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Chapter 6 Priya's POV

  • It has been a month since my last trip to Ilsan City. The break from the workday’s schedule was much needed. I thought after the break, the problem my team was facing in the project would clear up, but no, it was still there. I was concerned because the project I was working on was international and when my colleague and I traveled to Italy for a conference, teams from other nations were already ready with more or less work. And here I was stuck. Actually, the project required the unprocessed vocals of singers to observe the impact on patients with neurological disorders’ brains. We initially considered using local singers or regular voices, but we soon realized that the patients preferred to hear the voices of well-known singers. Our attempts to reach some singers were unsuccessful. No one was ready to contribute their voices for the benefit of the study. Some were demanding high payments, some were preoccupied, and some just said no. And those who were ready said they wanted a formal press release for the project’s contribution, but we weren’t ready for this because the project couldn’t be made public without first being discussed with the high council of scientists. In the end, my team and I had trouble finding the singers’ voices. Dr. Lee, the lab’s director, told us that he had a conversation with one of his friends about this but received no response. So, we understood that there was no hope from that side either.
  • When I received a call from Mrs. Joon, I was sitting with my eyes closed, leaning my head against the headboard of my bed. I didn’t pick it up and put it on silent because I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I received a call from her again the following morning as I was getting ready for work, but I still didn’t answer. I didn’t pick up MiSun’s call either when she called me after two to three hours. My phone then flashed a message, which I read and then dialed MiSun.
  • “Where are you? Why aren’t you taking calls? What happened?” She asked all at once.
  • “I’m working in a lab right now. Nothing happened. I don’t want to talk to anyone. That is why I chose not to answer the phone. You’ve got all the answers, now don’t irritate me.” I said out of frustration.
  • “Are you okay? Your voice is different.” She enquired out of concern.
  • “Yes, I’m doing fine. What happened? Why did you call me?” I asked.
  • “Mrs. Joon called me. She informed me that you are not returning her call. She wishes to speak with you. She might be in Seoul.” She said.
  • “Okay... I got it. I’ll speak with her later.” I answered in a quiet voice.
  • “Is there a problem at home, in India?” She questioned.
  • “No, nothing happened. Everything is good. It’s just that I am stressed over work. That’s it. Not to worry.” I responded, stroking the hairs with my fingers.
  • “Okay, alright. When you have time, just make a call to Mrs. Joon. Okay?” Before ending the call, she reminded me once more.
  • Later that evening, I called Mrs. Joon and I had a brief conversation. She told me that she was in Seoul, and Mr. Joon and Darim were also with her. She asked me why I was not answering her calls. I explained to her that I was unable to call because I was too busy at work. She told me that she wanted to meet up with MiSun and me before returning to Ilsan. This time, I told her, I wasn’t sure because there were some issues at work. She insisted on a meeting, so I agreed to do so and told her and I would let her know.
  • After speaking with Mrs. Joon, I called MiSun. Her phone was busy. I assumed she might be engaged to her boyfriend at the time, but she contacted me and informed me that Mrs. Joon was talking with her, who was making sure that I would accept her invitation to meet. I felt strange, but I ignored it. We decided to meet her over the weekend. I assigned MiSun the duty of informing Mrs. Joon and reserved a table at a nice restaurant.
  • On the weekend, I was getting ready, suddenly MiSun called me and informed me that Mrs. Joon had called and wanted to cancel the reservation at the restaurant because of her health and she wished for us to visit his son’s home. I requested MiSun to cancel the reservation. And then I called Mrs. Joon to ask how she was doing.
  • “Mrs. Joon, what happened?” I asked.
  • “Nothing serious, I was just feeling weak and wouldn’t be able to go to the restaurant, so I called MiSun and told her to cancel the booking.” She spoke
  • “It’s alright. You should rest, and if the situation is serious, please see a doctor.” I expressed concern.
  • “Yes, dear, I will.” She answered
  • “Why don’t you both visit my son’s house today?” She suggested as I was about to end the call.
  • “Mrs. Joon, its fine. We can schedule another day. You rest today.” I ignored her advice.
  • “Well, I’m not really sure. However, everyone has set aside time for this, so it is preferable to make use of it. You can also meet my son, who is also at home. Additionally, you are occupied with your job. We don’t know when a chance like this will come around again.” She gave an explanation.
  • I remained silent for some time.
  • “You are free to let me know if there are any issues.” She asked.
  • “Actually, Mrs. Joon, I don’t feel at ease visiting your son’s home.” I responded.
  • “Why? What happened? Have you ever been here before?” She made a suspicious query.
  • “No, Mrs. Joon. Nothing like this exists. We both have no idea who your son is. Furthermore, when we visited your home in Ilsan, we didn’t even inquire about him or look at any pictures. He is thus completely unknown to both of us.” I made it clear.
  • “What is the issue then? Why are you uncomfortable?” She asked in annoyance.
  • “Umm... umm...” I was speechless because I had nothing to say.
  • “No more excuses. You are not good at making them. Now, listen, I am sending the address to MiSun. She will pick you up after some time because I am aware that she owns a car. Get ready. Okay.” She gave me the order.
  • “But... Mrs. Joon, listen to me.” I was about to say
  • “No if... No but, I don’t want to listen anything. Just come here, and we can talk after that.” She stated
  • After that, she hung up the phone. I called MiSun and told her everything. A half-hour later, MiSun was standing in front of my rented apartment to pick me up. I was dressed in a long dress, with 2-inch sandals. On our way to the home of Mrs. Joon’s son, we stopped to buy a bouquet and some fruits.