Soft Landing With You ( a 'Crash Landing on You' fanfic)

Final Extra: Still So Beautiful...

As I sit here, watching her try a dance move with our kids and grandkids, I can't help but think back to the first time I saw her. She was hanging from her paragliding seat in a tree, two parts confused, five parts afraid, three parts determined to solve her problem. I think that was the moment I decided I wanted to help her although my brain eventually won and I did the principles versus heart dance about reporting her appearance. I think also in that moment was when I decided I wanted her in my life. Strange, isn't it? You meet a perfect stranger in a forest at a border no less and decide you want her in your life?

But the truth is this; sometimes, you cannot choose who you will love. Fate sometimes takes that decision from your hands. This is the summary of Seri and my love, a love that defies all ideas and understanding of normalcy and commonness. In this life, I have seen hurt, pain, sadness, care, love, happiness. In exchange for a life with Seri, I used up all my luck and ate all my losses early; losing my elder brother, giving up on my dreams and even love for filial piety, watching my beloved get attacked by a mad man and losing all hope of seeing my love again.

However, in return I gained 40 years and counting of marriage with Seri, an accomplished life as a composer and a new family. When I recall the days I hated my fate early in life, I sigh in guilt and I think that I may just live it all over again if it means gaining all that I have now.

Marriage to Seri has been the greatest gift of my life; opening my eyes everyday with my arms around my love is worthy of the thanks I mutter to the universe every morning. She is... Beautiful. Her thoughts are careful, simple, erratic, unpredictable. Her deeds are surprising, enlightening impulsive and forward thinking. Her words are graceful, sharp, comforting, cutting. My love is a rubix cube that I can't solve still, 40 years after.

I respect her ability to balance work with home life and cover territories angels fear to tread. I still remember when she stormed into a board meeting, six months pregnant with NeJe¹ announcing that no one will leave until they came to a consensus about an issue. I recall when she had to attend jury duty despite struggling with acute appendicitis. I know it's easy to think she is stubborn, but I like to think she is resilient; else how could she raise 5 kids?

Over the years, one of the things that gave me pleasure was watching her raise our kids. Of course it's easy to argue that I spent more time with them than she, being that I gave up my career as a professor to stay with our kids while composing music but I know how Seri sacrificed for our kids. How she would turn down business invitations to stay with a sick kid, or take 22hour flights back and forth to attend a recital while dead on her feet, or carry a teething baby overnight while planning a hostile takeover.

She became a resting place for the kids as they grew older; she stood on their side when the girls started dating, gave Mu Jin sound advice and tear downs when he went into the family business and scrutinized the kids' partners like a mean spirited chef in a cooking show. I love watching her with them now; be it arguing over some trivial matters, dancing to some new song our grandkids are into, gossiping about a new actor or her old flames (yes, Soo Hui, I heard that conversation 🙄), or even getting advise about business or love. I saw her resilient support for Soo Hui when she left her abusive first marriage and the rollercoaster of emotions that came with it; how she encouraged Soo Hui to take the leap of faith into her current one and the beautiful result it produced.

Our kids are standing on their own feet now. Soo Bin surprised me by following in my footsteps and becoming a pianist and a professor of music. Soo Hui became a model and opened a beauty school. Mu Jin for all his loudness, followed in his mom's steps and decided to manage Queen's Choice Group. Se Jeong became a Judge but still plays piano with me on the weekend. He was a child prodigy but decided later that he was wanted to study law. Ha Eunie, my precious, became a pediatric surgeon like her favourite Aunt Lee Hye.

All of them are married though Mu Jin who thought the world was his oyster didn't get married (🙄) until he met a girl who refused to fall for his charms (😁). May I just point out that this girl is Seo Dan's beautiful little girl, Gu Dan Yi? When I count my kids, I can't help but recall my god kids who I raised indirectly; Pyo Chi Soo's kids, Seo Dan's, who spent a lot of holidays with us, Yoon Se Joon's kids to name a few. I think one of  my joys is watching the next generation grow into their own and gain ground and the fact that my love, I and Seri's love birthed such a beautiful future is something I will be forever reverent about and don't take for granted.

I sigh and lean back in my seat, shutting out the background noise of the New Year celebration going on behind me. Seri and I eventually established our own estate and moved out of the Lee Family's estate when the space became small for us; we were just next door though next door was a five minutes drive and a fifteen minutes walk. My parents, before they left this world finally came to the South when the unification took place. Their last years with us before they left was simply marvelous; my mom outlived my dad by mere months. She passed after meeting her second great grandchild. Our house, with its forty-something rooms in its main side, became the holiday rallying point for all our loved ones. I'm a happy man, this past year, I welcomed three new grandchildren; I think Mu Jin and Dan Yi have good news to share what with the looks they have been throwing each other and Mu Jin acting like a love sick fool.

"Dad, I'll just take her from you so she can sleep more comfortably." Soo Bin's voice made me recall that Ha Eun's baby girl was asleep in my arms. The little one is so quiet and sleeps easy, with her warm weight resting on your ribs, it's easy to space out. I hand her over to her Aunt and hug my wife who is obviously taking a warm hug break with me before going to continue whatever activities the kids are coaxing her to do.

"Honey? I think I'm getting old. Either that or those girl group dances are way too hard." Seri says, leaning into me and rubbing her back with her right hand. I take over massaging the spot and reply "Of course, the dance is too hard. My baby never ages." Although I said that to preserve my head (😁), I meant every word. Seri with her sprinkling of grey hair mixed with the black in her long mermaid style hair that she refused to let go of over the ages, is still as beautiful as the first time I saw her. The years and childbirth added some curves to her but who has ever hated more of someone they loved?

Be it then or now, I think it's safe to say that Seri, like our love is evergreen. I thank the universe for making my drunken wish come true; for me to stay here in the South, marry Seri, have a set of twin girls and watch Seri grow old with white hair. As I hold my love in my arms and listening to the buzz of joy behind us, I ask the universe for one last wish: that this moment be frozen in time, to never end so that my love remains still so beautiful.....

¹Neje - used to refer to the birth position for a child. This one refers to Se Jeong, their fourth child. Cheoje - first, dulje - second seje - third...