A/N: To those of you that are still keeping up with this story, thank you so very much. Especially with "My Father is Strange" now completed. Incidentally, I've thought of a soundtrack for the last part of this chapter – Leann Rimes "Looking Through Your Eyes". Give it a listen and see if it fits. Without further adieu, here's installment # 7.
Love Conquers All Ways
Chapter 7
The winds of change constantly blow from one minute to the next. Indeed, there's an old adage that states "The only thing certain is uncertainty". For the family of Lee Mi Young, the proverbial wind that blew through their house certainly left quite an indelible mark.
It was obvious that Mr. and Mrs. Lee were still wrapped in a daze about what just happened. As Grandma, Aunt Bo Mi, Uncle Young Shik, and Min Ha entered their bedroom, the couple sat as motionless as statues. It took Grandma's voice to lift them from their mental haze.
"Young Shil-ah. Son-in-law. Are you all right?"
"Yes, mom. We're fine. It's just still a little shocking, that's all!" Mrs. Lee finally spoke.
"Tell me about it. Who saw this coming?" Uncle Young Shik replied.
"I'm just as speechless as the rest of you." Mr. Lee finally spoke.
"I know. Yet I can't help but think that they're really cute together. Don't you?" Aunt Bo Mi offered.
Grandma continued, "Are the two of you really Ok with them dating? Aren't you concerned at all?"
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some doubts. But, I look at their faces, and I just have a hard time saying No to them." Mrs. Lee replied.
"Me too. Plus the more I think about it, the more I'm growing comfortable with the idea that it's Joong Hee. After all, we already know him well and we can tell he'll really be good to Mi Young" Mr. Lee said.
"That's how I feel too. We could certainly do a lot worse than Joong Hee" Mrs. Lee replied.
"That's right. That's right. With how much they deeply love each other, we should fully support them on this instead of giving them a hard time. You're doing the right thing, Young Shil-ah and son-in-law." Grandma posited.
"I 100% agree, Grandma!" Min Ha offered.
"That's right, Noona and brother-in-law. We should get behind them completely. After all, I can see that Joong Hee is treating Mi Young better at this point than I treated Bo Mi" Uncle Young Shik offered.
With a slight look of surprise, Bo Mi retorted, "That just might be the most intelligent thing you've ever said to me!"
"What?!"
As the laughter erupted from the bedroom, Mi Young's siblings sat in the living room to discuss their thoughts of what had just transpired.
"Can you believe this?" Yoo Joo asked.
"I'm still blindsided." Jung Wan responded.
"I had a hunch. In fact, I knew Unni was seeing someone" Ra Young offered.
"How did you know?" Jun Young asked.
"When I talked to Unni yesterday, I caught her staring at her phone. She let it slip that she was seeing someone. I just didn't know it was Ahn oppa." Ra Young explained.
"Still, they do make a cute couple. We should really make it our duty to give them a hard time the next time we see them together" Hye Young grinned.
"Oh come on, Walnut! Let's give them a little slack first. They just got together. We can always embarrass them later" Jung Wan said with a grin.
"Actually, I like Hye Young's idea myself" Jun Young acquiesced.
"Me too" Ra Young said.
"Before tonight, I thought the one thing that bonded Mi Young and Joong Hee was that they both hated my guts. I'm so glad they found something better to bond over" said Yoo Joo whose laughter infected all of the siblings. With all the laughter now permeating throughout the house, it might've been audible even outside to where a happy couple was taking stock of what just happened.
As Mi Young and Joong Hee sat in their respective seats in his car, they each took deep breaths of relief before laughing at what they'd just done.
"Are you Ok?" Joong Hee finally asked.
"I'm Ok. You?" Mi Young asked in return.
"I'm thrilled!"
"Thrilled? Aren't you exaggerating just a little?"
"How am I exaggerating? I really wanted everyone to know and now they do. More importantly, they're actually supporting our relationship. What? Did you want us to keep dating in secret?" Joong Hee asked.
"No, it's not that. Well, I would just say that I'm happy."
"That's also good, Mi Young-ah. As long as everyone's happy with this, then that's all that matters".
"By the way, you were really something in there" Mi Young said with a smile.
"What do you mean?"
"The way you spoke to my parents, my siblings, and the rest of the family. Just the way that you professed our love to them and moved everyone. I was truly blown away by how well you handled my family tonight"
"You could tell I was sweating bullets, right?"
"Yes. And I'm really sorry for that, Joong Hee-shi"
"Actually, Mi Young-ah. I should be apologizing to you for something."
"What?"
"It was really difficult to discuss . . . to discuss the pain that we both went through. But, in doing so, I made you cry again. I really hated that I did that, but it was all I could do to try and comfort you. I'm so sorry for doing that to you, Mi Young-ah. Especially in front of your parents!"
Visibly moved by his honesty, Mi Young grabbed his hand. "Joong Hee-shi. Please don't apologize about that anymore. And don't keep apologizing for every time I cry. The truth is sometimes I get emotional about things and it has nothing to do with you. Plus, our history has its share of troubles, but it's still OUR history. The fact that we've reached this point means it was all worth it"
Mi Young continued, "I know that you love me so much. And you know that I love you with all my heart. Let that be our bond – not the pain of the past. Promise?"
"Ok, I promise. Thank you, Mi Young-ah" With that, he leaned over and hugged her as tightly as a bear hugging a tree.
"Joong Hee-shi. Joong Hee-shi?"
"Hmmm?"
"I . . . can't breathe. You're squeezing me too tight!" Mi Young said with a slight groan.
"Oh sorry" With proper instinct, Joong Hee loosened his grip just enough to comfortably hold her. After a few more moments of their intimate closeness, he finally released his grip.
"So, what do you want to do now?" Joong Hee inquired.
"Oh. I thought we're going back to your place." Mi Young replied.
"You know, I don't think that we should always have to go to my place. Besides, I really want to do something special with you"
"Like what?"
"If we hadn't eaten, I was going to recommend this really good restaurant."
"It's just as well. It's a public place. We wouldn't get any privacy" Mi Young offered.
"Well, I guess that eliminates quite a few choices since they're also public places" Joong Hee replied resignedly.
As they sat in a few moments of silence, the light bulb shone as brightly as the Hong Kong skyline in Joong Hee's mind.
"Of course! I got it! I got it!" he suddenly exclaimed. "I know just the right place"
"Where?"
"Don't say anything more. Let's go!"
"But, Joong Hee . . . " Mi Young couldn't even finish her thought before his car started speeding off into the Korean night.
As they reached their destination, there was certainly an element of déjà vu. After all, it was the same spot by the Han River in which Joong Hee told Mi Young that they weren't siblings. It appeared that he found an ideal place to be alone with his girlfriend since theirs was the only car present.
"I know that you remember this place"
"How can I forget? This is where we went after you kidnapped me" Mi Young retorted.
"Kidnapped? Why are you making me sound like a criminal?" Joong Hee asked incredulously.
"Well, let's see. You took me away from my work during work hours. You dragged me into your car without telling me where we're going. Then, you brought me here. All of these things done against my will. What do you call it?"
"I call it trying to have an honest conversation" Joong Hee offered.
"Well, we certainly had one of those, didn't we? I mean, that was one bombshell I wasn't expecting".
"And what did that bombshell do? It finally allowed both of us to realize that we could actually be together. It was possible."
"But, you didn't me all of the truth, though. You would've let Mom and Dad continue with the big lie for the rest of our lives, wouldn't you?" Mi Young inquired.
He let out a big sigh before continuing. "Yeah. But, I'm really glad things have turned out the way they did."
"Mi Young-ah. I'm now regretting that I ever thought it was a good idea to keep the whole truth from you. I forgot that you're a lot stronger than people think. It turned out that you faced the truth and still had plenty in your heart to give. And I'll always be thankful to you for that!"
She suddenly felt an urge to reach her hand to stroke his face. His honesty had now moved her twice - so much so that her conscience started to bother her.
"Joong Hee-shi. I have a confession to make!"
"What's that?"
"Before I say anything, you have to promise me that you won't get upset"
Although he didn't like the tone of her words, he nevertheless agreed. "Ok, I promise"
"I . . . I also went to therapy not long ago."
"You did? When?"
With a slight tinge of embarrassment, she said, "About a week after I left home"
"I really thought that I needed someone to help me deal with everything. I was starting to feel lonely, and I still wasn't ready to face you again at that time. So, I went to a session."
"Well, I guess I can see that. After all, I had sessions myself as you know"
"Actually, Joong Hee-shi. That's not all. There's one more thing"
As he stared at her, he couldn't imagine how this could possibly get any worse.
"It was your ex-girlfriend that I talked to"
At this point, he could hold it in no longer. "Wait! What?! Why her? I mean, of all the therapists in Korea, why did you see her?!"
"You know, I could ask you the very same question!"
Knowing the truth of her response, he sat back in quiet disbelief. But, he knew he had to keep his promise.
"Well, if I didn't know it before, I definitely know it now. We are absolutely meant to be together" he posited.
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. We both went to see my ex-girlfriend for help" he said with a knowing grin.
"And she didn't really help either of us at all!" she said with a return grin.
"See what I mean?" They both laughed at the thought.
"But, Mi Young-ah. She did help us in one way. She made us realize that what we have is truly righteous. So, I guess we can't be too upset with her, right?"
"You really do have a way with words" she smirked.
"Isn't that why I'm such a good actor?" he replied. "Come here"
As she put her head on his chest, they finally took the time to notice the view outside the window. The entire night sky opened itself to their watchful gaze.
"What an amazing night!" he said.
"Yeah. You can see all the stars tonight! I just feel small during moments like this."
"There's no reason for you to feel that way!"
"Why do you say that?"
He stared into her eyes for a few seconds before saying, "Because I'm looking at the brightest, shiniest star of them all – right now!"
After a few more moments of intense staring, he leaned in and they started to kiss. As the time slowly drifted, they no longer seemed interested in what was outside their temporary abode. After all, with the day that they both experienced, they certainly treasured their alone time. As night made way to a new morning, the happy couple still found the energy and heart to assert their love for each other quite a while longer. Though the car may have finally left the river by early morning, the emotional sentiments between Mi Young and Joong Hee left quite an impression – one that even the night and morning skies couldn't possibly begin to extinguish.
A/N: As usual, any and all reviews are welcome!
