Moon Sunhee, an economics and social science major returns back to her hometown after failing miserably to find a decent job in Seoul.
The thing that she regrets the most is wasting all of her teenage years chasing her crush, Kim Sunoo but unfortun...
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With a sniffle, I glanced out the window to see darkness descending in the sky, but I shook my head and gazed down at my reflection in the marble floor as I mopped it. My hair was pulled back into a messy bun, but still stray strands of hair framed my puffed eyes, and my cheeks were tinted crimson. I coughed again, wiping my nose with my sleeve. Ah, the cold is getting better of me as the day wears on but I still have chores to complete before going to bed.
When I felt a slight tap on my shoulder, I pulled the mop close for support and turned behind slowly, knowing that it was no one else but Sunoo.
"Yes?" My voice was muffled by my stuffy nose as I sniffed. Sunoo squinted his eyes and gazed at me for a moment before speaking.
"Uh, you okay?" He asked, his eyes reflecting a sense of deep concern and hesitation. I nodded subtly, letting my gaze fall downward as I could feel a sudden flush rising up to my cheeks.
He held my gaze, his lips parted but soon he shook his head and made his way towards the couch. I closely watched him when he sank into the soft cushions, his movements visibly weighted down by deep thoughts.
"When you... first arrived," he began hesitantly, his voice low and heavy, "did you find any framed photographs in the room I've been staying in?"
His sudden question felt out of place but the deep emotions swirling in his eyes made me set aside my initial doubts. "Photo frames?" I repeated to myself, pondering his words. "No, there weren't any. But ah...yes, I found shattered glasses of such frames. I still remember how they pierced into my skin while I was cleaning."
My response brought back the hollowness of his eyes as a monotonous chuckle, carrying unspoken hurt, could be barely heard slipping away from his lips. "So, they even broke the family photo frames, huh?..." He whispered, his voice a mere breath as he slowly rose from the couch.
I blinked, gazing at him as he stood there quietly. His words, his silence and his blank eyes were all a faint attempt to mask the quiet struggle. I understood that he was hurting from inside but instead of asking questions or offering words of comfort, I chose to remain silent and let him have his space to untangle his own emotions alone. People heal better when they admit what they're hurting about.
The realization of a presence close to me broke the line of my thoughts as I looked up to see Sunoo standing before me, his eyes instantly locking into mine. My breath hitched as he leaned closer and gently took the mop from my grasp, making his hand brush against mine.
He stood the mop next to the wall and faced me once again. "You can clean later, you seem unwell, and don't worry about the dinner. I'll just order something healthy for both of us." He spoke softly, quickening my heartbeat. "And," his fingers found thier way to my hand, cradling it in his own hand. "Have you healed from the wounds of that shattered frame? I don't want anyone else to carry the scars of broken things life long."
We stayed like that for a moment, my hand in his, and our eyes looking into each other's. "Thank you..." He mumbled, letting go of my hand as the warmth of his touch faded. He gave me a small reassuring nod before disappearing upstairs.
I breathed out heavily as I was left alone. I placed my palm over my chest, feeling my heart thumping against the ribcage, "we can't fall in love again, stupid heart. Can we?"
Cold night breeze swept in through the open windows, sending tingling shivers down my spine. I quickly hugged myself and went to close the window blinds, shutting out the gusty wind. When I returned, I wrapped myself in the plush blanket. Another tiny sniffle broke free from my nose as I found myself closing my eyes and snuggling deeper into the warm embrace of the coziness. My mind was completely at peace, with no other thoughts rising within me as I quickly drifted into deep slumber.
It felt like only a few minutes had passed when someone began to gently shake me by my shoulders. I groaned and opened my eyes, my gaze flickering.
"Ah-!" I let out a startled yelp, finding Sunoo's face hovering above me. My hands instinctively shot to push him away and I scrambled backward on the couch, my heart racing like it could burst any moment.
Sunoo jumped back, his eyes widening in surprise. He exhaled a shaky breath and held up his hands, with some plastic containers. "Uh, I'm sorry if I scared you... I just came to wake you up to have the dinner I ordered." He whispered, awkwardly gazing at his outstretched hands.
"S-sorry," I stuttered, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "I didn't... uhm, you know what? Let's just eat." I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep as I unwrapped myself from the blankets and started to walk towards the dining table.
He followed me with a nod, chucking softly, the warm and soothing sound hanging in the air like a gentle mist, slowly allowing me to calm down.
We sat together in silence, savouring our meal. The gentle steam rising from the hot soup and the soft clinking of chopsticks against the bowl created a sense of serenity, as if time had ceased, allowing us to indulge in the warmth and flavours of the moment.
"There's milk in the fridge, right?" Sunoo asked, getting up as he wiped his lips with a tissue.
I nodded, also getting up. I followed him and soon we both came out of the kitchen holding bowls of warm milk as we made our way towards the doorstep.
Sunoo crouched down on the floor and set the bowls before the group of puppies. I couldn't help but smile softly noticing how he gazed so loving at them. It was a hint to real him returning after all.
"Have you named these puppies anything yet?" He asked in a gentle whisper, interrupting my thoughts.
I shook my head slowly and looked at him, my gaze falling upon his shining eyes. "But we can name them now," I responded softly, still staring into his eyes.
He hummed quietly and spoke, "then let's name this brown one 'Ma', this orange one, 'Pa' and this smallest one, 'Sun'.
"Why?" I asked, chuckling.
"Because... they seem to love each other a lot, and it somehow comforts me." He smiled bitterly.
"Alright, but what about this black one?" I changed the topic, trying to lift up his mood as I could sense the lingering sadness buried in his eyes.
"Oh, this one?" He pointed at the puppy, "Uhm... how about 'Hee'? 'Hee' for -Sunhee." He locked his eyes with me, and I felt my stomach fill up with awfully familiar old butterflies.
But our sweet moment was abruptly broken when a shrill noise pierced through the air.
"A-ah, that's my phone..." I mumbled and quickly ran inside.
"Sunhee-Ya," Halmeoni's soft voice rang in my ear when I picked up the call, "Sunoo is hurt. He went to that place because it used to be his home. Please remind him that it's still his home."
