AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart

Chapter 49

written by LoveCR2 -- 2005

edited by All-About-AAE -- 2017

 

"So I'm Eliza, and you're Professor Higgins?" -- Jin Sun-Mi

 

 

CHIEF KIM'S HOME, SUBURBAN LONDON ...

 

"Come in, the door's open!" a female voice calls loudly, in English, from inside the house in response to the doorbell...

 

Sun-Mi pushes the door open and steps into the entry. Hearing muted Korean coming from the living room, she looks in, but no one is in sight -- the source of the voices is an English-subtitled Korean drama, with the volume turned low, playing on the TV.

 

"Hello?" she calls out.

 

A mop of uncombed, dyed-red hair pops up, as a girl -- perhaps 17 or 18, Sun-Mi estimates -- appears from behind the back of the couch. She takes one look at Sun-Mi and frowns with obvious disdain.

 

"Hi," Sun-Mi greets her with a friendly smile, "I'm..."

 

"I know who you are," the girl cuts Sun-Mi off abruptly, and then shouts, "Professor Higgins, Eliza is here!"  She points to an open doorway on the immediate left. "That way."

 

As Sun-Mi wonders what this is all about, she looks around in vain for a pair of slippers by the door.

 

"You can wear those into the study," the girl tells her, referring to Sun-Mi's open-toe Gucci slingbacks, before she plops back down on the couch to watch her program.

 

 

Heels tapping on the hardwood, Sun-Mi walks over to the study door, pausing to look in first, before entering...

 

The small room is lined with floor-to-ceiling shelving, crammed solid with books. More books and papers are piled high on a desk, and in tall stacks on the floor. The only uncluttered space is a small side table, which has a laptop computer and a unusual headset-like device placed on it.

 

Min-Cho is seated at the desk, barefoot in T-shirt and faded blue jeans, book in hand. He looks up and grins when he sees Sun-Mi.

 

"One o'clock ... right on time ..." he welcomes her in, his smile widening as he notices her legs, seeming a mile-long between her short hem and tall heels.

 

Noticing her doubtful expression on seeing the study, he responds, "It's usually a bit of a mess in here. Casual is the rule, as you can see. No need to dress up."

 

After the torrential rainstorm the previous week, the autumn weather had returned to its unseasonable summer-like pattern. So for her first English lesson, Sun-Mi had decided on a cream-colored, belted Donna Karan dress suit with a three-quarter sleeved blazer, hoping for a look, not too formal, but still business-like.

 

"I wanted Chief Kim to know I'm taking this seriously, not as a casual social visit," she offers a plausible reason for wanting to look her best.

 

"Unfortunately, Uncle is away right now," Min-Cho informs her, "so your efforts were for naught" -- he flashes that roguish grin again -- "unless you're also trying to impress me, too."

 

"Why would I want to do that?!" she snaps back, irritated that she'd spent the morning on last-minute shopping, hair, and makeup for nothing except smart-aleck remarks from him.

 

"Perhaps because you decided that 'Namchin' sounds a lot better that 'Sunsengnim'?" he ventures a guess.

 

Sun-Mi's face flushes. "Ehm ... more or less," she grudgingly admits that was her intention. "I thought about what you said the other day about becoming good friends first, before teacher and student."

 

"Didn't you say it would be strictly 'Teacher'?" he observes. "So you're already ignoring your rule?"

 

"Since I made the rule, I can break it anytime I want," she adamantly declares her privilege. "Anyway, this is just the first lesson, so I'm not really your student yet."

 

"Then you're agreeable to being my girlfriend?"

 

"We'll see," she holds back a decision, declaring, "That depends on your performance. But be warned ... I have a high standard."

 

"Fair enough, because I have a low one," he counters jokily.

 

 

A shadow clouds Sun-Mi's face as she recalls a similar bantering exchange on an autumn afternoon at Seongnam Yuldong Park two years earlier. But she quickly recovers, dispelling the doleful memory with a bright smile and sparkling laugh.

 

Catching the momentary flicker in her facade, Min-Cho moves the conversation along, "Anything else before we get started?"

 

 

To satisfy her curiosity, she asks, "Yes. Do you know what that girl out there" -- she gestures toward the door -- "was talking about? Who are this 'Professor Higgins' and 'Eliza'?"

 

"That girl is Kim Su-Ji, my younger cousin, Chief Kim's daughter," Min-Cho explains. "Have you seen the musical movie My Fair Lady with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison?"

 

Sun-Mi shakes her head.

 

"The story is about a bet Professor Higgins makes with a friend, taking on the challenge of teaching a lower class girl, Eliza Doolittle, how to pass as a high-society lady," he summarizes the plot. "A big part of that is teaching Eliza how to speak proper English."

 

"So I'm Eliza, and you're Professor Higgins?" Sun-Mi makes the connection.

 

"By George, she's got it!" Min-Cho exclaims; then responding to Sun-Mi's puzzled expression, tells her: "That's a famous line from the movie."

 

"Oh ..." Sun-Mi replies, not getting it.

 

 

"Why don't we start the lesson now?" Min-Cho suggests, pointing to the chair by the table. "Have a seat. Did you do your homework?"

 

Sun-Mi sits down, and sets the sheaf of papers she is carrying on the table. "It's just pages filled with meaningless words and sentences," she complains about the assignment. "Actually, it was so boring, I fell asleep."

 

"No problem," he assures her. "That was just for practice. You'll read them again today to DORIS."

 

"Is she the assistant you mentioned?"

 

"Yes, so let's get you two introduced right away." He pats the computer. "This is DORIS."

 

Sun-Mi looks at Min-Cho in surprise and gasps, "Doris is a... computer?"

 

"Dynamic Oral Reconstructive Intelligent System" -- he expands the acronym for her -- "DORIS is an AI program, 'Artificial Intelligence' that is, which I developed to help people quickly modify their speech patterns. You're the first person to get the full process, so we'll see how it goes."

 

"Ehm ... sure," Sun-Mi nods, unsure about the plan Chief Kim had signed her up for. "What do I do? Are there textbooks to study?"

 

"That's the genius of it," Min-Cho replies without a hint of conceit. "You don't have to study anything, just talk and listen."

 

"Like ... conversation?"

 

He casts a questioning eye, "You CAN handle that, right?"

 

"Tsst ..." Sun-Mi responds indignantly at his sarcasm, "Who doesn't know how to talk with someone?"

 

"Good. First put on the headset and activate the built-in microphone, so you can speak to DORIS," he instructs, helping Sun-Mi make some adjustments to fit the wireless device securely in place, then pushes a button for the mic.

 

"What now?" Sun-Mi wonders aloud, looking helplessly at Min-Cho.

 

"Just talk to me," DORIS answers from the computer's built-in speakers, speaking Korean in a soft feminine voice.

 

Sun-Mi protests to Min-Cho. "I can't talk to a computer like it's another person!"

 

"Of course you can," DORIS answers. "Just try it."

 

"Talking to DORIS is the way she learns your speech patterns, so she can use the appropriate means to correct your English," Min-Cho explains. "She understands both Korean or English, but today you'll both just talk in Korean."

 

Sun-Mi is uncertain but goes ahead, speaking haltingly: "Hi.. DORIS.. my.. name.. is.. Jin.. Sun.. Mi.."

 

"Sun-Mi, you don't need to speak slowly, just as you usually do," DORIS encourages her. "I can understand you."

 

Sun-Mi looks up at Min-Cho. "This is so weird," she tells him. "Can 'IT' really understand me?"

 

"Maybe not everything, as I'm still learning," DORIS answers the question for Min-Cho. "Let's start with some basic questions..."

 

But Sun-Mi remains doubtful, and turns off the microphone so she can talk to Min-Cho without DORIS interrupting. "All I have to do is talk? Will this really work?" she frets.

 

"There's more to the process, but we'll get into that next time," Min-Cho assures her. "So while you two get better acquainted, I'll get back to my reading."

 

"How long will this take?" Sun-Mi asks, looking dubiously at the computer.

 

"About three hours today," he replies. "We have a 5 pm court time at my club to make."

 

"Court time?" she wonders what he is talking about.

 

"Yes ... tennis," he clarifies. "You do play, right?"

 

"A little with friends in Seoul, but I'm not very good," she admits.

 

"You'll get better, after some practice. We'll be playing together regularly," he refers to his plans as if they are already decided.

 

 

But Sun-Mi isn't on-board with that...

 

"Who gave you permission to decide my life? Don't I have ANY say about what I do now?" she objects petulantly, digging in her heels against his latest presumption. "You could have at least warned me! I'm hardly dressed for something like that today!"

 

"I see your point," he concurs. "Okay, we'll leave tennis for next time. What would you rather do instead?"

 

"I haven't been down to Queen's Walk yet," she suggests the popular promenade located on the southern bank of the River Thames. "We could have dinner, and then take a stroll along the Thames..."

 

"Ah..." Min-Cho quickly puts the pieces together. "So you dressed up today because you wanted to go on a date with me?"

 

"Didn't you volunteer to take me out sight-seeing?" she counters, reminding him of his suggestion at her aunt's home after dinner.

 

"So I did," he confirms, "I know an Italian place near Tower Bridge. It's 'perfetto' for an official second date."

 

 

Miffed at his making the connection outright, Sun-Mi protests, "Just because we're having dinner, doesn't mean I've agreed to be your girlfriend already. If you keep persisting like this, I can cancel any time I want!"

 

Min-Cho decides to avoid a standoff. "Okay, if you really object, I won't say 'girlfriend' again -- for tonight anyway," he compromises.

 

"That's better," she smiles, pleased with her little victory ... and looking forward to a nice evening.