Chapter 11

His mother beamed when she saw the antique coffee table that now adorned the newly decorated foyer. She was just thinking of doing the same thing but having to accompany her husband during travels, she had to put it off time and time again. The coffee table was a wedding gift by her grandparents to her parents. When she herself married Yonghwa’s dad, she asked for that specific coffee table to be brought to their Busan house. When they moved to Seoul, she also brought it with them, but this time it had to stay in the attic because it somehow didn’t fit anywhere inside the house. Now she sits on it and imagined herself reading a book there with the sun shining through. She was surprised that it actually looks good there despite the modern theme of the house.

The truth is, it was accidental that Joohyun saw the antique in the attic. During one of the site visit that she made with Yonghwa, he brought her there because she was asking to look at his baby pictures but instead she saw it there still wrapped in plastic bubble collecting dust. When they finally released it from all its trappings, she knew exactly where it would go. She and Yonghwa didn’t even know how much his mother actually loved that piece of furniture.

“This is all so perfect!” his mother exclaimed as she looked around. “Are those real plants?” pointing at the hanging greens then looking at Joohuyn

“Yes ma’am, the good thing about those pots is that they actually have this built in floral foam and you don’t have to change it in the next 6 months. I’m not sure of the flowers that you like so I chose those colorful ones like Aubrieta and Bell flower, I also added Catmint, you can also change them depending on the season so they will bloom beautiful along with it.”

Mrs. Jung beamed “That will be so perfect when I read her and drink my tea”

“I’m sure it is mom but for now we have guests outsite who I think would want to mingle with you and dad, speaking off, where is dad?”

“Still upstairs at the library” Joohyun answered

“Thank you very much Joohyunssi for helping Yonghwa with his wonderful gift”

“No worries ma’am, please call me Joohyun”

“Alright then, Joohyun it is, I take you also had a hand on the party outside?”

“A bit of this and that, you have a fully capable son who doesn’t really need my help”

“Capable but no sense at times” shaking her head “Let’s go Joohyun” the older lady held on to her elbow as they slowly walked out to the garden.

____________

There was a small program of which only consist of an old footage of Yonghwa’s parent’s wedding. A few video messages from their close relatives who lives abroad. They also made his parent’s play the game of which they have to have the same answer or else Yonghwa and his brother will get pied. To make the moment more momentous, the couple answered the last 3 question wrong just for fun. Yonghwa and his brother were left wide eyed with jaw hanging when their parent’s were asked for their anniversary date and each answered the date of their birth instead.

It was now clear for all the guest who Joohyun is because for Yonghwa’s hyung, it was his wife who pied his face, for Yonghwwa, it was Joohyun. The first pie she threw at him was so weak it didn’t almost touched his face

“Come on Joohyun, I bet you can do better than that” his dad hollered “I’ll show you how it’s done”

“Appa no!”

It was too late, with a bit of force, the pie landed solid on his face, with no space to spare. The guests were all laughing so hard and so does Joohyun who took a towel and wiped Yonghwa’s eyes.

Yonghwa had to wash and change his clothes after the game leaving Joohyun with his parents and his sister in law. She sat silently as the people around he table talk about random stuff, she smiled and nodded as they talked. Apparently though, it was Lee Yeon Hee and her parents that is on that same table.

“It was the same as the one that Yeon Hee, Yunho and Yonghwa went to” Lee Yeon Hee’s mom spoke

“When”

“It think it was winter of 95?”

Yonghwa’s mom laughed “Oh Yok Ja, how do you supposed I’m able to remember that? That was decades ago!”

“It was the time Yonghwa broke his arms immo” Yeon Hee added

“Okay I remember now, he was such a weak kid, while you were boyish!”

“Who would’ve though you’d turn out to be a really beautiful lady?” Yonghwa’s dad added

They continued to talk about the past while Joohyun started to feel cold. Not literally but inside her. It was jealousy. She knew that it wasn’t their intention to talk about things she didn’t know, it was nobody’s fault. When she saw Yonghwa and Yunho emerged from the glass door that leads to the garden she felt relieved. He sat next to her and held her hand under the table and felt the clamminess of it

“Are you okay? Are you cold?”

“I’m okay, I took the liberty of getting you food”

“You’re the best Joohyun”

“Yong” Yeon Hee’s dad called “Whatever happened to that vintage car you bought?”

Yonhwa laughed obviously knowing what the man was talking about “I sold it samchon or else appa will kill me”

The old man saw a bit of confusion in Joohyun’s face “Aigoo Joohyun, these two kids has been trouble makers ever since, they are par