Swiss Stakes

Diversionary Tactics

The next day, Se-joon and Hye-ji were early for the brunch meeting with Mr. Hess at the hotel cafe.

"We are very excited to meet the scholars, they are like our children!" Hye-ji exclaimed her delight in English, arm never detaching from Se-joon who looked on proudly.

Se-ri was leafing pages of the scholarship brochure that will be handed out during the welcoming event. The sharp tips of her lined upper eyelid could puncture the hull of a ship.

"We have exceptional scholars this year," Mr. Hess said for the benefit of the couple who he was meeting for the first time, "The youngest is coming from North Korea at 11 years old."

"I told my wife, the scholarship is about making world peace." Se-joon added in his own foray of the foreign language, inspired by Hye-ji's delight. He enumerated with the count of his fingers, "We have students from North Korea, USA, Russia, France, Germany, Japan..."

"We have no Japanese delegates this year, Mr. Yoon." Se-ri pointed out, eyes still on the glossy pages.

"No?" Se-joon gave his half-sister a death glare. Who did she think he was, her subordinate? "Why don't we? We should!"

"We had two, last year." Mr. Hess informed with a broad smile, "It's different every year."

Se-ri was reading the profile of the 11-year old, Han Sol-mi. The North Korean contingent was insistent to include the gifted child musician who had apparently composed operas, a surefire way to bring glory to the great republic and the kind of generation they were raising. It would have been acceptable if she were 4 years older, but she was a minor in every sense of the word. After much discussion, the board permitted her attendance in the 2-week program as an act of good will to Pyongyang before the foundation could be accused as discriminatory, for as long as a guardian was included in the retinue. The matter of her schooling was still up in the air.

They would be in Jeong-hyeok's plane, Se-ri thought.

"Okay," Se-ri declared with a tone she used to call the entire meeting to her attention. She straightened her seat, long straight hair following her motion, "It's best if we organize ourselves around the schedule so we don't create conflict. Mr. Hess, I explained this to you over the phone, can I speak to my brother and sister-in-law?"

"By all means, Ms. Yoon." Mr. Hess gestured.

"Oppa, Eonni," Se-ri faced her sibling and his wife, changing her language with the ease of a switchblade, "I'm taking charge of this because I have been doing this from the beginning. Please don't get offended. I will need your help on some things."
That Se-ri was asking for their help had Hye-ji's full attention, Se-joon appeared bored at this but his eyes were on his half-sister.

"For these two weeks, the new scholars will be taking classes and lectures in different venues here in Interlaken. They could be schools or chapels, depending on what was arranged. Mr. Hess takes charge of the seminars so we don't have to attend these."

Se-joon's shoulders eased in relief.

"There are socials and performances every night with a welcome event and a final concert at the end of the scholarship festival. You also don't have to attend all performances, if you want to take pictures just attend the first and last one. For the welcome event, you can go up the stage to receive the plaque of appreciation for sponsors on behalf of our companies." Se-ri was supposed to, but she had done dozens upon dozens of awarding ceremonies she could afford to be generous.

Hye-ji perked up almost immediately at the sound of publicity, "Jagiya, did you hear that? Say yes. Let's do it!" Se-joon tried so hard not to act pleased by this but he couldn't keep a poker face to save his life.

"And? Is that all?" Se-joon asked Se-ri as though he could take more.

"Next weekend we are sponsoring a Swiss overnight trip, so you can join that too for photos. The group will be divided into two, so you two can join one, I'll take the other."

"It's like in the movie The Sound of Music!" Hye-ji swooned.

"Two groups?" Se-joon raised an eyebrow, "Why do we have to split the scholars?"

"Because some might want to go sightseeing, some might want to go hiking." Se-ri explained, a stroke of genius that came to her that sleepless night. She proposed the idea immediately to Mr. Hess that morning and it was approved since Se-ri was willing to take the additional expenses, "Summer is a good season for outdoor sports. Don't worry, I'll do the hiking one, you and eonni can enjoy Lucerne and Pilatus."

"Fine. If I wanted to go hiking I would have stayed in Seoul and gone to Seoraksan," Se-joon agreed gruffly, Se-ri suspected he was imitating their father but failing spectacularly.

But for her, it was that sweet feeling of victory. Se-ri had to smile as congratulations to Se-joon and Hye-ji for making the right decision by abiding by her. They could not find a better arrangement, surely they had to see how considerate Se-ri was. She was helping them with their exposure and making it workable-enjoyable even-despite the fact that they almost ruined her plans. In this way, she had split a majority of their paths in that trip without jeopardizing plans and in fact improving them. She'll only have to see them and their paparazzi for a couple of times.

In English, she addressed those at the table, "I'll go ahead, the scholars are starting to come in and I want to check with Emilie to make sure that everyone arrives in their hotel safe and sound. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Se-ri left, barely touching her eggs and coffee.

*****

7 in the evening she was tearing bread from the terrace, watching the pedestrian gate of the apartment that only welcomed one family and no more. Half an hour later she couldn't take the agony of silence anymore and she phoned Emilie.

"The North Korean group has arrived at the airport, but one of their checked baggage has gone missing, so they are trying to locate it."

One tiny budge was all Se-ri needed to take the car and drive to the airport, precarious mountain passes be damned. "Do they need help?"

"We offered to, but they said they'll try to handle it. I left our number."

Se-ri held her breath, "Who is 'they'?"

"He didn't get to say. I'll try to contact the airport authorities."

Se-ri hesitated, "Maybe in an hour, let's give them time."

"Sure, Ms Yoon."

Wow, what was she even thinking? An hour? Se-ri couldn't even sit straight for 5 minutes.

Twelve 5 minutes later and many distracted attempts to read a book, Emilie informed her that the group had finally left Zurich Airport for Interlaken. Se-ri decided to change from her robe into her long sweater to sit at the garden patio armed with a cup of coffee, fighting off yawns. Sleepiness had to come when she least wanted it.

The glare of a car's headlight through the wooden slats of the gate had Se-ri shooting up and running to the entrance but the car was just making a turn and it drove away.

An hour before 12, the groundskeeper was about to lock the gate for the night. Se-ri tried to hold him off to no avail. The groundskeeper did allow her to ring him in the lobby if she needed it open.

Midnight, Se-ri was nodding off until her eyelids were too heavy to keep open.

The next thing she knew her shoulder was being nudged awake.

"I'll ring you at the lobby." Se-ri mumbled, hand waving the person away.

"Yoon Se-ri."