“Thank you so much Haneul-ssi,” the director of Seoul’s Orphanage for Children with Disabilities said. “When your uncle’s secretary called me, I was hesitant to agree to his request. Usually young ladies of your status show up for a photo shoot and some head patting of the children. I was not expecting you to come and do math with Minwoo!”

    “Ah, well, I was an aide in an elementary school,” Haneul said. “I worked with children who have disabilities. I’m glad that the tricks I picked up there could help Minwoo.”

    “Well, we’re grateful for the help you’ve given him and us,” the director said again. “You’ll be back every Tuesday and Thursday, correct?”

    “Yes,” Haneul responded. “I’m looking forward to it.”

    Several more polite words of parting were exchanged before Haneul was finally able to make her way down the road to the bus stop. Last night she had researched the best way to get from the orphanage to the gym Tao had recommended. She had had her own car while in the U.S. and was used to that indepence. Neither her uncle nor her husband had talked to her about getting her a car or had provided her with a driver and she was reluctant to bring it up. Luckily, her uncle’s secretary made sure she had an unlimited credit card that is paid for by the money she still has available from her father’s share of the company stocks. She used this card to buy a bus pass and the groceries she needed for the house.

    An employee of the gym gave Haneul a tour of the gym along with a sales speech. The amenities included a pool, a smoothie shop, and dance classes taught by top choreographers and idols who wanted to keep up their stamina during a hiatus. Because of their famous clientele, privacy was strictly guarded. No pictures could be taken on the premises and anyone who had contact with reporters was immediately banned. Haneul signed the membership papers and left, deciding to come back the next day for a dance class.

    Haneul spent the rest of that Tuesday in her accustomed loneliness. She prepared a bento for Siwon’s shoot the next day. She opened her presents from EXO alone and then sat down to read some of the manga they got her until Siwon came home. Finally, at 11:30, Haneul gave up and went to bed. She briefly woke up when Siwon slipped into bed but was too tired to check the time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5:40 AM came and Siwon turned his phone alarm off as quickly as possible. He turned and looked at Haneul. Somehow, the fact that in their sleep the couple tended to hold each other comforted him. It gave him hope that he could learn to love his wife.

    “Morning already?” Haneul murmured as Siwon extricated himself from their sleeping embrace. “Do you want breakfast?”

    “No,” Siwon responded softly. “Go back to sleep I’m not hungry.”

    “I thought that might happen,” Haneul said, eyes closed. “There’s a protein smoothie next to your bento in the fridge.” She fell back asleep. Siwon shook his head in awe. Even though he had been so thoughtless of his wife, she always anticipated his wants and needs.

    After he showered, he went to the kitchen and grabbed the smoothie and bento. The bento he set on the counter and the smoothie he drank while reading the American newspaper at the kitchen table. He became so engrossed in an article that he was caught off guard when his manager arrived. In the rush to finish getting ready to go, the bento laid forgotten on the counter.

    It was around 9 AM during a brief break when Siwon realized that he’d forgotten his lunch. The guilt he felt equalled his disappointment. Two months was plenty of time for Siwon to fall in love… with Haneul’s cooking. Everyday he looked forward to her homemade meals and he didn’t want to miss even this one bento. With all that in mind, he decided on a course of action.

    To Haneul: I left my bento at home.

    To Siwon: I see it here on the counter. Should I bring it to you?

    To Haneul: Why not bring enough for us to eat together?

    To Siwon: Neh. I’ll be there at noon.

A positive response from Haneul made him smile and the rest of the cast wondered at his joyful change in demeanor after their break.

    One co-star was intrigued more than the others. Krystal Jung had been trying to get as close as possible to her SM labelmate since they had started rehearsals for this drama. Her motives were twofold. The public motive was that a dating scandal would be good publicity for the drama. Her private motive was a bit more complex. She had always admired all of her Super Junior sunbaes but a small preference for Siwon had been lurking in her heart. Now that they were co-stars with a scripted love line, she believed her chance to capture his heart had arrived.

    “Cut!” the director yelled. “That’s good. Hour break for lunch.”

    Siwon hurried to his dressing room to change after a brief word with his manager. Krystal left for her room as well, vowing that she would have lunch with Choi Siwon.