Chapter 36 — Seoul

The plane landed exactly on time at Incheon airport, much to everybody’s delight. The sun at its peak and the skies are clearer here than in Devont City. Suitcase in hand, I went straight to the huge notice screens to check if Aurelius had arrived as well. Seeing his plane was about to land in a few minutes, I put on my face mask and maneuvered my way to the nearest vacant seat. Making sure that there were no kids around to annoy my ears, I sat down next to an old lady and took out my phone.

Just before I left Devont, I called my father and notified him of my arrival thanks to Elise’s coaxing. I could still remember the way he was so shocked to the core that he almost lost his hold on the phone, the background noise filled with gasps and sputtering.

“Hello? Who is this?”

“Father, it’s your daughter, Han Seo-Yoon. Your Seo-Yoonie.”

A static noise filled the other line, I furrowed my eyebrows at how the call may have been disconnected when my father replied in a stutter that was uncharacteristic of him. Father was always a stoic man, never really revealing the emotions he truly felt inside even if he was prompted to do so. Maybe that’s also one of the reasons why Mom got tired of him because she couldn’t read him.

“S-Seo-Yoon? Seo-Yoon, is it really you?”

“Yeah, it’s me... Dad, um, I’ll be flying to South Korea in a while and I was wondering if it’ll be alright if you could pick us up?”

A round of gasps and stuttering before laughter came filled my ears in a span of two minutes. “Y-yeah! Sure, no problem. Does your mother know this? I have to say, this is quite a surprise! I-I wasn’t really expecting a call from you, what more that you’ll be visiting me. Your grandmother will be very happy. Um, what time would you arrive? I have to make sure it doesn’t coincide with my schedule for that day—wait, I can just cancel all my plans!”

“Dad, you don’t have to do that—”

“No, no. I should, you’re coming back here to visit and it would be rude of me not to welcome you with open arms. I should also ask your grandma to prepare food. Don’t worry about anything, I’ll make sure your stay would be the best there is than any hotel you could find here in Seoul.”

It’s safe to say my father isn’t against me or has forgotten about me since our separation. That fact alone makes me feel a whole lot better than coming here without any idea of how he feels about me.

Leaning my head back on the metal chair, I regret doing so once my neck came in contact with the cold surface. Biting my inner cheek out of boredom, I got up and headed for the snack stand to find something to munch on while waiting for Aurelius. Settling for a rice kimbap, I went back to my seat and waited. Out of curiosity, I checked the time again. It was already three o’clock.

I’m sure this wouldn’t take long. I did tell Dad to come to the airport at four in the afternoon to make sure he wouldn’t have to wait with me.

Thirty minutes passed and I was close to leaving the building when he came up to me with lots of luggage behind him. Wearing a black coat and other expensive clothing I could think of, I was sure many of the onlookers thought he was a celebrity. Who wouldn’t think he was part of the A-list celebrities when he’s looking like he just came out of a fashion show.

Eyes wide, I stood up to greet him and wasn’t prepared for him to immediately pull me into a hug. Lungs close to bursting, I forced myself to push him slightly and breathed. “A-Aurelius, are you crazy? You almost squeezed me to death.”

“Oh no, sorry about that!” He laughs, fiddling with his fingers before gesturing to his numerous suitcases. “I do apologize, I got stuck in claiming these. Apparently, they almost lost one of them but thank the queen they didn’t! I do hope I didn’t take long.”

“No, it’s fine. I did tell my dad to meet us here at four. He won’t be here—”

“Seo-Yoon?”

Aurelius was the first to react between us as my body froze in surprise. Confused, he turned to the man before chuckling and glancing at me. “Seo-Yoon? Who’s that? And why is he staring at us? Do you know him, Alex? Why is he tearing up?”

Urging myself to move, I faced the man in a suit who just called me and confirmed my thoughts. His face was exactly the same as the pictures Mom still had of him. I guess it was true that some Asians didn’t really look their age, appearing younger than most people who were the same age as them. As if my feet had their own mind, I rushed up to the man who had his arms wide open for me.

“Appa!”

» — ✣ — «

“I must say… You really surprised me with that phone call, Seo-Yoon.” Dad laughed, not taking his eyes off the road as we sped down the highway, our destination the Gangbuk District. “Does your mother know about this? Knowing Bernadette, I’m sure she won’t let you fly here.”

“I came here on my own volition. What I do is none of her business, especially if it’s something that can help her.” I mumbled, playing with the ends of my hair. “I’m old enough to make my own choices, yet for some reason, Mom keeps treating me like I’m still seventeen… And I want to change that.”

Dad nodded softly and chuckled. “Bernadette has always looked out for you, that is true. You’re her only child. But, if it’s starting to suffocate you and that she’s trying to control you, we may have a problem…”

“Exactly…”

I also want to find myself again.

Glancing at Aurelius beside me, he has been silent ever since Dad showed up. I wouldn’t be shocked though, since we have been conversing in Korean the whole time. I placed my hand above his and gave him a smile when he faced me, to which he returned. Seeing this through his rearview mirror, Dad pointed at Aurelius, surprising the latter.

“Care to introduce me to this dashing you man you brought with you? Is he your boyfriend?”

Aurelius’ eyebrows were close to hiding behind his hairline at the sudden turn of events. “W-what is he saying? N-namja chingu? Is he mad at me? I’m sorry, Sir, but I can’t speak Korean nor I could understand.”

“Dad, you need to speak English.”

An apologetic smile was what he flashed Aurelius briefly, returning his attention back to driving. “I’m so sorry, Mister. It’s been long since I spoke in English. I’m not really good at it as I was once, long ago. Please forgive me.”

Aurelius immediately waved both of his hands in a dismissive gesture, not wanting Dad to feel apologetic. “No, no! It’s all right, Sir. I’m sorry that I haven’t learned Korean as well. Maybe I should’ve got those lessons before I came here.”

Lessons?

Dad laughed, nodding at Aurelius through the rearview mirror. “Maybe you should’ve. If you’re going to marry Seo-Yoon here, you’ll be visiting a lot more often.”

“Appa!” I yelled, eyes wide at the outrageous statement he just said. He turned to me with a confused look, shrugging at me. Shaking my head at him, I sighed and spoke in Korean. “Dad, I’m not ready for a serious relationship and I’m sure he’s got a lot of responsibility. He’s a businessman.”

I just came back here and now he’s talking about marriage?

A chuckle was what he gave me, clearly not taking my word. “Oh? Like me? What does he do then? Is he the owner of a cafe? A pet shop?”

“Um, Dad, he’s a millionaire.”

“You’re kidding.”

The car slowly came to a stop when the traffic light became red. Sensing it was the perfect time, I nudged Aurelius and pointed to his pocket where he usually keeps his wallet. Without even questioning me, Aurelius handed his wallet and I couldn’t help but laugh at how he handed it to me with no hint of hesitation.

“Thank you.”

Pulling out one of his business cards kept behind his credit cards, with a grin on my face, I placed the card right in front of my father’s line of sight. He was speechless as he took the card from me. The Clarke Construction Company has been well-known over the years so I would be surprised if he hasn’t heard of it, especially since it has aided in building a couple of important facilities in this city such as hospitals.

“See? I told you, he is a millionaire.”