‘Okay, we’ll end there for today.’ Jinki’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the fresh faces in front of him. ‘Anyone have any questions?’

Minjung’s hand flew up in the air before Jinki had even finished his sentence. He rolled his eyes internally but his smile never faltered.  Minjung was like the unspoken representative for the girls in the class, so any time they wanted to know anything or had a request that they were too shy to make, she was always the one to come to him. Not that she was complaining about that.

‘Yes, Minjung?’

‘Oppa, do you have a girlfriend? You have a ring you always wear…’ Jinki’s smile tightened slightly at the word oppa.

‘Minjung, you know to call me Teacher. Oppa is inappropriate.’ A pout instantly formed on her lips, which was deepened by his next sentence. ‘No, I don’t have a girlfriend. I have a wife.’ He smiled brightly from the gasps and exclamations of NO WAY!s that echoed throughout the classroom. One of the boys in the back of the classroom called out ‘Is she pretty?’ and Jinki bit down on his tongue in a teasing matter. If they were that curious, it wouldn’t hurt to tell them. Plus, it might make Minjung back off a little bit in her pursuit of him.

‘She’s actually the prettiest woman in Korea.’ Moans of disbelief followed.

‘Ah, you’re lying, right? You’re just saying that because she’s your wife.’ Jongin called from his right. Jinki shook his head and held up his hands in a sign of honesty.

‘Nope, really. She looks like a doll. She has long, curly hair, with round eyes and eyelashes so long that they tickle her eyebrows. When she smiles it makes you smile from looking at her, and everyone around her instantly falls in love with her. She was famous back in our hometown because of how beautiful she is. All the boys wanted to date her, but we were all afraid to say anything to her. One of the most intimidating things in the world is a beautiful woman.’

‘So how did you get her?’ Jongin asked, his curiosity getting the best of him as he leaned forward in his seat, subconsciously trying to get closer to Jinki and what seemed to be a secret that would come in handy in the future. Minjung shot him a death glare, but Jinki just laughed and rubbed his hands together.

‘Baking powder.’ Eyebrows furrowed and mouths hung open in confusion. Jinki leaned forward from where he was perched on his desk and lowered his voice to a level barely above a whisper. ‘All women love a man who can cook.’ He winked at Jongin and the class broke out into laughter. ‘Ok, ok. That’s more than you guys need to know about my personal life. You’re free to go on home now. Dismissed!’

It seemed like 2 seconds hadn’t passed before everyone was gone. Jinki could almost see a trail of smoke from how quickly everyone had fled from the room, but it stopped at a pair of feet that lingered at their desk.

‘I’m sure you heard me, Minjung.’ He said, gesturing towards the door. Minjung heaved a heavy sigh before slowly standing up. She pulled herself up like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, and Jinki felt a pang of sympathy for the young girl in front of him.

‘Really oppa? You’re really married?’ She looked up at him, her eyes already glassing over. Jinki just nodded.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was something I needed to tell everyone. I like to keep my personal life personal.’ Minjung knit her eyebrows together and stared at him. She knew now. She could see from the look he got on his face when he mentioned his wife just how much he cared about her. It was painfully obvious she had lost before she had ever even started.

‘You’re so clueless. Do you even know how much I—‘ She shook her head quickly and turned away from Jinki. ‘I hope your wife knows how lucky she is.’ And with that she her heels and exited the classroom, leaving Jinki feeling sorry without having a clue as to why.

He gathered his things up and started on his way home. He hummed a tune that had gotten stuck in his head lately, something all the kids seemed to be listening to. It was still unbelievable to him that now he was the one standing at the front of the class and lecturing students for falling asleep. Some days he almost forgot what his position was and about took a seat among the students. He laughed to himself at how they would react to that, but the teasing would probably never end if he let himself slip like that. High schoolers could be ruthless, and he knew that better than anyone after teaching there for two years. Minjung flashed briefly before his eyes and he felt that little tinge of guilt that was trying to make it’s way to his stomach.

He shouldn’t feel bad about her, not really. She had gotten it into her head that it would be fun to chase a teacher, and even though he never gave her any sign of encouragement, it didn’t stop her from coming to him alone any chance that she got. It was better for him to cut it off at this point before she ended up getting hurt. He felt a small heat come to his face when he thought of the things he had told his class, and he had to stop himself from hitting his forehead with his hand. He couldn’t believe he had told them about what a bumbling idiot he had been in high school when it came to Woosun and glad he didn’t let them know that even now he would sometimes get nervous when he saw her.

His feet knew the path to his home so well that he didn’t have to think about the alleys or turns to take. He got lost in his thoughts of everything that had happened that day, and before he realized it he was standing at the gate in front of his house. He paused and took a deep breath, releasing it when he heard a hum coming from the garden that was so melodious it made his heart sing. He smiled and sighed, loving the sound of his wife’s voice. He opened the gate and walked along the pathway, entering the garden and seeing his wife’s crouching form next to the flower bed. Her hair flowed down her back like spun silk, falling slightly over her shoulder no matter how many times she swiped at it and tried to make it stay behind her ear. She looked focused on her work, the bottom of her skirt tracing along the dirt that was scattered there. Her face was turned slightly towards him, and he could see the look of determination on her face as her hands dug frantically at the dirt and tiny beads of sweat gathered on her forehead. She stopped suddenly and turned towards him, her face lighting up when she saw him.

‘OPPA!’ She squealed, jumping up and rushing into his arms. She collided against him and snuggled into his chest, burying her face there. Jinki didn’t bother with the dirt that was now staining his shirt from her hands. He just closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of the woman he loved in his arms.

He pulled back suddenly when he heard her sniffle.

‘What’s the matter yeobo?’ He asked concerned, holding her chin gingerly between his fingers. She furiously shook her head and let the tears fall freely. Her voice broke as she quickly tried to describe what was distressing her.

‘I……I…..I thought the flowers looked pretty. So….so….I wanted to get some for you……but mom yelled at me! She….she said that was bad.’ Woosun shook her head and looked up at him, her eyes shining with her tears. ‘I TRIED TO FIX THEM BUT THEY WON’T STAY!’ She broke into sobs and clung to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and wailing like it was the end of the world. Jinki leaned his head back and closed his eyes, returning her hug. Her tears finally siphoned off into sniffles, and Jinki pulled away from her. He leaned down to where he was eye level with her and wiped her tears.

‘It’s okay sweetie. I didn’t like those flowers much anyway so I was planning on planting some more. You want to help me do that tomorrow?’ Her face broke into a huge smile and she nodded her head excitedly, the previous crises forgotten. Jinki kissed her on her temple and pulled her against him once more, holding her tightly in his arms. ‘Yosh, I’m hungry. It’s about time we made dinner. What are you in the mood for?’

Woosun didn’t answer as she followed him into the house, instead she just smiled up at him, her face stained from the tears she had cried. She looked so innocent it made his heart throb. His lovely, beautiful wife.

‘Well, first off, we need to wash up before we start dinner.’ She didn’t say anything but continued to smile at him.

‘Mother?’ Jinki called through the house.

‘Unh, I’m in the kitchen.’ A voice called through the house. Jinki made his way towards it, Woosun tailing after him like a puppy. His mother in law was in the kitchen washing dishes Jinki could only assume were leftover from lunch. The kitchen looked neater than he remembered leaving it.

‘Mother, you really didn’t need to bother cleaning up. I can do that.’ The middle aged lady just shook her head, her shoulders sinking slightly.

‘This is the least I can do.’ Her voice sounded thick from all the words between them that were being spoken without ever truly being voiced.

Jinki cleared his throat to rid it of the lump there, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he did so. He took a seat at the small makeshift kitchen table they had set up in the corner. Woosun followed him, instead choosing to curl up next to his leg, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around his calf, leaning her head onto his thigh, not wanting to be separated from him. Jinki absentmindedly ran his hands through her hair, tangling and untangling his fingers in the curls while he stared in the direction of his mother in law.

‘Was she alright today?’ He asked, the person in question still clinging to him.

‘Mmm, no worse than any other day. We had a mess over the flowers, but I guess she’s over that now. I swear, even if everything else about her has changed, that temper sure hasn’t.’ She laughed shakily, wiping quickly at her eyes and still not turning to face her daughter and her husband. Jinki stared down at his wife who was looking up at him with those eyes, the ones he had fallen so deeply into so many times but that now stared at him blankly, registering and not registering at the same time. She motioned with her hand for him to lower his head, and cupped her hands around his ear, whispering like she had a secret.

‘Is mom sad? She looks like something is wrong.’ Jinki leaned back and shook his head.

‘No, honey, she’s just tired.’ He looked over at the woman in his kitchen. ‘Thanks for today. We’re going to go wash up and then I’ll get dinner started. I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?’ She nodded her head but didn’t reply to him. She wiped her hands dry on the dish towel next to her and walked over to where Woosun sat on the ground at Jinki’s feet. She kneeled down and hugged her daughter, saying her goodbyes silently.

‘Be good for Jinki now dear, I’m sure he’s had a long day, so make sure you behave. I love you.’ She held Woosun tight against her and quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek before rushing out the door, the atmosphere in the house too heavy for her to take anymore. Jinki looked towards the door she had just exited from before Woosun tugging at his pants leg broke him from his trance.

‘Oppa? Food?’ She questioned, looking up at him with that childlike, angelic expression. He pulled her up into his arms, breathing in the scent that came from her hair and cursing the tear that he couldn’t stop from escaping the corner of his eye. He closed his eyes tightly, making sure she didn’t see him swipe it away. He didn’t want to upset her. He finally released her and stood up, holding onto her dirt stained hand and pulling her up with him.

‘Ok, beautiful, let’s go clean up for dinner.’ He smiled at her and she returned his smile, tilting her head and even laughing a bit. She looked so beautiful. His beautiful, lovely wife.