Bo Woon and Joon Hee went to a cheap food stall to eat dinner. She checked her money to see if they have enough.

"Ah....gomapda," she said in relief.

Joon Hee began ordering lots and lots of food that Bo Woon had to look in awe.

"How about you, Eonni? What will you eat?" he asked.

Bo Woon calculated the cost and saw that if she were to eat, she will be broke.

"Ah, ani, I will not eat anything," she told him a lie. "I am not hungry."

The truth is, she was also hungry, but she wanted to make Joon Hee happy. She just drank water and watched Joon Hee devour food after food.

"Why? Was he a beggar in his past life? And is his past life connected to his present life?" she thought, totally amused.

She leaned over to Joon Hee and said.

"Uh, you see, I think after this, we really need to go because I remember I have something to do at home," she said.

"Jinjja? O, mianhae, Eonni," Joon Hee said apologetically. "I will eat fast."

"Oh no, just take your time," she said with a smile.

She felt she was going to get dizzy if she were not to eat anything, plus she felt that her erhu was getting heavier by the day even if it was just light. She did not regret treating him to dinner, as she was totally all right to spend her money on him, but she had totally forgotten that he tended to pig out.

"Done!" he said triumphantly, as if he were in an eating contest.

She got the bill and paid. Joon Hee asked if he could take her home as a thank you gift.

"Ah, ani...ani..." she said in hesitation.

"Gwaenchanha," he replied. "We are totally friends, right? So, no worries."

Bo Woon grimaced when he smiled at her like he was telling her to give up and let him take her home.

"Ah...all right," she said.

Joon Hee had all smiles like the Cheshire cat and walked her home. He even held the erhu for her.

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

"Thanks for taking me home, Joon Hee-ya," Bo Woon whispered.

Joon Hee saw that the interior of the house was a bit dim, and the fluorescent light inside looked like it will turn off any minute. The house looks pretty decent, but it looks like it lacked maintenance.

"Ah, OK," he whispered and motioned an A-OK sign.

He watched her get in and close the door. Just as he was about to walk away, he heard her greet solemnly.

"Eomma, I am home..."

Then, he heard a sound of a rod hitting what seems like human skin.

"Oh? What is that?" he asked himself as he went back.

When he looked in the window, he saw an ajumma in red dress with a bottle of soju in one hand, and a hard rod on the other. He saw Bo Woon on the floor, splinting her waist.

"Apa! Apa (It hurts)!" he heard Bo Woon plead in tears.

"You! You are a worthless daughter!" the ajumma said. "You come home having no money? Where did you spend the money you received from your foolish Appa?"

Then he saw the lady hit Bo Woon on the waist with a rod. The whole scenario sent him in a state of shock.

"Apa....a.....apa......" Bo Woon cried. "I spent them on school projects! I could not even eat anymore."

"Huh! Excuses, excuses! Bah! And your erhu? Just sell it!" the ajumma said.

"Anio, Eomma," Bo Woon said in tears. "I will not sell it!"

"Huh! You and your traditional Korean music! Will it bring food on the table? And where is the money?" the ajumma demanded.

Joon Hee could not take it any longer, so he barged in, much to the astonishment of the ajumma and of Bo Woon.

"I will call the police!" the ajumma threatened.

"Call them later," he bravely said as he approached Bo Woon and pulled her from the floor.

The ajumma watched in fury and shouted at them to come back, for Joon Hee pulled Bo Woon out of the house.

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

As they were walking to somewhere where they could clear their minds, Joon Hee felt that he had seen a part of Bo Woon which he never saw. Perhaps, Gyu Won and her friends might have seen it too. Perhaps, they haven't even seen it.

He realized that Bo Woon was the happy girl when she was in school, but she was battered by her own mother. Even if she was wearing fashionable clothes like sleeveless tops and shorts, her injuries were somewhere not seen. For tonight, he saw the ajumma hit Bo Woon on her waist. He suddenly felt guilty having to order a lot of food. That explained why she did not eat that dinner. Her money had been spent on his food.

"Mianhae, Eonni," he said to her as he looked at her.

This was also the first time he saw her bowing her head, not wanting people to see her tears. He decided to go to another food stall, so that he could treat her to dinner in return.

He ordered food for her, and even spent all his money so that they will be even. She looked at all the food, then at him.

"This is too much, Joon Hee-ya," she said softly. "I could not eat all of them."

"Gwaenchanha," he said. "You spent all your money for me. Now I spend all my money for you."

He was feeling like a total idiot. When she offered to buy food, he was happy that it was a free treat. He could have suggested a Dutch treat. But then again, he totally had NOOOOO idea. He watched her sadly as she ate her food slowly.

"I guess I have to bring some to Eomma so she can have something to eat," she said.

Joon Hee felt a lump clogging his throat. Bo Woon was still the good girl she is even if she was battered.

****

At the park....

Bo Woon related that her family never had a harmonious relationship eversince, which was why her parents divorced. Her mother was the adulterous woman in her younger years, and a total alcoholic when she was growing old. Her father could not take it anymore so he divorced with the mother. Still, he had been giving money to Bo Woon, but when the eomma learned about it, she began maltreating her daughter for money. Bo Woon tried to hide her money and save it, but her eomma always found a way to find it. Thus, Bo Woon would often spend her money until nothing was left, or she let her other Windflower friends save her money for her. Gyu Won and her friends totally knew about her money problems, but they, however, had no idea regarding the battery. She told herself to be happy all the time to hide the fact that she was totally abused at  home. When her eomma battered her, it was always in the waist or hips, so that she could still wear comfortable clothes and not let any secret of the abuse out. 

Totally weird and totally smart-aleck Eomma.

Joon Hee finally understood. She was just wearing a happy persona in front of everybody and tended to be strolling around so that she could go home late at night when her eomma could not hit her.

"But why would you spend all your money on me?" he asked.

"Because I really adore you," she said. "When I feel all the trouble at  home, I think of my friends. The thought makes me happy, at least."

Joon Hee really felt sorry for her.

"Eonni, I am sorry I spent all your money," he said. "From now on, if you spend food for me, I will order less."

She looked at him with a sad smile.

"My Joon Hee is not Joon Hee if he does not eat like a beggar," she replied.

"Eonni, how can you be so thoughtful of me?" he asked. "You should be thinking about yourself first."

"Ara. That is why for the coming productions, the Windflower will totally make it big," she said. "I will make Shin proud of me and prove my Eomma wrong. If I am big-time already, I will treat you lots and lots of meat."

He suddenly felt that he lost his appetite for food, and even meat. Just looking at what happened to Bo Woon that night made him realize that not all people in the world are lucky enough to eat decent meals three times a day. His thoughts went back to Hee Joo's bulimic tendencies and her struggle to eat the vegetable at the restaurant. Then, he thought of Bo Woon spending money for him and going home hungry, penniless, empty-handed and battered. And between the two friends (uh, the other one is the Natasha he wanted for a girlfriend), he thought he should empathize with Bo Woon more, knowing that he, too, also had his share of times when he could not afford to buy food, or, could not buy slick outfits just so he could buy food for him and his loving eomma.

"Thanks for saving me tonight," she said to him.

He smiled at her and stood up. He offered his hand for her to hold, and she accepted. He took her home again, and waited to see her being well.

Bo Woon entered her house feeling desperate. She saw her Eomma totally drunk and lying carelessly on the couch. She placed the food in the refrigerator, so in case the drunk lady would be awake, the latter could have something to eat. Bo Woon also wrote a note to her eomma, stating that there are some food in the refrigerator.

Joon Hee peeked from outside the window, and sighed as he watched her turn off the lights and get inside the room.

"Be well, Bo Woon-eonni," he thought.