Ha Ni's escape
- Of course you can stay my Ha Ni, answered Oh Ki-Dong.
Ha Ni felt relieved, of course her father was going to accept that she stayed but the recent events were so heavy on her heart that she had the feeling that nothing in her life could go well.
- Is Baek Seung-jo aware that you're here ?
- I didn't tell him where I was going but where else could I go ?
- At Min Ah's ? Ki-Dong answered.
- True… but he doesn't need to know where I am anyway, I've got my phone.
- Are you going to tell me what's happening ? asked Ki-Dong. I'm a bit worried you know Ha Ni.
Ha Ni looked at her Dad's calm and loving face and had the feeling that it was the first time he might not be able to help her… or could he ?
- Dad ? she started.
- Yes Ha Ni ?
- When I chose to marry Baek Seung-jo, you gave me your blessing, but some days before, you also had given me your blessing to marry Bong Joon-gu.
- Yes ?
- You necessarily had an idea of which you would have preferred to see me marry.
- Ah… is this what's bothering you ? You're thinking that you made the wrong choice ? Ki-Dong asked with sadness and warmth.
- Not exactly. It's just that… everything went so fast and it was so enthralling…
- Is Baek Seung-jo being a bad husband ?
- No, he hasn't changed a bit… it's me.
Ha Ni closed her mouth and tears appeared in her eyes. Ki-Dong looked upset. He went to the kitchen and she heard him fiddle with cutlery.
Her mobile phone vibrated. It was a message from Baek Seung-jo.
- Ha Ni ! You're supposed to be my patients' nurse. You're being irresponsible and childish. I've called for a replacement, I won't need you tomorrow.
She sighed. Seung-jo had rarely been so obvious in his manipulation. He couldn't admit he was scared, he couldn't admit he loved her and wanted her to come back. He couldn't admit he was in pain and certainly not in control of the situation. Some months ago, such a message would have had shattered her and she would have done everything in her power to get his esteem back. Now, Seung-jo's attack left her confidence intact and she found him, she had to be honest with herself, ridiculous and cowardly.
It was not that she didn't love him anymore, it was more that she now understood perfectly how much he loved her and realized that it wasn't so unbelievable in the end. It didn't come as a surprise for her anymore.
She remembered one year ago when Bong Joon-gu had congratulated her for her success at the exam, that while he was smiling and shouting and demonstrating his joy without any restraint, she had thought of how Baek Seung-jo was constantly restraining himself from exposing his spontaneous feelings and thoughts.
She remembered how flattered she had been when he had told her that she was scary because, to him, she was like an equation that would be impossible to resolve. Now, it annoyed her that Baek Seung-jo would treat everything around him like one.
That message didn't express Seung-jo's true feelings, it was a stroke that aimed at winning the game. It was just trying to make her come back without exposing his feelings.
Now that she felt this way, she couldn't but think about Bong Joon-gu who had never played any games with her. He had always laid bare his feelings right in front of her. Seung-jo had kissed her while she was asleep. Of course, she was terribly happy when she learnt about it, but in the end, kissing a girl while she is asleep when it is perfectly obvious that she is in love with you, what kind of behavior is that ?
Ki-Dong came back with a huge bowl filled with noodles and meat and numerous vegetables. They both took a pair of sticks and started eating.
- God ! Bong Joon-gu is such a great cook. I would never have believed he had this in him when he first asked me if he could work with me, Ki-Dong exclaimed.
- Feeding people is a noble profession, Ha Ni said thoughtful.
- Your dad's a cook Ha Ni, I hope you thought of that before, he joked.
She laughed. Ki-dong recovered a more serious expression.
- Do you remember when we chatted here the day before your marriage, and we nearly cried ?
- Yes Dad, of course.
- Well, today you're indirectly asking me if I would have preferred you marry Bong Joon-gu instead of Baek Seung-jo but the thing is, I was so sad that my little girl soon wouldn't be my little girl anymore that I was terrified my pain would make me misjudge your decision. I wanted you to be happy and decided to give you all the room I could to let you do what you wanted.
- And now Dad ? What do you think ? she asked eargely.
Ki-Dong laughed.
- Well, approximately the same. I can't seem to be able to reflect upon how you act. You know Ha Ni… he paused.
- Dad ?
- Well… I feel humbled and blessed that my daughter came to become such a wonderful human being and I feel unworthy of interceding with anything you might want to do with your life. I'm just a little cook.
Ha Ni giggled and started to cry and laugh at the same time.
- You see Ha Ni, when Bong Joon-gu came to work here, I thought he was only trying to get to you. He knew I would want to keep you near me and I thought he wanted to work here so that I would prefer him over any other man. But I was wrong, Bong Joon-gu isn't a scheming man. It's incredible how stupid we can be sometimes…. He paused. And the more I think about it, the more ashamed I feel. A boy who would have wanted to use me to get to you, would have hidden his feelings guessing that I would be reluctant as for the manner he used to get to my daughter. But Bong Joon-gu never hid his feelings from anyone, and did not guess either that we would think he was scheming when he showed his enthusiasm towards the idea of working here. That boy is just plain honest. But I was so scared I would bring you to like Joon-gu because I wanted you to stay near me that It blocked my capacity to judge whether Seung-jo was good for you or not.
- Dad ?
- Yes Ha Ni ?
- Baek Seung-jo is a scheming man.
- Yes. Is this why you left the house ?
- When I came in one hour ago, I thought it was more complex than that. But now, I think it is as simple as that. I'm not disappointed in him, my opinion hasn't changed, he didn't do anything wrong… or anything wronger than he has already done before. It's just… I don't want that kind of relationship anymore. I think that maybe… I was too impressed by him.
- And again Ha Ni. Everything went so fast. Even Baek Seung-jo didn't expect the marriage to come so quickly.
- I'm not so sure about that anymore dad. Do you really think that a man as smart as Seung-jo had not guessed that his intrusive mother would schedule an early marriage without asking anyone ? And yes, everything went really fast and I'm slow. I'm slow dad. If Baek Seung-jo and Bong Joon-gu proposed to me today, I'm not sure I would chose Seung-jo.
- Yes Ha Ni, but maybe you needed to choose Baek Seung-jo first.
- So you wouldn't be angry ?
- If what ?
- If I decided to divorce him.
- But Bong Joon-gu has a girlfriend now… who, by the way, is very similar to you which is beautiful and sad at the same time.
- I'm not going back to Bong Joon-gu. I don't have regrets or anything. I'm just not the girl I was when I married Baek Seung-jo and I feel that… I'm about to say something horrible dad.
- Really ?
He came closer and touched her arm strangely.
- I don't exactly know how or why, but I have got the feeling that Seung-jo and his mother manipulated me. It represented something for me to get the attention of such a successful man and my relationship with him helped me achieve some things but… in the end I don't know if I truly needed all that.
Ki-Dong hugged her.
- Well, you've got to think about all that Ha Ni but in the end, there's nothing truly dramatic in this situation. Why would it be sadder for Seung-yo than for Bong Joon to be rejected by you ? And Bong Joon survived pretty well. It's just life Ha Ni.
- Will I see Bong Joon tomorrow ?
- That's a strange question you're asking Ha Ni. Of course you'll see him, he works here. But Chris will be there too.
- I won't mind her presence Dad. It's just. I feel an incredible urge to be around people like them right now. I'm not hoping to get Bong Joon's love back.
- And you wouldn't have to…
- I just want to confirm that he still exists.