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Chapter 18: Lost and Found: A Daughter and a Granddaughter – November 23, 2024

The next morning, Myeong waited until Haewon had come to his apartment before he returned Naru’s phone call.  When Naru picked up the call, Myeong made an excuse to head to the corner market.  He didn’t want his daughter overhearing this conversation.  Then he arranged to meet with Naru an hour later.  Myeong returned to his apartment and told Dahui that Mrs. Wang was going to babysit her while he ran an errand.  His daughter was, of course, delighted.

Her eyes lit up as they careened into Haewon’s.  “Can we watch another movie?”

“Sure, sweetie.”

He saw them settled on the couch together before he headed out again.  As he was closing the door, he paused.  Dahui’s head had come to rest against Haewon’s shoulder.   Surprised, the woman turned to look down at the little girl.  He watched an expression of such affection cross Haewon’s face as she gazed at his daughter that he found himself momentarily breathless.  And a deep ache spiraled up out of his heart. 

—

Myeong had agreed to meet Naru at a coffeehouse a few blocks from his apartment.  He drove all the way there with several scenarios playing out in his mind.  He finally turned on some music to drawn the voices in his head.  He hoped he was making the right decision today.  For Dahui.

The bell over the door began to ring as he entered the café a few minutes later.  He glanced around but didn’t see the man in question.  Myeong walked up to the counter and ordered an espresso.  He collected it and found a seat at a table in the back corner.  He tapped his foot nervously as he waited for Naru to arrive.  Several minutes passed before he glanced up at the sound of the jingling bell and his gaze connected with that of his quarry.

Recognizing Naru from his online pictures, Myeong waved a hand at him to get his attention.  Myeong watched the man’s eyebrows challenge his hairline before he made a beeline for Myeong.  Naru came to a stop several feet from Myeong.

“I’m Beom Naru.”

Myeong stood up.  “I’m Kang Myeong.”

The two men shook hands, then Myeong invited Naru to have a seat.  They spent several seconds sizing each other up.  Myeong was impressed with what he saw.  Naru had a steady gaze.  And his face was not unsympathetic.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me today.  Before I speak to my eomma, I wanted to make sure that I had found the right family.  And that you are comfortable with meeting her.  I don’t want to get her hopes up only to crush them.  She’s going to be devastated enough to learn that her daughter died.”

A spasm rippled across Myeong’s face.

“If you are willing to have one performed, we could have a genetic test done.  I could take one as well as your daughter.  They would be able to determine if we’re related.  If it comes back negative, we don’t have to tell either of them about the other.”

Myeong’s eyes studied the younger man for several moments.  “Tell me about yourself.” 

Naru didn’t know it, but his next words would determine whether or not Myeong would let his daughter have anything to do with this unknown family.

“I’m a husband.  And an appa.  To a precious girl that I adopted as my own.  Ajin is the light of my life.  Well, one of them anyway.”  Naru beamed as his thoughts turned inward for a moment.  “The other little light in my life was born two and a half years ago to the love of my life, Minha.”  He glanced up at Myeong.  “My wife.  The third light in my life.”

“I wondered if you’d speak of all your business successes.  But you speak of your family.”

“Anyone can make money.  I was very blessed to find my wife.  She changed my life.”

“How so?”

“I was going down a bad path when I met her.  Women and wine.  Whiling my days away doing stupid things.  Not giving any part of my life my all.  Then I met my nephew’s preschool teacher.  I was smitten from the first glance.  But I soon discovered the secret she was hiding.  Her beautiful treasure.”  His lips quirked upward as he paused.

“Her beautiful treasure?” Myeong echoed, uncomprehending.

Naru met his gaze again as he nodded.  “Mmhmm.  Ajin.  Her name means beautiful treasure.  And she was Minha’s.  I think, really, that I fell in love with her daughter first.  She was – and still is – such a little darling.  One look at her and my heart was taken.  I still cannot understand how any man could walk away from that little girl.  Especially not her own appa. 

“Minha got pregnant her sophomore year in college by a jerk that left her to raise Ajin alone.  Minha persevered, kept her daughter, finished college, and found a job as a teacher.  She’s a remarkable woman.  I never deserved her, but she loved me anyway. 

“And Ajin,” again that secret smile appeared on his face, “she loved me from the beginning, I think.  Ajin was four years old when I first met her.  It took me a few minutes to realize that she was Minha’s daughter.  I was shocked.  In typical fashion, I had just been pursuing a beautiful woman.  Until that moment, I hadn’t realized she was someone’s eomma.  It drew me up short.  Made me see her as something more than just another woman to warm my bed.”  Naru stopped speaking.

“Your family is your life now, I take it?” Myeong asked.

Naru’s eyes locked with his.  “Yes.  I would do anything for them.”

“And for your eomma?”

“Minha and Ajin are the reason I have such a good relationship with my eomma now.”

“How’s that?”

“It was through them that I learned of my eomma’s past.  Of her firstborn daughter.  When Eomma saw how much I loved them, she found the courage to tell me about the baby she gave up for adoption.”

Myeong nodded.  “And you’re hoping my daughter is your niece.”

“Very much so.”

Myeong could see the hope burning in the other man’s eyes.  “If she is your niece, what do you expect from her?”

Surprised, Naru tossed his eyebrows up in the air.  “Nothing.  I mean, we just want to be her family.  Invite you both to family affairs.  Dinners.  Outings.  Spend time getting to know her.”

“And, if there were three of us, would my wife also be welcome?”

“Your wife?”  Naru paused.  “The investigator didn’t say anything about a wife.  But I suppose I should have figured…it has been ten years…”

“I don’t have a wife right now.  But I am seeing a wonderful woman who I have hope might one day…”

Naru grinned at him.  “That’s great!  I hope it works out.  I don’t like to think of my niece growing up without an eomma…”  He winced.

Myeong found himself liking this man.

“It must have been so hard. Raising her alone.”

“She’s easy to love.”

“Of course!” Naru ejaculated.  “I didn’t mean…”

“I know you didn’t.  You’re right.  It hasn’t been easy.  Not for either one of us.  But I’m hoping Haewon is about to make it easier…”

“Is that your girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend might be a stretch.  Last night was our first date.”

Naru looked horrified.  “You don’t mean that I interrupted your first date?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

“No.  Oh, man, I am so sorry.”  He facepalmed himself.

Myeong grinned at him.  “It’s all right.  It was good timing actually.  She was there when I needed someone to talk to.  She encouraged me to meet with you today.”

Naru quirked a dark eyebrow.  “She did?”

Myeong nodded.

Naru studied him for a moment.  “Why did you meet with me today?  What are you hoping for?”

“I am hoping that my wife was from a wonderful family who will embrace my daughter and treat her kindly.”

Their eyes fenced for a few moments.

“Does that mean that you believe we’re her family?”

Myeong took a deep breath.  “Let me show you something.”  He opened the picture on his phone.  The one of Naru’s mother that had been taken years ago.  He held it up for Naru to see.  “Is this your eomma when she was young?”

Naru nodded as he smiled at the picture.  “She was a beautiful woman, huh?”

“Just like my wife,” Myeong agreed as he pulled a book from the bag on the table.  He opened it up to a page he had marked with a sticky note.  He turned the book towards Naru. 

Naru glanced down at the picture and froze.  He stared in shock at it for several beats before meeting the other man’s gaze.  “This was your wife?”

“Yes.”

“It’s remarkable.  She looks exactly like my eomma did!  She must have been her daughter!”

“I think so too.”

“So…do you want to do the genetic test?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“You don’t?”

Myeong shook his head.

“So…what’s our next step?”

“You need to tell your eomma that her daughter died,” Myeong responded sadly.

“Yeah,” Naru sighed.  “That’s the hard part.  I…” he glanced up at Myeong.  “Would you be willing to tell her?  Maybe if you tell her, it would be easier for her to take.  Then you could tell her that Dahui had a daughter whom she gets to meet.”

“I think I would rather give her time to process her grief alone.  You can tell her that Dahui had a husband who would like to meet her.  When she’s ready.”

Naru sighed.  “You’re right.  That is probably the best plan.”  He put his face in his palm and pressed his fingers against his temples.  “I don’t want to tell her about Dahui.  It’s going to break her heart.”

“I know.  But it is the truth.  She did die.  And, eventually, your eomma will discover her wonderful granddaughter.  I imagine that will cushion the blow. 

“I will meet with your eomma as soon as she wants to meet me.  I have no wish to drag this out.  Not for any of us.”  Myeong met his eyes again.  “But I would like to meet all of you before my daughter does.”

“Of course,” Naru bobbed his head.  “I completely understand.  In your shoes, I would ask for nothing less.”  He sighed again.  “I’ll go visit my eomma right now and break the news to her.  If she wants to meet you this weekend sometime, will you be available?”

“Absolutely.”

“Thank you,” Naru’s lips twitched.  “I’ll call you as soon as I know something.  Thank you for your time today too.”

“I was wondering…Could I meet your sister today?”

“Possibly.  Let me call her.”  Naru pulled out his phone and dialed her number.  After three rings, she picked it up.  “Hey, sis.  How’s that little nephew of mine?”

“Which one?” she teased.

“Your baby.”

“Ah, he’s happily nursing right now…What’s up, Ru?”

He grinned.  Nari had, of late, begun to call him Ru again.  More evidence that their fellowship had been restored.  “I have a friend I’d like you to meet.  Today, if possible.”

“Oh?”

“I’d like him to meet Yoongi and the boys too.”

“Okay.”  She was completely confused now.

Naru remembered the day he and his eomma had broken the news of her first daughter to Nari.

Tugging Jungju by the hand, Nari had come laughing into her mother’s house.  Over a year ago now.  Naru had been waiting for her.  Nari and her family had come to visit.  Just for the weekend.  That morning was the only opportunity they were going to have to break the news to her before a busy weekend of events overtook them all.  So Naru had distracted Jungju with a television program before meeting his eomma and sister in the sitting room.

“All right, you two are making me nervous,” Nari had joked.  “You look so serious.  What’s going on? Did someone die?” 

Had they but known it then…the answer to that question had been a resounding yes.  But Naru and his eomma had, at that point in time, been blissfully ignorant of that truth.  His mother still was.  Though, not for much longer.

“Nari, I need to tell you something about myself,” her mother had begun. 

Nari had met her eyes.  “Okay.”

“Before I met your appa, I had another boyfriend.  One who led me down the garden path, and when our behavior caught up with us, he left me alone.”

Nari’s eyes had probed her mother’s.  “Eomma?”

“I was like Minha.  Only not as courageous.  I gave my little girl away.”

Nari had gasped.  “You had a baby?”

Aejeong had nodded.

“You gave her up for adoption?”

“Yes.”

“I have a sister?”

Her mother had nodded again.  “She’s five years older than you.”

“Why haven’t I met her?”

“I don’t know where she is.”  Aejeong had stifled a sob then.  “They took her from me right after she was born.  I saw her only once.  I have no idea who adopted her.  They insisted on a closed adoption.”

“Oh, Eomma!”  Nari had flown across the distance between them and engulfed her mother in a hug. 

Under her sympathetic touch, the older woman had broken down and wept the bitter tears she’d been too scared to let loose until Naru had embraced her in an ice cream shop.

“We should look for her,” Nari had opined immediately, her eyes meeting her brother’s.

“I have people on it,” he had murmured.

“Good!”

Now he recalled another conversation between him and his sister.  This one had taken place just a few months ago.

“Nari,” his tone had alerted her.

She’d glanced at him sharply.  “What is it?”

“The private investigator called me.”

“About our sister?”  Her heart had jumped in her chest.  She’d had a feeling the news wasn’t good.  “Naru?”

“She died, Nari.  Ten years ago.”

“What?”  Her shock had echoed around the room.  “Does Eomma know?”

“Not yet.  I don’t have the heart to tell her.  Not until I know something more…”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m trying to find out if she had any children.  I’m trying to find them before I tell Eomma.  I want to give her some good news too.”

Nari had understood.

Now he brought his conversation with his sister to an end.  “Can we come visit you now?  It’ll take us about a half hour to get to you.”

“Sure.  Yoongi and Jungju are here too.  We’ll see you soon.”

—

Myeong followed Naru to his sister’s house.  Myeong played music in his car the whole way in an effort to calm his raging heart.  But the butterflies were still swirling around his ribcage when he climbed from his car nearly a half an hour later.  He questioned his nerves.  But he realized that, for Dahui, meeting her aunt, Nari, was the closest she would ever come to meeting her eomma.  This woman was only five years younger than Dahui would have been.  His daughter might relate to her better than to anyone else in the entire family.

Myeong followed Naru into the house.  As the door opened under Naru’s hand, a cacophony of noise greeted them.  A man about Naru’s age came running into the foyer chasing a lad close to Dahui’s age.  A bevy of giggles was erupting from the boy’s mouth as he sought to outrun his appa.  But they both came to a standstill as they looked up to see Naru and Myeong standing framed by the doorway.

“Naru!” Yoongi exclaimed.  “We weren’t expecting you.”

“Actually, we were,” Nari asserted as she stepped into the room behind him.  “I was just putting Junghee down for a nap, so I couldn’t tell you.” 

She glanced curiously over at the handsome gentleman standing behind her brother.  “Please.  Come into the living room.  We can chat comfortably in there.”  She turned and led the way.

Yoongi’s eyebrows flew skyward as he glanced at his brother-in-law with a curious air.  The men and the boy followed Nari.

“Jungju, this is my friend, Mr. Kang.  Myeong, this is my nephew, Jungju.  He’s the oldest of the Beom clan.”

Yoongi took exception to that comment.  “And of the Min clan too.”  He grinned at Naru, who tilted his head to acknowledge the hit.

“Hello, Jungju.  I have a daughter about your age.”

“You do?  Is she eight?”

He grimaced.  “No, she’s ten.”

Jungju grinned with pride.  “You thought I was ten!  Wait till I tell Ajin!”  He glanced at his mother.  “Can I go play Reflecŧion?”

Nari laughed and nodded.  The boy raced off.

“Nari, Yoongi, this is Mr. Kang.”

“Myeong, please,” the gentleman spoke up.

“Myeong, this is my sister, Nari, and her husband, Yoongi.”

They each inclined their heads at the other.

“Nari, I found her.”

“Who?”

“Eomma’s granddaughter.”

She gasped.  “She has a granddaughter?”

“It appears so.”

Nari glanced at Myeong.  “You found her?”

Myeong chuckled.  “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

Nari glanced sharply at Naru. 

“Myeong is our brother-in-law.  He was married to our sister.”

Nari turned to stare, stupefied, at Myeong.  “You were married to Eomma’s daughter?”

He nodded.

“You have a daughter?”

He bobbed his head again.

“What’s her name?  Our sister?  Her daughter?”

“Dahui.”

She scrunched up her nose as she tried to make sense of what he’d said.  “The mother or the daughter?”

“Both.  I named my daughter after her eomma.  Dahui died giving birth to our daughter.”

“Ohh.” Nari sounded like he’d just crushed her.  “I am so sorry!”

“It happened ten years ago.”

She nodded.  She had already known that much.  “So, you wanted to meet us?  Dare I hope this means that you’re going to let us meet Dahui?”

He nodded his head.  He had felt an instant kinship with Yoongi the moment he’d peeked through the doorway to see the man playfully chasing his son through the foyer.  And something about Nari reminded him of his late wife. 

“You have her air,” he whispered suddenly.

“What?” Nari asked.

“Your voice, your poise, you carry yourself like your older sister.  You remind me of her.  Vaguely.”  Then he grinned at Yoongi.  “Dare I suspect that this woman doesn’t let you get away with anything?”

Yoongi barked with laughter then.  His eyes speared those of his wife.  “He’s pegged you perfectly, hasn’t he, darling?”

“Darling?!” she huffed before she also began to chuckle.  “Indeed.  You have.  I’m honored to think that my sister and I shared some likeness.”  She smiled at Myeong.  “When do we get to meet Dahui?  I am thrilled to know that I have another niece!  Oh!  And ten-year-olds are so much fun!”

“I have to tell Eomma first.”

Nari glanced at her brother.  “You haven’t told Eomma yet?”

He shook his head.  “Not about any of it.”

She gasped.  “You still have to break the news of her death to her?”

He nodded.  “I’m headed there next.”

Nari winced.  “Do you want me to go with you?”

His eyes widened.  “You’d come with me?”

“Yes, of course.”  She bobbed her head once definitively.  “I think I should be there too.” 

She glanced at Myeong.  “And when she meets Dahui too.  Would that be all right?  If we all meet her together?  We could have a family dinner.  Naru could bring Minha and the girls.  That way Dahui would have a little girl around her age to play with.” 

She glanced at the overwhelmed man.  “I’m sorry!  I’m probably throwing too much at you.  We will do this in whatever fashion makes you comfortable.”

Myeong swallowed.  “I haven’t had much time to think about this.  Can you, perhaps, introduce us as your friends?  And let Dahui get to know all of you before we tell the children?  Maybe…even before we tell your eomma?”

Nari and Naru both nodded.

“I think there’s wisdom in that,” Nari replied.  “Although, I don’t want to upset Eomma.”

Naru addressed the subject.  “No, I think it’s a good idea.  Maybe we should invite them to meet her before we even tell Eomma her daughter died.  Then, when we do, we can tell her that she’s already met her son-in-law and granddaughter.”

“It is an idea.  We could have the dinner here at our house.”  Nari glanced up at her husband.

Yoongi nodded.  “Sounds good to me.”

“Shall we try for tomorrow night?  I know that’s short notice.  But…” Nari’s voice trailed off.

“Time is of the essence,” murmured Myeong.  He knew only too well how circumstances could change overnight.  “We’re free tomorrow night.  Would you mind if I bring a friend with me?”

“The beautiful Haewon?” Naru grinned at him.

“Who else?” Myeong’s lips curved into a smile.  But the joy faded from his face a moment later.  “I think that you had better tell your eomma before we meet.  She’s going to wonder how we know each other, and I don’t want to lie to her.”

Naru nodded his head.  Then he sighed.  “You’re right.”  He glanced at his sister.  “We’re free tomorrow night too.  Nari, if you’re up for it, you and I can head over to Eomma’s right now to talk to her.  We’ll also tell her we’ve set up a dinner for tomorrow night.  If she’s not up to doing it, we can all still meet so our children get the chance to play together.  And that will give us the opportunity to get to know one another too.  Does that sound all right?”

Three heads bobbed up and down.

“That’s the plan then,” Myeong murmured.  “Thank you,” he spoke to Nari first and then to Yoongi and Naru, “for your kindness to my daughter.”

She couldn’t keep the excitement from her face.  “I can’t wait to meet her!”  She beamed up at Yoongi.  “This is going to be so lovely!”

Yoongi smiled at his wife.  He loved seeing her happy.  She often had a smile on her face these days.  Here was yet one more reason for her to find some joy in this often uncertain world.

—

Myeong entered his apartment forty-five minutes later with a carton of vanilla ice cream. 

“Would my girls like to make me another apple crisp to taste test today?” he asked with a smile as he stepped into the living room.

Dahui glanced up with excitement dancing in her eyes.  “Appa!  Yes!”  Then she frowned.  “But I don’t think we have the ingredients.”

“I still have everything we need in my apartment. Except for apples.  We’d have to pick some up.”

“No!” Dahui exclaimed happily.  “We have two whole bags of apples in the kitchen.”

“Well, then, we could head over to my apartment and get started.”  Haewon gazed up at Myeong, her eyes silently questioning him. 

He smiled at her.  “Are you ready to go now?”

Haewon nodded.

“Yes!” Dahui raced off to grab her coat.

“How’d it go?” Haewon quizzed him, whispering.

“Good.  Are you doing anything tomorrow night?”

“I don’t know.  Am I?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Yes.  We have a date with the Beom family.”

“The entire family?”

He nodded.

“Wow.”  Then her face fell.

“What’s the matter?” he asked as he saw a tremor pass over her countenance.

“Will the entire family be there?”

“I think so.  We’re meeting for dinner at Naru’s sister’s house.  I got to visit her there today.  I met Nari, her husband, Yoongi, and their older son, Jungju.  After I met Naru at a coffeehouse.”

“It must have gone exceptionally well,” Haewon commented brightly, but she was feeling very uneasy now.

“They seemed to be very kind people.”  He squinted at her.  “You don’t think I’m progressing too fast, do you?”

“Um, what are you going to tell Dahui?”

“That we’re meeting some friends for dinner.  We’re not going to tell any of the children yet.”

“I think that’s wise.”

“You do?”

She nodded her head.  “Dahui will be relaxed if she thinks we’re just going to have dinner with friends.”

She fell silent.  Myeong could tell that something was bothering her.

“Haewon, what’s wrong?”

“Minha will be there.”

“Naru’s wife?  Yes, she will be.”

“She’s the one Eunho tried to rape.  I’ve never faced her before.”

His expression melted.  “You’re worried about that?”

“Yes.  Seeing me might bring back her trauma.”

“But Naru saved her, right?  And I imagine that cemented their bond.  She’s not going to hold Eunho’s behavior against you.”

“But she’s probably going to wonder how I could marry such a monster.”

Their conversation was suddenly cut short as his daughter reappeared, and they headed for Haewon’s apartment.

—

Naru glanced at Nari before looking into his rearview mirror at the baby sleeping in the car seat behind them.

“Are you nervous?” he asked his sister.

“Of course.  I hate delivering bad news.  And this is the worst kind.  I feel so sad for all of us.  But especially for Eomma.  How her heart must have broken the day she gave her baby away.  I can’t even imgine having to give Jungju or Junghee away.  And to know that she’ll never meet her again, it breaks my heart. 

“I’m so glad that she left us the gift of her daughter, at least.  If we can’t have them both in our lives, at least, we’ll get to know the child.  Oh!  I can hardly wait to meet her!  It took all my self-control not to follow Myeong home!”

Naru grinned.  “Me too.”  He grimaced.  “I’m just glad that he was willing to meet with me.  And that he’s willing to let us meet his daughter.  He’s taking a huge leap of faith.  And he didn’t get any warning.  I just called him last night.  I think he had no idea that it was even possible for him to find his wife’s birth family.”

“It does feel like a miracle.”

—

A few minutes later, they walked through the front door of their parents’ house.

“Eomma!” Naru called.

She appeared a moment later.

“Naru!  Nari!  To what do I owe this pleasure?!”  Her face melted as she noticed the tiny boy in the baby carrier.  “Junghee!”  She came right over to him and bent down to smile at the sleeping child.  “He is so precious, Nari.  He reminds me so much of Naru at that age.”

Her son good-naturedly rolled his eyes, but then he sobered as he remembered the reason for their visit.

“Eomma.”

“Naru?  What is it?  You sound so serious.”

He cleared his throat.  “I hired a private investigator several months ago.  To try to find your daughter.”

She stood up as her heart began to hammer.  “You have news.  And it’s not good.”

He closed his eyes.  How could he tell his mother that her daughter was dead?

“She died, Eomma,” Nari came to his rescue.

“What?” Aejeong’s eyes flew to meet her daughter’s.

“Ten years ago.”

“How?”

“In childbirth,” Naru muttered.

Aejeong’s eyes widened.  “And the baby?”

Naru smiled. He glanced at Nari.  She had delivered the bad news.  Let her give the good news too.

“Is alive and well,” Nari smiled.

“And…her appa said you could meet her,” Naru finished.

“I get to meet my granddaughter?” Aejeong suddenly exclaimed.  Her hand flew up to her heart.  “My poor baby girl.  But I have a granddaughter?”

She turned around and headed for the sitting room.  She dropped down into a chair and stared unseeing into the air in front of her face.  “I have a granddaughter.” 

As Nari and Naru entered the room behind her, she glanced up at them.  “What’s her name?”

“She was named after her eomma,” Naru responded.

“Dahui,” Nari supplied.

“Dahui. So my baby’s name was Dahui?  And her daughter was named after her?”

“There’s one more thing, Eomma,” Naru informed her.

“What?”  She wasn’t sure she could handle any more.

“Dahui was born on her eomma’s birthday.”

“What?”

“March fourteenth,” Naru elucidated.

“My granddaughter was born on my daughter’s birthday?”  Then her face fell.  “That means she died on her twenty-third birthday.”

Naru nodded.  His eyes met Nari’s.

“Eomma, we met Dahui’s husband today.”

She glanced up at them.  “You did?”

“His name is Myeong.  He wants his daughter to meet us all,” Naru was trying to ease into it.

Nari jumped in to help him out.  “Tomorrow night.  At my house.  I’m throwing a dinner party.  We wanted all of our families to get together.  But only if you feel up to it, Eomma.  We’re not going to tell any of the children about Dahui’s relation to us yet.  We wanted her to feel comfortable around us all.  So Myeong is planning to bring his friend and his daughter to eat dinner with us.  He’s going to introduce us as his friends.”

“He’s going to bring his friend?  What does that mean?”

“The woman he’s dating.”

“He’s dating a woman, and he wants to bring her to our family reunion?”

“Eomma,” Naru spoke quietly, “she’s the one who encouraged him to meet with me today.”

“She is?”

Nari pointed out softly, “It’s been ten years for him, Eomma.  Just a little while for us.  But Dahui has been gone for ten years.  He’s waited a long time to find some comfort.  And he’s found the courage to face all of us at once.  He’s probably hoping to bring along a little moral support.  For my part, I’m curious to meet the woman who might become our little Dahui’s stepmother.  Aren’t you?”

“Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I am.  But why didn’t he call her his girlfriend if they’re that serious?”

“Apparently, last night was their first date,” Naru murmured.

“What?  And he wants to bring her to our family dinner?”

“I got the feeling they’ve known each other for a while.”

“Hmm.”

“Tomorrow night will prove to be very interesting, I think,” Naru mumbled.  “Will you come, Eomma?  You and Appa?”

“He’s out of town.”

“What?” Nari glanced sharply at her.

“He left this morning for a last-minute conference.  He won’t be home until Thursday.”

“Well, maybe that’s for the best,” Nari opined.

Naru looked at her.  “I was thinking the same thing.”

“I’ll be there.  Tomorrow night.  At your house, Nari.  I’m not about to miss a chance to meet my granddaughter.”

“That’s what I thought you’d say, Eomma,” her daughter smiled.

“I’ll stop by your house and pick you up on the way,” Naru offered.

—

Haewon waited all afternoon and evening to discuss the events of this morning with Myeong.  He and Dahui returned to her apartment with her to begin the great apple crisp bake-off.  They all worked together to create three different apple crisps.  Myeong accepted a low-risk job.  Peeling and chopping apples.  Dahui mixed the crumble topping for each dish, and Haewon sautéed the apples in a pan on top of her stove.

While they were all occupied with their various tasks, Myeong addressed his daughter.  “We’ve been invited to eat dinner with some friends tomorrow night, Dahui.”

The girl looked up in surprise.  “We have?  What friends?”

“You haven’t meet them yet, but they have a daughter about your age.”

Her face lit up.  “Really?  That sounds like fun!”

“There’s a couple of babies too,” he grinned at his baby-crazy daughter.

“Yay!  I love babies!  How old are they?”

He frowned.  “I’m not sure.”

Dahui glanced at Haewon.  “Can Mrs. Wang come with us?”

He nodded as he grinned at her.

“Really?!”  Dahui turned towards her teacher. “You’re coming with us?”

Haewon bobbed her head.  “I wouldn’t miss it!”  She glanced down at the apples as she stirred them in the pan.  “I have an idea.”

“What?” Dahui gazed up at her out of wide eyes.

“There’s no way we can eat three pans of apple crisp by ourselves.  How about we bake a little of each recipe tonight, and I save the remainder to bake tomorrow afternoon before we head to dinner?  Don’t you think your friends would like to be treated to some apple crisp too?” She turned her eyes from Dahui to Myeong.

“An excellent idea!” he remarked.  “Thanks for preventing me from gaining ten pounds before tomorrow.”  He gave her a brilliant grin.

She laughed.  “You and me both.”

He looked at her spare frame.  “It’s okay if you gain ten pounds, Haewon.”

“Don’t I know it?” she muttered as she glanced down at herself.

“And it’s okay if you don’t too,” he breathed.

She glanced up at him.  As her eyes connected with his, she wondered if he was the one who had stolen her breath suddenly.

—

Later that evening, Dahui fell asleep on Haewon’s couch.  Her teacher smiled down at her as she covered the girl with a blanket.

“She’s so sweet.”

“As sweet as you,” Myeong voiced his soft opinion.

As they headed to the kitchen to do the dinner dishes, she stopped in front of the sink and turned towards him.  “Myeong, are you sure you want me to tag along tomorrow?  Your first outing with her family?  They’re going to wonder who I am.”

“Then I will tell them.  You’re the most important woman in my life.”

Her eyes careened into his. “What?  I am?”  She simply gaped at him.  “But we’ve only been on one quasi-date.  We didn’t even go out anywhere.”

“That’s my fault.  Because I’ve been an idiot for almost three months.”

“What?” she asked, confused. 

“I should have asked you out at the beginning of September.  I wanted to, but…”

“But what?”

“I was scared.”

She furrowed her brow.  “Of what?”

“Dishonoring my wife’s memory.  Forgetting her.  Leaving her completely in the past.”

Then she spoke unexpected words.  “I understand.”

“What?  You do?”

“Completely.  I’ve battled similar feelings.”  She paused.  “Maybe worse ones.”

“Worse?”

“I feel like I owe Eunho something.  For giving me his heart.  For saving my life.  Twice.”

He nodded.  “Yes!  I feel the same way.  I owe Dahui something because she gave her life to give me a daughter.”

Their eyes locked. 

Myeong asserted, “You do owe him something.”

She glanced up at him as she frowned.  Questioning his meaning.

“To live your life to the fullest.”

A look of intense panic crossed her face for a split second.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t see him anymore!” she whispered.

“You mean, on the inside?”

She nodded.  “His memory fades more with each passing day.”  She inhaled sharply.  “I’m afraid that if I pursue someone else, I will forget him.  Completely.”

“It’s not true, you know.  You won’t forget him.  His heart beats inside your chest.”

“You won’t forget her either.  Her namesake lives inside your apartment.”

They gazed at each other as a lone tear slid down her cheek.  Myeong took a step towards her.  He reached up and cupped that cheek with his slender fingers.  He brushed his thumb across the glistening track of her heart’s grief. 

“I know how you feel.  But…I don’t want to spend the rest of my life alone.  Do you?” he whispered.

He bent his head towards hers.  His lips brushed that moist cheek.  He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent.  Vanilla. 

“You smell like my favorite cookie.”  He drew back slightly.  “I’ve been wondering something for months.”

She frowned.  “What?”

“Do you taste like it too?”

Her heart flipped upside down as her eyes met his.  He closed the distance between them, and his lips touched hers with infinite kindness.  The lightest of brushes.  But they lingered there.  Upon those dark crimson lips.  He was engulfed by vanilla.  And something else.  Raspberries?

He drew away from her and licked his lips.  “Raspberries?”

That luscious mouth of hers curved into a smile.  “It’s my lip balm.”

“It tastes delicious.” 

“I have vanilla lip balm too.  If you prefer…”  She gave him a teasing smile.

He grinned at her.

Clearly, that was an open invitation.  So he bent his head again and captured her lips with his own.  More ardently this time.  Haewon lost herself in that kiss.  Memories of Eunho rushed back into her consciousness.  But she brushed them away and tried to concentrate on Myeong. 

She felt his arms slipping around her waist, coming to rest lightly on her back, and pulling her towards him.  Until her chest touched his.  She wound her arms around his neck and reached up to run her fingers through his hair.  It was so soft.  She smiled under the caress of his gentle lips.

He had, of course, kissed his wife.  He had never kissed another girl.  Haewon was only the second woman his lips had ever trespassed upon.  It had been so long since he’d held a woman close to him.  But he found himself reveling in her kisses.  And in the feel of her in his arms.  He wanted more.  So much more…

Finally, he dragged his lips away from hers.  “I suppose we should start washing these dishes…”

“I can do them if you want to take Dahui home.”

“Actually, I was wondering if she could just spend the night on your couch?” he gazed down at her, an inscrutable light in his eyes.

“Uh…”  What was he asking?  Her eyes widened at the possibilities.

“I could come pick you both up in the morning and take you to breakfast.  I promise not to freak out this time.”  A rueful smile graced his lips.  He glanced at his daughter. “She’s getting a little big for me to carry her home.  And I hate to wake her.”

Haewon sighed with relief.  He hadn’t been intimating…

She should have known better.  Of course, he hadn’t!  Myeong was a gentleman.  He had just kissed her for the first time.  But as she tried to settle her galloping heart, she faced an ugly truth.  At some point, Myeong was going to want sex.  And she just wasn’t sure she could overcome her fear.  She sighed.

He watched a tremor pass over her countenance.  “What’s wrong, Haewon?”

“Nothing,” she pasted a sweet smile on her face.  “Dahui is welcome to stay.”  She glanced at the sink.  “If you’re taking us to breakfast, then we’d better tackle this pile of dishes so we can get some sleep.”

His eyes slipped over her face.  Something had disturbed her, but she’d covered her true feelings.  Hopefully someday soon, she’d trust him enough to tell him the truth.