“Eomma!” Min Ho scolded his mother. “What in the world are you doing?”  Min Ho took off the IV drip from his hand as he wanted to chase Shin Hye.

“What? What do you think you are doing?” Hye Jin asked her son who was supposed to be lying down resting.

“Why did you do that to her? She doesn’t deserve that!” Min Ho voice went louder.

“What do you mean? I am not going to let cheap woman trying to latch on you!” Hye Jin said.

“Cheap?! Cheap?! Waege…” Min Ho asked in anger when Shin Hye was referred as someone less that who she really was.

“Neh! Ah-Deul!” Hye Jin screamed. “You have to be careful with parasitic women like her. She will bring nothing but trouble!”

“Eomma! What is it with you? It’s my life you are talking about here. I am an adult! I have a daughter! I know my life! I know how to value a person unlike you! Look at whom you have chosen to trust as a friend?!” Min Ho’s eyes were red in anger. He stood up before his mother with rapid breathing trying hard to control his anger. “Before I go overboard. I think I need to go. I can’t believe that you are my mother at all!” He ledt his mother alone and walked towards the nurse who had to attend him. 

Shin Hye refused to see Min Ho as she was still in shock and scared of things repeating again. She kept herself hiding in her room. Yu Bi and So Ra were confused of what had happened but both felt burdened to ask as they didn’t want to interfere.

“Eomma… Eommaa…. Are you hurt?” Min Ha tried to console.  “Are you allright?” 

Shin Hye was crying as tears streamed on her cheeks non-stop. The image of her being slapped hard replayed in her mind and so did the memory of the past. Her heart was terribly broken.

Min Ho slowly approached her door but before he could say anything to Shin Hye, he turned to face Yu Bi, So Ra and Min Ha. “Kege… Can I just have a moment with her?” His face told them everything. Eventhough Min Ha was too young to understand but she could sense the sadness in her father’s voice.

“Isn’t there a really good ice-cream shop nearby?” So Ra suddenly said as she smiled at Min Ha.

“Let’s go there!” Yu Bi said cheerfully.

“Shin Hye… Please open the door…” Min Ho hugged the door. “Mian He … I am so sorry for what my mother did to you. It’s my fault.” Min Ho tried to coax her. “Please let me see you… I want to put ointment on your cheek.” He said. “I bought ointment from the hospital. I ask them to give me the best for my queen. The one that will make her skin as soft as a baby.” He tried to joke to lift the mood.

Shin Hye was still sobbing but she couldn’t help but smile when Min Ho mentioned that he bought the best ointment for her. She was still scarred of the earlier event. She was scared if she opened the door, his mother would be there forcing them to separate. “I just start to feel like me again… I am so scared if I open the door. I am scared that this would be the last time for me to see you…” She accidentally uttered.

“Eo?” Min Ho tried to make out of what Shin Hye was saying.  “Please …. Please… Shin Hye yah… Shin Hye yah…” He called out. He then remembered that Shin Hye was teaching English. ‘Ah.. Matta! Romeo and Juliette scene.’ He thought to himself.

Shin Hye stared at the door still contemplating wether or not she should open the door. She decided to stand up and slowly walked to the door and leaned against it.

She heard him cleared his throat, “Oh… Shin Hye… Oh Shin Hye… We art thou?” Shin Hye smiled but still kept quiet. “Anida… I am not going to give up on you.” She heard Min Ho getting impatient."O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of the night. Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!"

Shin Hye was alerted this time, Min Ho was reciting a verse of Romeo’s line when he first saw Juliette and was bewildered her beauty. Rarely a person would state such perfect line unless they took a literature class, Shin Hye was really curious that she forgot her trouble earlier. She opened the door and Min Ho who was engrossed reading from his phone looking for a perfect line to coax Shin Hye didn’t realize she was staring at him. “Yah! I knew it was too good to be true!” Shin Hye scolded him.

Min Ho dropped his phone and immediately hugged Shin Hye. “Gomawo… Gomawo…” He hugged her tightly. “I am so scared that you would leave me and I could never see you anymore.” He sobbed. He was hugging her too tightly that Shin Hye felt breatheless.

“O-Oppa…” She hit his back lightly to tell him she was suffocating. “Are you killing me?”

“Ani… Mianhe!” He loosened his hug and this time he swooped her up and carried her.

“Yah… What are you doing?” Shin Hye asked.

“I need to treat you…” He looked deeply inside her beautiful eyes. “Look at that beautiful cheek. It’s swollen…” He said regretfully. Shin Hye then realized that she had forgotten about the stinging feeling on her cheek. She touched it with her hand. “Don’t worry… I will heal that cheek of yours.” He placed her carefully on her bed and climbed up on the other side. He took out the tube of ointment and slowly pushed out some ointment. He spread it slowly on her cheek and carefully massaged it lightly on her beautiful cheek.

When he was done, he put away the ointment tube and held her hand. “Mianhe… Uri Eomma… I just don’t know why she was like that to any girls I like.”

Shin Hye turned to face him, “Any girls?” Her eyes wide as if she was angry.

“Ani.. I meant.. Aish…” He gave up as he lied on his back and stared at the ceiling. He exhaled to calm himself as he felt he was in a hot water.

“Agessemida… I get it…” Shin Hye chuckled a little bit. “How are you feeling now?” She tried to lighten the mood.

“Hmm… I feel a lot better now that you are here next to me.” He then turned to face her, “I thought I was going to die when you ran off like that. I couldn’t bear the idea of losing you.” He reached his hand out to held Shin Hye’s shoulder to pull her to face him. “Promise me to be by my side always?” HE asked her like a kid.

Shin Hye smiled regretfully to that remark, “Oppa… Remember what I said, be fair to her first. Let her explain herself. I want you to remember properly. IF we were to be together, let’s be on a clean slate. Ara?” She touched his cheek.

“But what if, I can’t decide? What if guilt filled me in and…” Min Ho couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Then…” Shin Hye was about to say what she had in her mind and Min Ho assumed he knew what she was going to say. He immediately kissed her with tears streamed on his cheek. “Oppft…” Shin Hye tried to fight him but in the end she gave up and lost in his kiss.

************************

“I need to see you!” Hye Jin called Hee Kyung.

“What’s wrong?” Hee Kyung pretended to feel concern.

“I’ll tell you when I come back to Seoul.” Hye Jin said in hurry.

“Ara. Just call me then,” She said before