Landing in Your Inbox

71 - to captain lee with love

February 14, 2021 10:18 AM
Lee Family Residence

Since her eldest son died, Kim Yun-hui had become a recluse, turning down invitations by friends to meet outside. Out of consideration, her friends would relocate their tea sessions and have their meals at her house. Her friends were Air Force wives, women who understood the perils of duty and the sacrifices that they entailed. But of their group, only she had lost a son. During Seollal, her friends would be busy tending to their own family reunions, leaving Yun-hui to prepare dinner only for her and her husband.

Her youngest son imparted his Seollal greetings over the phone and in the form of presents which arrived at the doorstep on the 12th. He needed not to inform her that it was shared with his girlfriend, the emerald green bojagi cloth wrapping gave that much away. The beef was served, cooked as bulgogi. She asked her husband how he liked it but he only grunted in response.

On the 14th, she prepared seaweed soup for the second time that month. She sent her son a birthday greeting by text message, something that was already second nature to her. It seemed he spent most of his birthdays far away than he did at home since he studied in Switzerland. She was initially reluctant to agree to that scholarship but he had been so happy. He was often in an exuberant mood whenever he called, talking about his new friends, his intimidating teachers, the music he made and the places he had gone to. There was an expectation that he could live his carefree life as a traveling pianist for much longer, until such time he would have no choice but to go home and do his part as a filial son and marry the woman arranged for him.

'Arranged' was a sore topic but try as her husband would deny it, it was what it was: an agreement. 'I want you to befriend her, spend time with her, take her sightseeing in Switzerland while you're still in that school of yours.'

Mu-hyeok's death changed all that. Without music, Jeong-hyeok became a husk that did his father's bidding. But it could not be denied that aviation still lent him an easy way out by avoiding home as much as he could. Even to his mother, he had become reticent and aloof as he lost the inclination to share his joy or his innermost thoughts, perhaps because he stopped having them in the first place.

As Yun-hui was about to set her phone aside to head to the kitchen, it vibrated. There was a text message from an unknown number, but it was not sent by mistake. She was invited for lunch, an unexpected gesture. But her husband was out golfing with Ko Myeong-suk and had the chauffeur with him.

The response: "Don't worry, mother. I'm in the area. I can go there to pick you up."

For that rare moment, Yun-hui took out her green wool-blend coat with rhinestones embellishing the neck. They were going to a hotel so she must be presentable. Just as she was putting on a brooch at her left, the butler informed her that her guest arrived.

It spoke volumes that her guest, an heiress and a CEO, drove a flashy sport utility vehicle, one she might expect would be driven by a wealthy bachelor. Already she felt some hesitation in boarding the large red four-wheeler but the driver got out of the car to greet her.

"Good morning, mother." Yoon Seri bowed, donning a brown trenchcoat. "You look lovely today. Shall we be off?"

It was going to be an interesting day, to say the least.

Seri wore her seatbelt and made sure that Yun-hui had no difficulty in putting hers on. "Is this seat comfortable this way? Jeong-hyeok wanted his seat to be upright, we could make it recline a bit more."

"Ah yes, please. I might suffer motion sickness that way."

"That's what I kept telling Jeong-hyeok..."

Seat adjusted, Seri turned the car towards the gate and down the hill, heading downtown.

"It's a good thing you didn't get lost." Yun-hui remarked.