Across The Paper

Part 17: The Sinner and The Saint

Handong.

That is quite literally how she introduced herself to me. After telling about myself with a cup of tea in my palm that she made for me, she smiled at me and tilted her head, saying "Handong" and then shaking my hand. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," I said, already feeling more at ease. "Your house is lovely, by the way." I told her while looking around the small, cosy kitchen. Seonghwa was sitting next to her, having his arm gently wrapped around her waist.

"Oh, thank you," Handong laughed, her perfect white teeth showing while doing so. She had beautiful hair, even though it looked a bit messy, that somehow made it look more perfect. It was shiny and wavy, framing her face. Her clothes were nothing fancy, just a normal dress of cheap fabric, yet... it looked the most comfortable, and she looked so free - in this perfect little wooden cottage, with her cat, and her lover at her side, looking so beautiful.

I realized I had never looked at a woman with a will to notice these details... But now, I am happy to be able to appreciate every woman I meet on this earth.

"Oh, I forgot to ask if you wanted any sugar!" She said suddenly, pointing to my tea, returning me from my thoughts.

"No, it's perfect." I grinned and to prove my word, I retook a few sips once more. Then, out of a sudden, a bundle of grey fur jumped on the counter, only to be met with Handong's strong hands putting it down.

"Oh, Nannan!" She told the cat, who jumped down on the wooden floor from her hands and ran off to another room. "He always does this in front of guests." She sighed and turned back to me.

"Well, I don't mind" I shrugged, "In fact, I adore cats! I adore any pet animal, really!"

Seonghwa tilted his head, giving me a weird look, then, asked me "Why don't you have any, then?"

"Oh, well..." I exhaled with a long sigh, "My father is allergic to animals. So we can't have any in our house. I always dreamt of a puppy, though."

"Then how does he ride horses?" Handong asked, and I chuckled, thinking that it was rather a good question to ask.

"It's fine as long as he's in the carriage... and that's the case, mostly"

Both laughed this time, and we fell into the abyss of chatting and joking. I enjoyed watching the couple squabble over silly things, and I even heard some of the stories they were very kind to share.

They met two years ago for the first time. Seonghwa's mom was looking for new employees to work in her garden, and Handong didn't have her farm back then, and just had arrived from China. So she decided to try it out. Apparently, it ended very badly, as exactly as Seonghwa said:

"Both my mother and my darling, here, have very intense... personalities." He mumbled, and I caught Handong's mouth sliding into a sly, conspiratorial smile. "The types that cannot fit with each other. My mother would tell her to do more than her work required since Handong was doing everything in her own way. And then she would not listen, so, to say it shortly, Dong left the job before my mom would be able to fire her, which infuriated her even more... But I think that's what Handong intended in the first place" I listened in shock, while both of them were continuously laughing at the memories.

"How did you two get to be together, then?" I asked, amused.

This time it was Handong's turn to talk. "I think he was left surprised, since it was probably his first time seeing someone defeat his mother" She chuckled, "He was mesmerized by me, one might say, so he tried to ask me out. Several times." She clarified.