Releasing an awkward laugh Namjoo pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Pretentiously she lied, “I thought you did. You know…you tend to work weekends…”

Joohwan stared at her with a testy frown, “We talked on the phone last week. You knew I didn’t work. Inha too.”

“Oh…y…yes,” the sister-in-law fidgeted in her seat, immediately sensing the tension.

Namjoo’s eyes ran from one to the other, wondering how she was going to pull herself out of this unforeseen confrontation. She was suddenly no longer hungry.

Upon a nudge from his wife Joohwan said with a helpful smile to Jongin, “Do eat. Inha would feel bad.” Then looking at Namjoo he said, “Lets talk.”

Namjoo gently gritted her teeth together when her brother left his seat and unable to look at Jongin slid out of her chair. Closing the door to Joohwan’s small office crammed with books she glanced up at him.

“You have to listen to me,” Namjoo quickly interjected walking to him.

“No,” he angrily warded her off when she touched his arm. Looking at her with wide eyes he hissed, “You got married?!”

Fully admitting she was wrong Namjoo could only pull back and sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“If you thought of me you wouldn’t be saying that!” he hissed again trying not to scream at her. His eyes were full of rage – anger for not being informed and disappointed because he was her brother who couldn’t share the joyful day with her.

Lowering her head she quietly confessed, “It’s better if you weren’t there.”

Joohwan’s face contorted with absurd shock. Then turning his head to the side he let out a loud snort, “You’re embarrassed of me.”

“No!” she instinctively raised her voice then caught herself. Turning to look behind her as if someone had walked in she only saw the closed door then shook her head. Stepping forward she held his arm with both hands, “It’s not like that. Why would I be embarrassed of you?”

Raising her head up she looked at him pleadingly and tried to sort her thoughts; what she was going to say and how she would fragment her sentences. After a short moment of lapsing silence she took a deep breath.

“Hwan-ah,” she began softly, affectionately, “remember when we first went to the orphanage and they asked us about our parents? If we had told them about our Aunt, we would have been sent back and so we lied that our parents were dead and we’d been homeless.”

“Don’t change the subject,” he murmured.

Namjoo patiently continued, “It’s because if they knew there was a guardian who could put a roof over our heads they would have called the cops to take us back. Everyone but Kyung and Inha believes our parents are dead; we say it like that because some things are better left unsaid.”

Joohwan stared at her silently. “So what is it? Why can’t you just tell me?! I’m an adult, Namjoo! If you need something, I’ll do it for you! I’m no longer that boy who needs to depend on you. Why can’t you just tell me if you’re having problems or if someone’s bothering you? Why is it that you’re always there for me but you won’t let me do the same for you?!”

Namjoo let his words soak in before pulling on a smile to cover her heartfelt emotions. “If you went to the wedding you might not be smiling now.”

There was a knock on the door before it opened a crack and Inha poked her head in, “Are you done talking?”

Namjoo glanced at her then to her brother and patted his arm before walking out. They left right after she ate through a gruesomely awkward breakfast.

Five minutes down the road Jongin snuck a glance at her, “What did you two talk about?”

“We were just catching up,” she lied, her eyes on the road.

“Is there something I don’t know?” he wondered braking at the stop light.

Out of nervousness she curled her fingers up on her lap and bit the insides of her lower lip. Did Jongin know? Would he suspect and be angry with her? She needed a moment to brace herself.

“Why didn’t you let him know about the wedding?” Jongin stared at her.

Namjoo stared down at her knees and wished she wouldn’t have acted on her urge to see Joohwan this morning.

“Did you two argue?” he pressed on then turned when the car behind them slammed the horn. Forced away from her Jongin drove down the road before pulling over to the curb and parked the car so they could talk.

Then again, he turned to her.

“We didn’t argue,” summoning up her courage she finally turned to him. “It’s just…Joohwan works a lot, so I wanted to let him rest. That’s all.” Adding an assuring smile she added, “Really.”

Jongin’s gentle eyes looked her over before nodding with a smile. For some reason she slept with a heavy heart that night.

~~~~~

The first person to greet them the next morning was Goo Yeji at the breakfast table. Already sitting there waiting for them elegantly as if she belonged in their very household. She first smiled when Jongin and Namjoo entered and raised her fingers from her teacup, wiggling them about.

Jongin first paused and stared at her with a frown before his mother appeared from the kitchen with the morning’s main dish. Noticing them she greeted, “You’re awake? The Chairman’s daughter is here to take you to work.”

With brows still twined he stated, “I’m not a child.”

“Ah…I didn’t mean it like that…” Hunmi began but was cut off by Yeji.

“Surely, we’ll be seeing each other from now on as you’re in my hands. Your progress and achievements will be mine as well,” Yeji smiled behind her cup. Then looking at Hunmi she said politely, “I don’t need a plate this morning, Aunt. I don’t eat breakfast.”

Uninterested, Jongin sat down and waited for Namjoo to take the seat beside him. Looking at her he smiled, “I’ll drop you off at work and pick you up later.”

“You still work?” Yeji cut in as if she had been a part of the conversation all along. She leaned back in her seat when they turned to look at her. “That pizza place?”

“Yes.” Namjoo replied.

A crooked smile jumped onto Yeji’s face as if mocking her. “Why would you want to embarrass anyone that way? You should have already quit by the time you got married, but you’re still going back there to work?”

“I don’t think that’s your business,” Jongin intervened sternly.

“Of course not,” Yeji looked at him coolly, “but as a business partner, I think I have the right to say something. You aren’t a simple family, Jongin, do you understand that? People will talk when they find out that your wife still works for a restaurant chain. They’ll say things like she doesn’t have enough respect for you and your father’s firm; that she’s not educated enough to understand where you stand; the women will say you’re a fool for marrying someone spineless who doesn’t believe in you. Furthermore, if she doesn’t focus her life on the home how do you expect to have children?”

Sliding out of his chair Jongin pounded his fist on the tabletop, “Shut up! That’s enough!”

“Jongin,” his mother gasped. Quickly turning to Yeji she apologized, “I’m so sorry.”

Retaining her cool stance, Yeji stared back at Jongin. “I don’t believe that you didn’t already know that, Chief Executive.”

Tightly pressing his lips together he folded his hand into a firm fist at his side all the while his eyes remained fiery and hard on the uninvited guest. After a second he breathed, “Sorry mom, I’m not hungry.” Then grabbing Namjoo’s hand pulled her out of her seat and down the hall so abruptly that she nearly tripped over her own feet.

Going straight for the door he hastily slipped into his shoes and waited for her to do the same then opened the door and pulled her down the steps. He didn’t speak until they were on the road. With a deep sigh and groan he muttered, “Why was she even here.”

“It might be a long day for you,” Namjoo said. “You didn’t eat.”

“Then,” he turned to her, “should we grab something before you I send you?”

Smiling gladly she smiled.

Jongin pulled into a café where they both got sandwiches and coffee before moving over to enjoy the view by the side window. A soothing instrumental was playing overhead and he dreaded the office place soon to be his.

“I actually don’t want to go in,” Jongin admitted. “Funny that I’m saying this when I should’ve taken up your advice to stay home a while longer.”

He quietly laughed happily when Namjoo reached over to tap his nose, “I told you so.”

As they went quiet he could hear Yeji’s crude words repeating themselves through his head. Sneaking a peek at Namjoo he saw that she looked indifferent while gobbling down her sandwich or was it that she was putting on a mask?

“Namjoo,” he softly called to have her look at him.

“Hmm?”

For some reason even he felt somewhat ashamed to have let her directly hear those words from some other woman other than family. The frustration and anger that he’d let Namjoo sit there through that made his blood churn.

“About what Yeji said,” he began.

Namjoo shook her head, “What about it? Isn’t it exactly what you told me before? The night you proposed to me you said it would be hard. I didn’t expect any less than this. That’s why I’m here.”

Jongin felt his heart race that she remembered it so clearly. Half-jumping out of his seat he leaned over to peck her on the cheek before sitting back down to finally feel hunger gnaw at him.

“Hey!” Namjoo scolded and looked around as he chewed with a grin.

They sat there for a good hour before they were back on the road again. “I’ll come pick you up later.”

“I think you already said that this morning,” Namjoo said unbuckling her seatbelt.

“I’ll say it again so you won’t forget,” he joked and listened to her snort at him.

“I’m going now,” she said and reached for the door handle.

“Wait,” he grabbed her arm and when she turned he kissed her. “Love you.”

Namjoo scoffed and lightly hit his shoulder before leaving the car. After watching her enter the restaurant he heaved a sigh and started back onto the road, ready to get today’s deal over with.

~~~~~

Right after Namjoo and Jongin left Yeji excused herself as well. Hunmi was astounded by the girl’s nature but it wasn’t her main point of worry right now. After calling for a housekeeper to clean up the table she quickly changed, dressed, and called for Driver Park to drive her directly where Jongin and Namjoo had gone yesterday.

A while later parked across the street from a small home beside several dozen others she observed the short white fence surrounding the yellow home that reverberated a tranquil happiness. The yard was plainly cut but trimmed and looked after. No cobwebs and curtains remained closed to keep the home’s privacy. A tiny two-story home constructed not too many years ago and still in tip-top shape. Hunmi immediately approved of the home but wondered why Joohwan lived in an entire house by himself.

“Did they really come here yesterday?” she wondered.

“Yes,” Driver Park nodded from the front seat.

“It doesn’t look like anyone’s home,” she leaned toward the glass. “We’ll wait here until someone comes.”

“Yes, Madam,” Drive Park nodded.

She was nervous but more excited at the thought of seeing her youngest child after the longest time. If she asked Namjoo to meet him she knew the daughter would never agree to it. Hunmi could only pray that Joohwan wouldn’t be as hostile toward her as Namjoo still was. That child had always had a soft, warm heart.

Would his eyes still hold that fragile demeanor? Would he have lost weight through all the years of hardship? What was he doing now? How was his life? Had he gone to school or did he labor intensively like Namjoo? If only…she could ask him to move in with them.

Three hours and a half passed by when a pretty, young woman walked up the street with a bag of grocery hanging off her arm. Hunmi watched as she turned toward the exact yellow house she’d been eyeing but not before pausing and glancing toward the vehicle she was in. Even though the windows were heavily tinted for privacy she felt as if the young woman had noticed her.

Turning away the woman continued toward the house but paused again and glanced back as if she could hear Hunmi’s thoughts questioning who she was. Then at last opening the door she stepped out and offered a smile.

“Excuse me,” she started then glanced at the house, “do you live here?”

“Hello,” Inha quickly greeted the elder. “Yes, my husband and I live here.”

 Her daughter-in-law. Joohwan was married.

Hunmi felt the weight of the happy shock soar through her as emotions of all sorts combusted through her frail body. What joyful news! Both her children were married.

“I know this might be rude of me,” Hunmi began trying not to tremble from delight, “is it all right if I come in for a bit?”

Inha looked at her surprised and hesitated as she thought it over. Nervously smiling she nodded, “Yes, sure. Come in.”

The home was cozily decorated. She could tell the furniture was fresh out of the store not from the thrift shop. A wedding portrait of the young couple hung on the wall to proudly announce this home as theirs. Seated at the table near the kitchen Hunmi shamelessly let her eyes wander around. She felt blessed that her son had such good fate. She was so proud she wanted to weep and thank the Lord for looking after him so well.

“You two make a very beautiful couple,” she complimented.

“Thank you,” Inha smiled from behind the counter as she poured some tea into a mug.

“Can I ask what your name is?” she wondered when Inha placed the mug in front of her and joined her at the table.

“I’m Nam Inha,” she introduced herself.

She even smiled prettily. No doubt they would have some remarkable children.

“How long have you been married?”

“About some two, three years,” Inha answered.

Hunmi nodded approvingly. “You don’t have children yet?”

Her daughter-in-law smiled somewhat embarrassed but happily, “We’re expecting.”

“Oh my!” she gasped, thrilled. “That’s so exciting! I can’t wait…I mean, I’m sure you two can’t wait. You must take good care of yourself.”

She nodded kindly then finally asked, “Can I ask…who you are? Not to be rude. It’s just we don’t really see that kind of car around this type of area.”

“I’m sorry. It must be rude of me,” catching herself at last she apologized. “Just think of me as some old woman.” She glanced at Inha again and pressed on, “Actually, I lost my children a long time ago.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” she apologized. “You must be so sad.”

She shook her head, “These days, it feels like the heavens have been helping me.”

Inha looked at her quizzically but said nothing. After a moment of some silent she asked, “Were you looking for them?”

“Oh no,” Hunmi shook her head then felt her eyes drift over to the portrait on the wall. She’d already found her other child. There was no need to look for any more.

Then her eyes moved toward the door upon the sound of a key turning the lock. At Inha’s voice her heart beat rapidly, “That must be Joohwan. He’s come home for lunch. If you haven’t eaten, do stay and join us.”

She watched the young woman rise from her seat to welcome her husband happily but in that mere moment when the world began turning slowly till it stopped altogether, Hunmi felt her eyes grow wide and her nerves turn raw with ache. Her beautiful son. All grown up. Why had she missed so much?

“Did you just get in?” Joohwan closed the door; that smile on his face the exact replica of his dead father’s.

Hunmi’s hands trembled as she instinctively rose to her feet and unable to help herself she whispered, “Joohwan-ah…”