Page 130 of You Had Me At Annyeong!
Holding Mina by her shoulder, he says, ‘When did you grow up,chinguya?’
Mina smiles. He hasn’t referred to her for years by that endearing word for ‘friend’ in Korean.
‘Oh, man. My father asked the same thing earlier. I don’t know, man. Geunyang. I mean, I had an epiphany of sorts.’
Haneul laughs for the first time in days. And for the first time around Mina since their ill-fated engagement.
‘And what did you learn?’
‘That I deserve more! That I deserve to be loved. That I too deserve a grand proposal on live television!’
* * *
It’s past 10 p.m. when Haneul rings the bell outside Hanee’s home and is greeted by her father.
Timira has left with Hanee for the airport upon receiving a call from India that her mother has had a sudden heart attack and is undergoing an emergency surgical procedure.
His calls to Timira go unanswered. Her phone is inside her bag so she wouldn’t misplace it. His calls to Hanee too go unanswered. She’s driving and her phone is on silent mode so she doesn’t get distracted.
He gets behind the wheel and connects a call to Mr Choi. He asks for details on flights departing for Bombay.
‘Daepyonim, hajimaseyo!’
I hope he doesn’t attempt to do what heroes in movies and dramas do!
Visuals of driving in traffic, sprinting at breakneck speeds through crowds, leaping across trolleys, knocking over people’s drinks and carts pop up inside his mind.
‘Daepyonim, don’t! There’s no way you are going to make it on time. You said it’s a Qatar Airways flight, right? It departs at 1.30 a.m. By the time you reach, she would have already checked in and headed for the security check!’
Haneul doesn’t respond. He just drives with single-minded focus.
‘But you are still going to do it, I know it. Aren’t you, Daepyonim? Why do I even bother?! Although this time I shan’t stop you! Geurae, I hope you get to see her. Fighting, Daepyonim!’
Arriving at Incheon, without wasting any time to park and at the risk of it getting towed, Haneul dumps his car next to the sidewalk and runs to the departure gate. Out of breath, he looks at his watch.
There’s still two hours before take-off.
He scans the crowd desperately, but even after sprinting from one end to the other, he fails to spot the familiar cheeks and space buns. Between laborious breaths, he bends down to tie his shoelaces that have come undone when there’s a tap on his back. His heart skips a beat as he gets up with a jolt, only to see Hanee frowning at him.
‘Why now, Daepyonim? Why so late? What took you so long? Where were you? She waited so long. As long as she could. You’ve just missed her. She’s gone,’ Hanee wails.
Chapter Sixteen
Seoul, Korea
SecondSkin’s line of athleisure clothing has just been successfully launched. Rodrigo has walked the ramp as the showstopper, sending hearts racing and getting shutterbugs clicking!
‘Why don’t I see Baek Daepyo? This is his baby, after all. Is he all right?’ is a question that seems to be on the lips of every attendee.
Mr Choi has been asked more times than he can count on his fingers about Haneul’s absence. Exasperated, he parrots lines that he has rehearsed well and reproduced today.
‘He’s on a business tour. Of course, he wished to be here. But he’s already begun work on our next project. And he’s currently travelling regarding the same. He extends his gratitude for your presence here today.’
A small press meet with Rodrigo has been organized. Reporters clamour for his attention and there are tens of raised hands around the room, all keen to pose the first question of the evening. Rodrigo selects a familiar face.
‘Annyeonghaseyo, Rodrigo-ssi!’
‘Hello, Kang Yoojin gijanim!’
