Friday morning, Hana’s hospital room

After a slightly awkward goodbye to Jinnie in the morning Minwoo gave him his account number so that he could deposit the last of the money and headed to the hospital to pick up Hana. Minwoo felt like a huge weight had fallen from his shoulders when he’d paid the rest of Hana’s hospital bill before he went to to see if she was ready to go.

Together Hana and Minwoo packed the rest of her things into the plastic bags provided by the hospital staff. Most of the flowers had been distributed amongst the other patients on the same hallway and a box of the chocolates had been given to the nurses that had kept Hana company during her stay. On their way out of the room a nurse stopped them and handed Hana a little black box, it had been found among her boyfriend’s belongings and they wanted to make sure that she got it before she left. Hana stared at it for a moment with a sad smile before she tucked it into one of her other bags without looking inside it.

“I’m ready to get out of here. I just want to go home and sleep for a week.” Hana slipped her arm through her brother’s and together they left the hospital, walking out into the morning sun.

Three months later

Minwoo checked his phone before he walked into the cafe where he was supposed meet the man that had been hounding him with messages ever since Hana had gotten out of the hospital. He had taken some time off from work to help her get settled into her life again. Instead of going back to the same school, Minwoo had used part of his savings to get her into a better school and she was thriving there. The change of scenery must have been a good idea. She still hadn’t opened the box that she’d gotten when she left the hospital. When Minwoo asked her about it, she had told him that it was better this way; easier to move on with her life instead of dwelling on the past.

“Minwoo!”, a cheerful voice called out and the man in question looked in the direction of the voice and slipped his phone back into his pocket before he headed over to sit down.

“You were the one that invited me out for a cup of coffee and yet I had to practically chase you down to make it happen”, Dongwan said with a smug smile as he raised his hand to summon a waiter over to take Minwoo’s order.

“And I told you I was busy. Between Hana, work and some stuff I’ve been looking into, I didn’t have any free time”, Minwoo said in an exasperated tone as he crossed his legs under the table.

“Yeah yeah, excuses excuses”, Dongwan said with a chuckle, “at least you’re here now. So how is Hana doing?”

“She’s fine. Making new friends at school, looking at colleges. She even started looking for a job. Said she wants to pay her own way through school”, Minwoo said as the waiter came over and he ordered an iced coffee.

“I saw her at her 6 week checkup and everything looked good. Glad to know that she is picking back up where she left of before the accident”, Dongwan said with sincerity. Minwoo smiled at him and nodded.

“She will start college in the fall, once she picks one that is. She hasn’t decided if she will stay local or move away. Either way, I hope she is happy”, Minwoo said as his drink was set on the table in front of him.

Dongwan took a drink of the glass of fresh pressed juice he’d ordered and fiddled with the straw for a moment before he looked at Minwoo with a serious expression.

“So did you want to know what happened with Eric and I? Why we broke up?”

Minwoo hesitated for a moment, took a sip of his coffee then nodded.

“When we started dating he hadn’t opened the bar yet. We spent all our free time together and then suddenly it was like he was a million miles away all the time. He was either at the bar or out at the local university, scouting students for jobs. I felt like I wasn’t important anymore. I threw myself into my work and before I knew it, we were just two people sharing a house, occasionally a meal. It was a mutual breakup but afterwards it took Eric a long time to act the way he did before we dated. We decided that we were friends first and foremost so now things are great. But one thing I noticed, it’s like he’s afraid to put himself out there. He is cool when it comes to flirting or the occasional date but when it comes to settling down….. it’s like what happened with us haunts him”, Dongwan said sadly.

“So there hasn’t been anyone he has really wanted to be with….commit to since you guys broke up?”, Minwoo asked as he leaned forward a little it his chair.

“Well, he has been keeping himself busier than lately usual. Missing out when the guys all get together for drinks or dinner. Not sure what that’s about. Maybe he’s seeing someone and just hasn’t felt brave enough to tell us yet”,Dongwan said thoughtfully, one finger pressed to his chin.

“R-really?”, Minwoo stuttered and looked down at the ice bobbing in his glass. He used the straw to submerge a few pieces then sighed. Dongwan tapped his chin,”Or he’s just really busy with work, its around the time he starts looking for girls to replace the ones that are graduating.” Minwoo looked up at Dongwan and saw that he had a slight smirk on his handsome face.

“So I’m assuming you haven’t been in touch with him since that night, have you?”, Dongwan said and leaned back in his chair.

“You and Andy are the only ones that I saw more than once and it wasn’t on purpose”, Minwoo said defensively. “Except for today, that is.”

“And if I wanted to date you?”, Dongwan said as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table,”would you have come today?” Minwoo blinked and saw that Dongwan’s lips had started to curl into a smile.

“Nope…. I would have sent Hana. She would love to be sitting here with you right now”, Minwoo said with a laugh. Dongwan’s face went bright red and he snorted in laughter.

“I can’t help it that I’m so attractive to young girls. Hana is just one of a few patients that have crushes on me”, he said with a huge grin.

“You wouldn’t believe how many times she asked how old you are and if you are really gay. When I told her you dated Eric, she didn’t speak to me for a week”, Minwoo said and sipped noisily from his glass of coffee. Dongwan just shook his head and laughed.

“So are you going to talk to him?”,Dongwan said, his tone serious again,”he told me what you said and now that Hana has had time to recover, it’s about time you started to live for yourself again. She’s almost a grown woman.” Minwoo couldn’t deny that the doctor was right but he still shook his head.

“I’m too busy. Not just with Hana but I’ve been working on a project that really means a lot to me”, Minwoo said, unwilling to share what was going on in his life in case he went back and told Eric.

Dongwan rolled his eyes and shook his head,”More excuses….. I guess you are just too stubborn for your own good.”

Minwoo was saved from a further lecture when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He held up one finger to pause Dongwan and pulled it out to answer it.

“Yes, Hana? I’m out for coffee with a friend. I’ll stop and grab something for dinner on my way back”, he responded without giving her a chance to say anything beyond hello.

“Min, I’ve got a job interview later. Can you drop me off? I just found out of I would have said something earlier”, she said happily and loudly. So loudly, in fact, that Dongwan could hear her. The older man smiled and mouthed at Minwoo to tell her he said hi.

“Sure, we can even just go out for dinner after the interview if you want. To celebrate”, Minwoo said and turned in his chair so he wasn’t facing Dongwan.

“But what if I don’t get it”, Hana squealed and Minwoo pulled the phone away from his ear and winced. Dongwan heard this too and chuckled as he scooted forward and snatched the phone away from Minwoo and brought it up to his ear and moving away so Minwoo couldn’t take it back.

“I’m sure you will do just fine. And if it doesn’t work out, I’m sure I could work out a receptionist position at the clinic for you. Outside of class hours, of course”, he said with a grin and widened his eyes when he heard a crash followed by a high pitched yelp.

“Are you okay?”, he shouted into the phone and waited for her to respond.

“Just ran into a street sign. I was out for a walk. What are you doing with my brother, Doctor Kim?”, Hana said breathlessly as she sat down on the curb where she was at, a few blocks from home.

“I forced him to meet me for the cup of coffee he promised me while you were still in the hospital”, Dongwan said with a glance in Minwoo’s direction, Minwoo sat with a pout and one hand out to take his phone back.

“Ahhh that’s where he was going. When he wouldn’t tell me, I figured he was meeting Eric and didn’t want me to know. He really likes him but he’s scared to tell him that”, Hana babbled nervously. She always felt like a silly teen girl when she talked to Dongwan. Which was only at occasional doctors appointments, thankfully. Even though he was way too old for her and gay to boot, she couldn’t get over the little crush she had developed.

Dongwan’s eyebrows went up and smiled at Minwoo,”Oh, it that so? Well, I guess your brother likes his secrets, doesn’t he?” Minwoo lept from his seat and snatched his phone back.

“I’m on my way home. We can talk about your interview when I get there. “ He told her good bye and that he loved her before he hung up and glared at Dongwan.

“What if hadn’t been Hana? I’ve been waiting on an importa