heard from my aunt that you have a new person living at your house. My aunt said she saw her shopping with your mom, said she was very cute. Are you hiding away a cute girl in your house?” Dae-Jung sighed wondering how many people were currently gossiping about his family’s personal business. He responded nonchalantly, “Yeah, my Grandfather’s close friend’s Granddaughter is going to be living with us from now on. As for cute, if you like the big eyed, small face type of girl, then yeah you can say she is cute.”

Jae-Hwa perked up as he heard the description of the mystery girl and said excitedly, “Big-eyed, small-faced, like the girls in Japanese anime? Of course that’s my type. So when are you going to introduce me to my future girlfriend?” Dae-Jung was annoyed with Jae-Hwa’s questions and decided to ignore him all together. Surprised by Dae-Jung’s silence, Jae-Hwa said jokingly, “You can’t hide her forever; you know I always get what I want.” Jae-Hwa pestered Dae-Jung for the remainder of the class asking for more information about his mystery girl. Not getting very much information, Jae-Hwa finally said, “Okay, at least tell me her name and I’ll stop asking you questions about her.” Dae-Jung said quickly, “So Sang-Hee.” Jae-Hwa smiled and said, “So Sang-Hee.” Contemplating on the name he finally said, “Sang-Hee means benevolence and pleasure, right? Let’s see how well she lives up to such a great name.”

The school day seemed to drag on forever, but to Dae-Jung’s relief it finally ended. Jae-Hwa suggested that they all go to the mall after school, to which Dae-Jung declined with the excuse that he had family obligations to attend to. Dae-Jung and his group of friends parted ways as he headed towards the student store. When he entered the student store, a woman standing at the counter asked if she could help him. “My name is Kang Dae-Jung and I wanted to know if I could purchase the books for a student named So Sang-Hee.” The woman looked up the name in the computer and indicated that she would be right back with the required textbooks. Dae-Jung waited impatiently for the woman to return, thinking to himself that Sang-Hee was such a troublesome person, making him waste his precious time like this. The woman came back with a stack of books and rung them up at the register, Dae-Jung paid and grabbed the books.

Dae-Jung headed towards the front of the school and saw that his driver was already parked by the side of the road. He made his way to the car and threw the books into the backseat. When he arrived at home, he instructed his butler to bring the books to Sang-Hee’s room. As he walked up the stairs to his bedroom he was confused as to why his butler was following close behind. Perplexed, Dae-Jung asked, “Why are you following me? Didn’t I ask you to bring those to Sang-Hee’s room?” The butler promptly responded, “I am bringing the books to Miss. Sang-Hee’s room. Mistress Kang had her room moved to the upstairs living quarters; since the room’s cosmetic remodeling has been completed.” Dae-Jung was surprised at the information and further asked, “So where exactly is her new room?” His butler hesitated before responding, “It is across the hall from your room.” Shocked Dae-Jung’s eyes grew wide as he exclaimed, “The room across the hall from my room is my game room!” Dae-Jung’s butler knew that news would highly agitate his young master, but did not know how to respond.

Furious, Dae-Jung stormed into his mother’s room leaving his butler behind befuddled as to what should be done. “Mother, you moved her into my game room?” Dae-Jung asked incredulously. His mother looked at him amused at his reaction and replied, “Yes, your games are so loud, they do not belong up here where everyone is sleeping. Also, Sang-Hee’s old room is too drafty and sometimes too moist for a young girl.” Dae-Jung’s jaw was agape as he asked, “So you think it is better that my expensive game equipment is in that cold moist room instead?” His mother patted him on the back and reassured him, “The games will be fine. Don’t get so worked up.” Knowing that his mother would not change her mind regardless of his tantrum, Dae-Jung stormed out of the room and slammed his bedroom door behind him. Exclaiming loudly, “She hasn’t even been here a week and she’s already wrecking my life!!”

The loud conversation between Dae-Jung and his mother had been overheard by Sang-Hee who stood uncomfortably at the stairway. She quickly rushed to her room and sat on the bed thinking to herself, “My presence here is really making his life difficult, I feel very bad.” She wondered if it would be okay if she tried to reduce his anger by bringing him some strawberry soft cake, after all it was a gesture he had done to appease her several days ago. Working up her courage to apologize for her intrusion into his life, Sang-Hee retrieved a piece of cake from the kitchen and timidly knocked on his door. “What?!” exclaimed the voice inside of the room. Sang-Hee’s answered softly, “It’s me Sang-Hee can I come in?” Dae-Jung was not able to make out what was being said behind the door and walked agitatedly towards the door. He opened his door angrily and was taken aback by Sang-Hee’s surprised expression as she stood in front of him.

Sang-Hee smiled weakly and showed him the plate with the small piece of cake asking again, “Can I come in?” Confused by her actions, Dae-Jung reluctantly motioned for her to enter. She looked around the spacious bedroom, which was nearly twice the size of her own, which by her estimation was already too large. She looked on amazed by the high-tech equipment sitting atop his desk and wondered why one person should need two computers. “Do you need a tour?” he asked in an annoyed tone as he watched her looking over the content of his bedroom. Realizing where she was, Sang-Hee quickly put the cake down on the desk and stood at attention before saying, “I am very sorry for taking over your game room. I can ask your mom if I can move back downstairs if you would like.”

Dae-Jung was unsure how to answer; typically people would leave him alone to vent knowing that he would eventually not care about whatever was making him angry. Dae-Jung finally responded, “It’s fine, the games will break if they keep moving them around. Also, they probably made your room all girly, why would I want to play games in a girly room like that anyways.” Sang-Hee could sense that he was still very angry with her so she timidly said, “I am very sorry once again.” The two stood silent in an uncomfortable state before Dae-Jung finally said, “It’s fine, thanks for the cake, you can go back to your room now.” With that declaration, Sang-Hee excused herself and shut the door behind her. Dae-Jung looked over at the cake and scoffed thinking how unimaginative she was to use his methods to try to attempt to appease his anger.


Chapter 5: New Acquaintances

Walking into the hallway from Dae-Jung’s bedroom, Sang-Hee wondered if she had managed to slightly appease his anger. Reflecting upon their short exchange, Sang-Hee concluded that given his prickly personality he was not the type of person who was easily appeased. Entering her own bedroom, Sang-Hee’s eyes caught a glimpse of a stack of books sitting on her new desk. She walked over to the books and wondered where they had come from. Looking through the stack she read aloud, “History, Science, Economics, and Introduction to Music.” She noted to herself, how each book was very thick and was sure that her new school was of the highest caliber and would require a lot of effort on her part.

Curious as to the content of the books, she opened the History textbook, which sat atop the rest. To her surprise she saw a small index-card written by what looked like a very close hand with extreme neatness. The message on the note card read, “Here, these are for you. Look through them if you get a chance, I have notes for most of the semester, so come and ask me if you need them.” Sang-Hee smiled upon reading the final lines of the note, “P.S. Don’t expect this type of kindness from me often, you troublesome little girl. From: Kang Dae-Jung.” Sang-Hee said to herself in an amused tone, “Why do you have to say such mean things and go and do such nice things. Kang Dae-Jung you are the weirdest boy I have ever met.”

The next morning, the family including Sang-Hee was again assembled at the dining room table as they enjoyed a relaxing Saturday breakfast. Dae-Jung’s Father asked his son, “So how was school this week?” Dae-Jung shrugged his shoulders saying, “It was fine, they taught some stuff, I learned some stuff.” Dae-Jung’s father was not amused by his response and quickly reprimanded, “You better start taking your studies more seriously. You can’t live your life like this just because we are wealthy.” Dae-Jung rolled his eyes privately as he kept his head lowered, every weekend it was the same lecture from his father. It wasn’t as though school was not important to Dae-Jung; it was just that the content was not to his liking. He would much rather prefer learning only about architecture, after all the Kang’s build their fortune around creating amazing architectural structures.

To appease his father, Dae-Jung quickly said, “I apologize, I will work hard, just like you father.” Understanding his son all too well, Dae-Jung’s father dropped the matter and turned his attention to Sang-Hee who sat silent listening to the heated exchange between father and son. Dae-Jung’s father asked in a gentler tone, “Sang-Hee are you ready to start school?” Sang-Hee looked over at Dae-Jung’s father and replied, “I have been looking through the books that Dae-Jung picked up for me and I think that I may need some time before I am caught up with the other students, but I will do my best.” Upon hearing her response, Dae-Jung tilted his head looked over towards her and shot a grimacing glare at her. He said in a whisper, “Suck-up.” She smiled weakly not taking his comment personally since she knew he was only taking out his misdirected anger on her.

Monday morning quickly came and Sang-Hee was anxiously preparing herself for her first day at school. She looked at herself in the mirror and was still amazed at her own appearance. The private school’s uniform fit extremely well and highlighted her small frame. The pleated tan skirt’s hemline hit right above her knees and showed her slender legs. The blue jacket emblazoned with the school’s logo emphasized her small waist and brought out the brilliance of her dark hair. Before heading out of her room, she made sure that the hairpin that Dae-Jung’s Grandmother had bought for her was fastened tightly and in the right position. With everything seemingly in place, Sang-Hee grabbed her book bag and walked down the stairs.

When she reached the bottom of the stairway she caught sight of Dae-Jung’s sleepy face as he yawned looking out towards the front door. Standing behind him, she softly asked, “Is it time to go now?” Upon hearing Sang-Hee’s question, Dae-Jung turned himself around and was startled by her appearance. At a slight loss for words, Dae-Jung finally muttered, “Yeah, what took you so long, now we’re going to be late for school.” Looking over at the grandfather clock in the grand foyer, Sang-Hee noted, “but you told me yesterday to come down by 7:00 a.m., it’s only just 6:45 now, I can’t be late already right?” Realizing his error, Dae-Jung quickly changed the subject and said, “Well I forgot we need to get to school early so you can check in at the front desk. I’ll need to take you there since you are so troublesome and will probably get lost around campus if left to your own accord.”

Despite his complaints, Sang-Hee was grateful for his assistance. She asked anxiously, “So will you be helping me throughout the day?” Seeing her worried expression, Dae-Jung said in a more gentle tone, “Yes, I’ll be around all day so don’t worry about it.” Without further delay, the two headed towards the family car and arrived at the school within 15 minutes. Sang-Hee looked at the large building and thought that the school looked exactly like the pictures she had seen of colleges in television drama programs. Amazed she asked, “This is your school, it is so big.” Dae-Jung did not think the school was all that big and replied, “It is not big; you’re just too small.” Sang-Hee bid the driver a good day and headed out of the car behind Dae-Jung who proudly led the way.

They stopped in front of an office building by the west side of the school and Dae-Jung motioned for her to go inside. She entered and was greeted by an elderly woman who asked, “Are you a new student? If so, sign in here and we’ll give you a badge so that your teachers will recognize that you are new.” Sang-Hee did as she was instructed and soon re-appeared in the hallway, where Dae-Jung stood against the wall. Dae-Jung then began to walk in the opposite direction and pointed at one building after another explaining to her what each was meant for. Not long before they had made their way to the main campus area, Dae-Jung spotted Jae-Hwa and his other friends advancing towards them. He said quickly to Sang-Hee, “Watch out for these guys that are coming our way. If needed, just ignore them all together.”

Sang-Hee looked over at the direction that Dae-Jung was staring and wondered why he would tell her to watch out for these guys. She wondered if they were his enemies. Given his disposition, it would not be a strange occurrence if the school was full of his enemies. Cautiously, Sang-Hee followed Dae-Jung as he walked up to the group of advancing boys. “Dae-Jung, you ignored my calls all weekend, what kind of friend are you?” said the tallest of the boys in the group. Sang-Hee was shocked to hear the question and contemplated why Dae-Jung would instruct her to ignore his own friends. Deep in though, she did not realize that three sets of eyes were now staring intently at her. She was only aware of the situation when the tallest boy said loudly, “And who is this?” as he made his way directly in front of her.

Startled by his closeness, Sang-Hee backed up a few steps; which apparently was not enough to indicate to the boy that he should stop advancing. Dae-Jung stepped in between the two and said sarcastically, “If you two are done doing the Tango, let me introduce everyone. This is So Sang-Hee; she is living with my family and will be attending our school. Try not to be too obnoxious around her.” Turning his attention from the guys to Sang-Hee, Dae-Jung continued, “This tall overbearing guy is Jae-Hwa, this is Min-Yee, and that guy over there is Yan.” Sang-Hee bowed politely repeating their names for recognition purposes. She noticed that Jae-Hwa had a wide grin on his face and noted that he was quite good looking.

Seeing her shyness, Jae-Hwa said happily, “Don’t listen to Dae-Jung, you can call me Oppa, Jae-Hwa is too formal, right?” Taken aback by his statement, Sang-Hee frowned and said, “I don’t know you well enough to call you that, and I think Jae-Hwa is just informal enough.” Unfazed by her response, Jae-Hwa said confidently, “Well call me Oppa when you think we are close enough okay, Sang-Hee.” Not knowing how to respond, Sang-Hee looked over at Dae-Jung and caught the sight of him rolling his eyes. She thought to herself, “Dae-Jung was absolutely right, I should be cautious around these guys.” Dae-Jung motioned for her to follow him and she quickly did as he instructed.

The entire school day was long and somewhat difficult for Sang-Hee since she was called to the front of the room in each class to be introduced. She was not one to enjoy too much attention and felt awkward standing before everyone. She hoped that she would soon become accustomed to the school and would do well. Dae-Jung’s mood was sour for the entire day as he watched his friends climb all over themselves to sit by Sang-Hee in every class. He looked over at her and wondered what the big deal was; she was okay looking but nothing special. He finally concluded that his friends were just girl-crazy and that any new girl at the school would garner the same amount of attention. With the final bell sounding, Dae-Jung quickly bid his friends goodbye and ushered Sang-Hee out to the front of the school so that they could go home.


Chapter 6: Stranger in the Night

On the ride home, Dae-Jung surreptitiously glanced over at Sang-Hee as she stared out the window at the passing landscape. He had to admit, albeit silently to himself, that her delicate features provided her face with an unmistakable charm. He muttered under his breath, “No wonder those wolves wanted to get their paws all over you.” Upon hearing him mutter something, Sang-Hee turned towards him and asked, “Did you say something?” Dae-Jung quickly looked away as she faced him and answered, “No, I didn’t say anything to you.” She responded, “Oh, sorry, I thought you were talking to me, turns out you were only talking to yourself again.”

Confused by her remark, Dae-Jung snapped himself back around to face her and asked incredulously, “And what is that supposed to mean?” She smiled sweetly at him and replied, “I just meant that even though you’re surrounded by people all day, you have a tendency to talk only to yourself.” Annoyed by her relaxed demeanor Dae-Jung demanded gruffly, “Stop smiling, you look like an idiot.” Her smile instantly turned into a frown as she mumbled to herself, “I’d rather look like an idiot that behave like a crazy person talking to himself all the time.”

After the awkward exchange, silence ensued between the two. The silence was only broken when Dae-Jung asked, “So, what do you think of the school?” Sang-Hee thought for a moment before responding, “The school is very nice; the teachers seem to be very talented. But, I think some of your friends are kind of strange.” Dae-Jung tilted his head contemplating the meaning of her last statement and asked in a surprised tone, “How so?” Sang-Hee’s eyes narrowed thinking of the best way to explain herself. Finally, she replied, “Well you know your friend, the one that is not the tallest but also not the shortest, he kept trying to grab my book bag and carry it for me. And your other friend, I don’t remember his name either, but the shortest guy; he kept asking me for my phone number so that he could call me. Worst of all was your friend Jae-Hwa; he kept trying to grab my hand all day.” Dae-Jung listened to her explanation and wondered where he had been when all of this was taking place.

Before long, it dawned on Dae-Jung that out of all of his guy friends, Sang-Hee only seemed to remember playboy Jae-Hwa’s name. He wondered if Sang-Hee was like all of the other girls in school who found themselves mesmerized by that shameless flirt. But upon further consideration, Dae-Jung thought that she seemed agitated by Jae-Hwa’s attempts to hold her hand, so surely she could not like him. With those unwanted thoughts running through his mind Dae-Jung quickly declared to himself, “Who cares if she likes him, it’s no skin off my back.” When they finally arrived at home, Dae-Jung’s Grandmother and Grandfather greeted them at the door. Both Grandparents were eager to hear all about Sang-Hee’s first day of school and were happy to be informed that her day went off very well.

Over the next couple of weeks, Sang-Hee worked hard to get caught up on the lessons that she had missed. She conceded that her previous schooling was by far inadequate when compared to her new school’s curriculum. Hoping to not disappoint the elder Mr. and Mrs. Kang, Sang-Hee studied her lessons diligently. Sang-Hee had little time for anything else but studying and would lock herself up in her room to read and take notes carefully. Although, she was becoming more comfortable with her new home and even with Dae-Jung’s friends, she did notice that over the past couple of weeks, Dae-Jung seemed to be harassing her more often than not. She recalled the numerous occasions when he would burst into her room to reprimand her for some frivolous issue that he seemed to create out of thin air. The more he harassed her, the more she tried to stay out of his way.

Unbeknownst to Sang-Hee, her attempts to avoid him were the root cause of his continued harassment. Dae-Jung was finding it more difficult to go about his regular routine of television watching, internet surfing, game playing and hanging out with his friends when he knew she was cooped up her room studying all day long. During this period of time he felt that he had an itch that could only be scratched if he pestered Sang-Hee to elicit a rise from her. He mused to himself, I’m glad she’s here; she’s like a life size toy that I can mess with.

Sang-Hee’s determination to study greatly paid off when it came time for her monthly course examinations. She breezed through the exams and was confident that she would earn high marks, unlike Dae-Jung who seemed to struggle with each examination. A week after the students had taken their exams, the results were reveleaed and the teachers all noted that the new student So Sang-Hee had earned the highest marks in every class. Dae-Jung glared at Sang-Hee and knew that when his family found out about his scores when compared to hers, he would be in for an earful.

When the last bell rung, Jae-Hwa quickly approached Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee, to suggest that they all go to the mall to grab a bite to eat. He reasoned that the meal could be a reward to Sang-Hee for her great accomplishments. Dae-Jung dismissed the notion that Sang-Hee’s scores were actual accomplishments by saying, “What accomplishments, it’s not like she’s smart. She’s been cooped up in her room reading those textbooks as though they were the bible.” Not wanting to fight with him, Sang-Hee ignored his comment and thought it would be nice to go to the mall for a meal. She had saved up some money that Dae-Jung’s Grandmother had given her to buy lunch. She looked over at Jae-Hwa and said, “I would like to go to the mall for a meal. I think I have enough money to get some sushi, if that's okay with you.” Jae-Hwa smiled broadly and replied, “What do you mean you have enough money, it’s my treat for your good work.” Dae-Jung looked dumbfounded by the two and wondered if they thought he was invisible.

Unwilling to have Sang-Hee spend any unnecessary time with the most dangerous wolf of them all, Dae-Jung said, “We shouldn’t go, you know the family expects us home for dinner.” Sang-Hee reconsidered upon hearing Dae-Jung’s words and decided it would be best to not go since she had not received permission to do so. With that thought, Sang-Hee said politely, “Would it be okay if we went another day, after I ask Dae-Jung’s family if it would be okay for me to go?” A bit dejected, Jae-Hwa said, “Sure, then it’s a date right?” Startled by his words Sang-Hee responded, “No it’s not; it’s just friends going out for a meal.” Jae-Hwa smiled at her reaction and said “Same thing.” With that he bid Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee a good day and took his leave.

Dae-Jung looked at her with an angry expression on his face as he said, “If you are done flirting, let’s go.” Sang-Hee did not respond and simply followed behind him, she knew that even if she protested that she was not flirting, Dae-Jung would just counter with a harsher comment. At dinner that night, Dae-Jung’s predictions about the revelation of their respective tests scores was exactly correct. His father lectured him and his mother threatened to take away his games, while everyone praised the very bright Sang-Hee. Although, Sang-Hee was happy that everyone was so proud of her accomplishment, she felt very bad for creating a situation where Dae-Jung would be treated so harshly.

As she sat with the family in the main family room watching television, Dae-Jung’s Grandmother sat beside her and handed her a small box. She looked up at the elderly woman and then at the box that was in her hands. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother explained, “I wanted to give this to you as a reward for your hard work.” Not opening the gift, Sang-Hee quickly handed it back to Dae-Jung’s Grandmother before saying, “I cannot accept this, you have been so kind to me already; how can I accept this?”

Dae-Jung’s Grandfather knew that she would be uncomfortable accepting the gift but interjected, “Oh my lovely wife seems that Sang-Hee here does not like your gesture. You should not bother her with that little gift if it only creates uneasiness.” Sang-Hee understood the intent of the elder Mr. Kang’s comments and resigned herself to accept the gift for fear of seeming to be rude and ungrateful. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother re-handed her the gift box and eagerly asked her to open it. Carefully, Sang-Hee opened the gift box, which contained a smaller black velvet box. Opening the smaller box she saw the most beautiful gold necklace adorned with a small heart pendant. Tears welled up in her eyes as she was unable to articulate her gratitude towards the elder Mrs. Kang. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother smiled and said, “I am very happy that you like it.”

Seeing her grateful expression, Dae-Jung smiled to himself and thought, “She is always so emotional; imagine crying over every little thing like that.” Composing herself, Sang-Hee finally bowed and repeatedly said Thank you to Dae-Jung’s Grandmother. Fearful that she would lose the precious gift, Sang-Hee decided that it would be best to only wear the necklace on special occasions. As it was getting late the family members all retired to their respective rooms to sleep.

Sang-Hee’s sleep was interrupted when she heard a light knocking at her door. Still groggy, she rubbed her eyes and asked, “Who is it?” The voice behind the door replied, “It is butler Yang, Miss Sang-Hee there is someone here to see you.” Sang-Hee looked over at the alarm by her bed, which read 1:00 a.m. and wondered who would be there to visit her at such a late hour. As to not disturb the family, Sang-Hee quickly followed butler Yang downstairs towards the front door. Once outside, butler Yang pointed towards the tall dark figure that stood out by the front lawn. Sang-Hee thanked butler Yang and carefully approached the mysterious figure. Seeing that his back was turned towards her, Sang-Hee tapped the man on the shoulder to get his attention. When the man turned around to face her, Sang-Hee was shocked to see his frighteningly familiar face. She was shocked and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Butler Yang watched Sang-Hee standing with the man and registered her surprised and fearful expression and wondered if he should inform the elder Mr. and Mrs. Kang of the strange visitor’s appearance.
Please note: although no board code and smiley buttons are shown, they are still usable.

Woohoo, thanks for sharing jessicaaron619.
I love this fanfic. I will reread it again.
Hope you will upload The Princess and the Pauper here too.

Worried for her safety, butler Yang asked, “Miss Sang-Hee; are you okay?” Sang-Hee looked back and timidly nodded her head as she replied, “I’m fine. I know him. You can go back in, I’ll be in shortly.” Sang-Hee did not want to bother butler Yang or anyone else in the Kang household with her problems. Butler Yang bowed and returned into the house leaving Sang-Hee with her visitor. She turned her attention back to her unwelcomed guest and asked, “What do you want from me now?” The man sneered at her showing his yellowing teeth as he replied, “Well your father told me you were here so I’ve come to take you home.” Sang-Hee’s eyes widened as she heard him speak and reflected upon his use of the word home. By all estimations she regarded his home as her living nightmare. She had already spent 3 long years at his card room working off her father’s gambling debts and was sure that the contract only called for a 3 year period of servitude. Recalling that fact, Sang-Hee said in an impassioned voice, “I’ve already worked off my father’s debt; you can’t make me go with you!”

Looking sternly at her, the man took out a wrinkled piece of paper and handed it over before saying, “Take a good look at this, it’s your father’s new contract with me. I think he has to be the world’s worst gambler. But luckily for him he has such a useful daughter.” With that said the man grabbed her arm and began to drag her away. Sang-Hee resisted insisting that she would rather die than go with him. Not wanting to create a scene, the man stopped dead in his tracks and said, “If you don’t want to come with me, then repay you father’s debt.” Sang-Hee looked bewildered and realized that even though he had given her this option; there was no way she could repay a debt as large as 20 million won (17,500.00 USD).

Laughing at her exasperated expression the man said, “You obviously can’t pay, so let’s go.” Sang-Hee eagerly protested, “I can’t, my father has already sold me to the Kang family.” Reaching out once again for her arm he insisted, “I’ve been watching you for the past couple of days; it doesn’t look like you work here. Looks like you’re part of the family, right? If that’s the case, get them to pay the debt for you and you won’t have to come with me.” With little other options at her disposal, Sang-Hee replied, “Okay, I will ask them for the money. But I need a few days to ask for such a large sum.” Happy with the new arrangement, the man nodded in agreement and warned, “Don’t try anything funny. And since you won’t be able to come up with the money for a couple days you should at least pay the interest right? Bring 1 million won over to the card room tomorrow for the interest payment or else I WILL be back.” Shaking with fear, Sang-Hee could only muster enough energy to nod her head in acknowledgement of his demand. She watched as he left the premises and slowly made her way back to her room.

In the safety of her bedroom, Sang-Hee’s knees gave way and she collapsed to the floor. With her back against her door, she hugged both of her knees towards her body and buried her head into her hands trying to stifle her sobs. Tears gushed down her cheeks as she recalled all of the abuse she had endured from the sinister man and his equally heinous wife. The scars from the cigarette burns and lashings had not yet faded and yet she was now faced with the probability that more were to be added. She got up from the floor, made her way to her dresser and pulled out the velvet box, which contained Grandmother Kang’s gift. She whispered softly, “I am very sorry; I really have no other options.” Holding the velvet box tightly, Sang-Hee crawled into bed, covered herself entirely with the blanket and sobbed softly. She knew that sleep would not come to her tonight.

Since it was Saturday, Dae-Jung decided to sleep in and skip breakfast. When he finally awoke, he found that it was already 1 in the afternoon. Hungry, he made his way downstairs and requested a light lunch from the kitchen. His lunch was prepared and he ate it quickly. He walked around the house to see where everyone was and was surprised when he did not see his Grandparents. It dawned on him that his Grandparents were probably out with their friends at the golf course. He then wondered where Sang-Hee was, if no one else was around. He figured that the bookworm was probably in her room studying. Having nothing better to do, he decided that he would go pester her. He knocked on her door and awaited a response, which was not forthcoming. Puzzled he wondered where she could be if she was not in her room.

Seeing his young master’s confused expression, butler Yang approached him in the hallway and said, “Miss Sang-Hee went into town to pay a visit to her aunt. She won’t be back for another hour or so.” Dae-Jung nodded his head in acknowledgement of the information and said, “Ah, I see. I was just looking for her since she has some of the History notes that I need.” Butler Yang was surprised by his young master’s statement and asked, “Young master, you’ll be studying on a Saturday?” Aware of his own poor excuse, Dae-Jung simply nodded his head and waived for butler Yang to go about his business.

Bored at home, Dae-Jung called for the driver to take him into town. He wanted to stop by the comic book store. Even though, the comic book store was a bit out of the way and in a rather unappealing part of town, it was the only store that had the majority of comics that he liked. As Dae-Jung’s car made its’ way down the narrow street, a sight suddenly caught his attention. He abruptly called for the driver to stop the car. Sitting in the parked car, Dae-Jung watched as Sang-Hee exited one of the local pawn shops on the street. She held a white envelope in her hand and seemed to have a very distraught expression on her face. He watched as she headed towards a bus stop and board a westbound bus.

When the bus was finally out of sight, Dae-Jung exited the car and asked the driver to wait for him. He made his way across the street, entered the seedy pawn shop and rung the bell at the counter. A frail looking man appeared from the backroom and asked what he could do for Dae-Jung. Dae-Jung looked around and wondered to himself, why Sang-Hee would be in a place like this. He turned his attention to the man and asked, “There was a girl in here a short while ago; did she perhaps pawn something?” The old man looked quizzically at Dae-Jung but answered, “Yes, there was a young girl that pawned a necklace. She just left, if you want to catch her.” Shocked by old man’s response, Dae-Jung demanded to see the pawned merchandise. When the man brought out the necklace, Dae-Jung’s anger increased upon recognizing that it was the necklace his Grandmother had given Sang-Hee the night before.

Back at the Kang house, Sang-Hee quickly packed up her belongings, only taking the items, which she had brought along with her when she first arrived. She reassured herself that after she made the interest payment for her father’s debt, she would run away so that the man would never find her. If she was not there, she was sure that the man would not be able to bother the Kang family either. Before she could finish packing, she was startled by Dae-Jung who suddenly burst into her room. Looking at him, Sang-Hee saw the harshest expression that she had ever seen on his face. He slammed the door behind him and stared intently at her. Before she could inquire about his intrusion, Dae-Jung angrily asked, “So where’s the money?!” Taken aback by the question Sang-Hee stood up from her position on the floor and asked warily, “What?”

Dae-Jung asked her once again with the same heated tone, “Where is the money you got from pawning my Grandmother’s gift to you?” Sang-Hee was shocked by his question and quickly averted her eyes. Making his way towards her, Dae-Jung grabbed the white envelope he had seen earlier in her hands and asked, “This is it right? You pawned the necklace; got the money and are now packing to run away. Are you some kind of swindler? How could you do this to them? My family has been nothing but kind to you!” Sang-Hee could not muster up the courage to respond to his barrage of questions and simply lowered her head as tears stained her bedroom floor. Upset with her silence, Dae-Jung demanded for an explanation. Seeing that his anger was increasing, Sang-Hee choked back her tears and slowly replied, “I can’t tell you what’s going on, but please trust that I didn’t mean to swindle or cheat your family. The money is a matter of life and death to me. Please give it back and I’ll be sure to repay your kindness when I am able to do so.”

Dae-Jung had never been so angry in all his life; he could not believe that she was actually asking for him to return the money. He held the envelope up so that it was in her clear line of vision and proceeded to tear up it contents. Horrified, Sang-Hee rushed over only in time to gather the torn bills from the ground. Dae-Jung said angrily, “I’d rather tear this money up than have it fall into your hands!” Sang-Hee could not utter a single word as she saw the prospects of her escape vanish into thin air. Sobbing, she got up from the floor and rushed out the door. Dae-Jung stood stunned at his own actions and did not know how to proceed.

Witnessing, Sang-Hee rush from her room in tears, butler Yang quickly entered her bedroom to find his young master standing alone in a daze. Butler Yang asked, “What happened?” Dae-Jung was silent and did not know how to respond. He too was unsure about what had just occurred. Despite the fact that he had not received an answer to his first question, butler Yang continued to ask, “Does this have anything to do with that stranger that came to visit Miss Sang-Hee last night?” Upon hearing the question, Dae-Jung quickly looked up and asked, “What stranger?” Butler Yang described the scene that unfolded the previous night and said that he thought Miss Sang-Hee’s reaction to her visitor was not normal. Butler Yang also explained that the man’s appearance coupled with Sang-Hee’s reaction caused him to have the man followed. He noted that the man had returned to a card room on the east side of town.

Dae-Jung recalled Sang-Hee’s words about a life and death situation and realized that there was a chance that he had misunderstood the situation and acted too rashly. He asked butler Yang for the address of the card room and requested that the butler not tell his family members about what was going on until he figured it out himself. Dae-Jung reasoned that if this was a situation that Sang-Hee did not want others to know about, then alerting his family would only go against her wishes. Butler Yang agreed to keep the secret and gave his young master the address of the man in question. Dae-Jung looked out the window and wondered if this was where Sang-Hee was now rushing off to.
Although, butler Yang promised to keep Sang-Hee’s secret, he insisted upon going along with Dae-Jung because he feared for his safety. Butler Yang told the family’s driver that his services were no longer needed since he would be driving the young master around for the day. Happy to have the rest of the day off, the driver thanked the butler and quickly left. Meanwhile, Dae-Jung called his family members to explain that he and Sang-Hee would be touring a local park as a requirement for one of their course projects. Before heading out for the card room, Dae-Jung remembered that he had torn up the pawn shop money and went to Sang-Hee’s room to retrieve the envelope. He looked at the torn bills on the floor and estimated that there had to be at least 1 million won strewn about. He then went to his room to grab the same denomination, just in case it was needed. Despite not knowing whether Sang-Hee would really show up at the card room, Dae-Jung was determined to figure out what was going on.

Butler Yang parked the car at a far corner across the street from the card room. After a short while, butler Yang pointed towards a man who walked from the front door and said, “That’s the man that came to the house last night.” Dae-Jung looked at the man’s haggard expression and could see that he had been drinking heavily. Worried, Dae-Jung thought to himself, “Is this person creating all of Sang-Hee’s problems?” Dae-Jung and butler Yang carefully looked around in search of Sang-Hee.

Several hours had passed and night was beginning to fall. Butler Yang said to Dae-Jung, “Young master you haven’t had anything to eat or drink all day, should I go and get you something?” Still looked out the window for signs of Sang-Hee, Dae-Jung nodded his head before answering, “Yes, that would be good. Also, remember to get yourself something, you haven’t eaten either.” Butler Yang replied, “Yes, young master. I’ll be right back. Please don’t do anything until I return” Shortly after butler Yang had left, Dae-Jung’s fatigued eyes jetted wide open as he saw Sang-Hee walking towards the card room. Eager to be by her side, he opened the car door and headed in her direction.

Dae-Jung looked on with growing concern, as he saw the man from earlier that morning; drag Sang-Hee away by her arm to a side ally next to the card room. Dae-Jung picked up his speed to follow the pair. Feeling the searing pain from the man’s tight grasp, Sang-Hee pulled her arm away and exclaimed, “Let go of me!” When they were safely out of plain sight, the man let go of her arm, turned to her and asked, “Where’s my money?” Sang-Hee averted her eyes, breathed out a sigh and replied, “I don’t have the money, something happened to it.” Angered by her answer he raised his hand as though to hit her before saying, “You dare to come here without any money?” With little concern, he slapped her across her face with his large course hand, sending her sprawling to the ground. Falling to the ground, Sang-Hee could feel the gravel dig into her hands as she used them to cushion her fall.

Before the man could do any further damage, he heard a young boy’s voice screaming for him to stop. Looking up he saw Dae-Jung rushing towards his direction and reached into his lapel as though to draw out a weapon. The man watched tentatively at the young boy who made his way to Sang-Hee’s side. Helping her up from the ground, Dae-Jung looked at her as she stared at him with astonishment. Dae-Jung could see that the man’s slap had slightly split open Sang-Hee’s lip. Seeing the blood trickle down her chin, Dae-Jung carefully wiped away the blood. Turning his attention back to the man in the alleyway, Dae-Jung said in a heated tone, “What do you think you’re doing?!” Angered by the young boy’s tone, the man responded, “She is my servant, so I can do anything I want. What’s it to you?”

Upset to hear Sang-Hee spoken about in those terms, Dae-Jung quickly responded, “She’s a part of the Kang household; she’s not now or ever going to be your servant!” Sang-Hee was shocked by Dae-Jung’s emotional exclamation and saw that the man was becoming angrier at his insolence. She grabbed a hold of Dae-Jung’s arm tightly and tugged at him with the hope of drawing him back. Dae-Jung looked over at her worried face and simply nodded as a means to reassure her that he had everything under control. Turning back to the man, Dae-Jung pulled out an envelope, held it up and asked, “Is this what you want. There’s 1 million won in here. Is that what she owes you?” The man looked at the envelope and then back to the young boy, he grabbing it from Dae-Jung’s hand and laughingly replied, “You think this is all she owes me? Let me give you the whole picture.” Holding up the envelope, the man clarified, “This here is only the interest payment; her father borrowed 20 million won from my card room last week and has signed a contract to have her handed over to me.”

Dae-Jung was truly awe stricken by the man’s words and shook his head with distaste, thinking how horrible Sang-Hee’s father was to sell his only daughter for a mere 20 million won. Even so, Dae-Jung was relieved that the issue could be resolved simply with the use of money. He said confidently, “If it’s only 20 million won, I can take care of that myself. I’m not going to let you take her anywhere.” Satisfied with Dae-Jung’s statement, the man said, “Well bring me the money tomorrow and I’ll give you back the contract, then you can do whatever you want with her.” Speechless, Sang-Hee held on tighter to Dae-Jung’s arm as he continued to speak to the man. Dae-Jung resolutely said, “I’ll have someone bring you the money tomorrow, so have that so called contract ready.” The man agreed and made his way back to the card room.

Focusing his attention back on Sang-Hee, Dae-Jung carefully looked her over and noticed that not only was her lip split, but that both of her hands were bloodied from the fall. He asked her worriedly, “Are you okay?” Not waiting for a response he continued to say, “We need to get you home to bandage your wounds.” Sang-Hee did not respond, looked down on the ground and stood still. Seeing her reaction to his statement, Dae-Jung hesitantly said, “I’m very sorry. I shouldn’t have blown up at you even before knowing the whole story. Please I’m very worried about you, let’s go home.” The sincerity of his words and tone touched her deeply causing tears to gush out of her eyes uncontrollably. Seeing her sobbing, Dae-Jung quickly asked, “Are you in a lot of pain? Should we go to the hospital instead?” Sang-Hee shook her head and said in between bursts of sobs, “I’m so sorry for everything.” Dae-Jung was relieved that her crying was due to remorse rather than pain. He ushered her towards the car, holding onto her tightly helping her as she timidly walked with him.

He opened the door and helped her into the backseat before taking his place by her side. He looked around to see if butler Yang was returning and was happy to see him heading towards them. Butler Yang saw that both Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee were in the car and rushed towards the pair. He entered the car and asked in a concerned tone, “Are you both okay?” before realizing that Sang-Hee clearly was not okay. Dae-Jung responded, “She’s hurt. Take us home quickly.” Without another word butler Yang speed home.

On the way back home, Dae-Jung explained what had occurred to butler Yang, knowing that he could confide in his loyal attendant. Hearing the story from Dae-Jung, butler Yang asked whether it would be a good idea to just give the man the money without letting his parents know what was going on. Dae-Jung explained that he had enough money to take care of the situation and asked butler Yang if he would deliver tomorrow. Butler Yang consented to the request but said that they should include a stipulation to let the man know that all future contracts he might enter into with her father would result in a police visit. Dae-Jung agreed and the matter was thus settled.

Although, the matter primarily concerned her, Sang-Hee was not given a chance to interject. She herself did not know how she could interpose into the conversation. She thought worriedly to herself, “How will I ever repay him for this?” Seeing the discomfort on her face, Dae-Jung asked again, “Are you okay?” She nodded her head to indicate that she was fine but still could not bring herself to look him in the eyes.

When they finally arrived at home, Dae-Jung helped Sang-Hee up the stairs and ushered her towards his bedroom. He instructed butler Yang to bring the first aide kit so that he could tend to her wounds. Butler Yang quickly did as he was instructed and came back with the first aide kit; he offered to help take care of Sang-Hee’s wounds. Not needing the help Dae-Jung simply asked him, “Can you get us something to eat and drink? I can take care of her. Oh and just let the adults know that we’re going to be eating in our rooms because we’re tired and will be going straight to bed afterwards.” Butler Yang bowed and went to complete his young master’s orders.

Left alone in his room with Sang-Hee, Dae-Jung looked over her wounds and began to apply the antiseptic and alcohol to cleanse the wounds on her hands. She involuntarily pulled away from him as the sting of the alcohol set in. Not letting go of her, he gently pulled her hands back towards him to apply the bandages. Focusing on her wounds, he said, “I know it hurts, but I need to apply this or your wound might become infected.” She did not respond and only looked at him as he worked. She had not seen this side of him before and was eternally grateful for his kindness. Dae-Jung looked up from time to time as he dressed her wounds to make sure he was not applying too much pressure while he wrapped her hands. When he was finally satisfied with the dressings of the wound he turned his attention to her lips.

Rifling through the first aide kit, he pulled out a cotton swab and poured a white liquid onto it before cupping her face with his left hand and gently cleaning off the dried blood from the side of her mouth. He then proceeded to apply a soothing cream on the cut, holding up the tube he said to Sang-Hee, “You need to apply this every day or else that cut isn’t going to heal very well.” By the time Dae-Jung had finished tending to her wounds, butler Yang returned with their food and drinks. Butler Yang cleared Dae-Jung’s table and invited the two over to eat. He reassured Dae-Jung that the adults were fine with the explanation he had given and would not be up to disturb them. Dae-Jung helped Sang-Hee over to the table and thanked butler Yang for everything. Butler Yang excused himself and left the room. Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee ate in silence looking at one another from time to time not sure what should be said. The day had been certainly been a whirlwind of emotions.
The next morning, Dae-Jung called for butler Yang and handed him a bank note. The bank note listed a withdrawal of 20 million won from his personal bank account. Dae-Jung said in a serious tone, “Don’t tell the adults about this, I don’t want Sang-Hee to become sorrier than she already is.” Butler Yang promised that he would not reveal the situation to Dae-Jung’s family members but asked with a concerned tone, “Young master won’t your Grandfather and Father question why half of your personal bank account is missing?” Dae-Jung didn’t want to think too far in advance and said, “I’ll deal with that when they find out.” Butler Yang did not want to add to Dae-Jung’s worries and left to withdraw and deliver the money to Sang-Hee’s debtor.

Contemplating the situation further, butler Yang thought that keeping this secret would not help either his young master or Miss Sang-Hee. With his mind made up, Butler Yang quietly said, “I’m sorry young master; but this is not a situation that I can keep from the master of the household.” After he had delivered the money and retrieved the contract from Sang-Hee’s debtor, butler Yang returned home and requested a formal meeting with the elder Mr. Kang. During the meeting, butler Yang described the events of the previous two days and stressed that Dae-Jung was only hiding the truth due to his concern for Sang-Hee. Shocked by the revelations, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather said, “I think it would be best to keep this amongst ourselves, I agree with Dae-Jung that Sang-Hee will be very distraught if everyone knew of her current situation.” Butler Yang agreed and promised he would do as he was told.

Dae-Jung’s Grandfather was comforted by the fact that his Grandson had acted so kindly towards Sang-Hee. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather thought about the situation in depth and finally decided that he would need to discuss Sang-Hee’s circumstances directly with her parents. He pulled out his contact list and called Sang-Hee’s father. On the telephone, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather asked, “Is this Mr. So?” The man on the other line confirmed that he was indeed Mr. So and asked what he could do for the elder Mr. Kang. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather replied, “I wanted to ask if you would accept 50 million won in return for your willingness to give up your legal guardianship of Sang-Hee.”

Upon hearing the request, Sang-Hee’s father excitedly accepted the offer and asked when they could complete the transaction. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather replied that he would have his lawyers draft the paperwork to transfer legal guardianship from Sang-Hee’s parents to his wife and himself. As a parting statement, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather said, “After this transaction, I hope that we will no longer hear from you.” Sang-Hee’s father happily replied, “Of course. From here on out we will leave Sang-Hee in your hands. We will not bother her anymore.” Satisfied with the exchange, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather bid farewell to the detestable Mr. So and proceeded to contact his lawyers.

Pacing around his bedroom, Dae-Jung wondered if Sang-Hee was awake and wanted to check up on her condition. However on second thought, he felt that it would be better to let her rest and decided to leave her alone. He noted to himself that if she needed him, she knew where he was. Still tired from yesterday’s events, Dae-Jung went back to sleep. A few hours had passed and the bright glare of the sun was now shining through his window causing him to awaken. He looked over at his desk clock and saw that it was already twenty past noon. Getting out of bed, Dae-Jung went to his private bathroom, brushed his teeth, took a long hot shower and changed into a new set of clothes. Making his way towards his bedroom door, Dae-Jung stopped when he saw a small envelope sitting on the floor near the slit underneath his doorway. He picked the up the envelope and read aloud, “To: Dae-Jung Oppa. From: So Sang-Hee.”

A faint smile appeared on Dae-Jung’s face as he read the cover. He proceeded to carefully open the envelope and took out its’ content. To his surprise, he saw that he now held in his hand an I.O.U note. The note was complete with Sang-Hee’s signature and a drawing of what he could only guess was her fingerprint. He read the content of the note, which read: “I So Sang-Hee promise to repay Dae-Jung Oppa the total sum of 20 million won within 10 years.” At the bottom of the I.O.U. note was yet another drawing of a little cartoon Sang-Hee holding up a victory (V) sign with her two fingers and a dialogue caption box, which contained the words “Aja-Aja, Fighting!!” Amazed by her quirkiness he commented, “You are so childish. I never expected you to pay me back.” He put the I.O.U. note back into the envelope and placed it on his desk saying, “I guess we’re now close enough for you to call me Oppa.” He smiled as he completed the statement and headed downstairs.

Coming downstairs, Dae-Jung saw that the family was now gathered in the main dining room. He greeted everyone formally while his Father instantly commented on how Dae-Jung should not sleep away the weekend. Dae-Jung forced a smile and replied, “Yes, Father” before taking his seat between his Mother and Sang-Hee. He looked over at Sang-Hee to see if the cut on her lip had healed any since he last saw her. He thought to himself, “Of course it hasn’t healed; she was just hit last night.”

Dae-Jung’s thoughts were interrupted when his Grandmother asked, “Sang-Hee how did you get that cut on your lips and what happened to your hands?” Sang-Hee looked up startled by the question and could not provide a response. Seeing her fumbling, Dae-Jung quickly replied, “She fell yesterday when we were at the park. You can’t tell but she’s really a major klutz.” Sang-Hee was relieved that Dae-Jung was able to provide such a plausible reason for her wounds, but was also amazed that he still managed to insult her in the process. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother then said, “Oh I see, Sang-Hee you should be more careful. Be sure to keep the wounds clean so they do not get infected.” Sang-Hee nodded her head and replied, “Yes, Dae-Jung’s Grandmother, I will be sure to do so.”

Changing the subject, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather suddenly asked, “Sang-Hee, what would you say if my wife and I took over as your legal guardians?” Surprised by the question, Sang-Hee stared blankly at Dae-Jung’s Grandfather. Seeing her uncertain expression, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather continued, “I talked to your father earlier this morning and he and your mother are willing to have us become your legal guardians. This would make it much easier for us to handle your school and living situation.” Sang-Hee was overcome by emotions of joy as she realized that if Mr. and Mrs. Kang were to become her legal guardians, her father could no longer sell or indenture her to anyone else. Dae-Jung also realized that all of Sang-Hee’s problems would be solved if his Grandparents were to become her legal guardians and smiled widely at such a beneficial prospect.

Sang-Hee stood up from her seat, bowed deeply and said, “I would be honored if you were my guardians. I feel as though I must have done something very well in my previous life to have met your family.” Everyone at the table expressed their happiness to have her truly become a part of their family. When lunch had concluded, Dae-Jung motioned for Sang-Hee to follow him. She followed closely behind him and soon found herself with him in the gazebo on the back lawn. Dae-Jung sat down on the gazebo’s bench and patted the seat next to him, to indicate that she should sit down.

Nervously, Sang-Hee took the seat by his side and asked, “Did you want to talk to me about something?” He looked over at her, trying his best to feign disinterest and casually asked, “So how are your wounds? Have the bandages been replaced?” She informed him that butler Yang had already replaced the bandages earlier that morning. He nodded his head in acknowledgement of the information and said, “So, you say you’re going to be able to repay me 20 million won in 10 years, right? What if you can’t?” Sang-Hee looked onto the floor and thought carefully before replying, “I haven’t really thought about that.” Sang-Hee’s response prompted Dae-Jung to reply, “Ah, I see, so that I.O.U. note is just for appearances, you really haven’t given serious thought to it, right?” Anxiously, she exclaimed, “Dae-Jung, it really isn’t just for appearances, I do fully intend on repaying you.”

Dae-Jung shot a sly look over at her and said, “So now it’s Dae-Jung and not Dae-Jung Oppa. I’m only your Oppa on paper?” Embarrassed by his forward question, Sang-Hee asked shyly, “Do you really want me to call you Oppa?” Taken aback by her tone as she asked the question, Dae-Jung responded dismissively, “You call me whatever you want. Just remember to repay your debt or else you’ll really be in for it.” Sang-Hee smiled at his brash attitude and said, “I promise Dae-Jung Oppa to repay my debts.”

At a loss for words, Dae-Jung looked straight ahead and commented on how the weather was very nice. Sang-Hee turned her attention towards the direction he was staring and said, “Of course it’s very nice weather, the sun is the closest to the earth today.” Puzzled by her comment, Dae-Jung tilted his head and asked, “What are you talking about?” Sang-Hee pointed towards the horizon and clarified, “Today is the summer solstice; it’s the day when the sun is closest to the earth. I’ll always remember that on this summer solstice, I was lucky enough to become a part of the warmest family in all of Korea.” Dae-Jung looked over at her smiling face and thought to himself that it was her smile that was the warmest he had ever seen. With a sense of peace, the two sat in silence enjoying the warmth of the summer day.
Given her eventful weekend, Sang-Hee was thankful to be back in school with little else to worry about besides her studies. She and Dae-Jung had arrived at school earlier than usual because he had an appointment with the school’s academic advisor. Waiting for the first bell to ring, Sang-Hee flipped through her History book and looked over some of the sections she had previously highlighted. “No wonder you get such good marks on your exams” said a familiar voice that caused Sang-Hee to startle.

Sang-Hee looked up to see Jae-Hwa’s smiling face as he approached her. He took his seat at the desk to her left and dropped his book bag onto the ground. Seeing that she was looking at him, Jae-Hwa purposes ran his hand through his wet hair and flashed his winning smile at her. With a haughty air Jae-Hwa asked, “Don’t you think my hair looks better this way?” Sang-Hee made a slight chuckle at his comment and asked, “Does that really work on other girls?” He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t know, as you can see I am not too concerned with other girls at the moment.” Sang-Hee had gotten used to his flirtatious overtures and concluded that his behavior was his way of being playful with her.

Jae-Hwa was typically not concerned with anyone except himself, so it took him a little while to notice that there was a cut on the side of Sang-Hee’s mouth. Curious as to the cause of the cut, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously and asked, “You have a cut on your lips. Don’t tell me Dae-Jung is the cause of that?” Alarmed Sang-Hee quickly replied, “What are you talking about? I fell and bit my lips causing this cut.” Jae-Hwa said jokingly, “Well it’s a relief that Dae Jung’s not the culprit or else my heart with break into a million pieces.” Sang-Hee rolled her eyes at him and wondered if he ever got tired of constantly having to come up with such lame lines to flirt with girls.

Before long, her thoughts turned to more concrete matters and she asked Jae-Hwa earnestly, “I heard that your parents have several sushi restaurants around town, right?” Jae-Hwa nodded his head to confirm that his family did indeed own multiple sushi restaurants and asked, “Why did you want to go out for some sushi later after school?” Sang-Hee shook her head and replied, “No, I wanted to ask you if you needed a waitress or cashier at any of those restaurants. I’ve done that before you know.”

Jae-Hwa wondered why she would want to work if she was staying at Dae-Jung’s house and asked, “Why do you need a job?” Not wanting to tell him the real reason she wanted to get a job, Sang-Hee replied, “I don’t want to feel like such a free-loader at Dae-Jung’s house and wanted to earn some money for myself so I wouldn’t burden them any further.” Jae-Hwa nodded and came to the conclusion that because Sang-Hee did not come from a wealthy family, her work ethics were different than those of the other students at the school, which he conceded even, included himself.

Without another word, Jae-Hwa took out his phone, dialed a number and waited for the other line to pick up. When he heard the person on the other line say, “Hello” he replied, “This is Jae-Hwa, I wanted to tell uncle that I just hired a new part-time waitress for his restaurant.” The person on the other line said, “Okay master Jae-Hwa; I will let your uncle know. Please bring that person by the restaurant today.” Jae-Hwa hung up the phone without saying goodbye and turned his attention back to Sang-Hee and said, “There done.”

Sang-Hee was surprised by what he had just done and said, “Just like that? You’re hiring me just like that?” Jae-Hwa smiled and replied, “Of course, as you can probably tell, I am very efficient. I always go full steam ahead when I have my target in sight.” Sang-Hee was grateful to Jae-Hwa for his help and thought to herself that she would be able to pay Dae-Jung back with the wages she earned from her job. Realizing that she was being rude, she quickly turned her attention back to Jae-Hwa and said, “Thank you so much for this!” Seeing her sweet smile, Jae-Hwa slung his arm around her shoulders and said, “You’re welcome; remember to pay me back for this soon.”

Before Sang-Hee had a chance to remove Jae-Hwa’s arm from her shoulders, Dae-Jung walked into the classroom. Upon seeing the scene, Dae-Jung’s eyes widened as he made his way towards the pair. Before he reached them, he saw that Sang-Hee had made a move to remove Jae-Hwa’s arm. Even though Jae-Hwa’s advances were clearly unwelcomed by Sang-Hee, the mere sight of the scene made Dae-Jung uncomfortable enough to prompt him to ask, “Well don’t you two look chummy?” Jae-Hwa looked up and saw Dae-Jung’s soured expression and replied, “Do you think so? I think we look very close as well.” Not registering Dae-Jung’s soured facial expression; Sang-Hee stood up quickly and asked, “Dae-Jung Oppa, you’re back?” Jae-Hwa did not give Dae-Jung a chance to respond before he exclaimed, “What he’s already been promoted to Oppa? What about me?” Sang-Hee casually replied, “Dae-Jung is the only person that I will recognize as Oppa.”

Hearing her final statement Dae-Jung’s anger seemed to dissipate as his facial expression returned to its’ normal gruff but not angry expression. Undeterred by Sang-Hee’s comment, Jae-Hwa replied, “Fine call him Oppa, but remember to call me Yobo or even Jagi” (both are equivalent to saying honey). Under his breath, Dae-Jung muttered, “You have got to be kidding me.” Not wanting to further encourage Jae-Hwa, Sang-Hee decided that she would not respond to his comment and turned her attention back to her textbook. Jae-Hwa smiled as he figured he had gotten the upper hand in that exchange.

When the final bell rung, Dae-Jung packed up his materials and motioned for Sang-Hee to follow him into the hallway. Walking with Jae-Hwa by her side, she made her way to where Dae-Jung stood. Dae-Jung was surprised that Jae-Hwa was walking out with her but still said, “Let’s go home” when she within earshot. Sang-Hee replied, “I can’t go home now, I’m going with Jae-Hwa to his uncle’s sushi restaurant.” Shocked by her response, Dae-Jung asked, “You guys are going where?” Sang-Hee explained, “Jae-Hwa got me a job at his uncle’s restaurant and wants to take me there to meet my new employer.” Confused Dae-Jung asked, “What job? Why do you need a job?”

Sang-Hee did not want to explain herself and said resolutely, “I just feel like working.” Hearing her response, Dae-Jung finally realized that she wanted to earn money because of that stupid I.O.U. note she had given him. Scoffing at the idea, he angrily said, “Are you crazy? You can’t work. Do you want everyone to think that my family doesn’t provide for you and so you are being forced to make a living?” Sang-Hee had failed to realize the impact of her actions and lowered her head not knowing what to say. Dae-Jung looked over to Jae-Hwa and said in a calmer voice, “Sorry, for the trouble, but you’ll just have to call your uncle and tell him that she’s not going to take that job. You understand right?” Jae-Hwa nodded his head and replied, “Yes, I understand. I should have thought of that before talking to my uncle. It’ll be fine; I’ll just call him and let him know it was a mistake.”

Sang-Hee turned to Jae-Hwa, bowed and apologized to him and asked that her apologies be relayed to his uncle as well. Not wanting to linger any longer, Dae-Jung bid Jae-Hwa goodbye and told Sang-Hee that they would need to leave now. Feeling bad about her actions, Sang-Hee obediently followed close behind Dae-Jung and only looked back to wave goodbye to Jae-Hwa. When they were in the family car, Dae-Jung turned to Sang-Hee and said, “If you really want to work that badly, I’ll be sure to figure out some work for you when we get home!” Confused and worried by his comment, Sang-Hee averted her eyes and pretended that she had not heard him.
When they arrived at home, Dae-Jung motioned for Sang-Hee to follow him up the stairs. She braced herself for the worst, observing that the right side of his mouth was bent upwards displaying a lopsided sneer while his eyes began to narrow as they focused intently on her. She could not help but compare the situation to that of a lion eyeing its prey and began to let her imagination get the better of her. She started to picture a series of very unlikely scenarios, including: 1) a scene of her struggling with sweat gushing down her forehead as she carried him on her back. All the while with him exclaiming loudly, “Can’t you move any faster? We’ll be late for school if you don’t pick up the pace,” or 2) a scene of herself with a horrified expression as she watched him hold up his boxer-briefs demanding, “Hand wash these, now!” or worse yet, 3) a scene of him puckering up his lips demanding that she give him a kiss. Startled by her last thought, she shook her head, blushed and wondered to herself where that came from.

Seeing that Sang-Hee had not followed him upstairs, Dae-Jung loudly called down, “Are you coming?!” Without another second to lose, Sang-Hee rushed up the stairs and followed behind him as he entered his bedroom. Not turning around to face her, Dae-Jung said, “Close the door.” Sang-Hee’s eyes jetted to the left then to the right before doing as she had been instructed. With the door closed, she turned back around to face him, startled to see that he was now staring at her with a slight pout on his mouth. She smiled weakly not knowing what his next move was going to be. Seeing the tentative expression on her face, Dae-Jung did his best to suppress his sudden urge to smile. Clearing his throat he asked pointedly, “So you say you want to work, right?” Recalling that she had earlier expressed her desire to work, Sang-Hee reluctantly nodded her head to confirm that he was correct. Upon receiving her affirmation, Dae-Jung said, “Okay, good to know. I think I have just the job for you.”

Without explaining himself, he motioned for her to follow him into his private bathroom. Once in the bathroom’s doorway, she saw that Dae-Jung now held up a dingy looking toothbrush in his hand. He then proceeded to say, “Everyday, I want you to come in here after school and clean my bathroom, using this.” She looked at him with a confused expression and asked, “You want me to clean this bathroom with that toothbrush?” Without batting an eyelash, he replied, “Did I stutter?” She looked around the bathroom, which was already gleaming bright and completely clean and wondered what it was he expected her to clean. Unable to figure out the answer to her own question, Sang-Hee said, “This bathroom is already spotless, what is it that I am supposed to clean?” Dae-Jung looked around the bathroom and replied, “It might look clean, but if you look close enough, you’ll see that it’s very dirty.” Sang-Hee sighed to herself and thought that Dae-Jung’s cleanliness obsession was really a sickness.

Not wanting to argue with him, Sang-Hee conceded to his wishes and said, “Okay, I’ll come in here everyday to clean the bathroom. Was that all?” Dae-Jung shook his head and said, “Of course not. I’ll expect you in my room everyday cleaning every nook, cranny and corner.” Unable to sensor her words before they came out of her mouth she blurted out, “You just want me in here so you can find weird ways to torture me.” Realizing what she had just uttered, Sang-Hee clasped her mouth tightly with both hands and stared wide-eyed at Dae-Jung wondering what he would do next. To her surprise, Dae-Jung simply smiled, sat down on his bed and said, “You’re absolutely right. I’ll teach you to go around, doing things just as you like.” Resigned to her fate, Sang-Hee simply responded, “Okay, I’ll be in here cleaning everyday then.” With their daily routines set, Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee were both surprised to find that several months had passed by rather uneventfully. Sang-Hee recalled that it was only a month ago that all of the legal paperwork had been completed for Dae-Jung’s Grandfather and Grandmother to take over as her legal guardians.

Sitting in her bedroom, Sang-Hee finished up her homework assignments for the week and looked over at the calendar on her desk. She soon realized that her birthday was quickly approaching. She wondered if there was any way for her to politely hint to Dae-Jung’s Grandparents that she did not want the formal party that they had been discussing over the past couple of days. She was still very uncomfortable with the idea of having everyone there focusing their attention on her. She decided that she would talk to Dae-Jung’s Grandmother privately about the matter to see if the party planning could be stopped.

Sang-Hee stood up, stretched and yawned tiredly as she looked over towards the alarm on her dresser. She saw that it was already 6:00 P.M. and realized that she was already late in reporting to her after school job. Quickly, she made her way to Dae-Jung’s bedroom and knocked on the door. She heard him call out for her to enter and walked into the bedroom. Sang-Hee saw that Dae-Jung was sprawled out on his bed watching television and said to him, “room service,” in a half-joking tone. Not looking over at her, he replied, “You’re late. What kind of service is that?” She smiled at his response and noted that he was always able to find something to complain about. Without responding to his rhetorical question she went to work tiding up his already clean room. As she stacked some of the papers on his desk, she saw that he received only a 60% on their last History exam. Seeing the score she said to herself, “If you would study once in a while, you could do better.”

Unbeknownst to her, Dae-Jung was watching her as she cleaned and had overheard her comment. He sat up on his bed and asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Realizing that he heard her comment, Sang-Hee tried to backpedal as quickly as possible and replied, “I just meant you’re so smart, so if you studied, I am sure you would do really well in school.” He was offended by her compliment veiled criticism and said, “That topic is completely unnecessary so there’s no need for me to put any effort into learning it.” Seeing his agitation, Sang-Hee replied, “You’re right it’s very unnecessary.” Sensing that she was only humoring him, Dae-Jung continued, “Learning history is completely unnecessary because without it, I’ll still be able to go on with my life, get married and be successful.” Sang-Hee did not respond to his comment, which caused Dae-Jung to smirk and declare to himself that he had gotten the final word in that exchange.

Dae-Jung’s false sense of victory only caused him to be more shocked when he heard her reply, “Well, let’s just hope the poor girl who marries you is okay with having a know-it-all, lazy husband who only learns the things he likes.” Furious, Dae-Jung sprung up from his bed and said, “So Sang-Hee, you!” Seeing his bright red face, Sang-Hee quickly said, “All done here! I’ll be going now” as she rushed out of the room. Left alone, Dae-Jung was speechless and wondered if she really thought of him as a know-it-all, lazy type of person. Shutting off the television, Dae-Jung went to his desk, pulled out a textbook and said in a determined tone, “I’ll show you, what type of person Kang Dae-Jung really is!” as he began to furiously highlight passages in the text.

Early the next morning, Dae-Jung, Sang-Hee, Jae-Hwa and their group of friends stood near the east gate waiting for the first bell to ring. Sang-Hee listened as the boys talked excitedly about the new video game that was just released that week. She looked over to a small group of girls who were pointing at her group of guy friends and wondered why the girls at the school did not seem to want to befriend her. The lack of friendliness from her own gender left her with no other option but to hang out with Dae-Jung and his friends. Even though, the guys were very nice and friendly, Sang-Hee still could not get used to being the only girl in a big group of boys.

Deep in thought, Sang-Hee did not realize that there was a person calling out her name from a short distance away. Hearing her name being called, Dae-Jung looked over towards the guy that was making his way over to where Sang-Hee stood. Dae-Jung nudged her with his elbow and said, “Hey that guy over there is calling your name.” Sang-Hee looked over to where Dae-Jung was pointing and her eyes opened wide as a broad smile began to appear on her face. Not explaining who the stranger was, Sang-Hee started to walk towards the guy, leaving Dae-Jung and his friends behind. Dae-Jung watched quizzically, wondering who could cause Sang-Hee to behave in such a manner. Dae-Jung’s confusion quickly turned to agitation upon seeing Sang-Hee and the strange guy meet each other in a tight embrace. Witnessing the scene, Jae-Hwa blurted out, “What the heck! Who's that guy?” Dae-Jung asked himself the same question and was resolved to find out the answer. Without another word, both he and Jae-Hwa began to make their way over to the overly affectionate pair.
Dae-Jung stood directly behind Sang-Hee looking at her, as she continued to embrace her friend and asked, “So Sang-Hee, aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?” Finally aware of the presence of other people, Sang-Hee backed away from her friend and turned around to see that both Dae-Jung and Jae-Hwa were staring intensely at her. Realizing how strange the scene might have appeared to the guys, she quickly said, “This is Shin Young Oppa (featuring Jung Yong-Hwa), he and I used to live next to each other when we were younger.” Turning back towards Young, she then said, “This is Kang Dae-Jung and Lee Jae-Hwa.” As the rest of the group made their way over, Sang-Hee proceeded to introduce everyone to Shin Young.

Young politely greeted everyone and said, “It’s very nice to meet you. I’m new here, so I hope that you’ll help me out.” Dae-Jung replied coldly, “Looks like you’re already helping yourself to everything this school has to offer” while proceeded to glare at Sang-Hee. Sang-Hee was confused by Dae-Jung’s sudden moodiness and concluded that it was due to the fact that he did not like to meet new people. Turning her attention back to Young, Sang-Hee asked, “How have you been?” Young was about to answer the question but suddenly stopped himself mid-sentence. Turning towards Dae-Jung and his friends, Young politely said, “I apologize, but I haven’t seen Sang-Hee for a very long time and would like to steal her away for a couple of minutes.” With that said Young grabbed a hold of Sang-Hee’s hand and led her away.

Unable to speak, Dae-Jung simply scoffed and turned to walk towards his first class. Seeing that his friend was leaving, Jae-Hwa followed close behind. When he caught up to Dae-Jung, Jae-Hwa observed that he was not in a good mood. But upon second thought, he noted that Dae-Jung was rarely if ever in a good mood. To lighten the tense atmosphere, Jae-Hwa teasingly said, “So I guess there’s a new Oppa in town.” Dae-Jung stopped dead in his tracks, looked over at his friend and asked, “What did you say?” Seeing Dae-Jung’s reaction Jae-Hwa laughed and replied, “I said you aren’t her only Oppa now. But really, where did this Shin Young Oppa suddenly come from?” In no mood to humor his friend, Dae-Jung said, “Who cares where he came from and who cares if I’m not her only Oppa.” Jae-Hwa replied mischievously, “You care,” to which Dae-Jung quickly responded, “You’re nuts” as he sulked away.

On the other side of campus Sang-Hee sat with Young on a bench, which stood at the base of a tall oak tree. Sang-Hee looked at Young’s aged face and noted how much he had matured since they last saw one another. She remembered crying buckets of tears the day she told him that she was moving away. Sang-Hee recalled that her tears were partly because she knew she was being sold into servitude and partly because she was being separated from her only friend.

Since Sang-Hee’s father had routinely made enemies with all the people in their neighborhood, the neighborhood children regularly picked on her at every possible occasion. But the bullying stopped the very first day that Young had moved into the neighborhood. He had witnessed several of the neighborhood children shoving her around and harassing her and came to her rescue without any hesitation. From that day forward the two were inseparable and had formed a very close bond. Shin Young was in every sense of the word her Oppa.

Wondering why he was present at her school she asked, “Oppa, you’re enrolled at this school too?” Young smiled and replied, “Yeah, my parents enrolled me last week. You must be wondering how a poor person like me could afford to go to a school like this, right.” Sang-Hee shyly nodded her head knowing that tuition at the school was very expensive. Young explained by saying, “Well a year after you moved away, my parents received word from a lawyer in Japan that my father’s uncle had passed away. The lawyer told my parents that my father’s uncle had left a large sum of money to our family and that we were to be flown out to Japan so that they could carry out the will. When we got to Japan, we found out that my father’s uncle was the President of one of the largest hotel chains in Tokyo.”

Sang-Hee listened intently amazed at the story that was being told and said, “Wow, it’s just like in the dramas. You’re like a real life Korean drama hero.” Young laughed at her description of himself and jokingly agreed. He continued with his story saying, “My family’s been living in Japan for the last two years working out the details with the hotel’s management and their lawyers. Since my father doesn’t know anything about running a hotel he agreed with the board’s decision to buy out the shares that his uncle had left to him. So here we are, richer than we ever thought possible.”

Stunned by all she had just heard, Sang-Hee commented that she did not know what to say to him and wondered aloud, “Should I start calling you Shin Young shii now?” He shook his head, flashed an adorable smile at her and said, “You know you can call me whatever you want. I didn’t even say a single word when you used to call me lemon head.” As he finished his statement, Sang-Hee reached out her hand cupped his face with her thumb and index finger moving it from side to side before saying, “Looks like you’ve grown into your lemon head. I think I’ll just call you Young Oppa from now on.”

Curious as to why Sang-Hee was attending the school, Young asked her the same question she had posed to him a short while ago. She diligently told him of her own circumstances and beamed as she mentioned the kindness of Dae-Jung’s family. Sang-Hee omitted the part of the story where her father had re-sold her to the owner of the card room as it was not something she wanted others to know about. Upon hearing Sang-Hee’s story, Young asked, “Kang Dae-Jung, he’s the guy with that stone cold look on his face right?” Sang-Hee smiled at Young’s description of Dae-Jung and replied, “Yes, that’s right. Dae-Jung Oppa looks very mean, but I think it would be very hard to find someone as nice as him.” Sang-Hee’s response caused Young’s smile to slowly disappear as he thought to himself, “She’s living with that guy and is comfortable enough to call him Oppa?” Seeing that his expression had changed, Sang-Hee asked, “Are you okay?” Young’s smile re-appeared as he replied, “I’m fine, just getting nervous since school’s almost starting.”

Unable to continue their conversation as the first bell rung, Sang-Hee asked what Young’s schedule was like and noted that they only shared two classes together. She asked him to meet her on the east lawn since she and her friends usually ate lunch there. He promised that he would meet her there and the two said their goodbyes before heading off to their respective classes. Sang-Hee reached the classroom just in time. If she had been only one minute later, she would have been late and penalized by the teacher. Out of breath she took her seat behind Dae-Jung and smiled weakly at Jae-Hwa who was now staring at her. The teacher began his lesson and by the middle of class instructed that the students break up into groups of three to complete a group assignment. As was usual, Sang-Hee, Dae-Jung and Jae-Hwa formed a group and began working on the assignment.

It was not long before their discussion of the assignment questions turned into a discussion regarding Shin Young. Jae-Hwa prodded Sang-Hee for answers to get at the root of her relationship with Young. Jae-Hwa asked bluntly, “So is he like your first love or something?” Startled by the question, Sang-Hee quickly responded, “Of course not. He’s like a brother to me.” Dae-Jung’s furrowed brows loosened up as he heard her response and continued to listen as Jae-Hwa joked, “You seem to have so many brothers, right Dae-Jung?” Dae-Jung rolled his eyes and did not respond to the question. Dae-Jung simply said gruffly, “Stop talking about this nonsense, we need to get back to work on this assignment.” Jae-Hwa chuckled and replied, “And since when were you such a studious person.”

Not waiting for Dae-Jung to respond Jae-Hwa turned back to Sang-Hee and looked over her face, which caused her to become self-conscious. When Jae-Hwa had completed his examination of her features he said, “With a face like that, I can see how the bees are always swarming around you.” Dae-Jung made a quick “aish” sound before replying, “Yeah, with a face like that, the bees are all swarming so they can get their chance to sting her.” Offended by the comment, Sang-Hee replied, “If I’m so unattractive, who asked you to look. Don’t look at me anymore.” Angry, she moved her desk away from those of Dae-Jung and Jae-Hwa’s and looked straight ahead as she began to ignore them. Jae-Hwa looked at his friend and said, “Wow, you’re really good at pushing her buttons.” Dae-Jung looked over at her angry expression, shrugged his shoulders and replied, “She should be used to it by now.”

Once the lunch bell rung, Sang-Hee walked out of the class ahead of Dae-Jung and Jae-Hwa. The two met up with their group of friends and followed her as she headed to the east lawn. When they arrived, they saw that Sang-Hee and Young were already seated on one of the bench tables underneath the main awning. Dae-Jung took the seat across from Sang-Hee and watched as she chatted happily with Young. Jae-Hwa sat down beside Dae-Jung and began to eavesdrop on Sang-Hee and Young’s conversation. Not wanting to be left out of the conversation, Jae-Hwa interjected from time to time to ask questions. The three talked happily as they left Dae-Jung to feel as though he was the odd man out. Ignoring his growing agitation, Dae-Jung unpacked his lunch and began to shove food into his mouth. Before he could get to the second shovel of food, he heard Sang-Hee exclaim loudly, “Don’t eat that!” Startled by her loud exclamation, he dropped his chopsticks and looked up. He watched as she pulled his lunch box towards her and smiled to himself while he watched her pick out the peanuts from his lunch.

Young and Jae-Hwa looked on with confused expressions on their faces before Jae-Hwa asked, “What are you doing?” Sang-Hee looked up from her task and replied, “Dae-Jung can’t eat these peanuts. We had them in a dinner dish a couple of nights ago and he had a very bad stomach ache for the rest of the day.” Jae-Hwa finally understood what had caused young master Kang’s cold exterior to suddenly warm with a slight smile and thought to himself, “And you say you don’t care.” Watching as Sang-Hee continued to look through Dae-Jung’s lunch; Young frowned and wondered whether Sang-Hee had already given her heart to someone else, when he had waited five long years to give his heart to her.

With yet another week of school behind him, Dae-Jung looked forward to a relaxing weekend and was shocked when he found himself waking up so early on a Saturday morning. Recently, he had been studying very diligently and found that in doing so he had earned much higher marks on his practice exams. After the next exam session, he would be able to show that conceited Sang-Hee, that he too could get good marks if he wanted. Although, the extra studying and lack of time to play video games bothered him, Dae-Jung felt proud of his results and hoped that his parents would be happy as well. He felt a slight draft in his bedroom and wondered if the first snow of the winter season had yet fallen.

Dae-Jung looked outside his window and was surprised to see that a blanket of snow had covered most of the front lawn. Standing by the window, he shivered as a light draft crept through the windowpane. The cold sensation made him wonder whether Sang-Hee’s room was warm enough. He went into his closet, rummaged around before finally finding the electric blanket that he had stashed away after the last year’s winter season. He reasoned to himself that he should bring her the blanket because if she was warm, she would avoid getting sick, which would mean he would be spared the trouble of having to hear her whine all day. With that settled he made his way towards her bedroom and knocked on the door. He did not hear a response and knocked once again but was still met with silence. He looked at his watch and saw that it was only 5:30 A.M. so he was sure that she should still be in her room at that early hour. Worried, he opened her bedroom door and tentatively looked in.

By the light of the hallway he could make out her small frame tossing and turning in bed. Sensing that something was not right, he entered her bedroom and walked to the side of her bed. Reaching her bedside, he bent down to take a closer look at her and he saw that beads of sweat were streaming down her forehead. He observed that even while she slept a fearful expression overtook her face. He could tell that she was in the midst of a very bad nightmare and did not want to startle her by waking her up. He heard her repeat the words, “Please don’t” over and over again. Before he could decide what he should do to help her, Sang-Hee’s eyes jetted wide open and she unconsciously grabbed a hold of him, hugging him close to her body. Shocked by her sudden actions his body stiffened but soon relaxed upon hearing her soft sobs. Clearly, she was in need of comfort so he draped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her in for a tighter embrace.

Dae-Jung did not speak as she continued to cry on his chest. In between bursts of sobs she said, “I was back there again. Even though I’m here right now, every night I dream that I’m back in that cold shed at that horrible card room.” Dae-Jung could not imagine what type of turmoil she had experienced over the past couple of years and his heart ached to know that he could not do anything to erase her pain. Wanting to reassure her that she was safe, he said, “I know that it’s hard to forget the past, but just remember that when we’re together, nothing bad can ever happen to you.” Comforted by his kind words, Sang-Hee hugged him tighter and realized that she had never felt so safe in all her life. Feeling her heartbeat speed up, she suddenly became embarrassed by their closeness, averted her eyes and quickly let go of him as she backed away.

Dae-Jung looked at her with a worried expression. He sensed that something was not quite right with her behavior and asked, “Are you okay now?” Sang-Hee nodded her head but did not vocally respond. Dae-Jung figured that she was probably self-conscious of her past and embarrassed that she had let him see her cry. He wanted to ease her sense of embarrassment by changing the subject and handed her the electric blanket he had brought. Looking around her room he said, “Your room is really cold, use this. It might help you to sleep better.” Sang-Hee took the blanket and thanked him for the nice gesture. He stood still not knowing what he should say next and watched as she laid back down and covered herself with his blanket. Worried that she would be too scared to go back to sleep, he asked, “Do you want me to stay here until you fall asleep?” Before fully contemplating her answer, Sang-Hee nodded her head indicating that he should stay. With that signal, he grabbed a chair and set it by her bed and took a seat.

It dawned on her what she had just consented to and she felt the quickening of her heartbeat once again. Seeing him sit uncomfortably in the chair, Sang-Hee asked in a concerned tone, “Aren’t you cold?” Dae-Jung did not want her to worry and replied that he was not cold. She could tell that he was lying since she saw the bottom of his jaw line quiver. Feeling bad for asking him to stay, she timidly asked, “Would you mind sitting here on my bed next to me until I fell asleep?” Dae-Jung’s eyes scanned the room and wondered if it would appropriate to do so, but finally thought it would be for the best since her room was much colder than he had anticipated. He nodded his head in agreement and cautiously made his way onto her bed.

Sang-Hee handed him the electric blanket that he had just given to her and said, “Here you can use this until I fall asleep.” He thanked her for the blanket and proceeded to cover himself. He watched her as she sunk deeper into her covers and shut her eyes. Dae-Jung wondered to himself what could be done to help her with these reoccurring nightmares. Within twenty minutes he saw that she had fallen back to sleep and made his way off of her bed. He took the electric blanket and covered her carefully before leaving the room. When he returned to his bedroom he was still worried about her condition. He felt that if she continued to constantly have those types of reoccurring nightmares, her health and well-being would be severely damaged.

Unable to go back to sleep he went downstairs and headed towards butler Yang’s living quarters. Butler Yang was surprised to see his young master up so early and asked if anything was the matter. Dae-Jung asked butler Yang if he knew what someone could do if they kept having nightmares. Butler Yang thought for a short while and said, “I know someone who has this problem and she said that having something like a security blanket or an item that makes her feel safe to hug throughout the night usually helps.” Dae-Jung thought to himself, “Well I can’t very well stay in her room every night so she can hug me as she sleeps.”

Seeing that Dae-Jung was deep in thought, butler Yang asked tentatively, “Are you having trouble sleeping?” Dae-Jung shook his head and said, “A friend of mine has this problem” to which butler Yang replied, “Must be a very special friend to have you so concerned.” Dae-Jung looked at his butler and replied, “Yeah, I guess she’s kind of special. Anyhow, thank you for the information.” With that Dae-Jung left to go back to his bedroom.

Sitting back onto his bed, Dae-Jung contemplated the idea of a security blanket and looked around his bedroom to see if he had anything like that. When his eyes finally set on a small stuffed porcupine plushy doll sitting atop his shelf he nodded his head and said, “She can use that in place of me.” He grabbed the stuffed porcupine, which he had won at a fair a few years ago, and went to his desk to jot down a message on an index card.

The next morning, Sang-Hee awakened and felt very tired since she did not have the most restful sleep. She recalled the earlier events between herself and Dae-Jung and involuntarily blushed as she smiled. Getting out of bed, she noticed that there was a small stuffed animal near the door and walked over to see what it was. Her slight smile quickly became a wide grin as she saw a very cute porcupine starring at her with its wide eyes. She picked up the toy and the index card next to it and read to herself, “Everyone says I’m very prickly, so if you have any more nightmares and I’m not around, hug Dae-Jung Jr. and you’ll be safe.”
Sang-Hee placed the index card in the top drawer of her desk and held up Dae-Jung Jr. with both hands as she said, “You’re just like him, prickly on the outside but soft and warm on the inside.” As she placed Dae-Jung Jr. on her bed, she began to worry that her inability to forget her past would become a source of burden for Dae-Jung. For the sake of them both, she was determined to let go of her painful past and only focus on living her life in a positive and grateful manner. Feeling uplifted, Sang-Hee made her way downstairs, and saw that the entire family was already assembled in the dining room. She bowed and made her formal greetings to the adults before taking her seat next to Dae-Jung.

Before she was able to thank Dae-Jung for his gift, the adults began to ask her questions regarding her ideas for her Birthday party. Seeing that they were excited about throwing the party, Sang-Hee decided that it would be impolite to refuse the offer. She smiled and replied, “I really don’t have any ideas. I will be happy with anything.” Dae-Jung’s Grandmother smiled and said, “16 is a very special age for any young girl, so we will do our best to put together a great party.” Agreeing with her mother-in-law’s comment, Dae-Jung’s mother added, “Yes that’s absolutely true 16 is a wonderful age. The party will give you a chance to meet some of our extended family as well.” Joining in on the conversation, Dae-Jung Grandfather said, “But this is not a party for us adults, we should be sure to invite her friends as well. Sang-Hee, is there anyone from school who you would like to invite?”

Sang-Hee thought for a short while before answering, “I really don’t have anyone outside of Dae-Jung’s group of friends, so maybe we could just invite them.” Thinking for another second, she excitedly remembered, “Oh yeah, I would also like to invite Shin Young Oppa, as well.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather asked with an interested tone, “Shin Young? Who’s that?” Sang-Hee smiled and happily replied, “He’s my best friend from my old neighborhood. He just moved here and is now attending school with us.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather smiled and said, “Of course you should invite him.” Sang-Hee smiled happily and said, “Thank you, I will ask him when I get to school on Monday.” Seeing her excitement as she talked, Dae-Jung became agitated and said to himself, “Jeez, you’re already this happy just mentioning that guy.”

Dae-Jung’s Grandmother was a bit surprised that Sang-Hee did not have any female friends and asked, “You really don’t have any girl friends from school?” Embarrassed, Sang-Hee slightly shook her head to indicate that she indeed did not have any girl friends at the school. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather could see her uneasiness and said, “Those girls probably aren’t making friends with her because they’re jealous of our Sang-Hee’s beauty.” Sang-Hee’s happiness, from receiving such a nice compliment, quickly disappeared as she overheard Dae-Jung scoff and mutter under his breath, “Yeah, right.” She found herself becoming more upset by the fact that he apparently thought very little of her. She recalled that this was the second time in the span of two days that he had indirectly called her unattractive.

Before breakfast concluded, butler Yang came into the dining room and announced that Sang-Hee had a visitor at the front door. Seeing that Sang-Hee, Dae-Jung and his Grandfather were becoming concerned from his announcement, butler Yang quickly continued, “He’s a young boy by the name of Shin Young.” Upon hearing the clarification, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather breathed a sigh of relief while his Grandson’s expression changed from that of concern to annoyance. Without excusing herself from the table, Sang-Hee rushed out towards the front door. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother laughed and commented, “Must be quite a boy to make Sang-Hee forget her manners like that.” Everyone but Dae-Jung laughed at the comment.

When Sang-Hee reached the front door she saw Young standing there with a broad smile on his face. Surprised that he was there, she asked, “How’d you find me?” Young replied, “I have my ways.” She motioned for him to come in and pulled him towards the dining room area. With her hands still on his arm, she greeted everyone and said, “I wanted to introduce everyone to Shin Young Oppa. He’s the friend I was telling you about earlier.” Young politely made a deep bow and said, “It is very nice to meet you. I am sorry to have come unannounced disrupting your breakfast.” Dae-Jung muttered, “Oh, so you do know you’re being disruptive.” His mother nudged him as she overheard his comment and said under her breath, “Don’t be rude.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather reassured Young that there was no interruption of their meal since it had already concluded. Excusing themselves from the group, Sang-Hee and Young walked out of the dining room and did not notice that Dae-Jung had followed them out.

When they arrived in the main sitting area, Sang-Hee asked Young, “What are you doing here?” Young responded that he had come to take her to the amusement park. Looking out the window, Sang-Hee said, “But it’s snowing outside, how can we go to the amusement park?” He smiled at her and asked, “Have you forgotten about that indoor amusement park near the south side of town?” She thought for a short while and finally recalled that there was such a place. Young’s face beamed as he asked, “Do you remember what I promised you on your last birthday when we were together?” Sang-Hee nodded her head to confirm that she did remember and replied, “You promised that when we were older and you had saved up enough money that you would take me there for my birthday.”

Young was happy that she remembered and said, “Since your real birthday is on a school day, I thought I’d take you today.” Sang-Hee smiled and replied, “Okay that sounds great. I just need to ask for permission before we go.” Sang-Hee asked Young to wait for her while she went to ask for permission. With that, she headed out of the main sitting area and bumped into Dae-Jung who was standing in the hall just outside of the room. Startled she asked, “What are you doing here?” Dae-Jung did not respond to her question and simply said, “So you’re planning on going to the amusement park?” Upon hearing his question, she asked, “Were you spying on us?” Even though he had been, Dae-Jung was the last person to admit it and answered, “No, I was walking by and you and your guest were speaking so loudly that I merely overheard it.” Not wanting to keep Young waiting, Sang-Hee replied, “Yes, we’re going to the amusement park. Why?” Trying to sound nonchalant he replied, “No reason, just thought you’d be polite enough to ask me to come along.” Sang-Hee was surprised by his response and asked, “You want to go too?” He said casually, “Yeah, why not? I don’t have anything else planned for the day.”

Although, she was still somewhat angry with him for his earlier comment, she realized that she was happy at the thought of him coming along and said, “Okay, then let’s go ask if we can go.” With a slight smirk, Dae-Jung nodded his head in agreement and the two walked back together to ask for permission. With permission granted, Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee returned to the main sitting area together. Sang-Hee said as she entered the room, “Let’s go.” Young’s happy expression quickly soured as he saw Dae-Jung standing beside Sang-Hee. Seeing his expression, Sang-Hee said, “Oh, I’m sorry I forgot to ask you if it was okay if Dae-Jung came along too.” Young forced a smile and said, “Of course it’s okay. The more the merrier.” At that comment, Dae-Jung said, “If that’s the case, we should ask if Jae-Hwa wants to go along as well. He really likes those kinds of places.” Sang-Hee agreed happily and watched as Dae-Jung went off to call Jae-Hwa.

When Jae-Hwa finally arrived at the house, the four headed out towards the indoor amusement park. Since she was the smallest person, Sang-Hee was sandwiched between Dae-Jung and Young in the backseat of the car, while Jae-Hwa sat in the front next to the driver. Jae-Hwa looked back at the three and observed that Sang-Hee’s smile starkly contrasted with Dae-Jung and Young’s soured expression. Jae-Hwa slightly chuckled and said to himself, “So Sang-Hee you really don’t know what you are getting yourself into.” When they arrived at the venue, Sang-Hee’s eyes grew wide as she took in the sights and sounds of the amusement park. She smiled widely as she saw the cute stuffed animals hanging in every booth and was becoming hungry at the sight of all the delicious looking food.

Dae-Jung and Young both took out their wallets to pay for the admission and looked sternly at one another. Seeing the scene, Jae-Hwa quickly handed the park attendant some money and grabbed the admission tickets. Sang-Hee watched the scene wondering to herself, why Dae-Jung and Young did not seem to get along very well. Again she concluded that it was because Dae-Jung did not get along well with most people. Once inside, Jae-Hwa pulled Dae-Jung back letting Young and Sang-Hee walk off together in front and asked, “Are you really going through with this?” Dae-Jung looked at the various rides, sighed and said, “I think I’ll be fine. I should have gotten over my motion sickness by now right?” Jae-Hwa looked at his friend and shook his head, “It’s not the flu. You don’t get over motion sickness.” Dae-Jung said in a haughty tone, “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.” With that Dae-Jung picked up his pace to catch up to Sang-Hee and Young. Jae-Hwa watched his friend and said, “That dolt seriously likes her.”
Jae-Hwa ran to catch up with the rest of the group and asked, “So what ride are we going on first?” Young looked over at Sang-Hee and said, “Since were celebrating Sang-Hee’s birthday, she should pick.” Sang-Hee looked around wondering what would be the best ride to go on first. She caught sight of a swinging boat, pointed and said excitedly, “I want to go on that!” Dae-Jung’s eyes grew wide as he looked over in the direction where she pointed and asked hesitantly, “On that?” Sang-Hee nodded happily as she made her way over to the ride. The rest of the group followed close behind her and Jae-Hwa said teasingly to Dae-Jung, “She sure knows how to pick them. Out of all of the rides here, she wants to go on the Viking.” Speechless Dae-Jung simply shook his head and wondered if he would lose his breakfast after riding that thing. Joining her in line the three guys looked up at the ride and watched as it swung back and forth like a pendulum. Dae-Jung felt like the lump in his throat was growing as he heard the mixed screams of excitement and fear being emitted from the ride.

As they neared the front of the line, Sang-Hee jumped up and down excitedly and said, “This is going to be so much fun.” Young smiled to see her happy disposition and did not even care that they were not alone. Jae-Hwa said quietly to Dae-Jung as they advanced forward, “There’s still time for you to back out. Just say you have to go the bathroom. Try riding one of the tamer rides later.” Dae-Jung shot a warning glare at his friend and replied, “Tamer rides? If even Sang-Hee can go on this thing, I can’t see why I wouldn’t be able to.” Jae-Hwa said logically, “She can ride this because she doesn’t have motion sickness, you idiot. That pride of yours’ is going to keep getting you into trouble.” Dae-Jung did not respond, folded his arms and reassured himself that everything would be fine.

When it was their turn to board the ride, the four filed in one after the other and sat down. Sang-Hee looked to her left and saw that Young was smiling as he fastened his restraint buckle. She then turned her attention to her right and saw that Dae-Jung was doing the same. She noticed that Dae-Jung’s face looked starkly pale as he furrowed his brow. She looked over to Jae-Hwa and saw that he was pointing at Dae-Jung as he mouthed the words, “He has motion sickness.” Shocked by Jae-Hwa’s revelation, Sang-Hee quickly unfastened her restraint and yelled out to the ride’s operator to let her off. Both Dae-Jung and Young were shocked by her sudden outburst but followed her as she exited the ride. Standing at the ride’s exit, Young asked, “What’s the matter?” Not wanting to embarrass Dae-Jung, Sang-Hee responded “I don’t know. I was excited to go but then got really scared when I was on the ride.” Jae-Hwa smiled at her knowing that she had just lied.

Not wanting to answer any more questions about what had occurred, Sang-Hee asked if one of the guys would accompany her to buy some tea to calm down. Before Dae-Jung or Young could offer to come along, Jae-Hwa had taken her by the arm to drag her away. As he pulled her away he called back to the befuddled boys, “I’ll take her. Wait for us okay?” When they were out of earshot from both Dae-Jung and Young, Jae-Hwa stopped dead in his tracks, turned to her and asked, “So when did you start liking him?” Taken aback by the question, Sang-Hee’s eyes widened as she stuttered, “Like, like, huh?” Jae-Hwa flashed a devilish grin and clarified, “I asked, when did you start to like Kang Dae-Jung?” Blushing from his forward question, Sang-Hee declared, “I don’t like him.” Jae-Hwa pointed to her checks and asked, “So why are you blushing?” She looked to her left and then back to her right before saying, “I’m not blushing. It’s cold so my cheeks must be red from the cold.” Jae-Hwa said teasingly, “Didn’t we read a line in a Shakespeare play that went something like; Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”

Unwilling to continue the conversation Sang-Hee walked away leaving Jae-Hwa by himself. Jae-Hwa picked up his pace and caught up to her as she stood in line to purchase drinks. Seeing that she was very uncomfortable, Jae-Hwa said, “I was just kidding. I know you don’t like him.” Sang-Hee looked at Jae-Hwa wearily and did not respond. Jae-Hwa continued, “That was nice of you to spare him the embarrassment. That idiot would have been sick for a week if he rode that ride.” Sang-Hee replied, “If he has motion sickness, why would he want to come to an amusement park?” Jae-Hwa listened to her question and wondered to himself whether Sang-Hee was too dense to realize the answer to her question or whether she was just too innocent to think that Dae-Jung could have fallen for her. Seeing that Jae-Hwa was not answering her question, she continued, “I guess it’s just because he doesn’t like being left out of anything.” Jae-Hwa smiled and said, “Yeah, that’s probably it.”

Sang-Hee and Jae-Hwa saw that Dae-Jung and Young had found a vacant table underneath a tree and made their way over to the pair. Sang-Hee sat down across from Dae-Jung, handed him a bottle of water before handing Young his bottle of apple juice. Jae-Hwa sat down beside Sang-Hee and gave her the cup of warm tea. As he drank, Young asked Sang-Hee if she would like to go with him on the Ferris wheel. She looked at him, smiled and said that she would like to do so. Without another word, Young grabbed her hand and escorted her towards the ride. Dae-Jung sat incredulously as he watched them disappear into the distance. Jae-Hwa looked at Dae-Jung’s expression and thought to himself, “Even if I’m willing to back off, Young surely isn’t going to.”

Young was very happy to finally be alone with Sang-Hee and took the opportunity to ask her a question that he had wanted to ask since he found out about her living situation. Sitting in the cart of the Ferris wheel he asked her, “Sang-Hee, do you like living with the Kang family?” Sang-Hee replied “Yes, I like it there very much. Everyone is very nice to me.” Undeterred by her response Young continued, “I told my parents about meeting you at school the other day and also told them about where you were living. They suggested that I ask if you would like to come and live with us.” Sang-Hee was surprised by Young’s statement and said, “They really said that?” Young nodded his head to confirm that they had. Sang-Hee sat quietly feeling conflicted as she thought about Young’s parents.

Sang-Hee remembered that Young’s parents had treated her more like a daughter than her own parents had. She was grateful for everything that they had done for her in the past but felt that she would not be comfortable imposing on them. In a very formal tone she replied, “I don’t think I can do that. Dae-Jung’s Grandparents are my legal guardians now and I have become very attached to the family. Could you tell your parents that I am very grateful for the offer, but must decline?” Although, Young felt a tinge of pain upon hearing her response he knew that she was too modest a person to accept the offer. Seeing his expression, Sang-Hee said, “I’m sorry Young Oppa.” Young looked over at her apologetic expression and said, “Don’t be sorry, it was just a suggestion.” Seeing that Young was now smiling, Sang-Hee relaxed and enjoyed the remainder of the ride.

Sang-Hee and Young made their way back to Dae-Jung and Jae-Hwa once the ride had concluded and saw that the guys had bought some food. Sang-Hee smiled widely upon seeing her favorite snacks sprawled out on the table. She sat down and grabbed for the bag of rainbow colored cotton candy. She was surprised when Dae-Jung tugged the bag back towards himself taking it from her hands. She watched him open the bag, seize handfuls of cotton candy and shove the contents into his mouth. She exclaimed loudly, “Hey that’s mine!” Dae-Jung flashed a lopsided smile and replied, “Oh really? I didn’t see you buy it.” Unable to resist, since the cotton candy looked so delicious, Sang-Hee made a grab for the bag and began to eat it as she ran away. Dae-Jung bolted up and ran after her determined to get back his food. Young stood up to follow the two but found that he was being held back by Jae-Hwa who said, “Just let them go, they’re always like that.”

By the time Dae-Jung had caught up to Sang-Hee, she had already finished the rest of the cotton candy. She smiled and handed him the empty bag and said, “Here you can have it back.” He stared at her in amazement and said, “You are so dirty. How can you eat food that I put my hands all over?” Seeing his expression she laughed and said, “You’re the clean freak. I don’t care if you touched it. Who told you not to share?” Dae-Jung was left speechless at her response and shook his head. Sang-Hee looked around and saw that they were standing near the skyline shuttle and asked Dae-Jung, “Since we’re here, can we go on that?” Dae-Jung looked up at the shuttle and back at her face. He could see that she really wanted to go on the ride and decided that it wouldn’t hurt to accompany her. He nodded his head to consent to her request and motioned for her to follow him.

Boarding the shuttle capsule, Sang-Hee thought to herself, that since the ride moved slowly down the wire, it probably would not cause Dae-Jung much discomfort. Sitting in silence, the pair peered out the window and watched the sights of the amusement park pass by as capsule made its way down the wire. Seeing that they were alone, Sang-Hee thought it would be a good time to thank him for the kindness he had shown her earlier that morning. She looked over to him and said, “Dae-Jung Oppa.” Hearing himself being called he turned to face her and asked, “What is it?” She replied, “I wanted to thank you for Dae-Jung Jr. both he and you are a great comfort to me.” Dae-Jung did not know how to respond to her and only managed to say, “Don’t mention it. It was nothing.” Ignoring his dismissive tone, Sang-Hee continued, “It was something. It was the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a very long time.” Hearing her heartfelt statement, Dae-Jung finally replied gruffly but with a smile on his face, “Get used to it. We Kang’s will continue to be nice to you from here on out.” She smiled warmly at him before saying, “I know. And I’ll do my best to forget everything in the past and only be happy from now on.” He replied quickly, “Good.”

For the remainder of the day the four walked around the amusement park, played games, ate and had a fantastic time. They dropped Jae-Hwa and Young off at their respective homes and headed back to the Kang house. Exhausted from the eventful day, Sang-Hee began to nod off. Seeing her head tilt to the side, Dae-Jang moved closer to her and positioned her head so that it was resting on his shoulder. He thought to himself as he looked at her peaceful expression, “You should always rest this peacefully.”
Exhausted from the eventful day he had spent at the amusement park, Dae-Jung slept soundly throughout the night. He was awakened the next morning by the sound of his alarm clock and wondered why it was going off on a Sunday morning. Annoyed, he pulled on the alarm, yanking its power cord from the wall socket and threw it onto the floor. He tossed and turned trying to get into a more comfortable position and tried to go back to sleep. Much to his distress he found that sleep would not come. He looked over at the wall clock and saw that it was already eleven o’clock. He had slept through yet another Sunday breakfast and decided to get up and head downstairs.

Upon reaching the lower level of the house he noticed that his family was assembled in the sunroom near the porch. He thought to himself how it was strange for them to be sitting in the sunroom when it was so cold outside. He walked over to where everyone sat and asked, “Why’s everyone out here?” His Grandfather replied, “We’re just enjoying the nice winter morning.” Dae-Jung sat down beside his Grandfather and wondered what was so nice about a winter morning. His eyes scanned the room and saw that Sang-Hee was not present. He figured that she was probably still asleep, fatigued from going on so many rides the day before. With that thought in mind, Dae-Jung asked, “Is Sang-Hee still sleeping?” His Grandfather looked at him, smiled slyly and replied, “No she’s out in the backyard with Shin Young.

Startled by his Grandfather’s response, Dae-Jung sprung up from his seat and asked, “She’s where and with whom?” His Grandfather did not seem to register his strange reaction and simply repeated, “She’s in the backyard with Shin Young.” Without saying another word, Dae-Jung quickly made his way to the backyard. When he reached his intended destination he saw that Sang-Hee was sitting with Shin Young underneath the main gazebo. He grew frustrated upon realizing that she was wearing the same summer dress she had worn on the summer solstice day when they two had sat beneath that very same gazebo. He asked himself in an agitated tone, “What the heck is she doing wearing a summer dress when it’s freezing out here? Is she crazy?” His agitation quickly turned into anger when he saw Shin Young grab Sang-Hee and pull her towards his body in a tight embrace.

Not able to contain himself Dae-Jung rushed over to the pair and demanded, “What are you two doing?” He was shocked when the two did not break apart even though he stood before them. Shin Young only looked at him and said, “I’m hugging my girlfriend. What’s it to you?” Dae-Jung was speechless upon hearing Young’s response but could not believe what he heard. Upset that she was not clarifying the issue, Dae-Jung reached out and pulled Sang-Hee away from Young’s grasp and asked her pointedly, “You’re his what?”

Dae-Jung watched as she stood still not responding to his inquiry. Her non-response caused him to become even angrier and the next thing he knew he had blurted out, “How can he be your boyfriend, when I’m the one who likes you so much?!” Astonished by his own confession he let go of her arm and stepped back. Seeing that Sang-Hee was beginning to open her mouth to respond, Dae-Jung was suddenly startled by the abruptness of his contact with the ground. He looked around in disbelief and saw that he was in his bedroom still in his pajamas. Thinking back to what he thought he had just witnessed, Dae-Jung began to ask himself a series of questions, “It was all a dream? What did I say? Did I really say I like her? What the heck is going on here?” Standing up slowly from the floor, Dae-Jung brushed himself off before asking himself, “Do I like her?” Shocked by his own realization Dae-Jung’s eyes grew wide as he finally admitted to himself, “I really do like her.”

Bewildered by the emotions he was feeling, Dae-Jung resolved to not think about the issue any further and decided to go downstairs. Upon making this decision, he proceeded to exit his bedroom just in time to see that Sang-Hee was also coming out of her room. He felt like a deer caught in headlights and was only able to stare at her blankly. She looked at him, smiled and asked, “Did you sleep well last night?” Unable to speak he simply nodded his head and quickly walked away. When he arrived downstairs, Dae-Jung found that he had not missed breakfast and watched as it was being served. He made his way to the dining room table and sat down beside his mother. He then began to shovel food into his mouth hastily. His mother looked at him, smiled and said, “You are up early today and you look like you’re starving.” Dae-Jung continued to eat and only nodded his head to acknowledge his mother’s comment. A short while later, Sang-Hee entered the room and greeted everyone before taking her seat by Dae-Jung. He tensed upon feeling her within such close vicinity to himself and tried to eat faster hoping to escape the room as soon as possible.

Sang-Hee noticed that Dae-Jung was eating very quickly not bothering to chew his food very well and said in a concerned tone, “You should slow down or you’re going to choke.” Immediately after she had finished the warning, Dae-Jung suddenly coughed as food had actually gone down the wrong pipe. Seeing her prediction come to fruition, Sang-Hee quickly stood up and began to pat him on the back hoping to help him clear the remaining food from his throat. When he managed to control his fits of coughing, Dae-Jung stood up and excused himself from the room in order to go and clean himself up. His parents wondered why their son was behaving so strangely but concluded that it was because he was not used to eating breakfast so early on the weekend. Seeing him leave, Sang-Hee politely excused herself from the room stating that she wanted to make sure he was okay. The adults watched as she left and commented on how she and Dae-Jung were very close, just like real relatives.

Staring at himself in his bathroom mirror he asked his reflection, “What am I going to do? I can’t very well avoid her forever, she lives her after all.” Unable to come up with a satisfactory answer to his own question he wiped the water off of his face, turned off the light and walked out of the bathroom. He was startled to see that she was standing in the doorway of his room and asked, “What are you doing in here?” Sang-Hee observed that he had regained most of his color and replied, “I came to see if you were okay.” Waving her off he said in the most unaffected tone he could muster, “I’m fine. You can leave now.” She stood still not moving and asked, “Did I do something wrong?” Not providing a response to her question, he proceeded to ask her, “What are you talking about?” Ignoring his instructions to leave, Sang-Hee walked into his room and came closer to him as she replied, “You seem to be angry with me for some reason. Did I do something wrong?”

Seeing the discomfort on her face, Dae-Jung softened his tone and said, “No, I just don’t quite feel like myself today and just want to be alone for awhile.” Sang-Hee was relieved to hear that she was not the root cause of his issues. Although, he had expressed a desire to be left alone, Sang-Hee was still unwilling to leave. Holding up a string and a needle she asked, “Should I help you with this?” Seeing the instruments in her hands Dae-Jung asked, “What’s that? Are you trying to sew something in my room?” She laughed and said, “No, I want to help you prick your fingers so you won’t have any lingering negative affects from the indigestion.” Dae-Jung was confused and asked, “How is pricking my fingers going to help with indigestion?” Sang-Hee shrugged her shoulders and said, “This is what the adults in my family did for me when I had indigestion and I always felt better afterwards. Do you want to try?”

Sensing that she would not go away until she did what she had set out to accomplish, Dae-Jung reluctantly nodded his head in agreement. With that signal she walked over to him, took his hand and led him to the bed. As she held onto his hand, he could feel his heartbeat speed up and felt as if his heart would just burst from his chest. Letting go of his hand, Sang-Hee pointed for him to sit down. Already feeling weak in the knees he sat down obediently and looked up at her. She sat down beside him and began to get to work. She warned him to brace himself as she was about to prick his finger. After she had finished she looked up at him, smiled and said, “You have a really high tolerance for pain, you didn’t even seem to notice when I pricked your finger.” Looking at her smiling face, he thought to himself, “That’s because I can’t feel anything besides the pounding of my heart.”
Sang-Hee sensed that something was weighing heavily on Dae-Jung’s mind and wondered if there was anything she could do to help him. She remembered that he had mentioned wanting to be alone and reluctantly said, “If you’re feeling better, I’ll leave now.” Seeing his unresponsiveness, she stood up from his bed and started to make her way towards the door. Before she was able to reach the exit, she heard Dae-Jung suddenly groan. Upon hearing the sound, she spun around and saw a distinct look of discomfort overtake his face. She watched as he then proceeded to repeatedly pat his chest with his right hand. She concluded that he must be experiencing indigestion pains and rushed back to his side.

In a highly concerned tone, Sang-Hee asked, “Are you okay?” He looked up at her with a wounded expression and replied, “My chest hurts.” Puzzled, Sang-Hee said, “I must not have pricked your fingers correctly. I’m so sorry.” Unsure of what should be done; she began to rub his back hoping that this would ease his discomfort. Much to her dismay, she observed that even rubbing his back was not helping. She tried desperately to think of other methods that could be used to reduce indigestion pains and recalled that applying pressure to the chest area was also recommended. Without any hesitation she wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him into a tight embrace. She figured that hugging him tightly was the only other alternative to apply pressure since she knew he would not allow her to sit on top of his back.

While hugging him, she explained that she needed to apply pressure to his chest to relieve him of his indigestion pains. Dae-Jung was shocked by their sudden closeness and did not know what to do next. When he had decided to fake his pain in order to keep her in the room, he never imagined that this would be the end result. Although, this was an unexpected turn of events it most certainly was not unwelcomed. Relishing the moment, Dae-Jung smiled broadly and thought to himself that it was as though he had found his other half. Noticing that Dae-Jung’s body seemed to become more relaxed, she concluded that the applied pressure was beginning to help ease his pain. Breaking away from their embrace, Sang-Hee stepped back and looked at him intently to observe if he was feeling better. She was glad to see that the discomfort previously shown on his face had all but disappeared.

Sang-Hee wanted to confirm that he was indeed feeling better and asked, “Does your chest still hurt?” Dae-Jung shook his head to indicate that it did not, and said, “Even if it doesn’t hurt right now, it might start to hurt again later.” Sang-Hee thought that this was possible and said, “I think you’re right, you can never be too sure with indigestion pain.” She wondered if she should go to ask butler Yang to see if there was any medicine he could take to prevent this from happening. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she heard Dae-Jung ask, “Can you stay here with me until I feel a hundred percent better?” Sang-Hee looked at him, smiled and said, “Of course I can stay.” Dae-Jung nodded his head and slightly smiled upon hearing her response.

Dae-Jung suggested that since she was there that they play a game of Go-Stop to pass the time. Sang-Hee smiled and happily consented since it was a game that she liked very much. He pointed to his desk and said, “The cards are in the bottom drawer.” Sang-Hee walked over to his desk and retrieved the card. The two sat on his bed and began to play the card game. As the game progressed, Dae-Jung thought that he would take this opportunity to ask her some questions about matters of the heart.

Although, he was very nervous, Dae-Jung tried his best to sound casual as he asked, “Sang-Hee, since you’re a girl, I wanted to ask you about something.” Sang-Hee did not look up from the cards she held in her hands and replied, “Sure, go ahead and ask. I’ll try my best to provide you with good answers.” Still trying to remain calm, Dae-Jung asked, “If guy A likes girl B; do you think he should tell her?” Dae-Jung’s question caused Sang-Hee to look up from her Go-Stop cards and become flustered. She felt a painful sensation creep over her as she realized that he was asking for her advice on whether he should confess his feelings to another girl.

Although, Sang-Hee felt uncomfortable with the topic, she replied, “If he really likes her, he should tell her.” Dae-Jung contemplated her answer before asking, “But what if he doesn’t know whether she likes him back or not. If she doesn’t like him back then their friendship would be ruined by him confessing to her, right?” Sang-Hee could tell that the girl in question was someone who was very special to Dae-Jung. Sang-Hee was surprised that he would go as far as to conceal his feelings for the girl just to have the chance to be by her side, even if it was just as a friend. Part of Sang-Hee wanted to advise Dae-Jung against confessing to the girl. But she finally decided against doing so, since this would end up hurting him. She reluctantly replied, “It sounds like guy A really likes girl B and if that’s the case then he should take the risk and tell her. If he continues to keep his feelings a secret she’ll never know and any chance that they could be together would be gone, right?” Dae-Jung listened to her answer, nodded his head and said, “I guess you’re right, but I think it’s much easier said than done.”

After the question and answer session, Sang-Hee discovered that her level of discomfort continued to increase as she sat with Dae-Jung. Since she did not want to be around him any longer, she excused herself by saying that she needed to go to her room to study. Wanting to stay with her a little longer, Dae-Jung asked, “Do you want to study in here with me?” She thought carefully before saying, “No, it’s okay. My notes are on my computer so I can’t study here.” Dae-Jung furrowed his brows and replied, “If your notes are on your computer, just print them out and come back here and study with me.”

Having already made up her mind, Sang-Hee said, “You won’t study, you’ll just bother me. I won’t get anything done so I would prefer studying by myself.” Dae-Jung was taken aback by her comment and wondered why she was behaving so strangely. Concerned he asked, “Are you mad at me?” Sang-Hee looked over at him and asked, “Why would I be mad at you?” Dae-Jung shrugged his shoulders and replied that he thought she just seemed upset. Sang-Hee reassured him that she was neither mad nor upset and repeated that she just wanted to study by herself. She made her way out of his bedroom and stood in the hall as she thought to herself, “I’m not mad or upset, but for some reason I am very sad.”
Sitting alone in her room, Sang-Hee hugged Dae-Jung, Jr. tightly and asked him, “If guy A already likes girl B, and you throw into this equation a silly girl C who has fallen for guy A, doesn’t that just complicate everything?” She looked at Dae-Jung, Jr. and wished that he would tell her how to solve this seemingly impossible equation. Recalling the question that Jae-Hwa had asked her at the amusement park about when she had started to like Dae-Jung, Sang-Hee admitted aloud to Dae-Jung, Jr. “I started to like him the night be gave you to me.” Realizing that she would become heartbroken if she continued to leave her feelings for Dae-Jung unchecked, Sang-Hee decided that avoiding him would be the best possible solution.

With that solution in mind, over the next couple of days, Sang-Hee proceeded to limit her interactions with Dae-Jung as much as possible. When they were at school, she was careful to gravitate towards Shin Young or Jae-Hwa in order to reduce the amount of time she would have to spend alone with Dae-Jung. And when they were at home, she waited until he was busy downstairs before entering to clean his room. She was also very careful to finish up before he returned. She did not know that her actions over the past few days had put Dae-Jung into a complete state of turmoil. Since Sang-Hee was not a very discreet person, Dae-Jung quickly figured out that she was purposely avoiding him. He wondered repeatedly to himself whether she was avoiding him because she had figured out that he was guy A and that she was girl B. If that were truly the case, then he could only assume that she did no reciprocate his feelings and became frustrated that he had even mentioned anything in the first place. His level of frustration caused the interactions that he did have with her to become very strained.

By mid-week, Jae-Hwa had already begun to see that something strange was going on between Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee. He wanted to figure out what was going on and made an attempt to draw out information from Dae-Jung but soon realized that none would be forthcoming. He then turned his efforts towards Sang-Hee, who by all estimations was the easier of the two to break. Under the guise of needing help with their upcoming History exam, Jae-Hwa asked Sang-Hee if she would stay behind after school to help him study. Seizing the opportunity to miss riding home with Dae-Jung, Sang-Hee quickly consented to the request. And although, Dae-Jung had begun to voice his opposition to the pair’s plans, he could say no more when Jae-Hwa reassured him that permission had already been granted from his Grandfather to allow Sang-Hee to stay behind at school if Jae-Hwa promised to escort her home when they were done. Reluctantly, Dae-Jung left for home in the family car by himself.

When they were finally alone, Jae-Hwa began to get to work on his information search and casually asked her questions, which were non-related to their History lessons. Sang-Hee quickly saw that he was not interested in studying for their History exam and asked him, “If you didn’t want to keep me here to help you study, what is it that you are trying to do?” Jae-Hwa smiled at her sudden acuteness and replied bluntly, “I noticed that something was going on between you and Dae-Jung so I wanted to figure out what it was.” Sang-Hee became uncomfortable with the mention of Dae-Jung name and asked, “Is it really that obvious?” Jae-Hwa nodded his head with an exaggerated motion and answered, “Yeah, it’s so obvious that you’re avoiding him and that he’s getting really mad about it.”

Sang-Hee knew that Jae-Hwa’s assertions were correct and she also knew that Dae-Jung had become very upset with her dismissive and avoiding behavior. Since it was clear that Jae-Hwa had already found out her true feelings for Dae-Jung, Sang-Hee was happy to confide in him the real reason behind their strained relationship. She told him about the conversation that she and Dae-Jung had on Sunday afternoon and said dejectedly, “Ever since I found out that Dae-Jung has someone in his heart, I’ve felt very uncomfortable around him, so I’ve been trying to avoid him so that these feelings can go away.” Once Jae-Hwa had become fully aware of the problems that existed between the two, he asked himself, “How can Sang-Hee not know that she’s girl B?” He wondered why she had not realized that she was the only girl that Dae-Jung had ever bothered to interact with.

Although, Jae-Hwa had become fully aware that this whole situation was a big misunderstanding he knew that it was not his place to resolve it. Jae-Hwa thought that it would be best if Dae-Jung revealed his true feelings for Sang-Hee himself. He did however advise Sang-Hee to stop avoiding Dae-Jung since this was not the proper solution to her problems. Seeing that she was not completely convinced with his advice, Jae-Hwa asked her, “Didn’t you tell Dae-Jung to confess his feeling to the girl that he liked?” Sang-He nodded her head not knowing why Jae-Hwa had asked her this question. Seeing her confused expression, he continued, “So shouldn’t you take your own advice and tell Dae-Jung that you like him?” Sang-Hee was startled by his question and quickly asked, “Huh, why would I do that?” Jae-Hwa replied, “Didn’t you tell Dae-Jung that if a person hid their feelings from the person that they liked, that it would mean that any chance that they could be together would be gone?”

Sang-Hee contemplated his words but did not know how to respond. Seeing her bewildered expression, Jae-Hwa said, “I’ve liked plenty of girls in my day and know that matters of the heart cannot be avoided. You should try to face your issues instead of running away from them.” Jae-Hwa contemplated his own relationship with Sang-Hee and said with sincerity, “Even if you can’t be with the person you like, sometimes just being by their side as a friend has its own rewards.” Sang-Hee nodded her head in agreement and decided that what he was saying was absolutely correct. She smiled at him sweetly and thanked him for listening to her troubles. Jae-Hwa returned the smile and replied, “I’ll always be here if you need me.”

With a renewed sense of serenity, Sang-Hee entered the house after she was dropped off by Jae-Hwa’s driver and quickly went to Dae-Jung’s room in hopes of mending their somewhat tattered relationship. She knocked on his door and heard him ask who it was. She replied, “It’s me, I wanted to let you know that I was back and wanted to see if it was okay if I came in to clean your room now.” Dae-Jung was surprised that it was Sang-Hee and quickly made his way to the door. When he opened the door he saw that she was standing before him with a smile on her face and wondered what was going on. He noted that she seemed like a completely different person and wondered what had caused the sudden transformation.

Trying to remain calm he beckoned for her to enter and asked, “So how did your study session go?” She placed her book bag down on the floor, proceeded to walk further into his room as she replied, “Surprisingly well. I think I learned a lot today.” Dae-Jung did not fully understand her response but was glad to see that their interactions with one another had returned to normal. Dae-Jung watched as she cleaned his room and asked her if she was excited about her birthday party this upcoming Saturday. She looked up from her task and smiled at him saying, “Yes, I’m looking forward to it. At first I thought I might be very anxious about the party, but I think I’ve gotten overcome that anxiety now.”

Dae-Jung thought to himself, “Oh, so she’s been acting so strange because she was worried about the party.” He found that his thoughts were interrupted when he heard her say, “Have you prepared a good gift for me yet?” Looking up at her relaxed smile, he replied playfully, “Of course I’ve prepared a good gift, you know how thoughtful I can be when I put my mind to it.” Seeing his bright smile as he talked, Sang-Hee was very happy that Jae-Hwa had convinced her to stop avoiding him and thought to herself, “The rewards of being friends with the person you like is truly a great gift. I will treasure it always.”

At school, Jae-Hwa noted that it appeared as though Dae-Jung’s relationship with Sang-Hee had been fully restored as the two begun to come and go with one another as usual. Shin Young also noticed that the pair were on much better terms now and wondered what was actually going on. The remainder of the school week passed relatively quickly and the day of her big birthday celebration had finally arrived. Everyone in the Kang household busily prepared for the party and the women of the house had taken Sang-Hee out to the hair salon to get her hair and make-up done. Dae-Jung too had an important task to complete and headed out of the house to go to the east side of town.

With only an hour before the party was scheduled to start everyone in the Kang household was assembled in the main hall as Dae-Jung’s mother gave her instructions regarding the guests, food and entertainment. Sang-Hee looked out her window at the backyard and saw that a big white canopy had been erected on the back lawn. She watched as people entered and exited the canopy with treys of food and beverages. She looked at herself in the mirror smiling at the reflection the peered back. She could not imagine that she would be able to have such a grand sweet sixteen party and tilted from side to side to see her dress sway. Hearing that she was being called by Dae-Jung’s Grandmother from the hallway, Sang-Hee quickly exited her room and met the elderly woman near the stairway. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother smiled broadly as she looked at Sang-Hee and said, “You look so beautiful in that dress.” Sang-Hee blushed at the compliment and wondered what Dae-Jung would think when he saw her.

Dae-Jung’s Grandmother asked whether she would be wearing the necklace that she had given to her a while back, which caused Sang-Hee to startle. She did not know how to respond since she knew that the necklace had already been pawned. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother smiled and said, “The necklace would go very well with your dress, but if you don’t want to, it’s okay.” Sang-Hee felt a deep sense of remorse and began to say “I, I would like to wear the necklace, but …” Before she could continue she was interrupted by the sound of Dae-Jung’s voice as he interjected, “Grandmother, I think she would love to wear that necklace tonight.” Sang-Hee looked up astonished at Dae-Jung as worry quickly overtook her face. Dae-Jung simply smiled at her and looked back towards his Grandmother and asked, “Would it be okay if Sang-Hee stayed up here for a little while to help me with my tie? I can’t figure out how to tie it correctly.” Dae-Jung’s Grandmother smiled and replied, “Of course, but both of you come down when you’re ready. Try to hurry though, since the guests will be arriving in less than an hour.”

Dazed by the turn of events, Sang-Hee tentatively followed Dae-Jung into his bedroom and quickly asked, “Why did you say that I would wear the necklace, you know that I pawned already.” Dae-Jung saw the concern on her face, took out the necklace from his pocket and replied, “I said that because I have it right here.” Shocked, Sang-Hee watched as he dangled the necklace in his hand. She couldn’t believe that he had gone back to the pawn shop to retrieve it and said gratefully, “Dae-Jung, thank you so much for doing that!” He smiled upon seeing her so thrilled and was finally cognizant of the way she looked as she stood before him. He observed that half of her hair was swept back and clipped with a delicate hairpin while her demure knee length, strapless white empire bodice dress hugged the curves of her body. The black satin sash that wrapped around the waistline of the dress only helped to emphasize her delicate frame. He thought to himself how stunning she looked and found it hard to look away.

Sang-Hee blushed as she saw his expression as he looked at her and wondered whether he thought that she looked okay. Realizing that he had been staring at her for too long a period of time, Dae-Jung quickly averted his eyes and said, “You look nice today.” Sang-Hee blushed at his compliment and replied, “Thank you for saying so.” Turning his attention back to the necklace he held in his hand he asked, “Do you want me to help you with this?” Sang-Hee smiled and nodded her head to indicate that she would like his assistance and turned her back to him as she pulled up her hair to make it easier for him to put on the necklace. He walked up to her tentatively and draped the necklace around her neck before closing the clasp. Sang-Hee readjusted the necklace and turned back around to face him. She asked, “How does it look.” Dae-Jung stood speechless for a moment before replying, “It looks great.”

Knowing that the family was waiting from them, Dae-Jung reluctantly suggested that they head downstairs. But before he could move past her, Sang-Hee reminded him that he still did not have his tie fastened. She went to his bed and grabbed his tie and walked over to him. She held up the tie and offered “Here let me help you with this.” He nodded and observed her as she began to loop the tie around his neck. He watched as she focused on fastening his necktie and was happy that they were able to share this moment before the party guest had arrived.

Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee made their way downstairs and headed towards the canopy, which had been constructed on the back lawn. Although, it was a cold winter’s day, strategically placed heat lamps around the canopy helped to spread warmth within the structure. The comfortable temperature within the canopy allowed Sang-Hee to wear her strapless dress with little need for even a light jacket. When she entered the canopy, Sang-Hee looked around and saw pristine tables covered with white linen tablecloths surrounded by chairs complete with white slip covers adorned with pink stashes tied in perfect bows. Bouquets of pink Stargazer lilies in elegant flower vases sat atop each table surrounded by eight place settings all placed at equal distances apart. A stage had been set up towards the front end of the canopy with a small dance floor positioned at its base. Pink and white balloons attached with spiral strings floated in the air.

Dae-Jung saw that Sang-Hee was completely awe struck by what she saw and leaned towards her to ask, “Doesn’t this look more like a wedding set up then a sweet sixteen party?” Sang-Hee looked over at him and saw that he was smiling at her sweetly and replied, “I have never been to a sweet sixteen or wedding party so I can’t really answer that.” Hearing her response Dae-Jung said, “Well since you’re having a sweet sixteen party that is this grand, we’ll just have to make sure your wedding party is even more impressive.” Dae-Jung’s eyes grew wide upon realizing what he had just said and quickly clarified in a flustered tone, “I just mean that my Grandparents and parents would want you to have an even better wedding. I mean … Oh, never mind, I don’t even know why we’re talking about weddings.” Seeing that Dae-Jung was becoming somewhat flustered, Sang-Hee jokingly replied, “We weren’t talking about weddings, you were talking about weddings. And in any event, you should just leave my wedding planning to my future husband.”

Glad to be off the topic of weddings, Dae-Jung asked Sang-Hee whether she was hungry and offered to get her some food. Being a playful mood, Sang-Hee asked, “Why are you being so nice to me today?” He looked at her with a confused expression and countered, “Are you trying to say that I am not usually nice to you?” Sang-Hee smiled at him and said, “Not as often as you should be.” He looked at her with agitation, held out his hand and said, “If that’s the case, give me back the necklace.” She grabbed the necklace’s pendant in her hand and replied, “Once you’ve given me something you can’t have it back.” With that, she walked away leaving Dae-Jung speechless as he thought to himself, “I guess you’re right. Since I’ve given you my heart, there isn’t any way I can think of to take it back.”

Dae-Jung sped up to catch up to Sang-Hee and the two made their way over to where his family members were gathered. After the pair had made their formal greetings to the adults, Dae-Jung’s Grandparents excitedly commented on how adorable they looked and expressed that they hoped that Sang-Hee would enjoy her big night. Dae-Jung’s mother smiled broadly as she looked at Sang-Hee and said, “You are so beautiful today. Looking at you like this, I really wish I had a daughter.” Dae-Jung’s Grandmother replied, “Dae-Jung will be married one day, and when that day comes you will have gained a daughter in law.” Upon hearing the discussion turn towards Dae-Jung’s future wife, Sang-Hee’s heart sank as she began to recall his mystery girl B. She looked at Dae-Jung and wondered if his girl would be at the party tonight. She did not have long to dwell on these thoughts as Dae-Jung’s Grandmother and mother began to usher her towards the canopy’s entrance to help greet guests.

Within an hour all of the guests had arrived and were enjoying the music, food and beverages as they mingled amongst themselves. Since Sang-Hee was typically uncomfortable with being the center of attention, she was relieved when the formal guest greetings were over. With that formality completed, Sang-Hee was happy to be able to rejoin her friends at their table. Dae-Jung’s Grandparents thought it would be best to have her sit with her friends instead of at the main table with them. Sang-Hee had a sweet smile on her face as she approached her group of friends and took her seat between Dae-Jung and Shin Young.

Before she had even had a chance to drink the cup of punch in front of her, she found that she was being dragged away by Jae-Hwa and led to the dance floor. She asked him as he led her along, “What are you doing?” Jae-Hwa looked at her and replied, “I’m stealing the first dance.” Seeing his ever liveliness, Sang-Hee replied, “You didn’t have to steal it, just ask next time and I would be happy to dance with you.” When they reached the dance floor Jae-Hwa placed his arms around her waist but quickly found that she had repositioned them to rest on her shoulders instead. She smiled at him and said, “You know better than that.” With an amused grin he replied, “You can’t blame a guy for trying.”

The two continued to dance and chat happily as Sang-Hee informed him that everything was okay between Dae-Jung and herself and that she was now at peace with the situation. He replied that he was happy that she had been able to let go of her burdens and asked that she now focus on repaying him for his good advice. Sang-Hee smiled at him, placed her head on his shoulder and said, “Is this enough repayment?” To which he replied, “I would have preferred a kiss, but I’ll take what I can get.” Sang-Hee laughed and said, “You’re such a flirt.” Back at the table, Dae-Jung sat fuming as he watched the pair’s interaction and said to himself, “Do you have to be close with every guy in the room?” Of similar thought, Shin Young wondered where Sang-Hee’s heart really lay. Restless, Shin Young decided that he did not want to wait on the sidelines for her affections any longer and made his way to the dance floor. Before their song was over he tapped Jae-Hwa on the shoulder and asked whether he could cut in. Jae-Hwa could not refuse and handed Sang-Hee over to her friend.

Young placed his arms on Sang-Hee’s shoulders and said, “You look so beautiful tonight.” She blushed at his compliment and replied, “Thank you, but you don’t have to say that.” Before he could respond, Sang-Hee suddenly said, “They’re playing your favorite song.” Young looked up at the band and listened as he heard the beginning notes of Alone (song by Heart). Turning his attention back to Sang-Hee, he asked, “You still remember that this is my favorite song?” Sang-Hee nodded her head and replied, “Of course I remember, you’re my best friend.” She did not let him respond before continuing, “I never understood why you like this song so much, it’s so sad.” Young slightly smiled and said, “I have my reasons.” Not fully understanding his comment, Sang-Hee simply smiled and danced comfortably in his arms as she listed to the song’s lyrics:

“I hear the ticking of the clock
I'm lying here the room's pitch dark
I wonder where you are tonight
No answer on the telephone
And the night goes by so very slow
Oh I hope that it won't end though
Alone

Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone

You don't know how long i have wanted
to touch your lips and hold you tight
You don't know how long I have waited
and I was going to tell you tonight
But the secret is still my own
and my love for you is still unknown
Alone”

When the song had concluded, Sang-Hee thanked Young for the dance and suggested that they return to their table. When they arrived back at the table, Sang-Hee sat down and began to take a drink of her fruit punch. The guys at the table all asked her if they too could have a spot on her dance card. She smiled and said she would happy to dance with everyone. She looked over towards Dae-Jung and hoped that he would ask her to dance, but noticed that he had a soured expression on his face as he stared off into the distance. She wondered what had upset him and asked him discreetly, “Are you okay?” He turned to her and answered gruffly, “No I’m not okay. You keep bothering me. Why don’t you just focus your attention on trying to dance with as many guys as possible?” She was dumbfounded by his response and replied in a hurt tone, “Just because you’re mad about something, don’t take it out on me.” With that she turned her body to face Shin Young leaving Dae-Jung even madder.

Jae-Hwa had witnessed the scene, leaned close to his friend and said, “Dae-Jung, please accompany me to my car, I forgot to bring in Sang-Hee’s gift.” Dae-Jung looked at him strangely and replied, “Why do I have to come with you? You’re a big boy, you can get it yourself.” Undeterred, Jae-Hwa replied, “It’s heavy pal, would you just come and help?” Dae-Jung shook his head, sighed and reluctantly followed. Sang-Hee watched as Dae-Jung and Jae-Hwa walked out of the canopy and could not get over the sense of melancholy that was washing over her. Feeling suffocated by her unpleasant encounter with Dae-Jung, Sang-Hee said to Young, “I’m going to step out for some air. I’ll be right back.” Young stood up as he saw her start to move out of her chair and asked, “Do you want me to come with you?” Sang-Hee wanted to be alone and replied, “No, it is okay. I‘ll be right back.” Sensing that she was troubled, he did not want to become overbearing and said, “Okay, hurry back.”

On the other side of the house, Dae-Jung walked beside Jae-Hwa and asked, “Where did you park your car?” Jae-Hwa looked at him and said, “We aren’t going to my car. I just wanted to get you out here to talk to you.” Dae-Jung looked mad and asked, “You couldn’t just talk to me in there?” Jae-Hwa replied, “No, I couldn’t. I didn’t think it was appropriate to ask you why you’re being such an idiot, in there.” Dae-Jung stared at his friend blankly and asked in an agitated tone, “What did you just say?” Jae-Hwa shook his head, feeling that his level of annoyance had reached its’ peak, and replied, “We’ve been friends our whole lives and I can tell that you like Sang-Hee. Why are you treating her like that if you have feelings for her? Do you think she’ll just fall for you if you continue to make her feel bad? It’s her birthday after all!”

Dae-Jung was stunned by his friend’s heated tone and said, “How am I supposed to act? She’s dancing with this guy and that guy and she doesn’t even care how that makes me feel.” Jae-Hwa replied, “It’s her birthday party of course she is obligated to dance with us. Did you tell her you liked her? If she knew that you liked her and still acted like that, then yes, you would have every right to be angry but knowing you and your stupid pride, I know you haven’t told her anything.” Dae-Jung listened to Jae-Hwa’s words but countered, “How can I just tell her? What if she doesn’t like me? What if we can’t even bear to be around one another after I confess?!” Jae-Hwa seemed to become calmer as he said, “Those questions are all valid and I know its scary putting yourself out there like that, but don’t you think having the chance to be with her is worth the risk? If you keep this up, sooner or later someone else is going to swoop in and take the risks that you weren’t willing to take, and then you really will have lost her.” Knowing that his friend was right, Dae-Jung was unable to respond and simply nodded his head, pat Jae-Hwa on his shoulder and turned to run back towards the canopy.

When he reached their table, he saw that Sang-Hee was not in her seat. He then proceeded to look towards the dance floor and saw that she was also not there. He walked up to Shin Young and asked, “Where is Sang-Hee?” Young hesitantly replied, “She said she wanted to get some air and just stepped out.” Dae-Jung thought to himself, “Where could she have gone?” and without another word exited the canopy. Young watched as Dae-Jung left and felt a sense of uneasiness overtake him. Dae-Jung ran back into the house and went to Sang-Hee’s room and found that she was not there. After a moment of contemplation, it finally dawned on him that she might have gone to the gazebo. Whenever she wanted to be alone, he noticed that she had always made her way there. He quickly headed towards the gazebo and found that she was indeed standing there alone. Her back was turned to him as she gazed up at the night sky with her arms wrapped around herself for warmth.

He approached her quietly and asked, “What are you doing out here?” Hearing his voice she turned around to face him, but did not respond. Seeing that she was not answering, Dae-Jung continued, “Aren’t you cold?” She shook her head to indicate that she was not cold. He knew she lying since he saw the goose bumps on her arms and her lips quiver as a gust of wind swept by. The two stood there for a short while in silence before Sang-Hee finally asked, “What are you doing out here?” Contemplating his answer he replied, “I came out here to ask you if you had room for me on your dance card.” She looked at him with a surprised expression and watched as he held out his hand to her.

Although, she was upset with him for his earlier behavior, she could not pass up the chance to finally be able to dance with him. She took his hand but asked tentatively, “but there’s no music?” Dae-Jung replied, “We don’t need music, I’ll sing you a song that we can dance to instead.” Sang-Hee was dumbfounded by his response and wondered why he was acting so strangely. Before she could consider the situation any further, she felt that he had wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her in close to his body and begun to guide her body swaying from side to side. She closed her eyes and gasped as she felt their closeness and listened as he begun to hum a familiar melody and sing Crush (by David Archuleta):

“I hung up the phone tonight
Something happened for the first time
Deep inside
It was a rush
What a rush
'Cause the possibility
That you would ever feel the same way
About me
It's just too much
Just too much

Why do I keep running from the truth
All I ever think about is you
You got me hypnotized
So mesmerized
And I've just got to know

Do you ever think
When you're all alone
All that we could be
Where this thing could go
Am I crazy or falling in love
Is it real or just another crush
Do you catch a breath
When I look at you
Are you holding back
Like the way I do
'Cause I'm trying, trying to walk away
But i know this crush ain't going
Away
Going away

Has it ever crossed your mind
When we're hanging,
Spending time, girl, are we just friends
Is there more
Is there more
See it's a chance we've gotta take
'Cause I believe that we can make this
Into something that'll last
Last forever
Forever”

When he had finished the first verse of the song, he pulled away from her and asked, “So?” She was not sure what he meant by the question and asked, “So, what?” He looked down and then back up at her before saying sincerely, “It’s real for me. This isn’t just a crush; I really have fallen for you. So?” Sang-Hee could hardly believe her ears and said with an astonished tone, “I’m girl B?” He smiled as he heard her response and nodded his head, hoping she would answer his initial question. She saw the adorably anxious expression on his face and bashfully responded, “It’s real for me too.” Elated by her response he hugged her tightly and thought to himself that he never wanted to let go.


Chapter 20: Our Relationship

Although, Sang-Hee delighted in the fact that she was being held so tenderly in Dae-Jung’s arm, she knew that their presence would be missed at the party and started to step back from their embrace. She was surprised when Dae-Jung suddenly pulled her back towards his body asking, “Where do you think you’re going?” The tone in which he delivered the question sent her heart aflutter, but she managed to reply, “Um, I thought that we should probably head back to the party.” Knowing that she was right, Dae-Jung unwillingly loosened his grip and broke free from their embrace. He looked at her face and could not tell if she was blushing from their close proximity to one another or if the night air had caused her cheeks to become flushed. Fearing that she might become ill due to the cold weather, he quickly removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

Not wanting the moment to end so soon, Dae-Jung suggested that they remain in the gazebo for a couple more minutes. Seeing that she was not opposed to the suggestion, Dae-Jung took her by the hand, and led her over towards the bench. Sang-Hee looked down at their clasped hands and thought to herself how well they fit together. A faint smile appeared on her face at that thought, which was noticed by Dae-Jung as he asked, “What are you smiling about?” She did not verbally respond to him, opting instead to show him, as she raised their clasped hands. Dae-Jung chuckled at the sight of her bashfulness and changed the subject by saying, “Our anniversary should be easy to remember, since it’s only one day after your birthday.” Sang-Hee looked at him and playfully replied, “You must like me a lot. I haven’t even been your girlfriend for 10 minutes and you’re already talking about our anniversary?”

Embarrassed by Sang-Hee’s astute observation, Dae-Jung quickly clarified, “It’s not because I like you a lot that I am talking about this. It’s because I’m a very organized person who always plans ahead.” Sang-Hee could sense his embarrassment but could not resist the chance to prod him further as she replied, “Well if you don’t like me very much, then let go of my hand. There are plenty of guys at the party who would probably better enjoy my company.” As she finished her statement she proceeded to pull her hand away from his grasp causing him to involuntarily tighten his grip. He watched as a knowing smile appeared on Sang-Hee’s face and knew that from that moment on she would have the upper hand in this relationship.

Turning his attention to more pertinent matters, Dae-Jung said briskly, “Since you acknowledge that you’re my girlfriend, you should know that you need to keep a good distance away from those guys at the party.” Before she could respond to his gruff demand, Dae-Jung continued, “Come to think of it, keep away from them at school, the mall, restaurants …” Before Dae-Jung could finish his thought, Sang-Hee interjected saying, “If you keep naming places, we’ll be here forever. Let’s go back before the adults begin to worry.” As she spoke, she saw that the expression on Dae-Jung’s face had suddenly changed and started to realize what was troubling him. She asked in a serious tone, “What are we going to tell your family? Will they be okay if we are like this with one another?” Dae-Jung did not know the answers to her question but replied, “We aren’t related at all. My Grandparents just happen to be your legal guardians. They probably won’t have a problem with this. I’ll talk to my Grandfather tomorrow and let him know what’s going on. So don’t worry about it.”

Although, Dae-Jung had tried to appease her fears, Sang-Hee was still apprehensive about the situation. Even though the Kang family had always treated her kindly, she understood that she was not a suitable match for Dae-Jung, given her rather undesirable lineage and her social ranking in life. Not wanting to dwell on the issue any longer, Dae-Jung suggested that they head back. With that, the new couple made their way to the canopy. Before they entered, Sang-Hee drew away her hand and gave him back his jacket. Dae-Jung was unhappy with her actions since they showed her desire to keep their relationship a secret. Seeing the upset expression on Dae-Jung’s face, Sang-Hee explained, “I think we need to be careful so that our relationship isn't revealed before you speak to your family. I don’t want to put them in a difficult position.” Dae-Jung’s expression softened upon hearing her explanation since he knew that she was only looking out for his family’s best interest. He nodded his head in agreement and opened the canopy door for her to enter.

Once inside, she and Dae-Jung took their respective seats at the table. Their friends inquired about where they had gone off to, which prompted the two to quickly reply, “We just went out for some air.” Jae-Hwa looked over at his friend and gave him a knowing smile as he leaned in to say, “Looks like you took care of business.” Dae-Jung smiled and replied, “Yeah, all thanks to you.” Jae-Hwa nodded his head, pleased with himself and said, “You two better remember my contribution when you get married.” Since Sang-Hee was now paying closer attention to Dae-Jung, she overheard the conversation between the two friends and smiled shyly upon hearing the mention of marriage. Dae-Jung caught a glimpse of her smile and discreetly grabbed her hand beneath the table as he flashed his irresistible smile at her. It quickly came time for Sang-Hee to cut her cake and open presents. Once these festivities were completed, the guests began to take their leave and all expressed their warmest birthday wishes to her.

Exhausted from the party, every member of the Kang household slept in on the next morning, except Sang-Hee who had gotten up early to prepare breakfast. She had asked the kitchen staff whether it would be okay if she prepared the morning meal since they had all worked so hard at her party the previous day. The kitchen staff gratefully accepted her considerate gesture and left as she began to get started on the meal. She had only finished preparing everything a couple of minutes before she heard voices in the dining room. She quickly placed the prepared dishes on a tray and headed out. Upon entering the dining room, she saw that all of the adults had already taken their seats at the table. She smiled, raised the tray and said, “I thought I’d make breakfast today to thank everyone for the wonderful party yesterday.” All of the adults smiled happily at her and thanked her for her thoughtfulness. Happily Sang-Hee placed the dishes down in front of each member of the family and continued to return to the kitchen to retrieve the rest of the meal.

Upon her final trip back to the dining room, she walked in to see that Dae-Jung had taken his seat by his mother, and was now staring at her with a wide grin on his face. She was struck by his sudden presence and self-conscious of his constant gaze but tried her best not to become too affected. She sheepishly walked over to him and placed his dishes on his place setting before stepping away. Dae-Jung watched her as she walked to the side table to place the serving tray down and remove her apron, all the while thinking to himself how cute the pink and white apron looked on her. He said to himself, “She’s really going to make a good wife one day” and was startled with the realization that he had already seemed to consider her as his future wife. When breakfast was completed, the family members went their separate ways since they all had previous engagements. Dae-Jung was disappointed that he would not have the chance to speak to his Grandfather about his situation with Sang-Hee, but was happy to find that he could now spend the day comfortably with her without supervision.

Seeing that Sang-Hee had intended to spend the day studying, Dae-Jung complained about how she was not a good girlfriend, leaving her boyfriend to spend the day alone. Seeing his disappointment, Sang-Hee conceded as she asked, “If you don’t want me to study, then what, do you want to do instead?” He smiled at her and replied, “Let’s go to the park.” Sang-Hee agreed to the suggestion and went to her room to put on extra winter clothing. When she was dressed appropriately, she headed back downstairs to see that Dae-Jung was already at the front door waiting for her. She called out to Dae-Jung and he looked back to see that she was wearing several layers of clothing as well a knit hat, gloves and a white scarf. He wondered to himself how she could look prettier every time he saw her. She saw his expression as he stared at her and said to herself, “I guess he likes my outfit.”

Once in the family car, Dae-Jung asked the driver to take them to the nearest park. The driver did as he was instructed and was subsequently asked by Dae-Jung to come back in two hours time. Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee strolled around the park hand in hand before Dae-Jung stopped to say, “I didn’t get a chance to give you your birthday present yesterday.” Sang-Hee did not understand his statement and replied, “What do you mean? You already gave me back the necklace.” He shook his head and replied, “That wasn’t my present. That was my Grandmother’s present to you.” Sang-Hee protested, “But you had to spend money to buy it back from the pawn shop.” Dae-Jung nodded his head and simply replied, “Yeah, but I would have gotten it back even if it wasn’t your birthday.” Upon completing his response he guided Sang-Hee over to the swings and instructed her to sit. Sitting on the swing she watched as he stood in front of her while taking out a nicely wrapped box.

She excitedly held out her hands to him as she beamed with anticipation. He laughed upon seeing her expression and said, “You’re just like a little kid on Christmas day.” She did not respond and only extended her hands out further to indicate that he should hand over the gift. Dae-Jung placed the gift in her hands and watched as she quickly tore up the wrapping. As he saw her ripping away the paper he commented, “If I knew you were going to be like this, I wouldn’t have bothered wrapping it so nicely.” Sang-Hee stopped momentarily and replied, “Should I slow down then.” She then proceeded to gently rip away the remaining wrapping. He laughed at her playfulness and said, “Oh, just hurry up.” She smiled at him and said, “See you want me to open it quickly too” and resumed her previous frenzied pace.

Sang-Hee looked at the small rectangular box with eagerness and carefully opened its lid. She peered inside and saw the most beautiful hand-crafted hanging ornament. The ornament was in the shape of a yellow sun with amber, red and orange rays and came complete with a beaded tail. She was speechless and was only able to look up at Dae-Jung with astonishment. Seeing that she liked the gift Dae-Jung explained, “Now you don’t have to wait for the summer solstice to be close to the sun.” He looked at her and noticed that she was not responding, so he continued to say, “Its hand-blown glass and it took me forever to make it, but seeing your expression is well worth the time.” Without a word, Sang-Hee stood up from the swing, threw her arms around Dae-Jung and pulled him in close to her as she moved forward to kiss him. Dae-Jung’s eyes shot wide open as he felt her lips atop his and was shocked that she had initiated their first kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and responded to her kiss as he thought to himself, “We’ll I guess she liked the gift.”

Unbeknownst to the couple, two sets of eyes were staring intently at them. The elder Mr. and Mrs. Kang had come to the park earlier that morning for a stroll and were shocked to see Sang-Hee and Dae-Jung in such an intimate situation. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother turned to her husband and said, “Is that really them?” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather nodded his head in disbelief and quickly turned his wife away to walk in the opposite direction. As the two walked away they were dumbfounded and did not know what to think of the situation. Dae-Jung’s Grandmother finally contended, “I guess it was bound to happen. They’re always together and they’re so close.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather responded hesitantly, “But this will complicate things much, much more.” With a worried sigh, his wife replied, “For the sake of us all, I pray that our families’ past ties never become unearthed.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather looked worriedly at her as she finished her statement and only nodded his head in agreement.


Chapter 21: So Hyo

Back at the Kang house, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather sat in his office staring at a weathered photograph, which had been aged by the yellow hues around its edges. The image captured in the photograph was that of himself at the young age of twenty-five standing beside his best friend, So Hyo. Hyo was the son of his father’s primary attendant and subsequently became his own attendant. Even though, Hyo was his attendant by name, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather regarded him as a brother and a most trusted confidant. The two provided support for one another in their studies, relationships and even shared the same dream of one day becoming successful in the architectural world. While Dae-Jung’s Grandfather had all of the benefits, of coming from a rich family, he saw that Hyo’s talents far outweighed his own. Hyo had the ability to produce blueprints of the most creatively functional architectural structures he had ever seen.

Dae-Jung’s Grandfather looked at the date stamp imprinted on the bottom of the picture and remembered that it was on this date that they had decided to become business partners in their own construction company. The partners decided to name their new company KS Unlimited. The company’s name held the implied meaning that when Kang and So were joined, the possibilities were unlimited. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather recalled that during that period of time, both men were working so hard to gain recognition within the architectural community, that they often neglected their own growing families.

As a testament to his unwavering commitment to their partnership, Hyo had even missed the birth of his only son in order to accompany Dae-Jung’s Grandfather on a business trip to the Gyeonggi province. Hyo had insisted on coming along with him to assist with the contract bid-defense. The trip to the Gyeonggi province proved to be successful, since the partners were able to secure the contract to break ground on a large scale high-rise apartment complex in the metropolitan city of Incheon.

Both men knew that the Incheon project would either catapult or sink KS Unlimited. Up to that point in time, the company had only ever completed small scale projects including building private homes, renovations of existing homes and office suite constructions. Although, it was Hyo’s blueprint design that had won the Incheon contract bid for the company, the financial resources to keep the company afloat came from Dae-Jung’s Grandfather’s family. Since this was the case, Hyo had always insisted that Dae-Jung’s Grandfather take the role of President of the company while he would remain the company’s primary project consultant.

Half-way through the preparation period of the Incheon project, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather and Hyo received disturbing news that several of the homes that they had built several years earlier had collapsed under the pressure of a mild earthquake. A total of 12 people had died as a direct result of the building collapses, which prompted a safety review board to conduct a private investigation on the soundness of the building structures. Nearly a month had gone by before the report was released to Dae-Jung’s Grandfather and Hyo. The report noted that while there were no structural deficiencies with the blueprint design or construction of the homes, it did attribute the collapses to gross negligence on the part of KS Unlimited. The report cited that the steel beams used to construct the homes were not up to code and different from the ones listed on the supplies contracts.

The report’s findings held that KS Unlimited was not only civilly responsible but also criminally responsible for the death of the 12 victims. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather recalled that he had been so stunned by the report’s findings that he could do nothing but sit dazed and confused in their office. Meanwhile, Hyo worked to contact the suppliers for those projects. Hyo soon found that the supplier was no longer in business and began to investigate to see why they were now defunct. His investigations led to the realization that the suppliers had been embroiled in a two year civil suit in Japan over the structural safety of their steel products. Since the company was still in pending litigation, news of their products manufacturing deficiencies could not be made public. Although, it could be argued that KS Unlimited was not aware of the misdealing of their suppliers, in the eyes of the law, the company was grossly negligent in failing to inspect the building material prior to using it in their builds.

Dae-Jung’s Grandfather knew that once the report was made public, their company would not only lose the Incheon build, but would also begin a series of intense civil and criminal litigations. Bracing himself for the worst, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather assured Hyo that they would face the upcoming challenges together. Hyo was in agreement with him and the two men promised to weather this storm together. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather remembered that he had gone home that night to his family with the deepest apprehension for what the next day would bring. During dinner that night, he received a call from Hyo asking him to meet at the office tomorrow morning at 9:00 A.M. to discuss their options with their lawyers. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather agreed and hoped that the lawyers would be able to figure out how the company would be able to at least avoid any criminal charges of gross negligence.

The next morning, before he was scheduled to meet with Hyo and the lawyers, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather turned on the television to see whether the content of the safety review board’s report had been leaked to the media. Much to his astonishment, he saw images of Hyo being arrested outside of their office building. The television news anchor reported, “In a shocking turn of events, KS Unlimited primary contractor So Hyo has admitted to the embezzlement of company funds. The police have released a statement indicating that the contractor worked with suppliers to swap quality steel products for imitation low-quality, noncompliant products, as a means of embezzling company money.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather was confused by the report and quickly made his way to the police station where Hyo was being held. He brought the company’s lawyers and gained admittance to meet with his partner. He sat with the lawyers in the police station’s meeting room and waited for Hyo to be brought out. The company’s primary lawyer indicated that he and his team would start working on the bail issue, while Mr. Kang and Mr. So spoke.

After twenty minutes of waiting, a police officer escorted Hyo into the room and left, locking the door behind him. Seeing the look of confusion on his partner’s face, Hyo explained, “This was the only way I could think of to save the company.” Upon hearing his friend’s explanation, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather, replied, “You shouldn’t have done that. We’re both responsible for this. We should’ve done a thorough check on that supplier and their products before using it in our builds.” Hyo sat quietly for a while before saying, “How could we have known, we were new to the business. But that is not important now, what’s important is the company. Since I was the primary contractor on all of those projects, it only makes sense that I admit fault, this way the company is neither civilly or criminally responsible.”

Dae-Jung’s Grandfather stared at Hyo intently before saying, “But that makes you responsible. Don’t you understand that you’ll be put in jail for this?” Hyo nodded his head solemnly and replied, “I’ve weighed all of the options and I’m okay with this. However, I do think that we will need to make reparations to the families of those 12 victims.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather slammed his fist on the table and angrily said, “I’m going out there right now to tell them the truth, you aren’t going to face this alone!” Hyo looked calmly at his friend and asked, “If you do that, who will take care of our families? Do you want our wives and children to have no one to take care of them? While I’m in here, do your best to build our company and help me look after my family.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather fought back his tears realizing that his ever logical friend was correct. If they both were in jail, their families would be the ones to suffer the most.

Resigned to circumstances, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather conceded to his friend’s wishes and watched over the next couple of months as Hyo was charged and convicted of gross negligence and sentenced to 5 years in prison. Following the sentencing, Hyo’s wife divorced him stating that she was ashamed by his dishonorable actions and quickly remarried. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather did his best to remain in contact with the So family to provide monetary assistance, but found that after Hyo’s wife had remarried, she had done her best to cut the ties between their families.

The stress of prison life coupled with his depression over the loss of his family, caused Hyo to become deathly ill. Unable to help his friend, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather could only watch as Hyo’s condition continued to deteriorate. Shortly thereafter, he received news that Hyo’s illness had overtaken him and that he had died alone in his prison cell. With the passing of his friend, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather remembered that he had vowed to find Hyo’s family to care for them as though they were his own. This promise led him to employ a private investigator to track down Hyo’s family, which ultimately resulted in him finding Sang-Hee and her family members. The recollection of this tragedy caused tears to stream down his face as he put away the photograph. He then looked over to a framed picture of Sang-Hee’s smiling face and said remorsefully, “I am truly sorry for hiding this from you, but I believe it is for the best.”

On their way back home from the park, Dae-Jung noticed that Sang-Hee had pressed herself against the car door, in order to create the most distance from him as was physically possible. He understood the motive behind her avoidance but did not think it was necessary. He had already decided that he would tell his family about their relationship the moment they arrived home. Since he did not have the same reservations as Sang-Hee, he proceeded to move closer to her. Sang-Hee immediately sensed his presence as he was now only a few inches away from her. She furrowed her brows at Dae-Jung, tilting her head to indicate that he should move away. He smiled upon seeing her expression and mouthed, “No, I don’t want to.” Seeing that he had no intention of being discreet, Sang-Hee’s eyes grew wider as she quickly responded in a stern but low voice, “Do it or else!” Teasingly, Dae-Jung whispered softly, “Or else what?”

Dae-Jung could see the wheels in Sang-Hee’s mind turning as she thought of what she should do next and grinned to himself thinking that there was nothing she could do. Much to his surprise she suddenly stomped on his foot causing him to back away and yelp in pain. As he held his foot, he looked over at her with astonishment and saw a satisfied expression overtake her face as she said, “I already warned you.” Playing up his injury, Dae-Jung closed his eyes, grimaced and exclaimed, “Oh! My foot really hurts!” Seeing him writhe in pain, Sang-Hee quickly rushed to his side, bent down to focus her attention on his foot and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do it that hard. Are you okay?” A wide grin appeared on his face as he watched her fret over him. Seeing her in that state, he bent down to covertly kiss her on the cheek and whispered, “All better now.” His affectionate behavior caused a red hue to appear on her cheek as she moved away and looked out the window trying to conceal her own bashful smile. Hearing all of the commotion coming from the backseat the driver asked, “Is everything okay back there?” Dae-Jung gave a slight chuckle and replied, “Everything’s great back here.”

When they arrived at home, they were met at the front door by butler Yang who informed Dae-Jung that his Grandfather was waiting for him the formal study. Dae-Jung indicated that he would be in shortly to see his Grandfather and thanked butler Yang for the message. He then turned to give Sang-Hee a reassuring nod and told her that everything would be okay. Seeing that they were now alone, Sang-Hee held onto his arm and asked, “What do you think your Grandfather wants to see you about? Do you think he knows?” Dae-Jung wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her closer before replying, “I don’t know what he wants to see me about, but I intended to talk to him about our relationship anyhow. Go back to your room and I’ll stop by when I’ve talked to him.” Sang-Hee was nervous about the whole situation and could only agree to wait for Dae-Jung to return.

Although, Dae-Jung tried his best to remain calm in front of Sang-Hee, he could tell that he was becoming more nervous the closer he got to his Grandfather’s study. Once outside the large oak door, Dae-Jung asked, “Grandfather, were you looking for me?” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather said behind the closed door, “Yes, come in here.” Dae-Jung opened the door and saw that his Grandfather was sitting behind the large marble desk staring at him. He noticed that there was something strange about his Grandfather’s expression, taking particular note of his puffy, red eyes. Seeing that his Grandson was staring at him, the elder Mr. Kang instructed, “Come sit down, I have a serious matter to talk to you about.” Dae-Jung did as he was asked and sat with anticipation wondering what his Grandfather wanted to discuss.

Dae-Jung’s Grandfather gave a long sigh before saying, “Your Grandmother and I were at the park this morning and we witnessed something very interesting.” Realizing that his Grandfather was fully aware of his situation with Sang-Hee, Dae-Jung quickly responded, “So, I guess you know everything then. I wanted to talk to you about it this morning, but you had already left. I really like Sang-Hee and I don’t know how you feel about the situation, but there’s nothing that’s going to stop me from being with her.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather was astonished by the conviction in his Grandson’s voice as he spoke and knew that there was nothing that could be said to deter him from pursuing his relationship with Sang-Hee. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather thought to himself, “Hyo, perhaps this is your way of forever intertwining our families.”

Dae-Jung saw that his Grandfather had not responded to his earlier statements and asked, “Grandfather, will you give us your blessing?” Not answering his Grandson’s question, his Grandfather replied, “I’ve heard everything I need to from you. Go and get Sang-Hee, I’d like to talk to her alone.” Dae-Jung was worried about his Grandfather’s request and did not want Sang-Hee to have to face him alone and said, “You can’t convince her not to be with me either, and if you try to send her away, I’ll go with her.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather softened upon seeing his Grandson’s fervor and replied, “Who said anything about sending her away? I would sooner send you away than her. I just want to ask her about how she feels about this situation before I can come up with any decision on the matter.” Relieved by his Grandfather’s response, Dae-Jung excused himself to go and get Sang-Hee.

Dae-Jung entered Sang-Hee’s room and saw that she was sitting anxiously on her bed hugging Dae-Jung Jr. Upon seeing him, Sang-Hee quickly got up from the bed and asked, “So?” He moved closer to her and replied, “I told him everything,” being sure to omit the fact that his Grandparents had seen them earlier at the park. She looked at him apprehensively and asked, “What did he say? Was he mad? Did you get yelled at? What are we going to do?” Dae-Jung smiled at her and asked, “Which question should I answer first?” Too nervous to humor him, Sang-Hee demanded, “Tell me what he said!” Seeing her worried state, he replied, “He said he wants to talk to you about the situation before he can make a decision about the matter.” Sang-Hee’s eyes widened upon hearing his response and asked in a low voice, “How can I talk to him alone?” Dae-Jung hugged her tightly and replied, “I’ll be right outside the door, so don’t worry about it.”

Sang-Hee made her way down to Dae-Jung’s Grandfather’s study with trepidation and looked at Dae-Jung before taking a deep breath and entering the room. She looked onto the ground and stood frozen with fear. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather felt for her as he saw her terrified disposition and said in a gentle tone, “Come sit down.” Still avoiding eye contact, Sang-Hee made her way to the chair and remained focused on the floor. Seeing that she was very uncomfortable, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather explained, “Dae-Jung told me about your relationship and I wanted to ask you here to confirm that it is indeed the truth. Are you two together?” She took a deep breath before nodding her head shyly confirming Dae-Jung’s statements. Upon receiving her confirmation Dae-Jung’s Grandfather asked, “Do you really like him?” Seeing that she could no longer remain silent since Dae-Jung’s Grandfather was waiting for a response, she looked up at him and said as calmly as possible, “I understand that I’m not a good match for Dae-Jung. And your family has been so kind to me over the last year, but I have to be truthful and tell you that I really, really like Dae-Jung very much. I have never felt this way about anyone in my whole life.”

Dae-Jung’s Grandfather listened intently at her response and thought that while she and Dae-Jung were very young; their convictions about love were very mature. He was about to speak when he noticed that his door had become ajar. He stood up and called out, “Dae-Jung come in here, it’s not polite to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations.” Sang-Hee quickly turned around towards the door to see Dae-Jung enter bashfully upon being caught by his Grandfather. Sang-Hee’s face turned bright red upon seeing him and realizing that he had overheard everything that she had just said. To lighten the awkward moment, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather addressed Sang-Hee, causing her and Dae-Jung to turn their attention to him, as he said, “Sang-Hee, you said that you’re not a good match for our Dae-Jung. I do not agree with you. He is a very lucky to have you as a girlfriend. I give you both my warmest blessings.” Sang-Hee was touched by his statement and replied, “Thank you for saying so, Grandfather Kang.”

Unable to contain himself, Dae-Jung quickly went to Sang-Hee and hugged her happily. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather looked at his Grandson and said teasingly, “Even if you have my blessing, you need to still observe the common etiquettes of decent behavior.” Embarrassed by his Grandfather’s chiding, Dae-Jung quickly released Sang-Hee from his grasp and said, “Oh, right. I’ll be careful from now on.” His Grandfather laughed upon seeing his changed attitude and said, “That’s good to know.” Dae-Jung smiled and asked, “But what about the rest of the family? Should I formally make the announcement about our relationship to them as well?” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather reassured the young couple that he would take care of that matter and said, “I’ll let everyone know that I’ve already approved of this situation, so you two youngsters can focus on your blossoming affections.” Sang-Hee was so embarrassed by the situation that she did not know how to respond. She simply bowed and said, “I think I have to go back to my room now” before shyly exiting the study. Dae-Jung bowed quickly to his Grandfather and called after Sang-Hee, “Hey wait for me.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather watched the two as they left and said to himself, “This was the right decision, Dae-Jung will certainly fill her life with happiness.”


Chapter 23: Bridal Fitting

True to his words, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather assembled the rest of the family members to inform them of Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee’s relationship. Seeing that her husband had already approved, Dae-Jung’s Grandmother did not raise any objections to the situation. However, Dae-Jung’s parents expressed their concern, over the fact that the children were still too young to be entering into a relationship. Furthermore, they thought that the children ought to be focused on their studies during this juncture of their lives. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather reassured the couple that the relationship could only help to improve Dae-Jung’s studies. He asked his son whether he had noticed that Dae-Jung’s test scores had greatly improved over the last couple of months. Dae-Jung’s Father answered, that he had seen a great deal of improvement in both Dae-Jung’s scores as well as his attitude towards his academic endeavors. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather asserted that these improvements were a direct result of Sang-Hee’s positive influence over him, to which he son readily agreed.

Dae-Jung’s Grandfather emphasized that while Sang-Hee’s family lineage was not optimal, their family should only judge her based on her merits. He stated that Sang-Hee had already earned his utmost love and respect with her pleasant disposition, drive and determination, despite her difficult childhood. Since Dae-Jung’s Grandfather had appeased their concerns over the situation, his parents began to warm to the idea of the children being together. They conceded that they too had already developed a great deal of affection for Sang-Hee. That night at dinner, all eyes were squarely focused on the interactions between the new couple, which caused Sang-Hee to become extremely self-conscious and Dae-Jung to become extremely elated.

Dae-Jung was relieved to see that his family was taking the news of their relationship so well and attributed everything to Sang-Hee’s ability to make those around her love her so much. However, his relief quickly turned to mortification when he heard his father say, “Even though, everyone approves of your relationship with Sang-Hee, we expect that you behave in the most gentlemanly manner. If you two are alone together in any room, you will need to be sure to leave the door wide open.” Sang-Hee looked over at Dae-Jung and saw that he had buried his face inside his left palm while he shook his head from side to side. Not being as astute as Dae-Jung, Sang-Hee failed to realize the insinuation of his father’s words and sat confused. The rest of the adults at the table laughed to see the children’s varied expressions but were mindful of the impact that their relationship would have on every member of the family.

Sang-Hee was relieved, that she would be spared any further scrutiny the next morning, since she and Dae-Jung usually did not eat breakfast with the family on school days. On their way to school in the family car, Dae-Jung informed Sang-Hee concisely, “I’m going to tell those guys at school that you’re my girlfriend, today.” Sang-Hee was surprised by his statement and asked, “Why do you have to do that?” He looked at her incredulously and answered, “So they’ll stop trying to paw at you all day long.” Sang-Hee saw the agitated expression on his face and asked, “Who’s pawing at me all day long?” Frustrated by her inability to see, what he considered to be inappropriate advances towards her, Dae-Jung gruffly said, “You don’t need to ask too many questions. I’m going to do what I want because I want to do it.” Sang-Hee shrugged and could not see the harm in him informing their friends of their relationship.

Considering the situation a little longer, she said, “Dae-Jung, I want to tell Young Oppa about us, myself.” Turning quickly to face her Dae-Jung asked, “And why do you have to make such a special exception for him?” Dae-Jung had long figured out Shin Young’s true feelings for Sang-Hee and had been concerned over the matter for quite some time now. Unaware of where Dae-Jung’s concern was coming from, Sang-Hee replied, “Because he’s my best friend, so I want to tell him personally. What’s wrong that?” Dae-Jung considered her words and knew it would be best if the news came from her, but was still uneasy about how Young might react. Realizing that he had not answered her question, Dae-Jung quickly replied, “Fine you go ahead and tell him. It’s not a big deal if you tell him instead of me.” Sang-Hee smiled sweetly at him and said, “I hope everyone isn’t too shocked about his.” With a slight smirk, Dae-Jung replied, “I hope they are.”

When they arrived at school, Sang-Hee saw that Shin Young was approaching her and quickly walked past Dae-Jung to greet him. Dae-Jung was annoyed by her actions but decided against saying anything. He watched as the two friends walked off together towards the east lawn and made his own way to meet his group of friends. Since they were alone, Sang-Hee informed Young that she had something to discuss with him regarding Dae-Jung. Before she could break the news, Young said, “You don’t need to tell me. I already know that you two are together.” Stunned by his admission, Sang-Hee asked, “How did you know? Did he say something to you?” Young gave a weak smile and replied, “We’ve been best friends since we were children. I can confidently say that there’s nothing that I don’t know about you. At the party, I already noticed the difference in the way you looked at him.” Sang-Hee was taken aback by his statement and replied, “I’m sorry for not saying anything to you about it at the party. We weren’t sure how his family was going to take the news, so we didn’t want to tell anyone.”

Looking at her, Young said, “Since you’re telling me now, I guess his family is okay with everything?” Sang-Hee nodded her head happily indicating that he was correct and noticed that he did not appear to be pleased with the news. She had hoped he would express his approval of the relationship, since his opinion was very important to her. Seeing the dejected expression on her face, Young forced a smile and said, “I’m very happy for you. I think you two make a very nice couple.” Happy to have received his approval, Sang-Hee hugged him tightly and thanked him for his sentiments. With Sang-Hee in his arms he hugged her tighter and thought to himself, “Even if I can’t have you. You’ll always have me.”

The news of Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee’s relationship came as a surprise to most of their friends. This quickly became the main topic of discussion when everyone had gathered for lunch. Several of the guys had expressed that Sang-Hee’s relationship with Dae-Jung was like that of beauty and the beast, while others commented on how it felt more like Sang-Hee was doing charity work by being his girlfriend. Dae-Jung was extremely annoyed by his friend’s constant belittlement of himself in front of Sang-Hee and wondered if she thought any less of him given these assessments. He was further displeased when Jae-Hwa teased, “Sang-Hee must like the underdog, since she’s willing to give her heart to the most unworthy one in our group.” Before Dae-Jung could respond to Jae-Hwa’s taunt, Sang-Hee boldly replied, “He’s not like you guys are saying. He’s very worthy of my affection and I think he’ll be a very good boyfriend.” All of their friends were left in awe by her statement and admitted utter and complete defeat. Dae-Jung could do nothing but smile widely at her statement and take hold of her hand. Sang-Hee found that the predictions within her statement were extremely accurate. Over the next six years, Dae-Jung had proved himself to be a very good boyfriend.

While she stood up on stage at the podium giving her valedictorian speech to an auditorium full of University faculty and her peers, Sang-Hee could only focus her eyes on Dae-Jung’s bright smile as he sat below in his cap and gown. She could see the mixed expression of love and pride, overtake his face as he watched and listened to her speech. When the commencement ceremony had concluded, Sang-Hee met Dae-Jung in the large courtyard and the two made their way over to his family. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather, Father and Mother beamed with pride as they saw Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee in their caps and gowns and congratulated them on their great achievement. Dae-Jung’s Grandfather warmly hugged the two and said, “If your Grandmother was still with us, she would be very proud of you two.” Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee were saddened by the mention of the elder Mrs. Kang, recalling that she had only passed away a few months prior to this date.

Dae-Jung’s Grandfather saw a tear fall from Sang-Hee’s eyes at the mention of his wife and quickly said, “This is a happy day. I didn’t mention her to make you sad. I just wanted you both to know that she was always proud of you.” Sang-Hee wiped away her tears and hugged Dae-Jung’s Grandfather tightly trying to comfort him as best she could. Dae-Jung’s Father changed the subject by saying, “Since you two have now graduated, I’ll be expecting you to start work for the company sooner rather than later.” Dae-Jung nodded his head and replied, “I knew you would. We’re both excited to get to work as well.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather commented, “Now that we have two certified architectural engineers in our family, KS Unlimited will only become more successful.”

Dae-Jung looked at his watch and said to his family, “We’ll meet you for dinner later tonight at the restaurant. It's getting late so we'll need to get going now to do the wedding fittings.” With that the family parted ways so that Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee would not miss their fitting appointment at the bridal shop. On the way to the bridal shop, Sang-Hee received a call from Shin Young, who apologized for not making it to her graduation ceremony. He informed her that he would be back in time for the wedding and would present her with her graduation gift at that time. She thanked him for thinking of her and asked what the gift was. Shin Young simply responded that she would see on the night of the wedding.

When they finally made it to the bridal shop they were greeted by several employees who ushered them to the fitting area. Upon reaching the fitting rooms, Dae-Jung was greeted by Jae-Hwa who complained, “You’re finally here. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you two? You know we can’t get started until you two are here.” Dae-Jung saw the exasperation on his friend’s face and replied, “Well we’re here now so stop complaining.” Sang-Hee laughed to see Jae-Hwa’s concerned expression and said, “You’re really worried about your wedding aren’t you?” to which Dae-Jung added teasingly, “Who would’ve thought that you would be the first to get married out of all of us.” Jae-Hwa smiled and replied, “Just because I was always popular with the girls, doesn’t mean I never intended to settle down.”

When he finished his statement, he heard a familiar voice ask, “Just how popular were you with all of these girls?” Jae-Hwa quickly turned his attention to the person speaking and replied, “Girls, who said anything girls?” He then proceeded to grab his bride to be for a hug and a kiss. His blushing bride simply rolled her eyes, breaking free from his grasp before heading over to Sang-Hee to take her by the hand. As she did this, she said, “Sang-Hee, let’s go. You have to hurry so you can get fitted for the maid of honor dress.” Sang-Hee smiled at her friend and replied, “Okay, Hyun-Ae. Let’s go, I know how long you’ve waited for this day.” Hyun-Ae gave Sang-Hee a slight nudge and said, “Stop making fun of me. One day this is going to be you and then you’ll know how it feels.” Sang-Hee looked bashfully towards Dae-Jung as Hyun-Ae finished her statement and saw a wide grin on his face, which caused her to blush. Hyun-Ae proceeded to usher Sang-Hee towards the main fitting room leaving the two men alone.

Dae-Jung’s fitting for the best man’s suit did not take long and he stood by the large mirror looking over his cufflinks as he waited for the rest of the group to appear. He thought that Jae-Hwa’s choice in the best man/groomsmen outfits were very well suited to his typically stylish tastes. He looked at his watch and wondered how much longer Sang-Hee and Hyun-Ae would be. He soon found that Jae-Hwa was exiting the dressing room wearing a new white suit and said, “You look good.” Jae-Hwa replied, “Of course I do. When don’t I?” Dae-Jung shook his head at his conceited friend and said, “You’re lucky Hyun-Ae agreed to marry such a pompous person like you. Jae-Hwa did not respond to the comment and simply said, “The girls are almost done, they should be coming out soon.”

Right after Jae-Hwa had finished his statement, Dae-Jung watched stunned as Sang-Hee and Hyun-Ae exited the dressing room. Sang-Hee was helping with the train of Hyun-Ae’s wedding dress and smiled upon seeing Dae-Jung staring at her. Dae-Jung could not believe how beautiful Sang-Hee was in her strapless lavender maid of honor’s dress. He wondered to himself, “If she’s this gorgeous wearing a maid of honor gown, how beautiful will she be when we get married?” Jae-Hwa saw Dae-Jung’s expression and chided, “Hey stop staring at your girlfriend and pay attention to the bride and groom here!” Dae-Jung quickly responded, “Yes, Mr. Groom. What can this best man do to assist you?” The girls laughed at the exchange between the two guys and proceeded to pick out accessories and bouquets that would be best for the big day.


Chapter 24: Blueprint

Sang-Hee sat on a large ottoman in the bridal shop’s main fitting area, and continued to organize the hairpins and floral accessories, that had been chosen for the wedding party. She heard Hyun-Ae ask, from behind a closed dressing room door, “Sang-Hee, what time is it?” Looking at her watch, Sang-Hee answered, “It’s almost 7:00.” Hearing the time, Hyun-Ae said, “Wow, we finished everything really quickly today. I thought we’d be here until at least 8.” Sang-Hee replied, “It’s because you’re so efficient, you knew exactly what you wanted. Jae-Hwa’s very lucky to have such a competent fiancé.” Sang-Hee could hear Hyun-Ae giggle from inside the dressing room in response to her compliment and was happy that her friend was thoroughly enjoying herself.

A few moments later, Hyun-Ae exited the dressing room in her regular clothes and asked Sang-Hee, “Since we have a little time left over, do you want to try on a wedding gown?” Sang-Hee was startled by the question and quickly replied, “Of course not. Dae-Jung hasn’t even proposed. Why would I try on a wedding gown?” Hyun-Ae smiled at her friend and said, “I used to try on wedding gowns all the time, even before I met Jae-Hwa.” Sang-Hee looked at her friend with a weird expression and asked, “You’re only 22, so when did you start this weird habit of trying on wedding gowns before being proposed to?” Hyun-Ae playfully nudged Sang-Hee on the arm and replied, “You don’t need to know that. Anyways, speaking of being young, I heard Jae-Hwa tell me that you started dating Dae-Jung when you were only 16. If I were you, I would have already tackled him for taking so long to propose.” Sang-Hee laughed at Hyun-Ae’s comment and could not provide a response.

Seeing that Hyun-Ae would not stop pestering her until she tried on at least one gown, Sang-Hee reluctantly agreed. She walked to the back wall and looked through the dresses that hung on display. She finally saw an off-shoulder matte satin gown that was to her liking. The gown’s front and back bodice were accented with metallic floral patterned embroidery and pleated front and back skirts, which were also adorned with embroidery cascading down the semi-cathedral train. She held up the dress to show Hyun-Ae, who excited said, “You have really great taste. If I didn’t already buy my dress, I would probably want that one instead.” Sang-Hee smiled and asked, “Are you sure that it’s not weird that I am trying this on?” Hyun-Ae replied, “It’s just for fun. Why would it be weird? Go on and try it.”

Sang-Hee shrugged her shoulders and went to try on the dress. In the fitting room, she was surprised that the dress fit so well and called out to Hyun-Ae to come in to look at the dress. Hyun-Ae replied that the room was too small for the both of them and asked Sang-Hee to come out.

Sang-Hee came out of the fitting room on her tiptoes, looking onto the ground, as she said, “Hyun-Ae, I don’t have any heels on so this probably looks really weird, so don’t laugh.” When she looked up to see Hyun-Ae’s reaction, she was startled to see that both Jae-Hwa and Dae-Jung had entered the fitting area. Embarrassed beyond belief, Sang-Hee quickly turned to rush back into the dressing room. In her haste she tripped over the dress’ train and fell forward. Luckily, Dae-Jung was standing close enough to her to catch her mid-fall as he helped her back up. She did not think it was possible for her face to become redder, but there she was brighter than a summer strawberry. She saw Dae-Jung’s wide eyes staring at her and quickly pushed him away to escape to the dressing room.

When Sang-Hee had retreated to the safety of the dressing room, Dae-Jung looked back at Jae-Hwa and Hyun-Ae and said, “Look what you two did. Now she’s really embarrassed.” Jae-Hwa looked incredulously at his friend and reminded him, “Weren’t you the one who asked Hyun-Ae to convince her to try on a gown, so that you could get a preview. Now that things are like this, you are actually blaming us?” Dae-Jung gave a slight smile and wondered if Sang-Hee would ever leave the dressing room. He didn’t know what she was so embarrassed about, since he though that she looked absolutely amazing in the gown. After nearly fifteen minutes of waiting, Dae-Jung knocked on the dressing room door and asked, “Are you going to be coming out any time soon?” Sang-Hee quickly responded, “No, I’m not.” Dae-Jung laughed at her response and replied, “Well you know everyone is waiting for us at the restaurant for dinner.” Inside the dressing room, Sang-Hee breathed a deep sigh and reluctantly walked, trying her best to avert her eyes from Dae-Jung’s face.

Seeing her bashful embarrassment, Dae-Jung said, “Come on, let’s go. Jae-Hwa and Hyun-Ae are already heading over to the restaurant.” Sang-Hee nodded her head in acknowledgement of his statement, walked out in front of him and waited by the car for him to unlock the car door. On the way to the restaurant, Sang-Hee noticed that Dae-Jung had glanced over at her more than a dozen times in the last ten minutes and thought it would be best to explain what happened. She took a deep breath and said, “You know in there, Hyun-Ae insisted that I try on a gown. Don’t think that I really wanted to try one on my own.” Dae-Jung sighed and replied in a dejected tone, “Really? I was hoping that you had the urge to try one on yourself. That way I would know what my chances were of getting a yes from you, when I asked you to marry me.”

Sang-Hee slightly smiled to herself and asked, “Have you really thought about marrying me?” Dae-Jung looked over at her quizzically and replied, “Of course I have. I think about it everyday.” Dae-Jung’s response left Sang-Hee speechless as she could feel her cheeks heat up again. Wanting to change the subject Sang-Hee asked, “So, when did your Father want us to start work?” Dae-Jung saw that she no longer wanted to discuss the prospect of their marriage and obliged by replying, “He wants us to start next week. He said that there are some existing projects that he wants you to follow and will be discussing a new prospective bid with me.” Sang-Hee listened intently as Dae-Jung talked and was excited by the fact that she was finally going to be able to contribute to the Kang family.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Dae-Jung handed the car keys over to the valet attendant and made his way to Sang-Hee’s side, taking her hand to lead her into the restaurant. When they arrived in front of the private dining room, they saw that the family as well as Jae-Hwa and Hyun-Ae had already started to eat without them. They took their seats before Dae-Jung asked, “I thought this was a celebration for us, why didn’t anyone wait?” Jae-Hwa smiled devilishly at the couple and only said, “We didn’t know how much longer Sang-Hee would be trying on wedding gowns so we thought it would be good to start eating first.” Sang-Hee’s eyes shot wide open as Jae-Hwa finished his statement and realized that he had relayed her embarrassing experience at the bridal shop to the entire family.

She wondered if the table was high enough for her to hide under and could do nothing but bury her head in Dae-Jung’s chest in embarrassment. Dae-Jung joined in with the group as they laughed at her bashful behavior before saying to them, “Stop making fun of her or else she’s not even going to eat anything tonight.” Turning his attention to Sang-Hee he said, “Don’t worry about them. Let’s just eat” as he proceeded to place food on her plate. Despite Sang-Hee’s embarrassment, the rest of dinner was delightful as everyone ate and talked happily.

Over the next two weeks, Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee busied themselves trying to learn the ropes around the company. Both individuals did their utmost to fulfill their new duties and found that working for the family business entailed a lot more stress than either had anticipated. Sang-Hee was impressed with Dae-Jung’s focus as he worked on the blueprints for the new project bid and knew how important it was for him to show his father that he was serious about this job.

Since he and Sang-Hee did not have much time to spend with one another during the past couple of weeks, Dae-Jung decided to work in Sang-Hee’s room, so that he could at least see her when he looked up from his work. Before long, he found that it was already 6:30 AM and rushed to grab his blueprints and ready himself for work. The bid defense was scheduled for 9:30 AM and he needed to be sure that he would be in the office prepared for the meeting. Dae-Jung had made it into the office by 7:30 and continued to prepare for the meeting when his father entered the room.

His father asked if he was ready for the meeting and Dae-Jung assured him that he was. His father nodded his head and was relieved that his son had been working so hard. But before leaving the office Dae-Jung’s father asked, “Did you ask Sang-Hee to look over your blueprints yet?” Dae-Jung was confused by the question and asked, “Why would I do that?” His father replied, “Because even the best of us should have someone else review and look over our work.” Dae-Jung started to become agitated by his father’s response, since he knew that his father was only saying that, because he would feel better about the meeting if Sang-Hee had reviewed and given her seal of approval. Not realizing that his response had upset Dae-Jung, his father continued, “Well if she gets in early today, be sure to ask her to look over the blueprints before the meeting.”

Dae-Jung sat fuming at his encounter with his father and found that he was even agitated to see Sang-Hee as she entered his office. She held a set of blueprints in her hands and said cheerfully, “You left these in my room. I think they’re your final drafts, you might have brought your preliminary drafts by mistake.” Dae-Jung looked over his blueprints and realized that he had grabbed the wrong set. He unenthusiastically thanked her and said, “Good thing you’re always here to correct me when I am wrong.” Sang-Hee could see that he was agitated and thought that it was caused by the stress of the upcoming meeting. Trying not to take his harsh tone personally, she placed the blueprint on his desk and said, “I was looking at your final draft and saw that there might be an issue with your beam length calculation for the first floor.” When she finished her statement she saw that the expression on Dae-Jung’s face had turned from agitation to anger. Startled by the expression she took an involuntary step back and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Staring at her, Dae-Jung could no longer keep his anger in check and asked, “You went behind my back to review my work to make sure that I didn’t make any mistakes?” Sang-Hee was surprised by his accusation and replied, “What are you talking about? I saw these in my room this morning and I glanced at them, and found there might be an issue. Why would you say that I went behind your back? How unreasonable can you be?” Dae-Jung could not believe what she had just said to him and replied, “You just glanced at the blueprints and were already able to find issues? I didn’t know that my work was so horrible.” Sang-Hee could not believe her ears and replied, “I never said that your work was horrible. We all make mistakes, but if you're mad that I brought it up then I’ll say sorry and be sure not to butt into your business anymore!” With that she turned around and stormed out of his office.

Dae-Jung watched as she walked out into the elevator and could do nothing but slam his fist on the table in frustration. He had never seen Sang-Hee so upset before but could not go after her for fear of being late for the upcoming meeting. He could do nothing but look over the calculations that she had mentioned. Upon reviewing the blueprints, he realized that there really was an issue with the figures. He quickly corrected the error and started to feel remorseful for the way he had reacted to her. He knew she was only trying to help but was still upset that over the last six years he had never once matched her in terms of merit or achievement. No matter how hard he worked he just did not have the talent that she seemed to possess for architectural creativity. He decided that it would be best for him to take care of his current responsibilities before trying to mend the rift that he had caused between them.


Chapter 25: Gift from the Heart

Sang-Hee fought back the tears that were welling up in her eyes as she made her way down to the lobby. Even though she did not want to let her argument with Dae-Jung affect her work, she could not imagine trying to focus given her current state of mind. Exiting the building’s front entrance, she dialed Dae-Jung’s father’s office line and waited as it rung several times. When she heard Dae-Jung’s father’s secretary pick up the line, she said, “Hello, this is So Sang-Hee. I wanted to let President Kang know that I am feeling ill today and will not be reporting in for work.” The secretary assured her that she would pass along the message, to which Sang-Hee expressed her gratitude. Sang-Hee sent away the driver telling him that she would not be in need of the car for the remainder of the day. As he drove away, Sang-Hee started to walk in the opposite direction and had not made it more than two blocks before she was suddenly accosted by a familiar face.

Sang-Hee was surprised to see that Shin Young was standing in front of her with a concerned expression on his face. She watched as he walked up to her to ask, “Are you okay?” Smiling weakly, Sang-Hee nodded her head to indicate that she was fine. Seeing that she was clearly not fine, Shin Young asked, “Why are you lying to me? I can see that you’ve been crying and I’ve been calling out your name for the last block and you didn’t even notice me.” Realizing that she could not get anything by Shin Young, she reluctantly admitted that she was not fine and that she had just been in a very big argument with Dae-Jung. When Shin Young inquired as to the cause of the fight he could see that she was beginning to tear up again and quickly changed the subject by saying, “Let’s not talk about the things that will make you sad. I’m here to take you to see your graduation gift.” Sang-Hee looked at Shin Young’s smiling face and was glad that he was there to comfort her during this time. Since she did not want to go home nor wander aimlessly about, she decided that she would go with Shin Young to see her gift.

As she sat in the passenger seat of his car, it finally occurred to Sang-Hee that Shin Young had come back from his trip to Japan earlier than expected. She asked him, “Didn’t you say that you wouldn’t be back until the wedding this weekend?” He glanced over at her and replied, “Well that was the plan, but I had some business to attend to back in Korea, so I came back early.” Shin Young saw her nod her head in acknowledgement of his statement and decided that it would be best if he did not tell her that he had come back early to take care of the paperwork for her gift. Sang-Hee noticed that Shin Young was heading out of the city and asked him, “Where is this mystery gift located? We’ve been driving for almost an hour now.” Shin Young replied, “We’re almost there, be patient with me for a little while longer.” Sang-Hee smiled and looked out the window as she thought it was for the better that he was helping to distance her from Dae-Jung.

Shin Young had driven for another half an hour before finally pulling up into the driveway of a quaint waterfront property. He turned off the car engine and looked at Sang-Hee excitedly before saying, “We’re here. Let’s go.” Astonished, Sang-Hee stared at him and asked, “Don’t tell me you bought me a house?” Shin Young did not answer her question and moved to her side of the car, grabbed her hand and led her towards the house. Sang-Hee did not withdraw her hand from Shin Young’s grasp and only looked down at the cobblestone walkway, which led up to the house.

Architecturally speaking, the walkway was a very creative way to provide support for the sloping driveway and create an aesthetically pleasing divider between the driveway and the home. Letting go of Sang-Hee’s hand, Shin Young took out a key and proceeded to unlock the gate. Sang-Hee looked at the materials used to build the medium-height gate and thought that it added a nice touch to the overall look of the home. Once inside the confines of the gate, she saw a beautiful garden, full of blooming flowers on both sides of the front lawn and thought to herself how calming the whole scene was.

Sang-Hee watched as Shin Young opened the main entrance to the house and was amazed by the vaulted ceilings and open floor plan. As she walked into the house, she was amazed by the designer’s creativity in his or her use of beams to accent every corner of the home. Shin Young saw that Sang-Hee was mesmerized by what she saw and asked, “So what do you think?” Sang-Hee turned her attention to Shin Young and replied, “This house is very nice. The methods the designer took to build it, is something I haven’t seen very often. It's a very creative floor plan.” Shin Young chuckled and replied, “I didn’t ask architectural engineer So Sang-Hee what she thought of the home’s floor plan. I asked my best friend Sang-Hee, what she thought of her gift.”

Sang-Hee could not believe that he had actually bought her a house as a gift and quickly said, “Shin Young Oppa, you know I can’t accept this.” Shin Young looked at her and replied, “But you have to accept it. It took me nearly six months to find this place.” Sang-Hee stared at him and asked, “Why would you do that?” Not responding to her question, he took her by the hand and led her over to the fireplace that sat squarely on the back wall of the house. He pointed down at the fireplace’s base and said, “Look at that.” She knelt down to get a better look at what he was pointing at and saw the name “So Hyo” inscribed into the base. Astonished she looked back up at Shin Young and said, “So Hyo. My Grandfather designed this house?” Shin Young nodded his head and replied, “That’s why I bought it for you. I was finally able to track down your Grandfather’s friend from our old neighborhood and he told me that your Grandfather had built some homes in this area. Sadly this is the only one that has remained unchanged over the years.” Sang-Hee wrapped her arms around Shin Young and embraced him tightly thanking him for his wonderful gift.

Aside from a few photographs she had seen of her Grandfather, Sang-Hee had never had anything tangible to link herself to the man. All of the pain that she had felt this morning from her encounter with Dae-Jung had seemingly disappeared as she stood in her Grandfather’s house with Shin Young. Shin Young was delighted that she liked her gift and thought it was well worth missing a couple of meetings in Japan. Breaking apart from their embrace, Sang-Hee said with quivering voice, “Thank you for everything. You are the best Oppa a girl could ever wish for.” Though the statement was meant sincerely, the message cut deep into Shin Young’s heart as it only served to reinforce the fact that she would never look at him as more than a brother. He only let himself feel sad for a fleeting moment and reminded himself that being a part of her life was more important than possessing her.

Completing the tour of the house, Sang-Hee asked, “Won’t the house go to waste if I don’t move in?” Shin Young looked at her and replied, “Not really. Take it as a vacation home for when you want to get away.” As they sat down by the base of the stairway, to take in the grandeur of the house, Shin Young wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said, “I’m glad you like the gift.” Sang-Hee smiled at him and placed her head on his shoulder as she said, “I’m glad you’re always here for me when I need you most.” As the pair sat in silence, they failed to realize that someone had been watching them from the side window and had even taken several photographs of them with a high-powered professional camera. The dark figure quickly took several more shots and covertly crept away upon seeing them move towards the front door.

On their way back to the city, Sang-Hee’s telephone rang incessantly and she looked down to see Dae-Jung’s name appear on each call. Frustrated, she quickly shut off her phone and shoved it back into her purse. She was not ready to speak to him and asked Shin Young if he had the time to go with her to lunch. She explained that she wanted to buy him a meal to thank him for the gift. Shin Young looked at her agitated expression as she made the invitation and knew that she was only inviting him for lunch as a means of avoiding her issues with Dae-Jung. He recognized that she would not be happy until her problems with Dae-Jung were resolved, and replied, “I don’t have time to eat with you today, but we can do it some other time.” Sang-Hee nodded her head and replied, “Okay. Whenever works for you. I know you are very busy, Mr. Director.”

Shin Young smiled at her and said, “So now you’re making light of my position at my company?” She laughed and replied, “How can anyone make light of you, Mr. Director. You’ve worked really hard to get to where you are today and I want to tell you that I'm really proud of you.” Contemplating her statement, Shin young said, “It’s good to know that you’re proud of me. You may not know this but you have a way of making those around you feel quite inferior.” Shocked by his statement, Sang-Hee asked him to clarify himself. He glanced over at her and replied, “You excel at everything, so it’s hard for people around you to keep up. I can only imagine how difficult it is to be your boyfriend.” Sang-Hee contemplated his words and sat in awe at his admission. She had never once thought that she was superior to anyone, let alone Dae-Jung. She thought to herself that over the past six years she had worked very hard to excel at everything with the hope of one day being worthy enough to stand by Dae-Jung’s side as his equal.

Seeing her deep in thought, Shin Young felt that he may have gotten to the root of her problems with Dae-Jung and added, “Whatever it is that you two are going through right now. Avoiding the issues will only work to tear you apart. Take my advice and talk it through with Dae-Jung. You’ll never figure out what your issues are if you aren’t honest with one another.” Sang-Hee looked at Shin Young and nodded her head knowing that he was absolutely right.

She took out her phone, turned it on and pressed her speed button for Dae-Jung's line. She soon found that was connected to Dae-Jung and asked meekly, “Were you calling me?” She could hear the anxious tone in his voice as he replied, “Where are you?” She sighed and answered, “I’m with Shin Young. He’s driving me back to the company now.” On the other line, Dae-Jung sat dazed at her response and worried that his outburst earlier this morning may have driven Sang-Hee into the arms of Shin Young. Trying to keep his emotions in check he said, “I’m sorry about this morning. I’ve been stressed out lately and I guess I took it out on you.” Sang-Hee listened as he apologized and replied, “I’ll be back soon. Wait for me. I want to talk to you.” Dae-Jung said that he would wait for her outside the office building.

As they neared her company, Sang-Hee sincerely thanked Shin Young for all that he done that day and promised she would call him for lunch soon. He parked his car by the curb and locked eyes with Dae-Jung before saying, “It’s nice to see you Dae-Jung.” Dae-Jung gave a weak smile and replied, “You too. I’ll take care of her now; you can go if you’re busy.” Shin Young nodded his head and watched as the couple walked off together in the distance. Subsequently, they watched as Shin Young’s car passed by them on their way to the park near the company. Dae-Jung grabbed Sang-Hee’s hand and led her over to a bench. As he sat her down on the bench, he looked into her eyes and saw the remnants of the swelling that had been caused by her crying earlier that morning. He felt a tinge of pain overtake him upon thinking that he had caused her to cry and said, “I’m so sorry about this morning. I promise I'll never blow up at you like that ever again.”

He waited anxiously hoping that she would accept his apology and was surprised when she said, “I’m sorry for not understanding why you were so upset this morning.” Confused by her statement he looked at her with a bewildered look on his face. She took his hand and asked, “Dae-Jung, can you tell me if being with me is too hard?” Shocked by her question he quickly stood up and replied, “Of course not. Please don’t break up with me. I already said I’m sorry. I swear I won’t do it again!” Tears filled her eyes as she saw his pained expression and recognized just how important she was to him. It finally dawned on her that she did not need to excel as a means of trying to be his equal. He loved her for who she was regardless of her merits and achievements. As a means of calming him she retook his hand and pulled him back down to sit by her side. She wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head on his chest as tears gushed from her eyes. He was not sure what to make of her actions but moved to place his arm around her shoulders to pull her in closer to his body.

After a short while, she was able to regain her composure and looked up at him as she said, “I don’t know if you know this, but I'm very proud to be your girlfriend. You’re everything that I could ever want in a man, but …” As she trailed off he became worried about what she would say next and asked, “but, what?” Seeing the fear flash in his eyes, she continued, “But, if you can’t be honest with me and tell me when something is bothering you. Even if that something is me, then I don’t think we’ll make it.” Realizing that in his attempt to appear to be the perfect boyfriend, he had in actuality kept her away at arms distance. He sighed and admitted, “Sometimes, it’s hard for me because you're just so perfect. I feel like I haven’t achieved enough to become the man that deserves your affections.”

Sang-Hee looked at him as tears began to stream down her face again, and said, “I finally realized that there isn’t a scorecard to keep track of merit and achievements when it comes to love. You don’t have to become anything more than you already are. I fell in love with the sixteen year old boy, who rescued me from my darkest nightmares and cherished me in his heart.” Upon hearing her words, Dae-Jung’s could feel tears stream down his own face and felt as though her statement had alleviated all of the deepest fears he had harbored over the past six years. He wrapped his arms around her to pull her in close and could only whisper, “I love you.” Sang-Hee inhaled as she took in his proclamation of love and replied, “I love you too.”

As Dae-Jung held Sang-Hee in his arms, he could hear a distinct sound coming from her stomach. He looked at her and asked, “Have you eaten yet?” She shook her head to indicate that she had not. Seeing her response, he asked worriedly, “You’ve been skipping breakfast lately, so does that mean you haven’t eaten anything all day?” Sang-Hee sighed and playfully teased, “Well, I was planning on eating lunch with my boyfriend after his big meeting, but he suddenly picked a fight with me, so I haven’t been able to eat anything all day.” Playing along, Dae-Jung replied, “Oh, Really? He sounds like a real jerk. Maybe you should punish him by making him eat your kimbap.” Offended, Sang-Hee asked, “And what’s wrong with my kimbap?” Dae-Jung flashed a wide grin at her and replied, “They’re as big as sewer pipes.”

Sang-Hee pulled away from his embrace and placed both hands on her waist as she asked, “Are you trying to pick another fight?” Dae-Jung laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders ushering her forward as he replied, “Don’t be mad. You know I’d gladly eat those ‘pipes’, I mean your kimbap, for the rest of my life.” Smiling playfully at her, he continued, “Come on let’s go get you some food.” On their way back to retrieve Dae-Jung’s car, Sang-Hee inquired about how the bid defense meeting had gone. Dae-Jung responded that the meeting had gone very well and that representatives from the other company had been very impressed with his blueprint design. Sang-Hee congratulated him on a job well done and encouraged him to keep working hard. He promised that he would do his best so that she could continue to be proud of him.

Sitting in a booth at their favorite sushi restaurant, Sang-Hee and Dae-Jung discussed the company’s prospective project. Sang-Hee listened as Dae-Jung filled her in on the specifics of the build, and remarked to him, “If they decide to award us the project, you’ll probably be traveling a lot to oversee the build.” He placed a piece of eel roll on her plate, as he said, “I wonder if father would be willing to let us co-lead the project; that way we wouldn’t be forced to be apart so often.” Sang-Hee smiled at him and replied, “I don’t have any intention of leaving your side, so rest assured that I’ll be here faithfully awaiting your return.” Dae-Jung beamed at her and teased, “You make it sound like you’re sending your husband away to war or something.” Sang-Hee blushed at his comment and proceeded to feed him a piece of tuna roll as a means of shutting him up.

The rest of the week had passed by relatively quickly since Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee were both busy with their work obligations. On Friday night, Sang-Hee was busily packing her overnight bag when Dae-Jung entered her room. He watched her pack and asked if she had forgotten anything. Sang-Hee looked through her bag and replied that she had not. He then proceeded to walk over to her bed, sit down and pick up Dae-Jung, Jr. as he asked, “What about him?” Sang-Hee smiled and replied, “I’m not going to bring him over to Hyun-Ae’s house. The girls will all laugh at me.” Dae-Jung slightly smirked and said, “But this is your first night away from me, won’t you at least need him?”

Sang-Hee stopped packing and went over to where Dae-Jung sat; proceeded to sit atop his lap and gently kissed him on the lips before replying, “It’s only one night. I’ll be fine.” Upon finishing her statement, Sang-Hee moved away to resume her packing and was surprised when Dae-Jung pulled her back onto his lap to seize her lips with his for a deeper kiss. When they had finally broken apart, he teased, “That’s to make sure you have some incentive to come back.” She smiled, hit him playfully on the arm and asked him to take her to Hyun-Ae’s house.

When Sang-Hee arrived at Hyun-Ae’s house she found that her friend was frantically moving around the house going over the wedding favors, bouquets, hairpins and anything else she could get her hands on. Sang-Hee tried her best to calm Hyun-Ae down and reassured her that everything was already set for the wedding. Upon receiving Sang-Hee’s reassurance, Hyun-Ae seemed to settle down, but still expressed how nervous she was becoming before the big day. Watching Hyun-Ae, Sang-Hee wondered if she too would behave the same way on the night before her own wedding. Thinking of the prospect of one day marrying Dae-Jung, Sang-Hee blushed and thought about how great it would be if he would propose.

Even though Hyun-Ae insisted that she was too excited to sleep, Sang-Hee reminded her that a bride with dark circles around her eyes would be extremely unattractive. The threat of appearing unattractive on her wedding day was enough to force Hyun-Ae to bed. Before the sun was up, all of the people at Hyun-Ae’s house had awakened and were starting to get ready for the wedding ceremony. Sang-Hee helped Hyun-Ae get dressed and only left to get herself ready after the bridal make-up artist and hair dresser had arrived. Within a few hours everyone at Hyun-Ae’s house set out for the wedding chapel.

Sang-Hee stood in front of the processional and looked back at Hyun-Ae smiling to reassure her friend that everything would be perfect. Hyun-Ae smiled back and took a deep breath as she watched the doors open to allow Sang-Hee and her bridesmaids to make their way down the aisle. As Dae-Jung watched Sang-Hee make her way towards him, he asked himself why he hadn’t yet proposed to her. He contemplated that if he had done so, today could have been their wedding day. Seeing him staring at her, Sang-Hee smiled sweetly thinking to herself how handsome he looked in his suit. When she reached the front of the aisle, Sang-Hee turned her attention to Hyun-Ae, watching as she began to walk down the aisle with her father as the music began to play. She then quickly looked over to Jae-Hwa who was beaming with joy and thought to herself how well suited the bride and groom were for one another.

Sang-Hee was genuinely happy for the blissful couple and silently wished them all the happiness in the world. The remainder of the wedding day went smoothly as all of the guests thoroughly enjoyed both the touching ceremony and the lively reception party, which lasted long into the night. On their way home from the reception hall, Dae-Jung noticed that Sang-Hee had already fallen asleep in the passenger seat of his car. When they reached their destination, Dae-Jung carefully picked Sang-Hee up in his arms and carried her to her room. He placed her gently on her bed and removed her shoes, jewelry as well her hairpins. He then proceeded to cover her with her blanket and kissed her gently on the forehead before leaving to go back to his own room.

The next morning, Sang-Hee awakened to find herself already in bed and figured that Dae-Jung must have brought her in last night without her knowledge. She looked at her alarm and saw that it was nearly eleven and quickly got out of bed. She brushed her teeth and showered. But before she could get dressed, she heard her telephone ringing. She quickly wrapped herself in a towel and rushed out to pick up the phone. She answered the phone in an exasperated voice, saying, “Hello.” On the other line, Dae-Jung asked, “What’s wrong? Why do you sound like you’re out of breath?” Sang-Hee explained, “I just got out the shower and heard the phone ringing, so I rushed out here to pick it up.” Upon hearing her response, Dae-Jung asked, “Does that mean you’re not wearing anything now?” Sang-Hee quickly clarified, “I’m wearing towel you pervert.” Offended, Dae-Jung asked, “How can you call your boyfriend that? Sooner or later you’ll have to show me.” Sang-Hee scoffed and replied, “You aren’t going to see anything until I see a ring.” Dae-Jung smiled at her response and looked at the diamond princess cut ring he held in his hand and thought to himself “Well I guess you’ll have to show me real soon.”

Sang-Hee noticed that he was not responding and quickly changed the subject as she asked, “Where are you?” Dae-Jung replied that he was out picking up an important item and would be home soon. He then asked her what she planned to do for the day, to which she replied that she needed to return some of the rented wedding equipment for Hyun-Ae. Dae-Jung commented on how her responsibilities as the maid of honor still had not ended even after the wedding was over. Sang-Hee laughed at the observation and said, “Yes, this is the first and last time I agree to be anyone’s maid of honor.” Dae-Jung replied, “Well, I guess it’s better to be the bride.”

Changing the subject yet once again, Sang-Hee asked, “What do you have planned for the day?” Not responding to her question, Dae-Jung asked, “Do you remember what today is?” The question prompted Sang-Hee to look at her calendar. Much to her delight, she discovered that it was June 24th. She smiled and quickly answered, “It’s the summer solstice.” Over the past six years, the couple had spent every summer solstice together in the main gazebo, and this year would be no different. Upon hearing her answer, Dae-Jung said, “I’m coming home now. So meet me at the gazebo when you get back from returning the wedding rentals.” She readily agreed and hung up the phone as she went to get dressed.

Just as Sang-Hee finished putting on her clothes, she heard her telephone ring yet once again. She quickly picked up the phone and asked, “And what is it now?” She was surprised when the person on the other line was not Dae-Jung. Sang-Hee was startled but listened as the familiar voice on the other line said, “It’s been a long time. Could you spare me some of your time?” Realizing that the person on the other line was her father, she asked, “What do you want from me?” To which he responded, “It’s an urgent family matter that requires your immediate attention. Meet me by the pier near the south side of town.” Although, Sang-Hee was apprehensive about the meeting she agreed, since he was after all her father.

Sang-Hee did not want to cause Dae-Jung any unnecessary apprehension and decided that she should take a taxi instead of having the family driver take her to the pier. When Sang-Hee arrived, she saw her father standing by a docked boat and walked up to him to ask what he needed. Her father did not respond to her question and said, “You look very well. My daughter has grown up to become a very beautiful woman.” Sang-Hee was not impressed at his attempt to be fatherly and simply repeated her question. Seeing that she did not want to diverge from the matter at hand her father obliged by replying, “I came to ask that you remove yourself from the Kang family.”

Taken aback by his response, Sang-Hee asked, “Why would I do something like that? They’re my family.” Her father looked at her incredulously and said, “You’re mother and I are your family.” She scoffed at the statement and reminded him, “You can’t claim the daughter that you tried to sell on so many occasions.” Angered by her statement, Sang-Hee’s father said in a heated tone, “If you knew half of the things I know about the Kang family, you wouldn’t think that way.” Seeing that the meeting was a mistake, Sang-Hee briskly replied, “I have no interest in hearing about what you say you know. If you’re here to ask for money, here” as she said this she handed him a large envelope. Not waiting for him to respond, Sang-Hee explained, “This is all the money that I’ve saved over the past few years, take it and do whatever you want to, just leave me out of it.” With that said, Sang-Hee turned and walked away. Her father looked on as she walked away and sternly said, “Do you really think this small sum of money is what I came back for? Dear daughter, don’t think you have any say in this matter. When Kang Dae-Jung sees those photos of you with that other man, you’ll have no choice but to leave.”


Chapter 27: Distrust

When Dae-Jung arrived at home, he parked his car in its usual parking space in the multi-car garage. As he alighted from his vehicle, he caught sight of the family car in its regular spot and wondered if Sang-Hee had already come home from running her errands. Taking out his phone, he pressed speed dial #1 and waited for her to pick up on the other line. After a few rings, he heard her greet him warmly and proceeded to ask her, “Are you home already?” There was a slight pause before she answered, “No. I’m not home. I still have a few items to return.” Upon hearing her response, Dae-Jung thought to himself how it was strange that she had not taken the family car. But he subsequently figured that she had her reasons for not doing so. Not wanting to dwell on the quandary any longer, Dae-Jung asked her to hurry home and was satisfied when she promised that she would do her best to return quickly.

Once inside the house, Dae-Jung was met by butler Yang, who informed him that his family had gone to visit relatives and would not be coming home for the night. Dae-Jung thanked butler Yang for the message and proceeded to go upstairs to his room. While walking up the stairs, he thought to himself, that it was a lucky coincident that his family was not going to be home for the night. This would spare Sang-Hee from having to deal with them immediately after accepting his marriage proposal. Inside his room, Dae-Jung placed the jewelry bag and bouquet of red roses down on his bed and took out a pink velvet ring box from his pocket as he said aloud, “I hope you like this.”

Nearly two hours had passed before Sang-Hee returned home. Anxious to be with Dae-Jung, she quickly thanked and paid the taxi driver. She then made her way through the house to the backyard and headed towards the main gazebo. When she reached the gazebo she caught sight of Dae-Jung’s back as he stood staring in the opposite direction. She smiled and called out to him saying, “Dae-Jung, I’m back,” thinking that this would cause him to turn to her. However, much to her surprise he remained turned away, as he asked her coldly, “Where were you?” Confused by the question, Sang-Hee replied, “I told you, that I was returning the rented wedding items for Hyun-Ae.”

Sensing that something was very wrong, Sang-Hee asked Dae-Jung, “What’s the matter?” Using the same cold tone, Dae-Jung said, “I’m going to give you one last chance to tell me the truth. Where were you all morning?” At an utter loss for words, Sang-Hee stood silent and wondered how he found out about her meeting with her father. With a conflicted look on her face, Sang-Hee began to explain why she had met with him, when she was suddenly startled into silence by the menacing expression on Dae-Jung's face as he turned to her. Gritting his teeth, Dae-Jung yelled, “You didn’t take the family car because you were meeting with him right?!” Sang-Hee didn't realize that meeting her father would cause him to become so upset and she tried to appease his anger by explaining, “I was only meeting with him because he said it was an emergency.” Dae-Jung grew angrier upon hearing her admission and threw the large envelope he held in his hand onto the bench. With an incredulous tone he said, “An emergency? I’ve been over those photos in that magazine a hundred times and I can’t see what emergency could have possible caused you to be in the arms of another man!”

Wholly confused, Sang-Hee bent down to grab the envelope and took out its content to see what Dae-Jung was talking about. She pulled out an entertainment magazine and was shocked to see photos of herself and Shin Young on the cover with a running headline which read, “Director of the Realty Company: Shin-Lee Incorporated, Caught Buying Lover a Home in the Countryside.” She recognized that the pictures on the cover of the magazine were taken in the house that Shin Young had bought her and could not believe that they were being used so completely out of context.

Sang-Hee threw the magazine onto the ground and ran over to Dae-Jung grabbing at his arm to plead with him to listen to her explanation. Furious, he retracted his arm from her grasp causing her to lose her footing and step a few paces back. Regaining her balance, Sang-Hee anxiously said, “Dae-Jung, you have to trust me. Please just let me explain.” As she said this, tears gushed down her face. Dae-Jung did not intend to hear her out and replied, “Trust you? After looking at that, I’m supposed to trust you?” Sang-Hee couldn't believe that he would not allow her to explain and in a fit of anger she yelled, “After all we’ve been through, the least you could do is hear me out.” At that statement Dae-Jung grabbed her by the shoulders and screamed, “How can you talk about what we’ve gone through, when you’re the one who’s cheating on me?!”

Sang-Hee cringed as she felt the pressure of his hands clamp down on her shoulders and yelped out in pain. The sound caused him to only slightly loosen his grip on her. Wounded both physically and emotionally, Sang-Hee could only respond, “It’s not like that. Really it’s not like that. You have to believe me.” Seeing that he was hurting her, Dae-Jung let go of her shoulders and pleaded in a gentler tone, “Please just tell me that you didn’t accept a house from him. Tell me that everything in that article is a lie.” Sang-Hee sobbed knowing that she could not tell him what he had asked her say. She could only clarify the issue by saying, “I only accepted the house because it was designed by my Grandfather. I was going to tell you about it, but these past few days have been so hectic that I just didn’t have the chance to tell you.” Dae-Jung could feel the sensation of disappointment wash over his body as he listened to her explanation and proceeded to walk away.

Seeing him leave, Sang-Hee moved to follow him, only to hear him say, “I want you out of here by the time I get back. I don’t ever want to hear your excuses ever again.” Upon hearing his words, Sang-Hee lost her bearings and crumpled to the ground as bursts of sobs emitted from deep inside of her. She watched as he walked further away from her and did not realize that he too was sobbing as left. Dazed she got up from the ground and stumbled through the house towards the main exit. She heard her phone constantly ring but could not bring herself to do anything more than cry. When she had exited the main house she saw the taillights of Dae-Jung’s car disappear into the distance. Stunned she stood on the lawn wondering where she was to go now that Dae-Jung had kicked her out.

Before she could collect her thoughts, she saw Shin Young advancing towards her. She saw that he had a worried expression on his face and a copy of what looked like a magazine in his hand. When he stood in front of her, Sang-Hee asked him in between bursts of sobs, “What's going on? Why were those photos in that magazine?” Shin Young was pained to see her crying and told her that he was having someone look into where the photos had come from. He informed her that he was there to explain everything to Dae-Jung. Sang-Hee’s sobs grew more intense upon the mention of Dae-Jung's name and tearfully told Shin Young that Dae-Jung had just kicked her out of their home. Stunned by the turn of events, Shin Young suggested that she come home with him and allow Dae-Jung some time to cool off. He promised that he would take care of everything so that Dae-Jung would understand that there was nothing going on between them. Having no where else to go, Sang-Hee reluctantly agreed and followed Shin Young to his car.

Dae-Jung did not want to explain the situation to his family and simply informed them that he and Sang-Hee had broken up because she wanted to be with someone else. Dae-Jung's parents could not believe what they heard but did not want to pry into their son’s affairs. Unlike his parents, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather refused to believe that Sang-Hee would ever fall for someone else when he knew how much she cared for Dae-Jung. The elder Mr. Kang urged his grandson to figure out what was going on before he threw away the love of his life. Dae-Jung respectfully asked for his Grandfather not to interfere in his business and assured him that he would soon be over Sang-Hee.

Over the next few days, Shin Young found that he could only stand by and watch as Sang-Hee’s disposition continued to deteriorate. Not only was she crying incessantly, she was now unable to stomach any food. He figured that she had not eaten anything for at least three days and worried that she would become ill if things continued in this manner. Without her knowledge, Shin Young called Dae-Jung and asked him out for a meeting and was surprised when the latter agreed.

That night, the two men met at a business park near Shin Young’s house. There, Dae-Jung handed him a box and said, “Give that to her. It’s all of the things that she didn’t take when she left the house.” Upon finishing his statement, Dae-Jung began to walk away when he felt himself being held back by Shin Young. Staring intently at Dae-Jung, Shin Young asked, “Do you really think Sang-Hee is the type of person who could cheat on you?” Dae-Jung replied calmly, “I don’t know what type of person she is, but I do know those photos are real.”

Furious at Dae-Jung’s callousness, Shin Young angrily replied, “I can’t believe she’s killing herself over someone like you. How can she love someone who can’t even trust her?” Dae-Jung’s eyes grew wide upon hearing Shin Young’s proclamation and said, “Since you seem to know how to love her so well, go ahead and take her. I don’t want anything to do with a girl who doesn’t know where her affections lie.” Before Shin Young had a chance to respond, he saw that Sang-Hee was staggered towards them. When she was within their close proximity, Sang-Hee stared at Dae-Jung with an intense bitterness in her eyes and repeated, “A girl who doesn’t know where her affections lie. You think I don’t know where my affections lie? Well, since you are giving me to him, then I should grateful to you for being so decisive.”

Seeing her haggard appearance Dae-Jung’s heart ached but he could not bring himself to show her any concern and quickly looked away. Not saying another word, she went over to retrieve the box of her belongings and began to walk away from the two men. She had not gotten very far when she suddenly collapsed onto the ground sending the contents of the box crashing to the floor. Seeing her sprawled out on the ground, Dae-Jung and Shin Young rushed over to her side and saw that she was now unconscious. Dae-Jung looked at Shin Young and asked, “What happened to her?” Shin Young glared at Dae-Jung and replied, “You happened to her. She’s been crying all day and night and refusing to eat because of you! Are you an idiot? Do you think that if she didn’t love you, that she would be this distressed?!” Dae-Jung sat stunned and could only watch as Shin Young hoisted Sang-Hee in his arms to carry her off towards the house. As he watched Shin Young carry Sang-Hee away, Dae-Jung asked himself whether he had really made a mistake but was unsure what he should do next.


Chapter 28: Shattered

By the dim light of the lamppost on the side of the park’s walkway, Dae-Jung could see all of Sang-Hee’s personal effects strewn about on the ground. He hastily walked over, bent down and began to place all of the items back into the box. He only stopped upon seeing the shattered pieces of the hanging ornament, which he had given to her on her 16th birthday. He knew that salvaging their relationship would be as difficult as trying to piece together the shattered ornament. Holding onto the box, Dae-Jung ran towards Shin Young’s house and saw that his car was no longer in the driveway. He took out his phone and called Shin Young to ask which hospital he intended to take Sang-Hee. Shin Young did not want to answer Dae-Jung's question; but reconsidered, upon thinking that Sang-Hee would most likely want to see him when she awakened. Reluctantly, he told Dae-Jung the name of the hospital that he was heading towards.

Driving with reckless abandon both men made their way to the intended hospital and stayed in the waiting area as Sang-Hee was brought into a personal hospital room and hooked up to an IV. Within an hour, a doctor emerged from her room and informed them that her condition was stable and that she only fainted due to extreme exhaustion and a lack of nutrition. The doctor noted that Sang-Hee would need her rest and thought it would be best if they came back in the morning once she had sufficient time to recover. Even though they were not allowed to enter her hospital room, both Dae-Jung and Shin Young, insisted on staying in the waiting area until they were permitted to visit her.

After a long period of silence, Dae-Jung finally declared, “This is my fault. I should have never doubted her.” Shin Young looked over at Dae-Jung and scoffed as he asked, “You’ve been with her for so long, why couldn’t you give her the benefit of the doubt? Within these last six years, she’s had no one in her eyes except you.” Dae-Jung buried his face into his hands and felt the level of his remorse only increase upon hearing Shin Young’s words. Listlessly, he replied, “I’ll work my whole life to make this up to her. I’ll never doubt her again. But I don’t know if she’s willing to forgive me.”

Seeing Dae-Jung’s pained expression, Shin Young placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and said, “This all happened because I failed to realize that buying her that house was inappropriate. I want you to know, that I did not intend on causing a rift between you two.” Dae-Jung was surprised by Shin Young’s declaration but clarified, “Ultimately, I’m the one who hurt her. I was supposed to be the one to provide her with unconditional love and understanding, but it’s just like me to act before thinking.” In a moment of heartfelt weakness, Dae-Jung admitted, “I was so scared that she was going to leave me that I think I purposely pushed her away. If I lose her now, I don’t think that I’ll be able to carry on.”

Shin Young had always thought that his love for Sang-Hee was greater than the love that Dae-Jung had for her. However, at that moment he realized that it was Dae-Jung who was her soul mate and that it was Dae-Jung whom she needed. In that instance, Shin Young truly resigned himself to the role of her Oppa and decided that he would do his utmost to help Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee reunite. As they sat waiting for morning to come, Shin Young saw that Dae-Jung was holding a piece of what looked like the tail end of a hanging ornament and asked, “What is that?” Dae-Jung looked at the object he held in his hands and replied, “It’s the gift I gave her on her 16th birthday, but it was shattered when she dropped the box.”

Shin Young could tell that the item held sentimental value to the couple and asked, “Can you get another one?” Dae-Jung looked quizzically at him and asked, “What do you mean?” Shin Young replied, “If it’s something of importance, you should find a way to get another one and give it to her when you apologize.” Dae-Jung thought to himself that it would only take a few hours for him to remake the ornament and asked Shin Young to stay at the hospital to watch over her, while I went to do so.

When Dae-Jung had finished remaking a replica of the hanging ornament, he rushed back to the hospital and was surprised to find that Shin Young was no longer in the waiting area. He looked into Sang-Hee’s room and saw that Shin Young was not there either. He watched as Sang-Hee turned her body to face the door and realized that she awake and alert. Without any time to waste he rushed into her hospital room and stared at her with a worried expression his face. Her eyes grew wide upon seeing him but quickly turned away to face the opposite wall.

Dae-Jung went to bedside and grabbed a hold of her hand, asking apprehensively, “Are you feeling okay? I was so worried about you.” She pulled her hand from his grasp and tucked it inside her blanket before replying, “Thank you Kang Dae-Jung Shii for your concern.” Her cold tone was not something he was accustomed to and felt as though each formal word that came from her mouth was a dagger to his heart. Sitting down in the chair beside her bed he tried to contain his emotions as he said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have doubted you. I know now that you didn’t do anything to betray me. I can’t tell you …” Interrupting his apology, Sang-Hee turned to face him as she replied, “Like you said to me earlier, I don’t ever want to hear your excuses again. Just leave, there’s nothing left between us.”

Dae-Jung could feel the tears escape his eyes upon hearing her words and could do nothing more than stare at her. Trying to regain his composure he held up the replicated hanging ornament and asked, “Can’t we be like this? I wanted to show you that even if something is destroyed it can become whole again. Give me a chance to make us whole again.” Sang-Hee took the hanging ornament from his hand and looked at it longingly but finally handed it back to him saying, “It’s not the same. No matter how much you try to make it whole again, it will never be what it once was.”

While her words were disheartening, Dae-Jung could not give up and embraced her tightly. He pleaded with her as he said, “Please, let me love you again!” Breaking free from their embrace, Sang-Hee sobbed as she replied, “If you love me, let me go.” Seeing her pain as she spoke, Dae-Jung could do nothing more than release her. He watched as she turned away from him and knew that he had lost her. Not wanting to cause her any more pain, he stumbled out of the hospital room and walked down the long hallway.

Sang-Hee sobbed miserably as she recalled Dae-Jung’s pained expressions and knew that her words had hurt him deeply. When she was able to regain her composure she said unenthusiastically, “You can come out now.” She looked over to the bathroom door and watched as her father emerged from his concealed hiding spot. He smiled at her and said, “This is all for the best. I’ll tell you about the real nature of the Kang family, and you’ll come to realize why they treated you so well. When you know the truth, you’ll want to help me recover what they stole from us.” Sang-Hee looked at his smiling face and wondered how a father could be so happy to cause his only daughter so much pain. Indifferently, she asked him, “You said that there’s proof the Dae-Jung’s Grandfather was involved in Grandfather’s case?” Her father confirmed that he did indeed have sufficient evidence to prove that fact.

Sang-Hee listened as her father recounted the details of her Grandfather’s sordid past. He told her that because of her Grandfather’s dishonorable actions, her Grandmother had decided to divorce him and take the family away. He recollected that as a child, he had hated his father, because he had caused the family to become disjointed. Sang-Hee’s father explained that his mother’s new husband was not a good man and regularly beat him. Using all of these reasons, her father rationalized that he turned to gambling as a means of coping with the harsh realities of his life. Sang-Hee was not interested in his excuses for his past actions and asked that he get to the point of his story.

Seeing her agitation, Sang-Hee’s father quickly told her that earlier that month, he had been contacted by the staff from the prison where her Grandfather had died, to pick up his personal effects. Her father explained that he went to the prison and retrieved the items and found several legal documents concealed in his father’s suit. Not understanding the content of the legal documents, he decided to take them to a law firm. The legal aide at the law firm informed him that the documents were supply contracts for the purchase of multiple steel building materials. The legal aide indicated that the contracts were fully executed by his father, President Kang and a third party vendor. Her father explained that the information had come as a shock to him since he knew that his father was the only individual from KS Unlimited to be charged in connection to the collapsed homes.

Being astute, Sang-Hee realized that her Grandfather must have taken the blame for the whole incident. She looked at her father and asked, “What do you intend to do?” Her father looked at her sternly and replied, “I plan on making these documents public knowledge so that President Kang does not escape his responsibilities any longer. If the Kang family wants this to remain buried, then I think we should ask for compensation, right?” Sang-Hee looked at him with the expression of distaste on her face and asked, “So your plan is to extort money from them?” Her father grew agitated upon hearing her question and replied, “How can you call it extortion, when it's clearly compensation for our pain and suffering.” Sang-Hee knew that she would not get anywhere trying to argue with him and simply asked, “Do you think that's what Grandfather would have wanted? He obviously concealed those documents for a reason.” Her father became angered by her constant questioning and replied, “I know he was forced to keep quiet. Why would anyone take all the blame for something this big?”

Sang-Hee did not respond to her father’s question. She knew that he did not have the compassion to understand how a person could be self-sacrificing for those they loved. She then began to worry about what would happen to Grandfather Kang, Dae-Jung, his family and the company if the documents became public knowledge. With no intention of helping her father carry out his malicious plan, Sang-Hee desperately tried to figure out what she could do to protect everyone in the Kang family.


Chapter 29: Sudden Change of Heart

To protect Dae-Jung and his family from her father, Sang-Hee realized that she would need to stoop to his level in order to gain his trust. Determined to do and say anything necessary to ensure the safety of her loved ones, Sang-Hee quickly began to take on the persona of a ruthless and vengeful woman. Turning her attention to her father, she asked pointedly, “How much compensation were you planning on asking for?” Her father paused before replying, “I want half of their assets.” Sang-Hee rolled her eyes, scoffed and asked, “Half? Is that all?” Confused by altered demeanor, her father countered, “How much were you thinking?” Staring at him intently, she replied, “I want it all.” Suspicious of his daughter’s sudden change of heart, he asked, “You want it all? A moment ago, it seemed as though you were against the idea of extorting money from them.”

Seeing that her father was beginning to doubt her behavior, Sang-Hee coldly responded, “Don’t make the mistake of thinking that I’m helping you for the sake of money. You may not know this, but I’ve spent the past six-years thinking that those people loved me out of the kindness of their heart. But now, I’ve come to realize that they only treated me well to appease their own guilt-ridden conscience.” As she spoke, she could still see the distrust in her father’s eyes and continued, “I’ll help you get the money, but in return I want those contracts.” Sang-Hee’s father was surprised by her request and asked, “What do you need with those?” To which she replied, “You may see those contracts as bargaining chips, but I see them as perfect weapons, to destroy both their company and their good family name.” Although, he was still wary of her ulterior motives, Sang-Hee’s father contemplated her comment, and thought that it was entirely plausible for her to want to help him as a means of fulfilling her own desires to seek revenge.

Even though he was beginning to believe that Sang-Hee was now on his side, her father was still very cautious and said, “I can give you the copies of the contracts, but I won’t had over the originals.” Not having any use for copies, she replied, “I want the originals.” Her father looked at her sternly and asked, “Why do you need the originals so badly?” Sang-Hee shook her head and replied with an irritated tone, “I need the originals so a third party can authenticate their validity before I can reveal them to the public.” Mulling over her rationale, Sang-Hee’s father finally conceded to her request and replied, “I’ll get you the originals after I’ve made copies for myself.” Sang-Hee nodded her head to indicate that she agreed.

Before any more could be said, Shin Young walked into the hospital room and went to Sang-Hee’s bedside. He looked over at Sang-Hee’s father, held up a manila envelope and said, “He’s the one who took the photos of us and leaked them to the media.” Shin Young was surprised when Sang-Hee suddenly took hold of his hand and said, “I know it was him. He did it for my benefit.” Turning his attention back to Sang-Hee, Shin Young stared and repeated, “For your benefit?” Sang-Hee nodded her head and pulled Shin Young down to sit next to her on the hospital bed, as she asked, “Will you promise not to tell anyone about my father being here or about his involvement with those leaked photos?” Shin Young did not respond and could not figure out what was going on. Seeing his confusion Sang-Hee continued, “There are things I can’t explain to you now, but if you care for me, you’ll do as I ask.” Seeing that he had no other options, Shin Young nodded his head to acquiesce to her request. With that matter settled, Sang-Hee took the manila envelope from his hand, passed it over to her father, and said, “Get rid of that.” Her father took the contents from her hand and nodded his head.

Turning back to Shin Young, Sang-Hee asked, “Would you be willing to help me with something else?” Shin Young looked quizzically at her and replied, “Of course, anything.” She smiled and explained, “I need you to use your contacts to set up a joint press conference between your company and KS Unlimited.” Shin Young was baffled by her request and sat silent. Seeing that he was non-responsive, Sang-Hee continued, “If it’s something that you don’t want to do, then I will figure something else out.” Sensing that there was more to her request than she was willing to let on, Shin Young played along and replied, “I’ll do that for you.” She hugged him tightly and thanked him before asking him to help her complete the hospital discharge papers and take her home. Shin Young left the hospital room to comply with her requests.

Left alone with his daughter, Sang-Hee’s father asked, “Why are you getting him involved?” Sang-Hee looked at him and answered, “Because I need to use his contacts to set everything up for me. The Kang’s would never agree to attend a press conference that I put together.” Sang-Hee’s father realized that his daughter had put a lot of thought into her plan and was now reassured that his decision to hand over the original contracts was correct. Before taking his leave, her father commented with an amused tone, “That’s why I always say that, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Seeing you like this makes me very proud.” Sang-Hee sat silent disgusted by her father’s compliment.

Although, Sang-Hee was nearly fully recovered, she feigned weakness to prompt Shin Young to hold onto her tightly as he guided her out of the hospital. She was sure to make the forced closeness seem genuine since she knew her father would be close by watching her. Once Shin Young had helped her into his car, she glanced in the rearview mirror and saw her father emerge discreetly from behind a pillar watching their interactions. She was sure that her father would be satisfied to see her use her feminine wiles to secure Shin Young’s loyalties.

On their way back to Shin Young’s house, Sang-Hee began to fill him in on the situation and requested that he keep this a secret from Dae-Jung and his family. Shin Young protested that her plan was too dangerous given her father’s volatile disposition and added that at the very least they should inform Dae-Jung of what was going on. Sang-Hee explained that in order for her plan to work, she would need Dae-Jung to react to her with his raw emotions. Shin Young realized that she had already gotten herself in too deep and knew that she would need his help if her plan was to work. Reluctantly he agreed to keep quiet and promised that he would do his part to the best of his abilities. Sang-Hee was grateful for his help and hoped that everything would go as she planned.

After her father had delivered the original copies of the supply contracts, Sang-Hee proceeded to set up a meeting with Dae-Jung’s Grandfather. Although, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather did not know what she wanted to discuss, he happily agreed to the meeting. He hoped that he would be able to figure out what had happened between herself and Dae-Jung. With the meeting scheduled, Sang-Hee instructed her father to remain concealed until the day of the press conference to avoid any complications. She reassured him that she would have the signed asset transfer agreement to him shortly.

On the day of the meeting, Shin Young dropped Sang-Hee off in front of the Kang house and told her to call him if she needed anything. He was meeting with several lawyers and would be back to pick her up afterwards. Sang-Hee took a deep breath and knocked on the front door. She was startled when it was Dae-Jung who answered the door. Trying to remain calm, she looked at him quickly before walking into the house without any further acknowledgment of his presence.

As she walked by him, he grabbed a hold of her arm and asked, “Am I invisible to you?” Pulling her arm from his grasp without turning to face him, she replied coldly, “Yes, you are.” Stunned by her response, Dae-Jung could only utter, “Even if that’s the case, you should know that you’ll always be the only one in my eyes. I’ll wait for you for as long as it takes.” Sang-Hee’s heart ached to hear the bewildered tone in his voice but suppressed any emotion from her own voice as she replied, “You can do whatever you want. It’s of no consequence to me.” Without another word, she proceeded to make her way to his Grandfather’s study room.

In the main study, Sang-Hee sat down in front of Dae-Jung’s Grandfather and said, “I’ll make this brief. My father informed me of some of your dealings with our family and I wanted to come here to confirm a few things.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather sat stunned by her statements and took note of her altered demeanor. Before he could respond, Sang-Hee placed several documents on his desk and asked, “You’re familiar with those aren’t you?” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather looked through the contracts, sighed and replied that he was familiar with the documents. Sang-Hee responded to his admission by saying, “Good at least you aren’t going to try to deny it.” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather took a deep breath and asked, “Is this why you broke up with Dae-Jung?” Sang-Hee replied unenthusiastically, “I didn’t come here to discuss that. My father and I think that it’s only fitting that you compensate us for the pain and suffering you’ve caused.”

Dae-Jung’s Grandfather could not believe the words that were coming from Sang-Hee’s mouth, but was willing to consent to all of her demands. He watched as she placed an asset transfer agreement on his desk. Sang-Hee saw that he was not interested in the agreement she had placed before him and said, “Sign that, and we’ll continue to pretend that you had nothing to do with my Grandfather’s tragic end.” Without as much as a glance over the agreement, Dae-Jung’s Grandfather signed and handed it back to her. Surprised, Sang-Hee asked, “Aren’t you even curious as to what you just signed away?” Dae-Jung’s Grandfather took a deep breath and replied, “I don’t care. I’m more concerned with whether you realize what it is that you are doing.” Sang-Hee did her best to conceal her emotions as she watched Grandfather Kang’s pained expression and said silently to herself, “I’m sorry Grandfather Kang. Please know that I’m doing this for you.”

Sang-Hee proceeded to leave the Kang house having accomplished what she had come for and subsequently met with her father to show him the signed asset transfer agreement. When her father saw the agreement he quickly made a grab for it, only to have Sang-Hee quickly place it back into her briefcase. Surprised, he asked her what she was doing. She reminded him, “I told you, that I won’t give you the transfer agreement until you did your part at tomorrow’s press conference.” Recalling their previous conversations, Sang-Hee’s father replied “I was so excited to see the agreement that I temporarily lost my reason. Don’t worry about anything, I’ll be there tomorrow and will let everyone know where those contracts originated from.” She nodded her head at him and made her way out to leave.


Chapter 30: Separation

Exiting her father’s safe house, Sang-Hee caught sight of Dae-Jung’s piercing brown eyes as he stared intently at her. She watched apprehensively as he made his way closer to where she stood. As he approached her, she glanced back towards the entrance of the house and could see that the once closed door was now slightly ajar. Given her distance from the house, she knew that her father was well within earshot and worried that this encounter would be the unraveling of all of her plans. Sang-Hee took a deep breath, thought to herself that she had already come this far and was determined not to allow Dae-Jung to ruin her plans.

Before Dae-Jung could say anything, Sang-Hee lashed out at him, asking; “Now you’re following me?!” She was surprised to see that her hostile behavior towards him had not worked to alter his expression and stood still waiting for him to respond. Dae-Jung stared into her eyes and replied, “Yes, I followed you. I wanted to ask if you needed anything aside from that asset transfer agreement” Taken aback by his statement, Sang-Hee thought quickly before asking, “So, did your Grandfather already tell you about all of his past sins. Do you know that he’s the one that caused the So family name to be ruined or that he’s the reason my family was torn apart?” Dae-Jung nodded his head to indicate that his Grandfather had indeed informed him of everything. Upon receiving this confirmation, Sang-Hee asked further, “If that’s the case, then why are you here?” Dae-Jung replied in a decisive tone, “I came here to tell you that our family will take full responsibility for the past and that I’ll await your arrival at tomorrow’s press conference.”

Sang-Hee was stunned that Dae-Jung had figured out that she was behind the press conference and asked, “If you know that I’m the one who set up the press conference, why would you attend?” Dae-Jung paused for a moment before replying, “Because, you need to know that you’re the most important person in my life. I’m willing to sacrifice everything, if there’s a chance that you’ll come back to me.” Sang-Hee could no longer suppress the tears, which had accumulated in her eyes, from descending down her face but quickly wiped them away before saying, “This changes nothing. If you come to tomorrow’s press conference, I’m going make sure you lose everything!” Seemingly, unaffected by her harsh words, Dae-Jung embraced her tightly and said with a trembling voice, “I lost everything, the moment I lost you. I promised myself, that I would never doubt our love again and trust that one day you’ll willing allow me to embrace you again.” With that said Dae-Jung reluctantly broke away from their embrace and walked away.

Sang-Hee watched as Dae-Jung drove away and said to herself, “Thank you for believing in us. I promise that I’ll return to you.” Seeing her dazed state, Sang-Hee’s father quickly made his way to where she stood and asked, “You aren’t going to let him ruin our plans, are you?” Sang-Hee wiped away her remaining tears and shook her head to indicate that she fully intended on continuing with their plan. Despite Sang-Hee’s reassurance, her father took note of the pained expression on her face and decided that he would bring his copies of the contracts in case she backed out of their plan at the last moment.

The next morning, dozens of reporters gathered in the meeting room where the press conference was being held and waited anxiously for representatives from Shin Realties and KS Unlimited to arrive. Sang-Hee’s father sat amongst the reporters in the back row and scanned the room looking for his daughter. A short while later, Shin Young, a representative from his company, Dae-Jung and his father, took their seats at the main table in front of the room. Shin Young stood up and thanked the reporters for taking their time to attend the press conference. He informed them that the purpose of today’s press conference was to make a public announcement that the two companies would begin to work on several projects together as partners in the construction and sale of homes throughout Korea. The reporters all began to simultaneously ask questions regarding the new partnership.

Sang-Hee’s father grew more agitated as the press conference continued. Cautiously, he made his way into the hallway and called Sang-Hee. Once he heard her pick up on the other line, he asked, “Where are you? The press conference is almost over.” He could hear a slight pause before Sang-Hee replied, “I’ve reconsidered the matter. Since they’ve agreed to transfer all of their assets to us, we should just leave it at that. Come back to the safe house and I’ll give you the transfer agreement.” Enraged by her double cross, Sang-Hee’s father replied, “I never intended to let them off the hook. If you won’t come and take care of things, I will!” Without another word, Sang-Hee’s father hung up the phone and barged into the meeting room. Sang-Hee emerged from a nearby hotel room and said aloud, “I always knew you would never let it go.”

Sang-Hee’s father’s sudden intrusion into the meeting room caused everyone to look back and stare at him. Dae-Jung stood up from his seat, astonished to see Sang-Hee’s father and looked over to Shin Young who did not appear to be as surprised. Turning his attention back to Sang-Hee’s father, Dae-Jung watched as he pulled a stack of papers from his coat to exclaim, “I’m sure the reporters in this room are interested to hear about some of your company’s other partnerships.” All of the reporters clamored for him to continue as they began to take snapshots of him. He made his way to the main table and declared to the room, “These are supply contracts that I have been able to unearth. They prove that the former president of KS Unlimited had a part in the embezzlement case years ago. Their company’s former president forced my father to take all of the blame for the death caused by the collapsed homes that their company built!”

The outrageous disclosure sent the reporters into a crazed frenzy as they all shouted out questions regarding his statements. In light of the current situation, Dae-Jung sat back down in his chair defeated. He and his father knew that this was the beginning of the end of their company. Sang-Hee’s father was about to continue his speech when his daughter’s sudden appearance into the room, stopped him dead in his tracks. He watched as she made her way up the front of the room and saw that she was followed by several men in suits. Dae-Jung’s eyes grew wide upon seeing Sang-Hee and saw that she had now locked her gaze upon him. He recognized that the familiar warmth of her gaze, which had been missing from the previous encounters, had seemingly returned.

When she reached the front of the room, she quickly addressed everyone and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, you can’t believe a word of this man’s lies. I hold here the original copies of his so called evidence and have had them reviewed by a team of legal experts. They will attest to the fact that the former president’s signature on these contracts was added after the contract had been executed.” Angered by her outright lie, Sang-Hee’s father grabbed her arm and screamed, “You are lying! You know that everything on those contracts is authentic. You can’t hide the truth any longer; I will have justice for my father!” Sang-Hee pulled her arm away from her father and replied, “Oh so you say you are here for justice. Well, can you explain to everyone what the purpose of this asset transfer agreement is?”

As she finished her statement, Sang-Hee held up the asset transfer agreement and continued, “During my investigation of this matter, I came upon this document that states that you, So Chin-Hae will be the sole benefactor of a complete transfer of assets from the Kang family.” Stunned by his daughter cunningness, Sang-Hee’s father replied, “That just proves that they were willing to use their money to cover up the truth.” Sang-Hee scoffed and said, “You’re a very ignorant man. The former president signed this transfer agreement to buy me sufficient time to disprove your fake evidence.” Seeing that he had been completely and utterly outplayed, her father sunk to the ground and glared at his daughter.

Realizing that he had lost all hope of getting the Kang family fortune, Sang-Hee’s father suddenly grabbed her and took out a large pocket knife. Moving away from the front of the room he held the knife against her neck. Everyone in the room gasped as they saw the young girl being held hostage. Seeing her in danger, Dae-Jung quickly leapt across the table to get closer to her. As Dae-Jung advanced towards them, Sang-Hee’s father applied pressure onto the knife causing her skin to break, which resulted in a sudden gush of blood trickling down her neck. She screamed out in pain, causing Dae-Jung to stop advancing. Frantic about her safety, Dae-Jung yelled out, “Let her go!” Sang-Hee’s father continued to walk backwards pulling her along, as he demanded, “Get me a car now! If you want to see her alive, have 1 billion won (roughly 1 million USD) ready by tonight.”

Having no other choice, Dae-Jung quickly called out to have a car brought to the front of the hotel for Sang-Hee’s father. He and Shin Young slowly advanced watching as her father dragged her into the car and drove away. Dae-Jung and Shin Young were horrified when they saw that several police cars had begun their pursuit of her father. They both believed that paying the ransom would be the safest way of ensuring that she would return unharmed. They feared that involvement from the police, would only add to the likelihood, that her already unstable father would cause her harm. But with the pursuit well underway, neither could do anything to help the situation.

Fearful for her life, Sang-Hee sobbed and pleaded with her father to turn himself in. Angered by her continued insolence he slapped her across the face sending her small frame crashing against the car door. She contemplated opening the car door and jumping out but realized that with their current speed, doing so would cause her to be killed instantly. She looked into the side view mirror and saw that several police cars were quickly approaching. She held on tightly as her father sped up and prayed that she would come out of this ordeal alive. Sang-Hee’s father was frantic as he saw the police cars close in on his vehicle and decided that he would make a sharp turn to throw them off his trail. His sudden jerk of the steering wheel coupled with the cars dangerous speed sent it onto its side wheels and caused it to flip over repeatedly before it finally stopped upside down.

Several police officers quickly made their way to the wreckage and pulled Sang-Hee and her father out. Dae-Jung and Shin Young arrived on the scene just as the officers had successfully pulled them out. They both rushed over to Sang-Hee as she was being placed onto a gurney and hoisted onto the ambulance. Given her and her father’s serious injuries, the EMT personnel blocked both men from coming onto the ambulance and advised them to follow behind to the hospital. When Dae-Jung and Shin Young arrived at the hospital, they saw that Sang-Hee was being pushed into the emergency room. Dae-Jung rushed to her side and grabbed a hold of her bruised hands, sobbing while he repeatedly said “You’ll be okay. I’m here. Don’t leave me!!” The ER nurse stripped Sang-Hee’s hands from Dae-Jung’s grasp and told him that he could not enter the emergency room.

Dae-Jung slumped to the ground as he watched the ER staff wheel her into the operating room. Shin Young helped Dae-Jung up onto a chair and said, “She’ll be okay. She’s strong; you have to have faith in her.” Unable to speak, Dae-Jung simply stared at the ER entrance dazed. After nearly ten hours of waiting, an ER doctor finally came out of the operating room and walked up to the two men. The doctor sighed and said, “I’m sorry to tell you this, but the male accident victim was pronounced dead upon arrival.” Angered by the doctor’s statement, Dae-Jung grabbed his coat and screamed, “I don’t care about him! How is she?!” Shin Young pulled his friend away from the doctor, apologized and asked, “Please tell us how the female patient is doing.”

The doctor straightened out his coat and replied, “She sustained major head trauma from the impact of the crash, but was very lucky to have survived. She’s in stable condition now, but I regret to inform you that she’s slipped into a coma.” Stunned by the doctor’s statement, Dae-Jung toppled back onto his seat and repeated, “Coma?” The doctor continued, “Yes, she’s in a coma, but her vitals are strong. We don’t know how long she’ll be in this comatose state but everything hinges on the strength of her will to survive.” Dae-Jung sat speechless and could not bear the thought of being separated from her for another moment.

Dae-Jung’s unhappy reminiscence of his past with Sang-Hee was suddenly interrupted by the sound of his Grandfather’s persistent coughing. Acting quickly, Dae-Jung poured a tall glass of warm water for his Grandfather to relieve his distress. He suggested that his Grandfather rest and watched as he closed his eyes peacefully. While his Grandfather slept, Dae-Jung listened to the droning sound that was being emitted from the heart monitoring machine. The dull beeping reminded him of the sound he listened to day in and day out in Sang-Hee’s hospital room. It had been nearly a year since they were separated, but to Dae-Jung, it felt as though it had been an eternity. He realized that today was the first day he had failed to visit her in the hospital and longed to be by her side.

Back at the hospital, a training nurse and her trainee were making their rounds when they entered Sang-Hee’s private hospital room. The training nurse placed her clipboard on a nearby table and explained the required procedures when dealing with comatose patients. Once she had completed her instructions, the training nurse asked if her trainee understood. Since the trainee had been too preoccupied with looking around the room, she had not heard a single word. The training nurse saw that she was not paying attention and scolded, “Stop looking around the room and pay attention to what I'm saying.” Bowing apologetically the trainee quickly replied, “I’m so sorry. The room just took me by surprise. There must be a thousand sunflowers in here.” The training nurse looked around and conceded, “I guess it's a strange sight the first time you step in here, but in time, you’ll get used to it.”

Curious the trainee asked, “Who is this patient and why are there so many sunflowers in her room?” The training nurse replied, “The patient’s name is So Sang-Hee, she’s been like that for nearly a year. Her boyfriend comes to visit her everyday with a new bouquet of sunflowers and stays for at least a couple of hours.” The trainee was intrigued by the information and asked, “What does he do here for that many hours if she’s comatose?” Contemplating the question, the training nurse replied, “Some of the other nurses have overheard him talking to her about his day or telling her about his family. Others have seen him comb her hair, message her limbs, cut her nails and even just held her hand silently.” The trainee looked over at Sang-Hee and commented, “Even if she’s like that, I still think that she’s very lucky.” Hearing her remark, the training nurse said, “We need to complete our rounds. Let’s go!”

As they made their way out of the room, the trainee looked back at Sang-Hee once more and noticed that there were sudden rapid movements with her eyes. She grabbed the training nurse and announced, “We need to call a doctor now. I saw rapid movements with her eyes.” The training nurse quickly rushed over to Sang-Hee and noticed the movements as well. She quickly pressed the button to summon a doctor and within a few minutes the resident neurologist entered the room and began to look over Sang-Hee’s condition. Shin Young arrived just in time to see the commotion in Sang-Hee’s hospital room and rushed in. He was quickly ushered out and told to wait outside while the hospital staff worked. He watched anxiously and worried that Sang-Hee’s condition had taken a turn for the worse.

After nearly thirty minutes, the doctor and several nurses exited Sang-Hee’s room and were intercepted by Shin Young who inquired after her condition. The doctor folded his arms and replied, “I’m happy to inform you that she’s suffered very little cognitive damage, which is quite miraculous given the severity of her head trauma. She’s awake but may experience a bout of blurred vision. However, this should resolve itself in a couple of weeks. You can go into visit her now.” Shin Young hugged the doctor gratefully and rushed into her room, he was thrilled to see her sitting up in her hospital bed looking in his direction. Sang-Hee’s eyes narrowed as she asked, “Dae-Jung, is that you?” Shin Young walked up closer to her and replied, “No, it’s me, Young Oppa.” Looking at her happily, he continued, “You’ve finally come back to us.” Sang-Hee nodded her head as tears escaped her eyes.

She looked around and could make out the dim images of the sunflowers that were sprawled out all across her room. She looked back to Shin Young and asked, “Why are there so many sunflowers here?” Shin Young smiled and replied, “Dae-Jung brings them to you everyday. He once told me, that you love the summer solstice, because it’s they day you found his warm family. Even though you couldn’t see it while you were sleeping, he wanted to bring you the warmth of the sun. These sunflowers serve that purpose.” Sang-Hee teared as she listened to Shin Young’s words and asked, “Where is he now? I want to see him.” Shin Young slightly paused and said hesitantly, “Grandfather Kang is very ill. He’s back at the house taking care of him now.”

Upon hearing the news, Sang-Hee moved to get off her bed, but was stopped by Shin Young who advised her that she was not well enough to leave the hospital. Frantic, Sang-Hee replied, “I have to go home! If you won’t help me, I’ll go on my own.” Shin Young knew that Sang-Hee would stop at nothing to accomplish what she set her mind to and reluctantly agreed to take her to the Kang house. He received permission from her primary doctor to leave the hospital for a short period of time. The doctor noted that it was important for her to return to the hospital before the next morning for further observation. Shin Young promised that he would bring her back shortly. On their way to the Kang house, Sang-Hee could not sit still as she worried about Grandfather Kang’s condition. Seeing her discomfort, Shin Young drove as quickly as was safety possible.

Shin Young helped Sang-Hee to the entrance of the Kang house and knocked on the door. The pair was greeted by butler Yang who was shocked to see Sang-Hee still in her hospital gown. Before butler Yang could properly ask about her condition, Sang-Hee rushed by him and headed upstairs. Shin Young quickly followed behind to ensure that she was okay and watched as she barged into Grandfather Kang’s bedroom. Startled by the sound of the oak doors as they swung wide open, Dae-Jung’s eyes grew wide upon seeing Sang-Hee standing in the doorway. The two locked eyes and looked longingly at one another before Sang-Hee broke away from their gaze. She made her way into the bedroom and took her place by Dae-Jung’s side. She quickly grabbed Grandfather Kang’s hands and called out to him.

Grandfather Kang’s eyes fluttered open, upon hearing himself being called. He was amazed to see Sang-Hee’s beautiful face staring at him and asked, “Is that you, Sang-Hee? Is that really you?” Sang-Hee nodded her head as tears gushed down her cheeks and replied, “It’s me. Now that I’ve returned, you can’t think of leaving me.” Grandfather Kang sobbed as he heard her words and said, “Since I have seen you, I can leave this world in peace.” Sang-Hee shook her head vehemently and replied, “But you can’t leave. Dae-Jung hasn’t proposed to me yet. You haven’t witnessed our wedding; you haven’t held our children in your arms. If you leave now, I’ll never forgive you.” Grandfather Kang was astonished by her words and resolutely replied, “For you both, I will continue to fight and will do my best to stay here to witness your happiness.” Sang-Hee smiled and wiped away her tears and proceeded to hug Grandfather Kang tightly thanking him repeatedly.

Feeling Dae-Jung take her by the hand Sang-Hee released Grandfather Kang from her grasp and looked over at him. She was shocked to see that he had gotten down on one knee and held an opened pink velvet box with his other hand. Inside the box, sat a beautiful diamond ring, which sparkled brilliantly. Sang-Hee’s eyes grew wide as she looked earnestly at Dae-Jung’s tear stained face. He took a deep breath and asked, “So Sang-Hee, will you marry me?” Stunned, Sang-Hee dropped to her knees and aligned herself with Dae-Jung’s position before replying, “Yes, I will.” Dae-Jung looked over at his Grandfather’s smiling face, returned the smile and proceeded to embrace Sang-Hee tightly.

Knowing that the couple would need time alone, Grandfather Kang called out to Shin Young, “Shin Young, have you come to visit me?” Shin Young immediately understood his intent and replied, “Yes, I have. I would like to visit with you by myself.” Turning his attention to the couple on the floor, he said, “It would be nice if you two would leave us alone so that could visit with Grandfather Kang in peace.” Grateful for the gesture, Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee smiled at Shin Young and Grandfather Kang and left him to Shin Young’s care.

Sitting alone in his bedroom, Dae-Jung looked over her face lovingly and asked, “Are you really here? Am I dreaming?” Sang-Hee smiled and replied, “I’m really here.” Dae-Jung hugged her tightly and said, “I’ll never let go of you again.” Tears streamed down her face as she listened to his gentle tone and asked him, “Is that why you carried my engagement ring around with you all the time?” Dae-Jung chuckled at her observation and replied, “Of course that’s why. You may not know this, but I even bring it with me when I shower, just in case.” The couple laughed happily at his comment and thanked the heavens for letting them be together once again.

Grandfather Kang’s doctors were amazed by his incredible recovery and figured that it was due to his strong will to live. He corrected them by saying that his recovery was due to the unweavernig love he had received from his future Granddaughter-in-law. Grandfather Kang insisted the Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee wed within the next month and instructed everyone to start working on their wedding preparations. Within two weeks, all of the wedding preparations for Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee’s wedding had been completed.

The day of the wedding quickly came and all of Dae-Jung and Sang-Hee’s family and friends were in attendance. The wedding ceremony was everything that Sang-Hee could have ever dreamed of and for once in her life she was proud to be the center of attention. She noted to herself that Dae-Jung must have commented on her beauty more than a hundred times that day and was pleased to see that he was becoming such an expressive partner. Sang-Hee was a little disappointed that Jae-Hwa and Hyun-Ae had missed the wedding ceremony. However, since Jae-Hwa and Hyun-Ae had immigrated to Japan for his career, she was relieved that they would at least be able to attend the wedding reception.

Sang-Hee was thrilled when she saw Jae-Hwa, Hyun-Ae and their beautiful daughter arrive at the wedding reception. She and Dae-Jung greeted them warmly and noted how beautiful their baby daughter was. Hyun-Ae asked her daughter to say warm wishes for the happiness of her god-parents on their special day. Sang-Hee looked at her god-daughter’s beautiful smile and said, “Her lovely smile is enough blessing for me and Dae-Jung.” Dae-Jung looked at Sang-Hee as she fawned over the baby and thought to himself what a good mother she would be one day.

Later on that night, Sang-Hee saw Shin Young arrive with his date and nudged Dae-Jung. She smiled and said, “Look it is Shin Young and his girlfriend. Don’t you think they make a really cute couple?” Dae-Jung smiled and replied, “Yes, they’re very cute. But shouldn’t you be more concerned with how cute we are instead?” Sang-Hee laughed at his comment and replied, “I’m cute. You’re just okay.” Dae-Jung looked incredulously at her, prompting her to change the subject by saying, “Doesn’t Shin Young’s girlfriend look like that very cute actress Park Shin Hye?” Dae-Jung looked over at Sang-Hee, narrowed his eyes and replied, “Hmm, I think you look more like that actress than she does.” Sang-Hee laughed and said, “How can I look like Park Shin Hye. You should get your eyes checked.”

Once the wedding festivities had concluded, Dae-Jung led his wife to their honeymoon suite, which was reserved in the same hotel as their wedding reception. He sat on the bed waiting anxiously for her to reappear from the bathroom and asked, “Aren’t you done yet?” She bashfully replied, “I need a little bit more time to look good for you.” Dae-Jung smiled to himself and wondered what she was doing. His eyes grew wide upon seeing her exit the bathroom in a very small sleeping garment and said, “If I knew you looked like that under your clothes, I would have asked you to marry me sooner.” Sang-Hee blushed at his comment and made her way onto their bed. She quickly covered herself and laid her head on his chest. As she listened to the beating of his heart, she said, “Your heart is beating so fast. Are you as nervous as me?” He lifted her chin up so that she could see his face and replied, “It’s not beating fast because I’m nervous. It’s beating fast because I’m anxious.”

Sang-Hee could feel her face redden and quickly looked away. Her bashful reaction caused Dae-Jung to smile as he tilted her face up once more to gently kiss her lips. Once he had broken away from their kiss, he commented devilishly, “Since we have so many rooms in our house, we should get to work on trying to fill them up with some kids.” Sang-Hee watched as Dae-Jung moved his eyebrows up and down suggestively, and playfully exclaimed, “Someone, please save me from this wolf that I’ve married.” Dae-Jung smiled at her, covered them both up with the blanket and replied, “There’s no one who can save you now. You’re forever mine.”


The End

what a heartwarming story...you made me cry so many times...it's a good thing you gave Shin Young a gf that looked like our SH, ha h aha...i could have fallen for someone like him too...what a great friend he was to her..

thanks for sharing a wonderful FF...

i luv it! your stories are always so good! thank you so much for dis fic!