Author's Pre-notes
- Centered/Italicised words are memories/flashbacks 
 

It’s hard when you’re made to look like a hero, it’s probably better off you be a villain because then even if you screw up at least everyone expected it.

“Let’s make a bet”

“A bet?”

“If you score lower than me you get to have a drink with me”

“And if I win?”

“You get to have three drinks with me”

The old lady doesn’t remember him, probably, but Minhyuk’s been here before. He’s been here a thousand times - as a matter of fact he used to be a regular. “One soju and milkis please” he orders

She smiles at him, as if recognising him, but she probably doesn’t. He’s been gone for 6 years “You know you remind me of someone” she hands him his order

“Really?”

“But you can’t be” she squints “His family moved away years ago”

“Who was it?”

“He was a boy from this neighbourhood – very sweet” she shuffles towards the kitchen “What was her name again?”

“Something very western – something very strange - Alice? – What was her Korean name again? Joo-yeon? Joo-hyun? Joo-hee!” comes another voice reply from the kitchen

“Oh yeah, he was always with her – but she moved away too”

“Nice kids they were” he’s pretty sure it’s a man’s voice

“They were- I miss them…” her voice drifts off as she falls into a reverie leaving Minkyuk to stare at the droplets of water rolling down the glass bottle.

“Drink up Lee Minhyuk”

“This was an unfair bet”

“You were the one that made it”

“No, Mr. Cho just favours you more”

“No- Maybe it would’ve been wise to not rip an essay off the internet that was written by your lecturer”

“…That too- Well I can’t drink this alone”

“Get some Milkis to chase it down”

“That’s a very weird combination”

“You think that now”

“But you look so much like him” she shuffles closer that her eyes were beginning to appear crossed.

“It’s been a long time ahjumma”

“Husband! It is him” she calls out and the owner of the voice steps out from the kitchen. He wipes his hand on his dirty apron and shakes Minhyuk’s hand with one of those masculine, manly handshakes that causes his entire body to shake and the bones in his hands to crack. 

“You rascal” he smiles, still astonished “How have you been?”

“Good”

“How are your parents? How is Alice?”

“I’m changing my name, seriously”

“That’s seriously, such a stupid name”

“It’s creative”

“It’s only creative because you live in Korea – where everyone is a Mr. or Mrs. Kim Jooyeon-hee-hyun”

“Yes – but…”

“You’re really weird”

“In your world, but in mine I’m Katherine Hepburn”

“Cause we all know how composed she was…”

“She’s well.”

He figured that he really had to right to make that call. Joohee by physical appearance did in fact look well, but he had already figured out that between trying to find a cure for terminal leukaemia for her daughter, and being a single mother, that she was probably mentally stretched out for as far as she could go.

“You two still trying to find miracles all over the world?”

Minhyuk stares at her bewildered “The fountain of youth, the cure for cancer and the secret to making a million dollars…” she recalls each and every one of their ambitious proclamations.

They were so foolish when they were younger, and maybe if the events that followed after hadn’t turned out the way they did, their lives might’ve been dedicated to searching for miracles from around the world. “We grew up ahjumma”

“Youth really is wasted on the young” the old lady looks at him rather apologetic “We would go any minute if we could, I mean who knows, we might die tomorrow”

“Don’t say that…” he cuts in

“It’s true, we’ve lived for so long we don’t know how much longer we have to live”

Minhyuk heaves a solemn sigh “Why do you look so down my boy?” the old couple inch closer, doting on Minhyuk like he’s their son.

There was a void that took over his heart, with his mother so busy travelling the world on tour, and his father running a business of his own it was difficult for them to ever talk. Since birth Minhyuk was handed over to foreign hands. As he slowly became attached it became time for them to move on. So he didn’t. Minhyuk found comfort in the arms of people that his parents couldn’t control. The couple who ran the local food bar where Minhyuk would always come to after school, to his best friend in high school, Alice – except she eventually became an exception.

Meeting them again was like meeting an old friend, like a warm cup of coco to beat out the winter cold, it was sweet warmth that wrapped around his entire body as the older man wrapped his arm around him “Don’t you worry, what ever it is, it can’t be too bad can it?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, I’ve lived for more than 75 years, there’s nothing I haven’t seen that you can’t deal with, so long as you listen to your heart, you’ll know what to do”

“That’s really cheesy” Minhyuk could swear he sees the old man’s cheek’s turn a deeper shade of pink

“How did you think I got my wife to go out with me?” he clears his throat and pulls away

With a baffled expression Minhyuk glances over at the old lady making googly eyes with her husband.  There was a shiver than ran down his spine, but in a good way. Minhyuk wishes that if 50 years from now he were half as happy as they were, he would count that as a blessing.

But happiness doesn’t come knocking on doors, if he wanted it, he’d have to go looking for it and there was only one place he could think of to start.

Minhyuk shoots up from his seat and fishes out his wallet. He places the money on the table “Where are you going?”

“To find a miracle!” he waves to them without turning back

For the longest time, happy endings in novels began with ‘once upon a time’. Joohee often wonders that if from the moment she held her daughter in her arms, had the first words she said be ‘once upon a time’ that Yooyoung might be able to get her happily ever after.

“Where is my daddy?” Yooyoung would ask every once in a while “All the kids have daddies who are there with them in the hospital”

Joohee would force her brightest smile and tease, “You don’t want me to be around do you? You don’t want your mummy?”

“No” and Yooyoung would stop pestering her for answers.

Joohee was blessed like that. She prays and thanks the heavens each night before she goes to bed over how she managed to have a daughter like Yooyoung. So young and fearless, she was her rock, her tree of support, Yooyoung for the most part did a better job than Joohee at keeping things together.

Ara comes in at around 8AM sharp, when visiting hours begin, with a warm breakfast for both of them. “How is my princess today?” Ara hands Alice the food and rushes to the little girl’s side, hugging and embracing her tightly in her arms, planting a few kisses on her cheeks.

“Aunty Ara, where is uncle?”

“He’s coming in the afternoon to take you home, he has to go to work”

Yooyoung gives Ara a toothy grin and falls back onto the bed. Alice sets up the meal on the tray for Yooyoung. Today Ara brought porridge and although Yooyoung was a picky eater she was never one to turn down a good warm bowl of porridge in the morning. “Eat up ok, or else you won’t be able to go home this afternoon!”

Yooyoung digs into the bowl with a few bits and pieces falling over the side of “Can we talk?” Ara looks up at Alice who’s placed aside her breakfast.

The two walk outside, closing the door behind them “I heard he was back”

“Who?”

“You know very well who!” Ara says in a stern whisper

“It’s on her bucket list”

“There were a few other things that were on there too, travelling to Gwangju for one, even visiting Japan for spring-”

Joohee runs her fingers through her hair, sighs and nods “I know you mean well, but she deserves to know about the man who-”

“She deserves to be happy, what makes you think the man who left you two alone all those years ago has changed? He’s just probably here to pity you and then he’s going to leave, he’ll go back home and you’ll be hurt and this time not only you but Yooyoung too”

There was a part of Joohee that knew Ara was right, except that was another part that wished she were wrong. She didn’t want to put any hope on him based on their years of friendship. Joohee had known well enough what that lead to the last time. There’s a silence that creeps up on them and it’s hard to ignore the awkwardness that was forming. With a cup of coffee from the vending machine, they make their way back towards the room.

Expecting to find the young girl still eating her food in peace, Joohee and Ara find Minhyuk.

“I’m in” it’s the first words that escape from his lips