“Are you going somewhere?” Yoo-ah asked as she watched Ha-na adjust her clothing and re-apply her make-up.

“I’m going on a date, he’s coming to pick me up from work.”

“Ooh, who is? Jin-wookssi?” She teased and Ha-na smiled. Yoo-ah gaped at her. “Seolma! Are you for real? I can’t believe it. Congratulations.” She laughed.

“Yah, it's a date not a marriage proposal.” Ha-na replied offhandedly trying to keep her nervousness from showing. “Forget my love life, you seem to have hit a jackpot. Do you know how much Kang-minssi likes you? I heard he even insisted on the engagement.”

“How did you know about that?”

“I ran into your parents at the mall last weekend. Are you scared of something?”

“What are you talking about? What do I have to be afraid of?”

“You’re scared what happened with Yong will happen again, right? You don’t have to be, Kang-minssi doesn’t seem to be that sort. You should have seen Su-jin defending her dear godfather.” Ha-na laughed.

“Su-jin? Jin-wookssi’s daughter?” Yoo-ah asked incredulously.

“I took her shopping for a dress to wear to your engagement party.”

Yoo-ah cocked her head to one side and regarded her friend. “You seem to be taking this ‘stepmother’ thing very seriously.”

“It’s not like that, she didn’t have anyone to go with and I was free. I’m not going to marry Jin-wookssi.”

“You’re not?” Yoo-ah fake-gasped.

“Of course not!” Ha-na said in mock outrage and then she added coyly, “He hasn’t asked me.”

The two women’s laughter was interrupted by the sound of a car pulling up in front of their store. “That must be him now.” Ha-na said.

Jin-wook entered the store and looked around but he didn’t see them. “I suppose their office is inside.” He called out to Ha-na to make his presence known and she emerged from behind a door. She was wearing a green knee-length dress with cropped sleeves and a pair of black pumps. She looked more beautiful than the last time he saw her.

“Annyeonghaseyo Jin-wookssi, chincha oremanyo.”

“Ah neh, it’s been a little over three months now. You look more beautiful than I remember.” All the words he wanted to say rushed out without control. She even had bangs now. He watched her as she coloured ever so slightly at his compliment and pushed a strand of her back behind her hair.

“Omo, annyeonghaseyo Jin-wookssi.” Yoo-ah had also come out of the office to say hello to him.

“Yoo-ahssi. Congratulations on your engagement, I assure you Kang-min is a very good person and I’m not just saying that because he is my friend.”

“Well, I can always kick his if he messes up.” Yoo-ah laughed.

“Yoo-ahya, I’ll go home straight, is that okay?” Ha-na asked.

“It’s fine, I can lock up by myself you kids just go and have some fun. Jin-wookssi, take care of my friend.” Yoo-ah said and hustled the both of them out of the store.

“So, where are we going?” Ha-na asked Jin-wook immediately they got into his car.

“I have a reservation at a French restaurant. Do you like French food?” He replied as he started the car and drove away from the store.

“I’ve never tried it before.” Ha-na replied.

“Neither have I, but Kang-min said he had and apparently they do a remarkable coq au vin there. Whatever that is.”

“I’ve heard of that. Isn’t that just chicken in wine?” Ha-na asked incredulously making Jin-wook laugh.

“Is that what it is? I wouldn’t know since I don’t speak any French. By the way, thank you for taking Su-jin out to buy her dress, I saw it and it was really beautiful.” Jin-wook smiled at her.

“It was nothing really, I’m glad she liked it. I had fun too.” Ha-na replied and then there was silence for the rest of the drive.

Ha-na was trying to think up topics for discussion when Jin-wook suddenly announced that they had reached their destination. He parked the car, came over to her side to open the door for her and escorted her inside the restaurant. They were shown to their seats by the maître d’ and were given menus and Ha-na took one look at Jin-wook struggling to pronounce the names of the dishes and let out a giggle.

“I can’t understand the menu, should we just order the coq au vin?” Jin-wook asked.

“That’s what I was thinking.” She said trying to stifle her laughter.

“In any case, I don’t think French food suits me. I’ll just stick with foods I can pronounce from now on.” Jin-wook said as they got into the car after dinner.

“Me neither. Did you see that one name? How do you pronounce that? Bouillabaisse? Bouillabaze? I don’t know.” Ha-na laughed.

“Ha-nassi, do you want to have a drink with me at the Han River? I know it’s a little late but sometimes, I like to go there, sit and watch all the people go by. It’s very relaxing.”

“What about Su-jin? Isn’t she home alone?” Ha-na asked.

“It’s fine, Su-jin can take care of herself. Besides, she told me she was babysitting the neighbor’s daughter so she isn’t alone by herself.”

“Well, then I don’t mind.” Ha-na replied.

Jin-wook stopped by a small roadside kiosk to get some drinks before they headed off to the riverside. They got out of the car and sat on a bench. Jin-wook offered a can of beer to Ha-na before popping open his can and taking a sip. Ha-na took a deep breath and released it.

“You’re right, it really is relaxing to watch people go by. It almost feels like I’m an audience, just watching people act out their stories.”

Ha-na glanced at Jin-wook and he seemed to be in deep thought. She wondered what he was thinking about. “Jin-wookssi, what was your wife like?”

Jin-wook glanced sideways momentarily before returning his gaze to a young girl playing with her dog by the riverside. “She was a very easy-going person, very laidback. We met when we were in first grade.”

“Wow! Did you love her since then?”

He let out a small laugh, “No, I must have fallen in love with her sometime around high school. We grew up together, you see. We were best friends for a long time before we even decided to be together. We were like shadows of each other, always in each other’s orbit. She even helped me woo my first girlfriend. She later told me she cried a lot when she was alone after that, that babo. She had already fallen in love with me at that time but I was too stupid to notice. She loved me a lot longer than I loved her. I should have noticed.” He hung his head.

Ha-na’s heart constricted, he looked so sad. “It wasn’t your fault, you couldn’t have known she was going to go when she did.” She put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

“I know that now. It’s been fourteen years but it still feels like yesterday. Did you know that the first time I met you at the picnic, I was very shocked at how much I was reminded of Young-ae? You were wearing a dress that resembled the one she wore when she confessed to me. It was like I was been transported back in time.”

Ha-na froze. His wife’s name was Young-ae? Of course it couldn’t be the Young-ae she was living with, right? It had to be a co-incidence that his Young-ae and the Young-ae she was living with both died fourteen years ago. “Jin-wookssi, how did she die?”

Jin-wook sighed. “It was during childbirth. There were some complications in her surgery. I feel so sorry to her every day. I miss her a lot too, I wonder if she’s happy. There just hasn’t been any woman I have loved as much as Young-ae.”

“It-it wasn’t your fault Jin-wookssi. I’m sure she would want you to try and move on, that’s the only way she would be truly happy.” Ha-na’s mind was whirling. How could this be? How could this man be the husband of the ghost in her house? Was it fate? She had looked at a few other houses before she bought the one she was currently living in, but none of them had grabbed her as this one had. Even when the previous owners had mentioned about it being haunted, it hadn’t deterred her. She had fallen for the house and wanted it instantly. Was it for this reason? So she could meet this man? It was almost ridiculous to imagine that it was all some kind of elaborate plan. It was just co-incidence, it had to be, she didn’t believe in fate.

“I’m sorry Ha-nassi, I’m boring you with my sad story.” Jin-wook got up and tossed the empty cans in the trash. “It’s getting late. I’ll drop you off at home.” He said and extended a hand to her to help her up.

All through the drive home, Ha-na and Jin-wook were quiet, they both had a lot on their mind. Jin-wook was wondering if Ha-na was no longer interested in him because he had so much emotional baggage and Ha-na was wondering how to help Jin-wook let go of the past and Young-ae. “Oh, I used to live around this neighbourhood when I went to the university. There was a house just around the corner, that’s where I used to live with my wife, Young-ae.” Jin-wook said and was just about to drive past it when Ha-na stopped him.

“This is my house, Jin-wookssi.” She said.