Seohyun couldn‘t get Luhan out of her mind. She desperately tried to forget him but he haunted her thoughts. When she looked at the cookies that the orphans were eating, she recalled his comments regarding her figure. When she saw Mr. and Mrs. Shim talk to YoungJae and JoonHong, she recalled how he asked her if any part of her wanted a husband and children. The truth was that she did, but she wanted to be the one who chose her husband. She didn‘t want someone else to make that decision for her. What was wrong about wanting to make her own choices? Then she saw a male brunette who walked by the orphanage in a dark blue suit that looked like Luhan from behind. For a moment, she wondered if he came by to see her, but when the man looked over his shoulder, it wasn‘t Luhan after all. And she was shocked by her disappointment. She shook her head. She would not give that man, who insisted on being her husband, another thought. Unfortunately, others were not willing to let her forget him.

When she sat by Yuri and Heran, Yuri asked her how things were going with Luhan.

“They are bearable,” she reluctantly admitted.

“Bearable?” Heran examined her from across the table. “Your face got redder than a tomato when she said his name.”

“It‘s hot. I‘m burning up. You know how the August air affects me.”

Heran grinned. “I agree you‘re burning up, but it‘s not from the temperature.”

Seohyun rolled her eyes and ignored the woman. She hopped out of her chair and helped a little girl wash her hands.

Things were a lot easier when she had it in her mind that he was boring and she dreaded the very thought of being near him. She didn‘t want to recall how much she enjoyed his kisses or the way he touched her. Then he opted to have Kyungsoo make one of his pizzas because he heard that she was interested in trying the chef‘s recipes, and to top it all off, he gave her spending money. The fact that he was taking note of her wishes and looking for ways to please her greatly annoyed her. How was she supposed to keep her focus on getting out of the marriage if he insisted on treating her so well?

When she returned to the table, Mrs. Bae walked over to them. “I want to thank you for making the cookies,” she told Seohyun. “You had a wonderful idea to add nuts to them. Chocolate chip nut cookies. Who would have thought of it?

“Oh, I can‘t take credit for that,” Seohyun replied. “It was Kyungsoo‘s idea. He recommended it while we were mixing the second batch of cookie dough.”

“Who‘s Kyungsoo?” Heran asked.

“He‘s one of Luhan‘s chefs. He just started working there, and he wants to open a pizza restaurant someday. He‘s actually very good. I had a breakfast pizza this morning,” she answered.

“What is in a breakfast pizza?” Mrs. Bae wondered.

“Eggs, bacon, and ham. It actually tasted good.”

“How intriguing. Will he make any of his pizzas at one of Mr. Xi‘s dinner parties?”

She shrugged. “I don‘t know. Kris is the head chef.”

“Tell Kyungsoo that his idea was a big hit.”

“He‘ll be pleased you said that.”

Mrs. Bae nodded and left.

“Wasn‘t Kyungsoo the chef would messed up the pies at your engagement party?” Yuri wondered.

“Yes but he was nervous with Kris watching everything he was doing. When Kris isn‘t around, he doesn‘t goof up like he did last Thursday,” Seohyun said. “He‘s actually a fun person to be around.”

“Where does Mr. Xi fit into that?” Yuri looked concerned.

“I know what you‘re asking. No, I do not have a romantic interest in Kyungsoo.”

A thought flashed through Seohyun‘s mind. Kyungsoo was a good man who would make a good husband. She studied her friend who was adjustinng the lace on her sleeve. Yuri would probably get along wonderfully with Kyungsoo.

“Yuri,” Seohyun slowly began, “when are the costumes for the play going to be ready?”

Yuri looked startled by the question. Even Heran raised an eyebrow.

“I want to see what you‘ll be wearing,” Seohyun quickly explained. It was a little white lie but she had a plan and didn‘t want Yuri‘s or Kyungsoo‘s financial status to interfere with it.

“I think they‘ll be ready on Thursday,” her friend said.

“Good! Can you come to my house this Thursday around two in the afternoon with one of those dresses on? I might be able to make the necessary alterations there.” She knew that Kyungsoo planned to try another new recipe at two on that day, so he would be in the kitchen.

Seohyun could do light alterations, but she couldn‘t sew a dress. Yuri enjoyed acting in the theater. There wasn‘t a lot of money to be made in being an actress in the town theater, but she

had fun with it and her father had more than enough money so she didn‘t have to depend on her acting job to support herself.

Mrs. Son, who owned the orphanage, walked over to their table. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Cho, Miss Kwon, and Mrs. Xi.”

Seohyun still felt strange whenever people referred to her as Mrs. Xi. She didn‘t exactly hate being called that. She just wasn‘t used to it. There was that initial moment when she thought the person was talking to someone else.

“Who is that sweet angel?” Heran asked, nodding to the sleeping boy in Mrs. Son‘s arms. “I don‘t recall seeing him before.”

“All I know about him is that his name is Kyungsan and he‘s one. Someone knocked on the door of the orphanage and left him on the doorstep with a note tied around his neck. He was asleep when I opened the door. I assume whoever dropped him off waited to see if I took him in. The doctor came to look at him and he‘s healthy. He certainly is a mystery.”

“He‘s a cute little boy,” the old woman acknowledged.

Kyungsan had light brown hair and a fair complexion. He was snuggled in Mrs. Son‘s arms and had his blue blanket close to him.

“So you don‘t know anything else about him or his parents?” Seohyun asked.

“No, I don‘t. He‘s been well cared for. Someone obviously loved him.”

“I wonder why his guardian let him go,” Heran sadly commented. “I bet the person didn‘t want to do it.”

“Sometimes people are forced into giving up their children,” Mrs. Son admitted. “I‘m just glad Kyungsan‘s parents chose to bring him here where he has a chance of being adopted. Kyungsan has been withdrawn and spends most of his time his thumb with his favorite blanket. The staff and I give him lots of affection. Children at this young age thrive better when held often.”

“I‘d take him in a heartbeat if I didn‘t live in a nursing home,” Heran said.

“I want to take in every child that shows up here, but I already have my hands full with twelve children. Sometimes it‘s difficult to see these children without parents to care for them, but this orphanage is much better than the cases I‘ve heard where some are abused or left to go hungry on the streets. At least here, they are taken care of.”

“When did he come here?” Seohyun wondered.

“On Wednesday.”

“He must miss the person who left him here.”

“They all do for awhile. He is young enough that he will eventually forget that person.”

“Can I hold him for awhile?”

Mrs. Son nodded and gently placed the child in Seohyun‘s lap. Kyungsan stirred but didn‘t wake. He clutched his blanket to his chest. She put her arms around him and smiled. It felt good to hold him.

“Someday, you might hold your own little one,” Heran commented.

Seohyun resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Once again, she was reminded of Luhan. Would he continue to plague her thoughts?

Later that day when she arrived at her new home, she was greeted with a bouquet of yellow tulips in a crystal vase. Attached to the bouquet was a card from Luhan that told her the color yellow symbolized friendship, which was the foundation for their marriage.

“Mr. Xi is taken with you,” Kyungsoo commented when she brought them to the kitchen to put more water in the vase.

“Taken? He‘s in love,” Sulli remarked. “He never thought of flowers before. It‘s always been investments and clients.”

“I knew that was all he talked about,” Seohyun said, satisfied that she had understood that much about him.

“It certainly isn‘t all he‘s talking about anymore,” he stated. “The only time I think of something other than food is when I‘m in love.”

“I take it then that you aren‘t in love at the moment,” Seohyun asked, hopeful.

“No, Mrs. Xi. I am not.”

Perfect! Her plan to fix him up with Yuri just might work. She examined the kitchen. It didn‘t seem to be the right place for the flowers. “I suppose I should put these in the parlor with the couches and chairs. That room is more comfortable than the one with the long oval table.”

“Mr. Xi uses the parlor with the table for his business dinner parties,” the maid informed her. “The other parlor is intended for you when you wish to entertain. You may decorate it however you wish.”

“What did it look like before?” she wondered.

“It had a desk and lots of books. The books he reads are business books. He‘s not a fiction reader.”

And my brother and father wondered why I thought he was dull. She couldn‘t imagine enjoying a business book. She wondered if they did have anything in common, besides a mutual physical attraction for each other. She had given up on convincing herself that she wasn‘t attracted to him. He was too good looking for her not to enjoy looking at, and his kisses and touches made her light-headed. She shook her head. There had to be more to a marriage than physical attraction.

She set the flowers in her favored parlor. She hadn‘t realized that this was her special room. She already thought of several things she wanted to do to make the place look more appealing to her. It had clearly been a bachelor‘s room before. She fancied the image of scenic paintings. She loved the beach, so a couple of paintings of the ocean waves roaring along the sand would go very well with the blue furniture. A painting or two of mountains covered in snow would go well with the white furniture. She glanced at the crystal vase. It would be nice to start a collection of crystal figurines. She loved crystal. A display case for those figurines would look nice in the corner of the room. T