Haneul’s POV

“Come, hand me the mop.” Ahjumma said as I was mopping the floor.

“Why?” I asked.

“You’re doing a bad job.” She laughed.

“No! It’s sparkling clean! You see! You can even see your own reflection!” I pointed at the floor that did not show my reflection.

“Where?” She asked, looking down.

“There! It’s your face that’s too dirty! Eww!” I .

“Yea, yea. Come on, just hand me the damn mop before I change my mind.” She said, snatching the mop from me.

“Is one month up?” I asked.

“Not even close!” She said.

“Then?” I asked.

“Your boyfriend pleaded me to help you with it.” She said.

“Junhyung? How did he know?” I asked.

“I told him, of course. Maybe I shouldn’t have. Now I have to do it myself.” She pouted.

“Awww so sad~ Then go find yourself a boyfriend too!” I laughed.

“YAH!!” She frowned, but was laughing as well.

“What!? You think you can’t make it? If you ask for it, we will have a queue of ahjusshis from here all the way to Myeongdong just waiting to have a glimpse of you and perhaps give you a kiss on your hand.” I said, taking her hand, giving it a light peck.

“You crazy thing!” She laughed, flicking my forehead.

“OWW!! I am serious! Ahjumma, haven’t you ever thought of .. you know, perhaps getting someone?” I asked.

“It’s a sensitive question, little girl.” She said.

“That’s why it is me who is asking and not Jace or anyone else.” I said.

“How sure are you that I wouldn’t flare up at you?” She asked.

“I just know. I am Haneul. Everyone likes me.” I laughed, feeling so embarrassed at that untrue statement.

“Kidding about the last part thou.” I mumbled.

“I’m glad you’re kidding.” She said.

“Yah! I know I don’t have the best relationship with everyone whatsoever, but at least I know towards you I am sincere.” I said.

She looked at me, not saying anything.

“So?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t, Haneul ah. Just look at all the things I have to handle here. Isn’t it enough to keep me busy till the day I die?” She said.

“But isn’t it nice to have someone to actually share your happiness, sorrows and all? Or do you actually have someone, just that you never mentioned?” I asked.

“You’re even more curious than the five-year-olds here.” She commented, pinching my cheek.

“It’s called concern!” I protested.

“Haneul, I am married.” She said.

“HUH!?” My jaws literally dropped.

“WHAT!? Am I too ugly that you cannot believe I actually am married!?” She yelled.

“NO NO NO!! I mean.. then.. where is the ring.. the guy..?” I mumbled.

“Come.” She said, taking my hand and leading me to her room.

“Sit down.” She gestured me to sit on her bed.

“Look.” She said, opening a small standing closet.

Inside stood many photo frames, books, clothes and some other accessories that lied everywhere.

“Wh..at…?” I mumbled, looking at it.

“My husband.” She said, handing me a photo frame as she sat down beside me.

“Handsome…” I mumbled, looking closely at the photo.

He had the finest features and the brightest smile ever.

“Handsome, right?” She said.

“Yea yea.” I mumbled, still not able to take my eyes off him.

“Not only you can get a handsome boyfriend okay. I can too.” She said.

“You were so beautiful.” I said, looking at the photo of Ahjumma when she was younger.

“I was as beautiful as you are. With age and all the work I am doing, this is what happened.” She laughed.

“Please, come on, I am nowhere near the word beautiful. Junhyung is just cross-eyed or something.” I said, looking at the photo still.

“I shall give you a lecture about being confident some other day. Maybe get Junhyungie to do it or what. But do you want to hear my story or not?” She asked.

“I DO!!” I yelled, looking at her.

She spent the next half an hour telling me about how they met and how they got together. It was really cliché, but at the same time very pure kind of puppy love that lasted forever. Just by listening to her tell me her story, I could feel the blissfulness already. They must be really deeply in love.

“So he proposed to you despite his parents saying no?” I asked.

“He did.” She smiled.

“Hehehe look at your face!” I .

She covered her face, but I could tell that behind her palms, it was a wide smile.

“So what happened after that? Did you guys really get married?” I asked.

“I rejected him.” She said.

“WHY!?” I yelled.

“Because I did not want to destroy him. If I were to marry him, his parents would disown him. What would it make me? I was scared. I had no one to turn to, Haneul ah.” She said, smiling weakly.

“Why did his parents not like you? Just because you weren’t as wealthy and you’re an orphan?” I asked.

She nodded.

“That’s just ridiculous! It is not like you choose your family when you were born! It just happened to be like this! It doesn’t determine your character! How could they be so shallow!? That’s why I hate rich people!” I said angrily.

“Hahahaha! Calm down! Why are you so angry!?” She cupped my cheeks.

“It’s unfair!” I yelled.

“Nothing is fair. Haneul, you know that nothing is fair. If everything is fair, there would be no hospitals, orphanages and natural disasters, because no good hearted people will die and no innocent babies would lose their parents the moment they were born. Nothing is fair, but this is how life is.” She said.

I looked down, feeling slightly embarrassed that at this age, I had to be told something like that. It wasn’t that I did not know, it was just at that point of time, the annoyed child in me had to appear.

“But I get your anger. I get what you mean, because at that point of time, I thought the same too. I did not choose to be an orphan. I did not choose to be poor. Being poor and being an orphan does not make me a bad person or a thief or whatsoever. I was angry. I really was.” She explained.

“But then when I calmed down and looked at things from a different point of view, I saw something else. I understood why his parents rejected me. Not because I was a bad person, but because they just wanted the best for their son. I had no backup whatsoever, what if I was indeed a bad person? They cannot afford to risk their son for a stranger like me. Do you get it?” She said.

“But they could have given you the chance to prove yourself!” I said.

“Who said they didn’t? I just did not believe that I could do it, so I let the chance go.” She said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“When he proposed, I rejected and broke up with him.” She said.

“Huh?” I looked at her.

“I thought that it was the best way out. I told him I did not want to destroy his life and it was just impossible between us.” She said.

“And then he let you go?” I asked.

“I received this a few days after we broke up.” She handed me a letter.

I opened it up and read it.

‘I’m sure you’ve been to many weddings, but have you ever paid close attention to the words of the marriage vow and the meaning behind it?’

 “What?” I asked, looking at her.

She just smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

“What did he meant?” I asked.

“It’s for you to find out then.” She smiled.

“Why can’t you just tell me?” I asked.

“Because then it would be pointless.” She smiled.

“Where is he now?” I asked.

“Dead.” She smiled.

My expression fell.

“Dead?” I asked.

“He died in an accident even before I could tell him I understood the marriage vow already.” She said with a bitter smile.

“Don’t look so sad!” She poked my pouted lips.

“I’m just..” I mumbled, looking down.

“Haneul ah, me and him, we are the past. But Junhyung and you, you guys are the present, and the future.” She said.

“What about me and Junhyung?” I asked.

“I see the clear picture now. Why you came here three years ago looking so devastated, why you pushed him away when he came back for you, and until now, I can tell that you’re still somewhat unsure, right?” She said.

“How.. did you..” I mumbled.

“It’s written all over your face, Haneul ah~ You’re so easy to read, if you did not realize.” She laughed.

“That’s mean!” I pouted.

“Ahjumma is regretting, because if I held onto him long enough, if I was brave enough to fight for him, things would have been different.” She said.

“He would not have died?” I asked.

“He would have died anyway, I think. Because that isn’t something I can change. But I could have changed the way he died. He could have died without regrets.” She said.

“I’m sorry.” I mumbled.

“Don’t be. It wasn’t you who caused his death. My point is, treasure Junhyung. He loves you, I’m sure you can tell. If you’re afraid of his fans or his family rejection or even worse, because you don’t think you’re worth it for him because of your looks or size or whatever, don’t be! I am not saying those are not important factors in a relationship between you two, except for the way you look, the others are, because at the end of the day, two person being together isn’t just about you two. But before you deal with those problems, both of you got to be firm and confident about the relationship, then you can go out and tell people ‘He is the one’!” She said.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“Because you’re a brave girl. The fact you took that step to accept him again, you’re brave by giving each other another chance. But life is like this, whenever you’re at the sweetest peak, something will happen. I am not saying it would, I am just saying it could happen. It’s really dramatic, but this is life. If anything happens, be it to you or to him, don’t run away, and don’t let him run away too. You guys have been through a lot, so much in fact, to give up now.” She said.

“You’re making it sound like something bad is going to happen.” I pouted.

“I am so sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” She laughed, hugging me.

“I am just concerned. I can see from your face that you’re a little tired of waiting. He has been out of the country for long, he doesn’t have the time to contact you. You just don’t know if he is okay or not, right?” She asked.

“You’re psychic!” I said, tears flowing down my cheeks unknowingly.

“Don’t cry~” She laughed, patting my back.

“I miss him. I don’t know if he is okay. He doesn’t reply to my texts, neither does he call. I know he is busy and all, but just one text would be good, no? Besides, he is still sick, I want to know if he is feeling better or feeling worse. I want to be there for him, but I don’t know how.” I said.

She laughed and kissed me on my cheek.

“Do you think Junhyung is the one for you?” She asked, wiping the tears off my cheeks.

“I… I don’t know.” I said.

“No one knows.” She laughed.

“Just don’t be like me. In love, you cannot be afraid, because you’re afraid, you’ll always be at the same spot. Just like bungee jumping, if you’re afraid, you’ll never jump. It’s scary, of course, but once you take that step, you’ll be able to see a whole new world.” She smiled.

“I want to go bungee jumping.” I smiled.

“Jump into Junhyung’s embrace first.” She said, pointing at my vibrating phone.

The caller on the screen was ‘J♥’

I grinned and answered.

“Hello?” I smiled, feeling fluffy all over.

"Haneul ah~" But it wasn’t his voice. It was Doojoon’s.

“I am on my way.” I mumbled, hanging up the phone.

I felt my body turn cold and I could feel myself trembling. My heart beat so wildly and it seemed like my oxygen supply got cut off.

“What is it?” Ahjumma asked, rubbing her warm palms against my cold hands.

“Junhyung he…” I mumbled.

She rubbed my arm, comforting me. I in a deep breath, calming myself down.

“He passed out on the plane, and is still unconscious. He is running a high fever too. They just touched down Korea and are rushing him to the hospital. But it doesn’t seem good.” I said.

“GO! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?” She yelled, pulling me up.

“I’m scared.” I cried.

“GO!” She slapped me across my cheek.

That was indeed a wakeup call. A very painful one.