PROMPTS

In Pursuit of Happiness - 22

(Reposted)
—

A family tree.

Hoon still remembers encountering this in a book at the orphanage. When he tried to copy the drawing, he immediately stopped because he realized his tree only had his name on it.

He did not know who his parents were.

He did not know if he would ever have branches on it.

All he knew was that he was a lone seed and he was unsure if it would ever grow.

Hoon did not understand much but he knew that the thought made his heart hurt.

*

Park Hoon.

Hoon smiled as he practiced his new name. Well, his soon-to-be new name.

When Cha Mi-jo sat him down and told him  of her plan to ask Agent Dae-sik to marry her, she also explained how it will affect his life. "Appa and I talked about marriage before and I just want to remind him that I want to keep that promise now."

"Okay, Eomma. It's important to keep promises," Hoon said.

"I also want to tell him that I want him to adopt you," Cha Mi-jo continued.

Hoon's eyes widened.

He knew what adoption was and had some idea that it involved a lot of papers. But it also meant he would be Agent Dae-sik's son for real. Hoon's young mind could not grasp yet why the authorities words were more important than what his heart was already feeling, but he was happy that those two would finally be reconciled: that the world would recognize that they were a family.

"Would you be okay to change your name again?" Mi-jo asked.

"Change my name? I won't be Hoon anymore? But I love being a Hoon," he told his mother.

Cha Mi-jo smiled. "We'll keep Hoon, of course. But, how do you feel about 'Park Hoon'?"

Choice.

It was something Mi-jo consciously gave to Hoon, especially on matters concerning him and his life. Of course, there were a lot of moments when she still made the decisions for him as he was still a young boy. However, there were things she wanted him to be part of.

Like choosing his name.

Hoon's biological parents dropped him off at the orphanage with no instruction whatsoever so the director was the one who chose the boy's name. When Mi-jo adopted him, she asked if he wanted to keep his name.

"Yes," he said then because the orphanage director was a kind woman. "It will remind me of where I came from."

Now, as he pondered the new family name, Hoon asked, "Will I still be your son if I don't have 'Cha' in my name anymore?"

"Of course!" Mi-jo assured. "Nothing will change that."

"Will you change your name, too?" He asked.

Mi-jo shook her head. "Married women in Korea don't take their husbands name," she explained. Even so, just saying "married" and "husband" pertaining to Park Dae-sik brought a thrill in Mi-jo's bones.

"Hmmmm," Hoon tapped his chin. "I think..."

Mi-jo waited patiently.

"When I'm bigger, I want to tell many people about how our family came to be," Hoon stated. "First, I was only Hoon. Then, I got the best Eomma and became Cha Hoon."

Mi-jo smiled, kissing his forehead.

"Then, we met an amazing Appa and I became Park Cha Hoon!" he finally declared. "Can I have both 'Park' and 'Cha' in my name, Eomma? I love both."