Love Is .........

15 장

*** Thank you for all the lovely comments from the previous chapter. I read each and every one of them and try to accommodate the feedbacks ***

"If you want something, gives. If you want an investment, help someone with investment. If you want time, give someone time. If you want love, give love." -Alm. Ashraf Sinclair-

Tae Pyung still reminded of the little girl named Haneul he met at the columbarium just now, and it keeps him smiling as he drove to his mom's house. God finally answered his prayer to be able to meet his daughter even for a bit. He is well aware he is not a good man, but he never stops asking for His Mercy and His Grace to let him meet with his baby, even in a dream. All he needs is only one minute. He has been asking in his prayers every day before sleep, but he never met her. After a while, he realized God may not answer his prayers as he had done bad things by leaving his wife and son behind for wealth. He accepted it, but he never gives up. He still continues to pray, and today it was answered. It makes him believe in the power of prayer.

After 5 years, his baby visits him though not in his dream. That short encounter enables him to experience what does it feel like to talk to his baby girl. Call him delusional, but he is sure that heaven-sent the girl to him on behalf of his Haneul. Call it coincidence, but to him, that is more like fate. He was fated to bump into the 5-year-old just now. That little girl smile makes his yearning heart at peace as he knew his daughter is smiling too from wherever she is. It was brief, but it is something that he will cherish forever.

And now, he is driving to celebrate her birthday with his mother and his brother. Just like in the past years, once he visited Haneul, he will meet with his family. They never failed to 'celebrate' Haneul's birthday for him every year. She will prepare seaweed soup and give out rice cakes to the neighbours on this day. According to his mother, as long as she is alive, she will celebrate Haneul's birthday just like she celebrates Kang Hoon's.

As soon as Tae Pyung arrived at his mother's place, the old lady served him a bowl of seaweed soup with meat. Kim Hae Suk feels pity looking at her son. She is disappointed with him for divorcing Eon Jin, but she knows that Tae Pyung is a caring father to her grandchildren. Haneul's resting place is always neatly kept, and he often visits his baby. She patted her son's back gently as the later sipped the hot served soup without saying anything. It must be a hard day for him today.

As he tasted the first sip of the nutritious soup, suddenly a thought came into his mind, and he asked his mother, "Eomoni, do you think Haneul loves seaweed soup? She never got to taste a sip." there's sombre in his voice. Tears have been pooling in his eyes.

Kim Hae Seok's heartaches as she heard that, but she hid it and nodded, "Who doesn't like seaweed soup. Especially kids. She's a Korean; she has to like it."

Blinking his eyes, trying to stop his tears from falling, Tae Pyung continues eating the soup his mother had prepared. While waiting for his brother, who was delivering rice cakes to their neighbours, Tae Pyung told his mother of his little encounter with the little girl that resembles Haneul. Kim Hae Seok just listened to him intently, and for the first time after so long, she saw that he is smiling when talking about his angel daughter. Kim Hae Seok can't stop thanking God for showing His Mercy to his son.

The family of three was having lunch. Kim Hae Seok prepared all the typical birthday meals. She also made a special rice cake just for the three of them. As a grandmother, she feels sad too that they celebrated the birthday without the birthday girl, but what can they do? Every year, she will be reminded of her daughter in law, wondering how she is coping on this day. "Eon Jinnie still not coming to visit Haneul?" Her son shook his head, and Kim Hae Seok nodded, understand. "It must still hard for her to see her baby in an urn." She is a mother, and she can feel the agony of a mother who lost a child. Maybe, she would have acted the same if she lost any of her children.