Random thing, and I kinda missed the mom.
Reunion
By Izzu
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"Where are you?"
"I'm with my mom... why?"
"Can I come over?"
Seo Jeonghu looked up towards his mother as she cast him a curious glance. He laughed nervously. "Umm... don't you think that's a bit... too soon? I mean, it's not really that long since I properly greet your dad..."
"Is that your girlfriend? Oh... our Jeonghu really grew up so much. Ask her to come over."
Jeonghu jumped as he tried to cover the phone. "W-what... mom? Ask her over? But... I thought today is just for the two of us..."
His mother laughed heartilly. "Then when would you introduce your girlfriend to me? We're meeting like this is already so rare."
Jeonghu pouted at her. "Fine. I'll tell her to come over," he said as he told Yeongsin of the location of the place over the phone. "But doesn't that mean we have to stay here a bit more longer to wait for her?" he asked his mom again as she shrugged.
"Well, we can always order something else in the mean time. And I wouldn't say no to having you with me for much longer,"
"Ah! That restaurant is quite close to where we are! We'll come over in a sec!"
Jeonghu's eyes widened immediately. "Eh, what! Chae Yeongsin! What did you mean—" he stared at his phone as the call was disconnected. He glanced back at his mother before shaking his head, baffled.
What did she mean about... 'we'?
xxx
"Ah! It's over there! Jeonghu!"
Both of them turned towards the sound of the voice as Jeonghu gave a cry of surprise. Yeongsin have arrived pretty dressed up... and she was also bringing her mother over. For a moment he was at lost for words.
But his mother surely wasn't one to remain startled for long.
"Oh... Myeonghui! I wasn't expecting... did you know this girl? Jeonghu, is this your girlfriend?"
Jeonghu glanced at his mother—still dazed—as Choi Myeonghui placed a hand on his mother's.
"Jeonghu's mom... this was a pleasant surprise. Don't you recognized her? It's Jian... Jian was actually still alive!"
His mother looked up to see Yeongsin's face properly before realization dawned on her. "Oh my... this was certainly a miracle—oh, please take a seat... don't keep standing there any longer."
Chae Yeongsin smiled nervously as she took the seat beside Jeonghu. Myeonghui turned her attention towards him before opening up her arms wide.
"Don't you have something else to say to me? When would you tell me that you and Jian are together? You don't even come to see me since the last time we met. Come over here."
Jeonghu's darted between staring at his mother's and Yeongsin's mom's smiling faces before shyly walking over to hug her. He sat back on his chair as his mother chuckled.
"That's what I told him just now! And it's not as if he calls me over so frequently..."
"Mom...!" he started to whine. "It's barely a week since I cleared dad's name and settled the rest of the loose ends. And I still had to set a time to scatter Master's ashes into the South Pacific..."
"Yeongjae's?" Myeonghui suddenly gasped. "His ashes was with you?"
Jeonghu nodded. "Yeah. I couldn't bear it if Kim Munsik—other people took his ashes, and Master would have liked it if I was the one that took care of his remains."
"Yeongjae... Ki Yeongjae? Your father's friend? Has he been taking care of you all these times?" his mother suddenly spoke.
Jeonghu turned towards his mother. "Yeah, did you remember him... mom?"
His mother nodded as Myeonghui glanced at her. "Yes, I remembered. He contacted me a long time ago; when he came over to tell me that he settled the funeral services for your grandmother. He said that he'd check up on you in my place. I didn't know that he really meant those things he said and took care of you until now. And he passed away?"
Jeonghu nodded. "Hmm. It was a long story."
The mothers sighed as they comforted each other. And then his mother suddenly perked up and grabbed her handbag.
"Oh! That reminds me... Jeonghu, remember last time you asked if I still kept anything that belonged to your father?"
"Oh?" he exclaimed before shrugging. "Did I? Well... it's not so important now, actually."
His mother smiled. "I suppose not. But I've been wanting to show this to you... but I forgot. And now since Myeonghui's daughter ended up being your girlfriend, I just can't not show you this."
Myeonghui nudged her. "Hmm? What is it?"
His mother grinned at her. "Remember how Junseok always took pictures of us together? I still kept a lot of those pictures with me," she said as she took out one old photo and placed it on the table.
"Ah! I remembered this!" exclaimed Myeonghui as she gazed at the photograph fondly. "Junseok and Gilhan were so amused when they saw them together."
"What was it? What picture was that about?" Yeongsin finally spoke out as her mother showed the photo to her.
"It's you and Jeonghu. Junseok—Jeonghu's father—was the one that took it."
"Oh!" both of them exclaimed to the amusement of the mother.
"So that was really the thing you do ever since back then!" Jeonghu said out loud.
"What thing?" she asked back.
"You forgot? That time when I stayed over at your house for the first time. You suddenly sleepwalked towards me and took my spot. And then clinging to my arm and not letting go. And you were saying that you can't sleep with people nearby..."
Jeonghu slipped a glance towards his mother to see that both their mothers were smiling in amusement. He froze.
"I mean... it's not like... we do that... a lot..."
Myeonghui laughed as she took Jeonghu's mother's hand with her own.
"Don't you think this was a good end for us? Junseok's name has cleared, the truth about Gilhan's death and what both of them did was revealed; our children ended up together... and both of us can again see each other without any burden,"
"Good end?" asked Jeonghu's mother. "No, this was a great new beginning. For all of us."