To Catch A Fish

To all my readers, to all Asterians, and to all lovers…

Happy Valentine’s Day…

Characters:

Nicole

Dong Hae (Super Junior)

Jessica Jung

Ying

10 years ago...

“Fishie!” Nicole gurgled as she pointed at a boy on the swing in the playground.

“No dear,” Nicole’s mother said. “That’s a boy, and you should call him oppa.”

“Fishie oppa?” Nicole said, confused.

“Aniyo… oppa, not fishie oppa,” her mother explained patiently.

“Fishie oppa!” Nicole exclaimed as she ran towards the boy and knocked him off the swing.

“Aishii,” the boy exclaimed as he dusted off his butt. “Kwaench’ana?” he said as he helped Nicole up.

“Choesonghamnida,” Nicole’s mother said as she approached him.

“It’s alright,” the boy smiled. “Hey there, what’s your name?” he asked Nicole.

“Her name’s Nicole,” Nicole’s mother said.

“Nicole!” Nicole exclaimed. “Fishie oppa,” she said and she hugged the boy by the legs.

“Fishie oppa?” the boy said, sounding confused.

“She’s only four,” Nicole’s mother explained. “I don’t know why she keeps insisting you are fishie oppa,” she laughed.

“I guess I’m a fish in her mind,” he smiled. “Hey, Nicole,” he said as he squatted down so that he came face to face with her. “My name’s Dong Hae, and I’m 11 years old.”

“Fishie oppa!” Nicole said and gave him a big, wet smack of a kiss on his lips.

He was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed.

“Can I play with her on the swings?” he asked Nicole’s mother.

“Of course,” she smiled. “Go ahead.”

From that day on, Nicole and Dong Hae met at the playground each week, and Dong Hae would push her on the swings for the whole time.

******

“Fishie oppa!” Nicole yelled as she opened the door.

“Hey!” Dong Hae smiled as he walked in and gave her a hug.

“Oppa! Did you miss me? Did you buy me a present?”

“I went to college, not for a vacation,” he laughed.

“Still… we haven’t seen each other for so long. You must’ve brought me a present.”

“I didn’t exactly bring you a present, but there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” Dong Hae said, and a girl stepped out from behind him.

“Annyeong,” she smiled. “Jessica-imnida.”

“Nicole,” Dong Hae said. “Meet my girlfriend.”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Jessica said. “Dong Hae has told me so much about you. You’re like his very own little sister.”

Nicole stared at the couple, the blood draining from her face. A girlfriend! Her oppa got himself a girlfriend? Why did she feel like someone had stabbed her in the heart? It then dawned on her that from the day they’d met, she’d fallen in love with him. She looked back and forth between her oppa and his girlfriend. Why hadn’t she known how she’d felt sooner? What was she going to do about this now?

Nicole moped around in her room after Dong Hae and Jessica had left. All these years, she’d never really thought about how she felt about her oppa. And now it hit her… she’d always thought he belonged to her. He was her oppa for all these years, and she’d taken for granted that he felt the same way about her. Did he really think of her as a sister, nothing more?

“Oppa!!!” Nicole wailed, and she started crying.

She’d lost her oppa to some girl… she should’ve realized sooner, she should’ve made sure he knew how she felt. Now she was too late. He was now someone else’s boyfriend, and just a brother to her. Nicole looked at their photo in the huge photo frame beside her bed. It was of them when Nicole was about 6 years old, and Dong Hae was pushing her on the swing.

Whenever she was feeling down, she’d always call Dong Hae and ask to meet him at the playground. When they were there, he’d push her on the swing while she told him about her problems. And when he had a problem, he’d tell her everything while pushing her on the swing. Throughout his high school years, he’d never talked about having a girlfriend, and Nicole had never felt that anyone would threaten her relationship with her fishie oppa. Now that he was far away, in college, he’d found someone to replace her?

“You’re very quiet,” Jessica said as she and Dong Hae walked away from Nicole’s house.

“Huh?” he said as he looked at her with a confused expression.

Dong Hae had always been talking about this Nicole; how they’d sort of grown up together, how she was such a good friend and all, and it always made her wonder if she could measure up to Nicole. It was only when Dong Hae said that Nicole was like his sister that Jessica was able to have her mind at peace. So this Nicole was just a sister to him. But the look on her face when Dong Hae announced that Jessica was his girlfriend told Jessica that Nicole felt more than that for Dong Hae. Was Dong Hae able to read Nicole’s expression like she did? Probably not, since guys are pretty dense in that department.

“Where are we going?” Jessica smiled as she linked her arms with Dong Hae.

“Anywhere you want,” he said, absent-mindedly.

Dong Hae was still thinking about Nicole’s expression from earlier. She looked hurt. He’d thought that Nicole would be happy that he’d found himself a girlfriend. She was always telling him that he acted like a monk and that he should date. Why did she have that expression then?

“Ying…” Nicole wailed over the phone.

“What’s up Nicole?” Ying said. She could sense that Nicole was about to have some kind of meltdown.

“My fishie oppa got himself a girlfriend!” she said, and started crying again.

“What? I thought you guys were like together since you were 4?” Ying said.

“Well… we’ve never officially said we were dating. We were just… there… there for each other.”

“Then you can’t blame him for getting a girlfriend,” Ying said. “Stop crying.”

“But I always thought that he’d ask me someday,” she sniffed.

“Nicole… you have to tell him. Guys are dense. You need to tell it to his face that you like him.”

“What if he doesn’t feel the same?”

“It’s just a risk you have to take. You do it, or lose him to that girl forever and ever.”

“How do I do it?”

“Does he really meet you whenever you ask? No matter what he’s doing?”

“Yea… when he’s back here from college.”

“Good… get him to meet you on Valentine’s Day… then tell him how you feel.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Nicole… it’s do or die. You want to keep him, you need to try.”

“Fine…” Nicole sighed. “But I need your help. What should I wear?”

And the rest of the conversation was spent plotting how Nicole would win her fishie oppa back from Jessica.

On Valentine’s Day…

Dong Hae was having dinner with Jessica at a nice, romantic Italian restaurant. He’d picked her up earlier from her house and given her a bouquet of roses and a fluffy teddy bear.

“Komawo,” she smiled, and kissed him on the cheek.

Dong Hae had felt happy at that moment, but somehow, he felt something was missing. Up till now, he couldn’t figure it out.

“This pasta is delicious,” Jessica exclaimed as she ate. “Try it,” she said as she held a forkful of it at Dong Hae.

He leaned forward and ate off the fork. It was delicious, but Dong Hae didn’t really taste it. His mind was occupied with thoughts. Thoughts he’d not thought of for a long time, since before he’d left for college. He was at the playground with Nicole on the night before he left for the college in Seoul.

“I’m gonna be so lonely without you,” he’d said to Nicole.

For the past few days, he’d been thinking about how life would be without Nicole, how he would survive life in college without her being there for him all the time. It didn’t seem like a pretty picture to look forward to.

“You can always get yourself a girlfriend,” Nicole had laughed. “You’re almost 20, oppa! Get a life!”

He’d actually felt a bit lost when she said that. In his mind, she was the only girl he’d ever known and the only girl he was comfortable with. Could he really replace her with someone else?

He looked at Jessica who sat across him, smiling sweetly. She was beautiful and she was a cool girl to date, but somehow, there was something missing. He didn’t feel as connected with her as he was with Nicole. Just then, his cell phone rang. He looked at the screen and Nicole’s photo, the one where she was pointing her middle finger, flashed on it. She’d taken the photo sometimes ago and insisted that he used it.

“Nicole?” he said, as soon as he answered.

“Fishie oppa,” Nicole said. “I need to see you.”

“What’s wrong Nicole?” he asked. She sounded nervous. Was she in some kind of trouble?

“I just need to see you. Can you meet me at the playground? I’ll leave my house now.”

“I’m in the middle of dinner, Nicole,” Dong Hae explained. Jessica was starting to look at him with an odd expression. It almost looked as if she was pissed off.

“Please fishie oppa,” Nicole said pleadingly, and he could never say no to her when she sounded like that.

“Okay…” he sighed. “I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”

“Komawo,” Nicole said.

“Was that Nicole?” Jessica asked as soon as Dong Hae hung up.

“Yea. I’m sorry, but I need to go.”

“Go where? To meet her?” Jessica asked.

“Yea… I think she’s troubled or something. I’ll make this up to you another day, okay?”

Jessica was livid. Not only did Dong Hae talk about Nicole incessantly each time they were together, now he was leaving her alone on Valentine’s Day for Nicole?

“Dong Hae, I think you need to decide now,” she said, her voice shaking with anger.

“Decide what?”

“Who are you dating?” she almost screamed at him. “Me or Nicole?”

“I told you, Nicole’s like a sister to me,” Dong Hae said.

“Don’t give me that load of baloney! You don’t need to run to your sister whenever she calls. She’s not even your real sister.”

“She’s only 14, Jessica.”

“But you have to admit that you feel something for her,” Jessica pointed out.

“I…” Dong Hae started, but he couldn’t continue.

He realised that this was probably why he’d never felt complete with Jessica. He needed Nicole.

“Well?” Jessica said.

“I’m sorry Jessica, I guess it’s really Nicole I needed all along,” he said.

“What?” Jessica said, aghast.

“Mianhae, cheongmal mianhae,” he said as he got up from his chair.

“Dong Hae… if you leave now, I don’t ever want to see you again,” Jessica threatened.

“Then I guess its good bye forever,” he said, and he turned to leave.

“Dong Hae!” Jessica exclaimed.

She was shocked. She hadn’t expected him to really leave. She’d actually thought she meant something to him. She slumped back into her chair, feeling lost and defeated. All those months of trying to win Dong Hae’s heart, and in the end, it had belonged to that child, that 14 year old, right from the beginning. She stared at the bowl of pasta before her for the longest time, pondering. What did she do wrong this time? She’d never lost a guy like that. She was the one who called the shots most of the time. In a fit of frustration, she started eating, and she ate until she'd finished all the food on the table.

Dong Hae rushed out of the restaurant as soon as he paid the bill. Nicole was probably already waiting for him. How was he going to tell her now? Would she feel the same for him? He felt excited and afraid as he jogged towards the playground where she waited, but he felt happy that he now knew where his heart belonged.

“How do I look?” Nicole asked Ying, who was at her house, helping her prepare for her meeting with Dong Hae.

“The perfect bait,” Ying smiled.

“Bait?”

“Don’t you call him fishie oppa? If he’s a fish, then you’re fish bait, since you want to catch a fish, don’t you?” Ying laughed.

“I’ve never thought of it that way,” Nicole laughed. “Well, I’d better go now. Oppa’s waiting.”

“Okay. Good luck!” Ying said as she hugged Nicole.

“Thanks! I hope I catch my fish,” she laughed nervously.

When she approached the playground, Dong Hae was already there, sitting on the swing, moving back and forth slowly. When he heard her footsteps, he looked up and smiled at her. He’d never looked more handsome to her than now.

“Hey…” he said, and she sat down in the swing next to him.

“Thanks for coming,” she said.

“I’ve been doing it for 10 years now. It’s programmed in me,” he laughed softly.

“Push me?” she said, and he got up and started to push her slowly on the swing.

“Higher?” he asked.

“Yea! I want to touch the sky,” she said, and he pushed her harder.

They carried on like this for the next few minutes, until Dong Hae arms felt tired. That was when he slowed the swing to a stop.

“You’re tired?” she said, as she arched her back to look up at his face.

“Yea,” he said, and there was an awkward silence.

“Oppa…” Nicole said, breaking the silence.

“Nicole,” he cut her off. “Before you say anything, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” she asked him.

“Nicole… saranghae,” he said. He was standing behind her as she sat on the swing, and she almost fell off when he said that.

“Mwo?” she said as she regained her balance.

“I love you,” he said as he came to kneel on one knee in front of her.

“Oppa…” Nicole said, her voice shaking. “Since when…”

“Since always,” he said. “I just never did anything about it.”

“Wow…” she said, softly.

“So what is it you wanted to tell me?” he asked.

“Huh?” she said, still dazed from his confession. She’d come here to catch her fish, and in the end, she felt that it was she who was caught now.

“You said you had something important talk to me about,” he said.

“Oh… that,” she said. “Actually, I was gonna tell you the same thing.”

“The same thing?”

“Na tto saranghae,” she smiled.

“Chintchayo?”

“Chintcha,” she replied.

“And all this time, you didn’t say anything.”

“I didn’t think you’d get yourself a girlfriend. I’d always thought that you were mine,” she smiled sheepishly.

“I am yours,” he chuckled.

“Oppa…” she exclaimed with joy, and put her arms around him.

“Saranghae,” he whispered into her hair as he hugged her back.

“Saranghae,” she said to him, as she pulled away to face him.

Dong Hae cupped her face in his hands, and he kissed her softly on the lips.

“Now you’re mine too,” he said when he pulled away.

“You know… technically, I was yours since the first day we met,” she said.

“Really?”

“Have you forgotten the kiss I gave you the first time we met?”

“Oh… that kiss,” he smiled. “Then I guess I can skip all the formalities,” he laughed.

“Formalities?” she said, puzzled.

“Yea… I can just kiss you whenever I want then,” he winked and he leaned in to kiss her again.

Hours later, Dong Hae asked Nicole a question that had been burning in his mind for the last 10 years.

“Nicole,” he said.

“Hmm?” she replied.

“Why do you call me fishie?”

Nicole looked at him and smiled mysteriously.

“I’ll tell you next year, on Valentine’s Day.”

“Okay,” Dong Hae laughed.

He wasn’t in a hurry to know, and if he needed a lifetime with her to find the answers to his questions, then so be it. He didn’t mind being a fish, for as long as he was her fish.

Twisted (No More)

The story of Twisted felt a little unresolved, so I've written a sequel for it. Enjoy! ^^

Characters:
Kristi
Chang Min (TVXQ)
Alexierra
Han Kyung (Super Junior)
Nicole

5 years… it’s been 5 years since Kristi’s life changed drastically. But it wasn’t the first time. Her childhood has been a seriously twisted one. She found out she was a product of rape, then she was infatuated with the man who raped her mother, which lead to her mother’s suicide more than 13 years ago. When she was 21, her father, the man her mother married when she was a toddler, the man who was her only family since her mother’s death, decided to leave too. He’d shot himself in front her mother’s grave.

‘Mommy, daddy… was I such a bad daughter?’ she thought, as she watched her father’s coffin being lowered into the grave beside her mother’s.

Chang Min stood beside her then, and he held her hand. Chang Min was her only family now; the only person left in this world who truly loved her.

5 years had passed since her father had died. She now sat on a bed in the hospital, nursing her new born baby, while Chang Min stood beside her, watching proudly.

“What shall we name her?” she asked him.

“How about we name her after your mother?” he suggested.

“Sierra?”

“Yea. Your mother had a really special name.”

“I guess, but I think she should have her own name.”

“How about Alexis?” Chang Min said.

“Alexis… I like it,” Kristi said.

“No… wait! Alexierra,” Chang Min said. “Doesn’t that sound special?”

“Yes, it is special. And we can call her Alex for short,” Kristi smiled.

“Great! I’ll go fill up the papers now,” he said as he walked out happily.

“Alexierra Shim,” Kristi said as she stroked her baby’s arm. “We’re going to have a great life ahead in this new family of ours,” she whispered.

16 years later...

Alex was walking on the streets downtown with her friend, Nicole, when she bumped into him.

“Choesonghamnida,” he said as he helped her up.

“Yah! Are you blind?” Alex’s friend Nicole glared at him.

“Nicole, I’m fine,” Alex said as she dusted off her pants.

“Fine? You’ve got a horrible stain on your new white Levis.”

“Cheongmal mianhaeyo,” the boy said as he bowed.

“It’s alright,” Alex said. “My mom will know how to get the stain out.”

“Can I buy you a drink then?” he asked. “As a token of apology.”

“Are you fishing for a date?” Nicole eyed him suspiciously.

“No. Of course not. I just want to apologise properly.”

“Your accent’s weird,” Alex laughed.

“I’m not local,” he smiled.

“We know. It’s bloody obvious,” Nicole said.

“Can we go for a drink? I’ll pay for yours too,” he said to Nicole.

Alex and Nicole looked at each other, and Nicole shrugged.

“Whatever,” Nicole said.

“We’d love to,” Alex smiled at him.

“Great,” he grinned, and that was when Alex realized how cute he was.

His name was Han Kyung, and he was an apprentice chef from Beijing.

“So what’s your specialty?” Alex asked him, as she stirred her cup of bubble tea.

“Beijing fried rice,” he smiled.

“That is so cliché,” Nicole exclaimed.

“I hope I get to try your Beijing fried rice someday,” Alex said.

“Come to the restaurant this weekend,” he suggested.

“We don’t get that much allowance from our parents,” Nicole said.

“Just walk into the kitchen and ask for me,” he said.

“We can do that?” Alex asked.

“Yes you can,” he said, as he sipped his drink. He was starting to like Alex more and more. She was sweet, feminine, and she seemed smart too. He wondered if she had a boyfriend.

5 months later…

“Alex,” Kristi yelled as she stood at the bottom of the stairway.

“What?” Alex yelled back as she popped her head out of her room.

“Get down here now!” Kristi yelled. She was getting impatient with Alex, and Alex had better had a good excuse ready when she came down.

“Yes, mom,” Alex groaned as she dragged herself slowly down the stairs and into the kitchen 5 minutes later. Her mother was preparing dinner.

“Sit down,” she said sternly, as she wiped her hands on her apron.

“What is it? I need to do my homework,” Alex said impatiently.

“Homework?” Kristi exclaimed. “Your teacher just called and she said that you’ve not been handing in your homework on time. What have you been up to?”

“I…” Alex knew she was in trouble now, and she had no excuse prepared to pacify her mother.

“Is it a boy? Are you dating, Alex?” her mother eyed her.

“No, mom,” Alex sighed.

“I told you that you could date, but I want to know about it. If this boy is messing up your studies, I want to know why, or you can forget about seeing him ever again.”

“Mom…” Alex groaned. How her mother knew about everything was beyond her comprehension. She‘d concluded long ago that her mother probably lead the same life as she now did when she was a teenager

“Are you ready to explain yourself?” Kristi looked at her daughter expectantly.

She’d realized lately that Alex was starting to look more and more like her grandmother, Sierra. Her facial features, her deportment, her attitude; they reminded Kristi of her mother. The main difference between the two would be Alex’s height. She was tall for an Asian girl, about 173cm, taller than herself, and Alex had her father’s genes to thank for the extreme growth in height; Chang Min was well over 6 feet.

“Are you gonna ground me if I tell you?” Alex asked her mother.

“No. At least not just for telling me. Have you actually done something that will justify me grounding you?”

“Of course not,” Alex said quickly.

“Fine,” Kristi said. “Spit it out. I need to finish cooking before your father comes home.”

“His name is Han Kyung and he’s from Beijing,” Alex confessed.

“From Beijing? Are you dating some illegal immigrant?” Kristi said as she started to panic.

“No… he’s a chef. He’s working in a restaurant here, but he’s from Beijing.”

“How old is he?”

“He’s 4 years older than I am.”

“4 years?”

“It’s not that huge a gap,” Alex pouted. “Isn’t dad like 6 years older than you are?”

“I wasn’t 16 when we got married.”

“I’m not getting married now either. I’m just dating.”

Kristi looked at her daughter. Sometimes she worried that Alex would be as gullible as she was when she was her age. She was lucky to have met Chang Min instead of some unscrupulous guy who just wanted to take advantage of her.

[Flashback]

“Is this seat taken?” a male voice interrupted Kristi while she was deeply absorbed in her reading at a public library.

“No,” Kristi said quickly and turned her attention back to her book, and he pulled out the chair and sat down.

“Yah,” the guy whispered a few minutes later. Kristi looked up at him, a little annoyed.

‘Can’t a girl read in peace?’ she thought.

“Yes?” she looked at him expectantly.

“Can I borrow your pen?” he said. He actually sounded a little nervous. She must’ve looked really annoyed.

“Sure,” she smiled, and handed him her pen.

“Cute pen,” he said as he turned it around in his hand.

“Thanks,” she laughed softly.

“My name’s Chang Min,” he said.

“I’m Kristi,” she smiled.

[End of flashback]

Kristi’s father, had approved of Chang Min from the beginning. Chang Min’s parents were both teachers, and they’d ensure that Chang Min was brought up responsible, morally sound, and academically inclined. To sum it up, he was a good boy. After her father had died, Chang Min’s family took her in and treated her like a daughter. They got married as soon as Kristi graduated from college. Chang Min was now the director of one of the largest hospitals in their city, and the youngest ever to have assumed the position.

“Mom?” Alex said as she waved her hand in front of her mother. “Hello…”

Kristi snapped out of her thoughts and focused back on her daughter.

“Make sure you get your school work straightened out,” she said sternly. “If I receive another complaint, you’re never seeing that Han Kyung again.”

“Thanks mom!” Alex said as she ran around the counter to hug her mother.

“And I want him to come for dinner this weekend,” she added. “I want to know who you’re dating.”

That weekend, Han Kyung stood in front of Alex’s house, staring at the doorbell.

‘What if her parents hate me?’ he thought. ‘I can’t do this,” he sighed to himself.

His mobile phone started ringing, and he took it out of his pocket to see who it was. It was Alex, and he answered the call.

“Where are you?” Alex asked him.

“Outside your house.”

“Why didn’t you ring the bell?”

“I’m too afraid to,” he said.

“You’re so silly,” she laughed. “No one’s gonna eat you up.”

“I know, but I’m still nervous.”

“So are you coming in?” she asked him.

“Yea,” he said.

“I’m coming down to open the door for you. Stay there,” she said.

“I’ll try not to run away,” he laughed, and she hung up.

(Inside Alex's house)

“Where’s your boyfriend?” her father asked her as she ran down the stairs.

“He’s outside,” she said.

“He is?” he said and he turned to open the door.

“Dad! Don’t!” she yelled, but it was too late. Chang Min had opened the door and he and Han Kyung were now face to face.

“Erm… annyeong haseyo aboji,” Han Kyung mumbled. He was visibly shocked because he hadn’t expected Alex’s dad to open the door.

“Come in,” Chang Min said.

“Dad,” Alex groaned. “You’ve scared him.”

“What did I do?” Chang Min said innocently.

“Mom!” Alex yelled. “Dad’s scaring Han Kyung.”

Han Kyung was confused at the scene before him. Was this how Alex’s family interacted? They seemed so liberal, so free spirited. Back home, in China, no one would dream of yelling at his father like that.

“Come on,” Alex said as she took his hand and dragged him in.

A few hours later, they’d finish eating dinner and were having dessert.

“How’s the food?” Kristi asked a nervous Han Kyung.

“It’s delicious,” he smiled.

“I’m sure you cook much better than me,” Kristi said.

“Western desserts are not my forte,” he explained.

“So are you planning to be a permanent resident here in Korea?” Chang Min asked him.

“I hope to return to Beijing and open my own restaurant someday,” Han Kyung said.

“You never told me you were going back,” Alex remarked.

“I will, someday.”

“And what do you plan to do about your relationship with my daughter then?” Kristi asked.

“Erm…”

“Mom! It’s not like we’re getting married.”

“We just don’t want to see you get hurt, Alex,” Kristi explained.

“Right,” Chang Min remarked. “If there is no future to this relationship, I don’t see why the both of you need to continue.”

“Would you allow me to take her back to China with me?” Han Kyung asked Alex’s parents.

“Can you provide for her if she marries you?” Kristi asked Han Kyung.

“Mom! I am not marrying him yet. You guys… you’re getting way off the topic.”

“They’re right, Alex.” Han Kyung said. “I want to marry you someday, and that is the whole reason for our relationship. If you don’t want to marry me, I don’t see a point in continuing this relationship.”

“Han Kyung!” Alex exclaimed. He’d never talked to her about marriage, and she’d certainly not thought about it before. She was only 16. Not exactly the age to be thinking about marriage to begin with. What were her parents up to? What was Han Kyung thinking about?

“I think it’s great that you’ve thought about the future, young man,” Chang Min said.

“I’m not listening to this anymore,” Alex said and she stormed out of the dining room.

“Alex,” Han Kyung shouted after her as she walked briskly down the pavement outside her house.

“Get lost,” she yelled at him.

“Stop,” he said as he caught up with her and grabbed her hand.

“You’ve never talked about marriage to me,” she yelled at him. “How can you discuss something you’ve never discussed with me, with my parents?”

“They asked,” he shrugged.

“Whatever,” Alex said as she pulled her hand away from him.

“Don’t you want to marry me?” he asked her.

“I’ve not thought about it yet.”

“Why not?” he asked her.

“I’m 16! Are you nuts?”

“I’m not asking you to marry me tomorrow, and it’s obvious that you’re not serious about us,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“If you were serious about us, you’d have considered the possibilities of our future.”

“You’re crazy, you know?” she said, exasperated.

“I can see you’re not ready for this relationship,” he said.

“What?” she said incredulously.

“We don’t want the same things yet,” he explained.

“So what are you suggesting now?”

“Maybe we should take a break,” he said.

“It’s only been 4 months. What kinda break do you need?”

“I just think you need time to think about us,” he said.

“And you don’t?”

“I love you, Alex,” he said. “But I need assurance about us if I’m to invest my heart further into this relationship.”

“Fine, have it your way!” Alex shouted at him. “We’re done,” she added and she walked back into the house and slammed the door.

Han Kyung winced at the finality of the sound. He hadn’t meant to piss her off and push her away. He cared too much for her, and he wouldn’t be able to face the disappointment if she broke his heart someday. There was a Chinese saying that translated as ‘let the pain be brief, rather than to allow it to drag for a long period of time’, and he agreed with it. He’d rather get hurt now, when he could get over it easily, than to get hurt later, when he’d gotten in too deep.

Alex watched from her window, tearfully, as Han Kyung walked away from her house. She’d really started to like him, and she’d thought that he was better than most of the guys she’d known. Why did he have to push her like this? Why couldn’t he understand that she wasn’t ready?

“Alex,” her mother called out softly, as she knocked on her door.

She unlocked her door and walked to her bed to flop onto it, burying her head in her pillow.

“Alex,” Kristi said as she placed her hand on her daughter’s arm. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Just leave me alone,” Alex said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

“Okay,” Kristi said and she patted Alex’s arm.

She got up and walked to the door. Before she walked out, she turned around to look at Alex.

“Alex,” she called out, and this time, Alex looked up, with a look of annoyance on her face.

“What?” she half yelled.

“Your dad and I love you very much. Don’t forget that,” she said, and she closed the door softly.

8 years later...

Alex laughed at the joke her date had just made. It wasn’t particularly funny, but she had to be nice. She really didn’t appreciate all these matchmaking dates her mother sent her on, but she had no choice. As a Korean girl, it was expected of her to get married. Especially since her age was fast approaching that of the late 20s. Today’s candidate was a DA and the son of her father’s close friend, Senator Jung.

“Excuse me, miss,” the waitress said as she placed a plate of fried rice in front of Alex and her date.

“Erm… I didn’t order this,” Alex said as she eyed the plate.

“It’s Beijing fried rice. Compliments from our head chef,” the waitress smiled and she walked away.

“Do you know the chef?” her date asked her.

“This is the first time I’ve been here,” Alex said, puzzled, as she looked towards the kitchen door.

That’s when she saw him.

“Annyeong,” he mouthed silently.

She didn’t know whether to smile or to cry. After disappearing from her life for 8 years, there he was, standing right in front of her, smiling like as if he’d just met up with her the day before.

“Excuse me,” she said as she got out of her chair.

She walked towards him, her eyes not leaving his face. He looked the same. He seemed a little more mature, but still the same Han Kyung; tall, slim and charming.

“Hey Alex,” he smiled her as she came to stand in front of him, and she slapped him.

“You jerk,” she said, her voice in an angry whisper.

“Alex,” he said in a confused tone as his hand touched his cheek, “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Happy?” she said incredulously. “You dumped me just like that and disappeared from my life, and now you suddenly appear and act as if we’d parted amicably or something. Do you think I’m happy?”

“I didn’t think you’d take it so hard. You were only 16.”

“And 16 year olds don’t know what love is? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“No,” he sighed. “Let’s not make a scene. Come with me,” he said as he pulled her down the corridor and into an office.

Once inside, he sat her down on the couch and he sat down on the coffee table in front of it, facing her.

“I wasn’t belittling you when I said you were only 16 then. I just thought that, being 16, you’d have found someone else and forgotten about me.”

“What makes you think I haven’t?” she said coldly.

“I’d thought you had when I first saw you with that guy,” he said. “But now, hearing you speak, I know you haven’t forgotten about us.”

“I’ve forgotten you, I’ve put the past behind me. Don’t flatter yourself,” she said as she stood up.

“Sit down,” he said as he pulled her down gently.

“What do you want from me?” she asked him angrily.

“I still want the same thing I wanted 8 years ago,” he said quietly. “What do you want from me now?” he asked her.

“I don’t need anything from you.”

“Then it’s just me,” he sighed. “Can you give me what I want then?”

“I don’t care about what you want. Go get it from someone else.”

“Only you can give it to me,” he said.

“Fine! What is it? What is it you want from me?” she raised her voice in frustration.

“I want you, just you. I still want to be with you,” he said.

“Why me? Why can’t you go find someone else to bother? And by the way, if you so obviously thought that you had meant nothing to me back then, why do you even bother to say this to me now?”

“Because I still love you,” he said. “And I know you still love me.”

“Rubbish,” she said.

“You know it’s not,” he said, his hands reached out to grasp either side of her arms. “Listen to yourself. You’re not being honest,”

“I’ve never been more honest in my entire life,” she said defiantly.

Han Kyung didn’t want to believe all those harsh words she’d said. He still loved her after all these years, and seeing her today had made her so happy; he’d found the love of his life again. Even though he wasn’t there beside her, he’d thought about her every day. He couldn’t believe that she had turned so cold. He didn’t want to believe. He pulled her towards him, and he kissed her.

Alex tried to resist; she didn’t want to react to his kiss. But her heart betrayed her, and she returned his kiss.

“Tell me you don’t love me now,” Han Kyung said breathlessly after he pulled away.

“I don’t love you,” she said, and she pulled him towards her to kiss him again.

3 months later...

Alex stood at the doorway, waiting for her father to come and stand beside her.

“You ready?” her father smiled, and he nudged her chin affectionately.

“I’m ready,” she smiled.

“We’re always here for you, Alex,” he said. “You’re always our baby girl.”

“I know dad. I love you,” she smiled.

The doors opened and in they walked. Everyone in the church stood up and watched as the father and the bride walked down the aisle.

“Take care of her,” Chang Min said as he handed his daughter to Han Kyung at the end of the aisle.

“I will,” he said, as he took her hand.

Chang Min walked over to the first row in the aisle to sit beside Kristi. As soon as he sat down, he took her hand in his.

“She’ll be fine,” he assured her, and she nodded; tears glistening in her eyes.

Everything had come in full circle; their lives were all on track now. Kristi’s life had been filled with sadness and devastation, and she was glad she was able to give her daughter a better life than she had. Now that Alex had found the love of her life, just as she herself did with Chang Min, she can finally feel that her life was complete.

When Alex and Han Kyung walked down the aisle and out of the church that day, their faces were filled with happiness and contentment brought about by the love they shared. They’d almost lost each other, but had managed to find each other and revive their love. The time they had lost with each other had not been wasted, but was spent building a foundation for their life ahead together; Han Kyung was now the owner and head chef of a thriving restaurant, and Alex was a consultant with an elite firm. What seemed like it twisted and tragic turn of events had straightened out and turned out for the better.

“Where to?” Han Kyung asked Alex as they drove off after the wedding reception. They’d not decided where to go for their honeymoon.

“Hand me the map,” Alex said, and she spread it out against the dashboard.

Alex closed her eyes, and pointed her finger on a random spot.

“Germany,” she smiled, when she opened her eyes and read the name of the spot she had pointed to.

“Germany it is,” Han Kyung smiled.

“To the airport,” she said.

“Nae samonim,” he laughed, and they drove off towards their destination, towards their new life together.