Ji Hoo was shuffling through the pages of the business magazine. It was another two hours before the flight would land in Seoul. Ji Hoo looked at his mother who was finally sleeping in the cubicle across the aisle, after his insistence to take the sleeping pills. The service in the first-class cabin was smooth as usual; yet he could not take rest for a moment. The face of his elder brother Jun Pyo flashed in his mind whenever he tried to close his eyes.

Why hyung, why? Why did you have to go away so far from us?

He checked the lone tear that was at the verge of rolling down and looked out of the window.

Yoon Ji Hoo was now the sole owner of the Shinwa Group, a renowned business empire in the metal industry of Europe. His elder brother Jun Pyo, who was an equal share holder in their business, had been estranged from them for quite a long time. Six years ago, when Ji Hoo was doing his management studies in the US, Jun Pyo had come to South Korea for some merger business, and after that he never went back to his family in London. He had fallen in love with some ordinary girl, belonging to a low-middle class family, and decided to marry her. Kang Hee Soo, Ji Hoo’s mother, was dead against this relationship and had threatened her elder son of alienating him from the family name and property. Ji Hoo never understood why his hyung became so adamant and severed all ties with his family for that average girl. Today they were going to Seoul to see his brother for the last time, to bid him farewell forever, as his last rites were to be held at a grave site in Seoul.

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Jan Di stared at the ebony coffin placed on the ground, by the pit already dug for the burial purpose. She pictured her husband lying inside, lifeless. It was so difficult for her to imagine him in that state; for it was impossible for an ever-lively, ever-smiling person like Jun Pyo to stay still for more than a minute. Unless he was sleeping. That’s it, he is sleeping, a very long sleep. Her four-year old son Min Jun was clinging to her legs, sobbing uncontrollably.

"You came to my life unannounced, made it as beautiful as a fairy tale, and then left me just like that. How selfish of you Jun Pyo! Why did you have to make my ordinary life so special that now I cannot imagine living without you? How will I breathe Jun Pyo? You have taken away all my vitality with you,” whispered Jan Di in between her tears as she clasped on to Min Jun’s shoulder tightly.

A black Maserati stopped in front of the burial ground and Ji Hoo came out holding his distressed mother. Hee Soo broke down seeing the black coffin on the ground. Ji Hoo embraced her and tried to console her. After the rites were completed, he noticed a lean woman in black with a small child standing at a distance from them and looking abstracted. Was it the same woman who had beguiled his hyung and distanced him from his family? An instant loathing aroused in Ji Hoo’s mind for her.

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“I want my grandson at any cost Ji Hoo. She came in Jun Pyo’s life without my consent. That witch snatched away my son from me. I cannot let her keep away my son’s only heir,” declared Hee Soo in a stern voice.

“Mom, I can understand your concern, but it means we will have to get into legalities and that can take time,” replied Ji Hoo, trying to appease her temper.

“I don’t know how you are going to do that, Ji Hoo. I suppose you have earned enough which could get all these sorted pretty easily,” Hee Soo gritted through her teeth and stormed out of his room.

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The Yoons lodged a lawsuit claiming Min Jun’s custodianship against Geum Jan Di. To prove her inability in properly bringing up Min Jun, Yoon’s solicitor resorted to false evidences and witnesses who ascertained that Jan Di was a promiscuous woman. Hee Soo did not want to leave any stone unturned to get her grandson to herself. After the third hearing, Jan Di approached the solicitor and told him she was ready to give up her son’s custodianship to Kang Hee Soo and Yoon Ji Hoo.

“Very good Geum Jan Di-sshi. What amount of money would you settle for?” asked the solicitor.

Jan Di stared at him blankly for some moments.

“I am talking about my son, Mr. Lee. He is not a saleable object whose price I would ask for in return. He is a Yoon by birth, and he will be living with his family henceforth,” replied Jan Di in a soft but firm voice.

This was completely unexpected for Ji Hoo. While his mother was enjoying her so called victory, Ji Hoo pondered over why a woman coming from a needy background would not ask for money when she could have earned a fortune. For the first time he felt like meeting and knowing her upfront.

“You can call me Jan Di, I know calling dongseo would be difficult for you,” said Jan Di.

Ji Hoo was observing her minutely. Although she belonged to a class far below his own, she had a dignified demeanor often missing in people he was accustomed to.

“I am really thankful to you Jan Di, that you readily accepted our demand and agreed to give up Min Jun’s responsibility,” said Ji Hoo.

Jan Di looked at him straight. Did he see a slight smile on her face?

“I am thankful to you Yoon Ji Hoo-sshi, that you could engender so much love and affection for my son so soon, whose existence was not even known to you before coming to Seoul,” replied Jan Di with an unfaltering tone.

Ji Hoo had to look away from her face, as he did not have any words to speak anymore.

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Some legality was still pending, and Min Jun’s visa application would take few more months. Hee Soo and Ji Hoo moved to their ancestral house in the outskirts of Seoul from the hotel. Ji Hoo decided to stay these few months in Seoul and operate his business remotely. He was getting fonder of Min Jun with every passing day. Min Jun was a very understanding child, never nagging for anything. Even at this early childhood, he was matured enough to understand the dynamics of his relationship with his mother and this new family. Initially he had cried for his mother. Then gradually his tears were replaced with a sad but silent expression. He was given all expensive toys and taken to amusement parks almost every other day. Still Ji Hoo could perceive the child’s latent agony for his mother’s absence.

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One day Ji Hoo took Min Jun with him on a long ride.

“Would you like to meet your mom?” Ji Hoo asked the child, on their way back home.

The bright smile on Min Jun’s face and the brilliance of his eyes answered Ji Hoo’s question. As they entered the not-so-posh neighbourhood, Min Jun guided him to the tenements where he had been living with his mother.

Jan Di was surprised to see her son and Ji Hoo at her door.

“Uhm, hi Jan Di, we were just passing by the expressway so thought to come and say hi to you, isn’t it, Min Jun?” spoke Ji Hoo with a pleasant smile.

Min Jun was too excited to see his mother after so many days. He jumped onto Jan Di’s lap and held her tight. Ji Hoo noticed how Jan Di furtively wiped her tears and spoke to her son with love and warmth.

“If you are not busy, would you like to join us for a dinner? With Min Jun and me only,” added Ji Hoo cautiously.

For some unknown reason, he wanted to be a witness of this blissful mother-son bond. Even Jan Di did not feel like refusing him on his face.

After many months Jan Di had such a nice time. She smiled, played and enjoyed every moment with her son. Ji Hoo too cherished her company. He got convinced more and more of her attributes, the ones that must have held Jun Pyo back to Seoul, away from London, away from his family. Then onwards it became a practice for Ji Hoo to take Min Jun for a long ride twice or thrice a week, and every time stopping to say hi to Jan Di.

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“What do you do for living Jan Di?” Ji Hoo asked one day.

“You mean other than sleeping around with every guy I meet?” asked Jan Di, pointing to the false allegations that were on her during the trials.

Ji Hoo’s face reddened with embarrassment.

“I am a teacher in the primary school,” said Jan Di.

“I have some friends in Seoul in esteemed positions. I can get you a good job…”

“Ji Hoo, please stop patronizing me. I am more than happy that you are taking proper care of my son. I do not expect or desire any favour from you.”

And with that Ji Hoo understood that Jan Di’s self-esteem was much more precious to her than any material benefit.

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Isn’t his smile very much like Jun Pyo? Why not, they were brother after all! But Jun Pyo’s features were much livelier than Ji Hoo. And his nature was also not so curt like Ji Hoo’s.

Jan Di irked at her own stupidity. Why was she trying to compare Ji Hoo to her deceased husband? They were two different persons, one who belonged to her and the other who was not even distantly related to her.

Her thought was interrupted by the loud ringing of her phone.

“Hello, who is this?... Hospital?... Yoon Min Jun? What happened to Min Jun? I am coming right now,” spoke Jan Di and rushed out of her home.

Min Jun had been playing with the servants at the terrace when the ball fell off the railing. Min Jun was leaning against the railing to see where the ball had fallen, when the old rusted iron buckled under his weight and he fell from the terrace on to the ground.

Ji Hoo was standing like statue, staring at the lifeless body of Min Jun.

Why did he leave Min Jun alone with the servants at home? Why could he not take him to his friend’s place? How could he fail to keep his hyung’s only blood safe? And alive?

Jan Di rushed inside the biggest hospital of Seoul. She was told Min Jun had some accid