CHAPTER 4

"Good evening, Joohyun."Yonghwa said, as he stepped through the doorway and smiled encouragingly at his wife. Dr. Il Woo had said to act normally; there was no time like the present to put the advice to use. As Seohyun eyed him warily across the bed, Yonghwa discovered that it was much easier said than done. The situation was anything but normal.

"Hello." She spoke cautiously, and then, went uncomfortably back to her perusal of the television. Mrs. Seo had left minutes earlier in an attempt to give husband and wife some alone time. Yonghwa felt somewhat lost without the buffer of her presence. Working to hide his trepidation, he came the rest of the way into the room. ‘Friends’ re-runs were on. He watched absently for several minutes before speaking.

"Hyun, I wanted…"

"Everyone calls me Seohyun." She cut him off. Her eyes bore into his, saying plainly that he knew nothing about her and therefore, couldn't possibly be her husband.

"Okay…Seohyun."Yonghwa started again. The name feltfamiliar; as long as he had known her she had never gone by the name Seohyun. Perhaps she was someone else, "You always called me YongOppa." He said solemnly, his emotions carefully hidden behind an expressionless facade. She couldn't know how difficult it was to see her this way, almost hating him. As he watched her, her expression shifted suddenly, etching confused furrows across her brow.

"What is it?" He asked, his facade failing him, "Do you remember something?" Anxious curiosity had him moving around the bed to take hold of her hands, "Stay with it, Seohyun."

Seohyun looked towards him searchingly, confusion evident in her eyes, but he could tell that she wasn't seeing him as her gaze was focused elsewhere. Then blinking, she pulled her hands away and shook her head, "It was nothing, um…just a flash."

"A flash is something."Yonghwa insisted, refusing to let go of his hope, "It could be the beginning of your memory returning. We need to get you out of here and back home, and then, we can go to…"

Seohyun’s eyes widened in growing horror, "I'm…I'm tired." She stuttered, "Where's my mother?"

Yonghwa was brought up shortly by the urgency of her question, "I'm sorry." He said, drawing himself away from her and towards one of the bedside chairs, "I should let you get some rest." Then, as if suddenly remembering her question, "Mrs. Seo will be back in the morning."

He settled quietly and unseeingly, watched the remainder of the episode of Friends. Joy suffused him at the thought that Seohyun’s memory might be returning, but he felt ashamed of that joy because the proposition so obviously frightened Seohyun. Fear assaulted his heart as another thought occurred to him. What if after she regained her memory, she won't want himanymore? What if after the way that he had treated her in his office, she would never wanted to see him again?

He turned towards her and found out that she had fallen asleep. Flipping off the television, he moved quietly out of the room. The nurses wouldn’t have to kick him out tonight.

When Yonghwa arrived home, Mrs. Seo was busy making dinner. Yonghwa stopped briefly by the kitchen and waved at her, telling her that she didn't need to prepare anything for him, and then, he set off upstairs. The last thing he felt like doing was eating.

"Surely you don't think you're going to get away with that?" She asked him.

Yonghwa turned and shot her a look, "Mrs. Seo, I'm tired. I just want to get some sleep. Aren't you and the nurses and everyone telling me how I need to conserve my strength? I'm actually being obedient."

"Yonghwa." Mrs. Seo admonished him gently, "What happened?"

"I..." He began. Then, running a hand through his hair, he settled down on the stairs. Mrs. Seo seated herself next to him, patiently waiting.

"She remembered something today." He said, quietly.

"Yonghwa, that's wonderful." Mrs. Seo enthused, "What did she remember? How does she feel about it?"

"It was just a small thing."Yonghwa said, "Probably more of a feeling, or a sense of familiarity or something. She said it was just a flash. She never mentioned an image."

"Why is that a bad thing?" Mrs. Seo wanted to know, "You came into the front door as if your world was ending."

"That bad, huh?"Yonghwa looked up at her; a wry smile lit his face in spite of his worry. Mrs. Seo nodded in the affirmative, matching his smile. He chuckled slightly, and then, continued.

"I was mean to her, Mrs. Seo." He said, with a gulp, "That day, before the accident, she came to my office to tell me about the baby. I was so worked up about a big meeting with a client that I was very short with her. I think I hurtled her feelings, and I think she thought I was interested in another woman."

"Were you?" Mrs. Seo asked.

"No!"Yonghwa objected, "Not at all! Joohyun is the woman I love, I was just nervous about something else is all! I felt so bad about it, I couldn't concentrate during the meeting anyway!"

Mrs. Seo was quiet for several seconds, "What would you have done if this accident hadn't happened?"

"I would have come straight home and apologized, and then, I would have taken her out to celebrate."

"Do you think she would have accepted your apology, or would she have left you?" Mrs. Seo asked.

Yonghwa smiled, beginning to feel a weight being lifted, "I would like to think that she would have forgiven me...eventually, after making me work for it." Images played through his mind of other arguments, and the ways Seohyun had made him 'Work for it'. He was almost embarrassed at having such thoughts in front of his mother-in-law. Clearing his throat uncomfortably to cover for the silent moments, he continued, "Uh...we've had arguments before and come through them."

Mrs. Seo smiled knowingly, patting his arm, "And you'll come through this one." She said tactfully, "Now, I've got to go tend dinner before it burns, and you, young man, will eat it."

Yonghwa grinned, feigning submission, "Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Mrs. Seo said, satisfied "Now, for the meantime, why don't you go and pick out something for your wife to wear home from the hospital. Something bright and pretty would be perfect."

~

When Yonghwa arrived at the hospital the next morning, cleanly shaven and freshly showered, Seohyun was sitting up in bed with a breakfast tray in front of her.

"Good morning." He said, smiling happily at her. She smiled back, obviously caught off guard. Then, catching herself, she asked where her mother was.

"She's downstairs getting breakfast."Yonghwa answered, with a grin. His mood wouldn’t be broken, "You know how she is about making sure everyone eats." He added, conspiratorially.

"Yeah."Seohyun agreed. She looked at Yonghwa, "You seem to know her pretty well."

"I supposed I do."Yonghwa smiled thoughtfully, "She's a great lady, and easy to know."

Seohyun frowned in surprise at him complimenting her mother, "Aren't mother-in-law’s supposed to rank with the evil step-mother to husbands?"

Yonghwa laughed out right, "Seohyun!"Yonghwa admonished, "Your mother and me get along famously." There was a mischievous glint in his eyes that hinted that there was far more to the story than he was telling.

"Tell me how we met."Seohyun