Chapter 32
When he arrived at home, Dong Sun caught sight of Mi Na dragging her luggage behind her as she exited the building. Walking past him, without as much as a single glance, Mi Na proceeded to deposit her luggage into the trunk of her car. When Dong Sun saw In-Su rushing out to stop Mi Na from leaving, he grabbed his brother’s arm and said, “Just let her go.” With a distressed expression on his face, In-Su asked, “Did you guys have a fight?” Pulling In-Su back into the building, Dong Sun replied, “No, we broke up.” Shocked by the news, In-Su quickly followed his brother up the stairs to ask him what had happened. When they were alone in their apartment, Dong Sun explained the extenuating circumstances, which had caused the break-up.
Staring at Dong Sun in disbelief, In-Su observed, “No matter how many excuses you come up with; I still think that you were wrong to do that to sister-in-law.” Glaring at his brother, Dong Sun stood up from the couch and reproached, “Don’t call her that anymore!” Angered by Dong Sun’s attitude, In-Su shoved him back onto the couch and said, “You can’t go around telling people what to do! We aren’t your little puppets to do with as you please.” Seeing the impassioned expression on In-Su’s face, Dong Sun lowered his voice and observed, “I know you and Mi Na are mad at me right now, but eventually you’ll both understand that I only did what was best for her.” With a loud scoff, In-Su asked, “How is marrying a jerk like Young Jae the best thing for her?”
Fed up with In-Su’s belligerence, Dong Sun asked, “Don’t you remember what happened to our parents? Do you think I could let that happen with Mi Na?” Without waiting for In-Su to respond, Dong Sun walked into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. Contemplating Dong Sun’s questions, In-Su’s facial expression softened upon realizing the real reason behind his brother’s actions. Knowing that Dong Sun would never attempt to explain himself to Mi Na, In-Su decided that he would contact her to let her know what was really going on.
When he was able to get a hold of Mi Na, In-Su asked, “Can we meet up later today?” Mi Na sighed and replied, “In-Su, I’m really busy right now. But if it’s necessary, I’ll meet you tomorrow at the coffee house.” In-Su happily agreed to Mi Na’s suggestion and asked her to swear that she would really come. Although, she was angry with Dong Sun, Mi Na still wanted to maintain her good relationship with In-Su and promised that she would see him tomorrow. After she had gotten off the phone with In-Su, Mi Na received a phone call from Young Jae asking her to stop by his house. With an indifferent tone, Mi Na informed him that she would not be available to see him until the wedding.
Thinking that he had already made enough concessions for her, Young Jae angrily asked, “Am I the only one getting married here?” Mi Na paused before replying, “If you don’t like the way I’m acting, then maybe we should call it off.” Young Jae knew that Mi Na would make good on her words and convinced himself that her attitude would eventually change once they were married. Composing himself, Young Jae replied, “Of course we can’t call it off. I’ll prove to you that you made a good choice in deciding to marry me.” Unaffected by Young Jae’s declarations, Mi Na asked, “How soon can you put this wedding together?” Contemplating Mi Na’s question, Young Jae replied, “If you want, I can have people work around the clock to get everything ready for this weekend.” Before she hung up the phone, Mi Na said, “Okay, I’ll see you this weekend.”
True to her words, Mi Na met In-Su at the coffee house the very next morning. Sitting alone with him in an isolated booth, Mi Na handed In-Su a wedding invitation and said, “Be sure to give that to your brother. He should be happy to attend since he’s the one who wanted to see me with Young Jae so badly.” Taking the invitation from Mi Na, In-Su asked, “Even if you’re mad at my brother, don’t you think that you’re just hurting yourself by marrying Young Jae?” Mi Na shook her head and replied, “I’ve carefully considered what I’m doing and ask that you trust in my judgment.” Wanting to change her mind, In-Su asked, “Before you make your final decision on this matter, can I tell you a story about my parents?”
Mi Na was sure that In-Su could not say anything, which would alter her decision and consented to hearing his story. Taking a deep breath, In-Su recounted his childhood with his brother by saying, “Even though our family was poor, our parents loved me and my brother very much. Our childhoods were pretty happy until we found out that our mother had cancer. The doctors said that the cancer might have been treatable, but since we couldn’t afford to pay for the treatments, our mother passed away shortly after she diagnosed.” Ignoring the unsettled expression on Mi Na’s face, In-Su continued to say, “No matter how much people tried to convince our father that our mother’s death was not his fault; he continued to blame himself. Since he had to take care of us by himself, our father eventually took on two additional construction jobs and died a year later in a car accident when he fell asleep at the wheel.”
Seeing that Mi Na was completely speechless, In-Su explained, “I think my brother pushed you away because he didn’t want you live like our mother did.” With tears in her eyes, Mi Na reached out for In-Su’s hand and said, “I’m sorry that you had to talk about your painful childhood. I understand everything that you’re trying to say to me, but I want to ask you whether you think your mother lived a happy life or not.” In-Su thought about Mi Na’s question and said, “I think she was happy before she died.” Wiping the tears from her face, Mi Na asked, “If that’s the case, why is your brother trying to stop me from having that kind of life? Does he really think that I’d be happy just because my husband was able to provide for me financially? Does he really equate money with happiness?” Realizing she was right, In-Su had no other choice but to promise to pass along the wedding invitation to his brother.
When he returned home from his meeting with Mi Na, In-Su handed her wedding invitation to his brother and said, “Noona asked me to give you that.” Dong Sun felt a tinge of pain upon hearing In-Su refer to Mi Na as “noona” instead of “sister-in-law” and proceeded to stuff the wedding invitation into his pocket. Seeing the dejected expression on Dong Sun’s face, In-Su said, “I told her about our parents.” Turning to face his brother, Dong Sun asked, “Why did you do that?” To which, In-Su replied, “Because I wanted her to understand why you did what you did.” Staring intently at In-Su, Dong Sun asked, “Do you think she understood?” With a long sigh, In-Su replied, “I think she did, but I doubt that it helps to lessen her pain.” With a weak smile, Dong Sun observed, “Eventually, she’ll be fine.”
Skeptical of his own assessment, Dong Sun left In-Su alone in the living room and went into this bedroom. When he was alone, Dong Sun took out Mi Na’s wedding invitation and read that she was to be married in two days at the chapel where her parents were wed. Recalling memories from the time that they had toured the chapel together, Dong Sun watched as his tears stained the front of her invitation. Spending the next day in a dazed stupor, Dong Sun finally decided that he did not want to be around on the day of Mi Na’s wedding and booked himself a flight to Jeju Island.
While he stood in line to board the plane, Dong Sun saw In-Su rushing towards him. Seeing the anxious expression on In-Su's face, Dong Sun got out of line and asked, “What are you doing here?” Out of breath, In-Su could not respond and could only hand Dong Sun a letter. Recognizing the handwriting on the envelope, as that of Mi Na’s, Dong Sun quickly opened the letter and read silently to himself.
Dear Dong Sun,
I’m truly disappointed that you weren’t able to allow me to decide my own path in life. If you had believed in me and in my love for you; I would have been happy to be your wife, if only for one day. During our time together it appears that I was the only one who was changed for the better. You once told me that my mother was lucky to have found her soul mate; I hope that one day you find yours’. I know that she’ll be the one woman in your life who makes you want to protect and fight for her. I assume I should be happy that you loved me enough to want to protect me. I promise you that I’ll live as well as I possibly can.
Yours forever,
Song Mi Na
Seeing his brother rush out towards the airport’s exit, In-Su asked, “Where are you going?” Picking up his pace, Dong Sun called back, “I’m going to fight for her!” With no time to waste, Dong Sun could not wait for In-Su to catch up and hailed a taxi to take him to the wedding chapel. When he finally arrived at his intended destination, Dong Sun could hear the wedding march end and knew that he was not too late. Barging into the chapel, full of wedding guests, Dong Sun stood at the end of the aisle and pleaded, “Please don’t marry him. I know now that I was wrong to think that I knew what was best for you. I should have believed in our love and I shouldn’t have given up on you. If you’ll still have me, I promise to walk down the road of life with you as your equal partner.”
Upon finishing his emotional declaration, Dong Sun rushed up the aisle and tightly embraced Mi Na. Much to his surprise, Dong Sun heard an unfamiliar voice scream, “Who the heck are you?!” When he realized that he was not hugging Mi Na, Dong Sun quickly stepped away and struggled to figure out what was going on. Before he could explain himself, Dong Sun felt a slight tug on his arm and looked over to see Mi Na standing by him in a beautiful white wedding dress. Addressing the room full of wedding guests, Mi Na apologized by saying, “I’m sorry for the disruption; my groom is just a little bit too early for our ceremony.” Turning to Dong Sun, Mi Na smiled awkwardly and said, “See what happens when you get wedding jitters.”
Pulling Dong Sun out into the garden, Mi Na stopped when she saw that no one else was around. Utterly confused by what had just happened, Dong Sun asked, “What’s going on here?” Ignoring his question, Mi Na asked, “Did you mean everything that you said in there?” Taking her by the hand, Dong Sun replied, “Of course I did, but can you please tell me what’s going on here?” Before she could explain, Dong Sun heard Mi Na’s father ask, “Well isn’t this the most interesting way to snag a husband?” Turning around, Dong Sun saw Mi Na’s father and In-Su making their way towards them. When he was within earshot, In-Su asked pointedly, “Why didn’t you wait for me? We could have saved some money on the cab fare.”
Stepping away from the group, Dong Sun asked Mi Na, “Did you do all of this to teach me a lesson? Was there ever going to be a wedding with Young Jae?” With an unaffected air, Mi Na replied, “Of course there's a wedding with Young Jae. I think it’s going on right now, but it’s kind of a shame that he’s missing a bride.” With a boisterous laugh, Mi Na’s father observed, “I’m kind of upset that I’m not there right now to witness him react to the most embarrassing moment of his life. I think that my daughter has adequately paid him back for everything he tried to inflict on our family.” Realizing that Mi Na’s father was referring to his new wife, Dong Sun asked, “You found out about that woman?” Nodding his head, Mi Na’s father replied, “Yes, Mi Na faxed me the bank statements. But don’t worry about me; I finally realized that I never loved her. She was always going to be just a replacement for Mi Na’s mother.”
Upset that no one was paying attention to the blushing bride, Mi Na asked, “A-Pa are you here to talk about Young Jae and your ex-wife, or to give your daughter away?” Shaking his head at his daughter, Mi Na’s father turned to Dong Sun and teased, “Are you sure you really want to go through with this?” Grabbing Mi Na by the waist, Dong Sun pulled her in close to his body and replied, “I’ve never been so sure about anything in my entire life.” Taking Mi Na’s couples' rings out of his pocket, Dong Sun pulled out the smaller of the two rings and said, “Let me see if I can do this properly.” Getting on one knee, Dong Sun asked, “Song Mi Na, will you marry me?” Nodding her head happily, Mi Na replied, “Do you even have to ask?”
Turning his attention to Mi Na’s father, Dong Sun said, “I know that Mi Na might potentially develop the same heart condition that her mother suffered from; but I promise that I’ll take care of her to the best of my abilities.” With a confused expression on his face, Mi Na’s father asked, “Who told you that Mi Na's mother had a heart condition?” To which, Dong Sun replied, “Young Jae told me that.” Shaking his head, Mi Na’s father explained, “Mi Na’s mother passed away from complications from her bout with pneumonia. Mi Na’s perfectly healthy.” Relieved to hear the truth, Dong Sun hugged her and asked, “Why did I ever think that Young Jae was telling the truth?” To which, Mi Na replied, “Because you’re so gullible. But it’s okay since it’s one of your more enduring qualities.”
After their simple wedding ceremony had concluded, In-Su handed his brother and his new sister-in-law, two tickets to Jeju Island, saying, “I hope you like your wedding gift.” Seeing that it was nearly time for their flight, In-Su and Mi Na’s father suggested that the newlyweds head back to the airport. On the way to the airport, Dong Sun noticed that there was young girl standing by the side of the road next to her car. He could see that she had a flat tire and said to Mi Na, “We should help her; it’s not safe for her to be on the side of the expressway with a flat tire.” Feeling that the car was beginning to decelerate, Mi Na grabbed the steering wheel and said, “I don’t think so buddy.” Looking over at Mi Na with a confused expression, Dong Sun replied, “But she needs some help.”
Mi Na narrowed her eyes and exclaimed, “I know what happens when you change a girl’s tire. We can call for someone to come to help her. From now on, you’re only allowed to change Song Mi Na’s tires.” Dong Sun smiled, draped his arm around his new wife and asked, “Don’t you mean Lee Mi Na?” Shaking her head, Mi Na replied, “I never intended to take your last name.” With a distinct frown on his face, Dong Sun asked, “Can’t you let me have my way at least this once?” Smiling mischievously, Mi Na replied, “Sure, I’ll let you have your way this time; but I can’t guarantee that you’ll get your way tonight.” Turning his full attention to Mi Na, Dong Sun declared resolutely, “Go ahead and keep your name.” Grinning from ear to ear, Mi Na replied, “I thought you’d see it my way. “ With his eyes still fixed on Mi Na, Dong Sun exclaimed, “This is going to be one interesting marriage.” Leaning her head on her new husband’s shoulder, Mi Na replied, “I wouldn’t have it any other way!”