Page 111 of You Had Me At Annyeong!
‘Malhae juseyo,Appa [Please tell me, father]!’
‘You know what works best when the tide is against you, right? The only way to counter this mountain of bad news is to distract the public with good news!’
What good news is he thinking of? I can’t think of even one amidst this rubble of ruin we are sitting atop!
‘Mina-ya, shall we bring the wedding forward, uri tal?’
* * *
Having been unable to establish contact with Haneul even after forty-eight hours have passed since the fracas at the almost-interview, Mr Choi decides that he needs to check on Haneul personally and ascertain his well-being. Determinedly, he drives to Haneul’s house. It’s on the same premises as the one where Haneul’s parents live but detached from the main building.
To give him a slight sense of freedom, his family had said when they gifted him the house.They want him to feel like he’s free but he’s always under surveillance, said everybody else in hushed tones. It is the same premises that Mr Choi’s parents still reside in, although he moved out when he got married. Despite Chairwoman Lee insisting that he stay and even offering him separate quarters.
He’s about to ring the bell to Haneul’s house when a young gardener walking by stops and offers information.
‘Toryeonnimis in the main house, ahjussi,’ pointing at the palatial home of the Lees and Baeks, where Haneul was born with a dozen silver spoons in his mouth.
As he waits outside the living room, he overhears strains of a high-pitched, agitated conversation between Haneul and his parents.
He gathers that a suggestion has been made to bring the wedding date forward and that Haneul is fighting against it. His parents are also asking him to bury his history with Rodrigo, at the behest of Chairman Ri.
‘He may be too much of a gentleman to resort to threats, but don’t be naïve, son. It’ll take him only a second to pull the plug on his investment in your company!’
‘It’smycompany, Abbeoji. And, I will protect it, no matter what. Do you have no faith in me? Do you have no confidence in your upbringing?’
‘I did not bring up a son who will go back on his promise. I am a man of my word and that is what I have taught my son. So don’t you dare let me down!’
‘You sold me, Abbeoji! You sold your only child to the Ris. And, for what? For politics? Why has politics and your party always meant more to you than your family?’
Haneul’s father is in contention to be the party’s candidate in the next presidential elections and Mina’s father is the party’s largest financier. Mr Choi feels bad for the son who seems to have no real friends or family to lean on. Which is when he remembers how happy he is around Timira.
‘Adeul, calm down. Please try to understand. In families like ours, compromises have to be made for the greater good. No matter how you think, Ri Hoejangnim isone of the biggest financiers of the party and elections are due soon. This is not the time for your Abbeoji to be making enemies out of his biggest supporter. Oh,jaebal, uri adeul! It’s only a matter of a couple of months. You were anyway getting married this summer!’ Haneul’s mother has now taken over the reins from his father.
‘I never wanted to get married. And I still don’t! Why must I be forced into a marriage so that Appa can become the country’s President? Do you have any idea how crazy it sounds?’
‘It might sound crazy to regular folks, to the common people. But not to those who belong to our world. We are not common, we are not regular. We have to be better, do better, show regular people the way. We decide the country’s future. So yourmarriage is not just about you. It affects more people than you can count!’ Haneul’s mother is adamant.
‘Eomma, do you hear yourself? You sound straight out of asageuk! What is this, eighteenth-century Joseon? It’s 2025 in Korea, Eomma! We are a progressive society, a first-world country. I can’t believe you, a woman leading one of Korea’s biggest multinational businesses, would harbour such regressive thoughts!’
‘Oh, now we are regressive, are we? Not modern enough for you?’
‘Well, regressive AND hypocritical. Where did Abbeoji come from? He did not come from money! But he loved you and you loved him. Do you regret marrying beneath your status?’
Haneul’s father makes disapproving noises while his mother relentlessly battles on.
‘That was a different time. There wasn’t much competition, there was no media, so many eyes did not watch our every move, our personal life did not affect business much. Times have changed and we must keep up. If that means having to sacrifice our personal greed, we must! How else is the business and the family name going to endure? And your father had a lot of promise. Look at him, he’s going to be the country’s next President!’
‘Wow! So, you married Abbeoji because you could see the future and knew that he would become the President? And did you say greed? Personal greed? EOMMA! You’ve got to be kidding! It’s impossible to have a conversation with you guys. Entirely impossible!’
‘We feel the same way. You no longer sound like our son. Who are you? What have you done to him?’
Haneul’s father, who has been quiet for the most part after his initial outburst, tries to calm his wife down, but she’s in no mood to listen. And neither is Haneul.
Haneul guffaws. Shaking his head, he walks out of the room muttering ‘crazy, loonies, greedy’, while his parents keep asking him to stay and not leave the conversation midway.
Haneul steps out to find Mr Choi. Relieved to finally see a friendly face, his eyes light up and he greets him with the warmest smile.
‘How much of that,’ pointing back at the living room, ‘did you hear, Bujangnim?’
