Mina's POV
"You seem a little bit lethargic nowadays, Chaengie. Even President Kim worry about you a bit, are you losing your passion at teaching, or............?"
"Minari"
Finally, Chaeyoung said a word after zoning for a long time.
"Do you think it's weird to constantly think about somebody else while you aren't entirely closed, but you keep thinking and longing over and over?"
Here are we at my birthday celebration dinner she asks about this thing to me. Yes, Chaeyoung been different the past month.
"Pardon?" I ask again.
"What's going on with me?"
"Are you cheating on me?"
Chaeyoung look at me, "What? No!"
"Then?"
"I mean, ever since we left Vietnam, I can't stop thinking about that little boy Minari. I want to, but I can't. Just like you, you're always in my head, so does he"
"You and your sweet mouth"
"I mean it"
"Well, you're here, you're always with me so everytime I want to see you it's easy to find you, but this boy.............."
"You grew attached to him, aren't you?"
"I don't know, it's just, when I held him, everything around me seems like paused and it feels like the first time I held Maddie in my arms, it was so similar. I only knew him for 3 days, Mina, 3 days! How can this even possible?"
"I believe you're a great mom, Chaeyoungie. It's your maternal sense kicking"
"Yeah, maybe"
"You know, you could call Sister Annie if you want to, to check on him"
"Nah, it's weird, I am just a stranger, why do I check on a kid that lives across the country. It's okay, I am fine, I think it's just a phase, Mina, I'll be alright"
I hold my hands, she looks at me.
"I am sorry that I've been such a pain in the ass this past month"
"It's okay"
"Oh, here's your present!"
Chaeyoung then give me a blue box, "Happy birthday!"
"What's this!"
I then open the box and found a camera. A CAMERA.
"Remember that I borrow your laptop the other day? When I opened it, all of your browser tabs, it was all about the mirrorless camera. I was a little bit offensive that day, I know everything about a camera, but you bother to ask me, well maybe you didn't know since I was never told a story, but I was a freelance photographer back in New York"
I can only laugh at her explanation.
"And I do realize you were interested in photography lately as I always pick you up in the photography lab, I thought you were being flirty to those photographers guys, pardon my jealousy. But yeah, I found a perfect camera for you"
I open it. It's Leica. It's freaking Leica she got me.
"Chaeyoung this is just too much, you bought me a Leica. LEICA Chaeyoung-ah"
"It's for the beginner one, it's fine"
"Yeah but still!"
"I want you to be good at this, and you need a perfect camera. If you really thankful, please shot a beautiful picture in the future, I am ready to accompany you to do the photo hunting"
I could only smile at her.
"Thank you so much for this, thank you, I don't know how to express it but thanks"
"Don't mention it" She smiles at me.
"And please, don't think about repaying me with the same gift for my birthday, okay? I don't like gifts"
"I know, I know"
My first object to be photographed, of course, her.
As promised she always accompanies me to take some pictures, even randomly sometimes I ask her to take me to a harbor, or the sea. I really love nature, and I love people photography. Sometimes I even asked her to accompany me to the market to take pictures, I didn't care, she was a little sulky at first. As long as we meet toppokki stall I will leave her there. Being almost 20 years grew up abroad makes her so childish about Korean dishes, she always acted like a foreigner every time I took her to the market, she tastes everything on the food stalls. She's the one who's holding the Korean citizen while I am Japanese here. Sometimes I forget.
My birthday and hers are only one month apart. We always talked about this, how we really mean to be together because my birthday is on March 24, 0324, while hers on April 23, 0423. Sometimes we acted like a high schooler and go for it again while it's just a number. I think it through for her present. I spent the whole time to find a perfect gift for her.
Finally, her birthday comes. Since Chaeyoung really hates celebration, I take her to her favorite restaurant. A fast-food hamburger shop. Shake Shack.
How unromantic, but that's who we are.
"This is the best birthday ever!" Chaeyoung says to me in front of her burgers.
"It's kind of confusing at first whether I should take you to In 'n Out to pissed you, or to this place"
"Oh, don't you dare to take me to In 'n Out!"
I am laughing with her. We then eat together. We sit in the corner to avoid the traffic. Shake Shack is the busiest burger place in Gangnam.
"So, while we're still on the birthday mood now, here's your present"
I give her an envelope.
"What am I? A kid? You give me money?"
I laugh. "Open it"
She carefully opens the envelope and looks what's inside.
"NO WAY!"
"I feel that you need this, Chaeyoungie" Chaeyoung could only stare at the present.
"This boy is literally hijacking your mind. I clear our schedule, I already find the replacement for us for 5 days at that date and we better spend it wisely"
It's a plane ticket to Vietnam by the way.
"Minari.............."
I could see her tears at the end of her eyes.
"Before we go there, we should really study about this first"
I then give her bundle of pamphlets and booklet about International Adoption from Vietnam.
"I already take a look on this, perhaps you should study it as well"
Her hand shakes when she looking at the pamphlets.
"Chaeyoung-ah, are you alright?"
She put down the pamphlets and take both my hands. I can feel her shakiness.
"Mina, do you really want this with me? I mean I don't want to if you aren't............"
"To be honest, I am scared, never in my life thinks about being a mom. But, seeing you have this confidence, seeing how you passionately taking care of kids, that makes my heart move. Being in Vietnam for only a month also changes me Chaeyoung-ah. Every time I look at babies or toddlers, or kids my heart easily melt. And I start imagining to have one" I stare at her, "with you in the picture"
"And that boy, Chaeyoungie, he's too adorable, his smile never left my mind when you hold him in your arms that day"
"Mina, am I capable of doing this again?"
"Honey, you were a very great mother and you will always be"
"I've been meaning to do this since the last time I saw him, I just want to hold him forever, but I am afraid that you would think the opposite"
"Let's fight for this okay? It's going to be a long process, but it will be worth of our time"
"Mina, again, are you sure? Are you serious? Because I don't want to do it without you"
"I am deadly serious, Chaeyoungie" I cup her face.
Tears fall down on her cheek, she wipes it.
"This is the best best best birthday ever, really. Thank you so much"
She comes to me and gives me a kiss.
She's the person who actually changes me. I never imagine myself having a kid. But with her, everything that I stand could be falling apart in a very positive way. I know that it's going to be a hard year for us to try to do adoption, international adoption. But I know it will be worth it.