POHANG

“I Seul-ah, no, please put it down,” Hye Min slowly approaches I Seul, who’s hugging a vase with his chubby hands. “It costs more than my salary.” She fears that the Arabian vase will fall and break into pieces.

“Buy me a new toy, Noona.” I Seul shakes his head aggressively.

“I want to, but Eomma said no, remember? Do you want her to be sad?”

I Seul makes a pouty face, before lets go of the vase slowly on the floor.

Hye Min sighs in relief, she carefully takes the vase and sets it back onto the display area. She makes a mental note to place it higher later, so I Seul won’t be able to take it anymore.

“Why can’t I have a new toy, Noona?”

“Because you already have so many.” Hye Min shuffles his soft hair. “Like these robots.”

“But they are not cool anymore, Noona.” I Seul looks down sadly.

“How come?” Hye Min takes the robots and make them crash each other. “You can make them fight like this.”

I Seul looks up with big eyes. “Play with me, Noona!”

“Okay.” Hye Min excitedly plays with I Seul, before she hears someone’s calling her name. “I’ve gotta go, I Seul-ah.”

“Bu- but, Noona…”

“Aegi-yah.”

“Eomma!” I Seul all of a sudden forgets that he’s playing because his Eomma has returned. “Eomma, I’m playing with Hye Min Noona.”

“Really? Let’s play at home, I Seul-ah. You can play with So Min Noona.”

“Are we going home now?”

As usual, Hong Da will leave first, exactly at 6.30. Then, Hye Min will leave fifteen to twenty minutes later. They never forget to high five with I Seul before they go home. At almost 7.30, after cleaning and taking notes of everything, Ji Hyo gets ready to go home. I Seul is already falling asleep on the couch, tired from all the playing. Ji Hyo picks him up, gathers her things, and locks the door.

While walking to the bus stop, she stares at her sleeping son in her arms. If I Seul is sleeping now, he will wake up in the middle of the night grumpily, just like his father. Ji Hyo stops walking immediately. No, she can’t keep having these thoughts. She can’t keep comparing her son with her ex-husband. But it’s too difficult for her. I Seul looks more like his father, with smaller eyes and darker complexion. His eyes look so much like his father that Ji Hyo gets lost in those eyes sometimes. It’s been four years, Ji Hyo-yah, it shouldn’t haunt you anymore. Move on.

“Seong Im-ah!” A baritone voice calls her name.

Startled, Ji Hyo almost loses her grip on I Seul, before immediately tightening it. Turning her head, she notices Dong Wook smiles in his car.

“Mian, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Dong Wook greets sheepishly.

Ji Hyo raises her eyebrow.

Without having to say the word, Dong Wook understands the demeanor. “Get in. I’m on the way to your home anyway.”

“Wae?”

“You invited me to dinner tonight, remember?” Dong Wook chuckles. She really can be blank sometimes.

“Right, right.” Ji Hyo smiles. “Sorry, I forgot to tell So Min that you’re joining us tonight, I’ll call her now.”

“Gwaenchana, just get in first, please. I’m kinda getting in the way of other cars.”

Ji Hyo sits in the front seat after she lays I Seul in the back seat. Then, she calls So Min to tell her that Dong Wook’s joining tonight, which thankfully, So Min knows and already prepares for it. How does she know, Ji Hyo doesn’t know and doesn’t really care. So Min and her two helpers really gossip too much.

“A tiring day today?” Dong Wook points at the sleeping boy with his thumb.

“Yeah, he played non-stop.” Ji Hyo chuckles.

“Has he eaten anything?”

Ji Hyo nods her head. “I bought him a tonkatsu Kimbap.”

Dong Wook hums in response. They both are enjoying the silence, only accompanied by quiet songs from the radio.

Ji Hyo thinks about how great of a father Dong Wook will be someday. But not for her son, he’s too good to be a back-up father and Ji Hyo will not let him go through that experience.

“How is So Min doing?” Again, Dong Wook opens up a conversation.

“She’s great.”

“Has she met a guy yet? I haven’t been able to catch up with her.”

Ji Hyo laughs quietly. “Not really, no. She has been busy taking care of other people that she doesn’t really take care of herself.”

“Do you think I should introduce her to someone?”

“Why? Do you have someone in your mind?” Ji Hyo asks, intrigued.

“Kind of.” Dong Wook shrugs. “I shouldn’t, should I?”

Ji Hyo slaps his arm playfully. “Stop messing around. Please do, if you know someone as quirky as So Min.”

“Okay then. I’ll talk to him tomorrow at work.”

“He’s working at the hospital too?” Ji Hyo gasps. “Is he a doctor? What’s his name? So Min always has this thing for doctors.”

Dong Wook laughs. “Wow, I think you’re the excited one here.”

“I just want her to meet someone and stop worrying about me.”

Dong Wook smiles, glancing at her. “His name is Yang Se Chan. He used to be friends with Seong Hee. Do you remember her?”

“Of course, your dongsaeng. How is she?” Seong Hee used to be her loyal customer and would visit her from time to time. She was also the one who introduced her Oppa to Ji Hyo.

“She’s good, she’s going back to Seoul tomor