Chapter 54. One Step Away

Joohyun ran a hand on one of the little girls’ face before finally closing the book and laying it in front of them. The children started shooting questions one after the other as she eagerly tried to answer all of them. The rather charming library brings that normal feel among those children who were recuperating from the extensive effects of medications and chemo therapy sessions. Although some of them were wearing masks, their smiles and laughter were evident in their eyes.

A light knock came to the door and everyone giggled when they realized that they turned towards the direction at the same time. The nurse entered with the familiar smile for everyone and bowed, “Joohyun-ssi, you have a visitor waiting at the lounge.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you,” she stood and ruffled a boy’s hair then asked the older girl to take over the reading for her. There was this sense of excitement every time Taeyeon and Changmin would give her a surprise visit especially since both of them promised to bring something for the children. Her hands swayed lightly on her sides as she made a left turn and was about to say her greetings out loud when she recognized the form.

Joohyun stopped dead on her tracks.

She would recognize that man for so many reasons in as much as her heart fluttered seeing him there. It couldn’t be just her imagination because he was right there even though he had his back on her. Yonghwa seemed to be transfixed on the collage in front of him that it took a few seconds for him to move and acknowledge her appearance. She made one step back as her heart sank down to the drain.

He found her.

Yonghwa was looking at the big display again, going over each picture while he tried to patiently wait for her. The still images seemed to take life and retold their stories to him. But he was deaf—because even his subconscious self was waiting for the other story that told only about Seo Joohyun.

Finally, the footsteps got closer and everything turned blurry for a minute when he straightened and turned to welcome the scent his nostrils had been wanting to seize.

Yonghwa was ready to make that new beginning.

He could not help but smile helplessly as he turned and see her awestricken expression standing just a few feet from him—the same image he had seen on the terrace. Yonghwa moved forward, each step had a mixture of anticipation and fear of how she was going to react on his sudden appearance. He searched those questioning eyes and held them as he walked on closer and closer as if the distance had been a mile away.

She put a palm on her chest and swallowed hard without pulling her eyes off his like an object captured in a still frame. Joohyun was still unable to make out of her feelings that very moment as her mind wandered away and her heart took control of everything. Somehow, that smile held a secret that she wanted to know for herself, “Op—“

“Annyeong…” he started when he stopped a few inches from her. She took one quick step back and he frowned, “Why do you always have to move back when I’m moving forward?”

“Because…” she whispered that her lips barely moved.

Her father was right, Joohyun was scared— terrified most probably. He nodded then smiled as his eyes wandered on her, “How have you been?”

“I’m…” She didn’t know how to answer that and she didn’t want to lie so she shook her head and asked instead, “How’s Euna?”

“Audacious as ever,” he chuckled joining her soft laugh. What followed was the very awkward silence. They stood there staring at each other, waiting for someone to say something. When he could no longer endure it, Yonghwa motioned towards the door, “Do you want to take a walk outside?”

“Okay…” Joohyun nodded without hesitations.

~~~~

She had been thinking about it all day that she wasn’t able to concentrate on her classes because of it. Euna checked for the second time if her grandmother was really busy in the kitchen before slipping inside her daddy’s room. She opened his drawer and slowly inspected the papers and notebooks there hoping to see something that might help her find her mommy.

The notepads and some papers in folders were neatly piled up that it was hard for her to be a little careful since she didn’t want her appa to know that she had been snooping on his stuff. But she had to find at least something.

Appa’s procrastination was really making her so mad. If he didn’t like to do something about it then she had to do it the Euna way. She wanted to see her mommy so bad that she could not wait for that promised day when she would be back.

Her little hands caught that black little notebook with so many numbers and carefully she traced her fingers on each names. It was still hard for her to read but she tried her best the way Teacher Tiffany told them to do so. Maybe he had another number where she could call and ask where her mommy was.

Her eyes grew bigger.

A smile formed on her lips as her finger tapped on that particular one.

~~~

They descended along the downhill path without any thoughts of where they may be heading. The setting sun kissed the calm afternoon with a touch of light purple and indigo on the east and the arrays of orange, red and yellow chased each other on the west. Joohyun walked a step or two ahead of him as her hands played on her sides while he followed behind carefully tracking her footsteps and looking at her back. The trees that lined on each side of the road swayed with the breeze.

It was a cool afternoon, cold enough for them to seek each other’s warmth but they remained on their territories.

“I think I don’t want to know how you find this place…” Joohyun said when she finally stopped walking and turned to him with a curve of a smile welcoming him.

“I think you know how I found this place,” he smiled back eager for her to talk some more as he watched her lean behind the railings on the side of the path. Yonghwa walked closer but chose to stand beside her with a space between them. “When are you coming back?”

“I don’t know yet,” she played with her fingers unable to look at him, “The kids still need me here…”

“There are people in Seoul that need you too,” he stared at her but she was still looking down.

“I would want those people to stop needing me…” she shot a glance into the sky.

“Then what do you want them to feel for you?” Yonghwa smiled to himself because he knew what exactly she wanted.

“You know the answer to that,” she glared at him but looked towards the other direction when he gave him another playful stare, “Don’t you think we were rather too fast before?”