High on You (Choi Do Il x Oh In Joo - Little Women 작은 아씨들)

25

THE NIGHT OF THE GRAND GALA BALL – 8:30pm to 11:45pm

"Unni, have you tried this?" said In-kyung, referring to the slice of meat in front of her.
"It's delicious, isn't it?" replied In-joo, who had already gulped down her portion. The night was going just fine. Do-il-ssi had been invited to stay over at their table, and after a quick exchange of looks with his mother, he had accepted to sit among the Oh family. It felt weird but right, as if they were old friends getting acquainted again. Surprisingly, it had been Jong-ho to carry on most of the conversation with him. He had asked him about Santorini and what other cities or countries he had visited; he had inquired about his mother's health, about his new job, and about his father. What neither of In-joo's sisters knew was that she had been visiting Hee-jae-ssi every now and then to check on him and see how he was faring in prison. It took little effort on her part; she just had to tell the guard to add one more name to the list of people she was going to visit.
"Is anyone going to make a donation tonight?" asked In-hye curiously.
"I'll make one for each of the organizations." In-joo had already prepared the checks, she would drop them inside the boxes once dinner was over, which wouldn't take too long now since the waiters had just cleared the tables again and the only thing left on the menu for the night was dessert.
"Oh, that's really nice of you, unni."
"All the organizations this year really resonate with me," added In-joo. The five chosen ones were deeply different from each other. The first one was a startup that was looking into the world of robotics to help people with motor disabilities lead an easier life that wouldn't require a person beside them 24/7. The second one was a private school that was about to start its journey through donations and whose long-term dream was to only be sustained by donations. Their main goal was to help disadvantaged kids and teens find their way into any type of art of their choice. The third one was another non-profit whose goal was to raise funds for Alzheimer's and other cognitive illnesses research. The fourth and fifth ones both had to do with the climate crisis. The fourth one was centered around pollution of the oceans and getting funds to help clean them; the fifth one was a research organization that was looking for donations for a new expedition to the North Pole to study how rising temperatures were affecting wildlife and their migratory habits.
"We'll donate as well, right?" asked In-kyung, turning to Jong-ho.
"Yes, absolutely. What about you, Do-il-ssi? Any donation on your part?"
"Yes, I'll donate too." The reply was cut short; the desserts had arrived, and they resumed eating.
Hyo-rin then asked, "Are they going to reveal who the heads behind these projects are tonight or?"
"They will. In about an hour or so, they'll announce the names of any director, founder, CEO, and the rest of it."
"That sounds nice." She nodded as she said that and then smiled toward In-hye, who was looking at her.

Fifteen minutes later, In-joo stood up and decided to go place her donations inside each box. Do-il, ever the gentleman, stood up too and followed her.
"Everything's going great. You've done an amazing job organizing it."
"It wasn't just me. I was more into the technical stuff, like making sure that the bills had been paid, that everything had been delivered... that sort of stuff."
"Still, it took time and energy. You've done really well. Everything has been smooth so far."
In-joo smiled without looking at him. Her arm was linked with his as they made their way toward the boxes. Once they got there, she let the checks fall into each of the five glass containers, and then she watched Do-il do the same. Then, out of nowhere, a baby ran into her dress and tripped between her feet. In-joo rushed down, but Do-il was faster and caught the little girl before she hit the ground. He kneeled down to be face-level with her and kept his hands on her shoulders, making sure she was stable on her little feet.
"Are you okay?" he asked her in English. The girl didn't look Korean; she had tanned skin, big brown eyes, and dark curly hair. The baby nodded and looked around the room as if she were looking for someone.
In-joo then asked her, "Where are your parents?"
Do-il turned his head toward her, surprised to hear her speak a language she had not known anything about.
"I don't know," the little one answered.
"Come, let's see if we can find them." In-joo extended her hand for the girl to take, but she didn't let go of Do-il's arms. He looked up at In-joo with an apologetic little smile and then picked up the baby.
"What's your name?" Do-il asked her.
"Beatrice."
"Hi Beatrice, my name is Do-il. Can you describe us your parents?" The girl didn't have enough time, because two seconds later, they heard a woman calling 'Bee! Where are you?' and the little one yelled for her mom. Do-il asked her to point her mommy out if she'd seen her, and, not even a minute later, a short woman with the baby's same hair and eyes and a very pregnant belly saw them and rushed towards them with a man behind her that was keeping yet another girl in his arms. The three ladies looked like twins, and there was absolutely no doubt that the one walking towards them was Beatrice's mom.
"Mommy!"
"Baby!" The woman took the girl from Do-il's arms and hugged her tight. "Don't you ever try this again, young lady! You hear me? You almost gave me and Daddy a heart attack!" Tears were pooling in the eyes of both mom and little one. The man standing behind the woman moved forward and hugged both of them, then said to Do-il and In-joo, "Thank you for reassuring her and helping her find us. We're sorry for any kind of troub-"
"No trouble at all," said In-joo, "we're glad we found you. She's a sweet girl."
"Thank you. Let us introduce ourselves properly. I'm Neil Melendez, and this is my wife, Jade. These two troublemakers are Beatrice and Vivienne, our daughters of five and three."
"Oh yes, I'm Oh In-joo, Mr. Melendez. I called you a couple of weeks ago regarding your invitation. Welcome to the Gilded! I hope you'll all have an amazing stay. How has the night been so far? Are you enjoying yourself?"
Do-il watched the woman beside him have an effortless conversation. A week earlier, she had mentioned that she had wanted to catch up with him with all the things she had managed to do during these years apart. He now guessed that learning English had been one of those things, and he wondered how many he had prevented her from telling him.
"In-joo-ah!" That was In-kyung shouting after her sister from behind all of them. "Unni! Did you dona-" In-kyung stopped talking and gaped at the people that were with them.
"Oh my goodness. Jade?"
"In-kyung?" asked with a surprised tone the pregnant woman.
"I can't believe you're here! What the heck!" In-kyung stepped into their little circle and hugged the woman, then stretched out her hand to shake Neil's already waiting hand.
"I'm so glad to see you guys! It's a complete surprise, oh my. And would you look at baby Bee!"
In-joo frowned and looked at her sister. Bee? Like... kitty cat Bee? That Bee? What were the chances?
"Oh, In-kyung-ah, are these the people you told us about?" asked In-joo.
"Yes! This is Jade, the owner of the flower boutique I told you about! And this is her husband, Dr. Melendez; he's a cardiovascular surgeon. And these are baby Bee and baby Vivi! They've gotten so big since the last time we've met."
"It's always like this: you lose sight of them for a second, and they grow up a bit more. That's why there's a third on the way," said Jade, touching her bump gently.
"How are Kelsey and Tammy?" In-joo kept watching their exchange in awe. It wasn't the first time she had heard her sister speak English, but the difference between their accents was just so blatant.
"Oh, they're doing great! The paperwork for the adoption is going great, did you know?" She said enthusiastically.
"I had no idea. I'm so glad they're making it happen."
The two friends kept on talking for a while, and Do-il and In-joo looked at each other and smiled shyly, feeling a little bit out of place. Jong-ho had also arrived and was asking questions to the doctor. Apparently, they had bonded deeply, too.
"A drink while they catch up?" Do-il suggested, and In-joo nodded. They headed toward the bar, took a glass each but not even two sips into them, the music around them slowly stopped, and a host with a microphone in his hands started talking on the little stage there was behind the donation boxes.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Gilded Grand Gala Ball of 2027!" Cheers erupted around them from every corner of the room. "As per tradition, we gather here today to ensure that five noble causes get enough attention and funds to keep their amazing journey going." A round of applause came from the back and then reached the front too.
"First of all, we would love to thank everyone that made sure tonight was possible and that allowed everything to unravel marvelously like it currently is. And now, let's dive into the five organizations we've chosen for this year's Grand Gala Ball!" The first two to be presented were the climate crisis institutions; then came the new startup about robotics; and when the host announced it was time for the fourth organization, In-kyung and Jong-ho's friends stepped on the stage.
"On the stage with me right now are Neil Melendez and Jade Miller, co-founders of the Gabby Melendez Foundation. Can you tell us a little bit about it?" asked the host to both. Neil looked at his wife, then took the microphone and started talking to the audience.
"The Gabby Melendez Foundation was born two years ago after the passing of my little sister Gabrielle Melendez. She was 32 years old and had suffered a brain injury at a young age." In-joo could tell that the man had a lump in his throat. Jade watched him and then gently asked him to hand her the microphone.
"Gabby had started suffering from dementia six years ago. Thanks to new research and trials, she managed to live a happy and longer life than what was expected for her." She interrupted her speech and took another look at her husband, then handed him the mic back.
"The Gabby Melendez Foundation was born with the goal of helping other patients and their families facing new pharmaceutical trials and get all the help they may need, from financial to psychological support. Tonight, we hope to be the spark that will light many conversations around these topics. Thank you."
Applause rose from everywhere, and In-joo noticed more than one person dabbing at their eyes. Then the host was in control of the stage again and introduced the last organization.
"And now we welcome on stage the last of the institutions the Gilded has selected for the 2027 Gala. Please, a round of applause for these two young ladies here, Ms. Oh In-hye and Park Hyo-rin!"
In-joo furrowed her brows and started searching the crowd for In-kyung. When she found her sister, the look on her face was just as shocked as hers was.
"Hello, thanks for having us," Hyo-rin told the host.
"It's our pleasure, Ms. Park. Please tell us about your organization."
"Project Butterfly started around two and a half years ago. At first, it was just an idea, very far from becoming something tangible. Then my partner, Oh In-hye, started making real plans, and a first rough draft of the Project Butterfly goal was made. We are now in the final stages of it, everything is set into motion, and we're ready to start this journey, but we still need your help to be able to help as many kids as possible. Let us talk a little bit about the project itself. In-hye?" Hyo-rin handed the microphone over to In-joo's sister.
"Project Butterfly started off as a sort of make-up dream. As most of you probably know, both of us were involved in the Jeongran case five years ago. What probably not many know is that the Jeongran society was closely related to the Wonryeong school. That school at the beginning had a sustainable and honorable cause in mind, but that was later poisoned by everything that the secret society entailed. Project Butterfly wants to take those early principles and make them its own. Project Butterfly will ensure that kids with an affinity for any kind of art who come from any kind of troublesome background get proper instruction, completely for free. And that, ladies and gentlemen, will only depend on your generosity tonight and all other days to come."
In-joo was too stunned to talk or even breathe. She looked left and right and caught Do-il smiling and applauding once her sister's speech had ended. She searched for In-kyung and Jong-ho and found them with tears in their eyes. She started walking in their direction, when she was close enough, she asked, "Did you know about this?"
"We had no idea." In-kyung looked as happy as ever. "This is such an amazing thing they're doing. I can't believe our little In-hye-ah has designed something like this in her mind."
"Oh, c'mon. We've both always known she was destined for greater things. She has a big heart and an even bigger soul. And Hyo-rin is exactly the same. They make quite the power couple."
"I'm so proud."
"Very unexpected, very proud," agreed In-joo who turned to see where she had left Do-il, but she found him just two steps behind her back. The host then continued his speech.
"Now that we've met everyone, feel free to keep those donations coming, and let the Ball really begin!"
Soft, slow dance music started playing, now it was all about keeping time occupied somehow so that she wouldn't have to talk too much with Do-il. Too bad he had other plans.
"Would you do me the honor of a dance, Oh In-joo-ssi?"
In-joo looked around, but there was no mistake; he was talking to her; he had said her name, for goodness' sake.
"Honor? Dance? Ah-" she was muttering words with no logical sense, then she shook her head and said, "Yes, okay. But I don't know how to dance."
Do-il smiled, took her hand, and brought her to the dance floor. "Just follow me, it's like walking in circles."
He put his huge hands – yes, In-joo had watched them up close all night, they were huge – around her small waist, and she rose her own hands to his shoulders, then adjusted them when she noticed that every other girl dancing had theirs laced behind the neck of their partner.
"In-hye and Hyo-rin are really out there trying to right all that was wrong within Hyo-ryn's family," said Do-il as they started dancing.
"I...had no idea about any of it."
"Yes, I could tell from your face."
"You, on the other hand..." In-joo looked him straight in the eyes, "You didn't seem surprised one bit."
"I've known about the project since last year."
"What?" She opened her eyes wide in shock and something else that tasted similar to disappointment washed over her.
"I had no idea it was them, though. At least not until a couple of weeks ago. I had a meeting scheduled with the CEO of Project Butterfly, and it was a big surprise when I arrived and saw In-hye waiting for me."
"That little scoundrel."
"Anything but a scoundrel, In-joo-ssi."
In-joo bit her lip and shook her head, still dumbfounded. She would have never guessed that her sister might have been able to accomplish such an intricate feat. But, at the same time, how could she think that? She herself had done some things she would have never thought she could do in the past.
"I guess you're right... What about your mother? Isn't she here?"
"She is," he confirmed, and he started looking around the room to see whether she was close or not. He found her close to the donation boxes with a young man and someone else who was probably his wife on his arm. She was talking as if she had always known the couple.
"How is she?"
"Cancer got bigger again," he admitted. But then, watching In-joo's reaction bloom on her face, he immediately added, "Nothing too scary. The doctors say it's easily removable now and that there shouldn't be too many problems."
In-joo let out a breath, "Oh, good. I'm glad to hear that, although sad to know that the cure wasn't working."
"The cure was working, but it just slowed it down."
"Still good, though. Right?"
"Yes," Do-il made her twirl around with no notice, and In-joo let out a shriek out of pure surprise. That made both of them laugh.
"So... you're helping In-hye-ah?"
"I'm their financial consultant, although they used me, allow me to say that, for other purposes as well. Like, they wanted me to estimate how many won would be necessary to restore an old villa in the Yongsan district. Let's just say that that isn't my job."
"Sounds like In-hye. She knows you're a man of many talents. Money laundering expert, actor, savior, financial consultant, boxer, what else?"
"I can shoot a gun."
"Right, shooter."
The conversation went on for quite a while, and In-joo honored Do-il not with just one dance but almost five. Then her feet were screaming for mercy, and they had to stop.