The Eighth Picture

                “This is Chohee,” he began, motioning to the girl standing beside him, “I know you told me not to but I really like her, Omma. She’s amazing and I know that if you opened up, you’d welcome her into our family the same way her family has with me.”

                “Is that where you’ve really been?” his mother asked, her eyes narrowing.

                “Some of the time,” he admitted, “Some days I did hang out with Jiyong too but that’s not the point. The point is that we’re dating and I want you to support us.” Somehow he managed to keep his voice from quivering too much. This was honestly the first time he had stood up to her and he was definitely not enjoying any of this.

                “You really like her?” she asked after a moment of silence.

                “Yes,” Youngbae nodded, staring straight into her eyes for the full effect. He didn’t want there to be any doubt about his feelings for her. If his mother sensed weakness, she would latch onto it and he would never get her approval.

                She got up from the couch and closed the space between herself and the only other woman in the room. Chohee’s eyes widened for a moment, seemingly surprised at how quickly his mother could move when she really wanted to.

                Youngbae had to hold himself back from wanting to put a little bit of distance between the two of them. His mother looked her up and down and seemed satisfied with what she saw. “You look fine. What’s your GPA?”

                “3.5.”

                “That’s good too,” she nodded, “Almost as good as Youngbae’s, but what is your major?”

                “Come on, Omma, you don’t have to interrogate her,” Youngbae groaned, knowing where this would eventually lead. She’d find something wrong somewhere.

                Chohee glanced up as if she were thinking before saying with a smile, “I major in the fine Arts, specifically Photography.”

                “That will never do,” his mother shook her head, “My son needs to marry a girl with a major she could actually do something with if the need ever arose. You can’t do anything with something artistic.” She turned to walk back to the couch, seemingly satisfied that the problem would be done with now.

                “How can you say that when your son is so wonderfully artistic?” Chohee asked, her brow furrowing at the seemingly innocent question. Youngbae flinched; he had hoped that he could save that conversation for another time but it looked like he wasn’t getting his wish. Well, he supposed it was better to have his mom really angry once than mildly pissed twice.

                “I know he can play piano but what does that have to do with anything?” His mother turned back around and gave the pair an exasperated sigh. Youngbae took in a deep breath, attracting his mother’s attention before he opened his mouth to speak again.

                “I’ve been taking piano lessons at the university for free. The professor who is teaching me says that I have a real talent for it,” Youngbae said. His hands were beginning to shake so he shoved them into his pockets to attempt to cover up his anxiety. Even the haunted house Jiyong had forced him into hadn’t been this frightening.

                “What haven’t you been doing behind my back?” his mother demanded, her temper showing through, “Is there nothing you won’t do to spite me? What about your future? What about all of the plans I made for you?” The more questions she asked, the more strained her voice became. She looked up at him with her eyes wide; he was afraid they were going to pop out.

                “I knew you would disapprove,” he said quietly.

                “Of course I would disapprove!” she shouted, “I had everything planned out for you! I had your future practically set in stone! All you had to do was follow the path I carefully laid out for you, but apparently that was too much.”

                “It’s my future,” he mumbled, causing Chohee’s eyes to soften.

                “What?” his mother hissed.

                “It’s my future, not yours,” he said loud enough for her to hear this time, “I will choose my own path. I’m the one who decides my future, not you.”

                “Youngbae-yah,” Chohee whispered as she reached out for him. Before she could touch him, his mother grabbed her hand within her iron grasp.

                “You! You’re the reason why he’s acting this way!” she growled, “Why can’t you leave my son alone?” His mother’s voice cracked with emotion, tears welling up in her eyes. She shook Chohee’s arm while blinking the tears away.

                “I can’t leave him alone because I love him,” Chohee replied before wrapped her hand around his mother’s which was still clenched around her wrist. His mother looked back and forth between their hands before roughly pulling hers away as if Chohee’s touch was poison.

                “Well? Is that it? You love him so everything is going to turn out fine?”

                “No,” Chohee shook her head, “There will be ups and downs. I’m sure we’ll fight and wish we hadn’t met. I’m sure we’ll argue and in loud voices say things we’ll regret. I’m sure that there will be times when we don’t have enough money and curse the reasons why we’re poor. But, I’m also sure that we’ll recover from those fights. We’ll apologize and the words won’t be gone but they’ll fade. When we’re poor, we’ll realize how many things we take for granted. Your son and I will remember in those hard moments why we are so lucky to have found each other. So, no, it won’t be ‘fine’. It will be so much better than that.”

                “You sound like some love-sick hero in a bad romance movie,” his mother said after a moment, “How can you so honestly believe the words coming out of your mouth?”

                “You’ve been in love,” she explained, “You know how.” That reply seemed to catch his mother off guard even more than the first answer. Both her eyes and Youngbae’s glanced over at the only photo which was framed and hung on the wall. He had been ten at the time and they had all taken a trip to Jeju Island. His father, being ever the extrovert had made many friends on their journey. The picture had been taken by a couple on their honeymoon and, in it; all three of them were smiling happily.

                “Youngbae-ah,” his mother called softly, “What are going to do then? What are you going to do without the life I so meticulously crafted for you?”

                “I’m going to continue and date Chohee,” he said before reaching out to take said girl’s hand, “and I guess I’ll see this semester out before deciding anything further. You can come to the Winter Showcase and see for yourself if I have the ability to do music. All I know is that Chohee and the piano make me happy and, Omma, business and economics do not.”

                She closed her eyes and her tone took on a more gentle quality which he hadn’t heard since his father’s funeral, “Your father was like that too. His parents wanted him to go into medicine but he chose the path of a business man instead… Though your path seems a bit more drastic.”

                “He also had to convince his mom to let him marry you,” Youngbae added, remembering stories his father used to tell about meeting and courting his mother. Her lips slowly lifted into a smile even as her eyes grew sad.

                “His mother hated me at first. I was not suited for him at all. I was barely getting by waiting tables and he was rising to the top of the company… It took her years to finally accept me, even after we married. The entire wedding she just frowned and shook her head,” she laughed softly, “Even so, nothing could ruin that day.”

                “Your husband sounds wonderful,” Chohee piped up. His mother nodded and Youngbae reached out to take her frail hand within his, connecting the three of them together.

                “He was, almost as amazing as my baby,” she sighed, “I’m so sorry. I’ve been foolish for so long. I’ve been trying to do what was best for you but I should have known better. I have a smart son. You know what’s best for you.”

                They stood in silence, ignoring the older woman’s sniffles. Chohee leaned her head on his shoulder and he leaned his on top of hers. He let go of his mother’s hand only to pull her into a half-hug. It was only then he realized how tiny the woman really was. As his mother, she had always seemed more than human but here she was, trying to push down feelings that had been bubbling beneath her stony surface for far too long.

                “Well,” his mother pushed away from them, “That’s enough from this old woman. You two should go out and enjoy your time together. I… I need to be alone for a little while.”

                “Omma-”

                “I’ll be fine, baby. I think it’s time I finally finished unpacking. You go out with your girlfriend and we’ll talk more about this music thing when you get back.”

                “Thank you,” Chohee bowed a full ninety degrees. Youngbae automatically began to bow as well, causing a soft chuckle to escape his mother’s lips.

                “You be careful with my son, young lady. Don’t go breaking his heart or I will regret not throwing you out when I was still angry,” she warned before going to pick up one of the boxes which usually resided in the corner of the living room. The dog followed, his tail wagging as she finally began pulling off the tape.

                “Let’s go.” Youngbae pulled Chohee towards the front room when they both quickly slipped on their shoes before entering the hallway. Youngbae closed the door but soon found himself leaning against it. He took a shaky breath before laughter filled the silent hall.

                “Why?” Chohee asked, cocking her head to the side.

                “She’s unpacking the boxes,” another giggle escaped, “She’s unpacking the boxes and you love me. You love me?”

                “I love you,” she nodded.

                “You love me,” he repeated before reaching out and pulling her close. His face turned about ten different shades of red as she fell into his arms. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. She sighed contently into the kiss as her arms wrapped around his neck.

                He pulled back but kept their foreheads pressed together while waiting for his heart to calm down. She didn’t give him much time to recover before leaning up to ghost her lips against his again. He smiled before placing butterfly kisses over her cheeks, nose, and forehead.

                “I love you too,” he finally said.

                “I know,” was the reply before she pulled away, “but, in case you forget, let’s take a picture to commemorate this occasion.”

                “Whatever you want,” he grinned from ear to ear as she pulled out her camera. He’d never object to a picture again, not when it was what brought them together in the first place. What an act of serendipity. 

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one more chapter to go guys! I hope you've enjoyed it so far :)