The Last Will To HaeIn

‘The harbor with a large portion of forests’ is a town where he had landed on after four-hour of driving from Seoul. A city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea that located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, close to Yudal-san. The place is still foreign to him since that was his first travel to the city. The city’s air was salted with the scent of the sea, unlike Seoul’s, where the main smell was saturating by vehicle emissions.

The town was not as big as Seoul, but it’s still a bustle town, just as hectic as Seoul can be. It’s already late in the evening when he arrived at the town, so he went straight to  the hotel, the place that he will stay for his few days of travel after  decided that tomorrow will be the best day to starts his detour in the town.

Eunhyuk stepped out onto the balcony after he had done his showering. The sky was dark but brightened up by the foreign city lights beneath him. He watched the stars' twinkling its light for a moment before the clouds immediately cover them again. But the thousand stars still unable to defeat the city’s light.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

The answer to the profound sorrow; he finally received them. Tomorrow will be the day where he will meet the source of the pain, where the faceless person will become real; not just a part of his endless dream.

And when the morning sun is still scramble to peek out at the end of hemisphere; his feet had already brought him through the resident area of the Mokpo town. Just like the skies in the Seoul city, the blue expanse is interrupted by a scrap of cloud. There’s nothing much different between the two cities’ sky. A slight of autumn breeze rustles the trees and a few leaves starting to drift down, signifying the massive shedding that would happen in few days.

Along his walk, there were children laughing and playing in the neighborhood, and he just cannot help but paying little attention towards them.  He smiles when they laugh while taunting and teasing each other. They’re so carefree as if there’s nothing in the world that can goes against them. As is they own the world they live in. It’s a childhood era which he once had gone through.

After he walks passed through them, his focus is back utterly to the neat handwriting on a piece of paper in hand. As he’s getting nearer to the place that he’s supposed to go, the thumping in his chest is increasing as nervous taking over his pulse. His palms were sweating.

Is this the right thing to do? and by now, he already stood on the front step of the faceless man household. The house’s number on the wall was exactly the same number scribble on the note and the Naver Map in his phone tells him that he had arrived at his destination. He looked up at the double-storey house in front of him. A solid metal fence surrounded the house.

 This is it, he thought, staring a hole at the doorbell.

A small tremor ran through his hands, shivers down his spine and he closed his eyes. Minutes ticked away as he waited for the hammering of his heart to stop. But it didn’t. He tried to steeled his nerves again.

Another minutes passed, and he didn’t dare to raise a finger to the doorbell. The skeptical thought in mind was intimidating him in every way. In the end, he threw caution to the winds and finally got the strength to push the bell button. However, before he could buzz it, the metal gate clanged open and he found himself face-to-face with a middle-aged woman.  The thumping of his heart beats faster at the moment. A decision need to be made. He needs to settle this.

 “Excuse me,” Eunhyuk muttered, trying to back away and bowed his head. Very clear that his nerves had been scared back into wobbly nothings.

“Yes?” The woman said, merely looked confused. Wondering why people she doesn’t even know is paying her a visit.

“I’m here to look for Lee HaeIn,” he quickly explained. “Is she around?”

“May I know who are you? Why you’re looking for her?” She asked.

“Uhm, I’m Lee Eunhyuk, Lee HaeIn’s late mother’s friend,” he continued when focus slipped into her eyes. It’s showed a surprised look for what he had said. “I’m here to give her mother’s will to her.”

She angled her chin and used a moment to evaluate Eunhyuk and his intentions. He assumed that he’d passed when she finally said, “She’s not home at the moment. Her father had bring her out and they’re not going to be back until lunch.”

Eunhyuk didn’t know if he was relieved or disappointed with the news. But he could tell that his heart fell when the woman said that. He knows that this will not be end soon, not like what he had planned of.

Eunhyuk then looked at his watch. It was only 9.30 a.m.

“Do you want to leave your phone number? I’ll get them to call you when they’re back.”

Eunhyuk had a think for a second.  “I’ll wait for them. Can I?” He then asked with much hesitation. 

“Sure, come in!” the woman waved her hand. “You’re so handsome and polite… Are you a friend of our Donghae too?”

“Uhm, no….” Eunhyuk mumbled slowly. “Who’s Donghae?” he asked, utterly confused. That was the first time he heard that name.

“Oh, well… since you’re our InYoung’s friend, so maybe Donghae’s friend too. Donghae is InYoung’s husband.” She ushered him inside and Eunhyuk immediately looked around the room. There’s a photo at one of the wall. The only photo that tinted the white walls and it seized his attention. A photo of three peoples, one man, a woman and one little kid. He assumed that they are HaeIn, InYoung and Donghae. They all smiled brilliantly. Eunhyuk gripped his trembled hands suddenly.

“No… I’m actually InYoung-ssi….”

“Here, take a seat.” She cuts him off as to gesture him to the living room couches.

“Ah, thank you,” Eunhyuk mumbled, flushing slightly.

“Where you came from, young man?” The middle-aged woman asked, after taking a seat right in front of him.

He looked up, flashing a faint smile, “I’m from Seoul. Uhm, are you…,” he paused a moment, hesitate whether it’s okay for him to throw such a sensitive question, but then he still continues, “Uh… I mean, are you InYoung’s mother?”

“I’m Donghae’s mother.” she said, chuckling warily. “Since InYoung’s gone, I’ve been coming here on the weekend, to have a look on Donghae and HaeIn. She is still too small to understand but her mother’s death had transformed HaeIn more than she had let on. So, me and InYoung’s mother will come here from time to time to take care of her and tried our best to make her feel the taste of a mother’s love. Though we know that it’s not the same, but we should at least try.” There’s a crack between her voices.

Alarms rang in Eunhyuk’s head, his throat constricted and his heart ripped apart. “I’m sorry,” he said, unable to utter any other words, tears somehow blurring his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered again, looking up to the photo on the wall.

He knows that he had done nothing wrong. But still, there’s a sense of guilty ripping apart his heart and mind. Why must they be apart? Why the fate is so cruel to them?

“It’s not your fault, young man. They already knew long ago, that InYoung would not live a long life and they have live their life to the fullest that nothing can make them regret any.” She said to assure, though she’s still oblivious to Eunhyuk’s tremor because h