Seong-Hee Yoon woke up at nearly noon that Monday. It had been three months since her loving husband had announced the end of their life together, that he'd fallen for a younger woman. Seong-Hee wasn't stupid, she'd known there were problems for some time. Her former husband had mentioned his desire for children before they were married... and oh, how they'd tried back then. It was very hard news to take when a series of doctors informed her that she couldn't conceive, but the two of them had decided to bear it. She'd suggested adoption, he was less than enthusiastic.
Yet even though she'd sensed what was wrong, the divorce was surprising and painful. It hurt them both, and maybe even crueler was the fact that he still cared enough, still felt enough remorse to give her the house and enough assets to keep her financially solvent for some time.
Now, as a 38-year-old Korean-American divorcee, she didn't fancy her chances of finding another man. A man her age would likely be looking for a girl younger than she... especially one who could bear children. Battling depression over the past three months, Seong-Hee had gained almost twenty pounds, putting her at 135 in a 5'3" frame.
For a few minutes she lay on her bed, on her side of a king-size mattress, staring at the ceiling. She was thinking of nothing when she heard the doorbell ring. She propped herself up, briefly confused, then remembering why she would have a visitor.
Her house, although a smallish one-story, had a spare bedroom and bathroom. She'd placed an ad up online about a room for rent, and today someone was coming by to look at it. Was it noon already?
She crawled out of bed and put on a bathrobe when the doorbell rang again. "Shiba!" she muttered. Four months ago, she would have made more of an effort to make herself presentable, but right now she decided to just get the door.
She pulled the door open to see a surprised young man. He was white and about 5'10", with short, brown hair, brown eyes, with glasses and a bit of stubble on his face.
"Hi, I'm Will Varga, are you Ms. Yoon? ...I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" He asked, noticing her bathrobe.
Seong-Hee felt just a little bit embarrassed for a moment, "Oh no! Sorry, is my fault. I lost track of time. Please come in, I show you my house." She stepped inside to let him in, self-consciously smoothing her hair, and hoping he wasn't put off by her accent. As she'd been born in Korea and with most of her friends and acquaintances being Korean, her English wasn't quite as practiced as she might have liked.
They made small talk as she showed him around; he was a graduate student in a science PhD program at the local university looking for a place to rent close to campus. He was 25 and didn't have a girlfriend, but Seong-Hee couldn't help but wonder why. His t-shirt and jeans didn't really show much in the way of his body-shape, but she thought that he had a good-looking, masculine face and that his language was very well-enunciated and pleasantly delivered in a rich baritone. He seemed very enthusiastic about the house and the room he would rent (and especially the price she was asking).
When they'd finished the tour and she took him to the door, he asked "If I were to give you the security deposit and the first month's rent tomorrow, when could I move in?"
"You can move in same day, if you like." She said, smiling. "I can give you extra key, tomorrow."
"Perfect! I'll come by tomorrow with my things and the money. I'll see you soon, Ms. Yoon!" and he walked off. She smiled to herself. What a nice boy! She thought.
*****
The next day, Seong-Hee woke up much earlier and jumped out of bed. Looking through her closet for something nice to wear, she was dismayed to notice that some of her favorite outfits (especially her jeans) no longer fit very well. She made a mental note to start getting more exercise. She did notice, however, that a few of her outfits looked a little a better on her, now that her breasts had gotten a touch larger with the extra weight. She decided on a thin, long-sleeved blue top that showed a little cleavage and a black skirt that went slightly past her knees. After arranging her hair and putting on a little makeup, she got to work cleaning up the house a bit.
She had just started on making a little lunch when she heard the doorbell. She was quick to answer it this time.
"Hi Ms. Yoon! I've got the deposit and the first month's rent." Will said, handing her an envelope.
"Oh! Thank you, Will! Here is key. Would you like lunch?"
"I'd love to, Ms. Yoon. First though, would it be alright if I move a few boxes in?"
"Of course! I make some lunch for you."
Over the next few minutes, Will started bringing boxes through the house and into his room and Seong-Hee continued making their lunch. She also couldn't help but notice that his white t-shirt was just a little too small for him, and that she liked it. She could see that his chest and arms had some definition to them. She idly wondered what he looked like without his shirt on.
"Lunch is ready! Come eat!" she called to him. He made his way to the dining table, looking just a little bit sweaty. "Oh! Would you like water?"
"Please!" he smiled at her.
Pouring him a glass, she asked "You work very hard! Are you strong man?"
"Uh, I don't know if I would call myself that strong, but I do like to work out. It makes me feel stronger, and I like to feel that way."
"You look strong, look very good. Muscles!" she mock-flexed her biceps.
He laughed. "Well, thank you! You look very good too."
Seong-Hee found herself starting to blush at that. "Too nice. I am old and fat."
"You don't look old or fat, Ms. Yoon. You're very attractive."
She giggled "So charming! Why no girlfriend?" His smile faltered, making her wish she hadn't asked. "I am sorry. I should not ask."
"No, that's alright. My girlfriend and I broke up before I moved here. We would have been too far apart... I had to move, but she wasn't ready to move with me. I don't blame her, it would have been a big change, but..."
He's so sweet, she thought. "I understand. You find someone soon." She said, consolingly.
