Guilt? Pity? Or Something Else
Guilt? Pity? Or Something Else
Chun-Ho smirked, amazed how quickly she adapted to the words of endearment. They weren't even a couple. Their status was very complicated.
His eyes followed her as she took her seat before he answered, "Almost a month."
He lied. They were supposed to leave the province, headed to the next, but now that he found his wife, he concluded to stay a bit longer.
"I see. So I will see you for a month," said Byeol. She wasn't sure what she will make out of seeing Chun-Ho for that long, but she appreciated having someone... someone she could talk to.
Savoring the aroma of the red pepper paste on the dish, Chun-Ho gulped. He moved in to quickly dig in. "If you don't mind, I tried to line up for this yesterday."
Surprised, her eyes widened and asked, "You did?"
"Yes, but I did not see you yesterday," revealed Chun-Ho after he put a generous amount of that red, saucy moksal kimchi dish on his plate.
Byeol watched as Chun-Ho ate hungrily at the food, giving compliments as he did, but after finishing his first round, he paused for a second and said, "Did you know how much I feared you were truly gone? I - I hated myself for not having agreed to you back then."
With a fainted smile on her face, she looked down and said, "Chun-Ho, you are really a good man. I may have been too impulsive in making you my husband, but I was right to conclude you are... you are indeed a good man."
Chun-Ho just stared into her charming eyes and studied her frame once more. He said, "You should also eat your own dishes, wife. You have lost weight since I last saw you."
She nearly cried as she served herself food that day. For the first time in months, she was eager to have dinner.
The two had a pleasant dinner, further covering how she managed to flee from her supposed accident. It was then that Chun-Ho learned that her driver gave her a helping hand.
He repeated probing about her plans, asking if she was sure she was ready to turn her back from a life of wealth and comfort. All she said was, "I want to be happy and free. Yes, no matter how many times you ask me, I don't want to go back to my father."
Before taking off from her apartment that evening, Chun-Ho kept reminding her to put a table against the door. He was worried about her safety even after she repeatedly told her the community was safe.
Chun-Ho returned to the hotel, shocking Lian and Ha-joon with his plans to remain in the province until the full month of his vacation.
"Wwwwhhyyyyy?" Both Lian and Ha-joon asked at the same time. All three of them were at the couple's living room, hearing his decision.
Scratching his head, Chun-Ho revealed, "I - I - "
"Don't lie to me, bro," warned Ha-joon.
Taking a deep breath, Chun-Ho stated, "Okay, but you have to promise you won't tell a soul."
"Of course! Who do you think we are? Chun-Ho, we are practically like brothers," reminded Ha-joon.
"I - I found... my wife," he said.
At first, the two were puzzled, but after some time, Lian asked, "You mean Byeol?"
"Yes. She is here in this province," revealed Chun-Ho.
Ha-joon and Lian did not know what to believe that they came with Chun-Ho the next day to the marketplace. Both were in awe, shocked and in disbelief, seeing Byeol in humble attire, carrying with her a huge bag containing two containers of kimchi.
"Remember, she is Xing," reminded Chun-Ho to both of them.
Byeol had not yet opened her stall, and she was equally caught off guard by the sight of Ha-joon and Lian arriving with Chun-Ho. She knew Chun-Ho would come to meet her there, but she did not expect to see his friends.
Chun-Ho walked up to Byeol and put his hands on her arms. He said, "Don't worry, I trust them with my life. They won't tell a soul."
Her heart was racing, and for a second, she merely froze. Soon enough, she weakly nodded and said, "I - I trust you."
She had no choice anyhow. She had decided to put her trust in Chun-Ho the other day. She followed her gut feeling, hoping she was right with her decision.
"Well... I suppose I will let you figure things out, Chun-Ho and... Miss Xing," said Lian. She looked back to Chun-Ho and clarified, "Are you sure you are not coming with us?"
"I'm positive," said Chun-Ho. He put an arm around Byeol's shoulders and said, "I'm going to stay with my wife for a while."
His words made Byeol turn crimson red while the two laughed at the assumption of their relationship, but they understood Byeol and Chun-Ho had a lot to talk about, so they let them be.
Leaving Chun-Ho behind in the province of Guangxi, Ha-joon and Lian took off for their next destination in China. It was only after the two went from the marketplace did Chun-Ho explained that he was meant to join them on a country tour but decided to stay and help her.
Stunned by his revelation, Byeol asked, "Why would you do that? Change your plans?"
"Because I want to help you," he told.
"Help me with what? I've already adjusted here!" She said.
"I don't know. I just want to help you. I missed helping you before and I." He put his hands on his waist and said, "I wanted to make up with you and help you now."
"I - I don't need your pity," she said before turning away and started to open up her stall.
Byeol was being grumpy as she opened the pull-up door of her stall when Chun-Ho said, "I don't know why I am doing what I am doing. Pity or not, I don't know exactly why I am staying!"
When she did not answer, he raised his voice. "Listen to me!" He grabbed her arm and said, "You have no idea how many months I've looked for you - how you, being presumed gone, ate me up!"
"You - you looked for me?" She asked with her voice breaking off.
"Nearly every day in the first four months of your accident! Every week after that!" He revealed.
"Byeol, I don't know if this is just guilt, pity, or... or maybe something else, but seeing you yesterday relieved me in waves I cannot understand." He gently put both his hands on her arms and asked, "Byeol, can I please... stay here with you and help you."
When she was still unresponsive, he said, "Besides, you already agreed to accompany me yesterday. And don't forget... you were the one who got me involved with you in the first place."
Byeol studied Chun-Ho and only saw the sincerity in his eyes. She blinked a few times until he spoke again, "Whether you like it or not, I am staying."
She was still undecided, but right at that very moment, a young boy came to her and told her assistant was not reporting for work that day. She will have to handle the stall all by herself, and she knew this was a pain.
She turned to Chun-Ho and awkwardly asked, "Can you... cook?"
Chun-Ho's mouth twitched and said, "I can... slice... and test taste."
"Huh." She shrugged and said, "That's good enough."