Running with a broken umbrella clutched uselessly in her hand, Mina turned the corner sharply to get into her apartment building. She couldn’t wait to take a hot shower, eat some spicy ramen and get out of her ‘professional’ black pumps. But those plans were put on hold when she noticed a man struggling with slippery boxes and blocking the entrance to the building.

 “Are you moving in?” she yelled over the pounding rain. The man pushed his hoodie back and looked at her with a confused expression. She waved her hand in his face and asked again, “Are you moving in here?”

“Sorry. Yes, I am,” he answered. Mina nodded her head, then propped the door open with her purse. “What are you--?”

“Carry first, questions later!” She picked up a lamp and tucked it under her arm. With her free hand, she grabbed a laundry bag and went inside. Leaving the burdens on the landing, she then turned to get another load. The man was standing there, watching her. Mina waved her arms. “Planning on helping?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Again,” he told her. It took five trips for them to get everything inside. Once the last box was set down, they both collapsed on the short staircase that led to the first floor. After taking off his soaked sweatshirt, the man turned to Mina. “Thank you so much for helping me.”

“It’s okay. It rained the day I moved in too,” she informed him with a sympathetic smile. “No one could help?”

“I did have help, at first. My cousin Changmin was here, but his wife went into labor, so he left after practically carrying the couch in by himself.”

Mina nodded her head and started squeezing some of the water out of her hair. “What do you like on your pizza?”

“Uh, Hawaiian style. Why?”

“Which apartment are you moving into?” she asked, changing the subject completely.

“1C, at the end of the hall.”

“So you’re my new neighbor.” She stood and went down to retrieve her purse. “I’m in 1B. My name’s Pyo Mina.”

“Jung Yunho,” he responded and bowed. “Nice to meet you and thank you so much for helping.”

“It’s no problem. I wish I could help more, but I have to get ready for a date.”

“Oh! I’m sorry for holding you up,” he apologized yet again. She waved him off.

   “I think Hyunjun is off work. I’ll call him down to help you finish moving your things in.”

“No, no. You don’t have--”

“We’re pretty close in this building, he’ll be glad to help. He’s a gossip, though, so hide anything you don’t want the rest of us knowing about,” Mina warned. She walked up the four steps, took off her abusive shoes, wiggled her toes happily and sighed in relief.

Yunho stood at the bottom of the steps and lifted a box of kitchen stuff. “Really, thank you, Mina. I appreciate all the help.”

“Just don’t have loud freaky and we’ll get along just fine.” His eyes went wide and it made Mina laugh. “Our apartments are connected by the bedroom wall. The disturbingly thin bedroom wall. The last girl wasn’t very considerate and I’m scarred from the things I heard. Please use a pillow.”

“I’ll, uh, keep that in mind,” he vowed with a chuckle.

With her bag on her shoulder and shoes in her hand, Mina made her way down the hall. After opening her door and throwing her things inside, she turned around and waved one last time.

* * * * * 

Hyunjun, a twenty-something restaurant manager, was more than happy to help Yunho move. And snoop discretely. Done with helping, and nosing around, he left after extracting a promise from Yunho that he would stop by the restaurant for dinner sometime soon.

Yunho flopped onto his slightly damp couch in his still wet clothes and closed his eyes. He was tired down to his bones. He looked at all the damp boxes surrounding him and closed his eyes again. They would have to wait until after he showered. And changed. And ate. And likely until after he took a nap. Seconds from dozing off, Yunho grumbled when someone knocked on his door. He got up stiffly to check the peephole. An unknown young man stood on the other side. Assuming it was another nosy neighbor, he answered reluctantly.

“Hello,” Yunho said with what he hoped was a friendly smile.

“Hello,” the young man greeted. He picked a bag up that Yunho hadn’t noticed and handed him a pizza. His mouth watered as he smelled it. From another bag, the young man gave Yunho a 2-liter of soda and a cold six-pack of beer. “Mina-ssi wasn’t sure which you preferred, so she asked me to bring both.”

“That was sweet of her to order, but I don’t have any cash. I can run to the ATM and--”

“No need. Mina-ssi already paid for it. Have a great night!” The younger man called over his shoulder and raced down the stairs.

Yunho laughed softly, shook his head and went inside. He set the pizza on the coffee table and flipped open the lid. Ham and pineapples and small chunks of bacon smothered in still smoking cheese. He moaned aloud and he picked up a slice. One bite and he moaned again. The salty/sweet flavors on his tongue made it impossible for him not to. Yunho was glad that he was alone because he was embarrassed by how quickly he consumed the first piece. Reaching for another, that’s when he noticed the writing on the box lid.

Welcome to the building! Remember, use a pillow!

               --Mina

* * * * * 

The knock on the door made Yunho break out of his work mode. In all of Seoul, he only knew his cousin and the other tenants of the building. He had a clue of who it was. With a smile on his lips, he went to answer the door.

“Yes, Mina,” he said with humor in his voice. She looked up at him with a now familiar look of apology and panic.

“Mr. Kang is out, my sink won’t stop running and I have to be at work in . . .” she looked down at her watch and sighed. “. I’m going to be late again. Can I borrow a screwdriver?” she asked, a hint of a whine in her voice. Yunho chuckled as he leaned against the door jamb. “It's not funny!”

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, though he wasn’t sorry at all. Mina seemed to have a new crisis every other day, and he had only been living there for a month. Nothing life threateningly serious, but enough to leave her in a constant state of frazzledness. “How about this. Just turn the water off to the sink and I’ll drive you to work. When I come back, I’ll have Mr. Kang fix it.”

“How do I do that?”

“Under the sink, there’s a nozzle . . .” Seeing the blank look on her face, he stopped. “I’ll come do it. Just finish getting ready.”

“Thank you, Yunho. Again. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Just let me grab my keys and put my shoes on. Leave the door open. I’ll be right there.”

“I’m sorry. I’m always asking for things. I’m the worst neighbor.”

“At least you aren’t boring,” he said to console her, he patted her gently on the shoulder. “Now hurry up so we can go.”

* * * * * 

“Mind if I ask you something?” Mina asked on the way to her job.

“Sure.”

“Are you, like, a trust fund baby or an eccentric chaebol perhaps?”

Yunho laughed while he drove. “What would make you think that?”

“Well, you’re always home. Do you work?”

Still chuckling, Yunho looked over at her and nodded. “Yes, I work. I work for Samsung as a programmer. I only have to go into the office for monthly meetings.”

“Wah, I want your job,” she said, sounding impressed. “How long have you been doing that?”

“Thirteen years? I think. I was doing it from home in Gwangsan before I moved to Seoul.”

“Wait. Are you old enough to have worked somewhere for that long? Aren’t you my age?”

His cheeks turned a little pink before answering. “I’ll be 30 next February.”

“You have a babyface like my boyfriend. He’s the same age as you. A month older, actually.” Mina dug through her purse to be sure she had her ID badge. Finding it deep in the bottom, she smiled and held it up triumphantly. “Oh. Does this mean I should call you ‘oppa’ now?”

His cheeks turned a light shade of red. “You can if you want.”

“Cool.” Yunho pulled the car to a stop and Mina slid off the seatbelt. “Thanks for the ride, Yunho-oppa.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, flustered by her easy use of the nickname. “Do you want me to pick you up later?”

“No, I have to go over to my boyfriend’s. He’s sick and I said I would check up on him.”

“Arraso. Have a good day at work.”

“You, too, oppa!” she called as she got out of the car. At the doors of the building, she turned around and waved. Yunho waved back and smiled again as he pulled off.

* * * * * 

The two formed a close and comfortable relationship as neighbors. They signed for each other’s packages, bummed the odd egg from the other. If they met around the neighborhood, they would walk home together. Yunho quickly learned that Mina had been accurate about her description of the building. Everyone was friendly, and helpful, and nosey, but he liked it. The place had a sense of community he hadn’t experienced before. No matter how many times Mrs. Kang ‘dropped by’ to chat and drink coffee, he let her in. No matter how many times Mina had a ‘crisis’, he helped. No matter how many times Seohyun asked him out . . . he declined.

On a Friday evening, he heard knocking and quiet cursing from the hallway. Poking his head out, he saw Mina growling in frustration as she knocked on the Kangs’ door.

“Their son invited them to dinner, they won’t be back for a while,” Yunho told her, leaning against the door to his apartment. Mina looked over at him and cursed again.

“I lost my keys. Again. Mr. Kang is going to kill me,” Mina grumbled.

“Do you have a spare somewhere?”

“My boyfriend has it, but he’s in Busan with friends,” she explained. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. “Any idea when they’ll be back?”

Yunho shook his head. “You can wait in here until they get back if you want.”

“Really?” she asked hopefully.

The older man nodded and shrugged. “But you’re buying dinner and I’m not watching one of your sappy dramas.”

Mina’s smirk grew into a smile. “I can live with that.”

* * * * * 

Though he worked from home, Yunho got into the habit of dressing in the morning. It would have been understandable for him to be in pajamas all day, but at least once a week Mina would knock on his door for one minor emergency or the other that he would be asked to rectify. Most people would be bothered by it, but Yunho genuinely didn’t mind. When he heard her frantic knock, there would be a smile on this face when he answered the door.

“Yes, Mina?” he greeted on one such morning.

“I woke up late. Would you mind giving me a ride to work?” she asked in a small voice.

Yunho smiled at her kindly and nodded. “Sure. Are you ready now?”

“I just need my purse.”

“Meet you at the car.”

* * * * * 

On the trip Mina revealed that she had skipped breakfast, so Yunho sped to a coffee shop to grab something to eat. She ate while he drove, talking animatedly about a new drama on TV between bites. He nodded and made noises at appropriate times, mind focused on the road.

“Do I talk too much, oppa?” she asked once it occurred to her that he hadn’t said a word.

“I don’t mind at all. My life is too quiet,” he admitted. When she didn’t immediately pick up where she left off he asked, “So what happened when the male lead came back from Paris?”

She laughed but went into a detailed recounting of how the two character were reunited.

When they arrived at her building, Mina jumped out of the car with a loud ‘thank you oppa!’

As he started to pull off Yunho noticed a strip of bright green fabric on the floor. He chuckled as he reached for it, realizing that Mina had dropped her badge. He smiled as he parked, prepared to head inside and return it to her.

When he walked into the lobby, he noticed that it was relatively quiet. There were people standing around in clusters, and one overly loud male voice could be heard speaking in a chastising tone. Yunho couldn’t make out every word, but the ones he heard made him feel bad for whoever was on the receiving end of that ire.

He looked around for a desk of some kind so that he could ask about where Mina worked in the building. Three steps forward revealed her location. She was the one on the receiving end of the thundering criticisms. The sight of her bowed head and cowering posture filled his heart with sympathy. The sight of the man slapping her head with a folder filled his heart with indignation. Before his brain could formulate a plan, his body moved towards her.

“Mina!” he called, feet in motion. She looked up, saw him and dropped her head in shame. Yunho purposely positioned himself between the man and her. “I’m sorry. I grabbed your badge accidentally.”

Mina looked up at him with misty eyes and a grateful smile. “Thank you, oppa.”

Yunho brushed her hair back in place before pinching her cheek cutely. “Anytime.”

The man who had mistreated Mina cleared his throat loudly. “Now that you’re prepared for work, I suggest you get to your desk before you receive a write up for tardiness.”

Mina rubbed the back of her neck before bowing her head. “Yes, sir.” She waited a few seconds for the man to walk off, but instead, he continued to watch her with his arms crossed over his chest in displeasure. Mina sighed and looked back at Yunho. “I have to go. Thank you for saving me again.”

He nodded to acknowledge her gratitude. “Want me to pick you up after work?”

“I can take the bus,” she replied, not wanting to inconvenience him further.

“But if I pick you up, I can take you right out for dinner. You skip lunch so I know you’ll be hungry,” he joked.

Mina chuckled and toyed with the lanyard in her hands. “Okay, oppa. I’ll call you later.”

Yunho wasn’t sure what possessed him to do it, but he stepped closer and kissed her forehead. “See you tonight.”

Both of their cheeks were pink when he backed away. With a little wave, Yunho turned away. He smiled as he walked by her stunned looking coworkers. He had a feeling he had given them something to talk about.

* * * * * 

Upon first sight, and then confirmed by further inspection, Yunho could state confidently that he didn’t like Mina’s boyfriend Jaejoong. All it took was one look at the messy, dyed blonde hair and scuffed leather jacket for him to have a bad feeling. He looked like the quintessential bad boy and that, he reasoned, was likely the draw Mina felt to him.  

He didn't like the way Jaejoong spoke to her. More times than he liked, he could hear them arguing in the hall. Jaejoong talked down to her, spouted hurtful backhanded insults and shamelessly hit her up for money.

The two men would barely acknowledge each other in passing. They only spoke when Mina was within earshot. What cemented Yunho’s disdain was when he overheard Jaejoong speaking disrespectfully about her on an overly loud phone conversation in the hall. Yunho opened his apartment door and leaned against it so Jaejoong would know that he heard him. Jaejoong gave him the finger as he laughed and walked away.

One night during the summer it all became too much. He could hear Jaejoong berating her from the front door and inside her apartment.  He ignored it as intently as possible. But then he spilled water on his shirt, went to his room to change, and heard the unmistakeable sound of a scuffle, a scream, a thud, and a plea to stop. He was out the door in a flash.

Using his spare key to her apartment, Yunho walked straight to her bedroom. From the doorway, he saw Mina cowering against the shared wall and Jaejoong standing over her menacingly. The room occupants looked at him, Mina’s eyes wide with fear.

“What the ? Get out!” Jaejoong yelled.

Yunho ignored him and walked to Mina’s side. Crouching down beside her, he lifted her chin to see her face. He could easily see the redness forming on her cheek. As furious as he was, he smiled at her gently and smoothed back her hair. “I want you to go to my apartment and lock the door.”

“I -- I. He--he---he--” she stuttered through uneven breaths.

“I know, or at least I can guess,” Yunho spoke softly. He held onto her trembling hands and helped her to stand. With an arm around her, he shielded her with his body on the way out. “I’ll take care of this, but I need to know you’re safe. So go to my apartment, alright?”

“She’s not going anywhere!” Jaejoong commanded. He tried to reach for Mina, but Yunho blocked his hand and threw it off. Mina flinched and drew away. “Back off. This is none of your business!”

“I’m making it my business. Move or get moved,” Yunho threatened.

Jaejoong scoffed and smirked. “If you want the so bad--”

Yunho pushed Jaejoong in the chest and rushed Mina out the door.

“You er!” Jaejoong screamed as he stood back up. He tried to dodge around Yunho to grab her. “Get back here, you stupid !”

Yunho stood in Jaejoong’s way, protecting her from further harm. “Go, Mina. Go now.”

Mina turned back long enough to see the door slam closed.

* * * * * 

   Mina couldn’t sit still. She stood, then she sat, then she paced, then she sat again. She could hear the sounds of their altercation from Yunho’s apartment, the banging, and scraping of moving furniture. While part of her wanted to go over there, she knew there was no reason to. There was nothing she could do. The door to her apartment opened and she couldn’t stop herself from looking outside.

   She could see a flash of Jaejoong’s bloody face before Yunho pushed him. Jaejoong spun to take a wild swing at him, Yunho ducked and punched the blonde in the stomach. Jaejoong fell to his knees. Yunho grabbed him by the collar and walked him down the hall like a dog. At the steps, Yunho crouched in front of him and looked him squarely in the eye.

   “If you come here again, if you hurt her again, I will break your pretty face.”

   “Aww, you think I’m pretty?” Jaejoong taunted with a twisted smile.

   Yunho let go of him and stood, a look of disgust on his face. “I don’t know what she sees in you. You’re a loser.”

   “She’s a loser too,” Jaejoong spoke as he wiped the blood from his lips. “She’s lucky I gave her the time of day.”

   “You’re  . . . vile,” Yunho replied, unable to think of a word strong enough to describe his loathing. “Just get out of here.”

   Jaejoong chuckled as he stood. “Tell Mina to call me.”

   “She won’t.”

   “Yes she will,” the blonde replied with a wink. “Later Mina! Love you, babe!” he yelled before swaggering out.

   Yunho wiped his hands down his face and took a deep breath before turning to head back to his apartment. Catching sight of Mina standing there, he slowed his steps. “I thought I told you to lock the door.”

   “I was--I just--I--”

   “It’s okay,” he said soothingly and guided her back inside. He sat her on the couch before going to the freezer to get a bag of frozen vegetables. He wrapped it in a towel and pressed it to her swollen cheek as he sat down beside her. “This bruise is going to be big. Any chance you can take a day or two off?”

   Mina shook her head. “I’ll just say I fell. That sounds like something I would do.”

   “You don’t have to cover for him.”

   “It’s not about him, it’s about me,” she insisted. “If I tell people he hit me, it’ll feed into what they already think of me.”

   “Which is?”

   “That I’m a up.”

   “Mina ...,” he spoke sadly. “You’re not a up.”

   “Yes, I am,” she insisted. “I had mediocre grades in school and just barely made it into college. I changed majors four times, it was six years before I graduated. I have a degree in graphic design, but I’m a personal assistant to a spoiled brat. I’m a year older than him, but he calls me noona as an insult. He’s family, so even though I’m more qualified and I do all the work, he got the pay and the title. No one respects me there or in my family."

"That can't be tr--"

“My mom ‘got it right’ and married rich the second time. My stepfather wouldn't put me on the family registry when they married. My half sister is beautiful and super successful. She’s getting married to an actor, and all I get are pitying glances around the dinner table when they bother to invite me to things. And now this with Jae? Ha!” she laughed humorlessly and wiped at the falling tears. “Yeah. I’m a loser like he said; a up.”

   Yunho grabbed her hand and pulled her close. He wrapped an arm around her back and soothingly. He waited until she calmed down to speak again. “Look, I can’t tell you how to live your life, but don’t go back to him. I’m sure he’s got some good points, or you wouldn’t have dated him so long. But he hit you, Mina. And even if it was the first time--”

“It was the first time,” she stressed.

“--It’s unforgivable and not guaranteed to be the last time,” he finished. “If you choose to go back, that’s your decision and I will respect it. I won’t judge you, but I won’t interfere either.”

Mina nodded in understanding and snuggled closer to his warmth. “He does have good points, . . . but they haven’t outweighed the bad in a long time.”

“Then why were you with him?”

She took a long time to answer. “Habit? Fear, maybe? I’m such a screw up in so many parts of my life, but at least I had a super hot boyfriend who always remembered my birthday.”

    “You aren’t a screw-up,” he told her again. “There’s nothing wrong with not having it all figured out. You’re only 25. And you're a woman. I hear that you all are allowed to change your mind as many times as you want.”

   His little joke made Mina smile, and then wince from the pain. Yunho placed the towel back against her cheek and shifted so her head rested on his shoulder. “Do you want to watch one of your dramas?”

   “No,” she responded sadly. “I don’t think I could take the sight of love right now. Salt in the wound.”

   “Are you hungry?”

   “Not now.”

   “Then what would you like to do?” he asked, wanting to find some way to make her feel better.

   “Can we just . . . sit here? I don’t want to be alone right now.”

   “Sure.” Yunho grabbed a throw from the back of the couch and laid it over her. With his arms wrapped around her securely, Yunho settled in for a snuggle. When her shoulders began to shake and the sniffled started, he hugged her harder and rubbed her back. “You’ll be okay, Pyo Mina. It only hurts for a little while.”

   She cried fiercely after that, so harshly that she fell asleep on his chest. Yunho laid her down with a pillow and covered her with the blanket before going to her apartment to put it back together.

* * * * * 

Mina changed after that night. She was quieter, less excitable. She no longer knocked on Yunho’s door or purposely spent time with him. If she saw him in the hall, she would bow and run away. Some nights he would knock on hers and she wouldn’t answer, even though he had just seen her go in. Everyone in the building was noticed her lack of energy, the way she forced her smiled. So it came as quite a surprise when on a Thursday in September, on his way home from the grocery store, he saw Mina milling in the hall between their apartments.

“Hey. Long time no see,” he greeted with a genuine smile. Mina smiled at him shyly before rushing forward to take some of his bags. “How have you been?”

“I’m okay,” she answered unconvincingly. Yunho was tempted to call her on it but didn’t want to discourage her from talking. He unlocked the door and allowed her to pass. She set the food on the counter and backed away, fidgeting. Though he wasn’t looking directly at her, Yunho noticed her posture.

“I was in the mood for pasta. Want to stay for dinner?” he offered.

Mina shook her head. “No, I don’t think I should.”

“If you stay, you can talk to me about whatever’s bothering you.”

“Nothing’s bothering me,” she replied quickly.

“Liar.” When Mina’s eyes went wide, he laughed softly. “You’ve been avoiding me for almost two months.”

“I haven’t been avoiding you,” she returned defensively.

“Yes, you have,” he countered. He looked at her squarely, arms crossed over his chest. “I have seen you every day since I moved in, and then nothing. Everybody in the building is worried about you. None more than me for obvious reasons. So, what’s up?”

Mina dropped her head and toyed with her fingers before sitting down at his tiny dining room table. “I was ashamed to look at you after . . . that night.”

“Why?” he pressed. Mina took too long to answer, so he answered for her. “You thought that I would see you differently? That I would think less of you?”

“Yes, I thought those things,” she confirmed in a whisper.

“Oh, Mina, Mina, Mina,” Yunho spoke sadly. He sat down in the chair beside her and held her hand. “You were the first person to speak to me in Seoul other than my cousin. You bought me pizza and welcomed me. You made me laugh and I really, really needed that some days. I wanted to knock on your door and check on you, but I thought you’d appreciate some space from men. You're my friend Mina, and I’ve missed you.”

She reached for his other hand and gripped it tightly as the tears started. “I missed you too. And I’m sorry for shutting you out. I just needed to . . . I don’t know. Get my head straight, I guess.”

“Has he been bothering you?” Yunho asked, not needing to explain who ‘he’ was.

Mina shrugged. “There were texts and phone calls at first. He showed up at my job twice, but I had security turn him away. I haven’t heard anything in three weeks.”

“Good,” Yunho said with an approving nod. He smiled at her, and Mina smiled back at him. He her hair, pushed it behind her ear sweetly. “I’m going to start dinner now. Do you want to stay?”

“I’d be glad to.”

* * * * * 

“So what else have I missed?” Yunho asked.

Mina was halfway through her plate of alfredo, a noodle dangling out of as she looked up. She rushed to chew and swallow, Yunho chuckled and used his finger to wipe sauce from her chin. Taking a sip of her wine to wash it down, Mina proudly announced, “I quit my job.”

“Really?!” Yunho smiled at her, genuinely pleased. “Good for you.”

“Thanks,” she replied with a slight flush to her cheeks. “I had an interview yesterday at small graphics and rendering firm in Cheongdam. It’s less pay and a further commute, but it’ll be a great learning experience. And it’s run primarily by women.”

“That’s great to hear, Mina. I hope you get the job,” he said sincerely.

“Thank you, oppa.”

They ate quietly, too focused on the food for conversation. But when the plates were gone, Mina cleared . “There is something else . . .”

Yunho motioned for her to join him on the couch. He turned his body to her, giving her his full attention. “What’s up?”

“I know this is a huge favor to ask but . . . My half sister is getting married in two weeks. I had planned to take Jae, but I can’t now. And if I show up alone, I will never hear the end of it. So if you aren’t busy, would you be my date?”

“Isn’t your birthday in two weeks?”

Mina scoffed. “She’s getting married on my birthday.”

“Wow,” he replied.

“Yeah, I know,” she laughed humorlessly. “There’s a rehearsal dinner the night before at a private park north of Seoul. Sure to be an expense and pretentious affair. If you can’t tolerate it, we won’t stay.”

“That’s fine. I don’t think I have anything on that weekend. I’ll go with you.”

“Thank you so much,” Mina spoke in a heartfelt manner.

“It’s nothing,” he assured her. It was quiet between them for a moment, then Yunho shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “So . . . have you been keeping up with your dramas?”

Mina looked at him with a sly smile. “Have you?”

“No!” he replied instantly, face flushing. “But . . .  I am curious to know how Scarlet Heart ended.”

“Want me to tell you?” she asked, unable to control the laughter in her voice.

Through his flaming cheeks and uncontrollable smile, Yunho admitted, “I have the last 4 episodes saved.”

Mina jumped up, too ecstatic to sit still. She did a happy dance before flopping next to him and grabbing the remote. “I knew it! I knew you were listening!”

“It’s hard not to hear when you talked so much about it,” he joked, even stuck his tongue out at her.

Mina did it right back before tucking her feet under her body and pressing play.

* * * * * 

As Mina predicted, the rehearsal dinner emanated elitism and pretense. It was small and intimate with no more than 30 people in attendance. The guests mingled inside and outside of the tent while white-jacketed waiters circled the area with food and drink. Mina stuck to Yunho’s side, only greeting her family for the briefest of moments.

When the actual meal was served, Mina felt slighted when she noticed how far she was placed from the rest of her family on the long table. Yunho squeezed her hand under the table and quickly took her mind off the slight. She was on edge though. She knew them and how they could behave.

She thought she was safe once the soup was taken away and the entrees were brought out. Sunhee had barely spoken a word to her during the night and largely ignored her. But something Yunho said to Mina made her laugh too loudly and Sunhee’s gaze sharpened on her.

“Ah. Mina-unnie. I’m sorry about the seating arrangement,” Sunhee called down the table. “I wanted to give our parents a chance to know his family better before the wedding. You understand, of course.”

“Of course,” Mina parroted as expected. She turned her head away, hoping that would be the end of it. It was not.

“That’s lovely honey,” her mother mumbled before taking another bite of food. “Would you introduce your guest again? I didn’t catch his name.”

Before Mina could reply, Yunho stood and bowed to the head of the table. “My name is Jung Yunho. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“At least he has manners,” her mother muttered loudly enough to hear. “Not like that greasy blonde she used to date.”

“Jae-something, was it?” Sunhee asked.

“Jaejoong,” Mina clarified. “Kim Jaejoong.”

“Was he unavailable this evening?” Sunhee pressed.

Mina took a calming breath before responding, “He and I broke up a few months ago.”

“And you’ve already found another man?” the sister asked with exaggerated surprise. “It’s never been easy for me to find a partner. I guess I’m just pickier than you are.”

Mina grit her teeth smiled politely and turned away; hoping that would end the conversation. Again, it was not. Sunhee merely shifted her focus.

“Yunho-ssi. What kind of work do you do?” she asked.

“Software engineering for Samsung,” he explained simply.

“Oh, you must have gone to good school to earn a position like that at such a young age,” Mina’s father chimed in for the first time. “Which school?”

“I didn’t go to college,” Yunho admitted, not surprised when he heard the gasps from those around the table. “I taught myself programming at a young age. Coding just made sense to me. Samsung sponsored a tech contest while I was in high school and I won. I was recruited and started working for them at 17.”

“Impressive,” the fiance replied with a smile. Yunho smiled back at him and saw when Sunhee nudged the man.

“And how long have you been married?” Sunhee asked once the table quieted down, making sure that everyone heard the question. Mina looked over at him quickly, seeing the ring on his left hand for the first time. She wanted the floor to swallow her, she had no idea what to say. Yunho noticed the look of panic on Mina’s face and answered the unasked question in her eyes.

“I’m not married anymore.”

Mina opened , but Sunhee spoke before she could. “ A divorced man, Mina? You sure can pick them.“

“My wife passed away in January,” Yunho answered. He could practically hear the air being out of the room. He dropped his head, then ran a hand through his hair. “Excuse me, please.”

Mina watched him leave the tent. Her emotions switched quickly from sorrow at his loss to blinding rage on his behalf. She stood and looked at her sister with unconcealed hatred. She had had enough. “You are a horrible .”

“Mina!” her mother called.

Completely ignoring the older woman, Mina kept going. “You think you’re perfect and have the right to on everyone else. Well, you aren’t. you.”

She threw the cloth napkin on the table and turned to leave. Her mother stood and pointed at her angrily. “Come back here and apologize to your sister.”

Upon hearing the command, Mina stopped her progress to the door. She looked at her mother and shook her head. “No.”

“You would behave like this before your sister's’ wedding?” Her mom cut her eyes at her. “And you disrespect us In front of guests?”

“After how she treated my guest? Yes!” Mina turned again to leave but her mother had one parting shot.

“You walk out and you are no longer a part of this family,” the older woman challenged.

“I haven’t been a part of this family since you married him and had her,” Mina stated factually. She grabbed her purse and turned towards the head of the table one more time. “Don’t worry about doing that obligatory birthday call tomorrow. I won’t answer.” She faced the fiance, eyes softening a bit as she looked at his uncomfortable expression. “And if you think she loves you, she’s a better actor than you are.”

* * * * * 

“Yunho!” Mina rushed in the direction of his retreating back as soon as she spotted him. He stopped, waited for her to catch up like a gentleman. When she caught up to him, Mina grabbed his hands. “Oppa, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry about their behavior.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” he assured her. Yunho let his left hand go and looked down at his ring. “I didn’t realize I had this on actually. I haven’t worn it in months.  I must have slid it on after I got dressed. Habit, I guess.”

Mina her lips then looked up at him. “Will you tell me about her?”

Yunho grinned as he nodded. With his hand still in hers, he turned down one of the tree-lined paths. “It sounds like one of your dramas, according to Changmin’s wife. Her name was Song Bori. She grew up three miles away from me. I had to pass her house to get to school, so we went together. I loved her for as long as I had her. We started dating when we were 14.

“She was always sick though. She had childhood leukemia. She fought that and beat it before the 4th grade. Then the cancer moved to her lungs in middle school. She had the lower lobe on the left side removed.” Yunho tightened his grip on Mina when she stumbled, pulled her closer before continuing. “She was fine for years, we thought the worst was behind us. We got married as soon as we graduated high school. Then during senior year of college, the cancer came back again, this time in her brain.”

“That must have been terrible for her, and for you,” she spoke for the first time, voice filled with sincere sorrow.

Yunho shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. “The brain cancer was the best and worst of the three. It grew so quickly and they knew it was inoperable, so she didn’t want to fight. No treatment, no chemo. She wanted to live as much as she could for as long as she could. Her parents hated it, but they respected her decision.”

“She sounds like a very brave woman.”

“She was,” he responded, pride in his voice. “She was also bossy and vibrant. And sweet.” His voice cracked the feeling of missing his Bori still fresh.

Reaching into his pocket, he handed Mina one of his most prized possessions. She unfolded the worn piece of paper and laughed as she read the title. “‘Things you need to do after I die, or I’m gonna be so mad at you!’

“Go to Austria and paint a picture of a building,” Mina read.

“She liked old architecture,” he explained.

Some were silly, some were already checked off. “Walk on three continents . . . go scuba diving in the ocean . . . eat Chinese food in China . . . eat a real American burger and apple pie . . . make more friends . . . watch all of the new Star Trek movies when they come out.”

“She had a huge crush on Zachary Quinto.”

“Doesn’t everyone?” Mina joked as she read further. Her eyes widened at one towards the bottom. “Get a in a public place?”

Yunho covered his face while he laughed. “She was always too scared to do it.”

Mina fanned her cheeks and cleared . “You can cross off the ‘rescue a damsel in distress’ one. You’ve been doing that since you met me.” Yunho laughed along but didn’t say anything. Mina flipped to the back of the page, reading the last of the demands. “Kiss another woman. Fall in love again. Have children. Name one after me(or if that’s too morbid, at least use my initials.) Be happy. Never forget me.”

The last item on the list was two simple words. Move on.

“It sounds like she had a sense of humor. She really loved you and wanted you to be happy,” Mina concluded. Yunho had stopped moving, his face was turned away. She stepped closer, hugging him with all the sympathy she felt. “I’m sorry you lost her, oppa.”

“So am I,” he answered in a thick voice. Pulling himself together, Yunho wiped his cheeks and started walking again. “I don’t know why, but I was surprised by how much it hurt when she passed. It’s not like I wasn’t prepared for it. We were married for almost eleven years, she was sick for the last four. We never talked about kids or got pets, that would have been cruel. The last two years were the worst. She would black out, lose time, forget what she was saying mid conversation. Sometimes she forgot who I was. She couldn’t cook or drive. She was completely dependent on her mother and me. She offered to give me a divorce when things got bad, but I wouldn't do it. I couldn't do it.”

“Because you loved her.”

“My therapist told me I have a hero complex,” Yunho confided. Mina looked at him in confusion. “That I create drama around me, or seek it out so that I can put myself in the position to play savior.”

“Your therapist is an ,” she proclaimed with venom in her tone. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to feel needed and doing right by people. You’re a good man who spent a good portion of his life loving a woman he knew he couldn’t keep forever. Most people aren’t that kind or brave.”

“Thank you for saying that, Mina.” Yunho reached for her hand again and turned them back in the direction they came from. He didn’t speak immediately, neither did she. “I moved to Seoul because everything reminded me of her back home. Then I ran into you, and you remind me of her.”

“I do?”

Yunho nodded his head and hummed. “Not exactly the same, but you have that same carefree attitude. She laughed loudly, she lived boldly. Like you, she meant no harm to anyone and just wanted to be happy. She would have liked you.”

“Really?” Mina looked up to see Yunho looking down at her with a thoughtful expression.

“She would have approved of you, I think.” He stood in front of her and tilted her chin up. “I know it’s on the list, but that’s not my motivation in this. I care about you and I think you look beautiful. May I kiss you?”

Eyes wide, Mina flushed as she nodded. Yunho froze, hesitant to touch his lips to hers. It would only be his second first kiss. But he touched her back, drew her closer and leaned in. Her lips were soft and warm against his, her hands clutched at his shirt. His nervousness disappeared as he became lost in the familiar and greatly missed sensation of a woman in his arms. Feeling like he was falling in too deeply, he pulled away and hugged her. Mina could feel his heart beating under her cheek. She was sure hers felt the same way. When they were both mostly calm, they smiled shyly and headed towards his car hand in hand.

“Your birthday is tomorrow. Is there anything special you want to do?” he asked.

“I’m not sure, but it’s going to have to be big.”

“Why?”

A wide smile broke on her face, “Because I got the job!”

“You did?!” Yunho picked her up and spun her around as she laughed. “What am I saying? Of course, you did.” Setting her down, Yunho felt compelled to kiss her again; softly and sweetly. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you, oppa.” Mina gazed at him, happiness beaming from her smile. When Yunho kissed her a third time, Mina felt the subtle change in it. The sweetness gave way to the beginning stages of hunger, which she gladly returned. Yunho groaned when he broke the kiss a short time later.

“I like you, Mina,” he confessed breathlessly. “I really do. But I don’t want to rush into anything. My wife . . . “

“And I just ended a five-year relationship with a man who used to steal money from me, treat me like , and punched me in the face one night,” she added with a shrug. “I think taking it slow is a good idea. For both of us.”

“Good,” he returned with a smile. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”

FIN