PROMPTS

In Pursuit of Happiness - 5

Joo Hee laughed. "Well, that's because your Eomma has a crush on Agent Dae-sik."

"What's a crush, Auntie Joo Hee? Crush sounds like when you squish an insect," Hoon commented.

Joo Hee pinched the boy's cheeks. "Well, let's hope it's not like that. We want Eomma to fall in love with the Agent."

As they walked hand-in-hand to the bus stop, Hoon recalled his earlier conversation with Uju and asked. "Auntie, if Eomma and Agent Dae-sik fall in love, does that mean the Agent will be my Appa?"

Joo Hee looked at Hoon and decided to be honest. "I don't know but I think you need to tell your Eomma and talk to her about it because it's very important to you, right?"

"Yes, Auntie."

"Eomma is wise. She'll have answers for you," Joo Hee assured.

"What if she wants another Appa for me?" Hoon wondered.

"He'll be a good man, whoever he is," Joo Hee said.

"But, I want Agent Dae-sik to be my Appa," Hoon told her.

Jang Joo Hee was surprised at this declaration but tried to hide how she was flustered. Sure, she wanted her best friend to be with a good partner but she had failed to consider the impact it would have on this child. She was also shocked at how quickly Hoon developed an affinity for the agent. But Cha Mi-jo and Hoon shared a difficult past she would never understand so she had to tread carefully on this.

"Hmmm, well, you need to be sure about Agent Dae-sik, too. You just met him so we can't really be sure if he's a good man or not," Joo Hee told Hoon.

"If he's a bad man, I'm sure Eomma will pinch his ears and put him in jail," Hoon frowned.

"You're right," Jang Joo Hee affirmed. "Now, how about that snack? I'm starving."

"Are candies snacks, Auntie? I want candies. Let's go get candies."

*

Park Dae-sik had often dreamt of the day when he would be given another chance to be with Cha Mi-jo. What was not part of the dream though was that he would be spending a few hours, after a long work day, shopping for clothes and relying on his work partner's taste.

Hwang Jin Tae shook his head at the collection of shirts in front of him. "Nothing suits you," he said. "You're just one of those types who can't look good in clothes."

Dae-sik slumped on a seat. "It's my shoulders, isn't it? They're too broad? I knew I should have stopped working out during our last assignment."

Hwang Jin Tae suppressed a chuckle. "You really should have. Now, you're hopeless."

"Maybe I could win her over by giving her food? I should try to find out her favourites, yes? And Hoon tells me Dr. Cha loves flowers," Dae-sik thought. "Maybe those peonies will give her good memories."

But, when Dae-sik presented Cha Mi-jo with a bouquet of peonies during his next visit to her clinic, it was rewarded with a hard slap.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" Dae-sik protested.

Cha Mi-jo put a hand over her mouth at the reaction she had upon seeing those peonies. It was just that, the last time peonies were a part of her relationship, she had a one night stand... with a man who would eventually become her fiancé. As irrational as it sounded, peonies now reminded her of sex. (A/N: The relevance of the peonies is part of the drama, FYI)

"I... I'm sorry.. I mean... why did you give me peonies? Do you want to sleep with me?!" Cha Mi-jo blurted.

Dae-sik's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. "WHAT?! Peonies mean sleeping together?"