The season finally shifted to spring, and flowers were beginning to sprout from the frozen earth; the sunshine was becoming warmer, breaking away from its frosty glow. Myungsoo was getting used to not having Daehyun around. He had no idea if it was a good thing or not. He resigned from his part-time job, because it was already too far away. Nonetheless, he got hired to be a casual guitarist and waiter in a café within their neighborhood. The pay was less than the one he used to have, but considering that his expenses drastically decreased, he didn’t feel any difference. Suzy was able to graduate high school with flying colors last February, and that distracted Myungsoo all the more.

   Myungsoo would hear something from Daehyun’s mother every once in a while, and he was happy enough to know that she was doing fine. The divorce, however, was still ongoing. Nonetheless, they were already living separately. He would receive messages from his father, sometimes even calls, but most of the time he refused to answer. Forgiveness, for Myungsoo at that time, seemed impossible.

   The young man had no idea why, but he decided to go to church one Sunday. He had his brother’s Bible in his bag. Myungsoo arrived just in time, and like the first time he entered the place, people greeted him left and right, while shaking his hand and smiling at him warmly. They even remembered his name.

   “I’m so glad to see you here, Myungsoo.”

   “We’ve been praying for you.”

   “Thank goodness you came!”

   More words were poured down on him, soaking his heart with so much love he thought it would break. He quietly slipped into the back row, and tried to sing along with the others. The songs were unfamiliar, but it was easy to follow. He looked around him, and saw that the people were so absorbed in worship. They had their eyes closed, and their hands were raised in surrender. Out of shyness Myungsoo looked down, and listened to the lyrics.

   He cried.

<:>

   Pastor Kang was the one who preached. He focused on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and something inside of Myungsoo seemed to come alive while listening. He remembered his mother. He remembered his childhood. He perfectly knew how the story went, but it was only at that time that he completely understood. The father waited for his son’s return. He would stand by the front gate every day, only to run and catch his son in his arms upon seeing him from afar.

   By the time the service ended, Myungsoo approached Pastor Kang, and asked, “Do you think God’s waiting for me, too? Will He run towards me like the way the father did to his son? After everything I did, Pastor, can He still love me?”

   It only took two words for Myungsoo’s heart to make a breakthrough.

   “Of course.”

<:>

   That night, Mr. Bae and Myungsoo were in the porch, enjoying a cup of warm cocoa each while admiring the spring flowers and budding cherry petals, dimly lit by the streetlamps.

   “Where did you go today, Myungsoo?” Mr. Bae amicably asked.

   There was a slight pause, and he answered, “To Pastor Kang.”

   “Ah. Did you enjoy the service?”

   “I asked some weird questions.”

   “Were those questions answered?”

   “Yes.”

   Mr. Bae smiled, and didn’t say anything.

   Myungsoo glanced at him. “Is it okay…if I go there again next week?”

   “Of course.”

   “You go to a different church, though,” he pointed out. “Is it okay if I continue on going to Pastor Kang?”

   Mr. Bae chuckled. “Myungsoo, you should stay in a place where you can grow. It doesn’t matter, if you go to a different church or not.  What’s important is your personal relationship with God.”

   A feeling of relief swept over the young man, and this urged him to say, “He told us about the Prodigal Son earlier.”

   “Did anything stand out to you?”

   Myungsoo nodded. “Pastor Kang said we’re children by birth, and not by worth. In a way, I felt lighter when I heard that,” he smiled at the slightest. “That means I don’t need to try so hard by myself.”

   Mr. Bae returned his smile, but he waited for Myungsoo to carry on.

   “Ever since my mother died, Uncle, I sort of drifted away from God. I blamed myself on account of what had happened to her. And I tried so hard to redeem myself from the guilt I felt. I thought that maybe—just maybe—if I worked twice as much, then things would be okay. I’d be worthy enough to be accepted and loved, because I don’t deserve such things.”

   The young man looked up to keep his tears from falling. He sniffed, and his shoulders relaxed.

   “Grace,” Mr. Bae began. “Is something that we can never earn. If grace is an effect, then we did nothing to cause it. And that’s unbelievable, especially now that we got used to thinking that every effect has a cause. In this humanistic world, many people try to put God in a box. They try to figure Him out, but they can’t, because of His illogical ways.”

   “Illogical?” Myungsoo repeated.

   “As a father, I can never bear to see my children have their hands and feet pierced by rusty nails. I can’t just stand there as I watch the others mock them for being who they are.”

   Myungsoo looked at his slippers. “It is quite illogical,” he quietly agreed. “Pastor Kang said it, too. That God knew of what’s about to happen to Christ, but He sent Him down to Earth, anyway.”

   “That’s God’s love for us. Illogical, crazy, unconventional. Once you meet grace face to face, you can never turn away, Myungsoo. Many see grace as a concept—a ticket to save themselves from the wrong things they did last week, only to repeat it again the next. But once you experience grace and meet his eyes, things will grow dim around you, and it will lead you to righteousness.”

   “How do you meet grace?”

   Mr. Bae thought for a moment, and a gentle smile painted his lips. “Imagine grace being a person, approaching you. He reaches out, and you decide on how you respond. If grace embraces you, Myungsoo, what will you do?

   “If Jesus embraces you, what will you do?”

<:>

   “Hyung!”

   Myungsoo looked up from the counter, and smiled upon seeing Suzy and Sang Moon, approaching him.  Sang Moon was still in his uniform, and he figured that he just got home from school.

   “You look sharp in white,” Sang Moon remarked, while looking at Myungsoo, wearing a buttoned, long-sleeved shirt paired with slacks and shoes. His apron tied around his waist was black, as well. “You’re not playing today?”

   “I’ll play tonight,” he replied. “So, what’ll it be for the both of you?”

   “Two cups of hot chocolate with loads of cream on it,” the younger one looked at Suzy. “Noona, you’ll pay.”

   Suzy smirked, but she handed the money to Myungsoo nonetheless. He pushed it back. “It’s on the house.”

   “Thank you!” she cried.

   “No worries,” Myungsoo punched several buttons and focused on the siblings once again. “You go ahead and choose a seat. I’ll come around later with your drinks.”

   “The terrace, noona, the terrace!” Sang Moon dragged Suzy upstairs, and Myungsoo could only watch with an amused smile. Without any warning, Lee Sungyeol, his co-worker, poked his head out of the saloon door.

   “Your crush showed up again?”

   Myungsoo looked back, and scoffed. He took two cups from the cupboard and placed them on the table, not even bothering to reply.

   “Kim Myungsoo, I’m talking to you!”

   “She’s the younger sister of someone I respect,” he dully replied. He set the machine, and placed one of the cups on the dip tray. Sungyeol playfully smacked Myungsoo’s thigh with the table cloth he was holding.

   “Younger sister my ,” he teased, before heading out to wipe the tables clean.

   Suzy was alone on the terrace. Myungsoo carefully placed the cups on the table, and she looked up. “Thank you.”

   “Where’s Sang Moon?”

   “In the toilet.”

   He nodded, and looked at the floor. Stray petals of cherry blossoms were scattered about. He noticed that Suzy’s laces were untied. Without any warning, he went down on his knees to tie it up. Her eyes slightly widened, but she tried to hide the faint flush of pink from her cheeks. Fortunately, she was back to normal when Myungsoo looked up.

   “I’m sorry,” he said.

   “You’re all right,” Suzy fixed her gaze on the cup in front of her. “In more ways than one, you remind me of Sunggyu.”

   The gentle wind blew, beckoning the melodies found in spring to sing louder. Myungsoo admired Sunggyu. Nevertheless, when Suzy told him that, he felt uneasy. Somehow, deep inside him, he knew that he wanted her to see him as Myungsoo, and not as a guy who reminded her of Sunggyu.

<:>

   “It’s spring,” Sunggyu looked at the daffodils as they walked along the pavement. For a change, the two friends decided to commute to work. They were already a few blocks away from their building.

   “I reckon it’s already been two weeks since then,” Woohyun pointed out. “Thank you for informing me, nonetheless.”

   He gave the younger one a playful shove. “That’s not what I meant.”

   “Of course that’s not what you meant,” he caught on. “You’re counting the days since you last saw your family.”

   Sunggyu smiled at the slightest.

   “Or Suzy,” Woohyun swiftly added with mischief.

   “I wonder if she’s wearing that same pair of shoes,” he admitted. “The ones where the laces always get loose. I always tie it up for her. I wonder who’s doing it now.”

   “Myungsoo, perhaps?” the younger one suggested.

   “Please don’t say that,” Sunggyu muttered, while looking up at the bright sky. He knew, at least, that they were beneath the same space. And that should make things okay. Even for just a little bit.

 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

- Luke 15:20