Epiphany: A quest for love

7. Stranger/Savior/Friend

MIRAE

"How are the preparations for the wedding going?" I ask, as I climb the last stairs out of the subway station. I am back in Midtown and have a heavy need for a coffee. I'm just returning from a meeting with a source that went extremely bad. The amount of information I could get is almost zero. Nada. I mean, the guy talked a lot, but he didn't seem to know much about the subject I was interested in. Complete disappointment.

"Oh, it's going great!" Inna says through the phone, way too excited. It's enough to raise question marks in my head.

"That bad?"

"So far, we only found the location."

"The hard part is done, then." I stop at a crossing, waiting for the little man to turn green.

"DONE?" she yells in my ear. "We didn't complete the list of guests, we haven't decided on the menu and picking flower arrangements and other decorations is also a pain in the ass. I didn't even know there were so many types of lilies." she sighs heavily and I wish I was there for her, to panic with her and drink soju while doing that.

"It's just- It's so difficult to get married these days. I am not kidding, there are way too many things to take care of and I don't have the energy to deal with this and my cranky clients in the span of a day."

"Oh, honey! How much I wish I was there for you for such an important event!"

"But you will be. Right? You won't bail me on my wedding day, aren't you?"

"Of course I won't! I will be there, don't be a dumbass. But I wish I was there before that. To help you with the preparations. I don't feel like a good friend at the moment, you know? I left you there all alone." And I mean it. It makes me very sad everytime I think about it. We used to do everything together, now...now we took separate paths.

"Stop talking like you left me for dead!" she scolds me.

"I might as well have. Who is gonna piss you off now? Who's gonna make fun of you? Who's gonna keep you from falling into your own vomit when you drink too much? You like being bullied by me." I say, a little bit overdramatic.

"Yeah, funny! Ha! Ha! Ha!" she mocks me. "Don't worry, Jimin has it all covered. He made a goal of his life to piss me off these days."

"How so? Is there something going on with him?" I ask, as it turns green and safe for crossing. I proceed and try to snake through people, without bumping into them. My laptop bag feels heavy on my shoulder and I am starting to calculate how much I have left to walk until I reach the cafe I am about to crash at.

"I don't know. He's a little bit rebellious these days. He parties a lot. I mean, more than usual." She explains. Yes, from the time spent with them the past few years, I could tell Jimin is a bit of a restless boy. Always looking for some fun and...a ladies man.

"Maybe he is trying to catch up with all the things he missed while being in the military." I suggest. It's not unusual for men to go a bit wild after their discharge. I know my brother felt like a wholly different person after his return from the military. He said he lacked so many things there, that he isn't interested in missing out on all the joys of life. The memory almost made me chuckle.

"Yeah, maybe."

"So, uhm...have you talked to my brother lately? He said he is busy working on a special piece, but he is going a bit extreme about it. Everytime I call him, he keeps it short. Any idea what's going on with him?" I ask, Inna being now my eyes and ears in Seoul. And also, the woman who filled my spot when it comes to family pampering.