AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart

Chapter 17

written by LoveCR2 -- 2005

edited by All-About-AAE -- 2016

 

"Knowing you, Senior... that has truly been the biggest gift in my life." -- Jin Sun-Mi

 

 

MAIN ENTRANCE, MBS HQ AND STUDIOS, YEOUIDO ...

 

"Senior, I'm so excited!" Sun-Mi exclaims to Hyung-Chul as she buckles herself into the passenger seat of his BMW.

 

He smiles back and asks, "Ready?"

 

She nods, and then turns to look out the window at the Announcer 1 Team members who had come down to see them off.

 

A chorus of ‘goodbyes' sounds as Hyung-Chul starts the car.

 

"Let us know as soon as you find her," Kyung-Hee calls to Sun-Mi.

 

Joo-Hee adds, "Bring Young-Mi back."

 

Sun-Mi nods and waves as Hyung-Chul accelerates off, turning toward the main MBS entrance gate. The guard waves them through, and Hyung-Chul turns right onto Yeouinaru-ro, to take the Mapo bridge over the Han River.

 

As Sun-Mi settles into her seat, it strikes her how similar their departure was to the scene she'd had in her dream.

 

"Senior..." she begins, intending to tell him about her feelings of déjà vu.

 

"Yes?"

 

Instead she decides not, and segues to another question she'd wondered about. "Why do you think Young-Mi has stayed in hiding?"

 

"I might have the answer," Hyung-Chul replies as he takes out an envelope from the breast pocket of his suit coat. "It's a letter that Young-Mi left with her resignation letter, apologizing for everything she did," he tells her.

 

He hands the envelope to Sun-Mi. Seeing it is addressed to him, she turns it over in her hands, but doesn't open it.

 

"Aren't you going to read it?"

 

"I don't need to. Woo-Jin forgave Young-Mi for everything. How can I do less?"

 

"You're aware that Young-Mi can't return to MBS?"

 

"I don't want it to be on my account. She's too talented for MBS to let her go. If it was up to me, I'd give her another chance."

 

"Do you really feel that way? That incident with the cell phone could have ended your career, and …"

 

He stops talking when he sees Sun-Mi's sudden look of displeasure. She places the unopened letter on the console between them.

 

"It's water over the dam. I want to forget all about it," she explains.

 

Hyung-Chul regards her attitude with marked appreciation. "It's not easy, to forgive and forget like that."

 

"It's harder to bear a grudge and not have peace in your heart," Sun-Mi philosophizes. "I've learned that, the hard way..."

 

She doesn't have to say more, they both had suffered through their lengthy cold war.

 

"So you feel at peace about this?"

 

"Yes," she replies. "Actually, I'm grateful for Young-Mi."

 

"Why's that?"

 

"Without Young-Mi, we'd never have met in London that time," Sun-Mi reflects, "And knowing you, Senior... that has truly been the biggest gift in my life."

 

Her words bring a comforting warmth to Hyung-Chul's heart. He thinks of the engagement ring in his pocket, and wonders if this could be the time he is waiting for...

 

"I feel the same way too, Sun-Mi, about knowing you," he broaches the subject. "This is something I've wanted to say for some time..."

 

Hyung-Chul looks over to gauge her reactions, but instead sees that the motion of the car has lulled Sun-Mi into blissful slumber.

 

"You're the biggest gift in my life, too," he continues his thought quietly. "I hope we can share these gifts, for the rest of our lives..."