Beyond the Echo

Three little bears

" Han Sungjae."

The Lord of the Flies book was sectioned in half, with sticky notes and rough handwritten notes all over the pages.

Another literature book, I didn't ask to review Mina's English lecture.

Her ivory mug filled to the brink with black coffee brought to my attention, her strawberry pink nails tapping impatiently against the rim.

Hearing her call my name as she pleaded for help agonized me.

Mina Matsui, the half Korean Japanese who grew up in the upper part of Gangnam. Her family is a generational phenomenon, and gaining recognition for being the 5th generation to win a Nobel Prize in fine arts.

She comes from money yet lives in simplicity. A woman who never really shows where she's from or where she is going.

The only jewel she wears is her pearl earrings.

Her status is apparent without having to say a word. Elegance is the key to a successful marriage.

The sound of her matcha set breaking, brings me back to reality. Her jet black hair falls loose down her shoulders — her lips pressed into a fine line. She just got off the phone with her mother.

Her sharp eyes search mine with resentment. " You have a month."

We've been divorced for three years, yet she has the audacity to show up at my place for a favor?

I'm not her lapdog.

" We're not married, Mina," her name sounds foreign against my lips and makes me feel bitter.

She scoffs. " Listen up, Han Sungjae, we might not be married, but I am the reason why you still have that high position at that law firm you love so much." I expect you to comply, since mother will be making an appearance tomorrow and needs your help."

Her cold commanding tone rings through my ears. I knew there was no way to escape this, either I do the job and act like her little doll or die at the hands of a Matsui with an 18th century Japanese sword.

Mina fixes my tie, acting like the doting wife she once was and fixes my now loose locks against my forehead. A quick kiss against my lips to seal the deal, I could not escape.

It tasted like venom that was slowly finding its way through my veins. Her devilish look returns and turns around quietly reaching for the door.

With that she gently leaves my apartment as if she was never there.

...

Woo Bin nods slowly while listening to his boss over Skype. Boram throws glitter all over my new coach and pesters Jingo, who wants to be left alone but already has a big bow around his collar.

Jaehyuk, on the other hand, bakes muffins and finishes off the food he promised Boram 10 minutes ago. He looks up with a silly smile, icing the older batch. " Bad day at the office? " He asks, pipping the frosting to perfection.

Han Jaehyuk may be the youngest, but he can sense when there is tension or something doesn't feel right. He was also the only one who decided to break free from the rat race and pursue his passion from a very young age. - from following his dream he also found the love of his life. At the age of 30, he had achieved many things that only others could dream of. He continuously maintained a strong bond with us and his in-laws. Although he acted so mature, he was still clumsy and cloned to maintain the peace in the family.

Currently, there is a bakery two streets away from my place. A French-style one with the best pastries you can think of. His wife assisted him part-time as she juggled taking care of their children. She, too, was free-spirited, just like Jaehyuk, and kept encouraging him in many ways of making sure he continued to pursue his dream and supported any decision made. Her somewhat aloof appearance could often be mistaken for arrogance, but she had created that to protect her family and everyone else around her.

Kim Byeol was nothing other than an angel — her bright brown eyes and soft features, medium brown hair and medium height fitted perfectly with Jaehyuk complimenting each other's flaws and enhancing each other's strengths.

Her strong Busan accent would often come through while talking to customers and whenever a foreign customer came by her eyes, she would sparkle with excitement when speaking in English. Being half Canadian was a perk and continuously brought success to their business.

Jaehyuk mentioned that they met once during time abroad. He was the only one out of all of us who spoke fluently; Woo Bin knew enough to communicate or get by. As for me, it was more mandatory to speak English since Mina would acknowledge my presence if I spoke English or Japanese with her family.

My tie was loose, Boram was already shouting to be on my lap. " No work is the same." Jaehyuk raised his eyebrow, feeling unsure of my response.

I picked Boram up and sat her down on the chair next to me, feeding her some fried egg and tuna rice.

" Mina came by today," I stated bluntly while feeding Boram. Jaehyuk stops pipping, giving Woo Bin a knowing look.

" That explains the matcha set," Woo Bin spoke for the first time, darting his eyes towards the brown box next to the trash can.

Jaehyuk sighs. " Hyung, how many times?" Woo Bin shakes his head, signaling for him to shut his mouth.

I turn to face Woo Bin, who quickly pretends to be busy with work.

" What?"

"Do you guys have something to say? "

They both remain silent. Boram blurts out, "Daddy thinks that the ahjumma is taking advantage of you. You too soft uncle, Jae.

She smiles, acting like a docile child. Sometimes, I wished she wasn't such a smart mouth and would ignore her dad and act like other kids her age.

Woo Bin gave Boram a look, she went back to eating, innocently asking Jaehyuk when her cousins would be coming over.

The tension was thick, both my brothers resumed their tasks as if nothing had been waiting for time to pass us by. Chae Yi stormed through the apartment with multiple containers covered in pink silk — we all looked at her and already knew where she was.

" I knew you'd all be here," she smiles excitedly.

Han Chae Yi is the only sister we have. Often I wonder where she fitted in. Being the middle child between me and Woo Bin, her bubbly and bright personality often overpowered ours. Mom and dad loved her and Jaehyuk the most, since they were the most expressive ones. Protégé of dad who we often wondered where she would end up in this world for being so clumsy and stubborn. Chae Yi was the only one who never knew exactly what to do with her life. She started university at a very late stage of her life, got a first job also at a late stage and could never remain permanent anywhere she went. Has many gifts but does not use them. She always stays at home and doesn't really have any friends, hates public places, and she has money she has to spend it on clothes.

Recently she found a new job, and she has shown her potential and is very happy with her environment.

There could only be one reason why Chae Yi was smiling like a maniac. " Eomma found you a new spouse, Sungjae,"

Woo Bin spits out his coffee and Jaehyuk chokes on his food. I raised my eyebrow at the horrendous date mother had probably found through the social group she belonged to.

" Her name is Baek Chae Yeon," she explains. " She comes from a decent family just across from us and has recently started working as a teacher at Boram's school." Plus, we have similar taste, and we instantly clicked. "You're going to love her, Jae! "

Jaehyuk laughs. " That sounds like a bad idea, besides you and Hyung don't really get along."

Chae Yi slaps Jaehyuk's arm hard.

" Mom doesn't know how to draw the line," Woo Bin shakes his head. I know exactly was his thinking. Not too long he was set up with a woman from Busan since she believed that Boram needs a mom. It didn't end well.

" Well, you'll never know what she is like until you meet her." Jaehyuk nods in agreement.

"Noona is right. This could be a chance for you to finally, " he gets cut off by his phone ringing.

Chae Yi gives me a look at unpacking the kimchi and other side dishes mother made. I open the Kimchi first, taking a big bite. She smirks. " Do you like it? "

I nod eating more of it. Woo Bin joins in by adding some to his rice. " Eomma's kimchi is always the best."

" It's Chae Yeon's," Jaehyuk comes back out-of-the-blue while checking the label.

I stopped eating immediately and glared at Chae Yi. Woo Bin chuckles: " Maybe Noona is right," He pauses, taking a bite of the side dish." If her kimchi is this good, she must be interesting too."

Chae Yi grins, feeling happy that both brothers agreed.

I glare at Woo Bin. " Don't encourage her, she is only making this worse,"

She pouts, putting the other side dishes away. " Whatever Sungjae, Mom set up a date for you so you better show up."

I rolled my eyes feeling frustrated. There's a lot on my plate at the moment and all mother can think about having married off into another crazy family?

It's driving me insane.