A year and a half later…

Two things I’ve learned from being away from my reality are:

1. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Before coming to the island, I thought I’m going to be so miserable to even function, only to turn out happy and at peace with myself in the end. I strangely found myself in this unfamiliar place, making good memories.
2. It’s good to just live. Back in the city where a lot of things are happening, I cannot really hear myself, my mind, my heart and even my soul. I’m so busy keeping up with a fast-paced life like everybody else, that I forgot to step back and just ‘smell the roses’. Now, I’ve learned that taking it all in is so much better than just letting it slip away from your fingers. It sure is slower than before and I get bored of it at times, but it really feels so good.

“Yes!” I shrieked excitedly as I pull out letters from my mailbox.

Uh-huh. That’s right. I have a mailbox. So old-school. I know.

“Emma” I giggled upon opening the pink envelope and being bombed with glitters.

About a year ago, Dami Unnie taught the kids how to write letters and send snail mails, and from that day onwards, they choose to communicate with me through letters than chat with me on K-talk. 

You may be wondering how I got connected with the kids again. Well, thanks to Dami Unnie, who in my sixth month away from them, brought Ethan and Emma to me here in Jeju because she really hates the set up that Jiyong made. It was one heck of a reunion I’m telling you. There were a lot of tears, but laughter comes after that. I’m in disbelief when they agreed to let me stay in the island for a little more time. According to them, they like the new me. Emma even said that ‘Jeju Mom’ as she fondly calls me now, is cooler than ‘Seoul Mom’. Dami Unnie agreed to it as well. She said that I’m glowing in happiness, that she sadly didn’t see when I was still in the city.

You may think that I’m selfish for not going back to my kids. I swear, I want to be with them. It’s just that, they are in a better place with Jiyong. Yes, it’s good to live here as well, but given that they are already settled there, I don’t want to put them in a situation again where they are going to adjust and adapt once more when they had the hardest time doing that when we just moved from Chicago to Seoul.

Our arrangement is pretty good. I get to have the kids twice a month. It’s usually the weekend of the first week and third week of every month. It’s a lot of flying here and there, but the kids enjoys it. Sometimes they come here with Dami Unnie, but most of the time it’s Kwon Omma they’re with. Every time they’re here I let them loose just like when we were still in Chicago. I let them play at the park all by themselves. Believe it or not, they speak Korean better now, so they can communicate well with other kids already.

Dear Mom,

I’m writing in cursive now. My teacher told me that I need to improve it. That’s why, Daddy told me to write my letters to you in cursive so that I can practice. I just hope you can read my writing well.

My week is not as good as the other weeks. I missed you during my swimming competition. Don’t worry, it’s okay. I didn’t win, but Daddy said there’s nothing to be sad about because I swim great it’s just that Lee Jin got lucky that day that’s why he won.

Mom, I miss you. I cannot wait to see you next weekend.

I love you!

PS: Please give Vivi a good bath for me. She stinks REAL bad the last time we were there.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                ETHAN.

Dearest Mom,

Hi! How are you?

My teddy bear got lost when I brought it to school last Tuesday. I’m sad because you gave it to me as a reward for getting good grades. But, there’ nothing to worry about anymore because Daddy helped me sketch how teddy looked like and photocopied it, and helped me post it all around the school. He’s giving a bag full of candies as a reward to the person who finds Teddy. My classmates think of it as a mission. Also, they want to get the bag of candies. If only I can tell them that we got a lot of it at home and I can just sneak some out and put them in my bag.

I love you Mom! I miss you!

PS: I am the one who drew a tree on your living room wall using a sharpee. Don’t get mad at me, okay?

                                                                                                                                                                                             Emma.

These kids. You can clearly see how their personalities differ from each other just by reading their letters.

“Oh gosh” all I can do is stare at the tree drawing that I just knew about. I cannot believe that I didn’t notice the whole week. “I’ll…let you be” I told the innocent tree. Good thing, it’s not that big. Emma really knows how to mark certain places. Kwon Omma said she must’ve seen Jiyong do it. Our daughter has this habit of doodling on walls and even her shoes. What can I say? Emma is not just a spitting image of Jiyong but she also got his creativity, that is oozing.

My days usually starts with a cup of coffee that I get from Mark’s café down the street. Well, from staying at a hotel for months, I decided to rent a small house that is just like the cottage house from the movie Matilda. It’s cozy and homey. Unlike my apartment in Seoul, I get to have a backyard that I put a swing and a picnic table in. Aside from my mailbox, Mark and I put fences around the house (not that it’s needed for security). I might not have fancy looking furniture and fixtures, but I’m all good with the simplicity every thing in my house has.

“Good Morning guys!” I greeted Sunye and Jihoon. “You are looking lovelier than yesterday Noona” Jihoon said, obviously joking me. I rolled my eyes and laughed, “How much money do you want?” I ride on the joke. He giggled, “A few thousand?”

These siblings are like friends to me now. They know my story as I know theirs. Together with Mark, I get to parent them too. They are still teenagers who needed guidance, and I’m more than willing to give them that.

“Oppa called…” Sunye took the seat in front of me “He said he’ll come in late today”

I raised an eyebrow, “I see…”

Sunye giggled, “Unnie…don’t worry about him…I’m sure he just has some things to do”

I smirked, “I know”

Ever since the day Mark and I met, we’re inseparable. At first I thought I’m being too needy and clingy, and that he’s just doing me a favor because I’m ‘that lost girl who is in bad need of another person, in hopes that she will find herself again with the help of that another person’, but it turns out that he also loves my company.

Mark, after being with him for a year and half now, I can say that he’s my Aden 2.0, only much more outgoing and I must admit, way lot hotter. Here, nobody believes that we’re only friends. The Halmeonis at the elderly care where I’m a volunteer even gets mad at me for denying him. According to them, denying your love for someone is a crime in the law of love, and if you truly feel genuine for this person, there’s no reason why you cannot tell the whole world about him. Makes sense, right?

“Good Morning!” the siblings greeted. Someone just entered the café. My back is facing the door, I cannot see who it is. Probably it’s the Oppa from down the street. He’s a regular customer.

“I have news for you” my heart jumped when Mark just showed up from nowhere. He just laughed at me when I almost had a heart attack.

“What’s with you?” I hit his arm as he settles in his seat.

He chuckled, “I don’t know why, but there’s joy whenever I give you a fright…it’s an unexplainable thing” he replied and all I can do is roll my eyes. “So!” he clasped his hands with a grin plastered on his face. “I have news”

Oh no. This might not be good.

A couple of days ago, Mark told me that he’s planning to go back to America because his Mommy needs a hand in this organization she’s founding. Last time we talked about it he told me that he already politely turned her down for the sole reason that he cannot leave the life he has here anymore. What do we know, maybe he got a change of heart?

“Spill it” I said under my breath.

“I will…in a minute” Mark stood up and poured himself a cup of his favorite black coffee, while I wait anxiously for him, unconsciously biting the inside of my left cheek.

“Alright” my heart raced the moment he came back to his seat. “The news”. He is smiling, and it’s not forced, so maybe he didn’t have a change of heart. It must be a news about the grass field that we’re trying to buy to make into another children’s center – a project of him and I to help more kids in the island.

Impatient, I kicked him a little too hard under the table, making him yelp. “YAH!”

I sighed heavily, “The news” I said, badly wanting to hear it already.

With a hiss, he straightened himself up and slides forward his cellphone. Nervous and totally anxious, I grabbed it with both hands.

                                     {G-dragon, a free man again!}

Following the announcement of Lena Kwon’s relationship with a business tycoon that has been going on for a year now, the court declared her marriage with Kwon Jiyong a.k.a G-dragon, null and void. Resource tells us that G-dragon gave his now Ex-wife, a huge amount of parting money, including their house in Gangnam District along with the Porsche that he gifted her a few years ago.

As per GD’s representative, the superstar is happy about the divorce, for it’s been a long secret battle that once they thought is impossible to win. The superstar also said that other than his music career and businesses, his focus is on his children. In regards to his babies’ Mother, Jeong Areum, it’s been a long time since they were last seen together, some even say that they are in a non- speaking term for a long time already.

                                                                                                                                                   ****