We Have Come A Long Way

"You know how Jihun is like these days, that boy won't sleep at night then be fussy all morning the next day. Don't pay attention to his cries, just feed him and put him to sleep. Call me if he gets sick, I will come running here. If you have to run some errands, use the card I am giving you and take Jihun with you.", Sophie said to Hae while making sure she had everything she needed to be packed in her luggage. "Nowadays, he seems to like to play with water while he takes a bath. Don't let him stay in water for too long, he might catch a cold."

"Don't worry Mrs. Park, I'll take good care of him like I always do.", Hae smiled, rocking Jihun in her arms. "We are gonna have so much fun aren't we, cupcake?"

"I hope so. Bye-bye sweetheart! Mommy and Daddy will be back in just 1 week!", Sophie leaned in and kissed his forehead. "Behave for Auntie Hae, okay?"

"Bye sweetie, dada loves you.", Sunghun leaned in and kissed his forehead too. "Let's go, Sophie. We don't want to be late for our flight."

Jihun turned 5 months recently and his personality has opened up more. He likes to play with paint and water. He likes to go swimming, too! The parents and nanny taught him the concept of sharing and now he won't stop giving them a bite from his meal. He also seems to do well with cameras and always smiles when he's around them. Recently, he started babbling which is extremely cute. The Park Couple decided to take a break from parenting and work to take a vacation and relax. They were going to Haeundae Beach where they will stay for a week.

"I wonder what Jihun is doing.", Sophie said and rested her head on Sunghun's chest.

"He is probably sleeping. Our baby sleeps so well, doesn't he?", he asked as he ran his long fingers through his wife's light chocolate-brown hair.

"Yeah, he does. He has been a little fussy ever since he turned 5 months but, he is just fine. Five months just passed by like a blur, eh?", she sighed. "It's like I found out I was pregnant yesterday and now I have a 5-month-old baby."

"Do you remember that night, the night we met?", Sunghun asked her. "What an eventful night that was..."

"You mean the night I came up to you with a snicker? Of course, I do.", she giggled. "People say not to approach strangers in the middle of the night and that's what I exactly did."

"I broke down because my ex hurt me and left. You saw me crying on the bench by the beach and came up to me with a snicker bar.", I said. "Why would you even approach a stranger crying on a bench at night?"

"I thought you lost a loved one and were in need of comfort. I know how much hurt people feel when their loved ones turn their backs on you. It's like being stabbed with a poisoned knife then sprinkling salt on the wound. So, I thought why not help this man with a snicker bar? Chocolate makes everyone feel better.", she looked up at me and asked, "Why don't we recall those memories?"

"Sure, the more we talk about it the more we realize how far we have come.", I smiled and started.

"It was a Saturday just like any other weekend. I was at the club enjoying the time with my friends when one of my friends, introduced me to his elder sister, Yoori Lee. I fell in love instantly the moment my eyes met hers. It was like we were meant to be. The next week, I gathered all my courage and asked her out, expecting the worst outcome possible but, she accepted and we started dating. We got to know that we were students of the same university while she was in the modeling department while I was in the business management department. She was already a famous model when she was in university as her modeling career started when she was just 5 years old. On the other hand, there was me who was studying hard and developing skills with my parents supporting me financially. My father, the owner of the most famous and biggest perfume company in Korea, and my mother, a professional artist never forced me to be a part of the family business. They wanted me to follow my dreams. On our 2nd anniversary, Yoori and I promised each other that no matter what happens, we'll keep on supporting each other. This is from when the disaster started."

"Yoori wouldn't meet me for days, sometimes months at a time because she had supposedly had Fashion Runways to prepare for. I trusted her with all my heart and never questioned why she won't call or text me to let me know she was fine. I thought that she must be very busy with her career. I finally got to meet her on our 4th anniversary and that night will be the most dreadful night I have ever faced."

"We decided to go to a club, which had private rooms at the back. I was supposed to meet her at the club at 8 but due to some problems at home, I said to her that I'll meet her at 9, to which she agreed. But, the problem got solved almost immediately so I would reach the club at 8."

"The moment I opened the door of our reserved door, I felt like my heart stop beating and my eyes popped out of their socket. Yoori, on the bed, with another man whom I recognized as one of my classmates. She tried explaining to me with fake reasons that what I was thinking about the situation wasn't true. We argued for hours in the room. In the middle of the argument, she approached me and placed her hand on my chest. She said-"

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I promise I won't do this again. I thought you were going to be late and I got impatient. Let's start a new beginning from now. You are going to take your father's place after he retires, and we are going to get married, have cute little kids, and live a happy life.", Sunghun said mimicking Yoori's high-pitched voice making Sophia giggle.

"No, I am not taking my father's place. I have decided to open my own company. I want to build my own company from the roots.". he made his voice deep and said.

"What!? I knew it! I f*cking knew it! I knew you are a coward who is scared to handle the successful company of your father's! I thought if I dated you, I would be able to lead the rest of my life with comfort, with money but no! Here you are saying that you don't want to take over your father's company?! What nonsense is this?!"

"Yoori listen to me-"

"Enough Sunghun! I don't want to end up on the streets with that crappy company of yours! And yes! I am dating that classmate of yours! He treats me well and does whatever I tell him to do! I am going to kill you and get my part of your father's company! We are done Sunghun! We are done!"

"Like that, she left the club, breaking up with me just because she didn't believe in me. She didn't believe my company will work out. She thought I'll be a failure. My friends always tried to tell me that she was a gold digger, I didn't believe them I was devastated. Nothing could help me back up."

"Next week, I was cycling outside in an attempt to clear my mind but a car crashed my bicycle and drove away. I had to get into the hospital for 1 week and while my stay there, someone disguised as a nurse came in and intoxicated my water with poison for which I nearly died. After an investigation of 2 weeks, the police found out it was Yoori who crashed my bicycle that day and intoxicated my water with poison. She was sentenced to serve in jail for 10 years."

"Life came back to being normal. I tried to lighten up my mood but, I just found that the girl I loved and trusted for 3 years cheated on me, broke up with me then tried to kill me. One night, I was out for a walk at the beach when I saw a young girl, who looked very much like Yoori walking into a club holding the hand of her boyfriend. I got reminded of the times when I was with Yoori and broke down. I took a seat on a bench by the beach and cried. I don't know for how long I cried but, the moment when Sophia approached me, asking me if I was okay, I felt like a new light of hope has entered my life. Sophia sat down beside me and handed me a snicker bar, saying-"

"Without pain, how could we know joy?' This is an old argument in the field of thinking about suffering and its stupidity and lack of sophistication could be plumbed for centuries but suffice it to say that the existence of broccoli does not, in any way, affect the taste of chocolate."

"I did not understand what you said, it was too fancy English for me. I just smiled and ate the bar of snicker with her as I told her everything about what's been going on. She said that sometimes situations like this appear in your life just to show you the right path. You thought Yoori was the one for you but, the universe didn't have that planned so, they separated you through this scenario. We talked for hours, and before leaving we exchanged our numbers and left."

"I got to know that Sophia was an aspiring model. She always wanted to be a model ever since she was a kid but, having extremely conservative and devoted Christians as your parents were being a barrier in the way. She secretly auditioned for a modeling agency and even got in! But when her parents found out about it, they kicked her out and told her to never come back. She moved to Seoul with nothing except a few hundred dollars which she has earned from the time she was in the modeling agency. She first found a shelter that was affordable for her, a one-roomed shabby apartment with a small kitchen and bathroom. Then, she got many part-time jobs in restaurants and convenience stores so, she can earn some money and save up. After settling in, she auditioned for a modeling company, which wasn't very famous, and got in. She was trying her best to achieve her dreams, which truly inspired me to start working on my own company."

"We became friends, and then best friends. We couldn't be separated from each other in any way. I would support her by going to every fashion runway she walked at and buying many copies of the magazine for which she appeared as a cover model. She supported me too by helping me choose the best equipment for my company to plan how to package our products. We were there for each other through our ups and downs."

"I was there the day she blew up as a model. She got a proposal to work for YMA Models, which is one of the most famous modeling agencies in the world. She walked her first designer fashion show and gained huge popularity. From then, she never had to go back to her part-time job."

"She was also there when my company blew up, too. Our newest food product, which was a lunch box with food which you could eat after you microwaved it. It became a huge hit and it was cost-efficient too. We started making more versions of the lunch box and all of them were a hit. The following year, my name was among the top richest and successful CEOs in the world."

"I realized that I was slowly falling in love with Sophia and little did I know, she loved me too. Our friends set us up on a date and that will one of the days I'll never forget. We cycled along the side of the Han River and had a cute picnic date by the river. Then, we walked around the markets trying out different foods and buying clothes or accessories. We had dinner at a small cafe and that's when I confessed my feelings to her."

"We dated for 4 years before tying our bond using the same string and here we are, a happy couple with a baby of our own, Jihun."

"I am glad you came up to me with a snicker."

"The story sounds so different yet same from your perspective. I am glad we met", Sophia said. "I love you"

"I love you too."