CHAPTER 3: Seongwoo

14 years later

New York, September 2017

Lincoln Center, David Geffen Hall

New York University graduation ceremonial event has just finished. Now Seongwoo is busy looking for his family in the crowd of people in attendance. Luckily, the very recognizable voice of someone helped Seongwoo find them.

"Seaaan, congrats!" The little man ran and then hugged Seongwoo tightly.

"Gumawo, Daehwi ya .." Seongwoo replied as he returned his embrace.

But the little man hit Seongwoo's arm while putting on a sullen face. "I told you to call me David."

Seongwoo laughed. "I think your Korean name is cuter. Lee Daehwi, it's very beautiful to hear, right?"

Daehwi wanted to keep pouting, but his brother showed a funny face so he couldn’t bear to keep from laughing.

It had to be paused when there was a tall man approaching Seongwoo. "I'm proud of you, son!" Said the man while hugging Seongwoo warmly.

"Thanks, dad." Seongwoo replied as he hugged him.

And the last person to complete the family happiness was his mother. "Mommy is proud of you, Seongwoo." Said his mother while hugging his eldest son.

Seongwoo smiled in her arms.

Daehwi then broke the mood with his cheerful voice, "Let's take pictures!"

He asked someone who is in the hall to capture that moment of happiness.

Seongwoo, dad, mom, and his younger brother, Daehwi.

Isn’t this the family portrait Seongwoo cherished?

-00-

Seongwoo was in his room, on the 3rd floor of his father's apartment in the towering ranks of Manhattan's elite. He stared out the window of the room how busy New York City was. Seongwoo smiled softly, "Is Seoul as busy as this now?"

Seongwoo really missed his hometown. It has been fourteen years since he was there. He had many memories there. Especially the memories with his favorite brother, Euigeon.

Seongwoo then was having a flashback to what happened fourteen years ago.

That night.

The night he cried endlessly.

The night where he had to part with his brother whom he regarded as the source of his happiness.

Seongwoo didn’t understand what his mother had said that night. He didn’t understand how Euigeon isn’t his brother. Aren’t they always together since child? Isn’t there a picture of Euigeon since he was still a baby sleeping with him? Seongwoo didn’t understand and maybe he didn’t want to understand. All he wanted then was go back home and pick up Euigeon.

Little Seongwoo also didn’t really understand how the divorce of his parents proceed. All he knew was when his mother said that now they were officially divorced and would soon bring him to America.

When Seongwoo hasn’t understood the meaning of the word divorce, yet he must also be confused with the mention of America. Seongwoo is a smart kid, he knows that America is far from Seoul. The place his teacher once referred to as the place where cool cowboys gathered. There was a sense of joy in Seongwoo's heart that he would go far, go to see the world. But the excitement instantly went down as he remembered that Euigeon wouldn’t go with him.

"Can’t I take Geon ah?" Seongwoo asked his mother.

His mother's face changed at once. She stood up and looked away.

But Seongwoo restrained his mother's hand. "Okay, no need to take him along, but let me see him before I go to America, omma .."

His mother sighed before kneeling in front of Seongwoo while holding her son's hand and staring at him deeply. "Later. See him later, after you comeback from America."

Little Seongwoo’s innocent eyes sparkled at it. "Can it be? Promise?"

His mother nodded curtly. She tried not to make Seongwoo sad, remembering he had fallen ill for a few days after the incident.

And little Seongwoo believed his mother's casual remark. He was then eager to go to America. As he boarded the plane for the first time, he kept asking his mother to take a picture of him. He wanted to show it to Euigeon later when they meet.

Upon arriving in America, he was amazed by the grandeur of New York City. He was very enthusiastic when looking directly at the statue of Liberty that he saw in a book or seing a high tower building he had ever seen in the movie Kingkong. But the enthusiasm lasted only a few days. Afterwards, Seongwoo whined, "Omma, let's go home .."

But his mother gave an answer that made Seongwoo disappointed. "My dear Seongwoo, from now on we will stay here."

And after that, he was introduced to a man who is now his father.

Richard Lee. That Korean-American man was an investor at the publishing company where his mother used to work. While he was doing a visitation to Seoul, he was captivated by the beauty and story of Seongwoo's mother, so he decided to bring her to America.

Seongwoo could have hated the man because he was the one who had separated his family. But the man is very nice and thinks of him as his own son so that Seongwoo's heart cannot afford to hate him.

Knowing Seongwoo is often sad to think of Euigeon, his mother tried to give him a brother. And that desire came about when Daehwi was born. A younger brother for Seongwoo as the replacement of Euigeon, that was how his mother called Daehwi. But Seongwoo didn’t like how she called Daehwi. For him, Euigeon will never be replaced.

It wasn’t because Seongwoo not loving Daehwi, he is very fond of him too. But still, they ar