CHAPTER 6

A hollow sensation settled in the pit of Seohyun’s stomach as her gaze settled on the form that was Yonghwa. She regrets her harsh words, but she couldn't take them back. Sure, she felt an attraction for him, and there was obviously some chemistry there, but she didn't love him. How could she when she didn't even remember him? During her perusal, Yonghwa never turned or spoke, but as she moved towards the door and flipped the light, she heard him utter a tired 'Good night'. She responded and continued on her way.

The guestroom seemed far too formal, and before long she found herself downstairs on the sofa watching television. She fell asleep halfway through a romantic comedy that had once been a favorite. When she awoke, the air had the feeling of early morning. The television was playing an infomercial.

Shifting her aching muscles, she dug out the remote control. Then, with a flick of a switch, she shut off the irritatingly hyper voice of a gentleman who seemed determined to sell a do-it-all household cleaner. Blessed silence fell over the room. After several minutes of groaning through the pain of muscles that were beginning to complain in earnest, Seohyun decided that perhaps sleeping on the sofa hadn't been such a good plan.

Gathering her blue blankets and red pillow, she headed up the stairs. A small sound stopped her just as she reached the top. That was when she noticed that a door along the upstairs hallway was partially open. She'd glanced into it the morning before, while Yonghwa was still sleeping. A large desk, a computer and several filing cabinets had occupied the room. She'd figured it to be Yonghwa’s home office.

As she crept closer, she began to hear someone speaking softly, "I just don't know what to do." The voice was a soft rumble that she quickly identified as Yonghwa. Wondering who he might be talking to at such an hour was the first question that popped into her mind. The second was whether he could see her from where she was standing. Morbid curiosity kept her rooted to the spot, waiting to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Alright."Yonghwa replied in response to some unheard statement, and then, "Okay. Okay. Thank you. Good-bye."

Seohyun moved quickly into action, coming the rest of the way up the stairs. Yonghwa stepped out of the room just as she reached the top. He eyed her almost guiltily for several seconds.

"Uh…Seohyun. I didn't know you were down there. Good morning."

"Good morning."Seohyun replied, watching him carefully. She couldn't explain it, but an uncomfortable feeling settled over her heart and she had to know who he had been talking to, "Who was that?" She found herself asking.

"Oh, that was someone from work."Yonghwa said, "I'm going to have to go in for a couple of hours today to catch up on a few things."

"Okay."Seohyun nodded, wondering why she was beginning to feel oddly bereft.

"Will you be okay while I'm gone?"Yonghwa added, obviously catching a hint of her reticence. He ran a hand through his already mused hair, "Uh…If you don't mind being a little bored you can come with me."

"Oh, no."Seohyun shook her head, "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Maybe I'll do some exploring around here. I still want to try to get into my old computer."

"Okay."Yonghwa smile, a small uncomfortable rising at the corner of his mouth, "Good. I'll just get dressed, then."

He turned and headed for the bedroom, then after a few steps, turned back towards her."Breakfast. What do you want? Are you hungry?"

"Why don't I fix something?"Seohyun asked, "I do remember how to cook." She joked, weakly.

Yonghwa seemed eager for the opportunity at lessening the tension that seemed to have blossomed between them, "Thank goodness. Remembering wouldn’t help my cooking."

Seohyun obliged him with a smile. His eyes lingered on her for several moments, and then, he turned and went back into the bedroom.

Yonghwa didn't know if he could keep up with the emotional rollercoaster ride he was experiencing with Seohyun. The day before she alternately confided in and hated him, and then, after dinner, when he'd been convinced that things were on the right track wham, out of the blue, she'd blown up at him. She had actually told him that she didn't love him. That still hurt, but he had decided to give her the space she'd so vocally demanded.

Then, there was their encounter in the hallway. She had appeared almost possessive when she'd asked about the phone call, and then, she'd joked with him. Perhaps it just wasn't meant for him to understand where he stood with her. Or maybe he was just a glutton for punishment. Either way, he wasn't going to give up on her. As soon as he returned home, he fully intended to get started on his plan to get his wife back.

Seohyun had baked muffins, scrambled eggs and started coffee by the time Yonghwa appeared in the kitchen. It had amazed her that she knew exactly where everything was in the small space. She had even known intuitively what was in the cupboards. Yonghwa, hair combed neatly away from his face, was dressed in dark blue slacks, white shirt and a perfectly matching dark blue tie.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, "You always were a wonderful cook." He said, tearing into one of the muffins with one hand, and grasping a mug full of coffee in the other.

"Thank you."Seohyun said, continuing to observe him surreptitiously as he downed his first muffin, then another and then, made a significant dent for a 3rd, before glancing at his watch declaring that he had to go. She faced him then, and smiled, about to about the vigor with which he had eaten.

He walked quickly towards her, threw an arm around her shoulder and was about to kiss her when he stopped himself. His face was mere inches away from hers, so close that she could smell the soap he'd used during his shower. His eyes clouded slightly, as he fought some internal battle.

Seohyun’s senses seemed to be in overload. She caught every detail of his face, the heat of his arm across her shoulders and along the side of her body, the way his brow furrowed in confusion, and then, suddenly, he shut down, his face becoming an expressionless mask.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, backing away, "I guess I'm too used to doing that." Offering an anemic smile, he formally thanked her for breakfast and walked out of the door.

Seohyun let out the breath that she suddenly realized that she had been holding, and collapsed weakly against the counter. She wondered what she would have done if he had carried through with his desires. Judging by the frantic pounding of her heart, the answer to the question would undoubtedly have been nothing to stop him. Throughout the morning as she washed the dishes and straightened the bedrooms, she couldn't get the image of Yonghwa’s face, so close to hers, out of her mind. What would it feel like to have his lips cover hers, the taste of him? She wanted to know the answer to that question.

While straightening the den, she found a dvd in their player. Frowning at the plastic cover, she pushed the eject button on the player to find out whether or not there was a label on the dvd that might give her a clue as to what it contained.

The mechanism obediently rotated out, exposing a beige matte tape. In calligraphic writing were the words:

YonghwaandSeohyun - Wedding Video.

For a full minute she stared at the thing, half-afraid to do anything else. Had Yonghwa been watching their wedding tape? Moving slowly, almost as if she was being controlled by some outside force, she pushed the dvd back into their player and the television.

The image that burst across the screen was obviously the reception. It looked as if it had been a fun time. As weddings went, it didn't seem to be an overly large gathering.

A limbo line was in full swing, and she andYonghwa were taking part despite the fact that they were both wearing formal attire. Somehow, she managed to make it beneath the bar wearing a traditional wedding gown. After both, she andYonghwa made it through, they had fallen into one another's arms laughing. The crowd had applauded loudly and then, Yonghwa had swung her up into his arms and kissed her thoroughly.

She sat agape through the festivities, and then, rewound the tape and watched from the beginning. It began with an intimate moment with Yonghwa in which he declared his undying love for the girl who would be coming down the aisle in the white wedding dress.

She watched as she herself shared a moment with her mother. The film was shot from across the room in the back of the church before the ceremony began. Whatever they were saying, it was an emotional moment as Mrs. Seo was dabbing tears away from her daughter's eyes. Mrs. Seo then, turned towards the camera operator and waved that he should stop filming.