Free Heart & Seoul by Victoria Smith Page B

needed for every word
that was exchanged today. It would be so nice for Drake and his
birth mom to understand each other. If only one word. If only one
line.
    Three knocks hit the door, and a breath
escaped us both.
    I turned to Drake. Wrapping my arms around
him, I said three words: “I love you.”
    He managed to whisper the same. I placed a
kiss on his lips, and together, we stood.
    Hand and hand, we made it to the door. I
squeezed his hand before I let go and moved on to capturing the
moment of this meeting with the video camera. This meeting would
change the life of the man I loved forever. Because of that, my
life would be changed as well.
    He unbolted the door that seemed so much
easier to unlock before. He took his time with it and slowly opened
it.
    In came Hana. She bowed, which Drake did in
return, and behind her was Su-Min. She was already crying. She
greeted him, bringing around a woman from behind her that was so
tiny I felt I could crush her with a single hug. She was middle
aged like her sister, her hair up loosely in a pretty bun. She had
his eyes. Drake’s eyes.
    Hana gestured to Drake, introducing him to
the woman by his name. She then did the same to his mother, stating
she was known as Mi Hi.
    Drake approached her
immediately, towering over the small woman who looked so much like
him. “ Annyeonghaseyo ,” he greeted, bowing.
    The tears rolled down her
cheeks, her own greeting muffled because of them. Her little body
shook, then suddenly, she had her son in her arms. He had to bend
just to get to her level. She held him tight, whimpering as she
stroked her fingers through his hair.
    The room filled with
tears. His mother, Su-Min, and mine. I pushed my fingers underneath
my eyes, trying to keep the camera steady in my hand with the
other. I couldn’t believe I was given the honor to be a part of
this. That I got be a part of something so special for two
people.
    They held each other for a
short millennia, Mi Hi whispering words of Korean in Drake’s
ear.
    Hana translated. “She
keeps saying she’s sorry. Sorry she wasn’t braver. Sorry she wasn’t
strong enough to keep you. To meet you.”
    Drake pulled back,
releasing a small smile he had to purse his lips to
hold.
    Mi Hi touched his cheeks.
She kept pushing her hands through his hair. Over and over. Never
ending. She couldn’t stop touching him, as if making sure he was
real. As if making sure he wouldn’t disappear. She spoke more
words, which again Hana translated. “She’s saying she felt shamed.
She was scared you would refuse her because of her decision for
adoption.”
    I knew there had to be a
reason she refused the initial meeting. She feared he would deny
her. She couldn’t have been more wrong.
    Drake shook his head. His
nostrils flared once as he swallowed before speaking. “Tell her I
could never refuse her and that I accept her completely. And tell
her thank you for the gift she gave me. I have a good family. I had
a very fortunate life growing up. Tell her that.”
    And so Hana did, and the
woman broke down once again, running her hands up and down Drake’s
arms.
    In that moment, we noticed
two other people in the room. One was an older gentlemen, a little
bit shorter than Drake.
    “This is Yong Sook. Her
husband,” Hana translated when Mi Hi introduced him. “The two met
when she moved to Busan.”
    The man before Drake
bowed, then the boy next to him came forward. The boy I knew to be
Drake’s brother. He’d break a lot of hearts that one. He was just
as handsome as Drake.
    “Hyo,” Mi Hi struggled out
as she introduced him, her eyes red. “Your brother.”
    Hyo approached Drake, grinning. “They said
you looked like me.” He titled his head from side to side. “I guess
I can see it.”
    The room chuckled. My God the kid even had
Drake’s sense of humor.
    Drake gave a short laugh. “I believe it’s me
you look like, kid. I am older.”
    Hyo shrugged. “Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.”
    The brothers hugged. One of