Noah sighs, "I still can't believe you came back just for me!" he shakes his head, wondering aloud, "just imagine if you weren't here? Where would I be? Struggling from place to place, trying to find a permanent job. If anything, I'd probably open a food stand."
Belen is carefully sipping a warm cup of tea, "you should! I mean, you cook better than me. Remember, while renovations, you had to live with me. You saw I had nothing in my fridge and I had a professional chef cook us dinner and breakfast."
He laughs, "I remember, man, that chef probably hates me! Since I took over his job."
"You're my savior," she laughs, throwing him off, "What?" he asks curiously.
She warmly smiles, "since you became my ally, I was able to kick out all of the investors and some of the directors. A lot has changed over the past years you've been working with me."
"You changed a lot over the past years. At one point, I almost didn't recognize you. But what convinced me to work for you was your confidence. And you're very sharp with your words! They're like daggers, no! More like a sword," he laughs.
She sighs, "that's because I hate being outsmarted, and ridiculed. The thing I hate the most is being looked down on and pitied. I worked hard to make that company mine. That's why I don't want anyone to take it away from my grasp." She pauses, staring at Noah with sad eyes, "without A Star Mall, I'm afraid I'd be nothing, more like have nothing, no purpose to my life. Since that's all, I've been trained, taught to do."
Her words touch Noah's heart, "your father, …right."
She only nods silently, gripping onto her cup, accepting the fact that ever since she was young, all she wanted was someone's love and attention. But once her father's prized possessions left or became no good. She was the only one left, and he turned her into his puppet for greed? No one knows, but in Belen's mind, all she can think of is the fact that she gave in to her father's attention because her mother did not. All she felt was, "is he proud?"
Nonetheless, she remembers the countless nights when she'd have to practice her alto saxophone to impress her father and his guest. The endless nights of studying, endless afterschool lessons. The unforgettable pain of soreness her body suffered from playing sports, the marching band, and more. Like a doll, he was shaping her up to be perfect, and excellent in everything. That, in the end, was never her happiness that her father wanted, but her worth.
Belen often can't sleep at night because all she can think about is how stupid she was to do everything her father wanted. Perfect. That was all. If the results did not turn out perfect, it's not as if he'd hit her or anything, but worst of all, simply say nothing. And ignore her as if she weren't worth his attention. And bombard her with more lessons, courses, and hours of studying to become what he views as perfection.
Looking back now, Belen wonders, what would she become if it weren't for her father. Her career, hobbies, and life if only her dad did not interfere. She doesn't know what to like, does she like swimming? Or does she like it because her father forced her into taking lessons when she was young so naturally like a dolphin she loves swimming? Who knows. What does she want to do? Does she want to become a writer? She knows who she is, but what does she want to do in her life if given a second chance.
She reminisces smiling, saying aloud, "when I was little, like 6 or 7 years old, I remember playing with house my dolls, and my cousin and I would often fight about who'd have the male doll as their husband. And I'd usually say, 'I want to marry a man I love and have children and live in a big mansion!'" she laughs, remembering her younger innocent self.
She turns to Noah, "I don't think that'll ever happen, now that he is gone."
Noah tries to understand her words, "I don't think he'd want you to be unhappy forever either…maybe he wants you to fulfill that dream."
"But that was my younger self. I'm not that innocent little girl anymore. I just don't want to get married, better yet. I don't want to fall in love. Children are great, but it's a future I can't grasp…I'd love to see the future and know who's the man I'll be marrying."
Noah awkwardly yet hurt looks away in pain thinking "Could I be that man?"
Belen gets up, "well, then I guess it's time for me to go in now, goodnight Noah! See you tomorrow morning," she smiles, leaving.
But as Noah stayed, he extends his arm as if reaching for her walking away, "Will I ever be able to catch up to you? Will I ever be able to tell you my feelings only to be rejected."
Noah nods, "yeah, the reason I chose to follow you was not because of my parents. It was because of you. Even if you were to have come back with little to nothing, I'd still follow you. I'm only using my parents as an excuse to be with you. But I know that you belong in a different world. A world where only the rich marry the rich, they can't marry anyone below them. Yet again, I don't think that's important, but I doubt society would allow an orphan to marry you." He looks up, wondering, "being an orphan follows you for the rest of your life, it never leaves you."
After some time, he leaves inside, but as he's walking by, he looks through the glass window Mi-sun in a brightly lit room trying to convince the boy who was covered in mud and feces to eat. After countless rejections, Noah can't stand the boy's stubbornness when he opens the door, "Mom, go to sleep, it's late. I'll look after the boy."
"No son, it's fine, I'm not tired at all!"
He gently pulls her hand, "please, mom, you know me, I won't leave until you accept."
Mi-sun gives in, "very well, please be patient with the boy. He's just like you."
"…you just go to sleep, don't worry."
Mi-sun leaves the room as Noah sits on the floor across the boy, between them is a table with soup, water, and bread untouched.
But as Noah stayed in the room, he glances around to see nothing but a pillow and a futon already prepared. His cold ton resounds, "aren't you going to sleep?" he looks at the boy.
As his gaze met his, the boy looks away with his eyes furrowed in, "are you angry? Mad?"
The boy ignores him, "I don't care if you're angry, I'm not the lady you saw leave earlier. If you don't respond to her, then you're going to have to respond to me and trust me I'm not that nice."
The boy feels chills down his spine when he looks at the corner of the table, "how old are you?"
Noah tries another approach, "you understand what I'm saying, right? Look at me!" he shouts.
The boy turns to him with angry eyes, Noah smirks, "so you do understand, alright, kid! Do you prefer to stay out there cold, shivering, not knowing what you'll be eating the next day, scrapping through trash like cats? Or would you prefer to stay here where you'll be given a bed, clothes, food, and surround yourself with people who want to help you? Only you can make a choice. See this food, if you don't eat it, then we'll have to throw it away, and the thing I hate most is throwing perfectly good food away."
The boy softens his expression. Noah continues, "you were abandoned, weren't you?"
The boy shakes his head, Noah examines the scars on his body, "did your parents hit you? Did you run away?"
The boy tries to hide his arms under the table, shaking his head.
"you look about 6-7 years old, kid I can promise you this, if you choose to stay here you wouldn't have to live the way you used to with your parents. I can guarantee you! Rather I promise no one will hurt you, but you have to speak up first.
I understand you can't speak from shock. I was like that too. Your probably scared, nervous, and don't know what to do, but trust me, everyone here cares about you. We won't abandon you well. That's all I can say if you won't talk then don't. But at least decide for yourself. If you eat this food, then you accept staying here. But if you don't eat it, then I'll personally take you back to where you came from" he glares coldly at the boy.
Noah stares at the door, "ah! Don't even think about escaping! I've locked the doors. No one can go in or out. And don't even think about stealing anything from me I have nothing worth stealing and I'm a light sleeper."
The boy shakes as Noah smirks, "I bet you're thinking, how do I know this?"
He nods, "because I used to be like you. I had those same thoughts when I first came here. So don't think you can outsmart me. good night" he stays sitting on the ground leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.
***
"Hello?"
"Hey, you, motherfucker! Where is my beer for all of my hard work yesterday! You came in and left! Where are you!?"
Everest sighs, shaking his head, "I'm going home."
"What?!"
"I said I'm going home, you dumbass!" he yells, losing his patience but looks around to see people whispering in shock. "Hey, Jared?"
"I don't care if you're going home. What about my beer!"
"Are you seriously damn poor?! I'll send you a check soon so you can buy all the beer you want!"
Jared calm down, "oh, okay, so where are you going?"
Everest sighs, feeling dumbfounded, "I said I'm going back home. There is something I've got to settle with my dad."
"Oh! Alright, then, bye!" Jared hangs up abruptly, uninterested.
Everest sighs, "why am I not surprised?" shaking his head when he looks back and forth to his plane ticket, "I should have never come here."
***
Meanwhile, again at the orphanage, Belen is playing with the children outside, pretending to be the monster and more running back and forth tiredly with the children. Though from afar Noah and the boy who he calls, "kid" is watching them all play.
Noah asks, "do you want to join them?" but the kid shakes his head looking from afar with admiration in his eyes, wanting to join.
"Back then, when I wanted to play with the rest of the children, no one came near me. Instead, everyone turned their backs and ignored me. You see that woman over there?" he points to Belen. The kid nods.
"She's the one who first spoke to me, ever! And thanks to her, I was given a chance to forget the fact that I'm an orphan. Kid! From here on, it's going to be easy, but remember that the word orphan is going to follow you everywhere! But I tell you, don't listen to them. Be yourself. Don't try to fit in. Just because you are an orphan does not mean you are any different from the rest of the children out there. You were born, loved, and taken care of. Don't get discouraged because you don't have parents. Like me, I still feel discouraged at times at the fact that I am an orphan. But Belen, she makes me forget the fact that I am anything different" he smiles, admiring her from afar. When she shouts, waving at them, "Noah!!! Come join us!"
"Are you coming?" Noah asks the kid.
But the kid nervously backs away, shaking his head. Noah shrugs, "well, I won't force you but come join us when you're ready, we accept you."
As he left, the kid stays there watching from the sidelines swaying back and forth as if he has to do the bathroom, but instead, he's moving to distract himself from watching them play.
A few minutes later, Belen shouts, "everyone stop! Do you hear me?" the children all stop playing as they crowd her.
"Woah! Okay, kids, sadly, we have to leave in a few minutes, but! We brought you all gifts! Because Mi-Sun told us that everyone here had been a good boy and girl always eating and listening to her, so we brought you all gifts!"
All the children cheer excitedly, crowding her even more than before, but Mi-Sun shouts, "come inside, everyone! Sit down inside the playroom so Belen and Noah can give you all your presents!" immediately, they all run past Mi-sun inside the missionary.
The boy from earlier did not get to hear them, so he stays outside, but Belen catches a glimpse of him while Noah brings in the gifts inside. She runs to him, "hi!" she smiles at him, surprising him to jump back a bit.
"I'm sorry, I scared you, what are you doing here?" she squats to look at his eyes.
But the boy looks even lower to avoid eye contact, this makes her chuckle, "you're so cute!" she pats his head gently, "come on! You can get a gift too!" she grabs his hand pulling him inside with the rest of the children. But as the boy entered, he went to the corner of the room, ignoring everyone.
As the gifts are passed out, Belen comes near the boy and squats, "here," she hands him a gift, "open it! You might like it!" but the boy ignores her as if he were deaf.
Belen gently touches his forehead, "hmm your not sick? Are you not feeling well?" but the boy's eyes widen at her soft, caring touch like a mother making him look up at her. As he did, she smiles brightly, "you have beautiful eyes!"
The boy suddenly begins to sniff as his eyes become watery, getting ready to shed tears. Belen panics because she did not mean to make him cry, but just as she was about to ask Mi-sun for help, the boy hugs her nuzzling his head in her neck like a puppy.
Belen's taken aback, finally understands warmly embracing him like a mother, "don't worry, you're here with us. Cry if you have to. I'm here. No one will say anything."
Noah stares from afar faintly smiling but is quickly interrupted by Mi-sun, "son, can I speak to you?"
"y-yeah! Sure"
"don't worry about them, Belen and the staff with be with the children."
As Noah left the boy finally stopped crying and opens his gift with a blank expression, Belen feels confused, "do you not like it?"
The boy shakes his head, and since he can't talk, he shows Belen how much he loves the gift by hugging it, making her smile. As she did, the boy felt encouraged to do anything to make her smile.
But the rest of the children became jealous and approached Belen, "Benen! Can you play with us!"
As soon as Belen turned around, the boy's smile disappears, when Belen comments, "why don't we all play together?"
The children stare at the boy in confusion, "with him?"
"Yes! That is why we give you each gift because you are all nice children, right?"
"Yess!!" they shout in unison.
"Come on, let's play!" she pulls on the boys encouraging him to join.
***
Meanwhile, Noah and Mi-sun are talking inside a room, "Haneul, I mean Noah, how is everything? Are you still searching for your parents?"
Noah turns serious, "I am, but it's not going as successful as I would have thought. It's as if once I find a clue as to their location, it immediately turns into an error."
"Will you ever give up looking for your parent's son?"
"Mom! I-its not as if I want to replace you but, I just want to know why! Why was I left? Why did they abandon me! I don't care how hurtful it may be. I just want to see them one more time."
Mi-sun sighs, "you trust Belen, right?"
"Of course! Why?"
"Noah, please stay near her at all cost, you know better than I do how much she's changed since that night she left this place."
"Yeah…I know."
"Please, son. I know you love her dearly."
Shocked, "how do you?!"
She smiles, "son, how could I not know? She's the only one who always been in your heart."
"but she doesn't feel that way for me at all, or rather I'm not up to her status."
"Did she say that herself?"
"No! But mom! I just know! In these types of situations, a person just knows in there gut that they are no match."
Mi-sun vehemently denies, "that's not true, son! I can see just how much she loves and cares about you. Please stay by her side and rescue her from all the hurt she's experienced over the years. Be her healer, right now she's blinded by hate, but once that's all gone. She'll see just how much you mean to her."
"I don't know mom…can I?"
"Of course! Nothing is impossible! Here!" she takes out a small ring case handing it to him.
"mom, what is this?"
She smiles, "a ring! So you can marry her!"
Speechless, "b-but mom! This must of cost you a fortune?! How did you afford this?!"
"Don't underestimate me, son! I'm your mother, the least I can do is this. Now take it, and marry her."
"m-mom!"
"don't worry, son!" she hugs him warmly.
***
In the playroom, Belen finally managed to get the boy comfortable enough to play with the rest of the children, especially the older children with their gifts.
Belen, on the other hand, is busy with the little girls playing princess, when suddenly asked many questions, "Princess Belen! do you have a dog or a cat?"
She chuckles, "…no, not anymore."
"why not?"
"Because…" she becomes hesitant, "it ran away."
"Awww! Poor kitty! Do you have a dog? Or a chicken? Or a horse?"
"I like horses!" "I like pink horses!"
"Wow! You all like horses?! Awesome! Next time why don't we go see the horses together?"
"Really?! When?!"
"Wait! I said next time I come, not today."
"you mean tomorrow?" "next week?" "At Christmas!"
"hmm, I'll have to see. If Mi-sun tells me that you've all been good girls, then I'll take you to see the horses, okay!"
"OKAY!!"
But a little girl asks an unexpected question making Belen freeze, "do you have a brother?"
The little girl continues, "I want a little brother." While another says, "I want a big brother!" and another one, "I want a baby brother!"
Belen tries her best to smile but instead forces her to smile while on the inside feels torn apart by that simple question thinking, "I used to have a brother, but he left."
Just then, Noah enters surprising the children when Mi-sun says, "alright, everyone! Belen and Noah have to leave now! Make sure to thank them for the gifts and for coming here!"
All the children immediately clumsily bow, "thank you, Noah, Belen!"
Belen can't help but feel emotional, holding back her tears when they all run in to hug both. As they were on their way out the boy waves trying to get her attention. "hmm?" she runs to the boy, "is something the matter?" but the boy hugs her as sign of goodbye, making her genuine smile appear, "thank you, I'll see you next time."
At that moment, the boy kisses Belen on the cheek, shyly running away, "cute," she whispers.
She waves to everyone as they always wave back, shouting, "bye! Goodbye!" as they drive away.
"ahh…that was fun!" she stretches her arms in the car.
"You had that much fun, huh!"
"I wish I could stay there…"
"right…"
She suddenly yawns, "you're sleepy?" he asks.
"Yeah, I forgot how crazy these kids sleep! I kept getting hit," she laughs.
"it'll take us two and a half hours to arrive, why don't you sleep for now?"
"really?! Is that alright with you?"
"Why shouldn't it be?"
"well, did you sleep enough?"
"Yeah, I'll just put some music to scare my sleep."
"alright…you sure?"
"Yes," he laughs.
"you REALLY sure?!"
"Will you just sleep before I make you drive!"
"Okay…" she gets comfortable turning side to side, falling asleep to Noah's direction.
When he notices he sighs, "why did you have to sleep like that? I have to decide whether to drive or watch you sleep."
But as he continues to drive, he thinks about his talk earlier with Mi-sun about marrying Belen.
"a healer…how can I heal your wounds? It's not as if I can replace him. No one can. But how can I make you see me the same way I do? It's not so easy. I've been with her for four years, and each day I'm learning something new. I've met your father, Iris, but I have yet to meet your mother or your elder sister. There is still so much I don't know about you, so how can I heal your wound when I don't know anything."
He critically thinks, "the only thing I know is your side of the story. But there are two sides to a story. The problem is, …who, can I ask?"
After a few hours, they arrive at the photoshoot studio as the make-up artists and hairstylists ready Belen for the shoot. But back home, Everest arrives at LAX airport, and the first thing he does is call his sister. "Leena!"
"Everest?! Where have you been?"
"has dad been looking for me?"
"Surprisingly, no…anyways where have you been?"
"o-oh, umm on vacation."
"really vacation after what happened?!"
"relax, Leena! there is something I want to talk to you about."
"About what?"
"My dad."
"come to the office."
As she hung up, Everest takes a deep breath and exhales firmly, getting in his car as his driver asks, "where to Sir Everest?"
"To Fox theaters!"