The minute they entered the room, they noticed a young woman being attended to behind a curtain. The nurses soon closed it, allowing no one to see what was really going on. All that they heard was a rapid heart monitor, screaming in the room. Jong-In was hunched over another bed, his face full of relief and his shoulders slumped.

Moving toward him to place her hand on his shoulder, she then saw the older woman lying in bed. She wasn’t the regular white-haired, wrinkly old lady. Actually, she looked a lot younger than expected. Her hair was dark and tied up into a messy bun, her skin only showing a few wrinkles around and eyes… It was like she was only in her late forties. The minute the two female gazes met was when Hyeomin could guess Jong-In’s grandmother’s age. She was indeed old, yet healthy. Her eyes were slightly fogged over but dark enough to show that pigment loss hadn’t set in.

Had she been in a ? Perhaps that might have affected her eyes. “Jong-In? Who is this lovely young lady?” She didn’t seem bothered by his rushed face. She seemed more curious than anything, probably much like Young-ae The warm smile that appeared on her lips seemed to silence the very room, ignoring the incident right next to them.

Hyeomin didn’t forget, though. It wasn’t every day you see a crash cart wheeled in and a matter of life and death appear. But her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the old woman. “Oh, don’t pay them any mind. She goes into these ‘episodes’ at least twice a week.” Hyeomin looked to her, only to see the rolling of eyes and a warm smile. She wasn’t the type to wish someone well for nothing nor was she the type to baby someone.

“Jong-In ! Stand up and be polite. I’m fine, alright?” She shook her head in exasperation before pulling the boy’s hand to bring him closer. Her strength was very little, though, and the only way Jong-In made it over was by following her pull’s direction. He stood and looked only at his grandmother. “This is Hyeomin. She’s my fiancée.”

“You don’t say.” She ignored the expressions that Jong-In seemed to be fighting and merely smiled at Hyeomin. It threw the young woman off guard and she could only smile back. “Hi. Jong-Inl has told me a lot about you.”

“Oh, good things I hope.” Jong-In’s grandmother laughed at her own remark, but the laugh soon erupted into a fit of coughs. The way that her body strained for the cough showed how weak she was physically. It was saddening just to see. But the minute she finished, the older woman acted as if nothing happened and continued the conversation. “He hasn’t told me a thing about you, dear. Are you a classmate of his?”

Hyeomin nodded and offered a warm smile, realizing that the commotion had died down behind her. The nurses and doctor walked away with a look of relief on their faces, making her conversation partner smile a sort of an “I-told-you-so” smile. Was she really related to Jong-In ? She was so fun and sweet, nothing like her grandson.

“You look like such a sweet girl. I’ve always hoped Jong-In would find a woman that would take care of him, to see how much of a wonderful young man he was. I’m so glad I’m able to see it. For a minute there, I thought he would settle down long after I was gone.” She chuckled lightly, not hard enough to cause a coughing fit like the last time.

Jong-In smiled then at Hyeomin and she saw that warmth she had the day she agreed to this. It threw her off guard and she felt heat envelop her cheeks.  She turned away to hide it, only making the old woman laugh again. Coughs started up like before and all Jong-In could do was hold her hand until it passed. It must have been a horrible thing to feel, being useless when someone was suffering.

The coughs passed again and she continued like normal once more. “You are so cute. I can tell you two are still very much in love still. Look at the way she blushes like a school girl.” Jong-In’s eyes really went to Hyeomin then. A slight hint of confusion was there but was quickly covered up with another smile and chuckle of his own. “When we met, I used to think it too innocent. But now, I find it adorable.”

His grandmother nodded with a proud smile, her free hand beckoning for Hyeomin to come closer. The girl complied and moved closer to the bed. She was shocked when their hands were forced together. Unlike the way he pulled her around, she felt the warmth from his hand now. It was comforting and made heat flood her cheeks. Her chest seemed to tighten slightly and she wondered just what it was.

The minute she looked at Jong-In to see what he thought, she saw his cheeks to be tinted red as well. “Grandmother,” he said with a look of embarrassment.

“What?! Can’t I see how you two look holding hands?” She smiled at them both, her old eyes seeming pleased by how the two looked. It was almost like she was painting a picture in her head of the two. This really was making her day wasn’t it?

----------------------------

Hours passed and the two found themselves more at ease once they got to know the grandmother. She was wise, playful, and very kind. She even told Hyeomin of the few times she went snowboarding and skydiving. The woman was someone who lived in the moment, took everything she could. It was so sad that those moments couldn’t have given her more time.

She understood now why it was so painful for Jong-In. She had grown close to the older woman in only a few hours and she wished to have more. She wanted to hear more stories, to learn things from her, or to just goof off and watch television. She was sure that if given the amount of time, she would have grown close enough to truly call her family.

They left after exchanging hugs, wishing her well and hoping for time to visit again. Jong-In gave her a kiss on the forehead before wrapping an arm around Hyeomin.

“Don’t you let her go, Jong-In ah!” she yelled at the boy before they left, making the two chuckle.

They arrived in the elevator shortly after and the guilt of lying to such a wonderful woman sank in. She deserved a real granddaughter-in-law, no some fake who would probably never show up again.

“Jong-In?” She looked up at him, not noticing that his arm was still wrapped protectively around her. He met her gaze to acknowledge her but didn’t answer. Were words too hard for him at the moment? Or did he not want to speak to her? “Your grandmother is a wonderful woman. Are you sure this is right?”

Jong-In shook his head almost immediately before looking back at the digital number above the door. Was he ready to end their agreement so early?

“Thanks again, Hyeomin. I didn’t think I’d ever see her light up like that again. Even if it wasn’t true, I’m glad I could make her happy one last time.” His face was serious and she knew that he was feeling stressed. When his grip tightened on her shoulder, almost in a needy way, she leaned her head into his shoulder. Her vision grew blurry and she felt herself hurting over the loss of such a great woman.

Life wasn’t fair.

The doors opened once they hit the ground floor. They walked swiftly toward Jong-In’s motorcycle and set off wordlessly. It was the most painful lie she had ever committed and she didn’t know if she ever wanted to lie again. Gripping his torso tight and leaning her head on his back, she tried to make it go away for the majority of the ride home.

Just outside of Goyang, Jong-In stopped for gas. It was a time for rest and a great way to let her clear her head. Holding onto Jong-In was great for forgetting things, oddly, but she still needed a breather. While he left to pay the cashier, she saw him pick up his cell phone. His facial expression was that of shock and Hyeomin felt herself grow increasingly worried. Had something happened? He only looked shocked when it pertained to that.

He finally came out and let out a heavy sigh as he gassed his bike up. She wanted to ask but wasn’t sure how to. That didn’t have to do with her anymore. It wasn’t her place to ask. Just as the handle clicked to signal it was done, Jong-In looked at her seriously. It almost frightened her how serious it had grown.

“I know you’re going to hate me but my parents dropped in town to stay with me. If they find out we’re not living together, they might suspect.” He turned away to take the gas pump out of the bike, leaving her speechless. “I know I’ve asked so much already but I can’t let them know. If they know, my-“

Hyeomin covered his mouth, letting him know that she got the point. She knew what would happen if they knew, especially that mother of his. Things would get troublesome for them and his grandmother. Perhaps the shock alone would hurt her.

Thinking of the sweet woman, she nodded. She couldn’t think of how hurt she would be if such a lie got out. “But you owe me one,” Hyeomin stated, more serious than she had intended. But Jong-In took it and nodded, starting to name off things he needed to buy and that she needed to bring her clothes and hygiene items from the dorm to his place.

Could she live with him? He was usually so hard-headed and arrogant. But after seeing how hard this was affecting him and how much this older woman deserved this, she found herself saying yes to the craziest things. Why? She was in college and had no time to worry about this sort of thing, right?

“Yah, Jong-In? Is your place clean?” She asked him something serious. She always kept her place looking nice. If his wasn’t, she might have a conniption when she entered.

“Ummm… What do you mean by clean,” he asked before putting his helmet on and starting the motorcycle.

Seriously? “Luck be with me.”