CHAPTER 71

“First, we’ll head to the hotel.”

“Got it. But where is the hotel?”

Minhee asked as she buttoned Rose’s jacket.

“Haeundae.”

Taejun had heard that his maternal grandmother’s apartment was in Haeundae. So, he booked a hotel by Haeundae Beach. It seemed like a good place for a child to have fun.

Minhee held Rose’s hand and sang in a cheerful voice.

“Rose, let’s go see the sea! The sea.”

“The sea! Let’s go!”

Minhee, pulled along by an excited Rose, got off first. Taejun, carrying their luggage, followed a bit behind. As he descended the train steps, Taejun glanced in the direction where his uncle had been standing, but he couldn’t see him due to the crowd.

“Rose!”

Rose whipped around in surprise as an unfamiliar voice called her name from an unfamiliar place. Taejun couldn’t guess how his uncle had recognized Rose.

An elderly man, quite tall, appeared in front of Rose and Minhee. Rose hid behind Minhee and poked her head out to look up at the uncle. Minhee awkwardly bowed her head in greeting, then turned around with a flustered look, searching for Taejun with her eyes.

“Taejun!”

His uncle called Taejun’s name as he stepped onto the platform. Taejun hid his stern expression and gave a slight bow in greeting. It had been decades since he last bowed like this, but the gesture came naturally to him. The greeting customs from his years in Korea, a place he hadn’t lived in for even ten years, seemed ingrained in him.

“Must’ve been tough coming all the way from the States to Busan. Let’s get your luggage sorted first.”

His uncle, speaking briskly, subtly gesturing at Minhee.

“Is she our niece-in-law?”

“She’s… Rose’s dedicated teacher from school. I asked her to come along with us.”

“A teacher?! I almost made a big mistake. Oh, our teacher! You came all this way with Rose, and I’m so grateful!”

As Taejun’s uncle bowed in thanks, Minhee smiled awkwardly and bowed her head in return. She felt a sense of familiarity with his Busan accent, which was similar to her father’s Korean accent.

Her father even retained his accent even when he spoke English. The habit of adding “our” to every title was also reminiscent of her father’s way of speaking, which she found fascinating.

“Our Rose looks just like her pictures! She’s so pretty. Do you know who I am?”

His uncle bent down to make eye contact with Rose, who was peeking out from behind Minhee. Rose shyly shook her head with a smile.

“I’m your uncle’s uncle. Rose, say ‘great-uncle.'”

Rose’s eyes widened as she called out to Taejun.

“Santon! Santon has a santon too?”

Taejun finally chuckled, moved closer to Minhee, and tousled Rose’s hair.

“Yes.”

“Great-uncle… Great-uncle.”

Rose giggled and called her uncle in her own way, making everyone around her laugh. Thanks to Rose, the potentially awkward reunion after decades passed more smoothly, allowing Taejun to breathe a sigh of relief.

The three of them rode in the car driven by Taejun’s uncle, heading from the train station to Haeundae. Along the way, his uncle introduced each place they passed, like a tour guide, leaving no room for awkwardness.

Taejun quietly listened to his uncle from the passenger seat, while Minhee anxiously watched the rapidly changing scenery of Busan through the window. Taejun’s uncle was an excellent driver, as fast and aggressive as a New York yellow cab driver.

Before entering the hotel lobby, the four took a moment to gaze out over the sandy beach and ocean. Minhee had to calm Rose, who was already running out onto the beach, and bring her back.

“It’s still too cold to go in the water. The sea breeze is chilly. If you want to go for a walk on the sandy beach, dress her in something warm.”

“Yes.”

Taejun obediently answered though he found the situation strange. They had lived like strangers for decades, barely remembering each other’s existence. The only thing connecting them was a thin thread of blood relation. Yet, his uncle naturally looked out for Rose’s well-being, and Taejun accepted his words without resistance.

“Rose, are you hungry?”

When his uncle asked Rose, she nodded.

“Taejun, why don’t you drop off your luggage? Let’s go to my house and eat first. You must be hungry too, teacher?”

“Huh? Uh, yes…”

“Lunch is-“

“My wife has already set the table. Come on down quickly.”

The three of them were hurriedly ushered into the elevator and arrived at the suite on the top floor of the hotel. From the living room and dining room, they had a panoramic view of the sea. Taejun placed his and Minhee’s luggage in the room with the king-size bed and Rose’s luggage in the room with two double beds.

“What do you want to do for lunch? If you don’t feel up to it, I can go to my uncle’s place by myself. You and Rose can order room service—”

“Santon! Rose wants to go to Great-uncle’s house! I’m hungry!”

Rose, who had her nose pressed flat against the window as she looked out at the sea, interrupted Taejun. Minhee raised one hand in agreement.

“I agree.”

Taejun chuckled.

“Alright, let’s head down quickly.”

* * *

His uncle’s apartment was less than a ten-minute drive from the hotel.

“Grandmother lives in the next building. We’ll visit after lunch.”

Before they left, Minhee gently tugged on Taejun’s arm. She remembered her mother had written in her 16th birthday letter that one should bring a small gift when visiting someone’s home. They hurriedly bought a cake and wine from the hotel bakery. They also found a flower shop in the hotel and bought a bouquet for Rose to carry.

As soon as his uncle opened the front door, the three of them were startled by the loud noise coming from the living room.

“Sounds like someone’s fighting!”

Minhee whispered to Taejun.

But his uncle nonchalantly muttered, ‘My son must be home…’ as he took off his shoes.

“Come in. Honey! Taejun is here!”

“Oh, our dear nephew, welcome! What’s this you brought? Look at the pretty flowers! You didn’t have to! These are from xx Hotel. How did you know their cakes are delicious?”

The aunt hurriedly took the cake, flowers, and wine, ushering them into the living room.

The apartment was spacious and luxurious at a glance. The living room windows offered a view of Haeundae Beach as splendid as the hotel’s, and there were two young couples and four children, who seemed to be his uncle’s children and grandchildren, causing chaos in the living room.

Despite the presence of a large, comfortable-looking leather sofa, no one was sitting on it; everyone was on the floor. As soon as Taejun and his group entered, they all stood up from the floor.

His uncle had two daughters and a son, all of whom were married, with six grandchildren ranging from 2 to 12 years old. The people here were the first and third children, while the second child was scheduled to come to the grandmother’s house in the evening.

When the whole family gathered around the table for lunch, it quickly became as noisy as a battlefield. It was an impressive lunch that Taejun had never experienced before. It was more chaotic than being in the middle of a battlefield with explosions going off all around.

Minhee seemed unperturbed, as if she was used to the noise of children. She ate her meal quickly, answering his uncle’s questions and taking care of Rose.

“Hey, speak some English.”

“Why is your name Rose? Don’t you have a Korean name?”

“Yoonseo, ask in English. In English.”

[Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Yoonseo and you?]

“Wow, our Yoonseo speaks some English.”

“Can you bring out some more radish kimchi?”

“Sure. Mom, can you also bring some kimchi pancake?”

“Why is the American uncle so tall?”

“Great-uncle! This is too spicy! Water! Water!”

“Rose, I’ll pour you some water. Drink it slowly. You’ll feel better if you drink some milk.”

“We have milk at home. Rose, do you want some milk?”

“Mom, I don’t want to eat this!”

“Junseok! Didn’t I tell you not to play games while eating?”

“Taejun, try some anago (sea eel).”

Taejun took the white “anago” (a type of sea eel) that the uncle offered him on a perilla leaf with red soy sauce and stuffed it into his mouth, covering his mouth with his fist. He felt like bursting into laughter. The family lunch was far from what he had expected. The serious resolve he had made before getting off the train now seemed overly dramatic.

“Taemin said you work at a bank in New York, Taejun?”

The uncle asked Taejun, cutting through the noisy din at the table.

“……Something like that. I manage an investment company called a hedge fund-“

“Oh, a fund investment! So you work at a securities company?”

“Uh, well…yes.”

“I heard you’ve also done your military service. A man has to serve in the military to become an adult. Well done.”

“…Yes.”

Hearing his brother’s name mentioned so casually at the table and having conversations with his uncle that veered strangely off-topic didn’t seem odd at this moment.

It was noisy, mundane, and ordinary. Instead of feeling awkward or out of place, he felt overwhelmed by the numerous interactions tugging at his sleeves from all directions.

As the lunch table, laden with food, was cleared, the cake Taejun had brought was served for dessert. By the time the sweet coffee was served in floral coffee mugs, it was already 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

Rose had already bonded with Yoonseo, who was close to her age, and was now conversing in the ‘Rose language’ and running around the spacious living room. When his aunt-in-law gathered the children into a room and put on a cartoon, the adults in the living room finally had a moment to relax.