AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart
Chapter 203
written by LoveCR2 -- 2005
edited by All-About-AAE -- 2019
"I don't think Sun-Mi's running away, but running toward what she wants more. Whatever that dream is, it must be something truly grand." -- Yoon Hyung-Chul
PYONGCHANG-DONG, SEOUL ...
"Being a mother seems to suit you well..."
Sun-Mi remarks across the dinette table to Joo-Hee, who had greeted her unexpected visitor at the door sans makeup, wearing a plain white cotton front-button blouse, mauve D&G capris, and red satin Prada kitten-heel mule slippers, with baby Ah-Ri in her arms...
"... Your face looks so radiant. What's your secret?"
"It's no secret," Joo-Hee replies, keeping a cautious mother's eye on Ah-Ri in her bouncy chair, as the infant contentedly sucks on a pacifier while staring wide-eyed at Sun-Mi's sparkly Swarovski crystal brooch and chandelier earrings. "I'm pregnant again! We just found out."
"Congratulations!" Sun-Mi exclaims elatedly. "Senior Sun-Dal must be ecstatic!"
"Yes," Joo-Hee affirms. "He can't wait to hand out another round of cigars." She furrows her brow, imagining the stench. "Ugh!... Men!"
They share a laugh, then Sun-Mi asks, "Still no regrets at giving up your career?"
Joo-Hee puts down her coffee cup and confides, "I know that it's not the correct thing to say in these 'modern' times, but as exciting and rewarding as it was to work at MBS, I can say now, with certainty, that being a wife and mother was my true calling all along. I've never been happier than now."
Sun-Mi recalls a different time and opinion...
"Do you remember when I 'interviewed' you at the Uni Broadcasting Festival emcee competition?" she brings up one of their first encounters.
Joo-Hee recalls thoughtfully, "You asked if I thought marriage was an obstacle for an anchorwoman."
"And you answered that if you had to give up being an announcer to get married, that you wouldn't marry," Sun-Mi reminds her.
Joo-Hee nods, conceding the facts. "I suppose you think I'm a hypocrite now."
"Actually, I admire you for having the courage to decide who you are and act on it without apology," Sun-Mi commends her.
"And I admire you for standing up to all the naysayers and fighting for your dreams. What you've accomplished is remarkable," Joo-Hee returns the compliment. "Remember the send-off we gave you in the news studio, before you left for London?"
"Yes, your words were so kind."
"I predicted that 'the student will be greater than the teacher' when you left for London, and how right I was..."
Joo-Hee observes the faultlessly coiffed and attired woman seated across from her, who was once a clumsy, clueless college intern. Now, in her Michael Kors color-blocked dress -- with a black, off-shoulder bodice, wide black leather waistband, and ivory, knee-length tailored crepe skirt -- she appears the epitome of style and professionalism...
Their eyes meet, confirming a bond grounded in mutual respect, before Sun-Mi looks away...
"My success happened only because I had so much help, including from you, Senior," she states modestly, "so I hope that what I'm about to tell you won't be disappointing."
Sun-Mi's solemn expression gives Joo-Hee concern... "What is it, Sun-Mi?"
"Tomorrow, I'm resigning as Chairwoman."
"What? You've just started!" Joo-Hee sharply expresses her surprise. "Why on earth would you want to resign now?"
Then she realizes that she is exhibiting exactly what Sun-Mi had feared ... disappointment ... and quickly backtracks... "I mean, I'm sure you're doing what you think is best. You don't need anyone's permission, or approval."
"Thanks for trying, Senior," Sun-Mi replies. "But I understand your reaction, because as my mentor, this could reflect badly on you, too... We both know what they're going to say... 'She quit because she wasn't qualified to go that far. She is just a phony!' ..."
"You're the most genuine person I know, and hardly a phony," Joo-Hee assures Sun-Mi of her continued regard. "But who's going to lead MBS to see your vision through, if not you?"
"There's only one person I trust, and that's Senior," Sun-Mi declares her choice for successor. "I'm recommending him to the Board."
"Then, are you and Hyung-Chul going to marry?"
Sun-Mi shakes her head. "Senior and I ..." she begins, but says instead "... That isn't in our fates."
Joo-Hee is perplexed. "But I know Hyung-Chul cares deeply for you."
"I care deeply for him, too," Sun-Mi assures her, "and that's why I have to leave Seoul..."
"Leave? Now?"
"Yes," Sun-Mi's voice is grave, "and after you hear me out, I think you'll agree..."
MBS YEOUIDO HQ AND STUDIOS ...
"I just got off the phone with your father and Director Yoo..."
cuts to the quick as Hyung-Chul walks into his office...
"... and they want to know what you're doing about Jin Sun-Mi..."
"Nothing," Hyung-Chul replies succinctly while keeping his attention focused on the report open on his desk.
The unexpected answer stuns Sun-Dal... "Huh? Nothing?" he sputters.
"What would you have me do?" Hyung-Chul returns the question.
"At least make some effort persuading her to stay on..."
"Don't you know Sun-Mi by now?" Hyung-Chul chuckles as he leans back in his chair, raising his arms to link his fingers behind his head. "That will only make her more determined to leave. We should let her do what she wants, and see what happens."
Sun-Dal is aghast at how anyone can have such a nonchalant attitude, in the face of what could become a major corporate crisis...
"That might've been fine when she was just an announcer. As Chairwoman, the fate of the Company is at stake!"
"Please... MBS will survive," Hyung-Chul exudes calm. "A company is more than one person."
"But if Sun-Mi leaves now, we have some big shoes to fill," Sun-Dal persists. "It's a PR nightmare!"
"It's hardly the first... We'll just have to step up and fill those shoes. How do you look in lipstick, high heels, and short skirts?" Hyung-Chul jokes.
The ridiculous image cracks up Sun-Dal's troubled demeanor...
"Not with my legs," he banters back humorously, "Aren't you first in line to put on the stilettos, as the new Chairman?"
"Only after the Board confirms my appointment," Hyung-Chul reminds him. "Until then, you're on point... But don't worry, I'll have your back."
"Thanks, for nothing!" Sun-Dal grumbles as he settles his weight in the desk side chair to share the rest of his news... "There's something else you should know."
"Shoot..."
"It's possible Michael Atwater is behind this move, too, just as he was in bringing Sun-Mi back," Sun-Dal airs his suspicions.
"How? Atwater is out of the country, " Hyung-Chul expresses his doubts. "Last I heard, he's sailing the Mediterranean right now."
"Did you know that Sun-Mi just bought a ticket to Athens, one way?" Sun-Dal reports the matter that had spurred his suspicions.
"What?" The surprise news lights a flame in Hyung-Chul's eyes, the first sign of a chink in his armor.
"Reading the tea leaves, it's a good possibility that she's never coming back," Sun-Dal concludes dourly.
"With Sun-Mi 'never' doesn't apply," Hyung-Chul expresses hope, his calm demeanor securely in place again. "Tomorrow, anything could happen."
"You seem pretty confident," Sun-Dal observes. "If it were me, I'd be going nuts right now."
"That would be totally useless," Hyung-Chul attests to his own experience. "Sun-Mi is her own person. Nothing anyone can do or say will change that."
But Sun-Dal begs to differ...
"You know, if you'd only heeded the advice you gave to me about Joo-Hee, you might be married now, too, with a wife and three kids to come home to," he counsels.
Hyung-Chul shrugs off the likelihood. "Joo-Hee is Joo-Hee, and Sun-Mi is Sun-Mi..."
"What do you mean?"
"I know Joo-Hee from childhood. For all her bluster about being a modern career woman, inside she's traditional to the core. She just needed a push to convince herself of it."
"And Sun-Mi?"
"She always claimed to be 'old-fashioned'," Hyung-Chul recalls, "but once Sun-Mi had the chance to fly free, she changed completely, like a nondescript caterpillar transforms into a spectacular butterfly."
Sun-Dal nods his concurrence... "But she just achieved her dream," he notes, perplexed. "So why run away and give it all up?"
"She shed some light on that," Hyung-Chul remarks on the note she'd left. "I don't think Sun-Mi's running away, but running toward what she wants more. Whatever that dream is, it must be something truly grand..."
PYONGCHANG-DONG, SEOUL ...
In the foyer, Sun-Mi bids her goodbyes, "Thanks for lunch, Joo-Hee. I enjoyed seeing you and the kids again."
"It was so nice having you stop by, before you leave," Joo-Hee replies. "When you get settled, drop me a note. I want to keep in touch..."
"Me too."
"And what you shared, everything stays between you and me. I just wish there was another way..."
"I appreciate that," Sun-Mi replies, seeing in Joo-Hee's eyes the affirmation of her words. "I'm glad that you can understand. I feel more confident now."
The two women embrace warmly...
"We'll support Hyung-Chul, too," Joo-Hee vows. "Don�t worry about anything. Just do what you hav..."
"Mommy! Auntie! ... Look at me!" Mi-Rae calls for attention...
Sun-Mi and Joo-Hee turn to look, and smile together when they see Mi-Rae standing in the bright teal, 120mm Christian Louboutin half-d'Orsay stiletto patent pumps that Sun-Mi had left at the door when she came in.
"When I grow up, I'm going to be exactly like Auntie Sun-Mi!" Mi-Rae declares, beaming as she takes tiny steps in the oversized shoes. "I'm gonna be on TV, an' wear pretty clothes, an' everyone will feel happy when they watch me!"
Sun-Mi kneels down to see eye-to eye with Mi-Rae. "That's a really big dream," she tells the girl. "Can you do it?"
Mi-Rae nods seriously. "Uh-huh. Just like you did!"
Tears spring into Sun-Mi's eyes as she hugs Mi-Rae. "I'm so proud of you. I'll miss you so much."
"Are you really going to leave... forever?" Mi-Rae asks trepidatiously, biting on her lower lip.
"Not forever," Sun-Mi assures her. "But it may be a long time."
"Are you leaving with Uncle Hyung-Chul?"
"No. I'm going by myself. But I'll be fine."
Sun-Mi releases Mi-Rae and stands up.
"Mi-Rae, give Auntie her shoes back," Joo-Hee orders. "She has to leave now."
The girl reluctantly steps out of the high heels, then looks up at Sun-Mi with determination...
"Don't go yet, Auntie... Wait!" she demands. "I'll be right back!"
She rushes back down the corridor, her bare feet churning rapidly in a dead run.
"I wonder what that's all about?" Joo-Hee chuckles.
While waiting for Mi-Rae, Sun-Mi steps into her shoes and clasps Joo-Hee's hand for a final farewell...
Seconds later, pounding little footsteps announce Mi-Rae's return, clutching a familiar figurine.
"You have to take Peter Rabbit with you, so you won't be lonely," she tells Sun-Mi, holding out the music box.
"But Uncle Hyung-Chul gave him to you. Why this doll and not any other one?"
"Because YOU gave Peter Rabbit to Uncle Hyung-Chul first," Mi-Rae asserts firmly.
Sun-Mi is curious how she knew. "Why do you say that?"
"I'm a big girl now, and I can read English!" Mi-Rae boasts, turning the figurine over. "See? On the bottom... 'London ... J - S - M' ... Mommy told me you met Uncle Hyung-Chul in London a long time ago. And your initials in English are 'JSM' -- Jin Sun Mi."
Sun-Mi offers praise, "You're a very bright little girl, to figure that out."
"It wasn't so hard," Mi-Rae smiles proudly. "Besides, the last time, you cried when you heard the music, so I knew Peter Rabbit was special to you."
"Yes, he is. Very special," Sun-Mi acknowledges, thinking of the person who she gifted it to, as she takes the porcelain rabbit into her hands. "Thank you, Mi-Rae. I'll take care of Peter Rabbit for now, and bring him back to you later. Okay?"
"No. You keep him," Mi-Rae declines. "I have lots of dolls to be with me. But you only have this one..."