Sunny Hill – Puppetry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIat-NhlOvU

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The whole Nam family had gathered for dinner and the whole affair was silent. The dining room seemed especially dim today and the usually tasty bulgogi tasted like rubber to the parents and the older brother, while the younger brother still ate deliciously. Tension filled the air and WooHyun knew it. His usually nagging mother was silent and BooHyun, who was usually grinning at him, had a straight face. His father was eating silently as usual but he seemed to be in deep thought, not even noticing that he was holding his spoon in his left hand when he was right-handed. WooHyun concluded his family was being terribly weird.

Unable to endure the tension, BooHyun set his utensils down, giving up his effort to finish his meal. He stood up and asked to be excused. However, Senator Nam said, “BooHyun, wait in the living room. We need to discuss something.”

WooHyun’s eyebrows shot up and curiosity filled him. Deciding that he was done eating as well, he rose and excused himself to interrogate his brother. Mrs. Nam spoke up this time. “Wait in the living room as well, WooHyun. Don’t leave.”

WooHyun’s eyes widened. “Me too? What did I do this time?”

“In the living room, WooHyun,” Mrs. Nam insisted. WooHyun, with his curiosity transforming into suspicion, walked to the spacious living room and found his brother sitting on a white squishy armchair, talking on the phone. “- that’s what they’re planning. I don’t think it’ll work though,” he said with a sigh. He was silent for a few moments as the other person spoke. He ran his hand through his hair in apparent frustration. “I know, Iya, it worked for me. What if it doesn’t for him? We both know marriage won’t change a person,” he mumbled.

A light bulb in WooHyun’s brain. He knew that Iya was BooHyun’s fiancé but was someone else getting married? And why was he being detained in the main house? He decided not to interrupt their conversation so that he could listen some more. “I straightened up because I wanted to become a better man for you. But seriously, I doubt that it works that way most of the time. We got to fall in love before getting married. Most people don’t and I don’t think WooHyun will be an exception.”

At that, WooHyun interrupted, “What? Why am I involved in your conversation?” BooHyun turned around and hurriedly said goodbye to Iya before promising to call her later. He gulped and tried to explain, “WooHyun, listen, it’s not my place to say anything. Appa and umma will explain later. Just wait.”

WooHyun narrowed his eyes at his older brother. “Who were you referring to this whole time? Was it me? It can’t be. I’m not getting married.”

“Yes, you are,” a male voice chimed in. The brothers whirled around to see their parents walking towards both of them.

“Sorry? I think there must be some sort of misunderstanding,” WooHyun declared. “I’m not getting married; hyung is.”

Before her husband could say anything, Mrs. Nam addressed all the men in her life, “Everyone, sit. Sit!” She glared at them when they wouldn’t settle down and the brothers hurriedly plopped down on the white sofa while Senator Nam and his wife sat themselves on the other armchairs in the living room.

WooHyun squirmed in his seat, feeling rather ominous. “So will someone explain now?”

Everyone turned to Senator Nam as he began talking, “WooHyun, your mother and I decided that it’s time for you to get married.” His son stared at him as if he had grown two heads.

“Don’t look at your father like that,” Mrs. Nam chided her son. “Why are you so surprised?”

WooHyun ignored her question and focused at his father. “May I know why all of a sudden you want me to get married?”

“You’re already of age and you’ve had too much time and freedom on your hands, WooHyun,” the older man replied. “It’s time for you to settle down.”

“Appa, if this is about those rumors-“

“That’s just one part of the reason,” Senator Nam declared. “It’s time for you to form a family. You’ll soon have to learn from your mother and brother how to run the business too. You need to represent the Nam family as well as you possibly can. No more running around with girls, getting drunk in bars and getting involved in drunken fights.”

His eyes shot over to a maid coming down from the stairs. “Even if you’re just my nephew, you’re still family. My brother-in-law wouldn’t have wanted you to ruin your life. He would have wanted me to show you how to live a disciplined life.”

During his whole speech, WooHyun remained quiet but his hands had already curled into fists and his eyes were slowly welling up with tears. He swallowed to hold them in. No, he wasn’t about to let his weak side show to his father. It was the first time his family actually showed any care about the way he lived. They were giving him attention for the very first time. It wasn’t just because they were afraid he would taint the family name even more; he could see it in his father’s eyes. They really wanted him to live well. The way his mother gazed at him… It made him give in.

He swallowed. “Alright. When are we meeting the matchmaker?”

“You don’t have to. Your father already chose,” Mrs. Nam announced.

“Who?”

Knock knock.

“Come in,” a voice said.

 “Appa. You wanted to see me?” SooJi poked her head through the door. She slipped in and walked towards her father who was sitting at his desk.

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Senator Han said. “Have a seat.”

SooJi settled herself in her seat and waited for her father to speak up. He went straight to the point, “Have you thought about getting married?”

SooJi, surprised, replied with a “What?” and her father repeated with the question. “Marriage? Nope, haven’t thought about it,” she stuttered. She furrowed her eyebrows and asked, “Why?”

“I’m going to be very honest with you. My best friend, your Nam JungGil ahjusshi, from college has recently contacted me and he was asking if I am ready to fulfill my part in our promise,” he explained.

“Which is?” SooJi prodded.

“That one day our families would be joined through marriage. I was pleasantly surprised of course; I didn’t think he’d remember that promise,” he continued. “He asked if you were ready to get married.”

“And what did you tell him?” SooJi cautiously demanded.

Her father exhaled and slowly told her, “I told him that I would ask you.”

SooJi was dumbfounded that he actually considered his friend’s request. She did not think that was right at all. It was the 21^st century for crying out loud! Who holds on to promises like that? She was silently stewing in her seat until she heard her father calling her name.

“SooJi, what do you think? I think it’s a great idea,” Senator Han commented. “You won’t be marrying a complete stranger and their name can boost our reputation.”

“Appa, I really don’t think I’m ready for marriage yet. At twenty-one, I’m perfectly content with being single for now. Plus, BooHyun oppa is already engaged; there’s no one else eligible for me,” she replied, trying to indirectly turn down the offer. But when she saw his expression changing for the worse, she tried using a different tactic that usually works on other people: the guilt trip. “And how can I marry a stranger so suddenly? Without even dating! And I can’t fall in love with anyone after marriage. That’s something rather impossible.”

Senator Han exploded. “Han SooJi! Listen to me; there’s no one else more suited for you than Nam WooHyun! He’s BooHyun’s cousin and I’m sure you must’ve met him at one point because he’s also a model at Elite! As for marrying someone you truly love, that’s too much of a gamble, SooJi,” he yelled, frustrated at his daughter’s naivety. “Just look at my sister! She chose to listen to her heart instead of your grandpa and grandma. Now look at her. She’s living like a rat, penniless and lonely. That guy ran away after he found out that she gave up her inheritance to be with him. It was always about the money. He never loved her.”

He took a shaky breath and though SooJi sat listening emotionlessly, she knew how much the incident hurt her father as much as it did to her aunt. He continued with a sad look in his eyes, “It’s better if you don’t fall in love with some random guy. After all, there is no such thing as true love. There’s only fame, money and power in this world. Love… doesn’t exist for people like us.”

SooJi stood up, sick of the idea that love didn’t exist. If it didn’t then was she never meant to find someone who would keep her secret even until death? Someone who would love her if he saw her dark side? She clenched her fists to keep them from shaking and she slowly breathed to hold her anger in at her father’s lack of consideration. The door opened and Mrs. Han rushed in to SooJi’s side. “Yeobo!” she rebuked her husband. “That’s enough.”

As Mrs. Han placed her hands on SooJi’s shoulder and led her out, her husband once again asked their daughter, “So what about it? Do you agree or not?”

SooJi closed her eyes and mumbled, “I need more time to think.”

Senator Han seemed like he wanted to give a horrible retort but seemed to repress it. Instead he said, “SooJi-ah, I know it’s sudden and shocking but I’m doing this for you, for your future and for our family’s future. I’ll give you some time to think but when I ask you again, I hope you say yes. Please don’t let this chance at a good marriage go.”

As SooJi was being pushed out of her father’s study by her mother, she whispered, “I’ll think about it.” She glanced back and saw her father’s lonely stare and her mother’s teary eyes.

It wasn’t until she shut the door to her room that she realized with horror that her father had named the candidate for her marriage: Nam WooHyun.