Chapter 105
- A Sister Ten Years Younger
2023.08.13.
"See here? Kwon Ji-wook. He's a decent young man."
Hyun-ji, after surveying the Korean community and seeking opinions from her peers, easily gathered information about Kwon Ji-wook. Twenty-nine years old in American age. A Stanford graduate who started an IT company with his classmates. The eldest son of a typical exemplary Korean family. He lived in LA until his sister, ten years younger, also went to Stanford, after which the whole family moved to Menlo Park.
Among all the information Hyun-ji showed her, the fact that he had a sister ten years younger particularly caught So-eun's eye.
So-eun turned her head indifferently.
"I don't like him much."
"Why?"
"He resembles Director Kim Tae-joon."
A prince-like bright complexion, the angle at which one's head tilts when facing him.
Eyes that subtly lengthen when they meet, a voice that seems a little more affectionate to her than to others, a leisurely pace that matches her steps, appropriate politeness.
Many things reminded her of Tae-joon.
"Hmm." Hyun-ji sighed ruefully at So-eun's assessment.
"He is handsome, though."
"......"
"But, isn't he completely different? Kim Tae-joon has such a sharp look. Kwon Ji-wook's impression is soft, and he's mannerly and kind."
Exactly. That's the point.
So-eun closed her mouth, not wanting to dwell on Tae-joon any further.
To So-eun, Hyun-ji more enthusiastically recommended social activities.
"It's not like So-eun is going to marry Kwon Ji-wook. Wouldn't it be helpful just to become friends? Above all, he's from engineering, so he'll probably get along well with So-eun. There's a limit to what I can talk about with you regarding your interests."
Hyun-ji thought that if not now, there might not be another chance.
A few hours earlier, she had received a call from Tae-joon. Although she wasn't sure, he seemed to be searching every nook and cranny of America to find So-eun.
Hyun-ji had vaguely brushed him off today, but this lie wouldn't work twice. Kim Tae-joon would soon come barging in here. He might even insist on taking her back to Korea against her will.
"I also think it might make finding a job easier if you become friends. If you're thinking of settling down here, I don't think it's bad to have him as a friend."
Until then, Hyun-ji wanted to protect So-eun. She wanted to help So-eun make the right choice for herself.
Therefore, even after a long time, if it was only Kim Tae-joon who could cheer them on, she would, and if So-eun wanted to leave Kim Tae-joon and become a wonderful single woman, she would welcome and help her with that.
She was so sorry to Kim Tae-joon, but to Hyun-ji, So-eun's stability and happiness were more urgent.
\
Encouraged by Hyun-ji's recommendation, So-eun occasionally exchanged messages with Ji-wook. Ji-wook was proactive in contacting her and was always gentle when they met.
The following Saturday, she went to see Ji-wook's company with Hyun-ji. 'Outrailway', a robotics development company that started in a Silicon Valley shared office with support from university graduates, had succeeded in receiving investment from a portal company within a year of its founding and had grown into a company with 50 employees.
Ji-wook emphasized that the company was continuing to grow and needed a lot of manpower. He said that if So-eun wanted, he could arrange an interview right away. Hyun-ji's eyes sparkled more than So-eun's at those words.
After finishing the tour of Ji-wook's company and looking around various places in Silicon Valley, So-eun parted ways with Hyun-ji in the middle. She had said she could stay together until dinner, but suddenly she had an appointment and left. So-eun had no choice but to have dinner alone with Ji-wook.
"There's an Italian restaurant recommended by my sister, should we go there? Is that okay with you?"
"Yes."
She hesitated because it seemed like it would be awkward to have dinner alone, but there was no choice. Her landlord, Hyun-ji, kept nagging her that Han So-eun needed to develop her social skills. Even with just Ji-wook, she felt like Hyun-ji was watching closely.
While moving in Ji-wook's car, Ji-wook's phone rang. The name 'Sister' appeared on the center fascia screen. Ji-wook sighed deeply and answered the phone.
"What."
Unlike when he was dealing with her, his voice was curt, as if he was dealing with someone annoying.
On the other hand, the excited voice coming from the other side was thunderous.
[Oppa, where are you? You're on a date!]
Startled by his sister's thunderous voice, Ji-wook lowered the volume and nagged.
"Hey. This is a speakerphone."
[Oh, really? Oh my gosh! Unnie! Hello! Is Oppa buying you something delicious?]
"We decided to go to Viana. You said it was good."
Ji-wook answered first before So-eun could even reply. Even though he lowered the volume, the voice was still thunderous.
[Huh? Oppa, it's not open on Saturdays there!]
The car, which had been running smoothly, stopped. Ji-wook rebuked his sister in a flustered voice.
"Hey, why are you telling me that now?"
[What do you mean, what to do? It's Oppa's fault for not checking properly.]
"I'm an idiot for listening to you. Okay. Hang up."
[Oppa! Wait a minute!]
Ji-wook's sister cried desperately as he was about to press the end call button. His sister was looking for So-eun.
[Unnie, hello!]
"Yes, hello."
[Do you happen to like tteokbokki and kimbap?]
"Yes. I like them."
[Then would you like to come to our house and eat? It's not far from Viana.]
"Hey, still..."
[Mom made a mountain of tteokbokki, I think we'll have to eat it for three or four days.]
Ji-wook intervened again, but his sister's voice, coming from all the speakers, easily brushed it aside.
[Oppa, our mom's tteokbokki can increase Oppa's true worth by 200%! But that's just turning a 20-pointer into a 40-pointer.]
"Hey! You!"
[Unnie, our Oppa is clueless. Please take care of...]
Click.
Ji-wook mercilessly pressed the end call button.
"...My sister is a bit mischievous."
"You two look good together."
"It's true that my mother's cooking skills are good, so the tteokbokki is really delicious, but I'll bring it to you tomorrow."
Ji-wook offered an alternative, as if not to burden So-eun. So-eun, who noticed that Ji-wook's face, which had only shown a relaxed and polite attitude until now, was flushed, felt a human closeness to Ji-wook for the first time.
\
Ji-wook's house was not far from Stanford. When So-eun got out of the car in front of the house, Ji-wook's sister Ji-sun shouted from inside the house.
"Oh! Dad! He really has a girlfriend!"
She had been looking out the window the whole time, waiting for Ji-wook to bring a woman.
Ji-sun, who rushed out, greeted So-eun brightly. She was a pretty young lady with long wavy hair that suited her well.
"Hello! I'm Kwon Ji-sun. I'm in the psychology department at Stanford."
"Hello. I'm Han So-eun."
Ji-wook glared at Ji-sun with a somewhat fierce look. It meant not to make a fuss. Ji-sun completely ignored this look and led So-eun into the house.
"Come in."
So-eun was guided into the house by the two of them.
It was a cozy two-story house with a living room and kitchen on the first floor and bedrooms on the second floor. A man with an impression similar to Ji-wook greeted the two.
"Dad, we're here."
"Okay. Welcome. Nice to meet you."
"Hello. Thank you for inviting me."
"Where did Mom go?"
Ji-wook's question followed So-eun's demure greeting. The sweet smell of tteokbokki was spread throughout the house, but his mother was not visible.
"Welcome. Nice to meet you."
Soon after, Ji-wook's mother, Ms. Yoon, elegantly descended the stairs.
"Puhahaha, Mom is wearing a Yoon dress. What should I do."
Ji-sun found it funny and thumped her dad's back. So-eun, who had been a little nervous, smiled at their welcome.
Ms. Yoon's tteokbokki and kimbap were generously placed on So-eun's plate by Ji-sun.
"Eat a lot. There's a lot."
"What do you mean, eat a lot. Take a moderate amount, and take it with you when you leave. Come again if you want to eat more."
"Mom, that's more burdensome."
"You just stay still."
Ms. Yoon and Ji-sun's conversation was like that of friends. So-eun, who had never had a mother, found the relationship between the two fascinating.
Ji-sun bragged to So-eun.
"It's the first time Oppa has brought a girlfriend, so the family is all excited."
Of course, Ji-wook was nervous again.
"Hey, Kwon Ji-sun. Dad, please shut her up."
"Dad likes listening to it."
The two's dad just smiled happily.
The conversation was mainly led by Ji-sun, who was talkative.
"I heard you're an engineer, were you working at K Electronics?"
"Yes. I was an AS technician."
"What's your major?"
"Mobile devices like cell phones and tablets."
"Wow. That's cool! Then you must know everything about cell phones."
"No. There's a lot I don't know either."
"Hey, it's chaotic. Stop bothering her and eat. It's not like you're interrogating her."
Ji-wook said a word, unable to listen anymore, but Ji-sun didn't care.
"Oh, why. How did you come here? How long do you think you'll be staying?"
"There's no set date. I'll have to prepare for a job search for now."
"Job search!"
Ji-sun clapped her hands and pointed at Ji-wook.
"That human looks a bit stupid on the outside, but the inside is an executive of an IT company."
"Dad, are you really not going to stop her?"
"Think about when Oppa ruined my graduation party. Am I excited now or not. Do you know what that stupid human did? He put a video of me doing the crab dance when I was seven in my graduation party congratulatory video. He's crazy."
"Haa."
So-eun watched Ji-wook and Ji-sun bickering and couldn't add any more words, just gently raising the corners of her lips.
A thought that had been buried for a while was superimposed on the image of this close-knit family.
If Kim Tae-joon's parents and sister were alive, it would probably have been like this.
Dad and Mom and Kim Tae-joon. And Tae-joon and his sister, who was ten years younger.
Tae-joon's mother, Seol Jin-hee, was said to be pregnant at the time. On the day Jaepil met her for the first and last time, Jaepil also told her that the baby in her womb was a daughter.
If there hadn't been that accident, Tae-joon would now be a reliable eldest son in a very close-knit family. He would be a bright and cheerful young man who loved his much younger sister and was moderately filial to his parents.
While So-eun was lost in thought, Ji-wook, who had sighed deeply, apologized to Ji-sun.
"I'm sorry. I sincerely apologize. Please forget about it."
"Puhaha! Mom, Oppa is apologizing to me!"
His sister laughed triumphantly.
The brother hangs his head at his sister's laughter. The mother scolds the sister at the brother's reddened face. The father, who was watching this, takes the sister's side and scolds the brother, and in the end, the situation becomes funny and everyone laughs together.
The image of a beautiful family without any flaws.
If I, if our dad, hadn't ruined your family, this ordinary happiness that you could have enjoyed too.
I tried so hard to erase you, but it's so futile, I recall you so easily again.
"Han So-eun."
No matter who I meet in the world, I think I'll only see the illusion superimposed on you.
Ji-wook, who had been laughing and talking, turned his head towards So-eun and asked with a suddenly serious face.
"Are you okay? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"
So-eun didn't even know that tears had fallen from her eyes.
\
Ms. Yoon packed tteokbokki, kimbap, kimchi, and seaweed soup for So-eun to take home and eat. So-eun received the farewell of the close-knit family and returned home in Ji-wook's car.
Hyun-ji, who had arrived home earlier, was wide-eyed when she saw the food that So-eun had brought.
"Oh my gosh! They must have really liked So-eun at that house! I should try to get close to them too?"
"But, I made a mistake."
At Hyun-ji's cheers, So-eun confessed what had happened at Ji-wook's house with a sullen face.
Hyun-ji, who had listened to So-eun's story seriously, became curious. Was So-eun's heart lingering affection or depression?
"So-eun, I'm going to ask you sincerely. Are you really never going to contact Kim Tae-joon?"
"Of course. That's why I came here."
"Never in your life?"
"Of course."
So-eun's answer was as firm as expected.
"Then, Kim Tae-joon meets another woman and dates another woman. Can you handle that?"
"I won't know the news. I'm okay."
"Then what if he meets someone close to So-eun? For example, if he meets me."
"......"
"If he comes to me asking me to find Han So-eun, and we happen to hit it off?"
Her tearful eyes, as if she was really imagining it, looked very sad.
This isn't going to work.
"If the two of you become happy, I should wish you happiness, I guess."
The answer was very late. Hyun-ji teased So-eun.
"You don't sound confident?"
"It's okay. I came to America, and I know a little about the Hollywood style."
"Okay then. So-eun is cool."
This woman is overcoming a breakup. She was still precarious, but I couldn't fault her for trying. It would take a little more time, but Hyun-ji wanted to cheer her on.
"Let's clear our heads for a bit. We have a week off after the exam, let's go to Las Vegas and have fun. If we play loudly and burn it all up, So-eun will regain her energy."
"I don't like noisy things."
"Las Vegas isn't just noisy, the city itself is fun. And if you look for it, there are tours to Zion Canyon or Bryce Canyon, so it's good to enjoy the great nature."
Bryce Canyon.
At the words Hyun-ji threw out, So-eun's tearful eyes sparkled.
The past that had passed became like the present, and the voice Tae-joon had spoken while watching the sunrise together echoed again in So-eun's ears.
"There's a national park in Utah, USA, called Bryce Canyon, which is a sedimentary rock formation."
"Let's go, someday. I'll take you. It'll be more beautiful if we see it together."
\
Darkness fell heavily on Bryce Canyon, and the road with no streetlights became a lawless zone.
Tae-joon met many people while passing through the desert in a rattling car.
It had been a week since he had seen the sun rise and set in the vast canyon. The drivers and guides who passed through here now suspected that Tae-joon was a plant planted by the state government to manage the national park.
There was only one reason Tae-joon was protecting this place.
Because Han So-eun seemed like she would come.
You'll come here someday. I believe it.
I don't know many parts of you yet, but I know that much.
Because your eyes sparkled when I told you this story. You were so pretty then, just like when you gave me the Future Service Team assignment.
He had become very close to the owner of the largest mart in the Bryce Canyon entrance village. Americans were as enthusiastic about storytelling as Koreans. The mart owner introduced him to the community representative, the nearby police, the restaurant owner, and the shuttle bus driver because of Tae-joon's desperate story.
Before he knew it, Tae-joon had become someone who exchanged drinks with the people of Bryce Canyon village.
A Korean guide specializing in canyons, who had joined the group, took an interest in Tae-joon's story and asked.
"But your girlfriend left you like that, don't you have any other suspicions?"
"I've never had any."
Tae-joon was always confident in that question.
"Because she's someone who knows that the heart that tries to keep using everything without throwing anything away is precious. There must have been a reason why she threw everything away and left."
Han So-eun, I hated you all along, but I never doubted you.
"There's something you have to protect with your life. So I've never doubted it."
You won't be able to forget me.
So you'll definitely show up here.
