Page 34 of Perfect Happiness
“It’s lunchtime.There’s always a lot of people.”
Jane sat down across from Min-young.Jane thought about saying something likeIt’s nice to see youbut didn’t because that would be a lie.
“How long has it been?”Min-young asked.“Seven years?”
Jane nodded.This was probably right.The last time they’d seen each other was at Yuna and Joon-young’s wedding.
“Have you eaten?”Jane asked as she held up the menu.
“I only need this,” Min-young said as she pointed to the cup of coffee on the table.“I can’t be away from the office for too long.”
To Jane’s ears, Min-young’s last sentence sounded more like:You should order coffee, too, so this doesn’t take any longer than it needs to.Jane lifted her head to look at Min-young, who was looking at her in disbelief, as if she couldn’t believe Jane wanted to eat at a time like this.Her gaze hadn’t the slightest hint of respect for Jane’s empty stomach.Had Min-young forgotten that it was she who asked to meet in the first place?When the server came, Jane accepted Min-young’s reduced menu and ordered coffee as she tried to tell herself to think of it as a diet.
After the server left, silence fell between the two of them.Min-young looked down at her coffee, and Jane leaned against the back of the chair.Sitting patiently with her lips zipped was what Jane did best.Empty silence like this never bothered her, no matter whom she was with.She never felt the need to speak first or fill awkward pauses.In fact, she hadn’t even asked Min-young what she came here to tell her.
“Jane,” Min-young finally said.“Have you seen my big brother?”
The server came with Jane’s coffee.He had perfect timing.This way, Jane wouldn’t have to answer immediately.She looked down to hide her facial expression.I should have known this was what she wanted to talk to me about.Min-young’s entire world had, and always would, revolve around her “big brother.”
Many years ago, Joon-young had asked Jane to take his little sister Min-young to a rock concert.Kyung-ho Kim was performing that night, as Jane remembered it.Jane had gotten herself and Min-young front-row tickets.As soon as the concert started, the audience lit up like a fireball.Thousands of people screamed, danced, and sang along.But not Min-young; she was just standing there, eyes glued to her phone.With everyone dancing around her, she looked like Namsan tower, an immobile giant in the heart of bustling Seoul.Jane glanced at Min-young’s phone to discover that she was texting Joon-young:
—Big brother, where are you?
Jane took a sip of her coffee.The hot liquid washed away the annoyance that was lurking just beneath her neck.Thanks to this, she finally felt like talking.
“Is that all you wanted to ask me?”
Jane wanted to ask a follow up question to this—And why couldn’t you just ask me that over the phone?—but held herself back.
Min-young straightened her back.Tucking in her chin and peeling back her eyelids, she leered at Jane.
“This is important.”
For a moment, Jane imagined herself sitting in front of not a twenty-nine-year-old woman, but an eleven-year-old girl.The look on Min-young’s face was the same one from all those years ago, the face of an elementary school girl who believed her brother would always take her side no matter what.The first time Jane had seen this face was eighteen years ago on her way to Joon-young’s apartment.
Jane and Joon-young were hanging out with four friends from drama club that day.They were just exiting Sillim station and heading for Joon-young’s apartment to eat ramen when they heard the shriek of a young girl.
“Big brother!”
Jane turned around to see a young girl running toward them from across the street.Based on her size, she looked like she had to be in first or second grade.Joon-young shouted back to the girl.
“Min-young!Stay right there!I’ll come to you—”
But the girl had already run into traffic.There was no crosswalk near her, and she didn’t even look left or right.She had only one goal, and that was Joon-young.The oncoming traffic braked, swerved, and blared their horns.But the girl didn’t care.Joon-young stepped down from the sidewalk with a dazed look on his face.
“Big brother!”
The girl flung her body into the air and latched herself onto Joon-young’s neck, simultaneously locking her legs around his waist.Joon-young’s face was ghost-white as he brought his arms under her for support.To put it into movie terms, they looked like vampire siblings who hadn’t seen each other in centuries.
They stood there for a while, looking like the last survivors on Earth.Joon-young started saying something to her, but it wasn’t clear if he was pleading with her or scolding her.“Why did you run out into the street like that?”“I said I was coming to you.”“How many times have I told you not to do that?”“I almost had a heart attack.”Every sentence was punctuated with eye-contact, back stroking, and hugging.Only when their long reunion ended did the girl turn to Jane and the other drama club members.
“And who are they?”
“My friends.”
Joon-young introduced each of them to Min-young, whom he was still holding in his arms.But Min-young didn’t look at any of the “friends,” focusing her entire attention on the only girl in the group.Her rude, aggressive gaze made Jane feel uncomfortable, even ashamed.She was making Jane feel like an invader from Mars.If she weren’t Joon-young’s younger sister, Jane would have told her to be less rude.
Min-young, it turned out, was actually in fifth grade, making her eight years younger than Joon-young.They were originally from Geoje Island, but their parents had sent them to live together in Seoul.Even considering this, their sibling love was uncommonly intense.Jane figured it had to be the age gap.
