AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart

Chapter 237

written by LoveCR2 -- 2005

edited by All-About-AAE -- 2019

 

"Like you said, I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. I have a feeling today will mark a big change for my life." -- Jin Sun-Mi

 

 

RURAL KANGWON-DO...

 

"The Mother Superior is expecting you, go right in..."

 

Sister Agnes immediately ushers Young-Mi forward when she enters the antechamber.

 

"Thank you, Sister," Young-Mi replies as she steps through the door.

 

 

In the Mother Superior's office, Young-Mi submissively drops to her knees and waits to be addressed.

 

"May the Lord be with you," the elderly nun greets her.

 

"And with you, too, Reverend Mother."

 

"Please stand, Young-Mi."

 

Young-Mi does as bidden, rising to her feet.

 

"I wanted to speak with you, before you left," the nun gives the reason for her summons. "Sister Agnes tells me you're going abroad for medical treatment."

 

"Yes. It's a process using adult stem cell treatments to restore damaged nerves. The procedure is still experimental, but the results seem promising," Young-Mi explains enthusiastically. "If it's successful, I'll undergo Mr. Atwater's new physiological therapy."

 

"Do you plan a return to your former career?"

 

"Yes, that's my hope," she affirms. "Chairman Yoon assures me of the chance for auditions with both MBS and GNN."

 

"How do you feel now, about going off on your own?" the nun asks her former charge. "Before, you were quite apprehensive."

 

"Some days, I still have doubts," Young-Mi admits. "But I'm trusting in the Lord's provision..."

 

She smiles as she shares, "Like the psalmist wrote -- 'this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it' -- I feel that today is the start of a new life for me."

 

"We'll be praying for you, that God's will be done," the Mother Superior assures her.

 

"Thank you, Reverend Mother. I'm grateful to you and the Sisters for your generous love, and for leading me to the source of that love, Jesus Christ."

 

"Have you settled everything with Chairman Yoon concerning your daughter?"

 

"Yes, we've reached an agreement," Young-Mi replies. "He'll take Ha-Eun to London with him."

 

"You're not sorry to be apart from her?"

 

Young-Mi's expression is not apparent behind her veil, but her voice is content...

 

"I'd never expected to see Ha-Eun again, so I'm thankful to God for the time I had her these past days. Perhaps in the future, we'll be together again, but for now, I have to focus on creating a new life for myself."

 

 

A knock sounds at the door...

 

"Enter," the Mother Superior allows.

 

Sister Agnes comes in.

 

"Mr. Oh Sang Woo is asking for you," she informs Young-Mi.

 

"Mr. Atwater sent a car to take me to Incheon airport," Young-Mi explains. "My flight leaves late tonight."

 

"Then it's time to say our goodbyes," the Mother Superior states. "Do keep in touch, and come visit when you're back."

 

Young-Mi bows. "I will, Reverend Mother.'

 

The nun extends her hand in blessing. "May God go with you..."

 

 

 

SUN-MI'S HOME, SUBURBAN SEOUL...

 

"Lend a hand, and zip me up... It's stuck..."

 

Sun-Mi makes the request from the bedroom doorway, presenting her back for Min-Cho to do the honors...

 

As he frees the recalcitrant zipper, Min-Cho goes back to their conversation earlier that morning, "There's something you need to know, before you decide what to do..."

 

"Oh?" Sun-Mi's curiosity is raised, but she deals with more urgent matters first... the possibility of a damaged zipper, and having to select a new outfit. "Did you get it loose?"

 

"Yes..." he confirms, carefully easing the zipper up to close the snugly fitting bodice.

 

"Thanks," she replies, adding, "Now this, too..."

 

She hands back a silver rope chain with a sapphire pendant, which he dutifully fastens around her neck.

 

Finishing his task, he catches her eye in the full-length wall mirror as he rests his hands over her bare shoulders.

 

"How do you like the dress?" he asks, referring to the cornflower blue summer frock he had picked up from a Bottega Veneta boutique in Milan.

 

The sparkle in her eyes conveys her feelings...

 

"I love it!" she raves, stepping forward on her right foot into a quick twirl that sends the flowing, layered skirt flying out...

 

"How do I look?"

 

"Un dieci perfetto!" he declares, focusing appreciatively on her smooth, supple d�colletage shown off by the V-neck of the pleated empire-waist bodice.

 

"I don't know about that. You're hardly objective," she playfully disputes his 10-star rating, then turns the tables...

 

"Let's see about you," she deliberates, giving him the same critical once-over he'd eyed her with.

 

"The suit's not bad," she remarks on his Burberry double-breasted gray pinstripe, "but something has to be done here..."

 

She moves her hands to the lapels of his jacket, focusing on his pale blue button down shirt, casually open at the neck.

 

"Allow me," she volunteers, taking a silk Tom Ford maroon and navy striped necktie from the wardrobe and tying an Eldredge knot.

 

"Now that's... perfetto!" Sun-Mi teasingly copies his assessment, her eyes mirthful as she beams a wide smile.

 

 

"You're sounding pretty chipper now," he remarks at the change from her early-morning cloudiness.

 

"A hot bath and delicious breakfast shed a more favorable light on some things," she expounds, without elaborating. "Besides, I'm excited for Jin-Woo and Soo-Hee."

 

 

"Are we ready to go?" he asks, checking the time on his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. "It's getting late."

 

"Almost..." she replies, leading the way from the bedroom, past her packed bags lined up by the vestibule door.

 

Min-Cho takes note, "What's this?"

 

"I reconsidered," she explains matter-of-factly. "Like you said, I've nothing to lose and everything to gain. I have a feeling today will mark a big change for my life."

 

"When it happens, I hope there's a place for me, too," Min-Cho replies.

 

Sun-Mi smiles, but doesn't comment.

 

In the vestibule, browsing her shoe shelves, she selects a pair of silver Sergio Rossi pumps with 115mm pin-thin stilettos and slips them on.

 

Pivoting in the open-toe slingbacks, she jests, "Now it's un dieci perfetto."

 

 

Outside, on the porch, Sun-Mi slips her hand into the crook of Min-Cho's elbow before they descend the steps. They stroll through the garden's fragrant bouquet of rose blossoms to the gate, where his silver Aston-Martin is parked next to her white Lexus SUV.

 

"What did you want to tell me earlier?" she asks.

 

"I'll tell you later," he passes on answering. "We need to get moving, or we'll be late."

 

Min-Cho opens the passenger-side door of his car, and is about to seat Sun-Mi, when a shiny black BMW roars up and stops with a screech of brakes...

 

 

The BMW's driver's door opens, and Hyung-Chul alights.

 

"Senior?" Sun-Mi is surprised by his appearance. "Why are you here?"

 

"To escort you to the wedding," he answers her, deliberately ignoring Min-Cho. "Did you forget?"

 

She ponders for a moment, thinking back, drawing a blank...

 

"We agreed to attend the wedding together, on the drive back from Bukhansan," he prompts her.

 

Sun-Mi's mouth drops open as the memory belatedly returns... what had happened afterward in her house that night had completely wiped it from her mind ...

 

"Oh... that's right," she confirms, glancing at Min-Cho apologetically before directing her attention to Hyung-Chul again...

 

"A lot has happened since then," she remarks. "You weren't obligated."

 

"But I made a promise, so I'm here," he stands on principle.

 

 

Hyung-Chul circles the front of his car, stopping beside the front passenger door...

 

"Come on, I'll send you," he directs Sun-Mi tersely.

 

"You go on ahead," Min-Cho steps into the conversation to stake out his position. "I'll send her."

 

Hyung-Chul's eyes narrow as he confronts his rival. "Since when did you start speaking for Sin-Mi?"

 

"I might ask the same question of you," Min-Cho counters, his hackles raising.

 

 

Sun-Mi is appalled at the two men locking horns over her...

 

"Enough!" she interrupts, before the situation gets out of hand. "I believe I can speak for myself..."

 

Duly chastened, Min-Cho and Hyung-Chul break off their mutual acrimony to listen.

 

"It was an honest mistake, but there's a simple solution -- I'll send myself to the wedding," Sun-Mi solves the stalemate.

 

 

She opens her silver Versace clutch and takes out her car keys. Pressing the fob to unlock the doors, she heads for the Lexus, her strident steps signaling the issue is settled.

 

After opening the driver's door, she pauses to offer, "You're both welcome to come with me, if you want..."

 

Immediately, Hyung-Chul and Min-Cho move for the SUV's front passenger seat. There, they face off again, each looking to Sun-Mi for the privilege of riding beside her.

 

"In the back, that is," she clarifies, then slips behind the wheel and starts the engine.

 

"What are you waiting for?" she impatiently prompts for their decision. "Come on, or we'll be late."

 

 

Looking displeased at how things had turned out, Hyung-Chul chooses the driver's side, while Min-Cho takes the passenger side seat. The two men sit stiffly side-by-side, reluctantly accepting the forced circumstances.

 

Sun-Mi looks into the rearview mirror like a mother checking on her unruly sons to be sure they are properly buckled in. Then she steps on the accelerator and the SUV smoothly surges forward...