After watching the garden from outside, Jong Hyun declared that they clean the basement first so that it will be, kinda, livable. Shin Hye agreed silently and proceeded to gather her broom and her other cleaning materials. For most part, the two of them spent the rest of the morning cleaning up. And during lunch, the chief servant gingerly came in with Shin Hye's gruel, but she was astounded to see the young woman looking fine and clean. Even the clean basement looked like it could be a playroom for kids. But nevertheless, she called Jong Hyun over for lunch. He nodded and told Shin Hye to wait for him, and she just nodded silently.

****

The other servants looked at Jong Hyun gathering his part of the meal, and Hong Ki chided him for his act.

"If Mdm. Hye Ri will know that you have been visiting her step-daughter, she will kill you," Hong Ki said.

"I'm not afraid of such kind of threats," Jong Hyun replied bravely with a timid smile. "Hunger slowly kills the poor more than visiting step-daughters."

Nobody was able to utter a thing at his unexptected response, and were not able to stop him from going back to the basement.

****

"Shin Hye-ssi, look," Jong Hyun excitedly told her. "We have humble servings of kimchi, vegetables, and some rice, and these are much better than nothing."

Shin Hye looked at her own bowl of gruel, then at the food that Jong Hyun was bringing. She was so envious that she looked at his food wistfully.

"We will share this," he told her. "I will eat with you, and you eat with me."

Shin Hye stared back at him with her glossy sad eyes.

"Wae, Shin Hye-ssi?" Jong Hyun asked her tenderly. He her cheeks, for tears began to fall down her eyes. "Uljima, huh?"

"Go...gomawoyo..." she spoke.

She pushed her bowl of gruel, as he had said that he will share his food with her. And she was willing to share hers with him. Jong Hyun began to divide the food between them, and he also got some of the gruel for himself.

"Shin Hye-ssi, here is our house," he told her with glee, as if imagining happy thoughts. "And we are here on our happy table, sharing a feast."

Shin Hye did not have some imagination, but she decided to try going along with Jong Hyun's game, so she nodded and began to eat. Jong Hyun looked at her tenderly as he began to her long hair as she ate.

"I want you to look happy as you eat," Jong Hyun told her. "Shin Hye-ssi looked really sad all these times."

Shin Hye looked at him, but he stopped her hair and began to eat his share of the food that they shared.

****

After meal, Jong Hyun brought the utensils back to the kitchen to be washed by the other maid, who looked at the young nerd suspiciously.

"Is eating with her that enjoyable?" she pried.

But Jong Hyun only smiled his heartwarming smile before leaving the premise. The maid thought that the young geek looked handsome with his earnest burning eyes and his sweet dimples on his cheeks.

"Omo... that young man is such a dear," the maid chuckled. "Given the right makeover, he could be a handsome young man, and he would look good with my niece. Hehe."

Meanwhile, Jong Hyun went back to his room and grabbed a humble blanket which was handwoven by his sister. It was what he used to use when he was feeling cold, and now, he wanted to give it to Shin Hye to protect her from the cold.

****

Shin Hye eyed the blanket before looking at Jong Hyun.

"You can finally have a blanket to protect you from the cold tonight, Shin Hye-ssi," he told her.

The two of them sat down on the floor, and Shin Hye spread the blanket on to their laps. Because they were seated on the floor while looking outside the window, all they saw was the old tree that was providing a good amount of shade. Jong Hyun pointed out the mother jay while feeding some catch for her nestlings inside the nest.

"Have you seen those birds, Shin Hye-ssi?" he asked her.

Shin Hye shook her head. She was too bent on planning her revenge that she did not notice the beauty of the jay. As she looked at the mother jay feeding her nestlings, she said some tears, and he noticed it.

"I think Shin Hye-ssi is an orphan," he told her.

And she nodded. Jong Hyun wrapped his arms around her and let her lean on his chest.

"From now on, you will not just be my friend," he whispered. "I can be your brother. I can be your everything, arasseoyo?"

Shin Hye nodded as she continued to shed her tears on him. Finally, she was starting to break down some of her walls and started to open up to him. Jong Hyun continued to wrap her warmly around his arms, and Shin Hye felt that in this hell, she was experiencing her paradise in him.

"Na do Eomma-gwa Appareul bogo shipeo (I miss my eomma and appa too)," he told her. "Yeodongsaeng-eul bogo shipeo (I miss my younger sister). Geuraeseo, I will be your oppa, you will be my yeodongsaeng."

Shin Hye nodded as she continued leaning to his chest. She was willing to be his everything, even if to pretend to be his yeodongsaeng in their secret world. She was grateful that someone like Jong Hyun came into her life.

****

As the two of them continued looking at the birds outside, Jong Hyun grabbed the comb which he bought for her (which he had bought along with the toiletries), and he began to gently comb her hair. The soft tugging of her hair felt good to her.

"You know, Eomma had wanted so much to have a girl as an eldest child, but Appa wanted a boy, and he won, for I came," Jong Hyun told her. "But Eomma wanted so much to have a girl that she wanted me to have long hair, but Appa refused. Instead of finally wishing for long hair, she used to comb my hair like this, and it felt nice."

Shin Hye continued to listen to him.

"When my younger sister came to our life, my eomma combs her hair everyday, and because I love my sister, the thing I wanted to do for her the most to make her happy is to comb her hair," Hyunnie said. "She really wanted me to comb her hair. She said that if ever she'd have a namjachingu, she wants a guy who is patient enough to comb her hair."

And he chuckled. 

"Is there such a guy like that? My sister better dream on," he told her.

A smile lit up Shin Hye's face. She was not dreaming of someone to comb her hair, but she felt special because Jong Hyun combed her hair for her. Hyunnie, meanwhile, felt the satisfaction of combing her hair. He suddenly got silent as he remembered the girl of his silent affection, his Hitomi.

But who exactly is Hitomi (aside from me, this writer?). For all Jong Hyun could remember, he had fallen in love with Hitomi for the longest time, and all he remembered of her were her beautiful smile and her straight long black hair. He wanted to comb her hair too.

"Namchin isseoyo (do you have a boyfriend)?" he asked her.

Shin Hye shook her head. She was fifteen when she had her slice of suitors, but it was shortlived, for Hye Ri began banishing her from the world. 

"Na do yeochin eopseoyo (I don't have a girlfriend too)," he told her with a smile. "Ah, but I am not thinking of such right now. I want to finish school and help my parents first."

Shin Hye, as usual, did not comment but went on looking back at the birds.

"Can I address you informally from now on?" he asked her.

Shin Hye reached out for his hand, which he used to hold the comb. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, her permission to let him call her informally. And he smiled.

****

It was past five when Shin Hye fell asleep on Jong Hyun's lap, and he lovingly her hair as she slept. All her worries were evident in her face, and Jong Hyun wanted so much to understand what she had been through.

"Maybe, you are thinking of a lot of things, and I hope you will open up your heart to me," he said to her. "Shin Hye-ya, please open up your heart to me..."

~~~~