Chapter 11 (1/2)

“YS (Kim Young-sam) stands a good chance of getting in. He can make a clean sweep of the capital area,” said the grandfather’s most reliable, Sunyang construction’s CEO.

“What about DJ (Kim Dae-jung)?”

“It still seems possible that the two Kims will unify behind DJ, but because of the red complex he is suffering from (antipathy toward communism, the North that the Korean war aroused. DJ was suspected to have been involved in pro-communist activities, which labeled him as a communist), DJ will more likely concede,”

Everyone saw eye to eye.

“Any other comments?” the grandfather asked.

A slow smile curved his mouth.

They didn’t have a hint of doubt that the two Kims would unify. So didn’t the whole nation.

But his youngest grandson who was insightful doubted it.

His smile made other CEOs nervous and wonder whether he found the meeting

Satisfying?

Or pathetic?

“Let’s call it a day. Gather more information.” the grandfather finished the meeting, with a gentle smile on his face.

It was time to do the thing I’d been putting off.

Rather than putting off, I was afraid to do it. But it was something I would encounter some time or other.

I asked my tutor first, “Why don’t we have an outdoor cla.s.s?”

“Outdoor cla.s.s?”

“Yes. in Dangjin on the west coast,”

“Dangin? What’s with the west coast, all of a sudden?”

“I saw in textbooks that Dangjin is the one and only place where you can watch the sunrise and sunset, and I want to see it for myself,”

Although it was such a poor excuse, the tutor would not reject unless he want to lose his big money job.

“O, Okay,”

“Can you drive? Have a driver’s license?”

“Yeah, I have,”

“I’ll ask my father for the car. Could you ask my parents for permission to have an outdoor cla.s.s?”

The tutor smiled quietly, thinking of driving the luxury car.

We got that permission easily later.

As my parents had always been worried about me studying too hard and wanted me to go out and get some air.

No navigations or smart phones, we pulled out a thick map book.

“Now, speak your mind. Why do you want to go to Dangjin?” the tutor asked once he got used to being behind the wheel.

I already had a made up answer.

“Well, I have a friend who moved to Dangjin, I wanted to see him,”

“Yeah? Why didn’t tell your parents the truth?”

“If I told them the truth, they would be nosily. Annoying,”

“Haha, you’ve all grown up now,”

Grown up? I’m grown old, you small thing.

We shot the breeze until we got into Dangjin.

That brought back the vague memories of 30 years ago.

There was no sign of progressive development of the west coast.

The car bounced over the rough dirt road, the washboard b.u.mps made our teeth rattle.

The beach was not lined with pensions, instead mom and pop stores were scattered.

As soon as I saw my neighborhood, I got choked up and my throat tightened.

A small, familiar barber shop reminded me of my hair style in my childhood while a hair salon reminded me of my mother when she was young.

When we past the front gate of my school, old friends and teachers’ faces were so vividly brought back to my mind.

Starring my memories, we approached the house I grew up in.

“Could you wait here a moment? that is the house he lives in,”

“Have you been here? How did you know the way to the house?”

“The friend explained it so many times,” I said, then rushed out of the car.

My throat tightened again and my heart pounded as I saw the shop sigh in the distance,

[Yun Laundry]

I wavered with each step I took.

What if I can’t look at my parents’ faces?

What if I utter ‘father’?

My greatest dread, what if I encounter me, Yun Hyun-woo?

After letting out a loud breath, I took a few steps forward, right up to the window.