Bandaids & Punches ✔️

5. Strong but Fragile

April 16, 6:08 P.M.

A knock on the gate averts Minji's attention from her painting. She isn't expecting anyone at the time. 'I hope it's not who I think it is. Oppa said he already paid them.'

She puts down her brush and wipes her hands with the piece of cloth hanging off the easel. Minji always loved painting in the front yard, where the fresh air made her feel at ease. She steers her wheelchair closer to the gate and holds her breath. When the knocking doesn't cease, she asks in a meek voice, "who is it?"

"It's me, Kim Haneul."

"Oh, oppa's friend." She sighs in relief and unlocks the gate, smiling seeing a cheery Haneul. "He's not here."

"I know, I wanted to see how you were doing." Haneul grins, entering inside, eyes falling on Minji's incomplete painting. "What are you painting?" He asks closing in and squinting at the piece.

The girl plays with the ring on her finger, bowing her head flustered. "I'm trying to make a cityscape."

"I'd love to see the final work," Haneul says earning a slow nod from Minji. He follows her into the house. It has two bedrooms and a living room. The whole house is half of Haneul's apartment, albeit cozy and homey. He observes how the place has only necessities and he scans the living room. It has a black three-seater and a TV adjacent to it. The walls are covered in different paintings, probably the work of Minji. He places the snacks he bought on the table in front of him.

"I wasn't expecting you to visit us," Minji states, wheeling towards Haneul.

"Oh, am I intruding on something?" Haneul mentally facepalms, realizing it only now.

"No, no." The teenage girl laughs, bringing a hand over her mouth. "I was just surprised. It's nice to have a guest once in a while." She smiles, her eyes disappearing between her lids.

"How's everything, I mean with your brother?" Haneul asks giving a small stretch of his lips.

"Everything is alright, now I need to find a new activity for the time I used to spend at the street market." Minji replies, fiddling with her fingers. "Please don't judge my brother because of last time, he is the sweetest, just worried for me, that's all."

"Sweetest?" Haneul scoffs. "Yeah, right." He takes the packets and gives them to Minji. "I got these for you, I didn't know what you liked so I got whatever I thought was good."

"Oh, thank you! Don't worry about it, I'm not picky." She takes the packets and places them in the kitchen. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"Your brother will kill me if he sees me here."

Minji laughs and brings a glass of mango juice for Haneul. "How long has it been since you guys met?"

"About a few months, I guess."

"My brother is tough, no doubt. But he's also one of the kindest and caring people you'll ever know." Haneul notices the same glint in the girl's eyes when she talked about her brother at the street market.

"Oh, really?" Haneul can finally uncover 'secrets' about Ace. A sly smile kisses across his face as he rubs his hands together. "So, tell me more about him."

Minji giggles, intertwining her fingers together. "He already warned me about revealing anything to you. I'm sorry, I can't let you in on any details."

"Urgh!" The man groans, slapping a hand over his forehead. "Why is he so thorough? He even told the employees at the cafe the same thing."

"Well, he's a detective, he has to be thorough." The girl shrugs, proud of her brother.