Chapter 4: Invitation

Winter

“I’m perfectly aching for some fun,” I said to myself as I opened my bedroom window one morning. The warm sunshine and frosty air sent my blood dancing and my eyes sparkled with overflowing spirits. “I really have to get out of this dull routine and go out and have some fun. I can’t sit still any longer. What should I do?”

While I watched the milkman delivering his goods door to door as he did every morning, I racked my brain for ideas. I needed to devise some unusually delightful way of enjoying myself. I had been cooped up taking it easy after my sickness, but I was getting restless. My spirits had been bottled up too long and their effervescence was about to explode out of me.

“I know! I’ll go to the theater and see a musical!” I suddenly announced to a bird flying by. “Singing in the Rain has been out for a while now. It’s expensive, I know, but I’ve heard it’s remarkably good and seeing a live performance is always a treat for me.”

With that I flew about my room getting ready for the day’s lessons. It was impossible for me to keep quiet so I sang and talked to myself. Soon I was ready and left for my first appointment with a spring in my step. I was surprised at how quickly it went by. In my present state of eagerness, I thought it would be tedious, but soon I was off to my next appointment. When I arrived there, I was told the lesson would need to be cancelled for the day as my pupil was sick.

I took advantage of the free time and headed off to the theater to purchase tickets. When I got there, the ticket booth was surrounded by eager purchasers. Their disappointed faces as they turned away told me there was little hope for me, but I wanted to try anyway.

“Hello. I’d like to buy one ticket for tonight’s performance please,” I tentatively told the ticket agent.

“I’m sorry, but we’re all sold out for tonight. Tomorrow night we still have a few seats left. Would you like to purchase one of those?”

“How much is it?”

“Our cheapest seats are 60,000 won.”

My hand touched my purse. Before I’d left, I’d put 50,000 won in my wallet with the hope that the ticket cost wouldn’t be very high. However, the lack of funds saved me from a fight with temptation to spend more to purchase the ticket.

“No, thank you,” I told the agent. “Have a nice day.”

I turned and walked off. The money burned in my wallet. My spirits that had been high in the clouds this morning were now in a coal mine this afternoon. After some window shopping, I got on the bus and went to give SooMin her lesson. It was going to be tough to quench my longing and switch into teacher mode, but I knew I’d have to.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to put on a show for long. To my surprise YunHee answered the Oh’s door.

“HyeYeong-ah! I was just about to call you! Did you get my text? Can you go?”

“My phone is still on silent from my lesson earlier so I haven’t read anything. Where are you going?”

“SeHun got tickets to Singing in the Rain tonight and--”

She got no further than that because I wrapped my arms around her and let out a cry of excitement.

“Go? Of course I’ll go! I’ve been dying to go all day! I tried get tickets, but they were too expensive, and I’ve been fuming about it ever since. Oh! This is amazing! Unnie, thank you!”

“You’re more than welcome! You should come over to my house and we can get ready together. SeHun will come by and pick us up and we can all go together.”

“I have two more lessons after SooMin’s then I’ll have to go home to get my things.”

“And you can borrow anything you want from my closet. We need to look our best because SeHun likes his women to be a credit to him,” YunHee said as she walked out the door. “I’m off to get some beauty rest. See you tonight.”

I admit it. SooMin’s lesson was not as thorough as it should have been. My mind was so preoccupied with what I should wear and how I should style my hair that SooMin blundered through her piece murdering the time and tune at her will. The instant the time was up I rushed away to my next lessons. With any luck these students would be sick just like the one this morning, but they were in good health so I fidgeted through their lessons as well; although my mind was more focused than it had been during my time at the Oh’s.

“I simply have to look nice tonight,” I said to my reflection as a held up outfit after outfit trying to find the one that suited me best. “I never go out and I don’t think YunHee has seen me dressed up since the last time I was in Seoul for that one recital. . .”

My voice tapered off as I held up my knee-length black cocktail dress. It was the only outfit I owned that was semi-formal. I wasn’t ashamed of it or anything. It was very nice, a gift from my grandmother before she’d died. But just for once I wanted to dress and look like other girls.

Maybe I’ll take YunHee up on her offer and wear something of hers. . .

With that I folded and placed my things into my bag and made my way to YunHee’s house. It was difficult to not break into a full run when my heart was dancing in my chest from the excitement.

To my surprise SeHun answered the door when I rang the bell. He wore a well tailored blue steel colored suit with black lapels. His shirt was black and his tie thin and long. A bright white handkerchief in the pocket of his suit acted as a pleasant accent. The crispness of it all really complimented his lean, muscular figure well.

(A picture of SeHun's suit.)

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