There was a season for everything; a season for recovery, a season for departure, and a season for loving. At the Jang residence, it seemed multiple seasons invaded all at once like a mighty storm. Everyone recovered from the numbing fever, but to two particular individuals, the fever came in the form of overwhelming emotions.   The most common acts were viewed through a new perspective and triggered a different resurgence. As Hyunmi sat at the dining table with a fountain pen kneaded between her fingers, she found herself unable to craft a letter for Rika. This disturbance was courtesy of Woohyun’s awestruck staring.   “Would it be possible for you to look elsewhere?” She asked him.   Woohyun sat at the corner of the dining table, leaning the side of his head against his hand. His eyes penetrated his most focused and loving gaze right into her soul. For the past few minutes, he remained in silent solitude, smiling to himself with contentment.   “You ask for the impossible, my love. Why should my eyes reek elsewhere when the person of beauty and splendor is seated in front of me?”   Hyunmi fought the urge to mirror the tilt of his curved lips, resisting from melting at his words. She had always thought of him as beguiling, but only after the confession, had she learned of his bolder side. The man could barely survive a minute without elevating her self worth.   “It is nearly impossible to concentrate when you regard me in such a manner,” she found the resolve to defend herself.   “Hm? What manner do you speak of?”   Hyunmi bit her lower lip and quickly returned her eyes towards her half written letter. “The manner which deludes an idea of you wanting to kiss me,” she mumbled under her breath, feeling her cheeks redden at the thought alone.   “Ah, and here I was, thinking you would not have noticed my intention. I very much would like to do so, Hyunmi. Would you allow me?” He grinned impishly, enjoying her coy reactions.   “No.”   Woohyun defied her reply and drew his chair against hers. He leaned his body forward, smiled when the floral fragrance entered his olfactory sense, and stopped mere inches in front of her lips.   “As your lover, I presume I no longer have the need for your permission to do as I please,” he whispered, the soft air tickling her lips.   Hyunmi drew in her breath, her heart racing at the impact of his words, triggering the memories of their kiss. She tried to keep her eyes on his, but failed to do so when they trailed toward his lips instead. Would they feel as warm as they had the first time? She wished to entertain herself with answers, and fluttered her eyes shut in anticipation.   His strong hand touched the side of her cheek, tilting her face closer toward himself as he leaned in closer. A beautiful reenactment of their first kiss would’ve happened if a sudden coughing hadn’t erupted. The two halted, looking sideways to find their fellow residents staring back with wide, conspicuous grins.   It turned out that Sungjong wasn’t one to keep secrets to himself and announced his discovery to the others before his departure. Therefore, the entire house anticipated to witness the affection for themselves.   “Jineul, you owe me and Daeyeol a farthing,” Jangjun said, holding his hand out to the girl.   “I owe you nothing! They didn’t kiss,” Jineul insisted, slapping his hand away.   “Only because you interrupted it,” Jangjun argued.   “What’s this? Did you wager on me and Hyunmi kissing?” Woohyun asked, staring at them with disbelief.   “Yes,” they answered, unashamed.   “That is ridiculous!” Hyunmi shouted out of embarrassment. “I did not raise you to start gambling on the basis of other people’s private lives. We refuse to entertain such—”   Woohyun turned to place a chaste peck on her cheek. “Jineul, you owe the boys a farthing.”   The girl groaned with obvious displease, and retrieved two bronze coins from her pocket. “I detest you, Mr. Nam.”   “I shan’t have a problem with it as long as your beloved mother adores me,” Woohyun sang.   Hyunmi narrowed her eyes. His amicable quality was as charming as it was the cause of her vexation all at once. In the manner she wished to rebuke and scold him, she also wished to kiss him.   “This is wonderful!” Donghyun suddenly chimed, running to place his tiny arms around them, one on Hyunmi and the other on Woohyun. “You may now get married, and I shall have a brother or a sister!”   His innocent wish prevented a logical response from being spoken out loud. Clearly, the little boy had limited knowledge regarding a relationship, and had only been taught of the ideal family.   “Nay! I won’t allow it. Isn’t it enough to stab a proverbial sword through my fragile heart? Now you speak of marriage?” Youngtaek lamented, dramatically placing his hand over his head. “Hyunmi loathes marriages. She won’t agree to such union with…” He looked at Woohyun, stopping himself from cussing at the man who had saved his life during the stormy night. “With Mr. Nam.”   “None of you are sybils. I wish to live in the present. There are greater catastrophic issues at hand today whereas calamity will have its portion again on the morrow,” Hyunmi said, returning to the letter.   “Issue?” Dongwoo asked, taking a seat next to her.   Soon enough, the others occupied the empty seats at the table. Sungyoon distributed a slice of bread for everyone, passing out the infinite supply of jam Woohyun had purchased before.   “The house,” Hyunmi answered her brother, glancing sideways to watch Woohyun take Donghyun on his lap. Then he aided the little boy, giving verbal instructions to smear his bread with jam, even complimenting him for his smallest accomplishments. The sight melted the loathing from her heart in a manner which conflicted her emotions.   Considering their new relationship, had he changed his intention of obtaining the house? Perhaps. However, Sunggyu and Sungyeol would not easily forget their pursuit—especially Sungyeol who now owned a secret of her crime. No one knew about Daeyeol’s true origin but the thief who robbed the child from his parents herself.   Her clouded thoughts were interrupted as Dongwoo grabbed her fingers, giving her a light squeeze of reassurance. “Everything fine,” he said.   She forced a smile, wishing to possess the same optimism her brother courageously wore as his armor. Perhaps she could draw strength from his exuberant energy, and allow his unshakable faith to reign over her fears instead.   “Mayhap we could go for a walk. We haven’t visited the market for quite a while,” Woohyun spoke near her ears, drawing a hand against her lower back to cause a small flinch. Her reactions always made him chuckle, despite their shared kiss, every touch reignited the reminiscence of their first time.   “Let me finish crafting my epistle,” she said, adding another paragraph before signing it off using her signature. She perused the entire letter and nodded approvingly to herself. All the while, she was aware of Woohyun’s gaze on her.   “Why do you stare at me in that manner again?”   “Because you are undoubtedly a treasure worth the afflictions I faced and will face; I do not wish to waste precious seconds looking at anyone but you.”   Apparently, Woohyun chose not to filter his words nor volume in front of an audience. The very same words that made Hyunmi melt caused Jangjun and Daeyeol to choke on their own saliva, triggered Youngtaek and Jineul to nearly slap him, and drew the rest into a fit of laughter.   “I am utterly disgusted,” Jineul mumbled, shoving her plate away. “I have lost my appetite.”   Her loathing was an opportunity for Joochan stretch his arm towards her half eaten slice of bread, and placed it on his own plate. An innocent expression accompanied his act of breakfast theft. In many ways, the melancholic boy bore many hidden sides to him.   As chaos ensued soon afterwards, Dongwoo laughed along. He observed everyone’s expression, extracting the core of their joy that stemmed off of Woohyun, his presence, and his words. Dongwoo was a good judge of character, recognizing Woohyun as a man of good character ever since their first meeting at the market.   If there was anyone he could trust his little sister with, it would be with him.   ***   Having the entire household make a tour towards the market was an occasion as rare as snow falling during the warmth of July. As Woohyun and Hyunmi led the way upfront—their hands intimately entwined together—the perfect mirage of a warm household emerged to the onlookers.   “My mansion is down this road,” Woohyun suddenly retorted, pointing toward a distant pathway that seemed to lead toward the upper hill. It was concealed by trimmed bushes and elite statues, blockading their vision from the road he spoke of. The low ranked citizens knew not to trespass this elite part of town and have never spared the place a second look..   “Are we going to see your mansion, father?” Donghyun asked eagerly, jumping up and down in excitement.   “I have no objection against it,” Woohyun spoke, eyeing Hyunmi who had the authority to make a universal decision for the orphans.   “Perhaps some other time. We are not dressed for such a proper occasion,” Hyunmi answered, declining