On a cloudy afternoon, raindrops began to fall, wetting the empty streets around the Blue House. Yellowish dry leaves flew here and there in the cold wind mixed with the increasingly heavier rain.
In the midst of the pouring rain that flushed the city of Seoul, a black sedan was seen entering the vast Blue House area accompanied by several other cars behind it. The car that was speeding across the slippery road was carrying an important passenger in it. A man with a stern face who is currently staring blankly at the raindrop outside his car window with all kinds of feelings raging in his heart.
The man took several shallow breaths and seemed reluctant to get out of the car. But when some of his father's employees were waiting for him outside while preparing umbrellas for him, he couldn't help getting out of the luxury car and walked in with the men in suits his father had prepared to welcome his return from Canada this afternoon.
"Welcome to Korea, Mr. Minwoo."
Minwoo smiled faintly at one of his father's assistants and immediately stepped into his father's room.
His return to Korea this time was not without reason. Since three days ago his father kept calling him and told him to immediately return to Korea. He believes his father must have a plan for him. A plan that might ruin his future because he actually doesn't really like the life his father created. He prefers his free life in Canada and becomes an artist.
From a long time ago he had always dreamed of becoming an artist, but his stubborn father continued to force him and dictate his life to become a public figure to be like his father. Even though he didn't like it. He doesn't like being in the public spotlight and just wants to live a normal life with the people he cares about.
Sometimes he feels jealous of his brother. His adopted brother was able to make his father melt with all his choices and was always proud of every achievement he got. What's more, his brother has now succeeded in becoming the highest general in South Korea. Meanwhile, he never became anything valuable in the eyes of his father because he never really did something with pleasure. Everything he has done so far is solely because of his father's orders.
"You finally arrived, Minwoo."
The middle-aged man welcomed his son's arrival without turning his attention to the pile of papers he needed to study. Today he looks very busy because he has to quickly check the files before he goes to Taiwan with several other ministers this afternoon.
"What is wrong? Why did father tell me to go home?" asked Minwoo looking impolite.
The man felt no need to respect his father because his father never respected him either.
"I will tell you after I comes back from Taiwan. Have you met your mother?"
Minwoo tightened his jaw and tried to control his emotions so as not to explode in front of his father. He didn't want his first day in Korea to be bad because of his overflowing emotions.
"Not yet. After my plane landed, I immediately went here because according to father's assistant, father wants to see me as soon as possible."
"Yes, but at the moment I can't. So I better tell you after I got back from Taiwan. Don't forget to meet your brother. He must be happy to see you back."
Minwoo snorted softly as he averted his gaze from his father. Inadvertently the tail of his eyes stared at the row of photos his father had installed in his study. In one of the photos posted there, he saw the father looked so proud to embrace his brother's shoulder when his brother received the title of general for the first time one year ago. Meanwhile in another photo his father looks so flat without hugging his shoulders when he just graduated from senior high school six years ago.
Father has never loved me ...
"Why are you still here? I can't talk to you right now."
Kang Hyunjeong chased his son away casually without caring about Minwoo's hurt feelings.
The man then got up just like that and was about to leave his father's room. But suddenly the door in his father's room just opened and revealed the figure of the assistant who came carrying other files that his superior needed to examine.
"Sir, General Lee would like to see you for a moment. Right now he is waiting outside."
"Get him in. Incidentally I also want to meet him."
Minwoo felt a difference in the tone of his father's voice. The father looked more excited when he was about to meet Jinwoo. Whereas previously the man said that he was very busy. But he was willing to sacrifice his busy time to meet Jinwoo. In contrast to him, his father did not want to take the time to meet him. Even though he came to Korea because of his father's request. But the man just ignored it.
"Hyung[1]..."
Minwoo greeted Jinwoo and hugged the man warmly. If he hates his father, then he loves his brother very much. He had never hated Jinwoo in the past, even though the man obviously got more attention from his father. So far, he has always respected Jinwoo and loved Jinwoo like his own brother. Likewise with Jinwoo, he also always loved Minwoo. He always gave everything he had to Minwoo so that Minwoo would feel happy because he realized that all this time his father loved him more than Minwoo.
"When did you come?"
"My plane just landed forty minutes ago. How are you, hyung? You seem even more manly now." Minwoo said while observing the change in Jinwoo's posture, which is getting stronger in front of him. He knew that his brother had always been training hard to become a great general.
"Just so so. Nothing has changed from me. You grown up fast."
"Ah, not really." said Minwoo shyly as he stroked the nape of his neck clumsily.
The two brothers immediately got into a pleasant conversation until they forgot their previous goal.
"General Lee, President Kang is waiting for you inside."
Suddenly president Kang's assistant appeared and reminded Jinwoo to immediately enter his adoptive father's room.
"Get in quickly, don't make father wait long."
Without another word, Jinwoo immediately walked into his father's room and left Minwoo alone with a feeling of emptiness that came back to his heart. He shouldn't have come home and lived in Ottawa. The taste of going home or not is still the same. Feel alone and alienated together. Even in his own country.
"Minwoo, is that you?"
Minwoo reflexively raised his head when someone suddenly called out to him. With a smile on his face, Minwoo immediately walked over to the middle-aged man who had greeted him and bowed respectfully in front of the middle-aged man.
"Good evening uncle Im Jaehyuk, long time no see."
The two people of different generations then hugged and laughed together for a few moments.
"You look more handsome and grown up. How is Canada? Was it nice living there?" Im Jaehyuk teased, raising his eyebrows.
Even though he is no longer young, his soul is still like a young because Yujin always forbids him to grow old. For this reason, he always follows the latest news about South Korean youth so he can keep up with his smart and chatty daughter.
"Canada is more fun than South Korea. There are no such binding rules about culture as in Korea. Life there is much freer and also more flexible. After living there, I was sometimes lazy to go back to Seoul."
"Don't be like that, after all Korea is your home country. Even though Korean women are not as beautiful as Canadian women, never feel bored with your own country."
Im Jaehyuk punched Minwoo's arm lightly while warning the young man with a little joke tucked into each sentence. Minwoo himself felt that what his father's close friend did was not a form of anger, but rather a form of advice conveyed by a father to his son. His father should be able to treat him the same as Im Jaehyuk treat him. But unfortunately his father couldn't. His father is a man who is too stiff and authoritarian without a sense of humor like that of Im Jaehyuk.
"By the way, how is Yujin now? I heard that Yujin is currently pursuing his master's degree at Seoul University, why don't you send him abroad?"
"Ah... that kid."
Im Jaehyuk sighs softly when talking about his spoiled daughter. Then he continued his words to Minwoo, who was still faithfully waiting for the continuation of the story.
"I'm even tired of asking her to study abroad. Since he graduated from senior high school she never wanted to continue her studies abroad. The reason is because she doesn't want to be separated from her father. That kid often even followed me wherever I went. If she wasn't busy, she would have accompanied me to meetings in several cities or waited for me to finish the meeting at the Blue House.
"Today she also came here because we planned to have lunch together to celebrate my anniversary with her mother, but I suddenly had to lead a meeting that was difficult enough that I had to cancel my plans to have lunch together."
Minwoo nodded his head in understanding while smiling lightly understanding Im Jaehyuk's protective attitude.
In the past, he and Yujin were very close. Their age is not far apart makes them compatible with each other and often spend time together after school. Either he came to Yujin's house or Yujin's who came to his house to play, it was clear that they often spent time together until Yujin's age turned twelve.
After that he was too busy with his beautiful senior high school days. Where he began to learn to know women, dating, even fighting, causing his father to be called by the school general. And after he graduated from senior high school he decided to continue his studies in Canada so that he didn't have to see his father again. He had always realized that he and his father were like fire and water that could never be united even if forced.
"It seems like fun. Uncle must take good care of Yujin." Minwoo smiled as he watched the passing of people in suits who were busy whispering through the walkie talkie.
"I guess so too. Tonight your hyung will take care of Yujin. Because in the last few months there have been frequent reports of radical groups entering South Korea. I was a little worried about her safety. Yujin is my only daughter, I don't want anything bad to happen to her."
"Minister Im, good afternoon."
"General Lee, nice to meet you. How, is my daughter troublesome?"
Jinwoo smiled faintly at Im Jaehyuk while shaking his head lightly. So far Yujin hasn't been a bother. It's just that the woman is too chatty and too demanding for him to do this and that that he feels annoyed with her. Luckily he was still able to control his emotions in front of the woman and didn't yell at her.
"Thank goodness if she doesn't bother you. That kid actually doesn't really like doing strange things that are out of bounds, but her talkative attitude that is out of bounds sometimes makes other people around her uncomfortable."
In his heart, Jinwoo confirmed Im Jaehyuk's words if Yujin was a talkative girl because he had proven it himself a few hours ago.
"Yujin must have changed a lot. I can't wait to meet her." Minwoo commented. Im Jaehyuk nodded in agreement.
"Come to my house. Yujin must be happy to see you back from Canada."
"I will definitely come to uncle's house. I really miss that spoiled girl."
Jinwoo seemed to be glancing at the conversation between his younger brother and Minister Im without much comment. Since the first time he was not too close to Im Jaehyuk. He only knew Im Jaehyuk as a close friend of his father because his days were busy studying and training to enter the military training camp.
"Looks like I have to hurry to the airport with your father. We have a work agenda in Taiwan. General Lee, please take good care of Yujin." Im Jaehyuk said before leaving while patting Minwoo's shoulder lightly.
"Have you met mother?"
"Not yet. I came here immediately after my plane landed because father said he wanted to talk to me about something important."
"Then I'll escort you."
Without saying much, Jinwoo walked straight to his car which was parked in the parking lot of the Blue House. Behind him Minwoo followed without intending to talk to his brother. Sometimes he feels blocked by a very high separation wall when with Jinwoo, because his brother has never really let other people into his life and knows all his dark secrets which he keeps tightly from everyone he knows, including himself, his younger brother.