Aged to Perfection

Chapter 1

Tears blurring his vision, Lee Jinki wiped his lashes with his free hand and set the photo he had been viewing back down on the table next to his chair; he sighed deeply. Home alone and sitting in the living room, his voice warbled. “I miss you.”   He mumbled before swallowing the lump in his throat. Just then the front door opened; his 37 year old daughter came home for the day with her own daughter sitting on her hip and her purse dangling down from her shoulder.

“Hello daddy.” Kissing him hello, her lips felt the dampness of his cheeks.

Clearing his throat, hoping his voice would sound normal, her father smiled faintly.  “Hey, sweetie.” He greeted her.

“Dad?” She cooed and wiped off his tear he had missed and her pink lipstick from the side of his face. “What’s wrong appa?”  

His granddaughter, Gwiboon, crawled off her mom and in to his lap. “Grandpa!” She hugged her favorite person in the whole wide world; Jinki embraced the little girl and a genuine smile appeared on his face as he finally answered his daughter. “I’m fine Eunsook, I got my two favorite girls right here.”

Concern laced her voice as she spoke softly, a slight frown forming on her pout “Dad don’t give me that.  You were crying.  Are you ok?”

Gwiboon pouted and tears started to form, her lip quivered “Grandpa sad?” She hugged him tighter then sat back and looked up at him then patted the side of his cheek and cutely said “No cry, papa.”

“aww, Gwiboon, honey. I’m fine.” Avoiding more questions, he then tickled her until she was a fit of giggles then stood up while flinging her over his shoulder “Where did my Boonboon go? I can’t find her.” Gwiboon kicked her tiny feet and shouted “I’m here papa, I’m here!”

“I think I hear her, and why are there kicky feet in my face. Eunsook where did she go?” Jinki playfully walked around the living room looking around everywhere shouting “She has to be here somewhere?” 

Taking the hint Eunsook smiled, and played along “I don’t know where she could be.” They began to playfully search for the little 2 year old letting the topic of his tears go for now. ….

……………

After a few minutes playing around Eunsook’s husband came home and the four of them had dinner. Following dinner Jinki and Gwiboon went to the living room to play while his daughter and son-in-law cleaned up in the kitchen. Gwiboon was sitting on Jinki’s back as he crawled on the floor on hands and knees. “Giddy up grandpa!”

Eunsook peeked her head out of the kitchen to see what was going on. “Dear, get off grandpa. You’re going to hurt his back. He is not a horse.”

“It’s fine Sookie. She won’t hurt me.  And yes I am a horse.” Eunsook shook her head and went back into the kitchen letting the two play. Jinki was getting a cramp in his lower back, and his knee started to throb and Gwiboon felt heavier but he’d do anything for her happiness so he carried on until she chirped “Grandpa, who’s that?”

“Hmm?” He looked over his shoulder to find her pointing at the pretty frame with the picture of his late wife he had been looking at earlier.

“It’s….” He paused as his eyes scanned the photo. 

His granddaughter jumped off his back and ran to the picture picking it up and brought it back to show him. He smiled softly then took it from her as he got up and sat down in his chair again.  He held out his arms for her to crawl up and sit in his lap. “This is my wife. Your grandma. I’ve told you before, don’t you remember sweetie?”

She shook her head no then asked “Where is she?”

Eunsook and her husband had finished the dishes and had seen the conversation from the doorway. She figured out what her father had been crying about and helped her dad out before he got emotional again; she walked the rest of the way into the room “Gwiboon it’s time for your bath. Go upstairs with daddy ok? I’ll come up and tuck you in when you’re ready for bed.”  She walked over and kissed her head and helped her out of Jinki’s lap.

Eunsook and Jinki watched the little girl go up the steps with her dad, Minho. Once out of sight Eunsook held her father’s hand. “Appa, why didn’t you tell me you were missing her so much? You know I miss her too dad. Want to talk about it?”

He tried not to tear up again, his voice so quiet as he returned his attention to the photograph “I miss her every day. Today is the anniversary of when we started dating all those years ago. I wish she could have met Gwiboon. She would have loved her. Gwiboon is so smart and pretty just like you and your mother.” He sniffed.

Wiping her father’s tears she voiced tenderly “Mom would have loved her, dad.” Jinki and his daughter spent awhile talking about the good times before she had passed away. Later they went upstairs to tuck Gwiboon in for the night.

Eunsook and her husband were cuddled in bed with their daughter as Grandpa Jinki read a bedtime story. Jinki looked up from the pages of the story book briefly and smiled at his beautiful daughter he and his wife had created and if it wasn’t for his Eunsook being born and growing up he never would have his pretty little Gwiboon and his perfect son-in-law; if he never married her he wouldn’t have the family he has now…. He was happy and his spirits were high again as he read the story trying to think of the love he receives from the trio in the bed and the love he use to get from her………Once Gwiboon fell asleep her parents and grandpa left the room. Jinki made his way to his room.. As he walked down the hall after whispering goodnight to Eunsook and Minho he remembered all the times when Eunsook was a little girl and wanted her daddy to read to her. Jinki would read and sometimes it put his wife and their daughter to sleep due to his handsome smooth voice; Jinki chuckled at the memories. He’d wake up his wife and they’d sneak out of Eunsook’s room and if they were lucky and Eunsook was in a deep slumber they’d have a romantic night until they were exhausted from making love. Jinki’s cheeks tinted pink thinking of the times.

He opened his door and was met with a dark bedroom; his eyes scanned the dim room. He flipped on the light switch and sighed heavily at the sight of his big empty bed. Night time was always the loneliest. Lee Jinki loved his little family and he loved them with all his heart but yet his heart was lonely in a way they could not fill. In his bedroom there was no wife waiting for him, no one to cuddle or kiss or touch intimately, not a soul to talk to. No wife to hold him when he cried. No wife to tell him all would be ok.

He undressed and the watery eyes returned as his old friend “loneliness” was the only one there to greet him tonight as he lay down under the covers. He wiped his eyes and mumbled “I miss you.” But unlike earlier those words this time were not directed towards his late wife…. and he felt guilty….. His thoughts of her had faded while undressing for bed and had been replaced by thoughts of his first love; thoughts of him……