Page 52 of Perfect Happiness
Once Jane realized it was possible for Yuna to meet Dad and catch a flight the same day, she remembered something.Mr.Choi.She had saved his number to her phone at her dad’s funeral.Mr.Choi had known her dad for nearly half his life, and he was the last person to see him alive.He also stayed at the funeral home for all four days of the service until Dad’s ashes were enshrined, something only closest family members were required to do.Jane hadn’t seen or contacted him since.All she knew was that he had submitted his letter of resignation after Yuna inherited the company.
Before pressing call, Jane thought once more about what exactly she wanted to know.And what would she do if she heard something she didn’t want to hear?No answers came to her mind.She was just afraid.
Once you know something, you can never return to ignorance.And sometimes, to know something is to cope with it.Jane’s instincts as a thirteen-year journalist were telling her she would have to cope with what Mr.Choi told her.
Jane looked at the clock.10:40 p.m.It was too late to call him.But she pressed call anyway.She knew that if she didn’t do it now, she would never do it.By tomorrow, she would convince herself that this was all “a mere coincidence” and never think about it again.After a few rings, Mr.Choi picked up.
“Hello?”
“Mr.Choi, this is Jane.”
Mr.Choi was both surprised and pleased to hear from Jane.He asked how her mom was doing, how Jane was doing, and if there was something she needed help with.Before Jane told him why she was calling him, she thought one last time about what she was about to do.She would ask him several questions, and he would give her several answers.And depending on his answers, she might become swept up in Yuna’s problems again.But she needed to know.
“I’m calling about my dad.Before he died, did he fire Yuna?”
Mr.Choi didn’t answer.That meant yes.
“When did he fire her?”
“About a week before he passed away.”
Jane felt all the veins in her neck wriggle to the surface.
“Was it because of money?”
He sighed.“Yes.I discovered she’d been stealing money from the company and told your dad.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell us?”
“Your father wanted to sweep it under the rug.”
Jane still had her most important question.She focused all her energy on calming her heavy breathing.
“On the day of the accident, did Yuna come to the office?”
“Yes.I think she came around four in the afternoon.It was just before your dad left for Woohyeri.”
“Did she bring anything with her?”
He said she brought coffee.They talked in my dad’s office for half an hour, and when they came back out, it looked like they had made up.Yuna was beaming as she said goodbye to him.Dad patted Yuna on the shoulder and wished her safe travels.
“I was so relieved.No one wants to fire their own daughter.I was afraid money had ruined another family.I thought your dad should have just taken her word that she wouldn’t do it again and let her stay at the company.She wasn’t just another employee.She was his daughter, after all.There were other options besides firing her.Anyway, it looked like they had made amends, so I felt relieved.”
“She left the office around 4:30?”
He said yes and that she left before my dad did.Two hours later, he died in a car accident.Despite knowing it was a shot in the dark, Jane asked one more question.
“The coffee Yuna brought ...by any chance was it iced coffee?”
“Hmm ...That I’m not sure about.”
It didn’t matter.Dad liked his coffee black and on ice.He would always chug the coffee before the ice even had a chance to melt.Yuna, who worked as a bookkeeper and secretary for him for several years, had to know how he liked his coffee.
“But Mr.Choi, why did you quit?I thought you would have wanted to help Yuna run the business.”
Silence followed.Jane felt sorry and embarrassed for not knowing the reason.After all, Mr.Choi was the person who got Yuna fired.And Yuna valued loyalty above all else.
Jane hung up the phone.She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.She was thinking of something, but even she wasn’t quite sure what that was.She was confused to the point of being nauseous—and scared.She felt like she had just stepped into a swamp of unknown depth.Her ego was being split into two voices.One voice was stubbornly trying to persuade her this was all just a coincidence, telling her not to overanalyze things.And the other voice was asking her a question.
