💬'It felt like a thousand shards of glass had embedded into her chest, making her wonder how she was still breathing. How was it that even though she'd always expected that painful moment, the reality was even more devastating? To the day, she stil...
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently.
SON FAMILY CAST LIST
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HQ Republic of Korea Marine Corps, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea - 1982
"I'm sorry to hear about your father, Byeongjangnim 병장. We're going to really miss you around here."
Sergeant Son Jae-Myung, now formerly of the ROKMC, continued to pack his canvas duffle bag with the rest of his meager possessions. Marines tended to travel light, and the now-retired Sergeant was no exception. Always a silent man, he simply nodded in acknowledgement at the junior officer standing respectfully by the door of his office.
The First Lieutenant - or Jungwi 중위 - had been assigned to his company a few months back. The younger man had quickly recognized the Sergeant's talent for practical leadership, and was smart enough to defer to him for his experience on the field, despite nominally out-ranking the NCO. As his mentor had advised him: "When you find a good NCO, you should generally give them the orders which they suggest to you."
The Sergeant had slowly warmed up to the newly minted lieutenant, discovering that - despite the social and rank divide - they had quite a few things in common.
"What are you going to do now?" the Lieutenant ventured. Sarge rarely volunteered information unless specifically asked. It had taken him ages to dig out the barest of details on the man.
"A relative of mine has offered me a job at a construction company back in Daegu, sir," Sergeant Son replied, now suddenly feeling the reality of his situation. This was it: The end of this particular road that he had thought he would be walking for many more years.
"Construction? You're certainly a man of many talents," the lieutenant said in surprise. Sarge had never mentioned anything about that. They talked politics, they talked sports, they talked about the military. From his experience to date, he would have assumed that Sarge was more skilled in de-struction.
"I used to help out on the sites before I enlisted," the Sergeant explained. "It pays a lot more than the military." One had to be practical about these things. Dreams were for young men, for children. It was time to enter the real world.
The Lieutenant nodded slowly in understanding. "You're the oldest."
"Yes, sir. The only son, and three younger sisters."
"I see." He did see. As the eldest son, 'Sarge' was now the head of the family and was expected to support them in the absence of his father. His salary as a Marine would not be enough for the upkeep of five people.
"Then I wish you all the best, Sarge." He would miss Sergeant Son terribly. He was a good man. "You didn't get to finish telling me the story of the 'Black Sox'. Maybe one of these days, I can come down to Daegu and take in a Lions game. See how good your new team is," he teased.
"If you don't mind, sir, I'd like to take you up on that," Jae-Myung said with a hint of affection. He would also miss the lieutenant. He was one of the few people who shared his passion for sports history.
Neither man realized that decades would pass before they could fulfil that promise.
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Daegu, South Korea - APRIL 1982
"She quit school, oppa," seventeen year old Son Jeong-Nan gleefully confessed to her exhausted brother.
She was the youngest daughter of the Son family. Flighty, and spoiled by their mother, her goal in life was to know anything and everything about everyone. Gossip was her lifeblood, and she had been waiting ages to tell this particularly juicy tale to her absent brother.
Things had finally settled down after their father's funeral ceremony and cremation. The Son patriarch's prolonged illness meant that the family had long ago prepared themselves for the inevitable. It had been almost a relief, after watching the man whom they all loved in their own way finally made free from his pain and misery.
Son Jae-Myung finished putting away his clothes in the small bedroom that he at least did not have to share with any of his siblings, thanks to him being the oldest - and only - boy. He rubbed between his eyes in an attempt to massage away the throbbing pain between his eye sockets. It had been a long week.
