A few weeks passed, the days growing colder as the snow banks grew taller. Soon enough Christmas came around, and I made the trip out to my father's home in the country the night before for the holiday. His mansion made my penthouse seem like a cottage, it's massive size reflective of his wealth. I wasn't one to talk since I certainly didn't hide my own success; my father just always seemed to be more inclined to show off than to not.
I rang the doorbell with my single suitcase in hand- I didn't plan on staying for any longer than I had to. My father opened the large front door, the smell of food and booze wafting out of his home.
"Son!" He exclaimed, stumbling a bit as he pulled me into his embrace.
"Father," I hugged him back, almost nauseated by the smell of liquor on his breath.
"I'm so happy you could make it," he smiled. "How long has it been since we've spent Christmas together with the family? At least five years?"
"It's been eight," I smiled as my gaze drifted to the woman who patiently stood behind my father. She was dressed extravagantly, cleavage adorned by sparkling jewelery, her hips hugged tightly by a red dress. I gave her a curt nod, waiting to be introduced.
-
I woke up the next morning in my father's guest bedroom, hungover from copious amounts of imported red wine. I rolled over on my side, aimlessly searching for my phone on the nightstand where I vaguely remembered placing it last night. I held it close to me as I went through the notifications, strategically ignoring my work emails as well as the missed calls from Assistant Kang. I logged onto the R.F.A. messenger to see both Zen and V were online.
Jumin Han has entered the chatroom.
ZEN: It's the worst being alone on christmas.... everyone is so lovey dovey and here I am, the most handsome person probably ever, eating take out by myself. This should be a crime
V: You should be thankful for all the things you do have. Merry Christmas, Jumin.
Jumin Han: Thank you, V. You as well.
ZEN: How can I be thankful when I know trustfund kid is eating his weight in gourmet food and getting thousands of dollars in presents from his dad?!!
Jumin Han: This is actually the first Christmas I haven't worked in eight years.
V: Eight years? Are you at your father's home now?
Jumin Han: Yes. I just woke up.
ZEN: Just woke up? It's almost one in the afternoon dude
V: I'm sure him and his father enjoyed more than their fair share of wine last night. Give him a break.
ZEN: Am I supposed to feel bad for him or something?
Jumin Han: Don't feel bad for me. I make enough money every holiday I work to pay your rent for a year.
ZEN: SERIOUSLY
ZEN: THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT
Jumin Han: And what is that?
ZEN: You act so smug about all your money but in reality I have it better than you. At least I have an actual chance of finding a girlfriend someday.
Jumin Han: Are you implying I could never meet a woman?
ZEN: yes
V: Zen has a point. You should maybe consider looking into dating.
V: You're closer to thirty now than anything.
Jumin Han: I don't need a woman, but I'll have you know I did meet a woman a few weeks ago.
ZEN: WHAT
ZEN: ARE YOU KIDDING ME
Jumin Han: No. I met her in a taxi cab and she said I was interesting.
V: Really? Did you get her phone number?
Jumin Han: No.
ZEN: When she said interesting she was probably just trying to be polite about how weird you are. I bet you just talked about that fur ball the whole ride.
Jumin Han: I didn't mention Elizabeth 3rd once. I told her her hands were cold and then she payed for the cab ride and said she wanted to meet again.
ZEN: That's it. I'm officially giving up.
V: I'm sorry, I have to leave now. Jumin, if you genuinely are interesting in this girl do yourself a favor and go on a proper date with her. I'll talk to you all again. Goodbye.
V has left the chatroom.
ZEN: I can't believe a girl actually wanted to see you again. I can't believe you found a girl before me.
Jumin Han: I'm honestly as surprised as you. I have to leave now too. My father and his flavor of the week are waiting for me.
Jumin Han has left the chatroom.
I put my phone down and sighed, wondering exactly how I was supposed to find (y/n) again. My interest in her wasn't romantic; if anything it was curiosity. I found myself many times since we met thinking about her, mostly just about why she had been so oddly kind to me despite my cold demeanor. I shook her out of my head though, pulling myself out of bed and into day clothes. I tried to brush out my hair in front of the bathroom vanity but it curled out despite my every effort. I settled on brushing my teeth and spraying my father's most expensive cologne before I headed downstairs.
"Good morning, Jumin," My father's girlfriend who's name I didn't bother to remember greeted me, sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes," I answered quietly, finding my way to a coffee pot, pouring myself a cup.
"There's cream in the fridge and sugar in the second cabinet to the left," she called.
"No thank you," I said. "I drink it black." I took a seat on the opposite end of the couch from her, curling my legs underneath me.
"Just like your father." She smiled, taking a sip of her drink. By the way her hair was lazily tied back and how she was dressed in much less extravagant clothing, I figured she had recently woken up as well.
"Where is he?"
"Oh, he just went to get the mail. He should be back any moment now."
With that the front door opened, my father smiling when he made eye contact with his girlfriend. He gave me a nod as he crossed the kitchen and grabbed a mug sitting on the counter before joining us on the couch.
"Good morning, son," he said as he wrapped his arm around the woman. She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes for a moment. "It's so nice to come into my home and see you. It's been so long since we haven't had to talk about the company."
"Yes," I answered, although I planned on taking my leave within the next few hours. "It's nice to relax after working so much the last few weeks."
He smiled at me for a moment, stroking his girlfriend's hair gently, an almost unconscious gesture.
"Are you still living alone in that penthouse, Jumin?" As soon as the words fell from his lips I knew where the conversation was headed.
"No. I live with Elizabeth 3rd."
"The cat doesn't count." He said with a flat expression, his girlfriend stifling a giggle.
"Then by your standards, yes. I am living alone." He sighed, rubbing his temple with his free hand.
"Son," he began. "At this point I just want to see you happy. I know we've had issues with arrangements I have tried to make for you and I understand that isn't what you want. But you can't grow old in that hundred story penthouse with just a cat by your side as you work yourself to death."
I remained silent as I remembered his last girlfriend, Glam Choi and her 'student' my father desperately tried to marry me off to. It had been almost a year since then.
"I met a woman." I stated. My father's eyes lit up, almost jumping off of the couch.
"What? Are you trying to make a joke, Jumin?"
"No. I met her in a taxi cab and she said she wants to meet again. I don't know how to contact her though."
"How romantic," his girlfriend cooed. "Two strangers who fall in love at first sight."
"I am not in love with her," I clarified. "But I am interested in meeting with her again."
"Anything," my father spoke, his voice low. "Anything you need, tell me and it's yours. I want to see you happy, son."
I nodded, a slight wave of embarrassment washing over me. We chatted on the couch a bit longer, my father poking and prodding at my every button, sure to remind me of all the joys of being in love. Even simple gestures like the grazing of her shoulder with his thumb, or the way she would squeeze his hand in hers felt like something intimate, something private that I shouldn't be seeing. I was used to seeing women practically fondle my father in front of me but something was different about this woman; her face was clean, not made up like the others, and despite her grandeur last night she seemed so much more natural cradled in my father's arm in the afternoon light peeking through the shades. I felt distant, as if I wasn't really a part of the moment, just a bystander in passing.
Eventually my father called down his chef and we ate together on the heated porch. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, and I remembered it was in fact Christmas. My gift for my father was still in my suitcase upstairs and I found myself wanting to get the whole ordeal over with and return home.
"Father," I spoke as I placed my plate on the gold edged table in front of us. "I've brought a gift for you. I'll go grab it from upstairs." I sat up but before I could exit my father interrupted.
"Jumin, wait," he said. "I'd like to give you my gift first. A moment, dear." He stood from the chair, leaving his girlfriend behind as I followed him into his office. He let me enter first and closed the large, mahogany door behind us, the lock clicking before he crossed the room. He approached his desk, and I could tell he was taking his time to build up some sort of moment. My mind went on overdrive trying to guess what he was giving me that he felt his beloved girlfriend couldn't know. He opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a small, black box. I stepped over to him and looked into his eyes.
"What is it?"
"Open it."
He placed the box in my hands and I flipped open the lid. Inside was a ring; a genuine gold ring adorned with many jewels, the biggest one a diamond, front and center. I was confused as I examined it until I noticed the smaller stones framing the diamond- moonstones.
"Is this my mother's?" I said, unable to hide the disgust in my voice.
"Yes, Jumin. Many, many years ago I proposed to your mother with that very ring. I want you to propose to the woman you fall in love with someday with that." He was smiling, as if it wasn't an absolutely outrageous gesture.
"You're kidding me, right? You want me to propose to a woman with that ring?" I snorted, putting the box on his desk.
"What do you mean by that ring?" He challenged. A trigger had been set off by the very notion of the gift, and now that my father was standing before me as if my mother hadn't tried to pawn me off to keep her marriage and wealth in tact and then proceeded to literally kill herself over it, I was outraged.
"I will not give any woman a ring that was once soaked with my own mother's blood, and if you think washing it off and replacing the fucking diamond on it changes that you are so wrong, Father."
We faced off for a long moment, the only sound my raging pulse in my ears.
"She was your mother." He said slowly, as if I didn't know that. "I know she made mistakes, I know I made mistakes but that does not change that she was your mother and that this ring is a sacred memory of her." He placed the ring back in my hand, and I stared at it for a long moment. It was beautiful; the moonstone had become a favorite of mine before I even knew my mother's affinity towards it. As a boy, our home still had many decorations adorned with the stone as a remainder of my mother's presence (as soon as wife number two moved in though, everything was replaced with rubies).
"I have no memory of her," I spat, throwing the ring at the wall. My father grabbed me by the collar; he had never in my twenty-seven years laid a hand on me.
"I know damn well you do and you will not disrespect her memory no matter how you feel about her or what you believe happened." He released me, causing me to take a couple of steps back to regain my balance. I straightened out my shirt before turning on my heel and exiting the room, not before struggling with the lock for a moment.
"Goodbye, Father."
I gathered my things, finding the gift for my father in my suitcase. I placed it on the made bed and continued to pack the few things I brought. I unconsciously slammed my suitcase, the sound catching me off guard. I took a deep breath, counting to fifteen before regaining my composure. This was one of the memories I had of my mother that I refused to accept; when I was very small I had an awful temper and she would often go through this exercise to help calm me down.
I completely ignored my father's girlfriend as she tried to catch me on my way out the door, overly concerned about the conversation she just happened to hear. I had already called Driver Kim and he was waiting around the large fountain that decorated the front lawn.
"Home, please." I muttered as I sat down, pulling out my phone. I had a missed call from V as well as a voicemail from him. I opened it as we drove off from my father's home.
"Hey, Jumin. I hope everything is going well at your father's and I normally wouldn't call you over something like this but, I think I might know exactly who you mentioned you met earlier today on the messenger. Call me back when you have a moment. Bye."