homecoming
“JJ, take a vacation if you need a break. Don’t give me a resignation letter.”
“Captain, you’ve seen my history.”
“okay. I know you can’t stay in one place for long.”
Still, I remember trying hard to bring him from many places. Captain was one of them. I was brought in after fierce competition, but suddenly quit.
Jay Jenkins, the Asian the Captain and crew call JJ, was a very suspicious and strange person.
Should I call it mysticism rather than wearing a racist lens? He was just a literal mystery.
“Still, this is my first job outside of the military that I have been working for over a year.”
“Huh, should I call this an honor?”
The captain felt sorry for him, so he licked his lips.
Jay was quick-witted, and if he taught something, he knew how to follow it skillfully after seeing it once. His ability was so good that he even received a medal during his short shift, so he said everything.
That’s why the captain was a special member of the crew.
“Don’t leave your seat empty. Call me if you want to come back anytime.”
Well… will I ever be able to come back? Cap read Jay’s ambiguous expression and frowned.
“Would you like to go anywhere? Where are you this time? Chicago? Boston?”
“Korea.”
“korea? You said you had nothing except for a short time when you were young.”
“It was.”
Jay’s life was ever-changing. Maybe it’s because of my personality that I can’t settle down in one place for a long time, but I couldn’t think of Korea at all because I moved around so busy.
(Are you Jaehee Yoon?)
Until I saw a message from checking my social media account that I had forgotten about because of the torch of the same unit motive.
His father’s wife, who was not sure what to call him, told him that his father was fighting terminal cancer and that he wanted to see Jay.
Jay replied that he would go after a short thought. I was thinking of quitting here soon anyway.
“You say your father is going to die soon. Still, I have to go see it once.”
“father? So, not Mr. Jenkins, but your biological father?”
“yes.”
“I thought you were adopted.”
“There are complicated circumstances.”
Originally, he lived in Korea, followed his mother to the United States due to his birth parents’ divorce, and then his mother remarried… It is a family affair that is difficult to explain.
Jay was also the type of person who didn’t like to talk about private things like this.
“Then let’s go.”
Jay got up from his seat and shook hands with the captain with a smile. It was a comforting smile that seemed to have no regrets.
The look on the captain’s face made him even more regretful.
“Are you going to Korea for a while? When you come back, come over sometime.”
“Okay.”
Someday… It was a place where I had been involved for a long time after the military, so I felt particularly attached to it.
“Hey, JJ.”
The captain called Jay back to open the door with a large Boston bag on his shoulder.
“It’s not because of you that Williams died. It was an accident.”
“······I know.”
Even knowing it doesn’t change the fact that he died right in front of Jay’s eyes. Jay tried to hide his bitterness and left the captain’s office.
The crew gathered in the garage and were playing poker.
“JJ! Come and play a game!”
“Oliver, you’ll have to put your money away forever.”
“forever? Are you finally quitting?”
“okay. Be well. Losers.”
Jay left the office with a light gait that seemed like he would go back to work tomorrow. Is he really quitting? The dazed crew looked at each other.
‘This must be the last time today.’
Jay suddenly looked back. Under the signboard written in big letters, he could see a red fire engine that he had worked hard to maintain and polish.
Los Angeles Fire Department
‘What should I do next?’
I’d have to meet my father-in-law before that. Jay sighed, feeling a little heavy inside.
Jay left the fire brigade, and Oliver, who prided himself on being his best friend, hurriedly opened the door to the Captain’s office.
“Knock and open.”
“Captain, did JJ really go?”
“Did you think it was a joke?”
“No, where is it that just goes away like this?!”
“I’ve been talking about quitting quitting for a long time.”
He said that he couldn’t stay in one place for long, and that he might find another job someday.
It got worse after Williams, a member of the same fire brigade, died on the job. I understand since he left right in front of me, but I didn’t expect him to leave so quickly.
“It’s not like I don’t know the number, social media? Wouldn’t that be enough to keep in touch even from a distance?”
“Nevertheless it is. We even prepared our farewell party.”
But the main character is already gone. Oliver grumbled and walked out, while Cap went through Jay’s fire brigade application resume.
Enlisted in the US Army right after graduating from high school. A hero who served in the Navy SEAL for several years and was sent to frequent overseas operations to accumulate merit and receive many medals.
Where is the silver star medal? It’s a history that can be treated anywhere, but after being discharged, Jay said that he traveled all over the United States, changing jobs for as little as a week or as long as two months.
“I’m really…”
Judging from his fraudulent history, he seemed like an Asian stereotype, but he wasn’t presumptuous. Jay didn’t talk much about himself.
“He was an enigma to the end.”
The first and last private conversation was about his biological father. The captain sighed and tossed the résumé deep in a drawer.
***
“So, you quit the fire brigade too?”
“yes.”
Before going to Korea, Jay stopped by his parents’ house and received a great welcome.
“Good job. It’s a dangerous thing.”
The mother, Maria Jenkins, was bright, but the father’s expression could not hide his concern.
“Son, why don’t you stop settling down now?”
“It’s comfortable to live like this.”
“If you want, I will give you a place in my company. You will adapt well in no time.”
It wasn’t empty talk, it was sincere. Jay was smart and had a unique talent. It would be nice if he could settle down in one place and demonstrate his abilities to the end, but he changed jobs while living a wandering life.
Their eyes were full of infinite trust. Jay felt that affection filled his stomach, but it wasn’t all that good. Reading his expression, the father added hastily.
“Don’t feel too pressured.”
“I am always grateful to you two.”
“Don’t talk like that. Parents are originally meant to support their children.”
Jay raised an eyebrow. Although they didn’t mix blood, the two really cared for Jay like they were their own sons.
Jay’s family life was like something you would only see in a drama. After divorcing her biological father, she met her biological mother who settled in the United States and now her father, Henry Jenkins, and remarried.
[Son, how should I call you?]
[My Korean name is not easy to pronounce, so please just call me Jay.]
That’s how Jaehee Yoon became Jay Jenkins.
Henry really cared for Jay, who was bloodless, as if he were his own son, but the marriage between Jay’s mother, Jeong Yeon-jae, and Henry Jenkins did not last long. Because his mother died in a car accident.
And my father met and remarried my mother now. A mother, Maria Jenkins, had two children with her ex-husband. Jay suddenly had a mother and siblings who were not even blood related.
“Yes, it was good that I decided to go to Korea. Still, your real father, I have to see you off at the end.”
“yes.”
“Send well and come back.”
Jay, who was sent off by his parents with a warm hug, headed for the airport.
The family life was complicated, but it was a harmonious and good family. My parents treated Jay like a real son, and I was like a real brother and sister with my mother’s children, so I couldn’t even remember the awkward days before.
Even so, it was Jay who ran away to the army because he could not erase the feeling that his position had been blown away.
‘Is that why I haven’t been able to settle down until now?’
Wherever you are, this is your calling. I heard that I have talent, but it didn’t last long. Even though I lived freely, my heart was empty somewhere.
Going to Korea was not smooth.
Due to his involvement in special operations during his military days, he came from several places and even had to take an oath of confidentiality. Instead, I took care of several conveniences.
(Passengers, welcome to Incheon International Airport. After the plane comes to a complete stop…)
The airport I arrived at after twists and turns was unfamiliar. After getting his luggage and exiting the gate, Jay looked around.
“Uh, Mom. I have just arrived.”
“Let’s eat first before going home.”
“Crazy, have you seen that person? The dog is handsome.”
First of all, I need to get rid of the smell of Gyopo. Jay wandered around the airport, overhearing the conversations of various passers-by, picking up pronunciation and tone.
“Ahhh. One, two, three. hello.”
Is this enough to make you feel less of a Korean? After listening to it for a while, Jay quickly came up with a language idea and finally left the airport.
(Ah… you have arrived in Korea.)
“What’s going on?”
From noble mtl dot com.
(Can I see that… not in the hospital ward, but in the cafe on the first floor of the funeral home?)
“A funeral home?”
No way… Jay hurriedly took a taxi to the hospital.
“hello.”
“Oh, hello.”
My father’s wife, Park Hyun-ah, whom I met at a cafe, was startled as soon as she saw Jay.
He was tall like a door and had good proportions, making him look like a model. His good-looking appearance resembled his husband’s, but the atmosphere was heavy, and I felt like I had gone through all the battles.
Catching the attention of those around me at once was more like a celebrity than my children who are celebrities.
“Thank you for coming.”
“no. It’s okay if you speak comfortably.”
Jay looked at Park Hyun-ah. His eyes were swollen, but he seemed quite resolute, as if his father had been fighting the disease for a long time, so he had already finished preparing his mind.
“I heard you grew up in America… what should I call you?”
“Just call me Jay. Then, can I call you Mother…?”
“is it so.”
I thought the word mother was just a title. Still, even though she is my father’s wife, it was a bit strange to call her a lady.
“Your father… is dead.”
“You went well this morning.”
Park Hyun-ah looked at Jay’s expression, which looked complicated.
“Did your father often talk about me?”
“They said they always felt sorry for you. He always said that the family was ruined because he had made a big mistake.”
Well, I thought it was me who broke the family. Park Hyun-ah’s expression was favorable, as if her father had said only good things about Jay.
“You were very happy when I told you that I had contacted you and that you would be coming to Korea soon. He said he had something to tell you…”
“······okay.”
Jay was thirsty and gulped down his coffee.
“Mother, is this box right? They say Do-Jun is right…”
“that’s right. Thanks for driving the kids. manager.”
“no. It’s my job.”
It was a man who broke the brief silence. He waved his hand at Park Hyun-ah, who treated him with respect. There are many celebrities and family members who treat me like a manager, but they were always polite.
He was startled as soon as his eyes met Jay. oh god, who is that? A jewel that has yet to be discovered…
Unaware of the manager’s drooling, Jay looked behind him. There were two men and women who looked young as if they were students.
‘It looks like it.’
The siblings resembled each other and even slightly resembled themselves.
‘Is it my… younger brother?’
My eyes are slightly swollen because of my father’s death .