I Missed You Too

A week passed.

And she braved herself to go back there again.

To his sad, lonely apartment.

In which she has felt most happy.

“Please Ahjussi. I won't do it again. Just take me back.”

She has been standing outside his door for nearly 10 minutes.

Tired, she leaned against the door, like a sad forlorn puppy, only to be surprised when it swung opened.

Nearly making her lose her balance.

Tae-sik was in the living room, by the coffee table, calmly pruning his bonsai.

Without looking up, he said, “there's some stew on the stove. Could you heat it up, please. We’ll have it with rice and salad.”

“Neh!”

And she was a happy puppy once again.

-----

She opened the fridge to take the salad out and found containers after containers of cooked food.

One piece of fried chicken, half a steamed fish, a portion of beef with gravy.

Leftovers for one.

“Have you been cooking for me all week long?” she asked in astonishment, looking up at him from her bent position.

Tae-sik simply turned towards her, and with a characteristic eyebrow-lift, continued scooping cooked rice into two bowls.

Knowing she would  get no answer from him, So-Mi was contented with her own deduction.

Which was, Tae-sik did cook for her on a daily basis.

Was he expecting her to come home to him?

Apparently he was, she silently smiled.

I should have not waited that long to come back.

I could have saved us both the agony of being separated.

Presumptuous maybe, she thought, but who cares.