"You're finally here," Seolhee said as soon as Mikyung came into the room. "Where are the goods?"
Mikyung held up the bags of food, grinning. "I get the feeling you're more excited to see lunch than you are to see me," she joked.
"Well, obviously," Seolhee teased back, running up and grabbing one of the bags, then pulling Mikyung in for a quick hug. "Seriously though, it's great to have you back. But take your time. Take all the time you need."
She nodded, smiling as she looked around the room. Eric, Sunwoo, and Hyunjun were all standing a few paces away, looking as though they wanted to come up to her but unsure as to whether or not they should. Maybe they were trying to figure out what they should say. Because what does one say to a girl who lost her mother?
"Wait," Haknyeon said, looking suspiciously from Seolhee to Mikyung. "You two planned this together, didn't you? That's why you sent me downstairs and that's why you're not surprised to see her."
Seolhee just shrugged, looking triumphant. "Perhaps."
They all laughed, and Mikyung felt her heart expanding in gratitude for her friends as they made their way to the small coffee table. They sat around it and started eating, and everything felt wonderfully and achingly normal. The laughter, the teasing... all of it was perfect. They were perfect, and she was so, so grateful to all of them.
"Can we go outside?" Haknyeon whispered to her as everyone was finishing up their food and was distracted from the two of them. "I want to... ask you something?" he said, finishing it as a question. "Or maybe tell you something. A bit of both, I suppose."
"You're being confusing," she whispered back. "Let's go."
They went downstairs and to the gardens, sitting on a bench. She waited for him to start but... there was only silence.
"Haknyeon?" she prompted. "You said you had something to say."
"Oh. Yeah," he said, looking at her nervously. "I have to go to the countryside soon," he said. "My parents own a farm there. It's really fun... and really big. There's a lot we can do up there. We can do like... apple picking. Or I can teach you how to ride a horse. There's a lot to do. I want you and your dad to come with me," he said, speaking quickly as though he was afraid of how she was going to react. "I asked my parents already and they said they're really excited to meet you guys. So... what do you say?"
Her heart was about to beat out of its chest. "Haknyeon," she said softly, suddenly feeling really nervous as well. "This is... a meeting of the families?"
"No!" he said quickly. "I mean, it could be, if you wanted," he amended. "But no. I told my parents that we're not dating. They know. This is just a vacation. Seolhee and Eric would come all the time. They, and Sunwoo and Hyunjun, will be coming later this year too. But I wanted you to be there the whole time. I wanted to spend time with you."
Mikyung grinned at him, feeling indescribably happy. "I'll have to ask my father, but I have a feeling the answer will be yes," she said, leaning over and wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered. "I've missed you."
