Conglomerate Clan • Seulmin

Chapter 16 - Journal

A distinctive fragrance of sandalwood reaches Seulgi as she steps into grandmother's bedroom. It gives her a warm vibe and immediately she feels comfortable. Grandma asks her to sit on the brown traditional sofa. She takes a seat as she watches grandma walks across the room and is busy searching a rustic bookshelf. She just waits patiently but honestly she is also a little bit curious. She then sees grandma pulls out a journal book and wipes off the dust from its cover then finally joins her on the sofa.

"Here"

Grandma hands down the journal book to Seulgi. Its cover's color is faded and all the pages already turn yellow but it somehow looks beautiful. Slowly, Seulgi runs her finger on top of the gold lettering which form Jimin's full name before she carefully opens the cover and meets the first page. It's almost empty, there is only a single handwriting of '10.13.1995' and she knows it as Jimin's birthday. She halts and lifts her face to see grandma. She asks for permission as she believes this journal is something personal.

"Go ahead, Seulgi, it's something that I want to share with you" Grandma reassures her.

Seulgi smiles and nods slightly. Thereafter she turns the page and her heart stops. She sees an adorable newborn baby picture of Jimin and there is a short note beside it. 10.20.1995 Our Park Jimin, he completely looks like his father, handsome. That moment, she realizes, it's the beginning of Jimin's baby journal and right away she feels soft. Next page, there is a picture of baby Jimin with his mother, both were smiling.

"Jina personally took Jimin's pictures and wrote the note---" Grandma talks but pauses to take a deep breath "---she really was passionate and excited about this little project" She continues as she recalls her late daughter in law.

Seulgi's heart cracks slightly as she watches grandma's expression. She sees sorrowness in grandma's eyes and it just hits her hard. Gently, she decides to touch grandma's hand and hold it tight. Grandma just smiles at her and asks her to continue exploring the journal. She obeys as she turns the page and stares at a family picture. 1.21.1996 Jimin's 100 days, look at his round and rosy cheeks, cutest things. Page by page, it's like she goes back to little Jimin's life and yes she feels his mother's love through every note written there. Everything seems sincere and easily moves her heart. It's indescribable.

Seulgi keeps flipping the page and the note becomes more and more meaningful. 9.18.1996 Jimin's first ever step, now it's a little one but a big one soon in the future, great job son. It's strange but she can feel Jimin's mother's feeling. She doesn't know how to explain it, but reading these all makes her proud of baby Jimin. 11.5.1996 Yes, Jimin says mummy first, my win, I'm beyond happy and thankful, I love you son. She pauses and takes a deep breath. Honestly speaking, she really wishes she could meet his mother in person, seems like a caring and amazing mother. Then she continues and sees a lot of different pictures of Jimin. There is one which is extremely cute, it's Jimin in a cow costume, he truly is an adorable calf. It makes her smile, but it disappears once she witnesses the next page.

The handwriting is different. It just silently tells Seulgi that the owner of this journal changes. She takes a glance at grandma and sees tears brim on grandma's eyes. 3.12.1999 Jimin moves to Busan today, I look into his eyes but the next second he asks for Jina, my heart hurts. It also breaks her heart. She hesitates to continue as she knows she will fall apart, but in the end, she chooses to finish the journal. Forward, there is a picture of Jimin playing sand on seashore, Jimin eating cotton candy at amusement park, Jimin jumping infront of Eiffel tower. He is smiling and looks happy all the time, but then his puberty phase starts and he puts a straight face in every picture taken. Hereinafter, a lot of memories pass as he goes to university abroad.

It's not a baby journal anymore, it's a lifetime journal. Then the last page of this journal comes and there is a final photograph. It's the day of Jimin's commencement from Stanford and he brightly smiles to the camera as grandmother stands beside him elegantly with a proud smile on her face. 6.15.2017 Jimin's graduation day, this little kid is now a young bachelor. I believe, your mother, my daughter in law, is proud of you, our Jimin-ie. Seulgi blinks her teary eyes. One side, she is in pain because it's really unfair that Jimin needs to grow up without his beloved mother, but in another side, she is grateful because he has grandma who is always beside him all that time. She unconsciously moves her finger on his photograph and smiles softly as she caresses it. Then suddenly her sight catches the blue sapphire Ceylon hugging grandma's finger in the picture, yes, she immediately feels taken aback. It's identical with the ring around her slender finger and a realization arrives, it once belongs to grandma.