500 won Act of Kindness by Avy G   The next morning, Oh Sehun is down the court, does some dribbles, though not very energetically. Oh Ri Jin knows her cousin is supposed to be at the college gym soon for basketball practice, but it could be he's hanging around the park awaiting an apology for not keeping her promise to bring Han Chae Young over to the picnic. She owes that to him, of course, and as she watches him from the window, she gets an idea.    She knocks on her window, signaling to Oh Sehun to wait for her. Downstairs, she drops five of Chae Young's oatmeal chocolate cookies into a plastic bag.    Not a word from Oh Sehun as she gets close.    "Yah, Oh Sehun. Stop being angry, okay? I'm sorry. I brought you cookies. Peace offering."    He takes the plastic bag from her, and pops a whole cookie in his mouth. "Not bad. You baked them? I doubt— " His words are all muffled by smushed cookie.    "Chae Young. I'm the world's worst baker, you acknowledge that. And who's had time? I'm busy fitting my fancy ball dress." She gives him a side-ways glance to let him know that she's actually joking. And he quits being mad at her. Very forgiving guy.    "The ball is in two weeks, Ri Jin." Oh Sehun says, slightly mocking.    "But why didn't you bring her along yesterday? Was she sick?" Mouth fills of crumbs, Ri Jin mumbles to answer Sehun. "Ani, she's doing well. But you should have known, nobody actually ever succeeds in persuading her to get out of the kitchen and mingle around. She's practically shy."    "Shy? Why? It was just a picnic, a gathering tea for families. Not a wild party." He trills his fingers and does a great job of rolling his eyes around in his head.    "Yeah, a little old-fashioned, but she has her own reason." Ri Jin adds.    "Example?" He asks, frowning.    Oh Ri Jin trains her eyes to her cousin and inhales. Can she trusts him?   "No judgements, promise?"    "Count on me."    Ri Jin nods, choosing her words carefully.    *****   I have been living in Gangwon-do for precisely three months, and still can't believe that our family finally leaves Jeolla-do after twenty-two years. Jeolla-do seems a million miles away already. And I, Han Chae Young, is not going to look back.    I had come down here few times before, for a precious holiday when I was ten. Those years had been happier at least, running around the playground with two feet, I'd felt safe, and free.    But one summer, when I was fifteen, and my mind was filled with such pressing concerns as pimples, what it would feel like to dance during the school annual ball, I suffered from losing one of the precious abilities of a human — the ability to walk. My parents are well aware of the damage has done to me. I am wary of strangers, and tend to stay on the sidelines of any group, casting suspicious glances around me.    Living in a quiet neighborhood, my parents having started to work at the nearest school as teachers, and make friends. And me, with a job that keeping myself busy — I open my own business, a small, infamous bakery with a delicious creamy buns baked by myself. At least this bakery is famous within the elementary school kids near my house, they really love the soft buns.    I don't plan to get involved with anybody else for a long while, but meeting Nana and Oh Ri Jin, I am happy. We met when I was struggling to reach for the baking chocolate on the shelves, and Nana was helping. Just the three of us now, it's a proper way to live, a vast improvement from before. I cannot believe life can feel so sweet.    Fate is a bugger sometimes.    Because the very next Monday, when I am halfway through my long day baking a hundred red velvet cupcakes for Thanksgiving day, a tall man with snow skin and a very nice eyebrows I've ever seen, walks into the bakery.    I should have thought that he's just a plain customer who comes to buy some creamy buns, but there is something about him that makes me look twice. What is more, he looks right back.    "Unnie, can I sprinkle some chocolate chips on my cupcake?" Seven-year-old girl who stands next to the perfect-eyebrows-owner is asking, with so much politeness.    "Yes, sure, sweetheart. Do you want a vanilla or strawberry topping?" I say, hands on my thighs, steadfastly ignoring the y man, even though I can feel him trying to catch my eyes again.    "Strawberry!" She says, cannot contain her excitement. "Vanilla for me." That guy snaps, when the girl hisses.    "But strawberry color is much prettier. I always had strawberry topping for my cupcakes. Didn't Oemma say?"    "This vanilla topping— " He points to the vanilla flavored cream on the table. "is for my cupcake. Not yours, Oh Ri Na."    "But ahjussi, I'm the one who bring you here. You have to get the strawberry topping," The little girl insists, wrapping her short arms around her body and pouts.    "But I'm the one who pay— "    I don't mean to interrupt but when I see the girl's about to burst into tears, I think I shouldn't let this small matter becomes a bigger problem. I don't really want others to see a child throwing tantrums in my bakery.    "Look," I tell her. "How about we mix them together? The vanilla and strawberry toppings? And I'll give you free oatmeal raisin cookies afterwards. Sounds okay?"    "Okay!" Her tiny face finally brightened. I smile and pack the cupcakes in a nice box with 'CY's Sweet Bakery' written on it, handing those to Oh Ri Na. After they pay for the cupcakes, I hear that guy murmurs under his breath.    "But I really hate strawberry flavor,"    I silently smile.   *****   Oh Sehun walks hand in hand with his niece, his  mouth is full with red velvet cupcake. "Ri Na-ya, do you know her name? The Unnie we met in the bakery just now?" He asks, chewing the cake gracefully. It doesn't taste that sweet, goes very well with his taste.    "500 won," Oh Ri Na shoves her hand, looks up to her uncle.    "Are you seriously going to behave like this?" He frowns.    "Then, I don't really— remember Unnie's name, what to do?" She says teasingly, pops the oatmeal cookie some more into her small mouth. Oh Sehun can't help but to search for the coin in his pocket, and gives it to the little girl who's just a few inches taller than his thighs.    Oh Ri Na giggles happily, placing the coin into her Barbie sling bag. "Chae Young." She says.    "What?" He turns to Ri Na, frowning his eyebrows and he looks confused.    "Han Chae Young unnie. Her name."      It turns out that the guy with a perfect eyebrows appears again in the following weeks, one day he purchases a carrot cake worth one kilos and a fluffy Victoria sponge with edible silver glitter all over the top, another day he comes to buy fifteen buns with red beans filling.    "I was wondering if you'd like to come out for a drink with me some time," He says, bold as brass, instantly drops away to silence. I flush at his brazen approaches. Not answering, I go on discussing which topping is more tastier to please one of the little boys, who seems dilemma to choose the flavor for his blueberry cupcake.    He doesn't give up easily, though. He waits until the cluster of little customers have finally all peeled away, then approaches me again, with his niece, Ri Na, mutely cringing beside him.    "Just a drink," He says. "Come on. I think we'd get on very well, me and you." I give him one of my looks, the sort I reserve when dealing with a difficult young boy.    "Look, Mister— "    "Oh Sehun." He interrupts.   "Whatever it is." I tell him. "I'll just say this once, I'm not interested. Not in you. Not in any man. Now, if you don't mind, I'm busy here, all right? I'm working. Goodbye, Ri Na. See you again."    That is Ri Na's cue to start dragging her uncle away and bless, she did try. Unfortunately, he doesn't budge.    "But I'm not just any man," He replies, deadpan. "I'm Oh Sehun. And you're beautiful."    I rub my temple, and wheels to the shelves, trying my best to reach for the empty tray before he comes and takes it for me. "I promise I'm not a freak," He says, his eyes crinkling at the edge as he smiles. "And I'm not a dork type, either. Let's be friend, okay?"    "Oh, ahjussi, please stop it, you're embarrassing me!" Ri Na cries in mortification, pulling a face at her uncle.    "You're not the only one, honey." I tell her drily, ignoring the glint in his eyes.    "So?" He's still there, urging me.    "Alright," I say, watching this strangely persistent man's face carefully for his reaction. He grins.    "Just a quick drink at Mango Six cafe, after I close my shop. Take it or leave it." I add.   "I'll take it," He says instantly.    This is just a drink. Nothing is going to happen. Nothing whatsoever.   As it happens, there is no need for me to feel uncomfortable from then on. Oh Sehun turns out to be the best fun I've ever had in ages. He teaches me how to flip the beer mats and catch them. He makes me laugh with stories of his naughty boyhood with his another eight non-related-brothers, and he even charms me by showing me a photo of a dog he had found that morning at Kim Jongin's house.    "Should we bring Chae Young unnie to Uncle Jongin's house?" Ri Na asks immediately, her big brown eyes beseeching.    "If it's okay with her," Sehun glances up at me.    "Will you come with us?" She says with such excitement and enthusiasm that I am powerless to refuse.    "I should think so," I manage to say eventually, trying to keep it vague. "I'd better be getting home now," I say soon afterwards.    "And— maybe another time?" He asks, his gaze hopeful. Ri Na looks up at me with similar eagerness. "That would be nice," I say, determine not to be pinned down until I have time to think about it.    "Thanks, Sehun. I'll see you guys around."    And that is as much as I will give him. For now.   *****   The next morning I open the bakery to the sound of a child, Nana and Ri Jin, and a man singing tunelessly outside the doorstep.    "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Chae Youngie— happy birthday to you!"    Nana and Ri Jin kiss my cheeks, and giggle. And Ri Na comes forward to give me a bouquet of flowers. "I picked the flowers," She says, hopping from foot to foot. "Do you like them?"    "Oh, baby's breath, yes, of course, they're lovely," I say, pulling her in for a kiss.    There is no school that day and Ri Jin has taken the day off her part time job, so the present-unwrapping is done. Nana has given me a bottle of perfume, and my parents have prepared a pair of silver earrings and floral card saying 'We love you' to me.    Now there is just one present left, and it is the biggest of them all, wrapped up in a polka-dotted paper with an enormous white bow on the top.    "Happy birthday, Chae Young," says Oh Sehun, bringing it over to me. I can hardly bear that teasing glint in his eyes, the way his lips are already puckering with a smirk.    "Thank you," I reply, becoming quite excited as I feel how heavy it is. "What is it?"    "You'll just have to open it," He says, and he is smiling. I rip off the wrapping paper to see a pair of heels in ivory white with lacey touch around them, and a tiny bows on each. "Oh— " I say, lost for words.    "Noona helped me to choose the design, and the color as well. Try it on," He says encouragingly. I shake my head slowly, my heart sinks. Oh Sehun kneels, fac