AH YOUNG was fidgeting her fingers as she restlessly waited outside the treatment room. She kept glancing at the wrist watch and groaned when she felt that time purposely by ticking slowly. Ten minutes felt like years when she actually supposed not to feel that way. Ah Young hated that feeling because somehow it showed that she was still care about that person. Her plan of showing to that person how unaffected she could be had crumpled because the moment she found out that he got hurt in the accident, she went insane.

          “Ah Young!” Ah Young snapped out when she heard the familiar voices, and her body reflexively stood up as she watched Sung Joon and Mrs. Rose hurriedly approaching her. Ah Young fell inside Mrs. Rose’s embrace and the sense of comfort and safe surged inside her as she felt Mrs. Rose tightened the embrace.

          “Are you okay? Did you hurt anywhere?” Mrs. Rose immediately checked on Ah Young, but Ah Young quickly reassured them that she was completely fine. The insurance company would handle everything, and she had told them about the accident before coming to hospital. Ah Young was distracted by the sound of creaking door behind her and turned around as she was expecting Jong Hyun to walk out from that room.

          She noticed how his body froze at the doorway, and probably he was surprised by the sight he was seeing now. Ah Young quickly approached Jong Hyun to check on him. He looked perfectly fine but of course Ah Young was worried when he started complaining pain over the chest. He even got a bruise which made Ah Young thought he probably had rib fracture, but Jong Hyun convinced her that he did not hit the steering wheel hard enough to cause serious chest injuries.

          “I told you I’m completely fine. No fractures, just a bruise and it’ll heal in few days. Happy?” said Jong Hyun before Ah Young could even ask him. However he did not say in mocking tone because truthfully he was happy because Ah Young was concerned about him. Whoever stood in Ah Young’s place probably would give the same reaction, but the person that was standing in front of him is the woman he had hurt in the past and she still concerned about him.

          “I just want the confirmation,” Ah Young said defensively. Jong Hyun tried to refrain himself from grinning because Ah Young just made her feeling so obvious.

          “Glad that both of you are fine,” Sung Joon interrupted as he stepped closer to Ah Young. Jong Hyun just exchanged the smile with Sung Joon and middle age woman that was foreign to him. He guessed that she was probably Ah Young’s mother-in-law or Sung Joon’s relative.

          “Jong Hyun, are you sure that you are fine?” Mrs. Rose suddenly asked Jong Hyun with warm smile on her face. He was slightly taken aback when she called him by name, and it made Jong Hyun realized he had not properly introduced himself to Mrs. Rose.

          “I just got myself checked, Madam. By the way, I’m Jong Hyun,” regardless Mrs. Rose’s relation to Ah Young and Sung Joon, she was still an elder. So Jong Hyun did ‘Mano’, and he was glad that Mrs. Rose seemed please with his honoring gesture.

          “I’m Rosella. Just call me Aunty Rose,” she said in please. It seemed that Ah Young’s mother-in-law liked him, but Jong Hyun could not be too happy as he noticed the discomfort all over Ah Young’s face. He just realized that probably Mrs. Rose had no idea about his history with Ah Young. Sung Joon was not stupid to reveal all Ah Young’s dark secrets to his parents because they probably would never accept her into the family if they knew Ah Young used to be a mistress. Jong Hyun thought it was better for him to leave now, but he was cut by an unfamiliar woman.

          “Ah Young!” that woman shouted from far, and he guessed she must be their relatives by looking at how their eyes lightened up at the sight of that woman.

          “Jin Kyung! What are you doing here? I thought you are coming back tomorrow,” said Ah Young after she fell inside Jin Kyung’s embrace. 

          “I was going to surprise you guys but Sung Joon had told me about the accident. So I rushed coming here from airport. Did you get hurt anywhere?” Jin Kyung asked as she maneuvered Ah Young side to side. After checking on Ah Young and made sure that Ah Young was fine, only then the sigh of relief escaped from .

          “Aii, there is someone else with us,” Jin Kyung was surprised when her sight landed on Jong Hyun, but then she looked at Jong Hyun from head to toes with small smile on her face. She was not giving judging look, but she was more towards admiring his features which it made Jong Hyun uncomfortable.

          “Just like what they said. You are more handsome in person,”

          “Sorry?” asked Jong Hyun when he heard Jin Kyung whispered something underneath her breath.

          “Ah, nothing! I was just talking to myself. By the way, I’m Jin Kyung, Sung Joon’s sister,” Jin Kyung offered the handshake, and Jong Hyun was just being polite by accepting it. Now he believed that Sung Joon’s family had no idea about Ah Young’s past, and he was proud of Sung Joon for choosing to protect Ah Young. Jong Hyun also did not want to ruin Ah Young’s happiness because that was the last thing he would ever do to her.

          “It’s nice to meet you. By the way, I think I should leave now,” Jong Hyun glanced at the watch. Somehow he refused to look at Ah Young’s face because he did want to see how relieved she was after he said so. Probably she had wished him to go soon.

          “Jong Hyun, before you go home, will you come to our house for tea. I’m sure that Mi Na will be happy to see you,” Jong Hyun was taken aback by Mrs. Rose’s offer, and he could tell that Ah Young, Sung Joon and Jin Kyung also were surprised by Mrs. Rose’s invitation.

************

JONG HYUN stared at the huge family portrait on the wall of living room, and he could not deny that Ah Young was lucky to have such a beautiful family. This portrait reminded Jong Hyun to his family in Korea and how he missed them so badly.  Jong Hyun had accepted years ago that his family could not be fixed because they would end up hurting each other. He preferred to take all the blame rather than hurting them especially Bora.

          Somehow he could say that he was jealous of Ah Young. The happiness was so obvious until Jong Hyun could say that was the happiest smile of Ah Young that he had ever seen in his life. She was smiling happily beside Woo Bin, and Jin Kyung was next to Sung Joon. This picture probably was taken last year by since Mi Na looked around the age of four. 

          “Why young man? Suddenly missing home?” Jong Hyun looked at the side with a small smile on his face. He was not going to deny it because ever since he stepped inside this house and met Mr. Richard for the first time, this old man quickly showed his ability to read Jong Hyun’ mind.

         Jong Hyun hoped that Mr. Richard did not dig further down his mind because that old man probably would hate him if he found out that Jong Hyun was still in love with Ah Young. Jong Hyun recalled the conversation during tea time. Mi Na was too excited to see Jong Hyun until she pulled him to sit beside her. All the family members were here except Woo Bin because Mi Na said Woo Bin had gone out for date after he fetched her from kindergarten.

          “Uncle Jong Hyun, let me shows you my room after this,” Mi Na looked at Jong Hyun with big twinkling eyes, but it did not last long because Ah Young had said something that hinted Jong Hyun to leave this house right after he finished the foods.

          “Uncle Jong Hyun has something important to attend later. He has to leave early,” Jong Hyun noticed the disappointment in Mi Na’s face, but he could not blame Ah Young either. He knew she was uncomfortable with his presence, but he failed to turn down Mrs. Rose’s invitation when she kept insisting him to visit their place. 

          “I’m sorry Mi Na. Probably