Chapter Seven: What Can I Say To Make You Feel This?

330 kilometres away from home, Yi Jeong was staring out of the window of his Busan office. As his eyes met with the other tall buildings in the vicinity, and the darkened clouds in the sky, all his mind could process were thoughts of home, and his family. For some reason, they were on his mind more than ever that morning, and he was glad to be heading home the next day.

He reached over for his notebook and pulled out the note he'd found in between the pages, of Ga Eul's words, written just for him. He'd never asked her about it, simply because it never came to mind once he got home and then, fatigue properly set in. Which is a poor excuse, he chided himself mentally. If it meant that much to you, you would have said something.

Just then, his work phone rang. He reached over and pressed the intercom button.

"Yes, Secretary Han?"

"Mr So, your eldest daughter's on the line."

Yi Jeong was surprised that Mi Yun had called him at his office, instead of his cell phone.

"Put her through, please," he said, "And next time, if my wife or children call the office, just put them through immediately."

"Yes sir," Secretary Han replied, "One moment, please."

Yi Jeong turned off the intercom and a few seconds later, another call came through. He picked it up right away.

"Oh, Mi Yun-ah."

"Hi appa," came his eldest daughter's melodic voice over the other line, "How are you?"

Yi Jeong smiled. It was nice to hear Mi Yun's voice, though they were miles apart.

He had a special place in his heart for his eldest child.

"I'm well. And you, darling?" he enquired, straightening a picture of him and her on his desk, "Have you been eating well? Sleeping early? Not dating any other strange boys?"

Mi Yun laughed, but he couldn't quite tell if that was a genuine laugh, or an awkward one. "The answers are yes, not quite but I'm working on it, and no. Not since you disapproved of Colby, appa."

"That boy," Yi Jeong said, a hint of teasing in his voice, "Was trouble from the start. Especially when I saw from pictures that he dresses better than you, and that he has clearer skin than you do. No boy should look more beautiful than my daughter. How is that American punk, anyway?"

"He's fine, appa," Mi Yun replied, sounding slightly exasperated, "Just dandy. He's been dancing a lot at university ballet recitals. Please don't rag on my boyfriend anymore, okay? You know how sensitive Colby is."

Yi Jeong smiled as he recalled meeting the waif-like young man while he was in Seoul with Mi Yun on their first winter vacation. He probably wasn't the most ideal choice for his baby girl, but he was sincere, had a kind heart, and he made her happy. That's all that matters. (The boy also spoke Korean. Instant plus, in Yi Jeong's book.)

"Send him my regards. Anyway," Yi Jeong changed the subject, "To what do I owe this phone call? It's not every day I get a phone call from you. And at my office, no less."

"Can't a daughter just call her father and find out how he is?" she asked, and Yi Jeong could hear her smile over the phone. "I've been talking a lot to Hyun online, but I realized I've not talked to you and omma in a while. How is she, anyway?"

Yi Jeong cleared his throat, somewhat uneasily. "She's fine. The same, you know. Busy with the household."

"The way you're busy with work?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Mi Yun-ah?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

His daughter sighed over the other line. "It means that both of you haven't seen each other much. Have you?"

Yi Jeong wasn't very pleased with where this was going. "Your university fees and everything else don't come for free, you know. That's why I work! I have to put food on the table and get the bills paid, don't I?"

"At the expense of your other half? 'The half that makes you whole?' Wasn't that what you said about omma once? "

A sharp intake of breath entered Yi Jeong's body. How dare she…

"Mi Yun-ah…"

"Appa, we found the article that was written about you and omma when I was two years old. And the way you both were written about in the article… it was beautiful. Both of you sounded like you were so loving, just so deeply in love. I wish I weren't so young at the time, just so I could see the way you both were. I wish I could see the both of you now, the way you were back then…"

"We're not in our 20s anymore, Mi Yun-ah," Yi Jeong's voice was firm, "We can't be canoodling the way we used to! We're just not like that anymore…"

He heard Mi Yun laugh, a cynical note in her voice. "Maybe you aren't, but have you ever wondered if omma still is?"

Yi Jeong held his tongue. Too much was swirling in his head at that point.

"I'm sure she misses you, appa. She misses you and who you are to her. You're her one and only love. Didn't you say in the article that she's 'the girl you love, and who taught you to love'?

"I love you, appa, and I love omma too. I just want to see you both happy, okay? Don't take her for granted. Please."

Later in the afternoon, Tae Hyun and Mi Sun were assisting their mother in preparing kimbap and japchae for the school fundraiser. Helping them out were the Song brothers, Jinsu and Jin Kwang, who were loaned to the Sos by their mother as kitchen helpers for the day.

Ga Eul went around the kitchen to make sure that everyone was doing their job, and doing it well. "Hyun-ah," she instructed her son, "Be careful about the grater… Jinsu-yah, maybe you could slice those carrots a little thinner… Jin Kwang, good job washing the noodles… Mi Sun-ie! Stop eating the omelettes!"

"But it's so nice, omma!" Mi Sun insisted, her eyes wide and innocent, licking away the egg at the side of her mouth, "Your omelettes are the best!"

Ga Eul tapped her daughter's button nose, while swiftly taking the plate of omelettes away from her.

"So," Jinsu whispered to Tae Hyun, who was in the midst of grating a big head of lettuce, "Any progress on… you know?"

"I don't know," Tae Hyun whispered back, trying to grasp it properly, "It doesn't seem to be working. I can't seem to tell…"

Before he could finish his sentence, the living room wall phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Tae Hyun offered, happy to get away from grating since his hands were getting sore. He sprinted out of the kitchen and into the living room.

A minute later, he was back in the kitchen. "Omma," he reported to Ga Eul hurriedly, "That was appa. He called to say he's changed his flight, and he's coming home tonight, instead of tomorrow."