Evenstar

5. A Wish Fulfilled

Mrs Kim emerged from their bedroom with her cellphone in her hand. She looked for Mr Kim and finally found him in the gym room, scanning his cellphone while seated on the stationary bike.

"Yeobo..." Mrs Kim almost couldn't find her voice.

"Aein, Bulletproof is all over Twitter... so many tweets tonight about their comeback."

"Yeobo... Mrs Moon called," Mrs Kim suddenly felt unsteady and sat on the nearest couch. It had been almost a month since she had visited her.

"What is it? What happened?" Mr Kim was quickly at her side and held her hand.

"I was just on the phone with Mrs Moon." She repeated, suddenly teary-eyed. "She's asking if Taetae is free on the afternoon of the 25th. If he is, he can meet our farmer's daughter at tea time."

Mr Kim looked at his wife and laughed. "Aein, why are you crying? Weren't you the one who was so excited to find her?"

"It just dawned on me, this could be it. I don't want to lose Taetae, Yeobo. What if she's not good enough? What if she's not good to him? What if she hurts him? What have I done?" She started to cry and Mr Kim held her close as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Now, now, we're overreacting a bit, aren't we? They're just going to meet. They're not going to get married, Yeobo. I trust Taehyung. He's a good judge of character. He doesn't enter into any situation unawares."

"I trust him, too." Mrs Kim wiped her tears. Taehyung was asleep in his room and he would wake in an hour or so. She had better compose herself before then. She didn't want her son to worry about her. She stood up and went to the kitchen to prepare him something to eat.

Taehyung walked into their kitchen three hours later, hair tousled, barefoot and in a loose shirt and shorts. "Eomma, I'm hungry."

"I know, I made dak galbi." She set his place on the table, brought out his favourite side dishes and watched him eat quietly. Her son looked tired.

"Aren't you working too hard, Taehyung-ah?" Mr Kim asked.

"It can't be helped, Appa." He had an existing contract for K-Dramas for two more years, even as they were preparing their comeback as Bulletproof. He was burning the candle on both ends, but he could still manage. He just hoped the schedules would be forgiving.

"Taetae, is your schedule free on the 25th?" Mrs Kim finally broached the subject.

Taetae took his phone from where he left it on the kitchen counter and scanned his calendar. He had something on August 25, but it was tentative. "Nothing final for now, but I may have to go to JKL in the morning. Why, Eomma? Do you need me for something?"

"I found your farmer's daughter." Mrs Kim looked at her son with her eyes beaming, belying the anxiety in her heart.

"My farmer's daughter?" Taehyung was confused, what was she talking about? And then he remembered what he asked them some weeks ago. "Oh!"

"Yes, she's inviting you over for tea. Can you make it?"

"Uh, Eomma, who is she?" Because of his schedules he had forgotten about this, but he remembered what he felt at the time he asked his mom. It wouldn't hurt to meet her, as long as his parents approved of her. At this point he had no time to look for a girlfriend, and he really couldn't find anyone to consider from among his friends and acquaintances. He would also rather that she not be connected with his existing circle or line of work. His schedule was hard enough.

"Her name is Kwan Dae Eun. She's 26 years old and she lives in Geumsan."

"Eomma, isn't that too far? Where did you find her?"

"Well, you wanted a farmer's daughter. There are no farms in Seoul. Mrs Moon was actually the one who referred her."

"Eomma! Why did you bother Mrs Moon? I was half joking!" Taehyung suddenly felt flustered.

"We're not. It's about time you met someone, Taehyung. And I trust Mrs Moon. Now, it's up to you when you want to meet her." Mrs Kim looked to her husband for strength.

Taehyung looked at them both. Well, he was the one who asked them after all. It was not a problem, really. He liked meeting new people. One afternoon's drive to the countryside may actually be good for him.

"Okay, Eomma. I'll go meet her. Please message me her address and final arrangements. Appa, do you approve of this?"

"I haven't seen her, but I'll wait for you to tell us all about her. This is just a meeting, Taehyung. It's up to both of you to decide how to proceed. Be nice though, we wouldn't want to disappoint the Moons."

"I'm always nice, Appa. No promises, okay?"

"Understood," Mr Kim replied. His son was Kim Taehyung and he was proud of him. He was confident that he would carry himself well in any situation. He just hoped that this girl, Kwan Dae Eun, was a good match and that there would be no hard feelings if things did not work out.

Taehyung picked up his dishes and started washing them in the sink before he headed back to his room. Once there, he started searching the internet for Kwan Dae Eun. All he could find was a mention of her name related to the projects of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, but no picture. Geumsan was recognized as an important agricultural heritage site for traditional ginseng cultivation, and from the articles she or her family may be a part of that system. He wondered what door he was going to open in the coming days, and if his silent wish for a soulmate had been heard and would be fulfilled.