THE HANDSOME FROG

(a SoEul short story)

Once upon a time, I saw a very handsome stranger. The first time I saw him, I had to do a double-take. For a second, I thought he looked like an angel. He had the most expressive set of eyes I have ever seen. When he first came to the porridge shop where I worked, I thought that a real-life prince just walked up to me. And though he wore a common black suit and tie, he looked like he just stepped out of a fashion magazine with his easy gait, good looks and sinfully charming smile.

"Does Geum Jan Di work here?", he asked, and I only nodded in response because I was really star-struck.

"Wait, wait, wait!", a whiny voice interrupted my story-telling. "Geum Jan Di? As in Aunt Geum Jan Di? I thought you were going to tell me the story of the Frog Prince? Why is Aunt Jan Di in it?"

A little girl of no more than five years old stared at me, wide-eyed and seriously curious. Initially, she was playing with her dolls but when she got bored with them, she went to me and asked for a story. Of course, I couldn't refuse. I blame those big pretty eyes of hers. They can make people bend to her will.

"Well, let's just say that I'm using the names of the people you're familiar with so you can picture them in your head." I explained. "You can imagine your Aunt Jan Di in your head, can't you?"

She slowly nodded and smiled.

So then, I went on with my story.

"And you are… Jan Di's friend?", the handsome stranger asked again, and again, I only nodded. "Since when have you been friends?", he shortly added to his line of inquiry.

"S-Since kindergarten." I knew I sounded shaky when I spoke because he held my gaze steadfastly, and it made me feel little butterflies in my stomach.

"You're best friends then?"

I nodded to answer his question.

Suddenly, he grinned and grabbed my hand, muttering a quick 'Let's go'. I was too surprised to say anything so I let him drag me to only he knows where.

"You talked to strangers!"

Once again, my story-telling was interrupted by an adorable little girl as she looked at me with an accusing glare. I sighed. She was just too sharp for her age.

"I thought you said not to talk to strangers because they might be bad people", she added, providing a line of reasoning that was wiser beyond her age.

"Well, as I said, I was working in a porridge shop so it was my job to talk to the customers who are strangers."

"Oh… Okay. What happened next?"

This stranger - I later learned that his name was So Yi Jeong. He was one of the closest friends of Jan Di's boyfriend. He and his friends were from the richest families in Seoul so it was no problem for them to go on an impromptu trip to another country.

In particular, I was dragged by So Yi Jeong from the porridge shop where I worked to New Caledonia in a matter of hours. I was too astonished to refuse and question everything that happened at that time. Besides, I was with Jan Di, so I felt a little assured in the least.

"Did the girl fall in love with Yi Jeong?", the little girl leaned forward and rested her face on both her hands as she stared at me.

"Oh, yes, she fell in love with him, but he didn't fall in love with her, not in the beginning at least."

"Why not?"

"Because he didn't like nice girls and he wasn't a nice guy." I explained in the simplest of terms I could think of, but the little girl simply looked confused.

It was then that I noticed how the man sitting beside me eased on his seat. I could tell he was pretending to read the document on the tablet in front of him, the truth was he was actually listening to my story. I don't mind so I continued.

"Why don't you just let me finish my story so you'll understand, okay?"

As I got to know So Yi Jeong bit by bit - from the rumors of his bad reputation with women to his actual conduct in person - I realized that So Yi Jeong wasn't the prince that I thought him to be.

In truth, So Yi Jeong was actually a frog. Well, not in terms of his physical appearance as he was easily one of the most striking men I have ever laid eyes on.

"So he was a handsome frog?", a silly smile was on the little girl's lips.

This time, I chuckled because of the interruption. "Yes, I guess we could say that he's a handsome frog, but he was a frog nonetheless."

I glanced side-ways and noticed a small smile dangling on the lips of the man sitting beside me. I was right. He was listening to my story, and from the looks of it, he was enjoying it.

So Yi Jeong didn't know how to love, so he had been very lonely for a very long time. And for a very long time, he thought he would never be able to find true love, so he gave up and decided that true love didn't exist.

He was very handsome but his heart was very cold and lonely. Even though a lot of women and princesses saw him as a handsome prince, in truth, So Yi Jeong was a frog who was incapable of love. He was cruel and frank, and he always told women that he didn't believe in true love. He didn't believe that there is a kind of love that comes only once in a lifetime.

So Yi Jeong thought he had to live the rest of his life alone, simply because he didn't believe in love. To him, love was but a fleeting illusion created by people. He was resigned to his lonely fate and wanted people to let him be with his bitter beliefs.

He didn't get what he wanted but he had what he needed.

He needed a shove from his stubborn beliefs, so I kicked his butt.

I heard the little girl giggle with what I said.

The day I met him became the start of our fairy tale. Unlike all the women he's been with before, I noticed that he was actually a frog from early on. I noticed that his charming exterior was but a front to veil all his sadness and pain, so even if he pushed me away, I became his friend. I pushed him out of his comfort zone and challenged him even if he didn't like it.

Bit by bit, I won over So Yi Jeong until he realized that his other half - his true love - had been staring him right in the face all along.

"You fell in love with each other?", asked the little girl.

"Yes, we did."

"B-but how did the frog turn into a prince?"

"Ah, well, I made him turn into a prince." I smiled. "It wasn't easy. He was very stubborn and he always pushed me away, but in the end, he was beaten by a nice girl. I slowly worked my magic and turned him into a prince. Along the way, he fell in love with me and made sure that I wouldn't have any other prince but him."

"And they lived happily ever after!" The little girl clapped her hands in glee and sported an infectious grin.

"Yes, they did. They became King and Queen, and even had a very bright little princess and a charming little prince", I agreed with a smile. "Now, I need to go check on your baby brother so you can stay here with your dad, but just make sure that you don't interrupt him with his work, okay?"

"Yes, mommy."

The moment I slipped out of the room, I heard our little girl say, "Daddy, Mommy said you're a handsome frog."

I heard So Yi Jeong finally release a resounding laugh that I had no doubt he has been suppressing since mid-way through my story. I couldn't help but smile and take a small peek at my husband and daughter.

"Yes, I heard her, Sweetie", Yi Jeong put away his work and lifted our daughter unto his lap, all the while, charmingly smiling at her.

"Also, her Frog Prince story was different from the one granny read to me the other day", our little angel stated.

"Yes, I know that, too, but I like Mommy's version better", Yi Jung replied, looking relaxed and pleased.

"Me, too! I like that you're the Frog Prince in Mommy's version and that she's the Princess who worked in a porridge shop", our little girl stared at her father and smiled as she added, "I mean it must be boring for a Princess to live in a castle with nothing to do. I like that the Princess in Mommy's version has a job. She won't get bored in a castle."

So Yi Jung briefly looked up and caught me peeking by the door. He smiled at me and I smiled back at him. If being together was considered a happy ever after, then by all means, we got our happy ending.

-FIN