Chapter 28. Love 101

“What’s that smell?”

“Oh my god, the cookies!!!” Joohyun ran to the kitchen and Yonghwa trailed behind her.

“No, let me…” he gently shoved her away from the oven.

“How bad is it?” Joohyun looked at him while the little girl silently tugged on her apron.

“Just in time…” Yonghwa grinned.

Heechul looked at his mother with a knowing smile.

A few minutes later, the two women were cleaning the kitchen as Euna entertained them with her animated stories again while indulging on her cookies and milk. Heechul found Yonghwa by the balcony drinking his coffee.

“So, is it her?” He watched as his brother’s brow wrinkled.

“What do you mean it’s her?” Yonghwa focused his gaze on the people passing by.

“Euna told me she slept here,” Heechul continued to tease.

“Aish hyung… did she forget to tell you Joohyun slept beside her?” Yonghwa groaned.

“Hmmmmm… I think she did say that. But it’s a good start since it seems that they like each other a lot.”

“Yeah…” Yonghwa smiled thoughtfully.

“I’m glad that you found—“

“Hyung… it’s not what you’re thinking…”

“Yonghwa, what’s the problem?” He was so amused by his brother’s reaction then continued seriously, “You made a promise to Ha In… I was there. Are you planning to break it?”

“Do you want me to marry again just because I made a promise to her?”

“I want you to marry because I want to see you and Euna happy.”

“Hyung, it’s not easy.”

“It’s not easy because you’re seeing it that way. Okay, it’s wrong for you to marry because you promised Ha In that you will be happy and find a new mother for Euna. But you have to marry because you want to, because you want to be happy.”

“You’re giving me advice that you’re not even taking yourself,” Yonghwa sneered.

“Because I don’t have a daughter to think of,” Heechul said in a sarcastic tone.

Yonghwa turned and diverted his sight on their mother and that little girl he love with all his heart and to that woman who came in his life slowly changing him. Is he really fighting with his own emotions?

“Come to think of it, Yonghwa, I find her very interesting” Heechul continued with mischief, “So since you are implying that you are uninterested, I am hoping that this will not be the last time I will see her. Now expect my visit here in Seoul most of the time.”

Yonghwa looked at his brother who had that silly grin. He groaned and shook his head— he won’t even dare.

~~~

“Aren’t you going to throw these dried flowers in here?” Taeyeon’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah?”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes and continued, “These roses. Sooyoung said you don’t want to throw this basket away. It doesn’t look good anymore.”

“Just leave it there. I’ll take care of it,” she started to focus on the piles on her table while her unnie sat in front of her, “What?”

“How was the conference?”

“It went well,” she shrugged. It had been a week and she managed to avoid her unnie’s prying attention since the latter was busy preparing for their next exhibit. But this time, she knew the older girl will no longer give her the free pass.

“It’s not actually what I want to know,” Taeyeon was even more curious because of that answer and her friend’s very visible attempt to look unaffected, “What happened between the two of you?”

Joohyun sighed but brushed off the older girl again, “Should something happen?”

“I’m not really trying to be nosy but—”

She laughed softly, “Oh, aren’t you?”

Taeyeon tilted her head to the side as one brow raised looking even more skeptical, “Joo—“

“Fine…” she shook her head. It didn’t really matter if she tell her unnie. Besides, the raging confusion and too much emotion had been nagging in her system and she wanted to, at least, let off some steam. Joohyun continued with a sigh, “Something did happen…”

“What?!” Taeyeon could not understand why she was that excited with what her friend said. Perhaps she was just happy to know that there was finally someone serious Joohyun was considering, “How? I mean… oh heck… just tell me the details!”

She no longer hesitated in recounting how their first kiss happened. Then again, she could only remember the rain and how she felt that time, the rest of the details were murky. Thinking about it again, it felt like everything else did not matter anymore. Joohyun decided to leave out the details of the aftermath of that kiss, particularly how they ended up in his hotel room and her decision to almost give herself to him— only to be broken.

In the end, though, she managed to tell her that last time in his house with Euna just inside the other room. She sighed knowing that there were no regrets on any of those ‘opportunities’. But it just made Joohyun sad to think that he might only be lusting over her especially now that she realized that there was more to lust in how she feels for him.

“So what’s your real score now?” Taeyeon asked when she saw that somewhat gloomy expression in the younger girl’s face.

“I don’t know…” Joohyun shook her head as she answered softly, “I know what I’m getting into so I’m scared.”

“Why should you be scared? If he kissed you twice in a row, it means he feels something for you. I think he is not that kind of guy who just takes advantage of girls.”

“I think so too, but as long as he doesn’t tell me how he feels I cannot assume anything. It’s clear to me that he is still in love with his wife and what would it make me? I don’t want to be the one to be begging him.”

Taeyeon sympathized on that but she’d never seen her friend like this. It was almost as i