It's another still, calm evening in Yeongwon as Jinjoo sits outside of her in-law's house—er, her house. It's her house too, now, and she has to keep reminding herself of that lest another slip up incur the (loving) wrath of her mother-in-law. She sighs lightly, enjoying the warm evening and the feeling of cool tile against her aching feet. The day had been a nice one, warm but overcast, so the summer sun hadn't been beating down too harshly. With no one working, it also meant the perfect weather for the little family enjoy a day on the town together.
Despite getting previous help from Siwan, Jinjoo was all too glad to let the parents she never truly had guide her about—from this shop to that, to this place that has *the* best grilled eel and seasoned acorn jelly, and to the spot on the beach that's perfect for enjoying it. It was a full, heart-warming day that left a permanent smile on Jinjoo's face even now—hours later with the sun making its descent in the sky, painting the atmosphere in various shades of pink, orange, yellow, and blue to make a stage for the moon. She is happy. Despite the events of the past year and the constant sadness that remains, it's in this moment that she's happy.
But, she can't help the thoughts that drift to how much he would have enjoyed this. At that moment, the gentle smile on her face falters. She shifts her gaze to the cushion on her right—the cushion he'd likely be sitting on and favoring through every family gathering, boisterously laughing at his father's corny jokes and whining when his step-mother brings up yet another embarrassing story. She averts her gaze to her hands after a while, banishing the ghost that appeared in his place because she dared look too long. Her phone was clutched in one hand, held a little tighter when the sudden shift of emotion threatened a few tears. But, she wouldn't cry. She'd cried so so much and she was tired.
Jinjoo took a steeling breath, the air stuttering midway through, and staved off the urge to cry. Instead, she flipped open the device, watching the screen come back to life before her fingers shakily moved on autopilot. Call logs, dial pad, speed dial 1. The phone was ringing on lowered speaker before she knew it.
1 ring.
2 rings.
3 rings.
4 rings.
Then Mingun's voice reached her ears.
'Hello hello!' The dam broke and a few tears immediately cascaded down her recently tanner cheeks.
'This is Cho Mingun. I can't get to the phone right now, so please leave a message. I swear to get back to you within the day! And, if this is my Joo...I'm sorry I missed you, babe. I'll make it up to you, promi—'
The pre-recorded message is cut off by the end recording tone. It'd taken far too many tries for him to condense his greeting into the allotted time and the final message was a result of just giving up and laughing about it. Even now, Jinjoo felt a smile turning at the corner of her lips as she thought about it. Taking another breath, she lifted the phone near her mouth.
"Hey, oppa. I didn't want anything, I...I just missed you and wanted to know if you ate...h-hey, guess what? I spent the day with you—our parents! We— You know what? I'll send a voice text so I don't run out of time like some people I know...heh..Stay tuned, l-love you!"
Feeling simultaneously lighter, heavier, and endlessly grateful that she hadn't cancelled their joint phone plan, Jinjoo ended the call. After stealing a moment to hastily, fruitlessly wipe away the cascade of silent tears, she switched to the messaging app instead.
