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Chapter 22

“Actually, how is it that you have never had your fortune read before in your life?” Lee JiHan asked. “Most people usually go see a fortune teller at least once in their life, especially when things don’t seem to be going right.”

“Because it seems like a waste of money.”

Lee JiHan grew quiet at my statement. He stole a glance at me and drove on with a sad look on his face. Maybe I shouldn’t have answered so honestly. A woman who was short on luck and money seemed to be a poor choice for the wife of his beloved brother. His reaction toward me seemed to have surpassed anger and evolved into sadness.

I was afraid his sadness would revert back to the insane version of Lee JiHan from a month ago and I clutched nervously at my seatbelt, but upon hearing this, JiHan answered in a completely normal way.

“I hope the man will have as much money as my brother.”

“What?”

“Your real husband.” A man that has lots of money like my brother but will love you a lot more. I hope he shows up soon.”

He said this like a prayer. His sudden pious manner scared me out of my wits and I started to tear up. What was he suddenly acting like he was actually hoping for my happiness? He would never wish for my happiness. But why did it sound like it was sincere?

Although I was still scared of him, I gripped the seat belt harder and got up the courage to speak.

“No. JiKyung is enough for me. If I have him, I have no further expectations...”

“What do you look for in a guy? Physically speaking?”

“What?”

“Does he have to look similar to my brother?”

In a very forward manner, JiHan started interrogating me about my ideal type of man.

“A healthy tan, deep set eyes, a gentle face. Like...the Mediterranean Sea?” he began listing characteristics.

Like the Mediterranean Sea. The description reminded me of JiKyung.

If Lee JiKyung was the Mediterranean Sea then JiHan was the Okhotsk Sea, with floating ice, and fierce winds.

JiHan had a pale milky skin tone, with sharp eyes, and a no nonsense attitude about his face. I compared the two drastically different brothers in my head. For a moment, I felt like I was in a trance. I couldn’t believe I could see such a face outside a television screen.

“Tell me. What kind of face do you like?” JiHan demanded.

“The Okhotsk Sea...” I answered obliviously, still in a daze from my imagination.

“The Okhotsk Sea?” Lee JiHan turned to look at me upon hearing my strange answer. “What does a face like the Okhotsk Sea look like?”

“Oh, uh, what I meant is...” Finding my sanity a bit too late, I wracked my brain to make sense of what I had said. Within that time, JiHan had slowed to a stop at a red light. He turned his head towards me. I was still beating around the bush until I could find an adequate answer.

“What I meant was that, I would love JiKyung even if he didn’t look like the Mediterrean Sea and was the complete opposite, like the Okhotsk Sea. I find what’s inside is more important than what is on the outside.”

“That’s a relief. I didn’t feel confident that I could find a man that would have a lot of money and is good looking.”

“I told you, you don’t have to go looking for him.” I opened my eyes wide to gain my composure. “I’ve already found my husband. And no matter who shows up later in my life, my heart will not change. Because there is no man in this world that’s better than JiKyung.”

“I’ll make you change your mind.” JiHan announced confidently, as he looked straight into my eyes.

He didn’t laugh or flinch, but was serious and steady. His eyes seemed to promise me that he would make sure that happened.

“I...” For a moment, I was at a loss for words and breath.

In silence, I numbly watched Lee JiHan, but he checked for oncoming cars, then returned his attention to the front and started to drive again. Gradually, he pressed on the accelerator and passed the green light.

It might have been due to the increasing speed, but my heart was beating wildly. I clutched hard at the seat belt in front of my chest.

“While I go looking for a good man, you just keep that lucky talisman safe. That way, you can meet a man better than my brother.”

Oh...is that it? He’s planning to make me change my mind by playing matchmaker? That’s what he meant? Having unraveled the mystery at last, I felt like I could finally breathe freely. For some reason, however, it felt more like a sigh. My body deflated as all the energy seemed to be sucked out of me. Why do I feel disappointed? As I was wondering about this, my phone rang inside my purse. I grabbed the phone and checked to see who the caller was. Seeing that it was HeeKyung, a coworker from the theater, I answered the call.

“Uh, HeeKyung, how are you?”

[AhJung, we’re in trouble!]

“What? Why?”

[Today’s play, I don’t think we can go on! It’s two hours before show time and the lead actress shot one measly text message and is not answering! She’s not coming today!]

“What are you talking about? The lead actress is not coming? What about the show?”

[That’s what I’m saying! What do we do about our show? We will have a full audience because the college group is coming. If we have to refund all of them, we’ll go broke!]

“Just send up the understudy.”

[AhJung, can’t you come?]

“What?”

[You played this lead before. And you did the reruns also.]

“That was two years ago!.”

[This play was your first lead so you practiced your lines a million times. You could recite it in your sleep. And let’s be truthful, you wanted to do it this year also. If it wasn’t for that sponsor...]

It was not a pleasant topic so HeeKyung’s words faded out. Just listening to it made me embarrassed so that I bit my lower lip and stared at the ground.

[Anyways, there isn’t anyone that could fill the part better than you. No one. AhJung, save us. You can’t go ditching at a time like this just because you’re going to be the daughter-in-law of a rich family.]

HeeKyung’s ongoing appeal gave me conflicting feelings. I wanted to help, but this was so sudden. My feelings of wanting to help battled with my lack of confidence, when HeeKyung let out a cry of desperation.

[AhhhJunng.....!]

Battle or not, I decided I needed to save them.

“Ah, okay, I’ll head over right now!”

***

Although I told him that he could drop me off anywhere, Lee JiHan insisted on taking me to the college street theater by car. The tiny theater didn’t have space for a parking lot, so he was forced to park in front of the building. I quickly opened the door and got out, then said a polite goodbye to JiHan.

“Thank you for giving me a ride. I’ll be back once the play is over. You can head home first.”

I said this all very quickly, closed the door, and ran to the theater entrance. I ran down the dark, narrow stairs to the basement. At the entrance, which could only fit a small desk, HeeKyung was taking tickets. When she saw me, she jumped up and greeted me.

“AhJung!”

“What about the costume?”

“In the dressing room.”

“Okay. But, uh, DaeChul sunbae isn’t coming here, is he?”

“Why are you worrying about DaeChul sunbae all of a sudden? We’ve switched directors ages ago.”

“Just in case...it was his first play as director. Don’t you think there’s a chance he may come to watch?”

I expressed my anxiety to HeeKyung but she gave me an exasperated look.

“You worry about the silliest things! You really think that sunbae will show up here? No. And even if he did, what’s there to worry about? All the men in this theater will be up in arms guarding the place.”

“Okay, you have to make sure that happens, all right? Keep your promise, protect me!”

After making HeeKyung ensure my safety, I turned and ran to the dressing room.

***

Lee JiHan

Based on her explanation, this play seemed to be the one that had given Na AhJung her first leading role four years ago. The same rotten play that brought JiKyung and AhJung together. I decided that I should go see it.

I parked my car at a nearby lot and headed toward the theater. I couldn’t understand how anyone could call this space a theater. After going down the incredibly narrow stairway, the underground space was dark with only a desk and chair set up as the ticket booth. Even though there was only one chair, two men stood next to the girl sitting in it like thugs. Is this some underground casino?

As this thought crossed my mind, the girl sitting in the chair pointed at me in surprise.

“Uh? You’re that...right? You came with AhJung a few days ago?”

Now that I thought about it, this girl was one of the people Na AhJung had given a wedding invitation to. Lim DaeChul had showed up that day too.

“Yes,” I answered bitterly, recalling the unsavory memory.

“You must have come to see AhJung.”

“Give me one ticket, please.”

Seeing this girl here meant this was, in fact, a theater. I took out my wallet from my pocket.

“Oh no, don’t worry about it. AhJung’s friends don’t have to pay here. You can just go inside and watch.” The girl refused to accept the money and handed me a ticket.

“I’m not her friend,” I said shortly and handed her the bill.

The girl’s face changed as she realized her mistake.

“Oh! That’s right. You’re her future brother-in-law. I forgot.”

Extremely offended, I placed the money on the desk and snatched the ticket from the girl’s hand.

“That, is even more incorrect.”

I turned away coldly and headed inside. With only a few steps, I was inside the auditorium. I wagged my tongue as I realized only a measly 50 people could fit into this theater. Not only was it cramped, but there was a strange, lingering smell, and the seats were benches without backs. Ten people to a bench. I checked that each bench was marked with ten numbers and went to find my seat. It was in the third row.

I pushed my through a bunch of college students to find my seat. When I finally sat down, the theater’s stale air made me cough. I doubted that there was good air circulation here, especially because it was underground. I frowned at the many things that didn’t meet my standards.

Their romance started in a place like this? A romance for cockroaches maybe. It was dark, dirty, and smelled terrible. Looking around the place that only cockroaches could love, I imagined AhJung and my brother in this place four years ago. My brother would have sat somewhere around here, just like me.

I looked around at the audience, which consisted mostly of college students, then looked to the stage. I could see the AhJung of four years ago standing somewhere on that stage. Then, the present version of AhJung came into view.

She was wearing booty shorts and a crop top that revealed her belly button. There was a shirt wrapped around her waist and a baseball cap propped on her head. She stood on top of the shabby stage in front of the rowdy crowd.

Was I mistaken? I squeezed my eyes closed then opened them again, but the girl standing on top of the stage was indeed AhJung. Looks-wise, she was definitely AhJung, but who was the girl wearing that confident expression? Did AhJung have such an aura?

Puzzled, I squinted in concentration as she raised her hand toward the audience. As if she could see something other than the audience in front of her, she called out in a loud and upbeat voice.

“Participant number ten! Bae SooJin! I am a high school student and now I will show you my specialty!”

As soon as she spoke, the lights changed to red and an erotic pop song rang through the stage. On cue, she started to dance to the song. Was this girl not an actress but a dancer? With that face and body, the erotic choreography should have been awkward, but AhJung performed the part splendidly. From time to time, she would shoot seductive glances at the audience like an uncultured, adolescent high school girl.

AhJung’s small body brilliantly filled the stage, and her young face displayed an easygoing confidence. As she threw her hat, the music stopped and the lights returned to normal. Through her disheveled hair, she smiled slyly in satisfaction. Where has she kept hidden all this talent? The unexpected scene caused electricity to shoot through me. The next moment, a middle aged woman popped out of nowhere and grabbed at AhJung’s hair.

“Foolish girl! This is what you’ve been up to instead of studying!”

“Ow, mom! If you have time to follow me around, you should use it to find dad!

“Be quiet! I’m going to shave you bald!”

“Don’t you dare! Then I’m going to shave you bald!” AhJung yelled in defiance, and glared at the mother angrily.

This was the pathetic girl who, for the last month, had been constantly chewing her fingernails. Now, she was transformed into an adolescent thug who looked like she could chew through knife blades. I watched the AhJung on stage as if she was a person from a dream, and for the next two hours, I tried to find the AhJung I knew somewhere on that stage.

From time to time, snippets from yesterday’s conversation made their way into my consciousness...And every time he came, he brought me flowers. He told me he was enraptured by my acting, that he was a fan. He came to support me everyday...That’s why I like him. Back then, I needed someone like that. Someone to show me that I could keep following this path. That it wasn’t too late. That it would work out. I really wanted to hear those words...And JiKyung said them to me.

I began to think that maybe, my brother’s actions in that situation had been sincere. Maybe this scene from Na AhJung’s love story could have been real...