"Eonnie, do you need to get more green onions?" 

Seon Mi turned to look at Mun Yee across the aisle of the grocer shop. The younger girl was looking through bunches of green onions piled on a basket.

"Yes, please, I do need a bit more. I don't have anymore left at home after using it all up for the green onion kimchi I made last week. That recipe is really good Mun Yee, thank you." 

"You made it already? It isn't too spicy? I love it but I can only eat a little; Grandma is used to making it quite spicy, 'cause grandpa loved spicy food." 

"Not at all; Ha Jun..uhmm... Ha Jun likes spicy food too." Seon Mi blushed when she saw Mun Yee throw her a glance and a knowing smile. The girl is only a couple years younger than her, and they seemed to have hit it off after chatting with each other in the in the evenings before the Friday sessions would start.

When Seon Mi reached out to her one evening after a particularly tiring session to help out with Mrs. Sung,  Mun Yee latched onto this friendship immediately.  Seon Mi had invited Mrs. Sung to come by the bookstore just to get the old lady out of the house some days, since she is mostly at home all alone when Mun Yee is at work. It started out as an occasional visit, but Mrs. Sung seems to have taken a liking being in the bookstore; the old books becoming a welcome companion in her memories of Mr. Sung as she recalled their early years together. Seon Mi welcomed the old lady's quiet presence once she started dropping by once or twice a week. In the beginning she would just be browsing around, until the old lady felt comfortable enough and started to help put books away, caring for the books just as Seon Mi would. Mrs. Sung didn't talk much; however, her silence is soothing. And for Seon Mi who, truth be told, grew up starving for affection from parents and grandparents, she looked forward to the kind old lady's presence every single time.

Today, Seon Mi took to the grocer shop to buy vegetables and meat they will cook for Mr. Do's birthday. Ms. Choi invited the group for this party, and everyone offered to bring a dish to show their appreciation for Mr. Do.

For the past couple of years, Mr. Do had his birthday celebration held in the center, as Ms. Choi refused to have him be alone on his birthday, seeing his children could not even be bothered to visit him. And it was a way to show the old man that he has others who care about him; another family he can turn to to celebrate milestones such like these.

Mr. Do has been a constant help to Ms. Choi, assisting in the general upkeep of the center; with Seon Mi, when she needed some repairs or a pair of hands in the bookstore; and recently, along with Dae Suk, with any other odds and ends needed that would come up. There was no menial task that he would not do; feeling needed gave Mr. Do pleasure, a sense of worth and purpose that is such a huge influence in keeping his outlook in life positive. It is this positive influence that has become somewhat of a lifesaver to Dae Suk, who was once an angry withdrawn young man. Mr. Do has taken him under his wing and is slowly getting the young man to lose his grim defensiveness around others.

Seon Mi happily took the task of preparing most of the meals for the party. She had done so before for Mr. Do without hesitation. She was quick to take Mun Yee's offer to join her shopping in the market since the girl also needed to get items for her grandma's dish. 

Mun Yee didn't miss the slight stammer when Seon Mi mentioned Ha Jun's name. The older girl have not confided in her, but Mun Yee didn't need things spelled out. She can tell Seon Mi and Ha Jun have began a serious relationship. The man is quite obvious in his affection toward Seon Mi, the way he would hover about, in the way he would direct those laser beam eyes at Seon Mi. Mun Yee had been caught in those crossfire of glances before and even she felt the heady romantic thrill and excitement generated by these two. 

She couldn't help but tease Seon Mi a bit. "Ha Jun-ssi looks like he's eating proper meals lately, eonnie. He's looking better. I mean, he's always been good looking, don't get me wrong, but he looks much, much better lately. Like someone has been taking better care of him."

Seon Mi just smiled noncommitally, but a rosy tinge colored her cheeks. 

"Eonnie, he seems like a nice man. Grandma and I were talking about him the other day after he dropped us off. She said he reminded her of my grandpa in some ways. He's got that protective aura going on when he's around you," Mun Yee rambled on, then added, bumping her side affectionately, "I'm happy for you."

"Are we that obvious? Aissh." Seon Mi bit her lip then added, "I'm happy, too." She was quite unable to contain the tingle of pleasure in her voice.

"He seems very nice, eonnie. You two are so lovely together; I got goosebumps."

"Oh, stop teasing me. The youngest is not supposed to tease the eldest! What about you? I've seen a certain someone eyeing you too." Seon Mi returned the teasing, taking the bag of green onions the other held out to her.

"Hmm, I have no idea what you're talking about," Mun Yee answered cheekily, as she started placing baby bok choys in a bag. "I'm not about to chase after a guy who doesn't do anything else but just throw looks at me," she added, winking at Seon Mi, "even if he is very cute. How could you even possibly notice, eonnie? I know who's been occupying your attention. Besides, I want to be wooed."

She then grinned at Seon Mi, "I bet Ha Jun-ssi wooed you, didn't he? He seems like a very romantic guy, eonnie."

Seon Mi just shook her head at the girl and giggled in amusement at her nonstop teasing.

.

The smell of cooked foods filled the room as soon as one walks in. Inside, the long table rests in the center of room after it has been pulled away from the wall. It is nicely covered with a festive tablecloth and is already full of various dishes Seon Mi cooked. The steam can be seen wafting from the covered platters and bowls, and various side dishes were placed all over within everyone's reach. But the table is hardly complete just yet; there are still spots left empty waiting for Mrs. Sung's and Mrs. Gim's dishes. 

Off at the corner, a few balloons languidly floated while tied securely to the back of the chairs. A banner hangs on the wall with a big Happy Birthday on it, it's corners lifting up slightly from the breeze of the air conditioner vent above. In the center of the room, several chairs flank the long table for the party; they are all to sit together and dine family style and help themselves to the dishes set in front of them.

Seon Mi is at one side of the room by the wall, standing on a chair with arms high above her trying to hang a few decorations from the ceiling. She had to make do with the chairs, as she could not lift the heavy ladder to bring to the room to reach the ceiling properly. As it is, she could barely reach and had to stack a chair on top of another daringly.

"Seon Mi..!" She wobbled, reaching down to grasp the back of the stair she stood on. She almost toppled off the chair after being startled by Ha Jun's voice. He had exclaimed thoughtlessly from the doorway, surprised in seeing how precariously she stood on stacked chairs.

"I'm sorry to startle you. Here let me do that. You could fall." He rushed over hurriedly after setting down a case of drinks on the ground.

"Why didn't you wait for me? There's a ladder in the storage we can use for this." He hung onto the chair she stood on and held out a hand to coax her down.

"Oh I couldn't drag the ladder out. I'm ok. You just startled me."

"Come down, my love, you're making me anxious standing on chairs like this. Let me do it. Just tell me what you need me to do." 

He grasped her hand, but the chair wobbled some more when she bent her knees. He ended up reaching for her to lift her down just as she fell into him. 

"Oh. I'm so sorry." She exclaimed, loosening the tight grip she had around his neck. She is still in his arms, lifted by his strong muscles. She towered over him from the way he held her.

"Don't be. I'm kinda enjoying this, now that I'm holding you like this."

"Ha Jun-ah..." she chided half-heartedly.

This time he need not bend to capture her lips; rather he slid her down against him to bring her within his easy reach. His face upturned, he let his lips brushed tenderly across hers. It was a gentle teasing brush until she exhaled and he angled in for a full kiss. He felt her arms that rested on his shoulders move, her grip tightening again just as his kisses lingered and deepened.  His arms kept her above and flushed against him, their position giving her some semblance of control of their kiss. She moved, titling her head to fit her lips more fully onto his. Their cheeks hollowed on its own accord, and she felt the thrill of it down to the very tips of her toes. Everything else blurred around them; their senses heightened by their awareness only of each other. And for a while, it seems even time stood still.

.

.

The party went very well. Mr. Do was quite teary, feeling so touched to see everyone's regard for him. After they all had eaten and were enjoying coffees and teas, Ms. Choi and Seon Mi brought the cake out. It was a lovely berry chantilly cake that Seon Mi prepared. Mr. Do clapped his hands in anticipation. He was extremely happy, more so seeing his favorite cake. Several candles decorated the top, already lit.

"Thank you everybody. You have no idea how much you all mean to me, to have you all here for my 70th birthday. You have become my family and I am so very thankful to have met all of you and be part of your lives. Seon Mi, you are like a precious daughter to me; thank you, my dear, for taking good care of me always. Ms. Choi, I never had a sister, but you have certainly become my family and I will always be grateful for you for letting me be part of this group." His voice choked as he thanked each one of them, and at the end he bowed to them all. He gave Dae Suk a tight hug, letting his tears fall finally. Shouts of saengil chukhahaeyo and well wishes were heard amidst whistles and applauses. Even Seon Mi's eyes glistened, seeing how happy simple gestures such as these have made Mr. Do.

They took plenty of pictures to commemorate the event. Mun Yee promsied to fix them in an album for Mr. Do. Dae Suk had a great idea of forming a group chat for them so they could share photos quickly. Soon, everyone had their phone out, exclaiming at the pictures and taking more of the same. It was altogether a lovely, charming afternoon enjoyed by everyone. 

Ms. Choi herself felt very emotional. She stood apart gazing at this small group of people she had grown fond of. She had always maintained a professional relationship, keeping her own wall in place. But isolation is difficult to maintain when you cannot help but feel attached to the people you spend plenty of time with. You do have to care in order to be of help. And this she does; she does care very deeply and thus is quite good in helping others. But she never let herself feel attached.

She will be the first to tell you that this is an act of self preservation, of keeping oneself just distant enough, not fully entrusting one's heart to anybody. Plenty of professionals do so in order to function in real life, not to be encumbered, bogged down when faced with the loss of everyone around you. She had been a pediatric nurse in her younger years, taking care of little kids battling cancer. She had perfected the art of keeping a wall around a piece of herself all those years. One learned to be empathetic and sympathetic without sacrificing one's own emotional well being. She left the profession after feeling burnt out. There was one year that the losses seemed to have outweighed the ones that were saved. And she was but a younger lady then, with an equally younger child. And that one year, her heart just could not keep herself walled off. So Ms. Choi had plenty of experiences with deaths and loss; and she has learned to protect herself in order give better care. For what good can one be, if one become ensnared in the grief of others one is trying so hard to mitigate?

Though she has been running these support groups for quite some time and meeting various types of people in the process, this group though tugged at her heartstrings the most. It is in their quiet dignity even in the face of their loss. So acute were their fears of letting go of their grief. She knew clinically this is due to our minds equating the resolution of said grief as a further loss of a loved one. It is this fear that maybe once the grief is gone, their memories would be gone too. They all felt this, verbally acknowledged or not.

Ms. Choi is no stranger to these feelings, because she felt it too, went through it all too when she lost her son; going through the same motions just like each and every one of them. Perhaps her fate placed her in this profession despite her own loss (perhaps maybe even because of it), knowing that her strength has always been in her perseverance, in her desire to help others find their path amidst the chaos, amidst the turmoil of their lives; in showing others they can go on, just like countless of other broken people around them. 

She glanced affectionately at this group, laughing and sharing food and company with each other. Her eyes alighted on Mr. and Mrs. Gim, who are slowly finding their way back to each other. They lost sight of one another in their grief, feeling as if they too died after the loss of their daughter. Now they've started to look to each other once more for strength, for comfort. 

She looked on at Dae Suk, who even though he still appears untethered, seems to bloom under Mr. Do's shadow. He no longer appeared as frenzied nor agitated when he sits amongst the group. She trusts Mr. Do who has taken it upon himself to be the younger man's mentor.

Then there's Mrs. Sung, who even in her fraility continued to show her quiet strength; that inspite of her depression, she is fighting hard because of her love for her granddaughter. Ms. Choi knew that because of this, the old lady will be just fine. Her sense of family is a big factor in her recovery. 

She glanced at Seon Mi, chatting easily with everybody with Ha Jun next to her. He has never been far from her side. Ms. Choi felt such an affection for this girl, knowing how difficult her past had been, and now, seeing the glow of love in her cheeks, Ms. Choi looks forward to a bright future she deserves. She can see how much Ha Jun adores her, the way his eyes seem to light up whenever she's near. She knew finding love and feeling worthy of receiving said love played a great role in Ha Jun's slow progression to normalcy. Ms. Choi had spent many phone calls with Dr. Kim, sharing insights about Ha Jun's obstacles and improvements, and both felt Seon Mi's influence has been his true saving grace.

Ms. Choi sighed to herself, thinking how quickly these past weeks have passed. This group of people who started out tentatively together, who were uncertain about being in a group and whether the sessions would even help them any-- this group have learned now to rely on each other, have established trust, and found comfort and familiarity. They are all far from perfect, herself included. But that has never been Ms. Choi's goal. All she hopes to accomplish is that each one of them find peace, find a sliver of happiness. And if heaven's permit, perhaps even find love in the process.

.

.

.