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Sharp dark eyes stared down at the book he had in his hand as his frown deepen. With a sigh, he closed it and placed it onto his desk. Its paperback cover had a cartoon drawing of a cute bunch of different sized and colored dragons surrounding a plain looking girl. This specific cover was the sole reason he even bought it. He never thought that reading its contents would unearthen things he had long buried.
"Secretary Park," a voice suddenly called, snapping him back to reality.
"Yes, Vice President?" he answered after a beat, standing up from his seat as he noticed the older man looking at him from his open door.
The other male stared a little longer at him in silence before motioning him to come in the office. He then straightened his suit and followed his direct supervisor, closing the door after them.
"You need anything, Vice President?" he asked again once they were inside.
"Kind of. Take a seat, Seonghwa-ssi," the older male replied. And immediately, he knew that the man would be discussing a personal matter. "I need a favor. Not as your boss. But as a parent."
Seonghwa's demeanor softened. He had always found the Vice President brilliantly harsh when dealing with the business and equally passionate towards his personnel. But it all crumbles down when it comes to his children. Especially his only girl. And after meeting the little ones, he understood why.
"Please let me hear it first, sir, before I decide," he kept his cool but they both knew he will eventually agree to it if he deem it as logically possible. And it always was.
"They want to go to Bong Iseul's book signing event but I need to be somewhere else that day." He then looked directly into Seonghwa's eyes, almost pleading. "I will prepare everything you will need, Seonghwa-ssi. So, could you please take them there?"
A day trip with the kids? That's gotta be a god-sent.
He then paused for a moment, pulling back the smile that was about to erupt on his lips as he processed who they wanted to see. "I'm sorry, sir. Did you say they want to see Author Bong Iseul-nim?"
The Vice President nodded and Seonghwa's jaw dropped. He knew the kids love to read. Rightfully so since their father held an executive seat in a famous publishing company in the country. Yet, with the eldest only being ten, he didn't expect them to be mature enough to understand the concept of getting books signed. Or even going to such events.
"Then, pshhhhhㅡ!"
"The wed one, he- he say- he saidㅡ"
"He eat the sun power and shoot it outㅡ"
"No! It's the gween oneㅡ"
"Seonghwa samchon, water please."
Seonghwa expected it was going to be kind of hectic since he will be with the children. What he didn't expect was that all five children will be there. No wonder the Vice President allowed him to have an extra week of paid vacation for this favor. The triplets sat at the back with the eldest son while he sat by the SUV's door beside their princess.
The driver dropped them off the entrance of the convention center and would return once they were done. It was the first time Seonghwa was left with these many children for a trip. But he was still confident. The two oldest were responsible and dependable enough, given the number of exposure they had with large crowds.
"Junseo, Haru?" he asked, looking back at the two eldest children. "Mind Minguk for me, please."
And with the eldest, Daehan, and the youngest, Manse, of the triplets on each of his hands, they strolled the place in a two three-man formation. A book fair was on-going in one hall and they wandered into the children's section after he signed them up for the book signing event.
"Samchon, I want to look over there," Junseo pointed to the next hall where the atlases and almanacs were.
Seonghwa let him go after they agreed to meet up in front of the hall within an hour. He then left the trio play loudly in the inflated bounce castle at the very far end of the hall, keeping an eye at them outside the play pen. Haru, on the other hand, was silently scanning the contents of the children's bookshelves.
"When will it start, samchon?" Junseo asked from his left with Daehan between them.
"Five minutes. Let's wait a little bit more, okay?" he tried to answer as audible as possible without awakening the sleeping Manse on his lap. "Fighting."
"Manse is sleeping now?" Minguk quietly asked from his right. "He won't see Mother Fairy."
"We'll tell him about her later once he wakes up." Seonghwa turned to the six year-old with a small smile.
The book signing event was large scale. As expected to their marketing and sales team. He pulled a little string the night before and got them a good seat in the hall. The lights then slowly dimmed, earning a few shrieks from the young audience.
Then, she appeared.
Author Bong Iseul.
Or, Mother Fairy, as the childrenㅡand their parentsㅡknew her.
The loud applause faded out from his head. He even forgot the full weight of the child against his body. The all too familiar smirk on her face and the way she flipped her long hair off her shoulder consumed his very being. And by the time she was already sitting center stage, reading her latest book, Seonghwa's appearance had grew significantly dimmer.
I should have known it was you!
After the reading session, Seonghwa already had his straight professional face on as the children were walking forward to get their favorite books signed. The boys were all huddled around her, including the now fully awake Manse. While he held the teary eyed Haru in his arms.
"Hi," she greeted them, looking at each of their little round faces while taking the books they brought. "Who do we have here today?"
"My name is Goo Junseo. These are Daehan, Minguk, and Manse." The eldest introduced them excitedly then pointed to their sister. "And that's Haru and Seonghwa hyung."
The woman followed his finger and locked eyes with Seonghwa. She held onto their gaze for a second before bringing it back to the children around her.
"Wow! Nice to meet all of you." She kept the small talk only towards the boys as she scribbled on their books expertly. "I hope you liked my story."
The triplets then began speaking at the same time but they stopped when Haru slid off Seonghwa's hold and decided to physically move them aside so she could walk up to the author.
"I didn't want Daddy Dragon to go away," she said to her. "I want Bunny to save him too so he can go back and teach the baby dragons how to fly again. The baby dragons..." Haru's eyes begun to fill with tears once more.
But instead of comforting the girl, the woman sitting across the table smiled contemptuously at her and whispered, "Then, you should write your own story."
Seonghwa was so baffled, he took the children home immediately after that. He could not believe the words that that woman threw at an innocent eight-year old child. He was hell bent to condemning her to what she did. But he knew she knew how powerful her pseudonym alone was in the media world. And that one incident could be considered irrelevent; a heresay at most.
"First, a babysitter. And now, an executive secretary? Tell me, how many jobs do you really have, Park Seonghwa-ssi?" She used the same mocking tone of voice he was so familiar with as she slip his business card in her purse.
And like before, he ignored that. "I'll get straight to the point. Does anyone in your family know you're here?"
"You wouldn't find me doing book signing events if they do, right?" she replied, leaning over to stare at his facial features and then sighing. "You look the same but you've changed. I miss my sweet innocent Ddeonghwa."
"Kim Hyoㅡ"
"Stop." She pressed her forefinger on his lips but she pulled it away the next second, her face holding a stern mask. "You called me here under a guise of a business meeting, Secretary Park. I am entertaining your personal questions since we are acquaintances. But you should still address me with my professional name."
"I don't see why you're so against using your real name," he insisted. "Your parents gave it to you."
Her brow rose and she grabbed her bag, standing up. "Then, this meeting is over. Goodbye, Mister Secretary."
Seonghwa quickly held onto her wrist before she could step out of the private room in the office. The woman's gaze could cut through his flesh but he kept his grip firm before letting go.
"Fine," he agreed.
"Fine what?" she bit back.
Seonghwa sighed defeatedly. "Fine, I'll call you Bong Iseul-nim. But only within these walls."
The woman smiled contently before returning to her seat. "Now, that's my Ddeonghwa. I mean, my sweet smart Seonghwa Star."
"You're being redundant, Iseul-nim." He commented before continuing where they left. "Going back, how could you just suddenly disappear on us like that? Where have you been? And don't get smart on me. I know you've been writing. I've checked your publishing history. I want to know where were you all those years before that."
"Before I answer you," she asked a little more softly, eyes searching into the male's in front of her, "did you already know who I was when you came to the event?"
Seonghwa shook his head.
"I had no clue I will see you there," he answered honestly. "The only reason I was there were the kids. Which reminds me how disappointing your act was."
She snickered at his comment. "Oh, come on. You make it sound like I've never disappointed anyone before."
"You know that's not what I meant."
"No. I don't know what you meant!" She hit the table with her palm as her volume increased. She then took a deep breath after realizing what just happend and ran a hand through her hair, collecting herself. "As I was saying... have you read them?"
He didn't answer, keeping his lips pressed together.
In turn, she studied him, leaning a little closer across the table. This time, staring boldly right into his dark orbs, teasing him as he lock gazes with her. She held onto his, trying to drown him into her equally deep pupils. "Don't make me reapeat myself, Seonghwa-ssi. Remember, you wanted me...here."
"I only skimmed through the last one." He blinked away, defeated and feeling uncomfortable.
On the other hand, the woman loved his reaction.
"It's good to know you still make the same expressions." She smirked, her voice once more laced with a hint of softness. "Then you'll know where you can find me once you finish all of it. Until you do that, I will refrain from answering your calls, Secretary Park."
Days turned to weeks. And weeks turned to months. Seonghwa dedicated a good portion of his off time reading through pages and pages of her books. But often, he got so lost in his work that he forgot the flow of what was happening in the story and had to re-read back some chapters of it.
In the short three years, the Author Bong Iseul collectively released a total of seven children's books. All of which chronicled the adventures of a human girl named Bunny and how she tried to escape the label of being "The One" to save the Fairy King. But despite all her efforts to revolt and take the more sinister, opposite path, she still found herself doing what "fate" intended her to do. And although every other creature she ended up helping praised her, she never trully felt satisfied with those achievements.
Seonghwa stared down on the same book he had purchased six months ago. The adorable cover design and the imaginative texts in the book were all meant to attract children. Their innocence will find each book funny and intriguing. While an adult's strained eyes would see a different world. Something less fantastical.
It reflected reality. And how menacing going against the norm was. How life struggles weren't a one-time occurance and how society could be so unaccepting to somethings so avant garde. And yet, they were the same ones to celebrate it only when its convient for them.
Seonghwa found himself spacing out after the last words of the latest book trickle his head. It was almost the fable version of her autobiography. And right between the extravagant depictions and the subtle realism of how she described Bunny's world, he narrowed down the possible answers to his question.
"But that place had long been sold and renovated. I don't think you'll see the same thing even if you go there," his mother said over the phone.
"That's alright, eomma. I just need to confirm something. Do you remember the address?" He was out the door as soon as the text arrived.
About four hours later, Seonghwa arrived in Cheongsando. All the clues he gathered in months of reading and searching, led to this place. And although Bong Iseul's public information stated that she was residing abroad, the male was certain and trusted his years of experience listening to her make-believe stories since they were young.
This was where she is.
Seonghwa took a photo of him with a famous landmark of the island. He sent it to her number with a caption: I found Master Horangi's den. I bet I could find Bunny around here too.
"How long can you stay, Park Seonghwa-ssi?" she called him less than five minutes after he sent the image.
He smiled, looking around the fine scenery. "I took a week-long vacation just for you, Kim Hyoseon-ssi."
Within thirty minutes, both of them were on a motor scooter, cruising the small island that the woman owned. At the eastern side of the traditional styled garden, stood the familiar water gazebo.
Now, everything, aside from the garden layout, was reconstructed when she bought it years ago.
"You should've told me," Seonghwa said softly, staring out at the small pond surrounding the gazebo they were sitting in.
"I can't ruin your life too," she chuckled bitterly. "Mine's enough to test things out. What do you think?"
"Stronger," Seonghwa turned his head towards her and held her hand. "And much, much bitchier than before."
She slapped his hand away and threw a used up wet tissue at him which he disgustingly avoided. "You're an ass for ruining the mood."
"Tch. What do you want me to say? Your name is Hyoseon but you were never really gentle. Let alone the filial one." Seonghwa rebutted. "But if I knew you've been here all these time, I could have come sooner. This view is amazing."
"Well, you did figure it out even though you needed a hint to do so," Hyoseon said, unwrapping a dark chocolate and popping it in her mouth.
"How could you still eat those things?" he grimanced while opening his bag of chips.
"Look who's talking. I bought those abomination of a snack for you," she deadpanned, making gagging noises. "Since we were little you really like those jalapeño ones."
"The taste of childhood is the best."
They fell into a comfortable silence; sprawled on the mat on the gazebo floor, munching on their choice of junk food and sipping fizzy drinks. Just like when they first met as the ring bearer and the flower girl all those years ago.
"Seriously, Hyoseon-ah, why did you not tell me you were leaving?" Seonghwa decided to ask, turning his head where she laid beside him. "I felt really betrayed. Like, the war was only about to start but my comrade already retreated."
She was silent for awhile, playing with the chocolate foil wrapper between her fingers and looking up at the entricate wooden ceiling.
"I was afraid, Seonghwa-ya." She turned to him with a small smile on her quivering lips and a heavy sigh. "I was afraid you'd hate me too. Like everyone do eventually."
She took another deep breath, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from forming. And Seonghwa silently waited for her to continue.
"But still, in the end, I kinda did let you down, huh?" she chuckled, remembering how he looked at her during the book signing event. "You said you were disappointed in me."
"I was. But not anymore," he assured her, grabbing her hand once again as they laid there face to face. "Who would have thought you were actually saying a word of encouragement to Haru when you said that? Because I definitely didn't. That girl had always been quiet and soft. But you had to turn that sweet child into one of your minions, you witch."
Hyoseon glared with red eyes. "They didn't call me Mother Fairy for nothing, you know."
"However, you still need to work on how you deliver your words," Seonghwa reached up to squeeze her flushed cheeks. "For someone who uses a lot of words on their job, you suck."
"Okay, I have enough of this, Park Seonghwa," she sat up, hitting him with a throw pillow. "Instead of trying to help me feel better, you kept insulting me. You're one rude guest."
He sat up too, chuckling at her. "You consider those insults? Where is the Kim Hyoseon I know? She eats those like a snack."
"I guess, I got tired of them," she answered.
Seonghwa genuinely smiled at the female. "Then let's get you used to some better words, Hyoseon-ah."
"Thank you, Seonghwa-ya." She returned his gesture. "I'd like that. And maybe I can finally get Bunny the happy ending she deserved."
"She definitely do. And so does Sharky."
They continued talking about their simplier younger years of make believes. Seonghwa pointed out how some of her characters were the ones they made up way back then. Hyoseon confessed to stealing them from those days, citing that she had fun reliving those times repeatedly while writing.
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A/N: All the kids' names in this chapter are from the Korean reality show "Return of Superman" Season 1 (I did change their last name since they are not really siblings irlㅡthe triplets are though). I have been watching that show since I discovered it 4 years ago. So, if you like to know how those adorable children looked like (then and now), you can search them as Jang Junseo, Lee Haru, and triplets Song Daehan, Song Minguk, Song Manse. Enjoy the cuteness overload!