AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart

Chapter 112

written by LoveCR2 -- 2005

edited by All-About-AAE -- 2017

 

"In dreams, when the heart believes strongly enough, almost anything is possible." -- Huh Young-Mi

 

 

RURAL KANGWON-DO...

 

"Thanks again, Anna, for the party today. I had a good time..." Hyung-Chul expresses his appreciation.

 

"The children were so happy they could celebrate with their 'Uncle', and show their gratitude for everything you've done here," Young-Mi replies as she crosses the terrace toward him. "Sister Frances said it took a long time to quiet everyone down for bedtime."

 

She joins him by the railing overlooking the lake to the east. With the setting sun, the slight breeze driven by the afternoon heat has quieted -- the mirror-like water reflects the foliage-covered mountains across the lake, tinted dusky orange by the fading rays. In the surrounding trees and shrubs, the cicadas are out in force, filling the still, humid air with a continuous chorus of shrill mating calls.

 

"It's hardly cooled off at all," she remarks, "they're really noisy tonight."

 

"It reminds me of the times I visited my grandmother's home in the countryside, when I was young," he reflects nostalgically. "It's comforting to know that some things in life don't change, regardless of our circumstances."

 

In the growing darkness, pinpoints of light are appearing on the opposite shoreline. The terrace is cast in deepening shadow, with only the light from the building's main corridor spilling across the limestone pavers.

 

 

"It's getting late, I'll help you back to your room," Young-Mi offers.

 

"Thanks, but I'll stay out a while longer," Hyung-Chul declines. "Tonight is the full moon."

 

"May I join you then?" she asks. "I love watching the sky at night."

 

He nods, "Suit yourself."

 

Young-Mi settles into the chair next to his. "The full moon is so beautiful, reflecting off the water," she opines. "What are you going to wish for from the daltokki (moon rabbit)?"

 

"It's been a long time since I've done that," he chuckles. "Isn't it a bit childish, for someone my age?"

 

"A person is never too old to make a wish," she encourages him.

 

"Is there any sense in making wishes, when you know they can't come true?" he says pessimistically.

 

"If we limited our wishes to only what we think is possible, what is the purpose of dreams?" she reflects optimistically. "In dreams, when the heart believes strongly enough, almost anything is possible."

 

"How about you, Anna, what do you wish for?"

 

She take her time to think before answering, gazing up at the faint stars appearing in the cloudless, darkening sky.

 

"Sometimes, I wish I could remember my past, recover all those missing years," she confesses, "But then, they say to be careful what you wish for... you never know who will be listening."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"The person that I once was, do I really want her to hear me and come back? Am I ready to become Huh Young-Mi again, and have to face the consequences of everything that she was and did?" Young-Mi describes her reluctance. "Perhaps it's best to be grateful for a second chance, and content to move forward as we are..."

 

"I see your point," he agrees. "Some things probably are better left laid to rest, so we can start over with a clear slate."

 

"In that way we're alike, being given a second chance at life," she muses, leaning closer as she shares her feelings. "Maybe that's why I feel we understand each other so well."

 

She is looking at him now, her face half in shadow, the angular light silhouetting and enhancing her striking features. In the semi-darkness, he notes how the reflected lights from the hospital sparkle entrancingly in her eyes. Her black, dilated pupils draw him in, to linger and explore their depths.

 

Hyung-Chul accepts, returning the full force of his penetrating gaze, as if by sheer will power he can probe and search out her secrets. Abruptly, Young-Mi moves back, breaking eye contact. Even in the darkness, he can see her cheeks flush red before she hides her face with her hand.

 

"That is, how I feel..." she starts, her voice flustered. "Please, don't look at me like that... you're confusing me..."

 

 

Hyung-Chul recalls the night he'd sent Young-Mi home when she came back from the orphanage, what she'd said to him... 'As you were looking at me, I had this feeling... is it possible that you and I... were lovers?' ...

 

"I'm sorry," he replies, reminding her, "Remember how I once said I was seeing your real face for the first time?"

 

"Of course," she nods.

 

"Since then, I've come to see deeper, to the person inside," he divulges, "a very wonderful, remarkable person..."

 

Young-Mi keeps her eyes directed down, to avoid his. "All praise belongs to the Lord," she proclaims, humbly diverting his praise away from herself, "I'm only His servant... Anna..."

 

"Then praise be to God," Hyung-Chul follows her lead, "for sending His blessings to me though such a wonderful, remarkable servant."

 

His clever rephrasing makes her chuckle. "It's time for your meds," she reminds him, quickly standing. "If you're going to stay here, I'll bring them out for you."

 

"Where is Mr. Hong?"

 

"He said he won't return until tomorrow, I'm to watch over you tonight," she explains the arrangements, cautiously patting her hand lightly on his shoulder, as she jests. "So don't go anywhere, okay?"

 

"I couldn't get far like this, even if I wanted to, " he jokes back about his condition, placing his right hand over hers and giving it a warm squeeze. "Thanks."

 

"Back in a few minutes," she promises, slowly extracting her hand, her eyes lingering on him. "Let's watch the moonrise together..."

 

He nods without saying anything, and turns back to look at the sky as she walks off.

 

 

Nearing the hospital doors, Young-Mi sees movement in a shadowy cluster of shrubs beside the terrace, then the beckoning wave of an arm. Looking around to be sure no one is watching, she steps off the terrace, out of the light.

 

"What are you doing out here?" she whispers irately. "I told him you hadn't returned yet."

 

"How else could I keep tabs on my girl while she flirts with another man?" In-Soo glowers jealously, reaching to grab her arm.

 

Young-Mi anxiously checks around, worrying about potential onlookers. "Where did you put the stuff, in the room like I told you?" she asks.

 

"Nah, it's right here," he confirms as he places Hyung-Chul's medications container into her hand.

 

"Now, get out," she demands, "before we're seen together."

 

"First I want a reward for all my hard work," he refuses, embracing Young-Mi to kiss her.

 

"Not here!" she hisses, turning her head away to deny her lips to him.

 

"Where then, in the chapel?" In-Soo's eyes light up with desire as he suggests the location of their previous encounters.

 

"Forget it," she puts him off, "I have to attend to Director Yoon tonight, remember?"

 

"It's always Director Yoon!" he complains irritably. "If I had my way, I'd just strangle the jerk and be done with all this."

 

"Yeah, kill the goose that lays the golden eggs," she ridicules him. "What an idiot!"

 

"I didn't mean it literally. It's just that I get angry when I see you with another man," he admits his envy. "It is being greedy because I want you all for myself?"

 

"Just be patient," she tells him, granting the concession of a quick smack on the lips to mollify his feelings. "Soon we'll have everything we want, just you... and me..."

 

Grudgingly, In-Soo silently melts into the darkness as Young-Mi returns to the terrace, where Hyung-Chul is watching the moon just breaking above the mountains. She waits, observing him...

 

 

"Moon Rabbit, will you grant an impossible wish?" he speaks aloud, unaware that she is there. "It's about someone very dear, on the other side of the world..."

 

He chuckles at himself, self-conscious of talking to the moon... "My wish is that she could be here, even if only for one night... so I can tell her how much I miss her, how sorry I am, and let her know that I still love her..."

 

Young-Mi smiles craftily as she listens, thinking of her earlier words ... be careful what you wish for, Director Yoon, you never know who is listening ...

 

 

FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY...

 

Sun-Mi opens the sliding door to the balcony of her apartment. In a short-sleeved pajama top, she hugs herself for warmth in the face of a chilly breeze. Across Central Park, the bright white disk of the full moon floats above the skyline to the west.

 

"I knew there was a reason I woke up early," she tells herself. "Moon Rabbit, did you call me?"

 

 

A few minutes later, snug in a long, dark blue terrycloth robe and fuzzy bunny slippers, cozied up on one of the cushioned metal chairs at the patio table, Sun-Mi fills the two champagne flutes on the table.

 

... I should celebrate the past, instead of trying to forget it ... she recalls Jin-Woo's advice.

 

Imagining Hyung-Chul is seated in the opposite chair, she raises her flute in a toast, "Happy birthday, Senior..."

 

Through the open doorway to the apartment, soft music spills out onto the balcony, 'Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin' (The Moon Represents My Heart). Sun-Mi listens as Teresa Teng sweetly croons the lyrics, watching the moon gradually morph from white to gold to dusky orange as it settles into the pre-dawn horizon...

 

Ni wen wo ai ni you duo shen (You ask me how deep my love for you is) ...

Wo ai ni you ji fen (How much I really love you) ...

Wo di qing ye zhen (My affection is real) ...

Wo di ai ye zhen (My love is real) ...

Yue liang dai biao wo di xin (The moon represents my heart) ...

 

Ni wen wo ai ni you duo shen (You ask me how deep my love for you is) ...

Wo ai ni you ji fen (How much I really love you) ...

Wo di qing bu yi (My affection does not waver) ...

Wo di ai bu bian (My love will not change) ...

Yue liang dai biao wo di xin (The moon represents my heart) ...

 

Qing qing di yi ge wen (Just one soft kiss) ...

Yi jing da dong wo di xin (is enough to move my heart) ...

Shen shen di yi duan qing (A period of time when our affection was deep) ...

Jiao wo si nian dao ru jin (Has made me miss you until now) ...

 

Ni wen wo ai ni you duo shen (You ask me how deep my love for you is) ...

Wo ai ni you ji fen (How much I really love you) ...

 

Ni qu xiang yi xiang (Go think about it) ...

Ni qu kan yi kan (Go and have a look) ...

Yue liang dai biao wo di xin (The moon represents my heart) ...

 

 

"Are you shining down on Senior now, too? Are you sending my heartfelt feelings?" she speaks to the moon. "Moon Rabbit, I wish that Senior would know how much I miss him, how much I care for him..."

 

She puts down her champagne and takes out a blue William Lockie Scottish cashmere sweater from a box on the table. "I have something for you, Senior," she says as if he is present, looking up at the moon again to convey her thoughts through the heavens to the other side of the world. "I'm giving it with all my heart, so whenever you feel the warmth surrounding you... you'll know my affections are true, and that, whatever happens, I'll never forget you..."