Christopher (1)
Christopher Romu.
The former U.S. Air Force mechanic had been discharged two years ago.
At first, he had tried to put his skills to use and find work in aircraft maintenance, but jobs were hard to come by. For the time being, he was working temporary shifts for a security company instead.
The job was run in three shifts, and he was usually assigned to the night watch.
It was demanding work, but the pay was nothing special. Worse, because he was a temp, he never knew when they might decide to let him go.
I need to find something else soon.
All he really knew was how to maintain aircraft, and with his age creeping up on him, he couldn’t shake the unease that kept gnawing at his future.
He rode along on patrol with the team leader.
Listening to the news on the radio, the team leader said, “There was another gun incident in the Bronx. Two people are dead.”
“I see.”
The man then casually steered the conversation toward politics. “With the economy this bad, President Wallace isn’t doing a damn thing. I don’t know who the hell voted for a guy like him. The next president has to be Senator Phillips, if there’s any justice in the world.”
Christopher said, “I met him briefly once. He’s a good man.”
The team leader blinked in surprise. “Really? You met Senator Phillips?”
“We were on the same plane not long ago. There was an accident on the runway, one of the engines blew, and I ended up staying with him for a while after we got off.”
“Oh! I know that story! Didn’t they first report it as terrorism and cause a huge panic? Some Korean passenger, or maybe Japanese, heard something off in the engine noise and made them stop the plane on the runway.”
“It was a Korean.”
What would have happened if he hadn’t been there?
Christopher smiled faintly as he thought of the passenger who had sat beside him that day.
“He saved all of us.”
Work didn’t end until after sunrise.
“Good work today.”
“See you tomorrow.”
On the way home, he answered a call.
“Hello?”
[Is this Christopher Romu’s mobile phone?]
“Yes. Who is this?”
[Hello. This is Han Miru. I don’t know if you remember me, but…]
When he heard the name, Christopher gasped in delighted surprise.
“What! What brings you around?”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Christopher lived in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn was only one bridge away from Wall Street.
I remembered him saying he lived in New York State, but I hadn’t expected him to be this close.
“We’re here.”
The car stopped in front of a small two-story house in a residential neighborhood.
I got out and rang the bell.
The door opened almost immediately. A bald, broad-shouldered man saw me and greeted me warmly. “Hahaha! Look at this guy. How long has it been?”
“How have you been?”
“Fine. Though I thought you were in Korea.”
“I’ve been going back and forth for work.”
“So where are you working now?”
“I’m with a private equity firm on Wall Street.”
Christopher scratched his head. “Hmm. Private equity. Is that like a bank?”
“Something like that.”
Judging from the way he said it, he didn’t seem to have much interest in financial firms.
Still, wouldn’t he know the name Continue Capital?
I stepped inside.
A Korean woman in her midforties was there with the children.
She said in Korean, “Welcome. I’ve heard a lot about you from my husband.”
Her pronunciation was crisp, though her intonation had the feel of someone who had grown up in the States.
“Oh! You’re Korean?”
“I came over with my parents when I was young.”
Come to think of it, I might have seen her in an article back during my first life.
I held out the cake I’d bought at a hotel on the way over. “Thank you for inviting me today. It’s nothing much, but I brought a gift.”
“Oh my, thank you.”
It was an expensive cake that was only sold in limited daily quantities.
Christopher introduced the children.
“This is my daughter and my son.”
His daughter was currently in college, and his son was in high school.
Her Korean was good, though a little rough around the edges.
She had taken after her mother and looked Korean, while her son seemed to have inherited his father’s build; he looked well over 190 centimeters tall.
How enviable…
There were two things in this world money couldn’t buy: height and hair.
I wasn’t about to grow taller now, so I’d at least have to take good care of my hair.
While dinner was being prepared, I sat on the sofa and took a leisurely look around the house.
After spending every day alone in a spacious hotel, being in a real home filled with people felt strangely healing.
It made me miss home all of a sudden.
When the meal was ready, we headed to the kitchen.
Spread across the table were a salad made with all kinds of vegetables, beef stew with canned beans, macaroni coated in cheese, and bacon glazed with sauce. There was also bulgogi and gimbap.
“I hope it suits your taste,” she said.
“I eat anything.”
We sat around the table.
Christopher and his family offered a prayer before the meal.
Right. This was a Christian country.
Come to think of it, this was my first time being invited to a private home in America.
We ate and talked as we went.
“I had no idea your wife was Korean.”
“Didn’t I tell you? That’s why I volunteered for duty in Korea.”
“Ah! I see.”
For the record, he had worked at Osan Air Base.
“So you were closer than I thought, even in Korea.”
From Seoul to Osan wasn’t actually all that far. By American standards, it was practically next door.
“Now that I think about it, you’re a devoted husband.”
“Hahaha! Of course.”
His wife spoke up. “I came to the States with my parents when I was in elementary school.”
Her Korean name was Yoon Nayoung. Her American name was Sally Yoon.
“So how did the two of you meet?”
Christopher answered with a booming laugh. “My wife was working at a restaurant near the base. I went up to her like a man and asked her out.”
Sally smiled. “I still remember how he looked back then. A huge bald man, sweating bullets and stumbling over his words. I said yes because I thought he’d cry if I turned him down.”
“Hey, now. I never did any such thing.”
The children burst out laughing.
Sally looked at me. “I’m really glad we got to meet you like this. I’ve been wanting to thank you properly.”
“Me?”
“Yes. My husband always talks about it. He says he’s alive today because of you, Mr. Miru.”
“...What?”
Christopher smiled warmly. “Even now, when I think about that day, I still get chills. But thanks to you, everyone on that plane lived, didn’t they?”
“...”
My face suddenly flushed hot.
That had been Christopher’s achievement in the first place. I had only taken the credit so I could build a connection with Senator Phillips.
I shook my head. “Why would you thank me? It was because of you, Chris. I wouldn’t have known anything if you hadn’t spoken up.”
“Ah, I only said the engine sounded strange. You were the one who got them to stop the plane.”
“...”
If I had just stayed quiet, he would have stepped forward and stopped the plane himself.
Though from his perspective, that was probably something that had never happened at all.
“Not just me, but everyone who supports Senator Phillips is grateful to you.”
If we kept talking about this much longer, I was going to die of embarrassment.
I steered the conversation toward the children.
His daughter’s name was Rachel, and his son’s was Patrick.
Rachel had entered New York University’s economics department, and Patrick was playing football in high school.
I spoke first to the daughter.
“You’re studying economics at NYU, right?”
“Yes. My dream is to work on Wall Street someday.”
Christopher said proudly, “I’m not saying it just because she’s my daughter, but she’s really smart.”
Well, you couldn’t exactly get into NYU’s economics department just by showing up. The competition might even be fiercer than Korea University’s economics department.
Rachel said, “I heard you work on Wall Street.”
“Ah! I’m just here on a business trip to headquarters. I usually work in Korea.”
“What kind of work do you do?”
If I told her I worked at Continue Capital, she’d probably be shocked.
I brushed it off casually. “Well, I do corporate analysis and investing. Lately I’ve also been investing in Korean entertainment agencies.”
Patrick asked, “Oh! Really? Which company?”
“It’s called Mable Entertainment. They have a girl group called Lunatins…”
He clapped his hands. “Oh! I know them. Lunatins are famous even in America.”
“Really?”
“Yes. K-pop and Korean dramas are really popular these days.”
It was almost like those YouTube thumbnails that scream, “The world is in shock!”
“American students faint after hearing K-pop!!”
“Korean drama craze turns the entire U.S. upside down!!!”
Not quite that dramatic, but either way, they seemed to be pretty popular.
Apparently, that had also led to a lot more kids taking an interest in Korea.
After dinner.
Christopher cleaned up with the children, and Sally brought over coffee.
She sat across from me and watched her husband washing the dishes.
“He’s truly a wonderful person.”
I nodded. “He is.”
If it hadn’t been for him in my first life, the course of American history would have changed. And if American history had changed, the history of the world would have changed with it.
“He went to Korea because of my parents. When he heard my mother, who had returned to Korea, was very ill, he immediately volunteered for deployment there. Thanks to that, our family was able to spend time together until the very end.”
Most of the money he earned during his deployment had gone toward medical bills.
His sense of responsibility was extraordinary. Come to think of it, that was exactly why he had stopped the plane just because he heard something strange in the engine.
“Come by again anytime.”
“I will.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After saying my goodbyes, I left the house.
Christopher came out too, insisting on driving me back.
“Really, I’m fine.”
“Nonsense. It’s not far. I’ll take you.”
He slapped the hood of the big pickup truck parked out front.
I gave the vehicle a quick look and asked, “Does this thing even run?”
“Of course! It’s only got three hundred thousand miles on it.”
“...”
Three hundred thousand kilometers would already make me uneasy, and he was talking miles?
Either way, I got in.
He inserted the key and turned the ignition.
“This thing’s acting up again.”
Vroom! Vrrrroom!
After several attempts, the engine finally caught.
He pulled out onto the road.
We drove through the dark streets, talking about what had happened that day.
“How was it?”
“It was wonderful. Thank you so much for inviting me.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m the one who’s grateful you came. My wife and kids have been wanting to see you for a while.”
“How’s work been?”
“You mean the security job? Since it’s temporary work, I’m still looking for something else.”
“What kind of work?”
“I’ve been looking into aircraft maintenance, but it hasn’t been easy.”
“I see.”
In time, he would become known as the man who saved the next president.
After Senator Phillips became president, he would be invited to the White House and remain close to him as a friend. But this time, I had stolen both the credit and the honor.
In a sense, that meant he had been harmed because of me.
So I ought to make it up to him somehow.
Before we parted, I said to Christopher, “Don’t worry too much. Good things are going to start happening to you from here on out.”
He smiled at that. “I sure hope so.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After finishing work and returning to the company, Christopher received a bolt from the blue.
“Our client has installed CCTV and asked us to reduce staff. I’m sorry, but you don’t need to come in starting tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
He gathered his things from the locker and headed home.
This is bad. What am I supposed to tell my wife?
Just as he was about to step inside with a gloomy face, a black pickup truck pulled up in front of his house.
It was a Ford Super Duty F-450.
It gleamed like a brand-new vehicle, as if it had just rolled off the lot.
That’s a fine truck. When will I ever get to drive one like that?
A black man in a suit and glasses stepped out of the truck. He asked Christopher, “Is this the home of Christopher Romu?”
“I’m Christopher. Who are you?”
He handed over a business card.
“Good day. I’m attorney Bruce McCree.”
“A lawyer?”
“I have something to discuss with you. Could you spare a few minutes?”
Christopher checked the card.
The man didn’t look suspicious. And even if he were, one punch would probably be enough to subdue him.
Christopher opened the front door. “Come in.”
Christopher and Sally sat at the dining table across from the visitor.
What on earth would a lawyer want with us?
Christopher asked, “Has someone filed a lawsuit against me or something?”
Attorney McCree shook his head. “Ah, no, nothing like that. There are a few things I need Mr. Romu’s consent for.”
“My consent?”
“Would you like to look over the documents first?”
He took several sheets from his briefcase.
“First, this is the purchase agreement for a new vehicle.”
“A new vehicle?”
Attorney McCree held out a set of keys as well.
“Yes. The pickup truck you just arrived in.”
Sally gasped. “You bought a car?”
Christopher nearly jumped out of his seat. “N-no, honey! I don’t even have money for the payments, so how could I—”
Then the lawyer said, “You won’t need to make any payments. It’s free.”
“Free?”
“If you sign this document, you won’t need to worry about taxes or insurance either.”
“What in the world—”
It was so sudden and absurd that he couldn’t make sense of it.
Whether he understood it or not, the lawyer kept pushing the papers toward him.
“And this is the form consenting to the full repayment of your home mortgage. This one is the consent form for your children’s scholarships. In addition to tuition, a living stipend will be provided so they can focus entirely on their studies.”
“...”