AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart

Chapter 213

written by LoveCR2 -- 2005

edited by All-About-AAE -- 2019

 

"What you told me today explains a lot, why I never really understood Sun-Mi." -- Yoon Hyung-Chul

 

 

SINDU-RI, CHUNGNAM-DO ... SEVERAL DAYS LATER ...

 

"Have another beer, Chairman Yoon..."

 

Kui-Sung places an opened bottle of Hite on the coffee table next to the pair of empties, then settles back into his chair with another in his hand.

 

Hyung-Chul turns from the view through the wide picture window. Outside, the setting sun casts a rose-tinted glow over the nearby beach and across the bay to the shoreline of Taeanhaean National Park.

 

"Thanks," he replies, leaning forward to pick up the bottle and refocusing his attention on his host.

 

"I'll be happy to help manage the construction," Kui-Sung smiles congenially. "I need something useful to do with my time these days."

 

"I was hoping you'd feel this way. I'll have the architect draw up perspectives, then review the ideas for a new schoolhouse with the Sisters next week," Hyung-Chul outlines his plans.

 

"I'll approach my contacts to see if we can get enough donations of material and labor to go in at zero cost," Kui-Sung promises to do his part.

 

"To a successful project," Hyung-Chul toasts, raising his bottle to Kui-Sung's...

 

After taking a liberal swig of beer, he asks nonchalantly, "By the way, any word from Sun-Mi recently?"

 

"I wish," Kui-Sung shares glumly, "We've heard nothing since September, when she called from Min-Cho's villa in Santorini."

 

 

The news surprises Hyung-Chul...

 

"Sun-Mi was in Santorini? But I was informed she parted ways with Atwater in Spain," he shares what Kim Sun-Dal had reported.

 

"Obviously, whoever told you that was mistaken. Sun-Mi instead decided to complete the cruise," Kui-Sung discloses. "It seems she and Min-Cho are in some kind of business relationship now. She said they needed more time to 'collaborate' whatever that means."

 

Hearing this, Hyung-Chul's jealousy flares...

 

"Collaborate?" he grumbles. "On what kind of 'business' ?"

 

"I'm not sure, it's all hush-hush. Sun-Mi would only say that Min-Cho had helped her start on a new direction in life earlier last year, and that if everything went well, her plans would come to fruition soon."

 

Hyung-Chul is reminded of what Sun-Mi had told him ...

 

...'I'm not coming back to this life... I'm going to be a mother soon, it's the life I chose for myself' ...

 

"Do you think she'll coming back to Seoul?" he asks hopefully.

 

"You know Sun-Mi," Kui-Sung answers with a bemused shake of his head, "There's no point in speculating."

 

 

Jin-Suk appears at the doorway, hefting a tray loaded with chopped fruits. She places the tray on the coffee table and takes a seat with the men.

 

"I had a hunch something was up," she airs her suspicions, giving her husband a stern glare, then turns to Hyung-Chul and states flatly, "Sun-Mi asked us not to discuss her plans with anyone, so we really have nothing more to say concerning her."

 

"I understand your position," Hyung-Chul replies. "I should leave now. Thank you for the hospitality."

 

As Hyung-Chul stands up, Kui-Sung offers, "Let me see you out, Chairman.

 

 

"Wait ... I have something else, before you go, Chairman," Jin-Suk requests.

 

Hyung-Chul takes his seat again, and waits for her to speak...

 

"I know you never intended for Sun-Mi to be hurt. Blaming you for what happened was wrong," she offers amends.

 

"It's nothing. This has been hard for you," Hyung-Chul acknowledges.

 

"I wish we knew what Sun-Mi was up to," Jin-Suk airs her concern. "Leaving suddenly like that, just when I'd thought things were becoming normal again."

 

"Sun-Mi said not to worry," Kui-Sung encourages his wife. "We just have to trust her."

 

"I suppose I do worry too much about her," Jin-Suk admits. "It's because Sun-Mi's mother, Oh Ji-Eun, was my best friend from childhood. So after she passed on, I raised Sun-Mi like my own daughter," she explains to Hyung-Chul.

 

"Sun-Mi seldom talked about her mother," Hyung-Chul remarks. "I've always been curious as to why."

 

 

Kui-Sung and Jin-Suk exchange a brief glance, then he confides, "I suppose it won't hurt for you to know... The truth is, Sun-Mi felt responsible concerning her mother's untimely death."

 

"Responsible for what?" Hyung-Chul questions. "Sun-Mi was just a child."

 

"It's because, when Sun-Mi was about four, Ji-Eun took her own life," Kui-Sung explains. "Ji-Eun suffered from postpartum depression and anxiety since giving birth, and I thought she'd finally overcome it. But one night, coming back from work, I found Ji-Eun unconscious from an overdose of sleeping pills... Sun-Mi was beside her mother... crying... begging... for her to wake up..."

 

Then tears spill over, and Kui-Sung chokes up from the memories, unable to go on...

 

 

"Ji-Eun never regained consciousness," Jin-Suk picks up the story. "Sun-Mi wasn't old enough to comprehend what had happened. She blamed herself that her mommy had gone away because she a was naughty girl. Every night she cried herself to sleep inconsolably. She was so pitiable, it just broke my heart..."

 

While his wife talked, Kui-Sung had wiped his eyes with a handkerchief and composed himself. He clears his throat and continues...

 

"Eventually Sun-Mi understood that Ji-Eun had died and was never coming back. Maybe because she missed her mother so much, she constantly played 'mommy' to her dolls, even talking like a mother to our friend's younger children."

 

"Her goal in life was to marry and have children, and Sun-Mi saw her True Love in my Woo-Jin," Jin-Suk recalls with a sigh. "I wanted to keep her close, as a daughter-in-law, so I encouraged her, pushing Woo-Jin against his will. I think it was that pressure -- wanting to be his own person -- which made Woo-Jin take up with Young-Mi when she came along..."

 

"Woo-Jin wasn't the only one fooled by that witch!" Kui-Sung breaks in angrily, clenching his fist. "She deserved everything that happened to her, and more!"

 

 

Not wanting to get distracted by a rant about Young-Mi, Hyung-Chul deftly turns the conversation back to Sun-Mi...

 

"When I met Sun-Mi in London, she was despondent over Kim Woo-Jin, but her passion was to become an announcer first, before marriage," he recalls. "What changed her thinking?"

 

"According to Ji-Eun's wishes, I gave her diary to Sun-Mi when she was 17," Kui-Sung answers. "We'd told Sun-Mi her mother had died of an incurable disease, so she was shocked when she read the truth, and felt responsible for owing her mother a great debt. So she vowed to devote her whole life to achieving Ji-Eun's dream."

 

"What dream was that?" Hyung-Chul asks, curious since he's never heard this.

 

"Growing up, Ji-Eun had wanted to become a TV anchor, so she could bring happy news to encourage people all over the world. To give them hope that tomorrow can be a better day..."

 

Hyung-Chul recalls the recording from Sun-Mi's oral entry exams...

 

... 'The reason I want to be an announcer is to present happy news to every corner of the world' ...

 

 

"Ji-Eun was beautiful, talented, and smart -- first in her university Broadcast Journalism class," Kui-Sung proudly describes his deceased wife. "Everyone raved how she was a natural in front of the camera, predicting that she would become the top MBS news announcer, even the best TV anchor in Korea."

 

Hyung-Chul is perplexed. "Sun-Mi's mother was a news announcer at MBS? Why haven't I heard of this before?"

 

"After graduation, Ji-Eun entered the MBS announcer training program. But soon after, she became pregnant and was forced to resign because she wanted to keep the baby," Jin-Suk informs him, sending a sharp look of disapproval at Kui-Sung. "Ji-Eun never had the chance to become an announcer, achieve her potential, and fulfill her dreams."

 

"But she never regretted having our daughter, even with what is cost her," Kui-Sung defensively points out. "She always referred to Sun-Mi as the precious jewel of her life. She loved Sun-Mi more than her dream."

 

 

"So Sun-Mi's motivation for being an announcer at MBS was to return her mother's love, and fulfill her dream?" Hyung-Chul sums things up.

 

"That's right. It's why she never gave up, even though she kept failing in school and announcer training," Kui-Sung confirms. "I'm sure Ji-Eun is looking down from heaven, happy and proud of her daughter."

 

"Has Sun-Mi recently talked about her original dream again, to marry and be a mother?" Hyung-Chul probes.

 

"No. That was just a childhood fantasy she had," Kui-Sung replies. "Why do you ask?"

 

"Because what you told me today explains a lot, why I never really understood Sun-Mi," Hyung-Chul replies, remembering her admonition...

 

... 'Senior, I'm not the person you think I am -- I never was -- and I can't be the person you need to have beside you' ...

 

 

"What are you going to do now, Chairman?" Jin-Suk wonders. "This must be frustrating for you."

 

 

Hyung-Chul reaches into his pocket, finding and closing his fingers around a small, familiar stone that gives him reassurance ...

 

... It's two hearts, entwined together at creation, and now fused for eternity ...

 

"For now, I'll wait," he answers with conviction. "I don't know why, but something tells me that this isn't the end with Sun-Mi, not yet..."