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Chapter 6: Pursued – October 30 – November 4, 2020

When Yura came through the door that evening, her feet burning from her long day waitressing, Minhyuk came running out to her.  

“Eomma!  Eomma!  Look at my new shirt and pants!”  He spun around, giving her an excellent view of his bright blue shirt and crisp jeans.

His expensive clothes.  Not his usual attire.  She didn’t have money for fancy clothes.  She shopped at thrift stores.  For them both.

But her son wasn’t done.  

“And my new shoes!”  He pulled a pair of pristine sneakers out of the box.  “They have Pororo on them!  See!?”  He was jumping up and down in his excitement.

She beamed at him because he was so happy.  “Looking good, little man!” Her teeth even showed, she was grinning so hard.  “Where did you get these new clothes?  And shoes?”  

She was staring at them.  Not a single hole in that pair of shoes.   Not even a worn spot.  They were clearly brand new.  Her heart released a pang for all the things she wasn’t able to give her son.

“Mr. Jin.  We stopped at a store on the way to school.”  He frowned.  “I still had to wear my uniform to school.”  His eyes lit up then.  “But after school, Auntie Minsu let me change into them.”

He was still bouncing up and down.

Minsu came towards her then with a gigantic grin on her face.  “That’s not all.”

Staring at her suspiciously, Yura responded, “What do you mean?”

“They were delivered an hour ago.”  

Yura’s gaze followed the path indicated by Minsu’s index finger.

More than a dozen variegated, pink roses in a crystal vase graced her tiny kitchen table.  The one that was the worse for wear.  She stared in awe at that bouquet as the years rolled away.

It was her sixteenth birthday.  Jin had been determined to make it special for her.  He’d taken her out for dinner at a very expensive restaurant.  She’d asked him how he could afford such a place.  

He’d sent her a tiny smile and replied, “Maybe Appa helped me just a little.”

As they’d been seated at a table for two, she’d noticed the beautiful bouquet of pink roses on the tabletop.  A full dozen.  It seemed a bit extravagant.  Even for this restaurant.  

She’d glanced around at the other tables.  Each table boasted a tiny vase holding one rose.  Her eyes slid back to the bouquet on their table.  Jin had been watching her.  He smiled.

“Those are for you.  When we leave, you can take them with you.”

Her eyes had met his then, and something warm had slid between them.  He’d smiled crookedly at her.

“I bought pink ones because I want to save the red ones for our first wedding anniversary.  I hope that’s okay.  My love is still passionate and undying.  I just thought that pink was more appropriate for celebrating your birthday.”

She hadn’t known what to say, so she’d just smiled at him.

Now she walked to the table and counted the roses.  

Seventeen?

Then, she noticed the note.  She picked it up, and her eyes scanned it.

“A dozen roses for a very special woman.  And an extra one for every birthday I missed.”  

She closed her eyes.  But she could still feel the tears building.

“What happened last night?” Minsu asked.  When she didn’t respond, her friend elucidated, “Between the two of you?”

“Nothing,” she murmured.  

Except we slept together.  

In the same bed.  Just sleep.  Nothing else.  Not so much as the brush of his lips across hers.

So why did she feel like they’d been more intimate than she’d ever been with Seungbin?

—

She was so thankful that the next day was Saturday.  Yura wouldn’t have to work at avoiding Jin since Minhyuk had no school on Saturday.  However, she found Jin more difficult to escape than she’d anticipated.  When she arrived at home that night, a new kitchen table was awaiting her. 

It was lovely.  With foldable sides, so she could make it bigger or smaller depending on her preference.  It was constructed of a sturdy and pretty maple.  Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at it.

A ripple surfaced.

She and Jin had visited a furniture store once with her eomma when they’d been freshmen in high school.  They’d perused the whole store while her eomma had followed the salesman around.  Yura had seen a little kitchen table she’d just loved.  She had set her hands down on it and leaned forward.

“This one, Jin.  This is the one I want.”

He’d laughed.  “For our house?”

She’d nodded definitively as she’d pulled a chair up to the table before sitting down in it.  Then she’d leaned her elbows on the table and grinned up at him.

His eyes had traveled to a different table a few feet away.  A more expensive table.  He’d gestured at it.  “You wouldn’t prefer that table?  It’s oak.”

She’d shaken her head vociferously.  “No, Jin.  I prefer maple.”

Now, Yura gazed down at her new table.  She ran a hand along its top.  It was almost the twin of the table she’d picked out eight years ago.  Had Jin remembered?  Or was this just a coincidence?

—

He’d remembered.  

The next night she stumbled through the door in time for dinner.  At her new kitchen table.  Where she could sit in one of her four new chairs.  They matched the table.  And were also nearly identical to the chair she had sat in at that table as a fourteen-year-old.

—

She made an excuse so Minsu would take Minhyuk to school the next day.  Yura might have evaded him in the morning, but she couldn’t outrun his kindness.  The man was committed to pursuing her.  She was greeted by another surprise when she arrived home after work.  

This one was too big to ignore.  Jin had bought her a couch.  A nice one.  And, like her son’s new shoes, it had no holes in it.

This couch was navy blue with stiff cushions.  Nothing that would swallow Minhyuk alive.  Her son wouldn’t get lost in this sensible couch.  And if she wanted to nap on it, it would support her frame well.  She leaned down and pressed her hand into a cushion.  Just the right amount of pushback.  

She plopped her bottom down on it and leaned back.  Her eyes fluttered shut.  As she enjoyed its comforting hold – her old couch had always made her back ache – another memory surfaced.  The same shopping trip.  She and Jin had thrown themselves against several couches that day.  They had sat on the last one for a long time.

“Do you like it?” Jin had queried.

She’d grinned at him.  “I love it!”

“It’s your favorite color,” he’d mused as his hand slid over the dark blue fabric.

“And it’s firm enough,” she’d added.  “I hate couches that swallow you whole.”

He’d smiled at her and reached for her hand.  “I’ll remember, and when we’re all grown up and preparing to marry, I’ll buy you a couch just like this one.”

She’d squeezed his hand and given him a tiny smile as she’d anticipated the day she would finally be his.

Now she shook her head to dispel the memory.  She wasn’t Jin’s.  She had never become his.  Much as they both might wish she’d made a difference choice.

“Where’s the old couch, Minsu?”

“Jin and his friend took it away.”

Exasperated, Yura glared at her friend.  “Why do you keep letting him in?”

Minsu stared at her like she’d just sprouted another head.  “You’re kidding, right?”  A pregnant pause filled the space between them.  “The man is wooing you.  It’s about time someone did!  I can’t wait to see what he brings next!”

A pained expression flooded Yura’s face.  She spun around and took in her new couch, dining table, and chairs.  She threw her hand out.  “But I don’t deserve any of this!”

“Well, clearly, Jin thinks you do.”  Minsu frowned at Yura.  “The man is head over heels in love with you!  When are you going to give in to him?”

Yura shook her head.  “I can’t.  I’m no good for him.”

“Stop it!  Stop talking about my best friend like that.  You are not a horrible person!  I know you broke his heart once by leaving him, but you learned your lesson.  Can’t you see that you’re breaking his heart again by refusing him?”

Yura sighed.  She didn’t want to break Jin’s heart.  She was trying to protect it.

She glanced at the table and chairs again before sliding her hand across the couch cushion.

Was Jin going to fill her apartment with memories of himself?  Of the two of them together?  Until she couldn’t take it anymore?

—

She’d evaded him again.  Sending Minsu in her place.  She could run, but she couldn’t hide forever.  He knew where she lived, and he was determined to fill it with beauty.

Would tonight’s surprise be enough to warrant a visit from her tomorrow?

—

“Eommmmma!” screamed Minhyuk as she came through the door on Tuesday evening.  “Look what Mr. Jin brought us!”  

He grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the living room.  Where she skidded to a sudden stop.  So she could stare at the brand new, flat-screen television.  All fifty-six inches of it.

“What on earth is that ridiculous man thinking?  I don’t need a TV like that!”

“He wasn’t thinking of you.  He was thinking of your son.  It came with a television service including a DVR.  So now Minhyuk has lots of – and I quote – ‘quality television programming to watch.’” Minsu smirked at her.

Yura sighed.  She gazed at the television set.  It was a thing of beauty. At least to Minhyuk anyway.    He was enraptured by the program he was watching in high definition.  But it was the little beauty sitting on their new couch, the tiny guy with the beautiful grin, that was filling her heart with such joy.

Jin must know that the way to a girl’s heart was through her son.

—

She was sure of it the next day when Minhyuk came home with a brand new winter coat.  She almost cried with relief.  It was starting to get cold out.  She hadn’t had time to go shopping for one, and the last time she’d checked the thrift store, they hadn’t had one in his size.  Or the next size up.

Still, she was going to have to put a stop to Jin.  Wasn’t she?  

But as she watched the grin on her son’s face grow wider all night long, she realized that she hadn’t seen him this happy.  Ever.   She cried herself to sleep that night.  Because Jin was uncovering all the places she’d failed her son.  She had always known she was failing him, and it had broken her heart repeatedly.  But seeing him so happy now broke her heart in a new way.  

Because she knew it couldn’t last.

Not if she was going to keep denying Jin his heart’s desire.

—

She was still hiding from him.  It wasn’t any fun to buy presents for a girl and not get to see her reaction.  But, surely, the fact that she was hiding from him was evidence enough that he was having an impact on her.  So he would press on.  He would prove to her that he remembered.  Everything.

And that he still cherished those memories in his heart.

—

The next night, she was so exhausted when she unlocked her apartment door that she stumbled across the threshold.  She hadn’t slept well the night before.  Crying herself to sleep was always a bad idea.  She’d ended up with a headache and a stuffy nose.  Which had made it impossible to breathe.  She hated breathing through her mouth.  

So she’d had to crawl from bed and take a hot shower.  Until her sinuses had opened again.  It had been after two in the morning before she’d finally fallen asleep.  Now she just wanted to fall into bed and sleep the night away.  She didn’t even care about eating dinner.

As she swung the door open, her tiny boy met her with a big grin.

“Eomma!  Mr. Jin brought you a big present today!”  He had said “big” in the funniest way, like the word itself was growing.  

She smiled at him, but she was almost afraid to set foot in her apartment.  What on earth had Jin done now?

Minhyuk grabbed her hand and tugged her towards her bedroom.  He pulled her through the door, but there wasn’t much room to move around.  Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she stared at the king-sized bed that was now hogging nearly all four corners of the tiny room.   How had he even gotten it through the doorway?

Minhyuk let go of her and ran over to jump up on her bed.  Then he started bouncing.  

“It’s so fun to jump on, Eomma!”

It was made.  Jin hadn’t just bought her a mattress and a box spring.  He’d also bought a set of sheets, pillowcases, and a comforter.  And presumably washed and dried them all.  But it was the comforter that got her.

She flashed back to their junior year.  They’d been studying at his house.  He had suddenly glanced at her and grinned.

“My parents bought a new bed yesterday.”

She hadn’t even looked up from her homework.  “That’s great,” she’d mumbled without enthusiasm.

“It’s a king.”

This comment had made her glance at him.  “A king-sized bed?”

He’d nodded.  

“What on earth do they need with a king-sized bed?”

He’d jumped up and grabbed her hand, tugging her up out of her chair. “Come on!  I wanna show you!”

He’d pulled her down the hall towards his parents’ bedroom.  It had felt weird to enter their private domain.  Then, stranger still to lie on their bed.  But Jin had stretched out on it and patted the area next to him.  That half of the bed seemed to go on forever.

“Come on.  Lay down.  For just a second,” he’d coaxed her as she’d stood staring dubiously down at him.

He’d reached his hand out towards her.  And she’d given in to him.  She’d lain down next to him and thrown her hand out to the side.

“There’s so much room!” she’d breathed.

Then she’d turned her head to face him.  He had also pivoted his head towards her.  They had smiled into each other’s eyes for a little while.  Suddenly, she’d gotten a mischievous smile on her face.

“I want one.  When we have a couple kids.  So we can all snuggle in bed together.”

He had instantly loved the idea.  He’d been so moved by the thought that he’d slid his arm around her and pulled her up close to him.  He’d bent his head and kissed her longingly on her lips.  Taking his time.  She’d begun to melt into that bed.  

But about the time she was going to put a stop to his kiss, he’d pulled away and jumped off the bed. “Come on.  We don’t want to start working on those babies yet!”

She’d looked at him for a moment.  “Don’t we?” she’d wanted to say.  

But she had followed wisdom too.  Right now, she was wishing she hadn’t.  If she’d gotten pregnant with Jin’s baby, she wouldn’t have ever married Seungbin.  She would have entered into the fairy tale with Jin.  Wouldn’t she?  But she also wouldn’t have her precious, little Minhyuk.  

She sighed.  Was everything in life a trade-off?

She remembered her parting comment that day as they’d left his parents room.   “Oh!  Jin, I know exactly what I want on the comforter!”

He’d glanced at her quizzically.  “What?”

“Rainbows.  I want a comforter covered in rainbows.  And not the fake kind with six colors.  I want the real deal.  The rainbows that include indigo.”

She stared down in wonder at the comforter on her new bed.  It was covered in rainbows.  With all seven colors.  And they looked so inviting.

She was too tired to dissemble.  Too exhausted to call Jin and tell him she didn’t have room in her bedroom for a huge king bed.  Instead, she pulled back the covers and fell face first into that blissful bed.  Then, she mumbled a few words to Minhyuk before she fell asleep.

“Baby, get ready for bed.  You get to come snuggle with Eomma tonight.”