Page 6 of Perfect Happiness

Father turned off his phone. When Mother extended her hand backward, he meekly put the phone in her hand.

The two didn’t speak to each other after that.

Jiyoo took Frozen II from her school bag and pretended to read it.

When Father spoke to Jiyoo, she only gave him short answers.

And instead of looking at him, she would stare at the bumblebee hanging from his bag and shake or nod her head.

She did this when he offered her the Happy Meal, too.

She hadn’t eaten lunch and was hungry, but she just shook her head at his bag.

Saying no required a powerful imagination.

The French fries must be salty and mushy by now. And the bulgogi burger is probably too sweet and greasy. I bet the coke is flat, too. I’ll definitely throw up if I eat it in the car.

Father ate the Happy Meal all by himself. He leaned his flushed face against the car window and stuffed the fast food into his mouth as he stared out the window.

“Jiyoo, do you want to show your father the Half Moon Marsh?” said Mother when they arrived at the countryside cabin.

Jiyoo was walking up the stairs with her school bag and turned around to look at Mother.

Just the two of us? Was that allowed? Isn’t it going to be dark soon?

After asking these questions to Mother, she asked one more question, “What about you, Mother?”

“Mommy needs to prepare dinner. You can just leave your bag on the stairs. I will put it in the room for you.”

Jiyoo stood side by side with Father at the front door. Mother followed them out as she said to Jiyoo, “The ground will be soggy from the rain last night. You should change into your boots.”

Jiyoo took her father to the shed. Next to a large ladder were three pairs of boots arranged in a row.

A pair of yellow boots for Jiyoo, a pair of blue boots for Mother, and a large pair of large black boots that had never been worn before.

Mother had bought these boots at the wholesale market the first time they came down to the country.

Jiyoo thought it was strange at the time.

“Why are you buying three pairs?” Jiyoo asked.

“You’ll find out when the time’s right,” Mother said with a grin on her face.

It appeared the time was finally right. Mother was always prepared.

Jiyoo handed Father the unworn pair of boots and put on the yellow boots for herself. When they came out of the shed, Mother was there waiting for them.

“Come back before dark,” she said. “Don’t make me come looking for you again.”

But Jiyoo had never made Mother come looking for her.

She had snuck out once before, but that was only once, and in secret.

She thought Mother was being unfair, but she didn’t complain.

She didn’t really have the time to. In her mind, she was already holding Father’s hand and running down to the wetlands.

If only Mother hadn’t been watching from the front door, she would have really done it, too.

Jiyoo’s legs were twitching, and she had to suppress the urge to run. Because of this, she could already feel a cramp in her calves; she hadn’t even crossed the road yet.

“So,” Father began after they crossed the road, “what’s at the Half Moon Marsh?”

Jiyoo answered as they entered the side path. “You’ll see when we get there.”

The side path extended in a straight line toward the Half Moon Marsh.

It was the only piece of solid ground in the entire wetlands.

The path was apparently built by Jiyoo’s great-grandmother who had hired workers to place gravel and sand on the loose soil.

Jiyoo’s great-grandfather, who had many aches and pains, used it for walks.

His walking partner was Mother when she was a little girl.

As an ornithologist, Jiyoo’s great-grandfather would take Jiyoo’s mother to the Half Moon Marsh and tell her stories about the ducks.

Come to think of it, all the stories Jiyoo heard from Mother must have been from her great-grandfather.

“You mustn’t leave the trail,” Jiyoo warned Father who was walking on the edge of the path. He looked down at her. When their eyes met, he mouthed to her, Why not?

“The reeds grow in thick mud. The ground is so soggy that only weeds and reeds can grow in it. You can’t farm on it, or build houses on it, or make golf courses.”

Father’s gaze scanned the field of reeds once, then returned to Jiyoo. She felt awkward, so she said something to break the silence.

“That’s why the countryside house and wetlands aren’t worth anything. No one has offered to buy them.”

“Where’d you hear that? Was it Mother?”

Jiyoo said yes and shrugged. She felt a bit embarrassed about getting excited and talking so much.

“Do you guys come down here often?” he asked.

Jiyoo thought for a moment before answering. It was a secret that she and Mother came down to the countryside cabin sometimes. No one knew, not her stepfather, not her auntie, not even her grandmother. So, was it a secret to Father, too? No. If it were, why would he be here?

“Sometimes. Mother used to live here when she was young. It’s Great-grandmother’s house.”

Aha . Father nodded his head. “I think I’ve heard about this place from your mother. That village we saw on our way in: Woo—”

“Woohyeri Village.”

Jiyoo felt relieved that Father knew about Woohyeri. Now she didn’t need to worry about whether she could tell him or not.

“We don’t go down to the village. So we don’t know anyone.”

The late-afternoon sun suddenly hid behind a dark cloud. The field of reeds became dark, the wind a notch colder. Jiyoo quickened her pace. She was nervous that the sun would set before she could show Father the “happy ducks” of the Half Moon Marsh. Father widened his strides to keep up with Jiyoo.

Soon, the Half Moon Marsh came into view. The sun hadn’t set yet, but there was already a thick fog floating on the water. Jiyoo stopped in front of the feeding area.

“We’re here.”

There was a lot more water in the Half Moon Marsh than last summer.

The water level was right up to the edge of the feeding area.

Only the very tips of the reeds and cordgrass were sticking out of the water, the air above it swarming with red dragonflies.

Jiyoo took a running start, then jumped up onto the feeding rock. Father followed and stood behind her.

“Mother and I come here and give the ducks their feed,” Jiyoo said as she looked down from the feeding rock.

“Do you buy the feed?” Father asked.

“Mother makes it.”

“Your mother? How does she make it?”

Jiyoo told father how to make duck feed. As he listened, he would sometimes nod his head. He looked surprised that ducks ate pig meat.

“But where are all the ducks hiding?” Father asked. “I haven’t seen one yet.”

Jiyoo turned to look at the water beneath her feet.

Just as she anticipated, there was a dark shadow moving beneath the murky water.

Jiyoo tried to scream, but it was already too late.

As soon as she opened her mouth, a jet-black shadow sprung up from beneath her feet.

Startled, Jiyoo twisted her body and lost her balance.

Her foot slipped, her legs shot up into the air, and her shoulders and head fell backwards. She instinctively closed her eyes.

The impact of the fall wasn’t as bad as she thought it was going to be.

She didn’t even get pricked by the reeds.

Nor did it seem like she had fallen into the thick mud.

It took a few moments for Jiyoo to realize a pair of arms had safely caught her.

There was a sturdy body supporting her back, and a voice whispering in her ear.

“Are you okay, Babe?”

Jiyoo waited before answering. She was listening to the pounding of her father’s chest on her back.

Suddenly, unchained memories began to flow in her mind.

A long time ago, her father’s hands and arms were always waiting nearby.

Whether she tripped or missed her step, they were always there, like magic.

She now remembered just how much she missed this safe and warm sensation.

The sound of his voice every night in her dreams.

“Knock-knock. Earth to Jiyoo. You’re not asleep, are you?” Father asked.

“No,” Jiyoo said, trying to stifle the smile that was trying to form on her lips. “I’m awake.”

Father lifted Jiyoo up and sat down on the ground. Jiyoo was now seated on her father’s lap, in his embrace. After a while, Jiyoo noticed the loon. It waddled up onto the rock, craned its neck, and started to cry. An eerie wolf-like howl filled the sky.

Wa-oooooo.

“That’s a loon. They’re not afraid of people,” Jiyoo said.

Jiyoo lifted her body and stood up. She gathered herself and extended her hand out to her father who was still sitting on the ground. Father took her hand and got up with a grunt.

“That little guy is called a loon, you say?” Jiyoo’s father asked.

He wore a big smile as he asked this.

“Should we get back at it for scaring us?” he asked.

It was all Jiyoo could do to nod her head without cheering.

“On the count of three. One, two…”

Three . Jiyoo jumped onto the rock. She shouted as she landed next to her father. The loon screamed out in surprise, jumped a meter into the air, then flapped its wings as it fell into the water with a splash.

“Go away, you bully! And don’t mess with me again!”

Jiyoo took her thumb and stuck her nose up at the loon. This and the words she had just said were two things she would never say in front of Mother. Mother always pointed out when she did something vulgar.

“And where did you learn that one?” Father asked as he laughed heartily.

“Auntie taunt me.”

“Jane taught you that?” A bittersweet smile appeared on his face.