The cemetery where their parents were buried wasn't very far from where they lived. It was just a few bus stations away.
So, after buying some flowers and a few other things, the three young people headed for the station.
Once they reached their destination, though, they were surprised to find someone else had been there already.
"Again?!" Su-Jin cried out in surprise. "This is what, the fifth year when this happens?"
"I lost track already. But, whoever is doing this, doesn't seem eager to stop." Min-Jun replied darkly.
As he squinted at the flowers, a deep frown appeared on his forehead. Then, he turned his head and exchanged a knowing look with his sister.
Every year, for the past five or maybe six years, there was always someone bringing white flowers to their parents' tombs. Whenever they got there, whether it was early morning or late evening, the siblings would find the bouquet neatly placed in front of the tomb headstone.
Though they tried asking around, Su-Jin and Min-Jun never managed to find out who put the flowers there. After all, in a large cemetery like that there was always a continuous flow of people. Some of them would be carrying just flowers, while others also brought with them a basket filled with offerings for the departed. Since there were no cameras inside the place, it was virtually impossible for the security guard at the cemetery to identify the person they were looking for.
In the end, both Su-Jin and Min-Jun put the matter of the mysterious flowers aside and focused on what they came there to do.
They stepped in front of their parents' tomb, then bent down to place a large bouquet of white daisies on the stone slab.
Straightening up, Su-Jin's eyes lingered on the names carved in the stone.
Mr. Park Jun-Su and Mrs. Park Min-Jin1
Beloved parents and loving couple.
'Fear not, for our fates shall forever be entwined.'
Died 5th of July, 2006
As the memories of that night returned, Su-Jin's disposition gradually turned sorrowful. Her eyes gleamed with tears, but she tried to hold them back from falling. After all, she had already promised not to show her parents any trace of sadness.
"Mom, dad, we're here!" Su-Jin said with a teary smile.
~~~
Meanwhile, in a different cemetery across the city, another person was slowly ambling along the spacious alleyways.
The man's tall silhouette could be seen slowly advancing through the long and winding path up the hill.
The path he took was paved and lined with tombstones on either side. The headstones all looked rather costly, with luxurious and fancy carvings and decorations. Expensive bouquets were neatly placed on the marble slabs of some tombs, proof that the family had visited not long ago.
Other graves were clear of flowers, but hadn't been entirely abandoned. Instead, they were wiped clean until the black or dark gray marble shone like glass.
The overall environment was clean and quiet. Though it was still a cemetery, it appeared quite different from the most common ones.
Based on all these details alone, anyone who visited the place could safely assume they were inside a place meant to be used only by the rich.
Upon seeing this, most people would likely mock and say that, even after death there are differences in treatment.
Once he reached a small crossroad, the man took the long and winding path up the hill. He walked for another few minutes, until he reached a series of small mounds.
These burial places were the eternal home of some of the richest families in the business world. They were covered with freshly cut grass and some even had flowers planted on top. Small, yet intricately carved headstones decorated the front of each mound. The elaborated appearance made these seem closer to pieces in a fancy garden, rather than tombs in a cemetery.
Without looking either left or right, the man advanced towards the last mound. Once there, though, his footsteps halted abruptly.
The man's face instantly twisted into a scowl, as his eyes shifted towards the tombstone.
The lustrous black marble shone brightly under the sunlight, causing the man to narrow his eyes even further. But the cause of his displeasure wasn't that, but the foreign objects that were resting in front of his eyes.
A beautiful bouquet of white lilies was placed against the headstone, spreading around a delicate fragrance. Inside a small bowl of sand were three joss sticks burning. The smoke first gathered at their end, creating a small cloud. Then, it gradually furled, slowly drifting up in the air with each gust of wind.
Gritting his teeth, the man bent down from the waist, placing the lilies he had brought next to the others. As his eyes grazed past the carvings on the headstone, his heart gave a lurch of pain. Grief instantly spread on his face, twisting his expression even more.
"I'm here… mother." he greeted quietly.
Kang Mi-Ji
Beloved wife and mother
'Either by fire or water, may the bridge that connects us never perish.'
Died 5th of July, 2006
Afterwards, he straightened himself up and remained unmoving. He silently stared between the headstone and the flowers with a mixture of sorrow and hatred.
"Even after all he's done, did you really love him that much? You even wanted to have those words written on your headstone… How foolish of you..."
"Your mother has always been an incurable romantic." a voice suddenly interrupted the man's monologue.
Hearing the familiar sound, he instantly whipped around. Thus, he came face-to-face with a middle-aged man who caused him to pause.
If anyone were to see them standing next to each other, they would be shocked to see the resemblance between the two.
This person had the same raven black hair and eyes narrowed into slits. His features were undoubtedly handsome and, even at his age, there was still something extremely attractive, almost raw in the curve of his mouth and the sharp angle of his chin.
However, the fine wrinkles visible around the corners of his eyes were proof that the man wasn't young anymore. He looked just like an older version of the other man, with the single difference that his gaze appeared to be slightly colder and more penetrating.
Being met with this person so unexpectedly, caused the young man to take a step back in shock.
To be honest, I don't know if these names male much sense in Korean, and I apologize to any native if they really sound bad.. But I really wanted to have their names be a combination of their childrens' >.< So, please forgive this author for being selfish!
The cemetery where their parents were buried wasn't very far from where they lived. It was just a few bus stations away.
So, after buying some flowers and a few other things, the three young people headed for the station.
Once they reached their destination, though, they were surprised to find someone else had been there already.
"Again?!" Su-Jin cried out in surprise. "This is what, the fifth year when this happens?"
"I lost track already. But, whoever is doing this, doesn't seem eager to stop." Min-Jun replied darkly.
As he squinted at the flowers, a deep frown appeared on his forehead. Then, he turned his head and exchanged a knowing look with his sister.
Every year, for the past five or maybe six years, there was always someone bringing white flowers to their parents' tombs. Whenever they got there, whether it was early morning or late evening, the siblings would find the bouquet neatly placed in front of the tomb headstone.
Though they tried asking around, Su-Jin and Min-Jun never managed to find out who put the flowers there. After all, in a large cemetery like that there was always a continuous flow of people. Some of them would be carrying just flowers, while others also brought with them a basket filled with offerings for the departed. Since there were no cameras inside the place, it was virtually impossible for the security guard at the cemetery to identify the person they were looking for.
In the end, both Su-Jin and Min-Jun put the matter of the mysterious flowers aside and focused on what they came there to do.
They stepped in front of their parents' tomb, then bent down to place a large bouquet of white daisies on the stone slab.
Straightening up, Su-Jin's eyes lingered on the names carved in the stone.
Mr. Park Jun-Su and Mrs. Park Min-Jin1
Beloved parents and loving couple.
'Fear not, for our fates shall forever be entwined.'
Died 5th of July, 2006
As the memories of that night returned, Su-Jin's disposition gradually turned sorrowful. Her eyes gleamed with tears, but she tried to hold them back from falling. After all, she had already promised not to show her parents any trace of sadness.
"Mom, dad, we're here!" Su-Jin said with a teary smile.
~~~
Meanwhile, in a different cemetery across the city, another person was slowly ambling along the spacious alleyways.
The man's tall silhouette could be seen slowly advancing through the long and winding path up the hill.
The path he took was paved and lined with tombstones on either side. The headstones all looked rather costly, with luxurious and fancy carvings and decorations. Expensive bouquets were neatly placed on the marble slabs of some tombs, proof that the family had visited not long ago.
Other graves were clear of flowers, but hadn't been entirely abandoned. Instead, they were wiped clean until the black or dark gray marble shone like glass.
The overall environment was clean and quiet. Though it was still a cemetery, it appeared quite different from the most common ones.
Based on all these details alone, anyone who visited the place could safely assume they were inside a place meant to be used only by the rich.
Upon seeing this, most people would likely mock and say that, even after death there are differences in treatment.
Once he reached a small crossroad, the man took the long and winding path up the hill. He walked for another few minutes, until he reached a series of small mounds.
These burial places were the eternal home of some of the richest families in the business world. They were covered with freshly cut grass and some even had flowers planted on top. Small, yet intricately carved headstones decorated the front of each mound. The elaborated appearance made these seem closer to pieces in a fancy garden, rather than tombs in a cemetery.
Without looking either left or right, the man advanced towards the last mound. Once there, though, his footsteps halted abruptly.
The man's face instantly twisted into a scowl, as his eyes shifted towards the tombstone.
The lustrous black marble shone brightly under the sunlight, causing the man to narrow his eyes even further. But the cause of his displeasure wasn't that, but the foreign objects that were resting in front of his eyes.
A beautiful bouquet of white lilies was placed against the headstone, spreading around a delicate fragrance. Inside a small bowl of sand were three joss sticks burning. The smoke first gathered at their end, creating a small cloud. Then, it gradually furled, slowly drifting up in the air with each gust of wind.
Gritting his teeth, the man bent down from the waist, placing the lilies he had brought next to the others. As his eyes grazed past the carvings on the headstone, his heart gave a lurch of pain. Grief instantly spread on his face, twisting his expression even more.
"I'm here… mother." he greeted quietly.
Kang Mi-Ji
Beloved wife and mother
'Either by fire or water, may the bridge that connects us never perish.'
Died 5th of July, 2006
Afterwards, he straightened himself up and remained unmoving. He silently stared between the headstone and the flowers with a mixture of sorrow and hatred.
"Even after all he's done, did you really love him that much? You even wanted to have those words written on your headstone… How foolish of you..."
"Your mother has always been an incurable romantic." a voice suddenly interrupted the man's monologue.
Hearing the familiar sound, he instantly whipped around. Thus, he came face-to-face with a middle-aged man who caused him to pause.
If anyone were to see them standing next to each other, they would be shocked to see the resemblance between the two.
This person had the same raven black hair and eyes narrowed into slits. His features were undoubtedly handsome and, even at his age, there was still something extremely attractive, almost raw in the curve of his mouth and the sharp angle of his chin.
However, the fine wrinkles visible around the corners of his eyes were proof that the man wasn't young anymore. He looked just like an older version of the other man, with the single difference that his gaze appeared to be slightly colder and more penetrating.
Being met with this person so unexpectedly, caused the young man to take a step back in shock.
To be honest, I don't know if these names male much sense in Korean, and I apologize to any native if they really sound bad.. But I really wanted to have their names be a combination of their childrens' >.< So, please forgive this author for being selfish!
