What's Next?

Chapter 12 Settling In

Se-ri had a lot to think about on her drive home. Having a panic attack in the grocery store and meeting a person who was kind to stop and help her. She was glad to know at least one person in this place. She was surprised when Lisa told her about her friend David who went to Korea on business. She had to be careful that the news did not leak to the Korean press as to where she was. It was time for her to have her meeting with Mr. Hong. She logged on and started the meeting, at 3 pm her time and 8 am following day in Korea.

"Miss Yoon, how are you? How is it there?

"I am fine. I went to the grocery store today and met a nice lady, I think she will be a good friend. Let's start. Any urgent business?"

"No urgent business. Miss Yoon, take the day off. We can meet tomorrow."

She looked at him and smiled. "I will do that Mr. Hong. I will see you tomorrow."

She worked on her emails and when she was finished, she was surprised to see that it was sunset. She opened the sliding door and stepped outside. She could not believe that she was here. She was glad she met Lisa, it would be good to have a friend and she was curious about David.

She heard from Lisa a couple weeks later asking her to come to brunch on Sunday, her friend David was going to be there. Se-ri was looking forward to brunch and seeing Lisa and meeting David.

She arrived at Lisa's house, walked to the front door, turned around and could not believe the view. She could see the waves, the sand dunes and the ocean. She could see why Lisa loved living here. Lisa opened the front door and welcomed her.

"Se-ri, come in. I hope you brought an appetite. We have a lot of food. David is running late, he will be here soon. How have you been? How are you settling in?"

"I have been good. I am still getting use to the time change when I have meetings with my staff in Korea. I have not been able to explore because I have been tied to my computer. I hope to get some time off."

"We will ask David to be your tour guide. He knows the history and loves showing off this area. He knows all the hidden gems."

"What is for brunch? I brought you a bottle of Chardonnay from one of the local wineries."

"This is a good one. We are having Eggs Benedict, fruit, Greek yogurt, granola, fruit juice, coffee and of course the wine you brought. I am very particular about coffee. I think I hear David."

"Hi Lisa, sorry I'm late. Had to make a phone call."

"David, this is Se-ri, Se-ri, this is David Choi. I am going to finish cooking, come in the kitchen."

David looked at Se-ri and she seemed so familiar. He remembered the conversation he had with Lisa and a photo he saw a long time ago.

"Hello David, I am Yoon Se-ri. It is nice to meet you."

"Hello Se-ri, Lisa tells me that you will be here for one year and she also told me that I am to be your tour guide. Have you been exploring the area?"

"Not as yet, I have been tied to my computer, but I hope soon."

"I have a few days off next week, how about a drive to Big Sur? It is a beautiful drive."

"I heard about the drive, I would love to. Let me know the day."

"Ok, let's exchange phone numbers. Lisa, is brunch ready? I am hungry."

"Yes, let's take the food to the dining room. David, you can open the bottle of wine"

Se-ri looked at the two new friends and she was grateful. She was beginning to feel at ease and with a sense of well-being. She hoped the physical distance between she and Jeong hyeok and being in a place that had no memories with him would help.

"How did you two meet?" Se-ri asked.

"I was going to university here and a friend of mine said that he was moving in with his girlfriend and he was moving out. I knew he was living here, I had met Lisa and told him I would like to move here. I lived here for three years, it was a great place to live while going to school. I loved being close to the beach. There was one Thanksgiving I could not go home, so she invited my family to come and have Thanksgiving dinner here. They had a great time and since then she has been a part of the family."

"David, we should have your family for Thanksgiving dinner like we did when you went to school here. Se-ri, would you be all right with you if we had David's family for Thanksgiving? I think we would have a good time. His family are such nice people and very kind. I think you would enjoy meeting them."

"David, what do think?"

"Yes, I think they would like it, plus they love coming here. Se-ri, would you like to have Thanksgiving dinner with Lisa and my entire family?"

Se-ri looked at them, looking at Lisa then David. She thought about it, the only thing was that she did not want her whereabouts be leaked to the Korean press.

"Let me think about it, is it okay if I let you know? It does sound like fun and I was always curious about Thanksgiving."

"Sure, Se-ri. Take you time. If you want, you and I can have Thanksgiving and I will cook the full dinner."

"Thank you, Lisa. You are so kind. And thank you too David."

Se-ri left feeling good. Breakfast was delicious, she had not had Eggs Benedict in a long time. And the coffee, Oh the coffee. It reminded her of Jeong hyeok coffee, it seems they were both fanatics when it came to coffee. She was thinking about Thanksgiving dinner. It would be nice to meet other Koreans, but at the same time, she was concerned about her privacy. She arrived home thinking about the two people she had breakfast with.