Coming Back Home

Chapter 8

As soon as they entered the house, Yejin sprinted quickly to her bathroom. Bin followed quickly behind and sat on the floor beside her. He tried to do the little that he can to help her such as holding back her hair, stroking her back. When her retching stopped, he stood up to get a towel from the nearby cabinet. He's never felt as helpless around her.

He's always thought of himself as her protector since their paths crossed. For Bin, Yejin was such a gentle soul who didn't deserve to feel pain in any way. And so, slowly he found himself naturally caring for her, more so when she discovered what she was going through.

In reality, Bin had a crush on Yejin. However, he has always felt that she needed a friend more than a boyfriend. As months passed and Yejin opened up about her family, he realized how troubled she was. Yejin was unhappy at home and school was her refuge. She was a sensitive and kind and so, her father's words, even in his drunken state, wounded her.

During those times where she allowed herself to open up, she would pensively ask him out loud if he thought that she was a burden or that if he thought she can make something of herself. No amount of reassurance would make her truly believe in herself. Beyond the smile that she would later give him, he knew that she would bear the scars of her childhood for a long long time.

Bin just naturally became her number 1 friend, supporter and anything else that she needed him to be. The set up also proved to be a good fit as Bin cannot afford to be in a relationship. He barely had money left from the scholarship allowance to afford having dates, he didn't have enough time as this was spent either studying or training, and he also worked on weekends as a service crew in a coffee shop so he could somehow buy his personal needs without asking money from his parents.

So weekends became special for Bin. Even if he was working on both days, having Yejin around as she studied her books, sketched in her pad or wrote in her journal, was enough to put him in an extra good mood. Her spot by the corner of the cafe was a place he'd naturally just check on from time to time and where he'd sit for his half hour break. Of course they'd bicker and argue often, all in good nature. He loved teasing Yejin and he always looked forward to her come back.

"Jinnie, I bet you 2 bowls of tteokbokki that you can't last the whole afternoon without needing help from me." Bin said one afternoon as he joined her in her booth.

"Who do you think you are Bin? Of course, I can! I lived 15 years without you remember?" She challenged him back, half her attention on the trigonometry problem she was doing advanced exercises on.

"Okay, starting right this minute, you can't ask any favors from me. Deal?"

"Deal!!! " Yejin replied in a loud voice, after which he could hear her whispering, "Such a big ego!"

Before he stood up, he took out a live lizard which he kept in matchbox and carefully placed in on top of her open book. Yejin shrieked, ran around to the other side of the table behind him and tugged at his clothes.

"Bin, get it out there please!!!!" Yejin pleaded as she pushed and pulled his shirt.

"Say that again?" He teased back.

"Please please...get that thing out of my book!!! You win okay? I'll buy 2 tteokbokki, even 10 tteokbokkis. Just get that slimy thing out of here.."

And in one swift motion, Bin calmly held it between his fingers and placed it in the plantbox outside the cafe door.

"YOU!!!!! That doesn't count! Cheat!" Bin couldn't help but laugh as he was happy that he was able to pull a prank on her this time around. He won a bowl of tteokboki. The second and third bowl was claimed by Yejin who told him, he only deserved one bowl anyway. He didn't mind because he got to spend more time with this person who was slowly becoming someone important in his life.

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It was a tough week to say the least. Mornings were spent helping prepare the kids for school then it was off to the hospital (that week she needed to have consecutive treatment) until after lunch, then caring for Yejin as they reached home and helping her rest and settle down, check his correspondence for a while and then preparing for dinner before the kids get home. It was so busy that he had to reach out to his mother, who was very eager to drop off cooked dinner for a week and all the other side dishes they would need. After all, his parents have always considered Yejin their own and have in fact told him that they will never accept anyone else if he remarries. This is the reason why he never introduced Sora to his family.

One evening, Bin found himself alone in his makeshift room. He was just done checking on Yejin, who had to be forced to sip soup and crackers. She insisted that she was fine and for him to finally take a rest. He's cleaned up and has been waiting for sleep to come but half of his mind was still unable to relax. Of course he expected that it wouldn't be a walk in the park but witnessing what Yejin has been going through now and knowing how it has been for her the past months caused him to feel mixed emotions.

Feeling restless, he went back up to check on Yejin and the kids. He knocked on the Mi Cha's door and heard soft music coming from the room. At 14, Mi Cha has started to demand that her parents respect her privacy and so barging in unannounced will surely be an issue. She must be sleeping now, he thought, for her daughter would usually listen to music to fall asleep. He then opened his younger son's room and saw a light coming from under the blanket. He reminded his son that it was a school day tomorrow and he needed to sleep. Joon, who was such an obedient boy, mumbled sorry and kissed his dad on the cheek.

He then softly made his way to Yejin's room and gently announced he was coming in to ask if she needed any help. Yejin wasn't in bed and there were some movement in the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar and he saw her silhouette.

"Bin? Is that you?"

"You need anything?"

"Can you hand me over my clothes? It's by the bed."

He picked the pile of clothes, what seemed like a silk pajamas and underwear. He suddenly remembered that Yejin always liked to have luxurious underwear. It was one of the quirks he found amusing and .. of course, he was still a man and loved that sensual part of her.

Suddenly feeling guilty about where his mind was starting to stray, he reluctantly handed the clothes over to Yejin through the gap in the door, avoiding directly looking at her.

"Here.." He said, clearing his throat, obviously uneasy.

"Can you place it by the counter?" She asked. "I'm just too tired to move right now. I can't even do proper skin care."

Bin had no choice but to enter the bathroom as he placed the clothes where she wanted it. He saw Yejin wrapped in a towel, sarong style, her hair wet from the shower.

Unable to help himself, he grabbed a large toothed comb and started to run it over Yejin's hair...something he used to do for her. His eyes ran over her hair down her shoulders and her spine which were more prominent now. He missed this. This familiarity and trust that he had with her. They've had years where they fit each other like a puzzle. Two people from different worlds, whose hearts beat in perfect sync.

He looked up and caught her staring at him in the mirror. Bin cleared his throat and asked, "How are you feeling Jinnie?"

"I'm fine.... I missed this." Referring to Bin combing her hair. "I missed us."

She then continued. "I'm not implying or expecting anything Bin. Let me make that clear. It's just that the past weeks, I've been remembering how we have been such good friends before...before things became complicated."

"We were so great together right? I think those years really saved me after the divorce. I always knew we could have that again even if I destroyed our marriage. There was no doubt on my mind that I could find myself again....". Bin said stopping what he was doing and resting his hand on her shoulders.

"Gomawo.  For taking care of me and the kids and the house...." Yejin said as she placed her hand on top of his. "I'm scared that I might get used to having a butler around."  She started laughing, giving him the eye smile that always got to him.  

Leave it to Yejin to lighten the moment. Bin thought smiling. He knew that she might not be ready to hear what he honestly feels. He is also aware that he has some complications he would need to take care of before really considering what he has tried to silence in his heart.