CHAPTER 7
On Tuesday morning Min-Jun arrived as agreed and noticed two big cars parked by the stairs in front of the entrance.
This must be our transportation.
From the distance, Min-Jun saw a few silhouettes at the doorway. He took a deep breath and walked forward.
“Good morning,” Elena greeted him as soon as she noticed him. Rick and Elsie stood beside her, but Min-Jun had a little trouble recognizing them as they were all dressed formal.
“We’re almost ready. Still waiting for Ava,” Elena stated and checked her wristwatch.
They put the bags and boxes in the trunk when the maid arrived, and in the meantime, Aidan exited the house as well. “Good morning. Are we ready?”
“Ready,” Elena confirmed.
Aidan seated himself in the driver’s seat of the first car. He rolled down the window and asked, “Am I going alone or what?”
“We’re going with Mrs. Elena.” Elsie opened the back door on the other car and hopped in.
Min-Jun hesitated but Elena put a hand on his shoulder, saying, “You go with Aidan and Rick. I’m going with another car.”
Min-Jun opened and closed his mouth. He wanted to protest but wasn’t sure what to say.
Everything happened fast: Elena opened the front door and Min-Jun found himself seated in a passenger seat next to Aidan.
Aidan locked eyes with him when Min-Jun glanced up.
He gave him a smile, and Min-Jun’s heart skipped a beat.
We’re so close to each other! And his intoxicating scent… How long would this ride last?
“Are you okay?” Aidan asked and started the engine looking through the windshield.
“I’m fine.” Min-Jun looked to his side and his gaze was lost in the distance.
“Don’t be shy. I don’t bite.”
Min-Jun turned to the man, trying his best to look irritated, and Aidan laughed.
Min-Jun’s face remained serious. “I’m not shy.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Aidan teased.
Min-Jun’s face turned pink, and he looked away again, hoping Aidan didn’t notice it.
They drove around the garden and through the gate once it fully opened. Meanwhile Aidan turned on the radio and aggressive tunes filled the small space.
Min-Jun didn’t recognize the song, but it didn’t sound too bad.
“Would you be okay with this music?”
“I think I’ll survive.”
“Do you want me to change it?”
“It’s okay. Really.” Min-Jun thought that was the least of the problems he would face during the ride.
Would it be too awkward if I don’t talk? What should I say? What should I even ask? This is so embarrassing.
“So… Do you like it here?” Aidan broke the silence and glanced at him once more.
Min-Jun realized he wasn’t sure what Aidan meant by it, so he turned to him confused.
Aidan noticed his puzzled look, so he added with a smirk: “In England?”
“Uh, oh. Yeah,” Min-Jun replied, feeling awkward but at the same time his shoulders relaxed and he smiled. “It’s not bad. It’s raining a lot, but I got used to it.”
He was grateful that Aidan decided to speak first. Aidan returned a smile and continued, looking at the road, “And how long have you been staying here?”
“A little over a year.”
“Why did you decide to move so far away?”
“I wanted to learn new things. To get to know a new culture. To see how people live on the other side of the planet… Things like that.”
“Do you miss your home?”
Min-Jun sighed, his nostalgia resurfacing. “Sometimes, yes.”
“That’s understandable. And do you wish to return after your studies?”
“I don’t know. I’m still not sure about that.”
Aidan fell silent. It seemed like he was deep in thought.
Min-Jun wished to add something, but wasn’t sure what to say, when Rick spoke up from the back seat, “Youngsters these days like to travel a lot, but it’s not surprising.
I would have traveled more if I had more opportunities when I was younger. ”
“That’s true,” Aidan agreed. Min-Jun only looked out of the window and immersed himself in his own thoughts. He would love to add more to their conversation, but he was too shy to continue talking. Since they both fell silent, Rick began to speak about his own experiences at his young age.
***
They parked in front of an old building.
Elena headed straight to the entrance while others began unloading the cars. Two middle-aged women greeted them, and the way they interacted showed Min-Jun they must already know each other very well.
“Good morning. Thanks for coming!”
“Hope we bought everything you needed,” Elena added and one of the women checked the boxes.
“Oh, these are wonderful! The girls will be very happy!” The woman pulled out a doll still originally packed.
“We also bought warm clothes and school supplies.”
“Thank you so much!”
Aidan stopped beside the gardener and added, “Hurry up, Rick. Kids are waiting.”
“I’m on my way.” Rick grabbed a bag and disappeared behind one of the doors.
Min-Jun watched them all interact and wondered what exactly they were supposed to be doing.
He scolded himself for not asking about the details, but he thought they were just going to bring kids some presents.
When Rick came out of that door dressed like a clown, Min-Jun realized it would not be just a simple gift giving.
“Are kids in their rooms?” Elena asked.
“Yes. We didn’t tell them you were coming. Just that we got a little surprise for them.”
“Good. We wouldn’t want to spoil it. Now we can move the boxes into the room.”
They moved boxes and presents further away to a spacious room. Min-Jun concluded it must be some kind of living room for kids - it still kind of looked like in the kindergarten, but it was giving homey vibes.
There were two women arranging plates with various treats on tables. Balloons were hanging off the walls; it looked like they were preparing for a birthday party.
At some point Min-Jun asked himself why they were really doing this. Of course, he was glad to see that there are people out there who love to help others, but Aidan could just send the money to their account without bothering to come all the way here in person.
“Are we ready?” one of the women asked.
“Turn on the music,” Elena added, and soon happy tunes echoed through the space.
Once everything was arranged, they called the kids out of their bedrooms. Children of different ages entered the room and excitedly looked around. Their eyes widened and smiles graced their faces, and ones who first noticed Aidan ran straight to him.
“Mr. Wilton!” Girls and boys enveloped him in a hug.
Aidan laughed and almost fell to the side. “Hey! How are you doing?” he asked, and somehow managed to keep his balance.
“We’re happy to see you again!”
“Me too!”
Min-Jun watched the scene and his mouth hung open. The warmth that radiated around Aidan at that moment took Min-Jun by surprise. He wasn’t ready to see such an exchange between his boss and the kids.
Damn, he would make a great dad. Min-Jun’s cheeks heated at the thought, and the butterflies fluttered in his stomach.
He didn’t want to get caught staring, so he looked at another group of children that gathered at the table with treats.
At that moment Rick entered the room and the kids applauded and surrounded him to listen to his stories and jokes.
Min-Jun focused on the group, and suddenly felt someone pull his sleeve. Taken aback with sudden movement, he lowered his gaze and saw a small girl standing in front of him. “Wanna play with me, sir?”
“I… Um, yeah. How do you want to play?”
The girl’s face brightened when he accepted her invitation. “Let’s throw a tea party for the dolls.”
Min-Jun blinked a couple of times but followed her when she took his hand in hers and dragged him to a small round table with tiny chairs.
Oh boy… Min-Jun looked at the dolls that were already seated in the circle.
***
Two hours passed in no time, and Min-Jun finally managed to take a break. The kids were occupied with new toys and various new creative materials, so he seated himself on the couch beside Elena.
“Kids seem happy,” he commented.
“Yeah. They’re having fun.”
Min-Jun nodded and smiled.
“Do you want to drink something?” Elena gestured at a cup of tea in her hand.
“Thank you, I’ll have some juice.” Min-Jun filled a glass with orange liquid and seated himself back in his spot. He noticed Aidan was still occupied with the children as was Rick in his clown outfit.
“Do you have siblings, Mr. Han?” Elena asked all of a sudden.
“I have a sister and a brother. Both are younger than me.”
Elena looked at him and smiled. “Are they in Korea?”
“Yeah. They are still at home with our parents.”
Elena turned her head to look at the kids who erupted into laughter at the table. Min-Jun remembered a question that had been bothering him since they arrived, and fidgeting in his seat, he spoke, “Mrs. Glover, may I ask you something?”
Elena looked back at him with an encouraging look. “Sure.”
Min-Jun wasn’t sure how to formulate his thoughts, but he asked anyway, “Why are you doing this? I, I mean… Why is Mr. Wilton doing all this?”
“I understand that you might be curious…” Elena trailed off and took another sip of her tea. “The truth is that Mr. Wilton once lived in one of these homes.”
Min-Jun’s eyes widened, and he turned to look at Aidan. He saw him smiling with the children and encouraging them to stack the cubes and build a tall tower. He stared at them for a while, and when he realized he was looking for too long, he turned his attention to another group of children.