"You...you're..." 
Her soft hand grazing his cheek made him lose focus for a second, and in that single moment he wanted to return that gentle touch. In that moment he wanted to embrace her in his arms and tell her that he was indeed the person she remembered, that he was sorry for everything that happened to her, that he had been longing for her all this time, that he wanted to stay by her side and heal her scars,...He wanted to say he loved her.
But he didn't. Something didn't allow him to.
"Are you okay?" He cut her off, pulling her up to her feet and trying hard to ignore her eyes, which were filled with a faint flash of recognition. 
"I'm..." She stuttered, blinking hard to make sure she was back in reality. "I'm fine."
For a moment, she saw a very vivid image and heard lively sounds. She could remember hearing and seeing her own self laughing-something she didn't do too often anymore-and talking playfully with someone else. She faintly heard the other person's voice, which sounded like a man. But something prevented her from seeing his face. Yet, she felt like she knew it. She felt like she saw it before. She felt as if she was supposed to know it, but she didn't.
"Be careful now." Oh Sehun said, to which she nodded. Then he hurriedly walked away, leaving her behind. Flustered and confused, she slowly returned to hanging the laundry, all the while thinking of the image that suddenly came up in her mind and what it meant.
                                  --------------
Who was that man?
It was the sole question that occupied her mind for the next few days. She found herself frequently spacing out thinking about the strange image her mind conjured the other day. She kept replaying it over and over in her mind, with each instance the image becoming more and more vivid. She could see herself laughing and chatting away in that-somehow nostalgic-image. She could hear the voice of someone else talking back to her, and no matter how she tried she couldn't pinpoint who it was. Yet, strangely enough, she felt as if she knew the answer. It just wasn't coming to her. It was as if her mind was playing tricks on her.  
It got to the point where she even had to call her aunts to ask about it. 
"Darling!" Hanyeol's booming greeting startled Bom for a second. "How are you?!"
"I'm good, auntie." She felt a bit guilty for not calling her aunts. They were probably worried sick about her. "How's Auntie Hanseok?"
"Oh you know her." Hanyeol answered dismissively in a I-Know-All-Too-Well tone. "That woman would probably still survived even if a hurricane swept through."

"That's good to hear." Bom said, debating whether or not she should actually ask her aunt or not.
"What are you calling for?" Hanyeol asked her. For a moment Bom thought about avoiding the issue altogether, but she knew her aunt would figure it out. The woman knew her too well.
"Well, auntie, I want to ask you something."
"Oh shoot away honey."
"Well, I..." She honestly didn't know where to start. "I...Did my head hit something that day?"
"What on earth do you mean?"
"You know..." She swallowed a lump in . "On my wedding day. When I fell down the stairs."
For several seconds, there was only silence on the other line. Even if she couldn't see it she could feel Hanyeol's surprise at her mention of that dreadful day. For years the subject was strictly taboo, and for her to bring it up now was very unexpected. 
"You mean did you suffer some kind of head trauma?" Hanyeol finally asked, probably recovering from her surprise. "I don't think so. The doctor said you suffered a concussion with two broken limbs. And..." Hanyeol stopped herself before she could go on. 
And the baby.
"I see." Bom answered, knowing all too well what her aunt was about to say. She didn't blame the woman. She was the one who brought up the subject in the first place. "I have to go auntie. Take care."
"You too hon." Hanyeol was back in auntie mode. "Eat a lot. Woo that Sehun off his feet."
She hung up, and frowned when she realized even her aunt couldn't help her. She closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply as if the fresh air would make her remember a thing or two.
"Noona." 
"Hey gorgeous." Xiumin called, causing Bom to snap out of her trance and opened her eyes. "What cha doing?"
"Nothing much." She smiled politely, lowering her head in embarrassment because he caught her attempting to meditate in the middle of the garden. 
"Why were your eyes closed?" He asked, smiling amusedly. 
"Nothing, just..." Her ears started burning up. "I was just enjoying the fresh air, that's all."
He lifted his brow, and suddenly closed his eyes before taking a giant gulp of air and exhaling it all out.
"You're right, the air is pretty nice." He turned to her, grinning. Somehow he reminded her of a mischievous monkey. "Which is why we should take a walk and enjoy it together."
He held out the crook of his arm towards her, who held a surprised expression. 
"Xiumin-sshi what..." 

"Don't be shy." He gently took her arm and hooked it around the crook of his. "And call me Xiumin."

And they started walking, his cheery chatting and corny jokes sometimes succeeded in eliciting a small smile from her.

-----------------------------------------------------
Sehun was not amused as he observed his friend continue to get a little too touchy with Park Bom. What bothered him even more was the fact she didn't do nor say anything to reject the guy's advances. 
Did she like him? 
The question burned in the back of his mind, as he constantly found himself looking at them even when he tried his hardest not to. He silently cheered when his friend suddenly left Bom's side and then disappeared off into the main hall.
"Greetings ladies!" Oh Jang Suk announced, his booming voice heard throughout the whole grand living room. "It's Friday, and you all know what that means."
Bom could feel the anticipation and excitement radiating from the crowd of women gather around her. Even Sooyoung already had her game face on, ready for whatever Sehun's father come up with. The female was keen on snatching another date with Oh Sehun.
Speaking of the male. Bom turned slightly to look in the direction where he was sitting. His blond hair was neatly swept to the side, with a few strands escaping as if for added effect. He was clad in slacks and a white shirt, looking as if he was shooting the cover for some magazine. He was good-looking, she admitted. His features were defined, and even though he had small eyes they co