“Why are you going all the way to Chuncheon?”

Now in his car they were on their way toward Gangwon province. A large semi-truck came up to their left. Stepping on the accelerator the car surged ahead bypassing the truck. Eager and nervous, Namjoo had been quick and rushed as they earlier rushed out of the bus terminal.

“Sehun’s mother wanted me to help her Aunt with the fish market or something,” Namjoo replied, sounding confused herself.

“Why would you have to go do that?” Chanyeol wondered. The errand sounded ridiculous. It didn’t make sense.

“I know, right?” Namjoo agreed. “I wanted to take Soo Ae with me, but I couldn’t. I’m worried about her. And you know, Sehun’s mother doesn’t like her, so I want to go and come back quickly.”

“Well…that’s understandable.” Chanyeol empathized. “Where’s Sehun though?”

Namjoo seemed to sigh, “Heading to Yeongwol with his father.”

“Yeongwol?” He repeated.

“Funeral or something,” Namjoo sounded annoyed at the mention of Yeongwol and Sehun. The way her breath deepened and how she muttered it told Chanyeol something. “It’s just pathetic. I just can’t stand his mom.”

His mom. Chanyeol mentally realized how Namjoo didn’t refer to Sehun’s mother as mother-in-law or just plain mother at all. He wondered if Sehun planned to do anything about the way his mother treated Namjoo and her kid. She didn’t look very happy like a newlywed wife was supposed to. Beaming, excited, gleeful, and content.

He was curious to know why Namjoo still stayed around to let herself and her daughter be treated so coldly. Part of him wondered if he hadn’t given her address to Sehun so that he could settle the gossip surrounding him, and instead went out to find Namjoo, where would they be now? Could he have helped Namjoo instead?

A few hours later they finally arrived in the capital of Gangwon, steered their way through the bustling streets, nearly crashing into reckless pedestrians at every green light. Namjoo had a piece of paper with her with the name of the Fish Market scrawled on it. Confused with similar appearing streets Chanyeol ended up detouring a few times, circling around buildings before he finally found the arc that led to the market.

As they entered, they could smell the breeze from the ocean on the other side. Voices mixed into the soft wind while they walked through the dense crowd in search of this Aunt Cha. The smell of fish made him nauseous. With the cooked food at food stalls added to the mix he felt like heaving. Chanyeol would have just given up and gone back to the car, but he didn’t want to leave Namjoo by herself. If he could possibly help with the so-called errand Namjoo would get to go home sooner.

Forcing himself to swallow back his oncoming vomit, he continued to follow her till someone called out for Namjoo. An old woman of short stature and gray hair was waving at them to go over. Age defined her face along with sagging cheeks and eyes that said she’d spent one too many years laboring her life away.

“Are you the daughter-in-law?” The woman croaked. Her back slightly hunched as she stood. Farmer’s pants, a long sleeve shirt, and a dark purple vest were her attire. Her hair sculpted back into a professional every day bun – the kind that wouldn’t get messy no matter how hard one worked.

“Ah…yes,” Namjoo stepped up to her. The store she owned was small. At the front were some raw fish for sell. At the back Chanyeol smelt food, perhaps an attached tiny restaurant.

Chanyeol felt intimidated when the woman, who he supposed was Aunt Cha, looked him over. Those eyes seemed to scrutinize every inch of him, as if he was a perpetrator.

“Doesn’t look like Sa Eun’s boy,” the woman commented then turned to Namjoo, “your husband didn’t come with you?”

“He’s busy today,” Namjoo answered, “he’s my friend, Chanyeol. I was told you needed help?”

“Those darn boys,” the woman muttered to herself angrily, “a whole stock of fish came in when my son went out to sea. I was going to send them around the market to sellers because I don’t need them. Why don’t you help me do that? We’ve already packed them all into boxes.”

The job sounded small until Chanyeol followed the woman to the back. Surprise swarmed over him, his eyes bulging when he sighted the stacks of styrofoam boxes. There were over twenty of them, all of the boxes large and thick in size. They couldn’t be too heavy, he assumed, until he picked one up to feel the weight force his arms down. That was when he realized of course, the fish had to be kept frozen in order to remain fresh. There were ice cubes in every one.

This was definitely a heavy errand. Chanyeol glanced around hopelessly. Was there no one else around to help out?

Aunt Cha disappeared, leaving the two of them to glance at each other speechless. She reappeared moments later with a cart she said they could use until mid-afternoon. And that, Chanyeol, decided was all the time they needed.

After stacking the boxes onto the cart he stated, “I’ll push the cart. It’ll be less work for you.”

“Are you sure?”

Chanyeol glanced her over and suddenly heard Sehun’s voice in his head going on about how hard she’d already worked when it was just her and Soo Ae. No more of that.

Smiling he grabbed the handle of the cart, tilted it back onto its wheels, “I’m sure.”

The next hour and a half was spent around the market, dropping off each box at each assigned stall Aunt Cha had marked down on paper. The diagram was so unordinarily drawn they got lost a few times. Once they ran out of boxes they rushed back to Aunt Cha’s store to restock and went their round to pick up where they left off. Each time he helped Namjoo lift up a heavy box he wondered if her shoulders were sore.

He imagined she would complain about running back and forth with a box in her arms but instead was optimistic and enthusiastic. It kept him from tiring and slinking down to sit. Time passed and they continued going back and forth around the Fish Market. Chanyeol began wondering how hard life had been in countryside Muju. He grew up a city boy and imagining himself suddenly living in the countryside tilling the field, working in the market, and coming home all exhausted with cheap food wasn’t something he could live with. He wanted a deluxe home, a grand studio with heat and air conditioning. They were his necessities. But Namjoo…Namjoo had lived there and now she was back in the city. She’d lived in two worlds.

It was 1:00 PM when they finally returned to Aunt Cha’s store. Thankfully, she urged them to stay for a meal she was preparing for them. Though he knew Namjoo was in a hurry to return home, he promised he’d speed her back if only he could fill his stomach. Luckily, she inclined and they were seated – the only ones in the tiny restaurant.

They were quiet throughout the meal, each slurping their own soup. Barely done with his bowl he glanced up to see Namjoo hungrily eating spoonful after spoonful, too busy to look at her surroundings. All of a sudden, he was more curious about her now. Questions formed in his head but were blocked by a dense fog so they never came through. When Namjoo glanced up, their eyes met. He quickly reached for his glass of water. It would be embarrassing if he had been caught staring. He ended up choking on the water, feeling like an absolute fool.

“Are you ok?” Namjoo inquired.

Drying his lips with his wrist he nodded and stood, “Lets go. We should be going back.”

*****

Eun Bi spent the whole afternoon meaninglessly trying to get close to Soo Ae. Too bad for her, the little girl seemed much smarter than she expected. Like Namjoo, every time she neared Soo Ae would turn to look at her and ask a question, whether it be about the weather or about the show she was watching. It was the perfect distraction to keep her from doing what needed to be done.

Yesterday, Eun Bi had spent all night deciding what she wanted to do in order to get her DNA. As she knew, there were a variety of ways to do it. First, she had decided to pluck a strand of the child’s hair, but Soo Ae intelligently moved away every time she got closer. Then Eun Bi wondered if the child would tattle on her if she did pull her hair out. When she thought of how Namjoo would react to it, it didn’t look like a pretty picture.

Last of all, there was the option to swab . Yet, Eun Bi worried if it might seem strange to the child. After pondering in the kitchen she finally decided she’d rather just pull a strand of her hair out.

“Soo Ae,” Eun Bi walked up to her with a comb in hand, “have you ever braided your hair before? Do you want to braid your hair?”

The child stared at her innocently and deeming it safe, moved closer. Sitting beside her on the sofa Eun Bi smiled.

“I can make your hair really pretty,” Eun Bi spoke calmly. She didn’t want to do anything that would scare the child off. “So can I?”

Soo Ae, once again, measured her with her eyes. Please, please, Eun Bi silently prayed. She needed this to happen. This evidence was crucial to her future with Sehun. Then at last, Soo Ae agreed, “Ok.”

*****

When they stopped at a gas station to fill up the gas tank, Namjoo dug through the phone she hadn’t touched all day. She wanted to hear Soo Ae’s voice, be assured that everything was going well. Once the call went through, Sehun’s mother answered after a few rings.

“Why would you want to talk to your daughter? I can tell you she’s doing just fine, playing with Eun Bi. They’re having such a good time she doesn’t even remember you. Why is it you can’t trust us with her?” Sehun’s mother stated after she asked for Soo Ae.

“I just want to talk with her,” Namjoo gritted her teeth. “Can you please give her the phone?”

There was a huff before she heard footsteps. Soo Ae’s voice filled her heart with peace again, the earlier irritation forgotten. “Hi mommy!”

“Are you ok, Soo Ae?” Namjoo asked. “Did you eat?”

“Yes, I ate. Mommy, when are you coming home?” Soo Ae asked. “Daddy’s friend made my hair all pretty. I want you to see it when you come home.”

“Is that so?” Namjoo raised her voice up a pitch to sound excited. “I’ll be home soon. Be a good girl.”

After hanging up the door opened and Chanyeol entered the car with a bag. Namjoo glanced at it, suddenly realizing why he’d taken so long. There were snacks in the bag with some soft drinks.

“Here,” Chanyeol dug something out of the bag, handed them to her. When she took them to observe them she saw that they were pain relief patches. “I don’t know about you, but I’m aching really bad right now.”

Smiling, she nodded in appreciation, “To be honest, I’m kind of sore too.” Once the engine started she finally said, “Thanks, Chanyeol. I really appreciate your help today. The bus ride would have been much longer. I owe you one.”

“No problem,” he glanced at her. “You can pay back the debt by…” he seemed to think hard, “bringing me food. You know, a packed lunch like the ones you bring for Sehun. I’d like that.”

*****

The funeral was boring exactly as Sehun expected. The food was delicious, but he hadn’t been able to eat more than a few bites to show his respect to the family that spent long hours making it. All the crying and grieving made him lose his appetite. While his father conversed with the elders he didn’t know, he sat alone thinking about how the day would have gone if he’d spent it with Namjoo and Soo Ae.

Definitely, definitely better than here he imagined.

They didn’t make it back home until the sun was down. To his disappointment, Namjoo hadn’t waited up for him and was already in bed. He finally climbed in alongside her after a quick shower and felt immediately warmed up when he moved closer. And as he did, he smelt the fresh scent of medicated patches. Sehun would have wanted to hike up a conversation with her but Namjoo was deep asleep.

At last he dozed off for some time before waking again, this time sickeningly hungry. His stomach was eating itself raw, having never been so empty before. He tried to twist and turn to find a position where the ache wouldn’t chew at him, but it was useless. Giving up he stared at the figure beside him in the dark.

“Namjoo?” he called out then slightly shook her. “Namjoo. Namjoo.”

She groaned.

Inching closer with his hand still on her arm, he shamelessly said, “I’m hungry.”

For a minute or two she didn’t reply and left him wondering if she’d heard him or not. Guilt plunged through him for having to shake and wake her again. Then suddenly Namjoo sat up tiredly. Throwing the covers off she stumbled toward the door. He followed.

To their luck, there were no leftovers to heat up for a quick meal. The exhaustion overriding Namjoo’s eyes made her look like she hadn’t slept for days. He watched her search through the fridge for ingredients and wished he hadn’t woken her up, but he wasn’t that great of a cook.

“Is there anything I can do?” He wondered. Holding out some vegetables to him she ordered him to give them a wash. Once they finally got going with cooking he stood beside the stove immersed in staring as she prepared his late night meal for him.

“Are you feeling ok?” He worried wanting to run his fingers through her hair. “You have patches on.”

“Yea…” she sleepily replied and about an hour later, sat with him at the table as he ate. After a few bites he glanced at Namjoo and scooping up some of the soup, held it out for her. She turned to stare at his offer without saying anything.

“Have some,” he urged. Without fighting she opened allowing him to feed her. Sehun was thrilled. After eating some more he smiled foolishly. “As expected, my wife’s food is the best.”

Then again, he fed her sharing the meal with her until it was done. Offering to wash the dishes and urging her off to bed first he later walked into the room to find Namjoo deep asleep. She barely budged when he climbed into the bed. Now that his stomach’s desires were fulfilled, he lay there trying to imagine how Namjoo looked like in her sleep.

It felt like it was once in a blue moon when something good like this happened without Namjoo putting up a fight. He felt like a young school boy, unknown to the face of love. Picking up where he’d left off with Namjoo, wishing to make up to her what he hadn’t done years ago.

Gently propping her head up onto his arm he pulled her closer. From strangers to people who understood each other. At the very least, they were no longer strangers.

The next morning, Soo Ae was the one to first happily greet him. Breakfast was cooked and done early and luckily, without Eun Bi. Namjoo took over dishes after the table was cleared, but before he went upstairs hewanted to talk with her without anyone around. In this home with his parents he didn’t feel like they had much time privately.

“Are you sore?” He wondered. “What did you do yesterday?”

“Errands.” Her simple reply.

“Should I give you a massage?”

“Forget it, Sehun, just go upstairs.”

Deciding not to bother her anymore he went upstairs to quickly change and help Soo Ae with her dress. As he helped tie her sash he could hear Namjoo walking past the room. She still seemed tired from whatever it was she had to do yesterday. After urging Soo Ae downstairs he walked into their room to wait for Namjoo. When the door finally clicked open he turned with heart pounding the exact same way it had that day he saw her in her wedding dress. Pretty, gorgeous, all those grand words that described a beautiful woman – his wife.

“I knew it’d suit you,” he walked toward her without shying, his eyes appreciating the view before him. Reaching up he pulled the hair tie in her hair out, “Leave it down. You look better.” Then with a hand at her back, “Lets go.”

*****

Church service was utterly long and boring. As they sat and stood up to sing with the choir, Sehun’s mind ran in circles. He wanted so much to hold her hand, wrap his arm around her, and feel their arms brush, but Namjoo was too busy keeping her eye on Soo Ae, making sure her daughter wouldn’t do anything bothersome.

Then finally when it ended, he and Namjoo were welcomed and congratulated with their marriage by the other adults. It was all smiles and laughs until they reached the car where Namjoo got silent and only Soo Ae talked to him. Like usual, their conversation went on in an exhilarated manner, but his eyes kept darting toward Namjoo. He wanted to settle her into his arms, tell her to sleep for as long as she wished.

They let Soo Ae run off to watch TV as they walked through the doors of their home. Sehun followed Namjoo up the stairs hoping to talk with her. He knew he shouldn’t bother her, get into her space too much, but there was something in him that refused to spend a moment away. He was forced to a halt in the doorway when Namjoo abruptly turned around.

“Is there something you need?” she asked. “You hungry again?”

Sehun opened his mouth to speak but nothing came through. Namjoo frowned at him but didn’t make a negative remark. As if to assure him that she wasn’t up to anything bad she said, “Look, I’m just going to change. Can you stop following me?”

At her attempt to turn he grabbed her arm to stop her. When she turned around he felt himself melt. It felt as if he was still the same schoolboy who followed the delinquent around. And even then, the schoolboy hadn’t backed down. Though then and now were two completely different time zones, he felt as if he was still stuck in his schoolboy body with his heart tripping and falling for that bad girl. Except…only now he was starting to get dangerously infatuated.    

“Yesterday,” he started, “I missed you.”

Gentleness transitioned into Namjoo’s eyes, but didn’t trip or fall into his arms like any other girl he’d dated would if he ever told them that. Namjoo would have normally laughed, shrugged him off, but this time she didn’t.

Instead, all she said was, “It was only a day, Sehun.”

“It felt really long for me,” he admitted. “I was kind of hoping you’d still be waiting for me when I came back. That maybe you’d be watching some late night show, wonder if I’d eaten, or ask how the funeral went. Or maybe you’d tell me about your day and make some complaint. I’d listen.”

He locked eyes with her to let her know he was serious about what he was saying. That he really wanted to keep the marriage going on good terms. That even if she wanted to end it later down the line, he was determined to make it work. And he knew that he could get through to her. Namjoo would listen. She never once disliked him.

Sehun slid his hand around her waist as he took a step closer to close the gap between them. Cocking his head to the side just a bit he stared into her eyes before closing them. His lips parted before he finally kissed her. She was soft and warm, tender, and her lips moist against his. Pulling her against him, he opened his mouth to kiss her again.

Before this he never touched her before, never kissed her with so much feeling. When Namjoo grasped onto his arm he could feel himself pouring his heart and soul into her, praying that she would receive the most sincere parts of him. When she finally kissed him, too his soul screamed in joy. Sliding his hand over her face to keep her close forever, he felt as if she was finally accepting him…again.