Something in Her

In the morning, Eun wakes up and goes downstairs, and sees Han. “Good morning Han, where’s Mama?” She looks at him while holding the window cleaner. “I believe she has not woken up yet. She stayed up late last night waiting for you.” He looks down and walks to the kitchen, Han shouts at him, “The food she prepared last night are in the fridge, you may reheat it.” “Sure will, Han. They go to the microwave,” he smiles. Han smiles back. He puts out the containers and lifts the lid, “Mama prepared a beef stew, I should not have dinner with someone else,” he says softly. He then puts all the food that he wants to reheat in the microwave oven, and waits for a few minutes. While he waits, he sits on one of the tools in the breakfast bar and sends a text message to Yun-Oh. She replies, and tells him that she would definitely love to go to dinner with him after the concert. She asks him, “Have you told your mama about a possible visit? I really want to meet her,” Eun tells her that he will ask his mama when she is available for a short interview, since it was Yun-Oh who made an effort for him to be able to interview Nala’s neighbour, who is an engineer. Before she replies, the microwave oven made a sound, which made Eun aware that his food had already been reheated. He prepares his food and hears a few steps coming, he looks behind him, it is his mama. “Hi, you are early today,” she says with a smile. “Eat with me, Mama.” he says then grabs a plate and silverware, placing them beside his. Coree happily sits with him and eats. “I am glad Nala helped you with the interview,” she says, starting a conversation. Eun looks at his mother, thinking if she was offended that he did not eat dinner with her. “It was actually Yun-Oh, she told me that Nala has a neighbour who could be interviewed.” “Mmm, that’s good.” He faces her, and says, “Mama, Yun-Oh is a fashion design student and she asks if, in return I could,” she interrupted. “If you could arrange an interview with me?” He nodded with excitement, “Yes Mama. If that is possible.” She smiles at him, and laughs a bit. “Why not? Tell her I want to see her after your next class, when would that be?” Eun pauses to think, “Next week. Before the concert.” Coree agreed that she would meet Yun-Oh in her home office for an interview. After which, she asks where Eun got the tickets, as Han had told her previously that Eun had VIP tickets for him and his friend. He tells her those are from Yun-Oh, because he did not want his mother to know that he got them from Mari. “I see,” she holds his hands, “Eun, son. I know that you are a responsible kid,” “an adolescent, Mama,” he says with a smile. “Yes. I know you can make your own decisions but I hope that as your Mama, my ideas and opinions will still be welcome.” He nods, and Coree continues, “I hope you would understand, I want you to get along with Mari for your father. I want you to respect her as a stepmom, but never forget that I am your mama, and I love you from the bottom of my heart.” He smiles back and tells her, “You are my first love, Mama. I’ll keep in my heart and mind that Mari could have replaced you in Papa’s heart, but never in mine. That will never happen.” “You promise?” Coree raised her fist and raised her pinky finger. “I do, it’s a pinkie swear,” Eun confirms as he locks his finger around Coree’s.

******

When he gets in his room after breakfast, Eun calls Nala about his plans of inviting Yun-Oh to their home. “That is amazing,” Nala says. He tells Eun that he supports him, and he is willing to set up a romantic date for the two. “That will not be necessary for now,” Eun tells him. “Yun-Oh is fourteen, I am thirteen. Being nineteen is far from sight.” Being born and growing up in South Korea, they are able to adopt the old Chinese system when it comes to age. They need to be nineteen before they can be considered an adult officially, as it is the legal age as to their local laws. “All I want is for us to be friends for now,” Nala agrees, and asks Eun who the woman who picked him up was. He told him it was Mari, his stepmom. Nala says he is concerned with Eun since he seems to be alright with his parents being divorced and his father remarrying. “Mama tells me it is better to see two people part ways than stay together while the other is cheating.” “Oh yeah, brother. I know I should always agree with you, it is my job as a best friend. But, don’t you think it is quite odd that people cheat to get out of their unhappy marriages and use it as an excuse to marry someone else? They are justifying the act of cheating by making it legal.” Eun pauses and thinks, then replies. “ I get your point Nala, but it is purely their decision, not mine.” Nala grew up in a conservative and religious family, he always rejected the idea of divorce and wonders why Eun talks to the woman whom he considered a homewrecker. The two boys agreed that divorce is always the parents’ decisions and never the kids’. They further talk about Yun-Oh and the dinner at Mari’s restaurant. “Can I eat there too?” “Of course you can, but you would need to be nice to Mari too.” Eun says, with a bit of a laugh. “I guess I would have to ask for money from my mother.” Eun asks him, "Why? What's wrong with being nice to her, she's my stepmother anyway." "I don't know," says Nala. "I see something in her. In the way she smiles. Got to go now, Eun." They both say goodbye, and Eun is left with a question in his head, "Do I need to feel bad for being in good terms with my father's fiancée?"