Epilogue 13
Translator: RaidenTL
Epilogue 13
For the next few days, they devoted their time to showing Mrs. Na around Sydney. Mrs. Na had the hardest time with the unfamiliar food, so Eun-seong's mother prepared Korean meals for her every day. She primarily used the ingredients Mrs. Na had brought with her from Korea, which allowed Mrs. Na to enjoy her trip comfortably.
`[May I help you?]`
Eun-seong and Han-byeol, having stopped by an ice cream parlor, stood before the counter. Eun-seong tapped Han-byeol on the shoulder and gestured with his chin.
"Han-byeol, why don't you try ordering?"
"Me? But my English isn't very good."
"Just give it a try. You can do it."
Han-byeol, who had been staring at the ice cream display, hesitantly scanned the menu. The words were a blur, so he looked up at his dad's face again.
"What should I say?"
"Just ask for ice cream."
When the employee waiting for their order raised an eyebrow, Han-byeol clamped his mouth shut and simply pointed at the ice cream he wanted.
`[Ah. The chocolate flavor?]`
Hearing the word "chocolate," Han-byeol nodded eagerly. When asked what size he wanted, he once again sealed his lips and pointed to a cone.
After choosing the size with another gesture, Han-byeol clung to Eun-seong, hiding behind him. Eun-seong finished paying and patted Han-byeol's head.
"You can at least say thank you, right?"
"I can do that, but..."
"Then say thank you when you get the ice cream."
"Okay."
Soon, the employee handed the ice cream to Han-byeol and then looked at Eun-seong. Recognizing him at once, even with his sunglasses on, the employee spoke up.
`[I think I know you. Am I right?]`
`[That's possible.]`
When Eun-seong replied, the employee's eyes widened in surprise before breaking into a smile. They glanced back and forth between him and Han-byeol.
`[I heard the news. Congratulations on your marriage.]`
`[Yes. Thank you.]`
`[This must be your son. He's so cute!]`
Eun-seong ruffled Han-byeol's hair.
"They said you're very cute."
"Me? Thank you. Or... Thank you very much."
After Han-byeol's clumsy thank you, the employee gave him a few small candies on the house and waved. After saying their goodbyes, the employee cautiously held up their phone and looked at Eun-seong.
`[I'd love to ask for a photo, but I'm guessing that's too much to ask, right?]`
`[As you can see, I'm traveling with my family. I'm sorry.]`
`[Yes, I understand. I hope you have a wonderful trip.]`
Hiding their disappointment, the employee said goodbye. Han-byeol turned to leave, holding Eun-seong's hand, but then he suddenly stopped, looked back at the employee, and announced in a loud voice:
`[I'm Han-byeol, and this is my dad!]`
`[Wow! You both look great! Bye!]`
Huh? Caught off guard by the sudden introduction, Eun-seong glanced from the employee to Han-byeol and burst out laughing. Squeezing his son's hand, Eun-seong led him out of the shop and found a nearby bench to sit on, stroking Han-byeol's hair.
The women, buzzing with excitement, had gone off shopping. Sitting on the bench, Eun-seong hummed and tapped his foot. He glanced down at Han-byeol, who was nibbling on his ice cream.
"Son."
"Yes?"
"Dad has a secret to tell you."
"A secret? What is it?"
As Han-byeol looked up, still licking his ice cream, Eun-seong let out a quiet breath. He lowered his voice and continued.
"Dad is planning to marry Mom."
"Marry? But you already did."
"No, I mean a wedding ceremony."
"A wedding ceremony?"
Han-byeol's eyes widened, and he lowered the ice cream he had been enjoying.
"As you know, Mom and Dad didn't get to have a wedding. But they say women never forget not having one, even on the day they die."
"Ah... because they feel disappointed?"
"Right. Because they're disappointed. I have this nagging feeling that if I let Mom stay disappointed any longer, I'll be in huge trouble. What do you think? Should we do it?"
"Yeah. I think it's a good idea. Mom's the type to keep things bottled up. She doesn't say anything, but sometimes that's even scarier."
"Exactly! If she wants something, she should just say so. Why doesn't she? She's obviously going to be disappointed, but she won't say a word."
"Mom likes it when people figure things out for her. You have to do everything before she asks."
Eun-seong groaned at Han-byeol's words.
"I have one more thing to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Listen carefully. Right now, you're Go Han-byeol. But you could also live as Im Han-byeol."
"Im Han-byeol? Because your last name is Im, Dad?"
"That's right. But it's your choice. You can be Go Han-byeol, or you can be Im Han-byeol. What do you think?"
Hmm. Lost in thought, Han-byeol didn't answer right away. Eun-seong waited patiently, and after a long moment, Han-byeol looked up again.
"Do I have to choose right now?"
"No. You can take your time. I was just asking."
"Then I'll think about it. I'm not sure."
"Okay. Take your time. It's not like one is better than the other."
"Okay."
Watching Han-byeol finish his soft-serve and start munching on the cone was so adorable that Eun-seong couldn't help but smile.
He was just wiping a smudge of ice cream from the corner of Han-byeol's mouth with his thumb when Han-byeol swung his legs and asked:
"Dad. But..."
Eun-seong was humming, looking up at the sky.
"If I get a younger sibling... will they be a Go or an Im?"
Ah.
...I hadn't thought that far ahead.
* * *
The family was planning a surprise for Yeon-ju. Since everyone was gathered, they decided to push forward with a wedding ceremony. Just as Eun-seong had requested beforehand, Hae-young had a wedding dress and a tuxedo flown in from Korea.
Having already prepared a new wedding ring to replace the couple's ring—which they'd been too rushed to design properly—Eun-seong earnestly pleaded with the family while Yeon-ju was out. He warned them repeatedly to keep it an absolute secret until they arrived at the rented cathedral.
"Especially you, Mom. Be careful."
"Don't you worry! There's no way I'd throw cold water on such an exciting party! Don't worry, son! I'm just thrilled!"
No... I'm extremely worried...
"I feel like a secret agent! It's so exciting! This is going to be so fun and thrilling!"
"That's why, as long as you keep your mouth shut, Mom, it can actually be a sur—"
"In-law! We should wear dresses too! Instead of just sitting around, let's make a flower necklace for Yeon-ju!"
"Mom. Please, just listen to me first, and then we can talk about the flower—"
"Hae-young! You should wear a dress too, Hae-young! I have plenty of clothes! I'm a party person, so I have tons of dresses like that!"
Sigh... Eun-seong let out a long sigh and gave up trying to reason with her.
"You have dresses at home? You really have an extraordinary sense of style, Mother."
As Hae-young playfully chimed in, Eun-seong's mother shimmied her shoulders as if she were already at the wedding reception.
Please don't just start dancing anywhere...
"Calm down for a second. Mom. Mom?"
Please!
Eun-seong barely managed to calm his mother down and laid out the plan. Hae-young was tasked with bringing Yeon-ju to the cathedral, Han-byeol would be the flower boy tossing confetti, Mrs. Na would read a letter, Eun-seong's mother would sing a congratulatory song (which no one had asked for), and Eun-seong's father would showcase his greatest talent: playing the trumpet. With that, the roles were finalized.
Eun-seong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and let out a small sigh.
"Alright, alright! Let's hurry! We're so busy! Fighting, everyone!"
"Yes, yes, in-law. Let's start getting ready then."
This combination, this group...
Is it really okay to trust them...?
* * *
"Mother. What should we do for breakfast?"
The next morning, Yeon-ju found Mrs. Park pacing around the living room. Mrs. Park whipped her head around and greeted her with a strained, unnatural smile.
"Hello? Good morning? It's a refreshing morning! It feels like something grand is about to happen."
"Pardon? Ah, yes. Good morning, Mother."
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes. What about you, Mother?"
"Me? I tossed and turned a bit. I was so excited and nervous that I couldn't sleep."
Yeon-ju's eyes widened. She stared at her mother-in-law, then leaned in closer to examine her face. Knowing how eccentric she was, Yeon-ju didn't doubt for a second that she'd been too excited to sleep.
As Yeon-ju looked closely, Mrs. Park's face filled with sudden alarm.
"Why? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I look like someone who has a huge secret?"
"Pardon? No. I was just worried you might be tired."
"I'm fine. I'm having so much fun right now."
Yeon-ju thought about asking about breakfast again, but instead, she let out a short sigh and entered the kitchen. What should she do with yesterday's leftover soup? Should she make a fresh batch? What ingredients did they have? What side dishes should she prepare?
"Mother, I'll try making breakfast today— ah! "
Turning as she spoke, Yeon-ju stumbled back upon finding Mrs. Park right behind her. A dizzying sensation shot through her. If she'd been holding anything, she would have dropped it.
Mrs. Park, who had approached without a sound, suddenly pulled Yeon-ju into a hug. Held in her mother-in-law's embrace, Yeon-ju blinked, completely bewildered.
"Oh, my pretty child. You'll be even prettier today, won't you?"
"Ah... well... I'll try."
"You're so, so beautiful. I feel like I'm going to cry. How can you be this beautiful?"
"Uh... well, you're beautiful too, Mother. Truly."
"Do you like hymns?"
"Pardon? Hymns?"
At the sudden question, Yeon-ju nodded. Well, do I like hymns?
"Uh, yes. I think I quite like them. Though I don't listen to them often."
"Thanks for the great info. I'll do my absolute best."
"Ah, yes, Mother."
"Don't worry about breakfast. I'll make it! And today is special—every day is special, but today is even more exceptionally special—so I'm going to prepare a very special menu. If you're hungry, just have some toast."
"What about the rest of the family?"
"That's not important. Yeon-ju, you only need to care about yourself. Just think about your hunger, your joy, and your happiness. That's all that matters. Got it?"
Wondering how Korean could possibly be this difficult to understand, Yeon-ju nodded in a daze. Han-byeol would wake up soon and whine about being hungry. Did they have cereal?
Held in the embrace of her mother-in-law, whose energy was always high but seemed exceptionally, unbelievably higher today, Yeon-ju could only swallow hard.
Right beside her, her mother-in-law started humming a hymn.
[To my beloved daughter, Yeon-ju.
Yeon-ju. My Yeon-ju. It feels like only yesterday you were born, smaller than the other babies, with a constant cough that never let me sleep peacefully. It also feels like only yesterday when I would clumsily braid your hair into pigtails, and your round, pale face would light up with a bright smile.
What would you grow up to be? What kind of person would you become? Your father and I would talk about you, our little girl who had just started to walk, long after the sun had set and the moon had gone to sleep.
Just when we thought only happiness lay ahead and felt nothing but gratitude for life, you lost your father, and I lost my husband. When the safety net we relied on vanished overnight, I had to become the breadwinner, with no time to even mourn your father's death. Even as I, your mother, focused solely on putting food on the table, you never once went astray.
How could you not have had a rebellious phase? How could you not have had worries and moments of wandering? Yet, you grew up so well-behaved, it was almost as if you were born just to comfort me. Looking back now, that is what truly breaks my heart.
Then, one day, you became a mother yourself. Even after seeing the life I led, you chose to walk the same path, and a part of me resented you for it. My heart ached for you. I wondered how you would survive in this harsh world, and I felt I couldn't even die and leave you to face it alone.
But now, after all this time, we are here today—what an incredible twist of fate. I can't help but think that my daughter was right all along.
Yeon-ju. My beloved daughter, Yeon-ju.
Thank you for growing up so well. Thank you for surviving and living so beautifully. Thank you for being Han-byeol's mother, and thank you so much for giving me this moment.
I hope you will always believe in your life, trust your decisions, and never doubt the path you walk.
I congratulate you on your marriage from the bottom of my heart. Please, just be happy.
At your wedding. From Mom.]