AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart
Chapter 225
written by LoveCR2 -- 2005
edited by All-About-AAE -- 2019
"Mom always said, when a man and a woman are alone together, you can't be too careful... anything might happen." -- Jin Sun-Mi
SUN-MI'S HOME, SUBURBAN SEOUL...
"We're here..."
Hyung-Chul softly announces their arrival to Sun-Mi as the car eases to a stop in front of her house.
They had stayed on the mountain through the afternoon, driving back as the sun settled into dusk. Nestled in the comfortable cocoon of the car seat, concluding a full day of exercise, Sun-Mi had drifted off to sleep almost immediately.
He turns to gaze lovingly at her, his eyes taking a picture to add to the countless images filed in his permanent memory. Her face, bathed in the glow of light from the gate streaming in through the windshield, angelic in repose, still makes him catch his breath...
... eight years ago, God sent this angel to revive his cynical heart with love, and change his life forever ...
He moves aside a wisp of hair that had fallen across her eyes, uncovering the blood-red scar that mars her temple... a visible reminder of how close he has come to losing her -- twice -- and a vivid symbol of how miracles can happen in real life.
Giving into temptation, he leans over to kiss her... This time, there is no hesitation, no uncertainty. He takes her lips firmly, without apology, and delivers.
Instantly, her eyes flutter in response, then open wide... questioning...
Hyung-Chul grins and jokes, "Just testing to see if my kiss has enough magic to awaken Sleeping Beauty."
Sun-Mi smiles, impulsively returning the kiss, to let him know he had succeeded.
After they alight from the car, walking toward the gate, Sun-Mi realizes that something is amiss...
"Where is Daddy's car? They were supposed to be back already," she airs her worries.
Hyung-Chul sees the concern clouding her eyes -- since Woo-Jin's accident, any uncertainty sends her fears flying -- and quickly offers comfort, "Probably they were just delayed. Let's go in and call."
Reassured, she takes Hyung-Chul's hand, and together they amble through the flower garden she had planted. There, amidst the hundreds of beautiful, fragrant blooms, he stops and turns toward her, eyes fixed, unblinking, on her face.
As the seconds extend under the microscope of his scrutiny, Sun-Mi self-consciously begins fussing with the wayward locks around her face, trying to bring a semblance of order to the mop of windblown hair.
"What is it, Senior? Is something wrong? Why are you staring at me like this?"
"I wanted to take a picture with my eyes," he answers nonchalantly, as if it's an everyday occurrence. "Do you mind?"
"Now? I must look a mess!" she complains. "And what if the neighbors see us? Can't you do this later, after I clean up?"
He nods, agreeing, "Sure, later, too... But right now, I just want to snap a picture of the most beautiful blossom in this garden."
Her hands cease their futile efforts, her eyes sparkle, her mouth curves into a wide smile...
Sun-Mi flings her arms around his neck and, rising up on tiptoe, pulls him down, pressing her lips on his...
Taking her into his arms, he questions her actions, "What if the neighbors see us?"
"You're making fun of me," she scolds. "But since it worries you... Well, I can decide NOT to do this again."
He quickly backtracks... "Huh? That's not what meant..."
But Sun-Mi interrupts him with another kiss...
"What now?" he wonders at her ephemeral behavior, then sees her smile mischievously..
"Just because... it's you," she explains as she urges him forward now, arm in arm, up the steps and to the front door.
Inside, Hyung-Chul is expecting another impromptu kiss, but Sun-Mi notices the answering machine blinking, signaling a message is waiting. Eagerly, she runs to the phone and presses the PLAY button to listen for any news...
... 'Hi, Sun-Mi! This is Min-Cho, checking in. I'm coming early for the wedding as planned. See you tomorrow' ...
... 'Sun-Mi? It's your father... I didn't want to bother you, so called here instead. After long talks with Young-Mi and the Mother Superior, it got late, so we decided to stay overnight at the orphanage guest house. Tell you everything in the morning... Bye....
Sun-Mi looks up at Hyung-Chul, her expression clouded again...
"Tell me 'everything'? What does that mean?" she frets. "What isn't Daddy saying?"
"If it was something important, wouldn't he have said it now?" Hyung-Chul tries to assuage her concerns.
'Yes... you're probably right," she still shows a troubled frown, then a wan smile. "I don't know why I worry so."
"How about a drink, to take the edge off those worries," he suggests, going over to the shelf where a variety of liquor bottles are arrayed. "Whiskey?"
"Not on an empty stomach," she objects. "Since they're not coming back tonight, we have plenty of time. I'll prepare something delicious for you.... after I clean up and change."
"Good idea," he concurs. "I have a change of clothes in the car, too."
LATER ...
After a steaming shower, washing, dying, and twisting her hair into a loose chignon, applying evening makeup and jewelry, and trading her hiking clothes for a casual, button-front, pale pink Alice & Olivia gingham sundress, Sun-Mi is refreshed and ready to come downstairs.
Descending the steps, she hears the sound of chopping on a cutting board. At the bottom, she finds that Hyung-Chul is already at work in the kitchen, 'business-casual' in dark gray pinstriped pants and a tailored white dress shirt, open at the throat, both taken from one of the spare outfits he keeps in his car trunk for emergencies.
Seeing him at the sink, washing and slicing onions, brings back a memory for Sun-Mi...
"If Mom saw us here, she'd scold us..." she recalls the conversation from that day, thinking aloud.
Hyung-Chul looks up, puzzled. "Huh?"
"Just something I remembered, from a long-ago time," Sun-Mi replies, her eyes misting nostalgically.
He puts down the knife and asks, "Care to fill me in?"
She pads across the kitchen in her slippers, to stand across the sink counter from him...
All the way, his eyes follow her progress, casing her from head to toe and back -- first making special note in passing of the silver wire holding two dark beads of peridot flanking a single, pure white pearl, that circles her right ankle -- then concentrating on her sparkling, dark lash-rimmed eyes that outshine the crystal studs on her earlobes, and the brilliant smile on her ruby-red lips that always makes his heart skip a beat when she directs it at him.
"Mom used to say, when a man and a woman are alone together, you can't be too careful," she elaborates, pulling the hairpin from her chignon and tossing her head to flip her hair so it cascades sensuously across her shoulders...
"Anything could happen..."
The lively twinkle in her eyes hints at what she thinks 'anything' could entail...
Hyung-Chul feels his heart leap...
He gazes into Sun-Mi's dark pupils, trying to read her intentions, to see what she isn't saying. Unconsciously, his mind starts recording the moment, the scene and her expression, into a mental image he can draw on any time he chooses to indulge in her effervescence...
Aware of Hyung-Chul's attentions, she breaks out a brilliant smile to encourage him.
He plays along with her line, venturing the question, "Was your Mum right?"
Sun-Mi leans her elbows on the countertop, pondering the vegetables along with the question, before she answers, "I don't know. Maybe it was the times, or the places, or the people, or just the luck, but it never happened."
He reaches out and puts his fingers under her chin, tilting her face up until she is looking into his eyes.
"Any regrets?"
"Nope," she answers succinctly, shaking her head. "I'm happy with things as they are."
Hyung-Chul circles around the counter, as Sun-Mi stands up straight, pivoting to face him.
"Earlier, you said that you'd prepare something delicious," he reminds her. "What were you thinking?"
She steps closer, answering teasingly, "What would you like? It could be... anything..."
"Actually, I was thinking of something ... like this," he replies, sweeping her into his embrace.
Feigning a moment of surprise, then resting comfortably in his arms, she giggles, "For five minutes?"
"Anything else would be a waste," he confirms, then leans down to kiss her briefly.
Sun-Mi plays along, asking, "So, what do you think... delicious enough?"
Hyung-Chul smacks his lips together, grinning devilishly. "Enough to go for a full course meal, with dessert."
"Tsst!" she hisses, laughing lightly. "Don't be greedy! ... They say everything's better in moderation."
But Hyung-Chul isn't thinking moderation...
He pulls her closer, pressing their bodies together, seizing her lips in a deep, passionate kiss that has them both gasping when they come up for air, before diving in for more... and still more again...
Five minutes later, her head swimming in a surplus of oxytocin and a deficit of oxygen, Sun-Mi takes a step back, giving herself breathing room to collect her bearings.
Hyung-Chul holds her loosely, gently caressing her silky-smooth hair, breathing in its fragrance -- rose buds with vanilla and a hint of jasmine -- that intoxicates and entices him with olfactory delights.
She rests her ear against his shirt, listening to the vigorous pounding of his heart, matching the hammering of her own, as she reflects...
... 'it's two hearts, entwined at creation, now fused together for eternity' ...
He is thinking the same thing, too, murmuring softly, insistently, in her ear, "We were made for each other, Sun-Mi... I want you... I want more than anything else, to give you everything."
Closing her eyes, she is back at the karaoke club night, watching him perform Da Jurkoya (I'll Give You Everything) ...
Manh-i oelowossdeon geoni geudong-an
(Were you lonely all this time?)
Jakku yawieoganeun neoleul bomyeon neukkil su iss-eo
(I could feel it as I passed you)
Neomu him-i deul ttaen silkeos ul-eo
(When it's too hard for you, cry it all out)
Nunmul sog-e apeun gieog tteonabonaege
(Wash away your pain with your tears)
Nae pum-eseo...
(in my arms...)
... why had she doubted him? ... why had she ever left his arms? ...
Seogeulpeun uliui jinan naldeul-eul
(The sad days we shared together)
Seologa jogeumssig gamssajwoya hae
(We have to help each other through the unhappy memories)
Nannege neomunado bujoghagessjiman
(Even though I'm not good enough for you)
Da julgeoya...
(I'll give you everything...)
Nae nam-eunmo deun sarang-eul
(All of my love)
... how can she not give everything to him, too? ...
Sun-Mi dares not to look up, fearing to lose herself in his penetrating gaze...
"Senior... I..."
His mouth seizes hers, stifling the words, urging her onward, to the brink, testing the veracity of her bold claim...
... 'life is too short to live half-way. I want to live each day to the fullest, without regrets, and not hold back' ...
The last lifeline holding her lets loose... and the turbulent deluge sweeps her away, plunging into a dizzying whirlpool of roiling passions...
Hyung-Chul moves on from her mouth, raining feather-light kisses over her face, her nape... sparking tremors as he finds sensitive places she hadn't known existed, evoking a soft moan from her throat. Wobbly on her feet, Sun-Mi shuffles a step back to keep her balance, bumping against the kitchen table.
She instantly stiffens, inhaling sharply as Hyung-Chul feels the jolt surge through her body. Her eyes pop wide open, dazed, uncomprehending.
"What is it?" he asks, concerned. "Sun-Mi...?"
Her reply is stiff, perfunctory. "My neck ... it ... it's killing me," she pants out an explanation, slowly regaining her composure.
Hyung-Chul quickly backs off. worried he has pressed her too far, too fast. "Sorry. Are you okay?"
"I... I'm fine now," she assures him, flashing a quick, edgy smile, though her voice, still shaky, betrays her fragile state. "I'm sorry, for alarming you."
He pulls Sun-Mi close again, then links her eyes with his...
"Perhaps someplace else, more comfortable?" he suggests, leaving it up to her to decide.
"Emm..." Her eyes glance toward the stairs, then back at him.
Taking that as an invitation, Hyung-Chul lifts Sun-Mi in his arms and carries her up...
At the bedroom door, he hesitates, knowing that once he passes through this portal, there is no turning back...
After years of unsure waiting, of missteps and indecision, of lonely days and regretful nights... facing temptations, trials, and death itself... they are finally together...
... that is reason enough ...
Stepping over the line without further deliberation, he gently lays Sun-Mi down on the bedcovers and sits beside her. Heat and urgency building, Hyung-Chul strips off his shirt, flinging it to the floor, hovering over Sun-Mi.
She gazes up at him, perfectly still except for her rapid, shallow breaths... then closes her eyes, the tacit answer he seeks before proceeding...
His fingers slowly undo the buttons of her dress, pausing briefly after each is loosed. Through the gap in her bodice, the front closure of her lace demi-bra is visible, tantalizingly near his fingertips...
But before he can think further, or act on that thought, a violent shudder wracks her body, stronger than in the kitchen, drawing a deep gasp...
Sun-Mi stares, trance-like, into his face... "Please... don't hurt me," she pleads, terrified, "Anything, but don't hurt me..."
He moves his hands to her shoulders to steady her, feeling her body trembling. She doesn't respond, staring vacantly into nothing, as if caught up in a seizure...
"I won't hurt you," he declares straight away, "Don't be afraid, it's me, Hyung-Chul."
She blinks, recognition returning to her expression... then shame...
Tears instantly spring into her eyes, overflowing. She rolls away, hiding her face.
"I'm sorry, Senior, I thought I could do this, but I ... I can't." Her voice is harsh, a dry whisper. "I just can't..."
"Tell me... What happened?"
"Don't say anything more. Just leave me alone," she requests, breaking into sobs.
"Sun-Mi..."
"Please go ... Senior," she croaks out the words. "This was ... a ... a mistake ... Don't bother ... anymore ... Forget ... you ever ... knew me ..."