TWELVE:
Opening Night

Sunlight spilled into the room and splashed onto Jisoo’s still-lidded eyes. She draped her arm over her face. The morning after a restless night. She heaved a deep sigh before deciding she ought to be up. She had a day of errands ahead of her. 

Jisoo rose from the mattress and walked over to the full-body mirror in the corner of the room. She was still wearing the periwinkle dress from the night before. After her parents arrived at the hospital, her mother elected to stay overnight to watch Harabeoji, and Jisoo returned home with her father. She had been too shocked and exhausted to change out or wipe off her makeup.

She grabbed a shirt and jeans from her dresser then went to the restroom to change and wash her face. Then, she headed to the kitchen to make herself a quick breakfast and grab the lunchbox she had prepared for her mom in the refrigerator. 

“You won’t need the car today, right, Dad?,” Jisoo asked. 

Mr. Kim was on his hands and knees, wielding a power tool and driving a screw to secure a new sill for the front door. “Where are you headed?” he asked.

“To see Mom and Harabeoji,” she answered, stuffing her feet into her shoes. “I’m taking the car. You won’t need it, right?”

The old door that Jisoo had pulled out of its frame earlier in the summer was tossed out with the rubbish in the backyard. Her father had gone into town before Jisoo awoke to get a new one. Mr. Kim gave a grunt of agreement as he stepped away to examine his work.

Jisoo had felt bad about the door before, but she felt seriously guilty now. She was the one who ed it up back in June, and her seemingly harmless mistake turned out to have major consequences. Usually, they were able to leave Harabeoji to his own devices provided that they could keep him from wandering. He must have seen the door wide open and simply walked out after Jisoo left.

At the hospital, Jisoo gave her mother the lunchbox she prepared the night before. All the place had in the way of food was crusty bread, watered-down soup, a cup of pudding and a vending machine that sold chocolate bars, so Jisoo knew that her mother and grandfather would be hungry. 

“Harabeoji, how do you feel?” Jisoo asked as she fidgeted with her fingers and sank down into a chair when her mother went to the toilet. The old man grunted and ran a hand along the arm sling. 

“This arm still aches,” he complained. “But I’ve endured much worse. Bullets and blades in my younger years.”

He seemed to be back to normal, but normal for Harabeoji also meant unpredictable. While he was clear-headed now, Jisoo couldn’t be sure what he would be like ten or fifteen minutes from now. 

“We can see if the doctor will give you something for the pain,” Jisoo said. 

He continued rubbing the arm sling. “They told me that I caused an uproar at Park Boyoung’s wedding reception last night,” he said, his gravelly voice tinged with regret. Jisoo’s heart clenched.

“You gave them a bit of a scare,” she said gently. “I tried to tell them that everything was fine, but—anyway, the important thing is, no one was hurt. Scared, maybe, but not hurt.”

He nodded though Jisoo could see that her words didn’t little to comfort him. 

“Park Boyoung,” he said. “She is the eldest daughter of Park Jangjoon, head of Abacus Savings and Loan, son of Park Yoonsung.”

Jisoo had forgotten how astute her grandfather was before the memory problems began. He had lived in this town all his life, and he had studied all the family registers. She nodded.

“She’s his second daughter, actually,” Jisoo corrected him. He nodded.

“And what is her husband’s name?” he asked. She hesitated, afraid that bringing it up would trigger another episode.

“Kondo Yoshiki,” she said softly. He nodded again.

“Park Jangjoon is fortunate that his third child happened to be a son,” he said. “We’ve yet to see the end of the Park bloodline. My family name, on the other hand…”

His voice trailed off and he gave Jisoo as a smirk. Harabeoji had just one daughter, Jisoo’s mother, and Jisoo was an only child, too. She returned the smirk.

“Harabeoji,” she said. “You need to join us here in the 21st century. Daughters are just as good as sons now. Better, even.”

“You don’t have to tell me that,” he said. “I know all about how exceptional daughters can be.”

He looked at her with a proud smile, and Jisoo blushed in spite of herself. They sat in silence a bit longer until he sighed.

“Will you please do something for me?” he said, sadly again. “Please tell Park Boyoung that I am very sorry for what happened.”

Jisoo left the hospital around two in the afternoon, and then she drove over to the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for dinner tonight. She knew her mother would be wiped out from staying at the hospital all that, so she took upon herself to cover their meal for tonight. Then, she drove to the Parks’ house, hoping she could catch Boyoung before she and Yoshiki left.

She arrived in their driveway just as Boyoung was loading up her husband’s car. When she spotted Jisoo hopping out of her car, the new bride stopped what she was doing and waited until Jisoo had crossed the driveway and stood in front of her.

“Hey there,” Boyoung said, smiling softly. Jisoo clenched and unclenched her fists. Boyoung noticed the nervous action and took one of her hands into hers.

“Unni,” Jisoo began with a shaky voice. Immediately, Boyoung pulled the younger girl in for a hug.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Jisoo squeezed Boyoung as the apologies spilled out. Boyoung rubbed her back.

“It’s okay,” Boyoung said. “I admit that I was disappointed to see all my planning thrown out the window but… no harm, no foul. Nobody was hurt, except your grandfather, of course. How is he doing?”

Jisoo stepped out of the embrace and drew in a long breath. “He’s… better,” Jisoo said. “For now, at least. But the doctors and the police are putting more pressure on my mom to find a new home for him. Someplace where he can be watched properly and get the care he needs.”

Boyoung swallowed and nodded slowly. “It could be what’s best for him,” she assured her. “I’m sure if you talked to people who ran the home, you could reach some kind of arrangement on the cost. Your grandfather’s book has brought plenty of attention on the town, he’s practically a celebrity around here.”

Jisoo nodded. One look at her face, though, and Boyoung could see that Jisoo was still blaming herself for what happened. All Boyoung could remember, however, was how Jisoo had thrown herself wholeheartedly in front of her grandfather’s s