Moments With You

(3/3) With One Last Kiss I Let You Go

"Mom! Mr Hong told me there are laws of songs. Do you know it's illegal to copy another person's melody?"

Su Ryeon and Logan have finished with the appointment when her daughter joins them at the hallway excitedly.

For Seol Ah, singing has been a welcome distraction from their family situation. She's taken great care to shelter her from the uglier parts of the divorce, but for how long.

"Let's go, Seol Ah. You can tell me over dinner".

"Have a good night then" Logan nods at her.

Seol Ah takes her hand and stops her, looking at the lawyer in question.

"Mr Logan can come with us. I want him to tell me about singing laws. Mister, do you like shrimp and noodles?"

Su Ryeon's cheeks redden. Sometimes her daughter is too friendly. "Honey, I'm sure lawyer Lee has work to do."

Logan grins, hesitating. "You were my last appointment".

"Then come with us! Mom promised we'd have a Spicy Bowl. It's for four. Come, Mr Lee, I wanna tell you about my band".

Seol Ah's bright eyes could convince anyone and Logan is no exception.

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Seol Ah talks excitedly about her passion for singing and how she will study to be an opera singer. Upon asking, he does his best to explain copyright law to her, assuring her her songs will always belong to her.

He didn't plan on having a meal with the woman he likes. Upon hearing the invitation, he hesitated. He was the one to exclude dating after all. But this is not a date. They're with her daughter, without alcohol, candles or the faintest possibility for more.

"Maria Callas", Seol Ah says, continuing their conversation on their favourite sopranos. "I like her the most. She's lived a life straight out of a movie. Marriages, adoration from people, crystal voice. She sang at Scala in Milan and in every theater I wish to sing".

Logan looks at the child who's so engrossed in her story, it's like she's describing her own dream future. He's studied classical music and it taught him that the burden of excellence is heavy.

"That's all true. But don't forget, before people called her a diva, she was an immigrant in Athens, who spent every waking hour at the music practice room. And her relationships were so consuming, they dragged her down. She was human, is what I want to say. She achieved something extraordinary, just like you can."

Seol Ah smiles and nods. She has the joy and wonder of a twelve year old kid, but he feels like he's talking to a friend. She doesn't look like she's grown up sheltered or detached, like many offsprings of affluent families do. Like he did. He's gone to the obligatory family dinners where the children are seen and not heard, their parents taking the reins of the conversation and listing their accomplishments. But Su Ryeon talks to her daughter as an equal, albeit cuter version of a human, so the child has a mind of her own. He can't imagine what it would be like for a kid to sit through their parents divorce and still pursue a dream with hope and openness.

"That's why I like her. She struggled, she wasn't born into this. Did you know she sang 'Norma' while the whole world was watching her and she left before the third act?"

He's heard about the famous incident, but he lets Seol Ah continue.

"She left a note on her dressing room written in red lipstick! And she sneaked out. She felt she couldn't perform well and she would disappoint the people who came to see her". She parts her food and pushes pieces of vegetables around. "I feel like that sometimes".