[Three years later]
Lina went inside a school building. It was a big building. Many students came to learn here. It's not an ordinary school. Age doesn't matter here. From three years to 90 years old people come here just because of their thirstiness for knowledge. Many languages have been taught here like English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and many more. Different people learn different things. It has a special department for Muslim children who can't learn Arabic due to a lack of teachers and institutions or because of poverty.
Lina was going inside a room where many of her students of different ages were waiting for her.
"Hey! Ms. is coming! Stand up! SAY ASSALAMUALAIKUM!" the captain of the class who was a 12 years old kid said to everyone and everyone repeat after him when she was going inside.
"Oalaikumassalam! How are you everyone!" she asked.
"We are fine! How are you, Ms.?" a kid asked.
"I am fine too!" she replied smilingly and went to her table.
"MA'am! TheRe is A nEw stuDent! We toLd Him to tAlk wiTh yOu fiRst But hE diDn't liSten tO uS!" a kid was complaining about a new student.
"Oh! Really? Where is he?" Lina also asks cutely and went to him.
"There!" he pointed at his right side.
"Ah! We will see about him later. But first, tell me why you are talking like this? It's not your original voice! Are you sick?" she takes a look at the new student and was surprised but she smiled and then looking at her old student she asked gently.
"No! BeCaUsE oF thIs." he showed his teeth and Lina saw there was a tooth missing from his mouth.
"Aigoo! My poor Hafiz! It must hurt a lot, right?" She was acting very sweet with the kids.
"Okay, who brings homework? Those people who didn't bring homework will be punished today. Now pull up your hands who didn't bring their homework." Lina said very strictly and went to her place and took a long and think stick.
"Oh, No! What should we do now? Ms. Please forgive us for today! We didn't know you are gonna punish us!" some people pull their hands in the air and said. Some old people with the new student also pulled their hands and begged for her forgiveness.
"Okay, I will forgive all of you but you have to tell the reason first. You!" she pointed at a lady and told her to stood up. She stood up and bend her head down.
"Look at me! If you don't look at me how can I know if you are telling the truth or not?" she said to the lady.
"I was busy because my husband was ill. I had to look after him for all day. I am sorry." she replied.
"Okay, serve the ill people is a great virtue. I forgive you." she went to an old man.
"How about you, Ajusshi!" she asked. My grandson came yesterday so I spent time with him. I am sorry." he said.
"Ah! Okay, you should give time to your grandchildren." she went to a kid.
"And.....what about you?" she asked cutely.
"I-I-I....I forgot because I was playing. I am sorry." the kid was looking down.
"Ah! You forgot! Then you should get punished! Show your palm." she said. As she ordered, the kid gave his palm to her. Lina hit his palm with her stick slowly.
"Don't forget from next time, okay!" she said smilingly and went to the new student. He was looking at her from the beginning and feeling proud of her. He was smiling at her.
"What about you, Mr?" Lina came to him and asked.
"I don't know what was the homework!" he showed his palm and said smilingly. But he didn't remove his eyes from her.
"Then, you should be punished too if you came here to learn. By the way, did you come here to learn?" she smiled.
"Yes, of course, I came to learn! I am serious! I just changed my religion so I came to learn!" he smiled and said by pouting his lips.
"Then, it's alright! The homework was the ten names of Almighty which he likes the most." saying this she hit on his palm but seems like she hit hard.
"Ouch! HEY! How could you hit me like that! Ah! It's really unfair! You should be kind! Kindness is a great virtue! Allah like them who are kind!" he said in his way.
"I am sorry! I didn't mean to hit you so hard. I am sorry!" Lina apologizes and laughed out.
"I will see you!" he smiled and sat down. Lina didn't get scared but she just gives him a big smile and went back to her place.
After the bell rang, everyone start coming out of the school. The teachers were also coming outside slowly. There was a student who was waiting for a teacher for a long time.
"Oh! Look at him! What is he doing here? Did he came to learn language or he changed his religion!" some people were talking in the big field and seeing him they were talking about him. So, the student went away from there slowly because he didn't want to make a big mess here. Lina came outside. She was happy today. She met that person whom she wanted but she doesn't want to meet him again. So, she was in a hurry. After coming outside of the school, there is a small jungle like garden which Lina have to pass by every day. As always, she was passing by there and suddenly her bag which she was holding on her shoulder has been snatched from inside the bushes.
"Ah! Who-o a-are y-you? Give my bag back!" she couldn't shout because she was afraid. She went close to the bushes and tried to look inside. Suddenly someone pulled her hand from inside and she couldn't control herself. She falls on inside and now she understood what was going on.
"Hey! You! You scared me!" she started beating the person randomly.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! It's hurt! Ah! I AM SORRY!" he apologizes. He was acting like a prey which has been caught by a hunter.
"What do you want? Why you came here?" Lina asked and sat down inside the bushes. Dae Ju also sat down and smiled by looking at her.
"Why you escape from there? I was searching for you everywhere. You didn't contact me for the last two years. Why you are avoiding me? Why you are hiding from me?" he asked and make a serious face.
"Ah! I have to go." saying this Lina wanted to stoop up but Dae Ju holds her hand and didn't let her go.
"No, you will come with me. I am not gonna let you leave me again," he said.
"Leave me!" she was being angry.
"Why? Why you are doing this? I know everything about you! Jheong Woo told me everything! Why you hide that from me?" Suddenly he attacks Lina. In reply, she stayed silent.
"If you know everything from earlier, then you came to me again? This is the reason I came far from you," she replied with hurtful eyes.
"No! How can you decide it by yourself? If I can be your partner in your happiness then why I can't be your partner in you a bad time? Is this what love means to you?" he asked.
"If someone finds us here, we will be in big trouble!" Lina tried to change the topic.
"I came here to take you. I came back from the military a week ago and since then I was searching for you and finally, I got you. Let's go to your home and pack your belongings." Dae Ju was insisting.
"Leave me alone! Seriously! I am saying you I am not going anywhere!" she stood up finally and came outside. She started walking fast but Dae Ju was following her like a stalker.
"Why you are following me?" after some time she stopped and shouted.
"I am not following you. I am looking over you." Dae Ju replied. Lina turned in front again and start walking again. Her house was not so far from there so she reached her house in a very short time. She keyed the door and went inside. Dae Ju was also following her and went to the entrance as if it was his own home.
"What do you want now?" she came to the door and asked while unpinned her scarf.
"You." simple reply from Dae Ju.
"You can't get that here. So, I am sorry and leave now," she said and went to close the door.
"Then where do I supposed to go? Where can I find it?" he asked jokingly. Look! I am back from the military. PD-nim asked me if I want to be a solo artist. I replied to him I will think about it though it was a lie. Because I wanted to come to you. I left everything behind because of you. I changed my religion because of you. I am trying to be the perfect husband material because of you. What more I can do for you? What do you want from me? Tell me! I will do anything! But, please, please don't push me away. It hurts more than anything. I told my mom about you and she wanted to meet you. She told me to bring you tonight as she wanted to have dinner with you." Dae Ju was being aggressive. Lina dragged him inside and closed the door. She put off her scarf and said.
"Can you see this? Do you know what this means?" she pointed at her head and asked. She has very short hair like boys. She was looking cute in that hair.
"You are looking very cute." Dae Ju got embarrassed.
"I am not saying that! Ah! Why you can't understand?" she was loud when she said that.
"Just get ready. My mom will kill me if I don't take you to her. I will pick you in the evening, at six pm. Don't get late. I will be waiting for you." saying this he left from there. Lina took a long breath and closed her eyes as she was confused what she should do.
[In the evening]
"Oh, you came! Come inside! I was waiting for you." Dae Ju's mom welcomed both of them.
"Hello!" Lina bowed to her.
"You really are beautiful!" his mom said and took her inside. Lina kept looking here and there as she was feeling awkward.
"Come and sit here." she offered her and without finding another way she was just following what she was told to. Dae Ju came there and went to sit beside them.
"Hey! Don't you think we need some private space? Go and wash yourself first!" his mom shouted.
"Mom! You forgot your son by getting her! Ah! How painful it is! How unfair the world is!" he was saying in his style and went to upstairs.
"Hey! Stop being dramatic!" shouting it she looked at Lina and smiled. Lina also smiled weirdly.
"What would you like to eat? I heard you like chicken a lot. And my specialty is the fried chicken. Want to try some? I will make them. Dae Ju also likes them very much. Samgyeopsal was his favorite too. But since he met you, he leaves eating them as he changed his religion too. I didn't tell him anything because I don't have any problem. I am just proud of him. Now all I wanted was to see him get married. And at last, he finds you. He told me about you not long ago. But I know about you from the beginning." his mom kept talking and Lina was surprised how she was talking nonstop and without taking a breath. Dae Ju must get him that habit from her.
"Mother! I don't know if you like me or not....." she couldn't finish her sentence.
"Aigoo! Why I won't like you! Of course, I like you!" she said again.
"But, I have a big problem. And that's why I can't marry your son," she replied.
"Don't say something like this. I know, if you don't marry him, he will never get married." she pout her lips and pat on her shoulder.
"Don't you love him? No! Now, don't tell me that you don't love him!" his mom was acting shocked.
"No! I love him! I love him more than anything in the world and that's why I want to protect him." saying this she started thinking something and then took a long breath.
"Mother! I have brain cancer. And I don't have much time. I will die anyway. Maybe in a year or maybe more than that. That's why I am begging you, please make him understand. And set him with another girl. I can't keep him happy. Even if he would be happy with me, can you imagine how much he will suffer after I leave?" she said with very hurtful eyes.