Song for this chapter: Lego House

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

I love you. I surprised myself as well when I uttered those three little words. Hearing the painful things that Anna had to endure breaks my heart. Despite the fact that she assured me that I did nothing wrong, I still blamed myself for what happened to her. When she slumped down unconscious in my arms, I panicked and felt like my heart stopped beating. Those first few seconds seeing her vulnerable broke something in me. When the emergency medic once arrived, I felt like I could breathe easier.

Calling her parents was also one of the hardest thing I’ve ever done. How can I tell them that their daughter, whom they just saw happy and healthy was now lying in a hospital bed unconsciousness. When they arrived, I was so thankful that they didn’t press me with more information as I think they were more concerned about how Anna’s doing. I was able to give them little bits of information and they grew silent when I mentioned that we were at an art museum which confused me. Her parents have decided to talk to Anna’s attending physician as I hold vigil on her bedside not realizing that I fell asleep. When I woke up with Anna’s tired but ever beautiful face, I couldn’t contain myself.

But blurting to her that I love her was so unexpected but oh so true. I will not lie, I was disheartened when she didn't said those words back to me. But I think I understand how she feels, she’s confused and overwhelmed and me dropping that huge bomb didn’t help at all. Anna was kept overnight for observation as they also looked in to her past records. Once she was discharged from the hospital, she went back to her parents house to rest for a bit. The entire day was spent trying to coordinate with her psychiatrist in New York over what happened.

I am currently out at their backyard trying to get a couple minutes of fresh air as she sleeps for a bit. Not long after I noticed Anna’s dad approaching me sitting on the chair beside me while offering me a bottle of cold beer. I took it and take a small swig as we were quiet for a minute.

“Did you know that I started learning how to speak Korean seriously when Hye Yeong first initiated her divorce proceeding?” I looked at Anna’s dad as he himself just stared at the horizon as I kept quiet. “Hye Yeong and I were college sweethearts and when she was forced to marry Anna’s father, I was gutted. I threw myself into my father’s business trying to grow and expand it. However a chance encounter reconnected me with Hye Yeong and we rediscovered that we are still very much in love. But then at that time, she was already married with a 2-year old daughter. For half a year, we tried to deny what we feel but it was a lost cause as you already know.” I turned back and looked at the horizon as well and took a swig at the bottle every now and then.

“Anna was a quiet but bright kid. When she first moved to the States to live with me and her mom, there’s always that constant distant between us despite how much I tried to get close to her. She wasn’t a difficult child considering both her parents just separated and she was then living in a foreign place but then we had a breakthrough when I brought her to the MET. She enjoyed it so much and it was the first time that she gave me a genuine smile and laugh. When her father died, there wasn’t a day that I wished that I can shoulder her pain instead. The following years were spent with her undergoing therapy while continuing with her studies. She loved school but the trauma made it hard for her to stay in a classroom.” 

“She told me that it was you who calmed her down right after what happened to her father.” I said as I turned to look at the old man as his face broke into a melancholic smile.

“I’ve wanted so much for Anna to see me as a father figure as well but I respect her relationship with her father. Minjun was a good man who was caught in a sad reality. When I received that call of a hysterical Anna, I sprint out of the conference room and went straight to the airport. It was hard consoling a 10-year old and she really did stuck to my side almost permanently. I wish our relationship grew and evolved under different circumstance. Anyway, I want you to know that we don’t blame you over what happened. You don’t know how grateful we are for what you’ve done for Anna. I want you to know that despite the circumstance, you gave her something priceless and irreplaceable. The fact tha