“What do you mean an engagement party?” Ha-na stopped typing and looked at her friend who was sitting opposite her.

“Appa is pushing it and honestly, I don’t mind.” Yoo-ah replied.

“But you haven’t even been together for long, it’s jiust been a little over three months.” Ha-na said again. “Besides, aren’t you the girl who takes about six months to tell a guy she’s dating that she loves him.”

“I know, but there’s something different about Kang-minssi. He makes me feel so safe and comfortable.”

“Yoo-ahya, are you sure about this? I don’t want you to get hurt again. Remember last time.” Ha-na said gently.

Yoo-ah’s faced clouded over at the mention of her ex-boyfriend Yong. She had been dating Yong for almost a year before she told him that she loved him and wanted to marry him, only for her to find out he just wanted her for her father’s money. He had dumped her when she told him she was starting up her own business and was breaking away from her father’s company and refusing her inheritance.

“Why bring that up now?” She asked stiffly.

“He’s the reason you didn’t see anyone for two whole years. I remember how you cried so much and you don’t cry over anything, I know you.” Ha-na said.

“It’s fine Ha-na, I’m stronger now. Besides, I didn’t say I was in love with Kang-minssi, I just said I didn’t mind being engaged to him for now. I may not even marry him in future.” Yoo-ah shrugged.

Ha-na gaped at her friend and shook her head. “I will never understand you rich people.”

“So, we’re having the party soon I think in three weeks. I just wanted to let you know. If you miss it I will never forgive you.” Yoo-ah said and left the room to attend to a client who just walked through the door.

“Ya! Do I have a death wish?!” Ha-na yelled after her friend.

“Wookie, are you listening to anything I’m saying?” Kang-min raised his eyebrow at his friend.

Jin-wook adjusted his hard-hat and rolled up the blueprint he was looking at. “Are you crazy?”

They were at a construction site supervising the work progress on a hotel they were building.

“What do you mean?” Kang-min asked innocently.

“You did this, didn’t you?” Jin-wook asked again and poked him with the rolled up blueprint.

“What did I do?”

“There’s no way your father would have insisted you get engaged to this girl and you would go along with it so willingly. You told your father you wanted to get engaged, didn’t you?”

“How is it you know me so well?” Kang-min laughed.

“What is it about this girl? Why is she making you act like such a fool?”

“I don’t know. But from the first moment I saw her I just knew. Haven’t you ever felt like that? She’s a great girl and I feel like if I don’t make her mine now I might lose her to someone else.” Kang-min said seriously.

Jin-wook stared at his friend for a while and asked, “Are you in love with her?”

Kang-min considered that thought for a while, “I think I might be. Do you know how much I miss her when we are apart? It’s like I exist in this world just to make her smile. Yes, I do think that I might love her.”

“How is that possible? You just met like five minutes ago.” “It’s been three and a half months.”

“Five minutes, three and a half months, it’s too soon.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Okay, what if she doesn’t want to be engaged to you? What if she doesn’t feel the same way that you do? You’re going to get hurt.”

“I already know that I’ll have to work hard to earn her, she’s not an easy girl but I feel like she is the one. So, please support me.”

Jin-wook sighed, “You’re my brother and I love you, so I’ll support you and if you get hurt I’ll be there for you.”

“Kumapta chinguya, but I’m sure I won’t get hurt.” Kang-min said and patted his friend’s back.

“And so, she tells me that she’s going to get engaged to this guy she just met over three months ago. Does that make sense?” Ha-na said to Young-ae as she cut up some vegetables for dinner.

She had gotten used to having conversations with Young-ae’s ghost after living together for over three months. She confided in her and she didn’t have to be embarrassed about anything she told her since she couldn’t see her anyway.

“Why doesn’t it make sense?” Young-ae wrote in the sand and Ha-na paused to read her reply.

“She just met him. Don’t you think it’s too soon?”

“I married my husband after we dated for 100 days, that’s roughly the same amount of time your friends have been together.”

“But you had your husband were friends for 15 years before you got married.” Ha-na argued.

“The point is, their parents want them to get engaged and neither one of them seem to mind. So what’s the problem?” Young-ae asked again.

“Yoo-ah has been hurt before, I don’t want it to happen again. Kang-minssi seems like such a nice guy but if he breaks her heart I won’t leave him alone.”

“I think you should worry more about yourself.” Young-ae scoffed while writing.

“What does that mean?”

“I’m talking about Kim Jin-wookssi. What’s happening on that front?” Young-ae asked.

She liked Ha-na honestly, but she was getting a little frustrated with her and Jin-wook’s lack of progress. She wanted to get away from this world. She was sick of being stuck in this ethereal form, not being able to go anywhere or eat anything.

“I don’t know. He hasn’t called me yet.” Ha-na blushed and went back to cutting.

“Why don’t you call him then? Where is it written that a man has to call a woman first?” Young-ae threw her hands in the air.

Ha-na put the vegetables into the pot and turned back to read Young-ae’s reply. “I don’t think he wants me to call. He didn’t even ask me for my number.”

“Ha-naya, do you like him?” Young-ae wrote.

“I don’t know. I feel really bad for him but I don’t know if I like him just yet.” Ha-na shrugged. Young-ae let out and exasperated shriek and dropped her head to the table. Just then, Ha-na’s phone rang.

“Yeobseyo, who’s this?”

“It’s me Unni, Kim Su-jin.” The voice replied.

“Su-jinah. How are you? Chincha oremanya.” Ha-na smiled and Young-ae’s head immediately shot up from the table.

“Unni, I’m sure you’ve heard about Kang-min Samcheon and Yoo-ah Unni’s engagement party.”

“Hmm, I did. Wae?”

“Unni, do you think you could go shopping with me this weekend to help me pick out a dress for the party? If you’re not too busy I mean.” Su-jin said quickly.

“I’d love to. We haven’t hung out since the day of the picnic.” Ha-na said.

“Kumawoyo Unni. Are you sure it’s okay? You’re not busy or anything?”

“Of course it’s okay. Do you want to come to my house first or should we meet at the mall?” Ha-na asked. Young-ae was so anxious, she wanted to know what they were talking about.

“I’d love to stop by.” Su-jin said.

“Okay, you still have my address right? I texted it to you before.”

“Yes, I still have it. Okay, I’ll see you on Saturday then.” Su-jin said.

“Hmm.” Ha-na replied and hung up.

“Who was that? Kim Jin-wook’s daughter?” Young-ae wrote.

“Neh.”

Young-ae’s hand hovered the sand as she tried to process that. “Is she coming here?” She asked again. Her eyes slowly welling up with tears.

“Neh, she’s coming this Saturday. We’re going shopping together so she can get a dress for the party.” Ha-na replied. “Honestly, I still think it’s too soon…”

Ha-na continued talking but Young-ae wasn’t listening. She had let out a pained sob when she heard Su-jin was coming here and now she cried in earnest. She hadn’t seen her daughter in fourteen years, Jin-wook had moved out soon after Young-ae had died and Young-ae hadn’t gotten to see her daughter grow up because she couldn’t be near her. She would see her baby girl, the child she gave her life for. She wondered how she had grown, which one of them she looked like, what her mannerisms were like. She cried her heart out as loud as she wanted, Ha-na couldn’t see her anyway.

Su-jin smiled as she hung up the phone and noticed her father staring at her across from the door of her bedroom. “Appa, when did you get in?”

“Just now. Who were you talking to on the phone? Namja chingu?”

“Appa! I was talking to Ha-na Unni. Remember, Song Ha-na? We met at the picnic, Yoo-ah Unni’s friend?”

Jin-wook glanced down briefly then back at his daughter. “I remember.” It’s not like he could forget.

“We’re going shopping together this weekend for a dress to wear to Samcheon and Yoo-ah Unni’s engagement party.”

“You could have asked me, I could have taken you.” Jin-wook said leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms. Su-jin laughed.

“Appa, do you know what kind of clothes teenaged girls like? I can’t risk you making me dress like a five year-old.”

“Still…”

“Appa, do you not want me hanging out with her? Do you hate her that much?” She asked.

“I don’t hate her, why would you think such a thing?”

“It’s been three months since Samcheon set you up with her and you haven’t called her and you won’t let me go and visit her.”

Jin-wook sighed, Su-jin was so perceptive. “Su-jinah, I don’t hate her, I just feel really uncomfortable around her.” He hoped she would let it go, she didn’t.

“Why does she make you uncomfortable?” Su-jin asked again.

“She just does, okay. I don’t know how to explain it, just accept that from me.”

“But how long are you going to avoid seeing her? Especially now that Samcheon and Yoo-ah Unni are getting engaged?”

“Su-jinah, I don’t want to talk about this with you, okay.” He sighed again and she looked a little sad. “Mianhae, I hope you can understand me.”

He went and gave her a hug. “Abeoji,” Su-jin started and Jin-wook glanced at his daughter. She never called him ‘Abeoji’ unless she wanted to ask him for something she knew he could never refuse her. “Abeoji, can’t you give Ha-na Unni a chance? I really like her. For my sake?”

Jin-wook looked at his daughter as she stared at him with those eyes, deep like her mother’s, which saw right into his soul. Those eyes were pleading with him but he just patted her hair and left the room.

Su-jin sighed, but then she brightened a little. Her father didn’t hate Ha-na that was a start. Ha-na hadn’t called her father either. “Hmm, I have to find out if Unni doesn’t hate my dad too. This isn’t over yet.” She said to herself.

Jin-wook sat on his bed and talked to Young-ae’s pictured that he kept in the bedside drawer. “Young-aeya, how are you doing? Are you watching us? I don’t know what to do about Su-jin, I can’t even take her shopping anymore. She’s growing up so fast without my help and I’m confused. Perhaps I should give Ha-na a chance? But she makes me uncomfortable, I don’t understand it. She seemed like she could see right through me even when we met for the first time. I’m not sure if I should open my heart again or if I’m even ready to do so. Help me Young-aeya.”

“What time does Su-jin get here?” Young-ae wrote while Ha-na was wiping the coffee table.

“In about twenty minutes, she said she was going to take the bus.” Ha-na replied.

Young-ae was anxious to see her daughter for the first time in fourteen years, she wanted to see how she had grown. Ha-na finished cleaning the house and was about to go and take a shower when she heard the doorbell.

“Ah, that must be her now. Please, don’t frighten her.” Ha-na said to Young-ae and went to open the door.

Su-jin was standing on the other side in a blue jeans and a black short-sleeved t-shirt. “Unni!” She smiled.

“Su-jinah, annyeong. Come in, come in.” She said and let her in. Young-ae stood in the middle of the living room and watched her daughter come in. It was like looking in a mirror. She looked exactly like that when she was that age, except the smile. Their daughter had Jin-wook’s warm and welcoming smile. It made her heart ache that she hadn’t seen her daughter for so long and she couldn’t hold back the tears.

“Unni, what’s the sand tray for?” Su-jin asked, noticing the sand tray on the coffee table.

“Ah, that. I like to doodle on it now and then.” Ha-na said quickly and took it off the table.

“Do you want anything to drink or eat?” “Aniyo, I’m okay.”

“Chincha? Okay, make yourself at home, I need to go and take a shower.”

“Neh.” Su-jin said and after Ha-na left, she brought out a little notebook and started writing down all the things she wanted to ask Ha-na about.

Young-ae sat cross-legged across from her and studied her daughter’s face, hoping to memorize every line and feature.

“Annyeong Su-jinah, it’s me your mother. I know you can’t hear me and you can’t see me, but I just wanted you to know that I missed you so much. Do you know, I’m seeing you today for the first time since I gave birth to you? I didn’t even get to see you when you were born, I didn’t get to hold your tiny hand or watch you take your first steps.” Young-ae said between sobs but Su-jin just kept on writing, oblivious to the woman sitting in front of her. “How is your father? Did he ever tell you that you looked like me? I wonder if you even know what I look like. I suppose you do, your father probably has pictures of me all over the house.” She laughed through her tears. “You know, he was always such a babo for me, doing anything I wanted, that’s how much he loved me. Do you have a boyfriend? Su-jinah, you must definitely meet a man like your father, okay? I really wish I could touch you, you’re so beautiful. My beautiful baby, but you’re all grown up now.” Young-ae couldn’t handle it anymore and she cried loud gasping sobs.

“Su-jinah.” Ha-na said as she stepped back into the living room.

“Ah, you’re ready to go?” Su-jin asked,

“Eo. What are you writing?” Ha-na tried to glance at the notebook she was holding.

“Bimil.” Su-jin said and held the note close to her chest and smiled. Ha-na laughed and put her hand on Su-jin’s shoulder.

“Let’s go. I’ll be back soon.” She said to Young-ae.

“Who are you talking to?” Su-jin asked.

“Oh? Ani, it’s just something I say whenever I go out. Gaja.”

Young-ae followed them to the door and waved at them, “I hope you can come back again Su-jinah.” She said quietly.

Author’s note: Hello everyone, I’m sorry about the long wait again, it’s the writer’s block. I keep struggling with ideas for this story. I hope you can enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it. I’ll try to be quicker with the next chapter. I hope you can drop me comments and let me know how you like the progress of the story. Kamsahmnida.