Start-Up

The Blessing

Ji-pyeong brushed the hair out of In-jae's eyes and leaned over to kiss her. It was a slow, languid kiss as they took their time kissing one another, and In-jae sighed his name as he trailed his kisses down her jawline to her neck.

"It's almost dawn," she murmured, tilting her head to give him more room as he nuzzled her neck.

"Who needs sleep?" he murmured back as he gently kissed the pulse of her neck, pulling her closer to him.

She giggled, "We do!" Her giggle became a sigh as Ji-pyeong kissed her collarbone.

"This is your fault anyway," he said, pausing to look up at her, "This is all because you fought me so hard on that term sheet."

She smirked at him, "Work hard, play harder."

He grinned at her devilishly, "You call this play?" He grabbed her under the covers and began to tickle her, and In-jae shrieked as she writhed under his playful fingers.

Ji-pyeong rolled them over and pinned In-jae down gently underneath him. "You like it when we go hard anyway," he winked at her mischievously as her face turned red.

"Seriously Ji-pyeong, we need to sleep," she chided, "How are we supposed to function at work like this?"

"Let's just skip work," he suggested, and her eyes widened at him. "Han Ji-pyeong! I never thought I would ever hear you say such a thing!"

"It's not like we do it all the time!" he said defensively, and as she hit his arm, he realized the unintended double entendre. He grinned, "I meant, we've never played hooky from work!"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll only agree to skipping work if we get something important done today," she said seriously, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "We need to get my mom's blessing."

Ji-pyeong's eyes widened, and he rolled away from her to lie on his back. She lay on her side to face him and said, "I don't trust Dal-mi not to say anything, so the sooner we get it done, the better."

He nodded slowly, then pulled In-jae close and shut his eyes. "What are you doing?" she asked him as he wrapped an arm around her, letting her rest her head on his chest.

"If we're getting your mom's blessing today, we need to sleep," he kissed the top of her head, and she smiled as she let his steady heartbeat lull her to sleep.

Hours later, Ji-pyeong and In-jae stood in front of the gate of Dal-mi's house. "Are you ready for this?" In-jae turned to him, and Ji-pyeong nodded as he rang the bell. They heard a door open and footsteps coming down the stairs, and the gate opened to reveal In-jae's mom.

"In-jae! Ji-pyeong! Why aren't you at work?" she asked them as she ushered them inside.

"Well--"

"Did I hear you right? In-jae and Good Boy are here?" they heard Grandma's voice call out.

They crossed the entryway and entered the living room to find Grandma sitting on the couch. In-jae and Ji-pyeong were overcome by emotion as they registered how Grandma's gaze seemed to be blank. Her eyesight was clearly deteriorating. It was possible that all she could see of them now were shapes and colors.

In-jae's mom sat beside Grandma on the couch and said, "Yes, In-jae and Ji-pyeong are right here."

In-jae cleared her throat and said, "Hi Grandma." She then turned to her mother and said, "I wanted to show you something." She reached into her coat pocket and took out an envelope, then handed it over. She watched as her mom opened it and put a hand to her mouth when she read the first page: Decision on the Dissolution of Adoption.

To In-jae's surprise, Ji-pyeong also reached into his coat pocket for an envelope and handed it to her mom. "This is also for you." As her mom opened the envelope, tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"Mom? What is it?" In-jae asked worriedly as she turned to Ji-pyeong questioningly.

Her mom looked up at them both. "Thank you," she said to Ji-pyeong before turning to In-jae. "We're both finally free," she said emotionally as she showed her the papers that Ji-pyeong had handed over. As In-jae skimmed through it and realized they were divorce papers, her eyes welled with tears as she looked at Ji-pyeong.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said, but she shook her head. "I'm just thankful that you helped her. You didn't have to."

"Of course I did," he replied, taking her hand, "She's going to be my mom too."

"What?"

Ji-pyeong and In-jae turned to see her mom looking up at them, then they turned to one another. In one fluid motion, they both knelt in front of Grandma and In-jae's mom.

"Ma'am, I love In-jae very much and would like to marry her," Ji-pyeong said, bowing his head.

"Please give us your blessing, Mom," In-jae said, bowing her head too.

They kept their heads bowed nervously, and listened as In-jae's mom said, "Ma, Ji-pyeong wants to marry In-jae."

"I heard! I'm only going blind, I'm not deaf!" Grandma said impatiently, and Ji-pyeong and In-jae snuck glances at each other as they tried not to laugh. "Just give your blessing already so I can hug these two!"

Ji-pyeong and In-jae both looked up to see In-jae's mom smiling at them. "Of course you have my blessing. And I'm sure that you have your father's blessing too," she said, then she turned to Ji-pyeong. "He would have treated you like his own son."

They all stood up and In-jae hugged her mom while Ji-pyeong hugged Grandma. "I'm so happy for you, my Good Boy," she said as she hugged him tight. As In-jae stepped to Grandma, Ji-pyeong faced In-jae's mom. 

Before he could say anything, she wrapped him in a warm embrace. "Don't wait until you're married. From now on, call me Mom," she said softly, and Ji-pyeong felt tears spring to his eyes. "Okay... Mom," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

She released him then said, "This calls for a celebration!" She helped Grandma up from the couch and together they walked into the kitchen, discussing what they might cook up.

In-jae turned to follow them, but Ji-pyeong slipped his hand into hers and pulled her to him in a tight hug. "Thank you," he whispered. 

"For what?" she asked as she hugged him back.

"For giving me a family." He buried his face in her neck and as she felt his tears, her own eyes welled up as well. Her mom looked at her in concern, and she waved her off and mouthed, "It's okay."

In-jae rubbed Ji-pyeong's back comfortingly as his body shook with silent sobs. "You're not alone anymore, okay? You'll never be alone again," she murmured in his ear as she knew that his tears held all of the years of loneliness he'd had to endure. He had her, yes, but it was different to know that now he had a family he belonged in, after so many years of being alone.

Finally, his sobs subsided and he took a deep breath before raising his head. In-jae looked up at him and wiped at his tear-stained cheeks. "I love you," she said softly, and he replied by kissing her forehead. "I love you too," he said with a shaky smile.

Hand in hand, In-jae and Ji-pyeong walked over to the kitchen and said, "Tell us how we can help." And as Ji-pyeong stood over the sink to wash the greens and In-jae sat at the table to help make the dumplings, he couldn't help but smile. He was part of a family again, at last.