Black Marion

15

The next morning, Alex woke to the front door closing gently. She blinked, drowsy in the warm, feverless comfort of Haneul's bed. She was alone again; that door was the sound of the doctor leaving for his clinic work. They had slept late last night and Haneul had insisted on taking the couch. Safer, he said. Alex hoped he had rested comfortably, for the hour on the table clock said he had certainly not rested long.

She spent the day picking the crumbs and scraps and hairs from the whole apartment floor, then wiping the oil and dirt from all the counters of the kitchen and the bathroom. When there was no more cleaning to be done, she returned to the books. Today it was only a thing to pass the time. The journal laid on the desk, vulnerable, but she'd lost the desire to rifle through its private pages since last night.

It was seven in the evening when Haneul came back. Alex was preparing a meal—she wasn't a very experienced cook, but there was a Korean cookbook in the kitchen that she could vaguely decipher with a dictionary. She was cleaning the stove when the lock clicked, causing her to knock the spatula off the counter in her sudden turn. She was still ducked beneath the counter when she heard an emphatic hum.

"You cooked dinner?"

"I'd be wary about the taste," said Alex. She gestured toward the book on the counter. "Tried to follow that. I'm not sure how well I translated the instructions."

Haneul gave her a strange look. Alex turned away, noticing the wrapped bundle of white chrysanthemums in the doctor's hand. He was carrying a paper bag in the other hand.

"What are the flowers for?" said Alex.

"I'll tell you after we eat. You need a hand?"

Alex hesitated. "Can you...would you try a bite of this? I can't tell if I've seasoned it correctly."

The doctor set away his things and walked over to the kitchenette. Alex handed him a clean spoon, feeling heat rise to her cheeks at that amused smile. A thoughtful bite later, the doctor gestured a hand. "Pass me the vinegar."

Alex looked through the cabinet. The bottle which smelled like vinegar was labelled with a piece of white tape and black scrawl, barely legible from the fading. "This?"

"Mm."

After a dose and a stir, Haneul tried a second bite. He offered another spoonful to Alex next.

"How's this?"

Alex took it. "Better," she said after the bite. She smiled a little. "A lot better, actually."

Haneul grinned in response.

Later, after dinner was done and the dishes cleared, the doctor handed Alex the flowers. He sent Alex to the sink to transfer the small bouquet into a tall water glass. Alex rinsed the roots and stray leaves gently, thinking that white was such a deliberate color. She had an unlikely suspicion even before she returned to the living space. There, Haneul had just finished setting up a small table in the corner clearing of the room. A frame sat atop the table, and within it, a still photograph.

Alex stopped just behind the doctor.

"Where did you get this?" she said softly.

"I have a friend," said Haneul. He stood up. "I also had her send a message to your father to let him know you're safe." He paused while Alex set the flowers down. "My family believes that our souls can't leave this world until we know our loved ones are at peace with our passing. I'm not presuming to know anything about you, of course, but I heard it was her funeral yesterday. I thought..." He scratched his head, then stepped back. "Well, I've got some work to wrap up downstairs. I'll be back later."