The Ri family is back in this holiday special inspired by the classic Christmas movie "Love Actually"! This series of loosely-connected chapters will see our favorite family learn that the basic ingredients to a merry Christmas are the gifts of time...
Childish laughter and excited chatter filled the air as the preschoolers filed out from the school's main building, cautiously walking on the slippery path to the main gate.
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The rest of the Ri family was standing outside the school gates, waiting for their youngest member to join them for lunch at her favorite pizzeria, before doing some Christmas shopping at the mall.
"Oh, there she is!" Se-ri pointed to her little girl, easily recognized by her pastel pink unicorn jacket and white knit leggings.
Initially smiling, Jeong Hyeok raised a hand to wave, before freezing in mid-air upon realizing something was amiss.
Instead of leisurely walking with her friends, Jin-ah was alone, taking long, swift strides as if bent on increasing the distance between herself and another girl trailing behind.
"Why are you walking so quickly, if you didn't do anything wrong?" The other girl, whom Se-ri quickly recognized as one of her business competitors' daughter named Kim Sujin, was following closely, clearly engaged in an argument with Jin-ah.
Despite the taunts from her classmate, Jin-ah did not reply.
Instead, the six year-old trudged ahead, keeping her eyes on the ground.
"Ri Jin-ah is a coward! North Korean!" Her classmate was relentless.
Se-ri gasped as Jin-ah came to an abrupt halt in her footsteps; the rest of the family could not really see the little girl's facial expression from the way her head hung low, but it was clear that Jin-ah was being bullied.
To Ri Jeong Hyeok, it no longer mattered if discrimination came his way— now close to mid-forties, he has long moved on from the days when he used to mind how others viewed him.
He wasn't quite worried about Se-ri facing prejudicial treatment for choosing a North Korean spouse.
If anything, Jeong Hyeok would certainly fear more for the safety of the individual who'd dare let the heiress find out about his or her intolerance towards North Koreans.
However, when it came to Jeong Hwan and Jin-ah, things were entirely different.
As much as it irked him to acknowledge the harsh reality, the typically-fearless ex-military captain feared.
He was constantly burdened by the possibility of his children facing injustice out there on their own; Jeong Hwan and Jin-ah are so precious, they are his world and more.
Yet he knew he couldn't always play guardian angel to them.
Jeong Hyeok was aware he could never constantly shield them from all the evils in the world, so like every other parent, he held his own fair share of concerns.
Truthfully speaking, he wasn't too worried when it came to Jeong Hwan.
The boy has always kept a cool head and displayed resilience in times of adversity, choosing to quietly resolve problems instead of facing them head-on with ferocity.
