mingyu arrives at the usual restaurant where he and areum would satisfy their kimbap obsessions.
"ahjumma, 3 rolls of bulgogi kimbap," mingyu says, grinning at the grandma who's already prepping kimbap for other orders.
"oh mingoo, where's areum?" the grandma asks, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.
mingyu beams at the nickname. it's what areum has called him since they were little. his little sister always struggled with pronouncing mingyu's name, and since they're often around this restaurant, the owner has always laughed and called mingyu "mingoo" instead.
"areum's at home. we just finish running around the park," mingyu replies.
"bring her here next time, okay? halmeoni will make her favourite dish, hehe," the grandma says with a warm smile.
mingyu playfully pouts. "what about me?"
"aigooo, our mingoo, i'll make you some as well," she promises, approaching him and pats the tall giant affectionately on the arm.
—
as mingyu collects his kimbap, he accidentally bumps into a man who's about to enter the restaurant as mingyu is stepping out.
"oh, sorry," the man says, looking slightly flustered.
that sounds familiar, mingyu thinks, frowning slightly. the man's wearing a face mask, making it difficult to see his face.
letting the man pass, mingyu lingers outside and peers through the door frame. the man's skimming through the menu when he finally pulls off his face mask.
mingyu's eyes widen, and his jaw drops in shock. "seungcheol?" he breathes out, barely able to believe his eyes.
mingyu takes a step back, his mind whirling as he tries to make sense of the scene before him. his heart races, and he blinks rapidly, rubbing his eyes as if to dispel a hallucination. but seungcheol is still there, standing inside the restaurant.
"i thought you were dead," mingyu thinks, his stomach churning with a mix of shock and disbelief.
part of him is overwhelmed with the urge to rush over and confront seungcheol, while another part of him fears disturbing what's left of his sister's fragile world. he remembers the history between seungcheol and areum, especially after he went overseas.
areum used to pour out her frustrations to mingyu about how their parents would argue or try to separate seungcheol and areum. but as her wedding day drew near, her complaints were replaced with joyful anticipation. she wouldn't stop talking about her wedding plans and even video-called mingyu to show off her wedding dress.
mingyu had initially planned to be in seoul for the wedding, but his final exams forced him to promise areum he'd return a week later.
that promise was made on the day the newlyweds were in a car crash.
when mingyu finally got back, seungcheol was nowhere to be found—only areum was there, lost and injured. his parents told him seungcheol was no longer around, leaving mingyu with unanswered questions. could seungcheol have been moved to a different hospital? or had he passed away? mingyu's thoughts are a tangled mess of hope and despair.
his parents had advised against mentioning the wedding day or anything in relevance to seungcheol, suggesting it could hinder areum's recovery. mingyu had reluctantly accepted this, though it seemed odd to him that such a reason might affect areum's healing, however he chose to focus on helping his sister through her difficult times. yet, seeing seungcheol now, mingyu's emotions are a storm of confusion and dread.
"oh, you're home!!"
mingyu snaps back to reality when he hears areum's cheerful voice. he finds himself standing in the front yard, where areum sits on the porch with their dog, bobpul.
his heart pounds as he struggles to regain a semblance of normalcy. "oh yes, uh, here's the kimbap," he says, handing it to her, areum's eyes light up with excitement as she takes the kimbap.
"when are eomma and appa coming back from work?" mingyu asks.
"umm, i don't know. i think eomma will be home soon, but appa... probably late tonight," areum replies. "why?" she adds, looking at him with curiosity.
mingyu forces a smile, trying to mask the storm of emotions roiling inside him. "nothing, just wondering, hehe. come on, let's eat," he says, attempting to sound as casual as possible, even though every word feels like a struggle as he tries to act as if he hadn't just seen areum's husband standing in front of him.
——
"i recently joined a book club," areum says, her voice bright as she stuffs another piece of kimbap into her mouth.
mingyu raises an eyebrow, puzzled. "what gives?" he asks, genuinely surprised. he's never seen areum read much, let alone lift a book.
it seems completely out of character.
"i don't know, just wanted to try something new," areum replies with a shrug, though there's a deeper reason behind her words.
in reality, her decision to join the book club is rooted in a vivid and unsettling dream she had.
it was not really a dream but a part of her memory, as it happens when she was fully conscious and the memory accompanied by a sharp, familiar stinging pain in her head.
moving on,,in the dream, a blue book titled 'memories of the past' stood out clearly against a backdrop of hazy, indistinguishable images, as if she were watching through a foggy lens.
curious and somewhat disturbed, she bought the book and read the back cover. it told the story of a lover connecting across time, a theme that resonated with her in ways she couldn't fully understand. she hoped that immersing herself in the book and the book club would help her make sense of the dream and the tangled emotions she's been feeling.
"when is it? do you need a lift?" mingyu asks, his concern evident in his tone, knowing how it has been so long since areum has been out, even if she wants to go out, she would drag mingyu here and there.
"umm laterr and no. i can take the bus and it's at a newly opened garden café nearby" areum says, trying to sound casual but failing to hide the faint edge of anxiety in her voice, she hates using the public transport, not because of anything but generally because of being in the same space as other strangers gives her anxiety.
mingyu notices the subtle tremor in her hands and the distant look in her eyes. "if you're sure," he says, his concern growing. "but if you need anything, just let me know."
areum smiles gratefully, her eyes reflecting a mixture of relief and unease. "thanks, mingyu. i'll be okay," she says, though the uncertainty in her voice betrays her inner conflicts.
