April 28, 2013

Seul-ki let out a nervous laugh, unable to digest what was happening, before she turned mechanically to Halmeoni who was still smiling. "Halmeoni, can we go talk for a second?"

Halmeoni frowned a bit but she laughed and hit Seul-ki's thigh a bit hard. "Aigoo this kid! You can just talk here, right? It's rude to leave a guest on his own."

"Just for a moment, please?" She begged and Halmeoni sighed before getting up and started joking as if she was complaining. "Aish, I think I didn't go a good job in knocking some manners into you, Seul-ki-ah. You might need to take manner classes before you get married. Right, Sunggyu-sshi?"

Sunggyu nodded, beaming brightly as he could. Seul-ki flinched before pulling Halmeoni into her room and sat her down.

"Halmeoni, this is a joke, right?" She laughed nervously, holding her grandma's shoulders.

"What joke?" Her grandma blinked and blinked, with the same smile plastered on her face.

"What is this talk about me getting married?" Even her tone was in despair.

"Ahh. Yes, Seul-ki, I'm marrying you to Kim Sunggyu-sshi."

"Yes, that! That exactly! What do you mean by that?" Her eyes were wide and she was so worked up that even Halmeoni stopped smiling.

Halmeoni took a deep breath. "Seul-ki-ah, you know how our family is. I don't even have anything to inherit to you and you don't have any other siblings and your parents..."

Seul-ki furrowed, feeling miserable.

"So I was thinking hard. What if... What if I die tomorrow? What will happen to you then?" Halmeoni was making a sympathetic face and Seul-ki almost fall for it before she shook her head.

"But you're going to live for another 100 years!" She said out loud.

"Omona this kid. Seul-ki-ah, I'm being serious here. I've been thinking about it every day. I'm not young anymore. I can't take care of you that long. And I'd love to see you getting married before I die. You know how my condition is these days. My stomach hurts, I can't see that well anymore and I get tired easily."

"Halmeoni..." Seul-ki was about to cry but she held it in, not wanting to lose the fight. "But Halmeoni, I'm too young to get married! And your stomach hurts because you ate spicy food..." She mumbled the last part to herself.

"Well, it's not like marrying you off now. Of course we need to wait until you finish high school."

"Which is like 2 months away." She said, rapidly in a flat tone.

Halmeoni cleared . "Yes, well, Seul-ki-ah. Isn't this good news? Kim Sunggyu-sshi is a really nice man. He has a good job in Seoul and his background is great too. And he's willing to marry you! Even with your grades and your looks."

"You're making it sound like no one wants to marry me..." She muttered, furrowing hard. "But Halmeoni-ah, you know whom I wanted to marry!"

"That man in that poster?" Halmeoni looked a bit sick when she said that, pointing to a poster of Jaejoong on the wall with her lips.

"Yes! His name is Kim Jaejoong!" She cried out. "Hero Jaejoong!"

"Aigoo Seul-ki-ah. Would you stop daydreaming, dear? This here a real man is asking your hand for marriage but you want to marry a man in your poster?" Halmeoni shook her head.

"But Kim Jaejoong is real too!" She started crying. "Please, Halmeoni, I don't want to get married! I won't cook spicy food again! I promise I will study harder! I promise I will take care of you. So, please!"

She was shaking Halmeoni, pleading hard but Halmeoni was only shaking her head. "Do you really want to see me die early, Seul-ki-ah?"

"Halmeoni!" She wailed.

It was a battle she never won.

Sunggyu was sitting alone in the living room, hearing the commotion from Seul-ki's room but he wasn't really paying any attention. He looked around the tiny house, not that he really minded it but he was asking himself what he was doing there actually. Was he really asking for her hand in marriage? He had taken a good look of the girl, deciding that she looked okay; although not his type but making her his wife would rather be a joke.

He however couldn't do anything but to go on with the plan.

It was one late afternoon when his parents spilled the news that they have gotten him a future wife. He looked at them uninterestedly, not really listening to them.

"I'm not ready to get married." He said, looking bored. "I'm only 25."

"Well, I think you are." His father began. "And 25 is just the correct age to marry. I got married at 25 too."

"But I don't want to. And what's up with you asking me to marry some underage girl? Ahbuji, don;t you know that's illegal?" He asked, widening his eyes at his father.

"She's not underage. She's 19." His father sipped his tea.

"She's still in school." Sunggyu scowled.

"Not until long. She'll graduate soon." His father was really persistent.

"Ahhh Why are you like this!" He sat up straight, looking at his father. His mother was just drinking her tea in silent, not offering a word.

"It's for a good cause. This girl has no parents and no other family save for her grandma. She could use some support in life. You on the other hand; I've been hearing silly news about you being gay because you don't have a girlfriend until now."

"What!" He scoffed. His mother laughed a bit but regained her composure again. "Where did you hear that from? And I did have a girlfriend before!"

"For 5 days." His mother said, sighing.

Sunggyu furrowed. "Well, people can say what they want to say. I'm not getting married. Not to some high school underage kid."

"Oh well, then I'll take off your name off the inheritance list." His father said, casually.

"Mwuh?" Sunggyu laughed with a wide mouth. "You're kidding me."

"I'm not. You go and marry that girl or your name's off the list. I can call the lawyer now if you'd like to witness it yourself."

"No, wait, wait. ahbuji. What's the catch here?" He asked, nervously.

"What catch? There's no catch. I'm doing this for the sake of Mrs. Lee who has worked so hard for us all this time. She expressed her concern about her granddaughter and I'm worried about your orientation, so why not get this wedding done?" He asked, as if that was the natural thing to say.

"But, kicking me off the inheritance list just for this?" He protested, getting a bit serious.

"Marry the girl or your name's gone. Choose." He looked at Sunggyu and Sunggyu was speechless, not knowing what to say.

The next thing he knew, he was in that girl's house. His parents had warned him not to meet her beforehand to keep the tradition but he at least has to find out what she looks like! This isn't some historical drama, he scoffed and drank another cup of tea. He was getting bored and the smell of kimchi soup in front of him was really luring him. He tapped the table, asking himself if he really wanted to do this. Would his father really kick him off the list anyway? But knowing that old man...

"I don't want to get married!" It was Seul-ki's voice, no doubt.

Sunggyu turned his head towards the doo