Lee Ahn and Tae Gwang kept to their promise this time, even though it made jeing Mi uncomfortable, Lee Ahn still spoke to Tae Gwang, besides they were friends first.
The idea to link up their children was a very crucial thing for Lee Ahn, she hated the fact that Bora always felt lonely, even if Bora wouldn't talk to her, she should at least have someone to talk to; that also meant if she had to force her to do so.
Lee Ahn was brought up with tough love, so the only way she knows how to replicate love is through what she always felt it, it helped her grow drastically. She could see people for who they are and saw things that most people would run away from through how her parents brought her up. But Bora was different and Lee Ahn didn't want to notice or accept that.
Tae Gwang on the other hand knew Yeorin was a different breed, the break of their family only made him more distant from everybody, everyone other than his adopted sister, Wi So Mi. So Mi was adopted by Mun Dal Hae, Yeorin's Mother when Yeorin was twelve. So Mi was a Korean who grew up Japan.
Dal Hae was on a Japanese tour to save and feed the less privledge when she found Wi So Mi in an orphange home, the last child in Sakura Gakuen, an orphanage home in Nagasaki. Dal Hae was eleven years old when she was adopted by Mun Dal Hae.
Tae Gwang used So Mi as the thread that linked he and Dal Hae. Tae Gwang wasn't comfortable with his family not being around him, and when Dal Hae came back with So Mi, he understood the nature of her work and the necessity for it, but it was too late to make amends in their marriage.
Ever since their childhood, So Mi and Yeorin had been best of friends, they both sometimes forgot that they weren't actually family, So Mi was allowed to keep her last name to honour her parents who died in a plane crash on their way back to Daegu. So Mi who was the lone survivor, the only living thing that survived in the deadly crash of the Mishima crash of 2016.
The Mishima crash was the first flight of Mishima airline on 12th of November 2016. It was the first time a Mishima flight would crash, causing the airline to go out of business. The crash which was attributed to the failure of two engines due to a sudden unfavourable weather that enveloped the clouds at an altitude of fifteen thousand feet about sea level.
The death toll of the Mishima crash stretched across three hundred and sixty-five (365) people, who of which children where thirty-seven (37), women were one hundred and sixty-five (165) and the remaining - men (including the pilots).
Even after so many years, So Mi still doesn't have the courage to board an aeroplane again, the trauma of falling through the sky, the screams, the coalition with the ground, the dead bodies, the smell of blood and the scenery of destruction was still fresh in her memory.
Immediately after her release from ICU, she couldn't stand the noise or sight of planes, just the sound alone brought back memories of that day, she grew more anxious along side having heart palpitations. The doctors termed It as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - one which she showed a lot of symptoms to.
Because of this, Dal Hae had became a person who had to travel by ship, road or train anytime she was with So Mi.
Dal Hae and Tae Gwang were separated, and each took a child with them, So Mi liked Yeorin and Tae Gwang a lot, she took them as family and vice versa but she held Dal Hae in high esteem, Dal Hae wasn't just a Mother figure to her but also her saviour. Dal Hae didn't just help her leave Sakura Gakuen orphanage (which was just a facade on the outside, the kids in there were maltreated and malnourished), but also helped her overcome her traumatic past.
In as much as So Mi would have loved to stay with her adopted father and brother, she couldn't leave her adopted Mother, considering the amount of sacrifices Dal Hae had made for her.
Tae Gwang stood at the the front of his large window in his office, the city's twinkling lights stretching before him like a canvas of broken dreams. The breeze carried the scent of rain, a reminder of the storm brewing within him.
'I've lost her,' he thought, 'lost the love of my life, the mother of my child. All because of my pride, my inability to understand.'
He recalled the countless nights Dal Hae spent away, saving the world one soul at a time. He remembered the jealousy, the resentment, the feeling of being left behind.
"You're always leaving," I told her. "You prioritize your work over our family."
The words still lingered, a bitter taste in his mouth. He knew he'd hurt her, pushed her away.
As he gazed out of his window, Tae Gwang's thought ran wide and wild into the past. He clenched unto the fabric of his pocket that seemed to give his palms a soothing hug as he gripped it tightly. The city's noise faded into the background, replaced by the echoes of memories.
'I was wrong,' he admitted to himself. 'Wrong to think she'd choose me over her mission. Wrong to expect her to stay, wrong to expect her to stray.'
Tae Gwang's gaze drifted to the photograph in his wallet, Yeorin's bright smile and Dal Hae's gentle touch. His heart ached.
'Yeorin deserves better,' he thought. 'Better than a Father who can't let go of the past.'
As the night wore on, he descended into the depth of his thoughts, the shadows seemed to swallow him whole. He couldn't shake the feeling of suffocation.
"Mr Mun?" Yuna's soft voice called from behind.
Oblivious of Yuna's presence, he walked back to his chair, trying to divert his focus with something trivial.
Yuna knew Tae Gwang at times like this, she was his son's pseudo-secretary, and she knew the family quite well, she knew times like this when Tae Gwang would be all alone thinking about his broken family and at the same time trying to divert his focus by watching video clips online.
Yuna sighed in pity, her heart heavy for the family 'they've all been through a lot'. They have been nice to her since she finished from Kyung Hee university five years back, in their family she found solace from her own troubled life.
Yuna walked up to Tae Gwang's table, "Ajhussi (Uncle)," she said touching his hands, "joh-ayo (are you okay)?"
The sound of Yuna's voice flung him back into his reality, "oh hey kiddo," he replied, forcing a smile, "I was watching a video online that I didn't notice you coming in. What's it?"
On seeing how much Tae Gwang was trying his best to still smile at her, Yuna's heart broke, 'they seem to have a knack for hiding their feelings in this family.'
Yuna, submitted the files held in her hands and began to explain everything itinerary that has been planned for th B&S shoe launch coming up in a week's time. Yuna rambled on for a very long time, but Tae Gwang had sunk back into his inner turmoil, thinking about his family, about what he did wrong and about what he could do to make it right.
Yeorin made every member of his family a shareholder in B&S so it was a given that Tae Gwang would see Dal Hae in a week's time, during the shoe launch and that made his heart ache.
Yuna noticed Tae Gwang wasn't following what she was saying so she immediately wrapped up what she was saying and bade him farewell. "Ajhussi, jal ja (uncle Mun, goodnight), don't stay up all night, okay? you should get some sleep."
"Ne (yes I would)," Tae Gwang replied with a smile on his face.
He had signed two bonding Contracts already, one for his marriage with Dal Hae and the other for his adoption of So Mi.
As Yuna left, Tae Gwang's thought drifted back to Dal Hae and his eyes wandered to the old family photo on his desk. Dal Hae's bright smile and Yeorin's giggles were etched in his memory. What had gone wrong?
The memory of their last argument still lingered - "Dal Hae, you're always leaving," Tae Gwang had said during their last argument. "You prioritize your work over our family."
"That's not fair, Tae Gwang," Dal Hae retorted. "You don't know what it means to take a life, you don't know what it means to save one either." Tae Gwang's memory went to the last words Dal Hae said before the got separated.
Their words still stung. Tae Gwang regretted his harsh tone, but Dal Hae's absence had taken a toll on his family, and Yeorin was a peferct example to show for it.
As he pondered his past mistakes, he knew he was yet to make another one but he always told himself it was for the best. He knew Yeorin wouldn't refuse his request in as much as it drew him away from seeing his Father or Mother he would do it.
Another bonding contract was about to come into play - a contracted relationship.