Loving Yourself

Sculled

"You sick?!" ha Jae asked into Yokada's room.

Yokada, who was sitting on the sofa in his room, seemed to be distracted thinking about something. "No" he answered.

Ha Jae came over and sat down next to Yokada. He turned Yokada's face away in order to catch her. Yokada just kept quiet about getting that treatment.

"What's wrong?! You got a problem?" ask Ha Jae. "I noticed, when I got back from Indonesia, you weren't like the Yokada I knew?"

"Hemm," muttered Yokada grinning. "Hahg. You're right. I'm not the usual Yokada. I was astonished too. Have I changed, huh?!"

Yokada looked at Ha Jae seriously. Ha Jae is confused by what Yokada means. Ha Jae smiled faintly towards Yokada.

"Give me your hand" said Ha Jae.

"no need. You don't need to know what's in my brain. I can finish it myself," Yokada refused.

"Hemm, but I don't like your attitude like this, sir." said Ha Jae arranged Yokada with a wistful tone.

"I want you to be honest with me" Yokada said.

"What?!" ask Ha jae.

Unaware of Yokada, Ha Jae grabbed Yokada's hand. He held it very tightly. Yokada who realized it also looks resigned.

"You are," said Yokada.

Ha Jae was silent beside Yokada. She smiled thinly with a sad look. No tears Ha Jae wet his cheeks. Yokada who saw that rubbed Ha Jae's cheek gently. Ha Jae falls in Yokada's arms. He cried a hiccup in Yokada's arms.

Yokada gently tried to calm Ha Jae down like a father calming his little daughter.

"Relieve him. Maybe he's not your fool" said Yokada. "Yes, yeah. All you've felt all along is love. You're alive, you're alive. You really are alive. And this is how life is,"

Unfeeling, Yokada shed her tears. He couldn't see Ha Jae crying in his arms. Unexpectedly, Ha Jae's romance story is the same as what Yokada felt in his past.

......................

"Tumben you're here? Long after you got engaged to Julia, you rarely came here again. Have you forgotten me?!" yokada Syndicate.

"Sorry, I have a lot of business to do. I'm just here to give you this." said Shin Ji Joon.

Shin gives an invitation for her wedding to Yokada with Julia. Yokada who saw that also looked unhappy.

"Why did you choose that girl?! Shouldn't Ha Jae be?!" chirps Yokada.

"Well, what do you mean, Uncle?!" shin Ji Joon.

"You changed Shin. You never called me Uncle. What's up?!" ask Yokada.

Shin Ji Joon is stunned on the guest sofa. He didn't budge a bit.

"I know everything. You can't hide anything from me" Yokada said.

Yokada sat down in front of Shin Ji Joon. Shin Ji Joon tries to take his eyes off Yokada.

"You like Ha Jae. You like it so much" said Yokada.

"What do you mean, Uncle?! Where might I be - "

"Ha Jae is the same, too" Yokada interrupted Shin's remark.

"Bragh!" Shin looked shocked at Yokada's words. "She's married, she's already got happy,"

"What?! You know where you're bullshit like that?!" yokada Hardik. "Even you don't know how Ha Jae has been feeling all this time,"

Yokada got up from his seat. He went to the bar table and poured out a wine. Yokada looked very upset.

"She," said Shin doubtfully.

Yokada looked towards Shin Ji Joon who was sitting dumbstruck. He approached Shin and sat in front of him.

"Hanbul?!" yokada.

"He's grown up" Shin said softly.

"You think Haneul is Ha Jae's son?!" Yokada.

"Huh?! Whatchu mean?" asked Shin in surprise.

"Hemm! You should have been honest with me from the beginning Shin. What do you think I am?!" sue Yokada's.

Shin Ji Joon was just stunned inexhaustibly by what he heard. Haneul comes out of Ha Jae's room with his two sodas.

"Uncle, we're ready" cried Haneul.

"Ah," said Yokada, turning towards Haneul.

Yokada was stunned thinking of something. He drank wine in his glass. Seriously, Yokada looked at Shin who was sitting before him.

"I have some free time?" tanyan Yokada to Shin Ji Joon.

"Huh?! Me?" ask Shin Ji Joon.

"You take Haneul and his two sodas. You find out for yourself what you want to know." Yokada said. "Haneul, you guys are Shin Ji Joon's. Ah, Uncle's not feeling well,"

"Ah, yes Uncle. I'll tell you" replied Haneul.

Yokada went downstairs. Haneul was stunned looking at Shin who was still stunned sitting on the sofa. Haneul waited long enough for Shin who was still disturbed like losing his mind.

......................

"Where are we going?" shin asked Haneul who was sitting next to him.

"To the funeral first, Uncle. That's Abis we go to Panti and to Mama's office" replied Haneul.

"Cemetery?!" ask Shin curiously.

"Emm," Haneul nodded his head excitedly.

"Haneul, we will go to the bakery first before going to Panti. I want to buy a cake for the head of the Panti." proposed Nami.

"Is the money enough?! My money lives this way. Part of our savings is not that we have opened to buy uniforms," said Yuri.

"The money you gave me is over?" tanya Haneul looked at her two sodas sitting on the back jog.

"Mama?! Can we use that money?!" ask Yuri.

"You guys, if you don't use it, Mama's gonna be pissed. Mama gave it to our pocket money" said Haneul.

"But that's a lot" said Nami.

"Indeed much. But Mama always gives that every month. Enough is not enough, the snack rations are so," explained Haneul.

"So we can use that money?!" ask Yuri again.

"Hemm," Haneul nodded his head.

"It's so good to have parents. We had to work for snacks, even to buy books and uniforms." Yuri said.

"So you practice us every day. Is that Mama's money?" ask Nami.

"Who else? My father paid for my school. Snack money from Papa, Mama tube. Mama said, the pocket money should I use to open a stretcher later if it is an adult. Adult life is hard, so we have to be ready to deal with it" Haneul said.

"So, huh?!" yuri Sahut.

"Then, what do you work every week at the store for?! I thought you got money for work" asked Nami.

"Jebi-Jebi?" ask Haneul.

"Ehmm," Nami nodded to justify.

"Ha ha, you're this. I don't work there. Grandpa Dogsan is like my own grandfather. I was just there to help Grandpa sell" Haneul explained.

"So he's your grandfather?! He deserves to be so good. I think he's a keladi parent" exclaimed Yuri.

"Ha ha ha, you're this. Where there is such. Grandpa was like that. She loves me so much. Even Grandma used to make me a cake if there. Didn't you guys also eat the cake I brought?" beber Haneul's.

"I think that's your wage" Yuri replied.

"Mama, great yes," Nami chirped with a sad look. "I'm grateful to meet my mom,"

"Hemm, when Mama says we're Mama's kids. I think it's just kidding. Just an amusement because he's sorry for us. I couldn't sleep all night" Yuri said.

"Not sleeping what. You're snoring so hard you know," said Nami.

"I only slept for an hour. Aren't you also unable to sleep thinking of that?!" yuri Sahut.

"So you don't trust Mama?" ask Haneul.

Yuri and Nami just fell silent to each other. He hesitated to answer Haneul's question.

"He hemm's. You are a person who cannot be trusted, in the eyes of others. But you have to believe. Mama's not that kind of person. My mom is tough and firm. If Yes, then Yes. He never played with his words. Even if joking," said Haneul. "Mama rarely spoke. Mama said, as a human being, what is held is her speech. So be careful in speaking."

Yuri and Nami smiled hearing what Haneul said. They seemed very happy with Haneul's explanation.

"You must not trust the words of others completely. If you don't know the truth yourself. So, find out the truth for yourself. Because the reality in each person's eyes is different judgment. Mama said it like that," said Haneul.

"I want to be closer to Mama" Yuri said. "But Mom is always busy, yeah,"

"You can't say that" Nami replied. "We should thank him because he wants to raise us as his children,"

Ngikkkkkk!

"Geeh!" screech everyone in the car.

The car they were riding in almost hit a roadblock. Shin Ji Joon who heard their conversation was shocked to learn that they were not Choi Ha Jae's biological children.

"Sorry" said Shin Ji Joon.

"Uncle, is it okay?! If Uncle's tired, we'll rest first" asked Haneul.

"No, it's okay. We'll be there soon." replied Shin Ji Joon.

...****************...