Hyun Bin had had a happy childhood. Being an only child and the king in the Hyun's house had allow him to do and have whatever he wanted, even so he had been raised as a respectful, kind, responsible, and caring kid.
He had it all: toys, excellent grades at school, good friends and loving parents. The only thing he could wish for was a sibling to play and have fun.
He would constantly ask his parents for a brother or a sister, but it was only when he reached a certain age, that he finally understood the situation behind her mom's tears. His parents would never be able to have another child and he could never be able to have siblings.
As he was growing up, Bin tried to give his parents the best of him, so that he could, somehow, help them overcome their emotional pain. Even as a teenager, he never gave his parents anything to worry about, he continued being a good son.
Eventually, he left them behind to reach his own goals.
He was admitted at the Seoul National University to study English Language and Literature, he graduated as a straight A student and with a job offer in a prestigious literary publisher.
He started from the bottom, but he worked his ass off and, little by little, he made a name of his own.
But every rise has its fall and his glory days came to an end.
A couple of months after being named book editor at Daewon C. I. Inc., he received the call that change his life forever. His father had just died because of a heart attack.
From that moment on, everything went down.
He took some days off from work to be with his mother at the funeral, he was her only support, so he had to be strong for her.
When the moment to get back to Seoul came, it was really difficult for him because he didn't want her to be alone, so he tried to convince her to go with him to the city, but she had insisted that Hongdo was her home.
It had only been two weeks when received a new call from her mom. She hadn't been feeling good, but she had assumed her physical exhaustion was caused by the grief of her loss, but as it had remained for days and days, she had had to go to see a doctor.
Bin was expecting for the worst as he was listening to his mom by the phone, but what she told him next was, frankly, unbelievable. After 26 years of being unable to have another child, she was about 5 weeks pregnant, at her late forties.
His mom and his late dad had made up with not being able to have more children a long time ago. Instead of thinking on what they couldn't have, they had focused all their love and efforts on what they actually had, their beloved son.
They had lived a happy marital life, even when Bin had left and there were just the two of them.
But sometimes, the things you expect the most happen when you least expect it to happen, when you are done with expecting.
To everyone surprise, Bin's mom had conceived. It was a miracle, as she used to say.
It was not a secret that hers was a high-risk pregnancy, she was very aware of that, but no one really had expected the outcome, much less Bin.
He had had to take big decisions while everything was happening so fast. His whole life had taken a 180 degree turn and soon he had seen himself with a newborn in his arms, with nobody to take care of her, but him.
His life, full of commodities, books, love and friends, left to make way to sleepless nights, dirty diapers and vomit. He had left behind his job, some friends and had lost his girlfriend, certainly his new life was not easy at all.
One certain night, while baby Hee-young was sleeping, he decided to have a light reading to free his mind, at least for some minutes, so he looked into his shelves and found a book which he had read a long time ago: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
People often say that when you read a book for a second time, you see something in it you didn't see the first one, that's why every single time you reread a book, you can find new meanings.
He was so focused on Santiago's life's struggles, delighted by Hemingway's concise writing style and trying to catch the details and meanings he had missed the first time, that he had lost the sense of time.
He was coming to the end when he found some words which made him reconsider his own life.
"Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is".
And, just as his parents did many years ago, so he did.
Instead of thinking on the things he had lost, such as his parents, his job or his girlfriend; he focused on his new life with Hee-young and she became the center of his world.
Sometimes, he enjoyed too much his time with Hee-young that he often forgot that he was supposed to act as a parent and not as brother.
Contrary to what he had thought before, she made his life so much easier, she helped him to find comfort and little moments of joy in the middle of the darkness. Watching her growing up as a smart and healthy little girl was so satisfying and he couldn't be prouder of her.
Of course there were still times when he felt he had no idea what he was doing. Trivial things, such as how to do a basic ponytail or how to choose the right clothes for her, gave him headaches and it always ended with the little Hee-young not having idea about how cute yet ridiculous she looked because of the poorly made ponytail or garments that did not match.
The most awkward situations were when they went on a trip alone and Hee-young needed to go to the bathroom, because she wasn't old enough to go on her own, but he neither could take her to the men restroom.
Thank God, for every person who came out of life, there was someone else who stayed and made everything easier.
Bin was so grateful for people like Chung-cha or Gong Yoo, who were always willing to help him babysitting Hee-young while he was working and, little by little, things returned to their course.
He was so comfortable with his life until he met a girl who made him rethink everything again.
Son Ye Jin had woke up feelings and dreams he thought he no longer had, and there he was once again, wishing for her to love him back and looking for an opportunity to finally write his book.
Everything he had wished for in the past and had seemed to be impossible to reach, now it was within his reach.
That night, while Bin was having dinner with Ye Jin and his mother, he received a call from an old friend at Daewon C. I. Inc. His friend had just read the first chapter of Bin's manuscript and he had love it, so he asked Bin to finish the story so that he can show it to the editors for evaluation.
With a big smile on his face, Bin was on his way back to the table to tell his girlfriend the good news, after all she was the one who had encourage him to do it, when he heard Eun Ae and Ye Jin's conversation.
Maybe there wasn't any chance for her to love him back, after all, she had never told him so. Maybe she wasn't sure about want to have him in her life. Maybe she wasn't ready to confront the responsibilities he was carrying on his shoulders. She was 27, the same age Young-min was when she left him.
What would made Ye Jin take a different choice? Why would she choose some like him instead her freedom? Why would this time have a different outcome?
That night, trapped in his cold bed sheets, he made a decision. He had to let her go.
The thing was that he didn't know how.
Ye Jin could no longer understand a thing.
Bin had been acting strange the whole week, it was like something had happened between the both and she wouldn't have noticed.
He was sending her mixed signals once again and she couldn't tell if he still liked her or he was already over her.
Usually, he was the one who came up to her with plans for their dates, but he hadn't suggested anything in days and, basically, they hadn't done anything as a couple since the dinner with her mother.
She didn't want to worry about at all, maybe he was just busy, and she was overacting because of her insecurities.
She had decided to take the initiative and make some plans for them and Hee-young, but he had refuse, arguing that he had a lot of work at the bookstore, so she had decided to just spend her afternoons there, just keeping him company.
During their time in the store, Bin spent most of his time shelving books while Ye Jin was planning her students' lessons.
Every now and then, she could feel Bin's glare on her while she was focused on her work, but every time she turned to him, he would apart his gaze and act like he was busy doing anything else.
Sometimes, when she was able to make eye contact with him, she could make out some longing and nostalgia in his eyes, then she would smile at him trying to let him know that was right there and that she was going nowhere. In return, he would smile back at her, a painful smile, before turning back to his books.
Friday came soon and Ye Jin was expecting his father's arrival that afternoon. As she was not going to be able to see Bin later, she decided to pay him a visit at the store just after school.
As usual, he was arranging some old books on the shelves.
"'One day, she ventured to the palace library and was delighted to find what good company books could be'", she quoted as hello.
He turned to her.
"Who said that?", a very tiny smile appeared on his face, as she expected.
"E. Lockhart. In We Were Liars".
"Interesting name", he said.
"For an interesting book", she smiled at him and Bin turned back to his books.
"So...", she said. "I'm here to ask for a favor".
"What is it?", he asked and looked back at her with concern.
"Since my dad is spending the whole weekend here, I was expecting for you to let Hee-young come with us to explore the island".
Ye Jin knew Bin didn't have a problem with her spending time with his sister, so she was sure he was going to let her go.
Maybe that was why his response surprised her.
"I don't think it is a good idea", he said back to his work.
Maybe he was just kidding her.
"Really?", she asked.
"I've been thinking a lot about this and I don't think it is a good idea for her to spend more time than necessary with you".
Maybe he was done with her indeed.
"What made you reach that conclusion?", she asked hurt.
"Well, she is already too used to you and the school year is almost done. I'm sure you are spending your summer break with your parents and friends in Seoul, so she needs to get used not to have you around".
Actually, she hadn't thought too much about that, but secretly she was expecting for him to asked her to stay in Hongdo.
She didn't know what to said and he still didn't look her in the eye.
"Yeah, probably you are right", she finally answered.
"Besides, you and your father need time for yourselves".
"Yeah, you are right", she repeated. "Are you still coming to meet him? You had promised weeks ago".
Bin nodded after a while.
"Great. In that case, I better go now, I don't want to be late", she said trying to lighten her own mood. "I'll see you later", she kissed his right cheek and hastened her step towards the exit.
"Ye Jin...", he called her.
"Yes?", she turned her head back at him with her hand on the door sting.
Bin dedicated another of his sad smiles to her and shook his head.
"Nothing", his eyes yearned for her. "Just enjoy your time with your dad".
She nodded back at him with a little smile.
True to his promise, Bin had met Ye Jin's dad that night. She had introduced him as her boyfriend and he and her dad had had an interesting chat.
"Ye Jin, I knew there was a guy involved when you told me you liked a lot being in here", her father lightly commented making fun of her, while she blushed a little and Bin felt a pinch in his heart.
As a father, Mr. Son was relieved his daughter had found a nice and honorable man to be with, but the tension between the young couple did not go unnoticed by him.
"Maybe they're uncomfortable with me being around", he thought and closed the matter.
Ye Jin spent the next day showing the island to her father, who was delighted by Hongdo's beauty.
To be honest, she had expect for her and her dad to had awkward little moments and silences, after all, they hadn't really spend much time together in years; but she was happy to find out that they still had a lot in common.
It was so easy for them to talk about anything, to understand each other's sense of humor and to remember their memories together while building new ones.
It was amazing how, after all they been through, the love they had for each other prevailed and made everything easier. There were still many issues to solve, but they had already taken the first step.
Ye Jin had missed him so much and she found herself wishing for him to stay a little longer.
On Sunday, the day of his return to Seoul, they were having breakfast at Ye Jin's house before parting to the port.
"And am I going to meet that boyfriend of yours again before I left?", he asked.
A sad smile appeared on her face.
"I don't know. I may ask him".
"Is everything ok?", he held her hand on his.
She looked at him and sighed.
"I don't know, dad".
"You can tell your old man".
She sighed once again while staring at her food.
"I don't want you to have a bad impression of Bin, he is really a good guy, but lately, he's been acting so strange".
"What you mean strange?"
"It's like he's trying to push me away".
"Did anything happen for him to act that way?"
"No, I don't think so. One day everything was alright and the next one he was...", she shook her head slowly.
"Do you think he is worth it?", her dad asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think your feelings are strong enough to fight for him?"
Ye Jin blinked repeatedly, she wasn't expecting for him to ask that question.
"You know, just as women, men also need to feel that you love them back. What I'm trying to say is that if you really love him, you should talk about it. If your love is worth, you have to fight with everything you have".
Ye Jin kept quiet for a while.
"Dad, did your relationship with mom was not worth it?"
This time, he was the one surprised by her question.
"That's exactly why you have to listen to me in this. Back then I made not one but two mistakes, the second one was not having fought to get your mom back".
"Then it's the two of us who need to fight with everything", she said.
Mr. Son smirked.
"It may be too late for me, but it is not for you. You can't give up at the first hurdle, to give everything because of love is in your veins".
Ye Jin looked at him with a frown and he laughed.
"I'm not talking about me. Believe it or not, your grandparents had a beautiful love story, they went through a lot before finally be able to live a happy life together, had I never told about it?"
"I don't think so".
"Well, they did. Believe me, the problems in our relationships are nothing compared to what they live, but they were resilient. Fight with your everything, Ye Jin", he said giving her hand a loving squeeze.
Ye Jin took her father to the port and he left, not before making her promise to spend a few days with him during the summer holidays.
On her way back to the cabin, she couldn't think about anything else but her dad's words.
As soon as she entered to her bedroom, something from her bookshelf caught her attention, she came closer and took it in her hands. It was the poetry book Bin had insisted on her to read, the one she had refused to.
Suddenly, she had a new resolution. She had to fight with her everything for Bin. He was worth it.
AN:
Hello, everyone!
How have you been? I hope you all are doing ok.
It's been a while since my last Shelved Love update (I'm so sorry about that), so it is really nice to be able to update once again.
As you may have already noticed, SL is premiering a new cover, thanks to the kindness of the lovely Clyte (@clytetistic), who did an amazing work.
Please, let me tell you about what has been going on with my life.
My laptop died about four weeks ago, I bought a new one but it was defective so I had to return it, I bought another one but my bad luck with computers continued, so I had to borrow my mom's, but only when she was not using it, and I often used it just for work and school stuff, which had been a lot.
Fortunately, I finally got a new - and functional - laptop last week, but it's been really complicated to find the time and the mood to write as many other things are happening.
Even so, some days ago I had the opportunity to upload my little surprise for you, which turns out to be Ye Jin's grandparents love story (let's pretend it is, even when the names do not match), so if you want to read it you can find it on my profile by the name "This Is Our Song" (Song 1).
Finally, I wanted to let you know that there's only one chapter to go. I'm sorry it is just a short story, it has nothing to do with my occupations, the plot was planned to end at this point since the beginning.
Thank you so much for your support. Please, stay safe.
Till the next chapter.
Love, Eymi.