Autumnal Equinox (JinJi)

Twelve

Opening Night

Sunlight spilled into the room and splashed onto Jisoo's still-lidded eyes. She draped her arm over her face. The morning after a restless night. She heaved a deep sigh before deciding she ought to be up. She had a day of errands ahead of her.

Jisoo rose from the mattress and walked over to the full-body mirror in the corner of the room. She was still wearing the periwinkle dress from the night before. After her parents arrived at the hospital, her mother elected to stay overnight to watch Harabeoji, and Jisoo returned home with her father. She had been too shocked and exhausted to change out or wipe off her makeup.

She grabbed a shirt and jeans from her dresser then went to the restroom to change and wash her face. Then, she headed to the kitchen to make herself a quick breakfast and grab the lunchbox she had prepared for her mom in the refrigerator.

"You won't need the car today, right, Dad?," Jisoo asked.

Mr. Kim was on his hands and knees, wielding a power tool and driving a screw to secure a new sill for the front door. "Where are you headed?" he asked.

"To see Mom and Harabeoji," she answered, stuffing her feet into her shoes. "I'm taking the car. You won't need it, right?"

The old door that Jisoo had pulled out of its frame earlier in the summer was tossed out with the rubbish in the backyard. Her father had gone into town before Jisoo awoke to get a new one. Mr. Kim gave a grunt of agreement as he stepped away to examine his work.

Jisoo had felt bad about the door before, but she felt seriously guilty now. She was the one who fucked it up back in June, and her seemingly harmless mistake turned out to have major consequences. Usually, they were able to leave Harabeoji to his own devices provided that they could keep him from wandering. He must have seen the door wide open and simply walked out after Jisoo left.

At the hospital, Jisoo gave her mother the lunchbox she prepared the night before. All the place had in the way of food was crusty bread, watered-down soup, a cup of pudding and a vending machine that sold chocolate bars, so Jisoo knew that her mother and grandfather would be hungry.

"Harabeoji, how do you feel?" Jisoo asked as she fidgeted with her fingers and sank down into a chair when her mother went to the toilet. The old man grunted and ran a hand along the arm sling.

"This arm still aches," he complained. "But I've endured much worse. Bullets and blades in my younger years."

He seemed to be back to normal, but normal for Harabeoji also meant unpredictable. While he was clear-headed now, Jisoo couldn't be sure what he would be like ten or fifteen minutes from now.

"We can see if the doctor will give you something for the pain," Jisoo said.

He continued rubbing the arm sling. "They told me that I caused an uproar at Park Boyoung's wedding reception last night," he said, his gravelly voice tinged with regret. Jisoo's heart clenched.

"You gave them a bit of a scare," she said gently. "I tried to tell them that everything was fine, but—anyway, the important thing is, no one was hurt. Scared, maybe, but not hurt."

He nodded though Jisoo could see that her words didn't little to comfort him.

"Park Boyoung," he said. "She is the eldest daughter of Park Jangjoon, head of Abacus Savings and Loan, son of Park Yoonsung."

Jisoo had forgotten how astute her grandfather was before the memory problems began. He had lived in this town all his life, and he had studied all the family registers. She nodded.

"She's his second daughter, actually," Jisoo corrected him. He nodded.

"And what is her husband's name?" he asked. She hesitated, afraid that bringing it up would trigger another episode.