But First, Marriage

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Halabeoji looked down into his drink for a long moment, lost in thought. Suzy doubted he'd even heard her.

"I'll never forget the first time I saw my Nayeon," he said in a faraway voice. "She was sixteen and her hair was long and dark and fell in braids to her waist. My father spoke to her father and while they were talking, Nayeon and I sat at opposite ends of the room, too shy to look at each other. I wondered if she thought I was handsome. To me, she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Even now, after all these years, I can remember how my heart beat with excitement when I saw her. I knew—"

"But, Halabeoji, that was nearly sixty years ago! Marriages aren't decided by families anymore. A man and a woman discover each other without a father introducing them. Maybe the old ways were better back then, but it's simply not like that now." Halabeoji continued to stare into his glass, lost in a world long since enveloped by the passage of time.

"The next day, Nayeon's parents visited our land and gain our two fathers spoke. I tried to pretend I wasn't concerned, determined to accept whatever our families decided. But when I saw our fathers shake hands and slap each other on the back, I knew Nayeon would soon be mine."

"You loved her before you were married, didn't you?" Suzy asked softly, hoping to prove her point.

"No," he returned flatly, without hesitation. "How could I love her when I'd only seen her twice before the wedding? We hadn't said more than a handful of words to each other. Love wasn't necessary for us to find happiness. Love came later, after we arrived in America."

"Wasn't it unusual for a marriage to be arranged even then? It wasn't that long ago." There had to be some point for her to contend, Suzy mused.

"Perhaps it was unusual in other parts of the world, but not in Boseong-gun. We were a small farming community. Our world had been ravaged by war and hate. We clung to each other, holding on to our own traditions and rituals. Soon our lives became impossible and we were forced to flee our homes."

"As I said before, I can understand how an arranged marriage—back then—might be the best for everyone involved. But I can't see it working in this day and age. I'm sorry to disappoint you, Halabeoji, but I'm not willing to accept Joohyuk Nam as my husband, and I'm sure he'd be equally unwilling to marry me."

Briefly Halabeoji's face tensed with a rare display of disappointment and indignation, then quickly relaxed. Suzy had seldom questioned his authority and had never openly defied him.

"I suppose this is a shock to you, isn't it?" he said.

If it astonished her, she couldn't wait to hear what Joohyuk Nam thought! They'd only met once, but he hadn't disguised his opinion of her. He wouldn't take kindly to Halabeoji's plan of an arranged marriage—especially to a woman he viewed as spoiled and overindulged.

"All I'm asking is that you consider this, Suzy," Halabeoji said. "Promise me you'll at least do that. Don't reject marriage to Joohyuk simply because you think it's old-fashioned."

"Oh, Halabeoji . . ." Suzy hated to refused him anything. "It isn't just me. What about Joohyuk? What about his plans? What if he—"

Halabeoji dismissed her questions with an abrupt shrug. "How often do I ask something of you?" he persisted.

Now he was going to use guilt. "Not often," she agreed, frowning at him for using unfair tactics.

"Then consider Joohyuk for your husband!" His eyes brightened. "The two of you will have such beautiful children. A grandfather knows these things."

"I promise I'll think about it." But it wouldn't do any good! However, discretion was a virtue Suzy was nurturing, and there'd never been a better time to employ it than now.