"Ah, good afternoon, ladies", while Woobin, Hana, and I were having a little chat, a proper tough-looking man approached us and greeted me and Hana.
"Good afternoon, Sir"
Unlike how she was to Woobin, Hana greeted this man with respect.
"Jenn, in case you forgot, this is my Dad", Woobini introduced.
"Good afternoon"
I greeted him politely but I was wowed at just how different they looked. Woobin looked like some sort of a prince from a shoujo manga, while his dad looked hard as a nail and was a bulky man.
"I was sorry to hear about the accident. Good to see that you've recovered well"
"Thank you, Sir"
"My son will be in your care again. I hope he doesn't trouble you much"
I didn't know what to say so I just smiled back and it seemed that was a good enough answer for him now.
"Hey, there you are, Min"
It was my Dad who came back to us with Uncle Tan following behind him.
"Good to see you again, brother. You had a good trip?"
"It was a tough one but managed to come back in one piece. The farms are doing well too"
"I'm sure Father was happy to hear that"
"Indeed, and it is also related to today's occasion"
"Oh?"
"I will explain later when everyone is here"
Then suddenly there was the sound of a bell, not like a school bell, but more like a chime of a church bell.
"Attention! The Father is entering"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and all the men made their way towards the entrance. Hana and Tan ushered me to follow my Dad and Mom came back from somewhere to join us quickly as well. Even Woobin seemed to switch to a serious mode and quietly followed his dad.
Now everyone was lined up by the entrance, perfectly mirrored on each side with a passage left to go through in the middle. All the men were standing in the front row, their wives in the second row, children in the third row, and the 'assistants' in the fourth row and beyond.
I couldn't see very well from where I was, but suddenly everyone bowed, the upper body bent forward at full 90 degrees, so I followed suit. We stood like that for some time until the next command was given.
"At ease!"
With that, we all stood straight again but then turned to face the other end of the hall where there was a mini stage. There was an old man sitting in a wheelchair right in the center of the stage, flanked by four men on each side plus one relatively young-looking man wearing glasses standing right next to him, holding a microphone in his hand.
"Father would like to welcome you all here today. It is greatly appreciated that everyone made themselves available despite the busy schedule and heavy workload we are all under. Extra thanks go to all the grandchildren who came, the future of our family. Father hopes that all those gathered here will have a joyous time and further strengthen the bond between all the brothers"
The young man gave a short pause and everyone in the hall bowed their head again towards the 'Father' (so a grandfather for me) and said in a loud and clear voice "Thank you, Father".
"Today is a special day for one more reason. As some of you might have heard, we have a new brother joining our great family today. Uncle Yoon, please come to the stage"
He was calling for my Dad, and I made a mental note that he addressed my Dad as an Uncle rather than a brother, which indicated that he is in my generation.
My dad made his way to the stage in his manly strides. He always looked cool and confident and today was no exception although this felt like a big occasion.
"Thank you", Dad grabbed the microphone handed over to him by the young man and bowed to the audience before continuing.
"I have just come back recently from overseas visiting our long-term partners, friends, and extended families around the world. I'm happy to report to you all, my brothers, that things are mostly looking good and we have a particularly good harvest this year. Although our family now covers many different fields of business, we shall always remember our roots and never forget the blessings of the land that have given us the foundation to build everything on"
There was a short but sincere round of applause.
"Now, during my visit to one particular location, I was put in an exceptionally difficult situation. At that time, a business partner, who has also been my very good friend over many years, offered timely assistance to help me even without being obliged to do so by any form of agreement. If not for this gentleman, I might not be here today to see my beloved family again"
I heard some whispering and murmuring around the hall. I couldn't quite catch the exact words of everyone, but the feeling I got was that everyone thought it must have been a really tough situation if Dad, out of all people, could not find his way out without assistance.
"Yes, brothers. It was a matter of life and death. It pains me to say this, but it turned out that an organization that we felt was part of our extended family betrayed us. And this gentleman I will introduce you now, was there to bring justice and showed true loyalty that earned him the right to be considered as 'one of us'. After I reported everything to Father, he gave the blessing and order that we invite this man of honor to join our family. So without any further ado, let me introduce you, the man whom we shall call Brother Yu from now"
Everyone gave a loud cheer and thunderous applause, and I saw that the guards by the hall's entrance opened the door again to let some people in, probably this 'Brother Yu' that my Dad was talking about.
Then I saw this tall and bulky man walk into the room with swagger and confidence but with more of a positive vibe than appearing arrogant. A few steps behind him another tall young man was following him and their demeanor was so similar that even without seeing his face I knew this must be his son. I followed everyone else in the room and kept on clapping my hands as they made their way to the stage, but as soon as I saw the face of the son I completely froze on the spot and I felt like my heart stopped for a few beats too.
It was Hechan.