Crash and Smash
Smash and destroy.
Thud—
My room, my bed, after so long.
Even though it hadn’t been used in ages, it still smelled faintly of something clean and pleasant, so Mother must have kept it up for me.
……Yeah, there really was no comparison with the dorm bed.
The old hush of the family home felt oddly comforting after so long away.
When I was younger, Father used to come into my room now and then.
As a child, my father had worked at the gas station until late at night and then come home.
When his heavy footsteps climbed the stairs and stopped outside my door, I would clamp my eyes shut and pretend to be asleep.
We didn’t exactly have much to talk about, and more than that, it wasn’t just awkward to be face-to-face—it had felt uncomfortable, somehow, for him to be in my space at all.
So I would lie there pretending to sleep, and Father would quietly tuck the blanket around me without saying a word, then sit beside me for a long time.
Sometimes he would even stroke my hair.
That, too, made me uneasy, and I would wish he’d leave my room quickly.
It took more than thirty years for me to understand how rough his hands had been back then—and how warm.
And while I was lost in those thoughts—
…Riiing! …Riiing! …Riiing!
My room phone rang.
I sat up and picked up the receiver from the nightstand.
“Hello?”
“Sanha? It’s me, Grace.”
It was an unexpected caller.
“Oh, Grace. What’s up at this hour?”
“Nothing serious. I called the dorm to ask about dinner tonight, and Victor said you’d gone back home. And, as you know…… there’s a pretty big event next week, right? I figured we could use the chance to talk strategy in advance.”
“Ah, right. I came down on short notice because we were having a family dinner.”
“If you were going, you should’ve told me. Your mother’s cooking was delicious last time. Maybe I could’ve been invited too.”
“Yeah, I should’ve. My mother keeps asking when you’re coming over again, anyway.”
“Really? I’m honored. Please tell her I can come anytime she wants.”
That was when—
……Creak!
Without even knocking, the door swung open and Mother came in carrying a tray.
“Oh? Son? Who are you talking to at this hour? Don’t tell me it’s our future daughter-in-law? Grace?”
“Mom…… it’s not like that…….”
But Grace, on the other end of the line, answered immediately.
“Yes! Mother! It’s Grace!”
“Oh my, oh my, our Grace! Hello! Why didn’t you come with him today!?”
“Sanha just left without telling me! I’m so disappointed! You should’ve invited me too!”
“You can come over anytime, 365 days a year! Do you think you have to be invited to visit? Just come whenever you want!”
“Really? Then can I come by separately when Sanha isn’t there? I want to hang out with you, Mother!”
“Oh my, oh my, what a pretty girl, and she even talks so nicely. Hohoho—this old lady would welcome our Grace anytime!”
Listening to Mother and Grace talk, you’d think they were mother and daughter.
Grace’s tone, so calm whenever she spoke to me, turned bright and sugary now, like the youngest daughter in the house, and she and Mother traded little updates and gossip with effortless ease.
“But does our Sanha treat Grace well at school? Do you eat together and all that?”
“Yes! We eat together a lot. Sanha takes really good care of me.”
“Oh my, really? Him? Our son?”
Mother’s voice held genuine surprise.
“Huh? Why, Mother?”
“No, it’s just…… how should I put this. He used to be a bit…… prickly.”
“No way. Sanha? Really?”
“It’s true! Do you know what his nickname was in high school? ‘Ice Man.’ The kids called him that because he was cold as ice.”
“Ice Man? No way! That doesn’t match him at all…….”
“I’m serious. He didn’t make friends at school, spent all his time shut up in the library, and when he came home he’d lock himself in his room and only come out to eat. He barely even talked to me.”
“I can’t imagine it. Sanha’s so kind now…… and he’s wonderful to his family too, isn’t he?”
“That changed only recently. Up until before he entered college, he wasn’t like this at all. Maybe he finally matured late?”
“Hohoho—Mother, that’s too funny. And it’s so new to me. Please tell me more about Sanha’s side I don’t know.”
“Oh, and when he brought home his report card, even if he ranked first in the entire school, his expression didn’t change at all. You couldn’t tell whether he was happy or sad. Once I asked him, ‘Son, are you happy?’ and do you know what he said?”
“What did he say?”
“Does swallowing bread or putting one foot in front of the other make you happy? Why would something ordinary make me happy? That’s what he said. Honestly, even though he was my son, he was a little infuriating.”
“Ahahaha—he really did say that? Wow! I can’t imagine it! Sanha saying something like that!”
“So, honestly, I worried a lot when he said he was going to Harvard. Would this kid ever fit in with people…… what if he lived lonely and got sick somewhere…… now we’re here, but later there won’t be anyone to take care of him…… Still, I’m really glad he’s made a good friend like Grace.”
Mother’s voice grew a little wet.
Grace answered just as sincerely.
“Mother…… I’m really glad I met Sanha too. We’re good friends, really, truly.”
“Thank you, Grace. I mean it. You have no idea how relieved I am because of you. Our Sanha really is lucky. Where else would he find such a beautiful, polite friend? Couldn’t I just have Grace as my daughter? Or maybe even as my daughter-in-law!”
“Mother! Just give the order and I’ll work hard like an intern!”
Listening from the side, I had a lot of thoughts.
And the biggest one of all was embarrassment.
I muttered, “Mom. It’s about time to eat…….”
“Help yourself. It’s all laid out already.”
Mother waved me off as if I were being a nuisance.
Grace, from the receiver, sounded delighted.
“Mother, then can I really come visit next time? Together with Sanha?”
“Anytime! What should I make for you?”
“Japchae! The japchae was the best!”
“Perfect! Just tell me one day before you come. I’ll prep all the ingredients and make it as delicious as I can. Sanha doesn’t like mushrooms, but you seemed to like them last time, Grace, so I’ll pile them in! Hohoho—”
“Yay! Then next time Sanha goes back home, I’ll stick right beside him and follow along! But maybe he’ll sneak off and come down alone again without telling me. If that happens, I’ll need Mother’s help.”
“I understand. If he doesn’t come with our Grace next time, I’ll give him such a scolding he’ll cry his eyes out!”
By then, I slipped back into the conversation.
“Mom, the food’s going to get cold…….”
“Oh, go eat already!”
“Yeah, Sanha. Don’t interrupt. This is between me and Mother.”
Grace’s playful voice floated through the receiver.
In the end, I had no choice but to leave my room alone.
Even after the door shut behind me, Mother and Grace’s laughter followed me faintly through the wood.
* * *
It had been a long time since the family sat down together for dinner.
Once my uncle arrived, having come after answering the phone, the whole family was finally gathered.
On the table, the ingredients I had bought had been transformed into dishes.
A steamed king crab, its red shell split open.
Pale crab meat pushed out between the cracks, carrying the salty scent of the sea.
Beside it, the braised short ribs gave off a rich blend of soy sauce, pear, and garlic.
In the pot of seafood stew sat clams and lobster, and next to that was the fresh kimchi Mother had just seasoned.
Uncle let out a hearty laugh.
“Nephew, come home often. I’d like to butt into a table like this a lot more.”
“He’s right. Ever since the son came home, the table’s changed. Hah hah hah—these days, I’ve been the one setting it every night.”
Father laughed too.
Mother spoke up.
“I’d like to see my son more often, but it’s too far, so that’s probably impossible, right? Should we all move out there? Or maybe just buy a house there.”
“Don’t worry. I’m going to buy something with good transportation soon.”
At my words, everyone at the table tilted their heads.
Uncle asked, “What, you planning to buy a supercar or something?”
“Come on. Even a supercar would take forever to cover that distance.”
“Then what?”
“I’m thinking of buying a few helicopters and private jets.”
“Airplanes? Hahahaha—”
Uncle laughed.
“Nephew. Airplanes aren’t something you can just use because you’ve got money. You have to get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Around city centers or residential areas, they probably won’t even grant takeoff and landing permissions because of noise regulations.”
It was a sharp point.
In 1992 America, aviation regulations were fairly strict.
Especially in densely populated residential areas, operating aircraft was effectively close to impossible because of noise and safety concerns.
But—
“That’s right, Uncle. Your point is exactly correct. Under the current laws, even approaching a residential district with a civilian aircraft is difficult. There are altitude restrictions, and the decibel limits have to be met too.”
“That’s what I’m saying. It isn’t that easy.”
“But if the next project succeeds, regulations like that won’t be a problem at all. Whether it’s a helicopter or a private plane, I’ll be able to fly one whenever I want.”
“Huh? Really? How is that possible?”
“I’m going to ask a certain person I’ll be having dinner with next week for a favor. If he lends a hand, there’s nothing impossible. We can get it designated as a special-authorization zone, or secure airspace access at the corporate level.”
“……?”
The family looked at one another and blinked.
Who on earth had the power to neutralize even the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulations?
Uncle asked in confusion, “Who are you meeting, exactly? I knew you were meeting some district politicians tomorrow or the day after. Are you planning to talk to the governor? Or the Secretary of Transportation?”
“No.”
I answered Uncle’s question briefly.
“George Bush.”
“……!?”
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