“KIM HYUN JOONG!!!” I wail at the top of my lungs, begging him to come to my aid.

“Wait! I’m busy over here!” he screams back.

Juggling the four months old fraternal twins, Hye Sook and Hye Seung, on both hands, with Kyu Mi tugging at my apron, while she cries over the mischief that Jae Young has played on her – all enough to drive me into my grave prematurely.

“KIM HYUN JOONG! YOU COME OVER THIS MOMENT! OR ELSE….,”

Before I could finish my ranting, Hyun Joong is already inside our living room that adjoins the café. A tray in his hand and similarly donning an apron that bears the name, ‘Haven’s Coffee House’, he looks pitifully exhausted from managing the huge crowd that patronises our small business for the aromatic coffee and delectable food.

“Kyu Mi, Kyu Mi” he coos as he fishes up the little girl in his arms, “What’s wrong, my precious?”

Kyu Mi rubs her tear-stained eyes and points to Jae Young who is already escaping out of the living room, “Brother pulled my hair!” And she cries even louder.

“Ok ok…don’t cry. Daddy will do you justice. Now, just stay here with Mommy quietly, ok?”

He puts the little girl down and is about to head after Jae Young, when Min Jung and Siwan turn up with the struggling menace in their hands.

“I think you are looking for this?” Siwan smiles as he hands over the boy to Hyun Joong.

Before Hyun Joong could claim his prize, the boy has managed to wriggle his way out of both their grasp and ran upstairs. Hyun Joong sighs and gives chase, together with Siwan following suit.

Min Jung chuckles as she hears the commotion made by the three boys upstairs while I could only shake my head at their childishness. I prop the snoozing babies gently in their cot and turn my attention to Min Jung.

“Sorry to get you involved in the family ‘feud’”

“That is very heartwarming,” she giggles gleefully. 

I wave my hand in resignation, “I salute you. Only you can make something like that still looks positive. I’m dogged tired from all the screaming and crying. Moreover,  there is still the business to take care of. By the end of the day, Hyun Joong and I will just collapse on the bed and doze off instantly.”

She rubs her hand on my back to soothe my grievances, “I know it’s tiring, but hang on there. You’ll see the fruits of your labour soon. When the children grow older, they will be independent and may be able to help you with running the coffee house.”

I smile back, acknowledging her kind words, “Please have a seat.” And I pour her some coffee.

“How have it been for you and Siwan?” I inquire.

Min Jung and Siwan have met at our simple wedding five years ago. It was not attraction at first sight, but bound by their common interest in us, they became closer and subsequently started dating. Aware of Min Jung’s love for flower arrangement, Siwan bought her a florist shop and there, both spend the most of their time together as they run a business.  However, due to Siwan’s need to travel frequently and Min Jung’s airsickness, they are unable to spend substantial time together as a couple.  Fortunately though, both are equally devoted to each other, as they have been when they were with us. I guess this character of theirs would have been our greatest regret for forsaking them, if not for the greater pure love that Hyun Joong and I have for each other.

“Siwan promised to bring me to Tokyo this April to watch the sakura blooms,” she smiles sweetly but frowns on remembering the journey she has to get through in order to reach there. “I really do not want to disappoint him this time.”

I pat her hand reassuringly, “I have a solution for you.” I walk towards the kitchen and reappears in front of her with a bottle in my hands.

“Here,” I shove the bottle into her hands, “This should help you to sleep when you pop one in.”

“What’s this?”

“It’s melatonin. It’s a supplement. I took them when I have difficulty sleeping before I was pregnant with the twins. The expiry date is next year,” I explain quickly, hoping that she would accept this remedy that I suggest although I know she is not a big fan of injecting chemicals into her body.

She looks at the item in her hand suspiciously and ponders for a while. Tightening her grasp on the bottle, she raises her eyes to meet mine. She mouths a ‘thank you’, with gratitude evident in her voice. I am glad that she accepts my offer and also envious of Siwan for finding such a wonderful woman who is willing to bend her principles to spend every little time with him.

We heard shrills approaching us from above.

“Look who we have here.” Siwan proudly announces while carrying a giggly Jae Young in his arms and Hyun Joong with a now laughing Kyu Mi in his.

So, the men have managed to settle the rivalry between the squabbling siblings, huh?

Hyun Joong decides to close the coffee house early that day so that we could spend the rest of our evening with our guests. He whips up a mouth watering western meal with what is left from today’s perishable ingredients for our business and the adults and the children have a great time over the good food.

That night, after the guests have left, the children have slept and Hyun Joong is having his late night shower, I lie in bed thinking about Siwan and Min Jung. I will be lying if I don’t feel jealous of the life Min Jung is leading now. Her life could have been mine if I had not left the altar then. And here I am, slogging my days and nights away with a coffee house that bustles with people and four children who never seems to give me a peace of mind. And I hate to admit that I do not like the me who is always screaming after the kids and complaining to my husband about how unbearable work is. I’m starting to think if I have made a wrong choice now.

“What’s bothering you, dear?”

Startled by his interruption on my deep thoughts, I could only afford to whisper ‘Nothing’. I know that the ‘Nothing’ hits a chord in his senses for he immediately place his body next to mine and pulls me into a tight hug. I could smell the fragrance of lavender on his body and that sort of calms my anguish.

As if reading my thoughts, he coos, “I’m sorry, dear. I know it has been hard on you all this while. I wish I could give you a better life than this. It pains me to see you suffering with me. Did you regret marrying me?”

Suddenly conscious that I am behaving childishly again, I turn quickly to face him, “No, I am ok. Don’t feel bad.”

He smiles upon hearing the assurance in my voice and then jerks up to retrieve something from our bedside table. “Look what I’ve got!” He exclaimed excitedly.

I take a closer look and make out that he is holding two adult and two child coach tickets to Jinhae. It seems like he has planned for a family trip there.

“We are going to close the coffee house business for four days,” he adds.

“But closing for a few days means we are a few days profit less. What are we going there for?”

“We are going to the cherry blossom festival,” he explains. “I don’t have the money to bring you to Japan to watch sakura, but I could afford to bring you to Jinhae.”

He gathers me into his strong arms again, “I know what I could give you is a far cry from what Siwan can give to Min Jung. But trust me and I’m working hard towards giving you and the children a good life.”

I realize the truth in his words. Ever since we got married, he has worked tirelessly on getting the coffee house running; creating and innovating new menus, distributing flyers manually every day and hand making all the tables and chairs for the business from scratch. I could only support him in the marketing but for the rest of the grueling job, he took it upon himself to making them work. He is the first one to be up and cooking before dawn breaks, and the last to ensure that the place is sparkling clean to receive customers the next day. And I know without doubt that he is not doing this all for himself.

“Hyun Joong, don’t drive yourself too hard. It pains me too to see you overwork.”        

He sighs with exhilaration and holds me even closer, “When I was little, I thought I was all alone in this world. But your arrival at the orphanage changed my life. I started to live with a purpose then and you are still the reason I want to live on now.” He stops to glance at the children conjuring an orchestra with their snores. “And of course, the children too.”

“Why so sentimental all of a sudden, Hyun Joong?”

“I don’t know....With you and the children, I suddenly feel like the luckiest man alive and so complete now.” He looks at me intently and continues passionately, “I could not give you a comfortable life but I'm blessed to have you believing in me.

So Min, thank you for standing by me through the ups and downs. I love you, my dear wife, and I forever will.”

Hearing those words from him, I know that I have no regrets.

Reality bites and is painful, but is through the absence of some things that we consider are ‘good’, that we learn to be contented with what we already have.

I may not have servants to wait on me….

I may have to work day and night to keep our livelihood together till my hands are wrinkled…

But I treasure the fruits of my labour even more because I know they are hard to come by.

I may not have married the man of my dreams…

But I have married the man who teaches me to love and appreciate every little thing in life.

I may not have chosen a bed of roses…

But this is the life that I want to live out more than anything else.

“I love you, Hyun Joong. I should be thanking you for there’s nowhere else on earth that I would want to be.”

Landing a kiss on his lips and resting my head near his heart that pumps life into him and now for me and our children, I muttered, “No where but here with you.”

 ******************************************************************************************

Bowwow

I just wrote this because I want to give Min Jung and Siwan a closure, and to bring in the element that 'happily ever after' may not exist in reality, but it is in reality that real love survives. And real love may not be all time 'passionate' and 'high on emotions'. That is why goes the saying 'absence that makes the heart grow fonder.'

Anyway, this chapter exists partly due to boredom and also because I have no inspiration on River of No Return. This is really 'The End', haha, a very boring end. 

zie, ghie29, Serene, lissie, bsjlover, michily, 160Mhel, Shain44, Adriana, thanks for leaving your comments on the last chapter. When I have time, I will write to you personally.

Xq, Pd - hope you both like this story too.

Bowwow signing off for real for Home...is where the heart is.

Please support RONR too! =o)