A Tale of a Geisha

“Honey, please don't,” I heard my own mother begging to my father in the next room. They were arguing over things that I do not understand. Father was... addicted. Yes, he was addicted to something. I forgot what.

“Just shut up, where did you put that money? My friends are waiting to gamble,” that's right, father was addicted to gambling. I do not know much about it but all I know that father always scold mother, asking her where she put the extra money away. Her money, her own money that she earned by making endless hanbok* at the factory downtown. Father was taking it away again, and I never heard it coming back to mother. A loud slap was heard and I winced. Hugging my legs to my chest I tried to block out the sounds that was coming from the next room. But mother's cries were already heard through the thin wall of our wooden home. I hate this, I hate it when father comes back at the middle of the night, waking me up and hurt my mother. Then there were rapid footsteps getting farther away, continued with a loud bang. I winced once more. Father must have gone out again. All I could hear now was mother's continuous sobs. I sat up on my thin mattress softly, not wishing to make any noise and quietly tip toed to the next room. There were only two rooms in this home, a small living area where guests come and go and an even smaller kitchen. I quietly opened the door and peaked inside, only to see my mother on the ground, crying like a child. At times like this, I thought it was not fair. I was the eight year old child, I should be crying, not my mother.

“Omma*?” I softly spoke. My mother's head quickly went up from the ground and her red puffy eyes searched for mine. I have always loved her eyes, father too. He said when he first saw those beautiful bluish gray eyes, he knew he had to had her. But those beautiful eyes were tainted with tears, running down across the smooth skin of her cheeks. I quickly went inside and gave her a huge hug. She calmed down as she her soft fingers through my long jet black hair. Mother said she loved my hair and would never ever cut it. “Omma, did appa* hurt you again?” I asked as I looked at those gray eyes. She immediately hugged me again.

“Oh YoonA, there is nothing for you to worry, omma will be fine,” she smiled, assuring me. Her smile was one of the kind, it was those smiles that would show all of your teeth and the kind of smile that make your eyes smile as well. Mother has the most beautiful smile in the village here in Korea. “Are you ready for your birthday YoonA?” Mother asked as I jumped excitedly around her arms, nodding my head as I do so. My ninth birthday was coming soon and mother already made a very special cake. She laughed as she brought me to my room next door. She tucked me into bed again and gave me a kiss on my forehead. She would then sang my most favorite lullaby in the most beautiful voice and I softly drifted to sleep.

It was the last time I ever heard her lullaby before I woke up rocking in a ship.

An original story under Park RyeoNa, casting Im YoonA of Girls' Generation and Lee DongHae of Super Junior.

*Note:
Hanbok is a traditional Korean dress.
Omma is a Korean word for mother.
Appa is a Korean word for father.