Chapter 3 In Ilsan City

Priya's POV

I was standing in front of the restaurant with my broken bracelet. It was my father's final gift, and it was very valuable to me. Furthermore, that guy had left before I even realized it. I came to Italy, along with one colleague, for a conference, to which we got an invitation. Before the conference, we intended to eat outside. We spent two days in Italy.

I received a call from Mrs. Joon while I was in the laboratory. I could feel the warmth when she spoke in a soft voice. She wanted to invite me to the festival in Ilsan. I agreed to her invitation and told her that if I got left I would come. I dialed MiSun and said everything to her. She became excited and prepared to accompany me. We planned to go on the weekend, and I used my leave of absence for three more days. We were going to take the train to Ilsan City. We arrived there in the evening and took some time to rest in the hotel. We took a stroll through Ilsan City later that evening. I was unsure if I should let Mrs. Joon know I was there. I was completely lost in the thought that I lost MiSun in the crowd.

"What happened? What do you have in your mind?" She inquired when she found me.

I explained my predicament to her.

"Are you stupid? She invited you and you are still thinking. You should let her know." She said.

I promised her I would do it the following day.

The weather was pleasant and sunny. After breakfast, we visited some nearby locations. I called Mrs. Joon in the afternoon to let her know that I was in Ilsan. She was cheerful and invited to her home. She insisted on coming even after knowing that I was with my friend. We decided to go to Mrs. Joon's house in the evening after I asked MiSun if she was okay with it. Mrs. Joon assured us that she would send a car to pick us up from the hotel. In the evening, we both were ready, but I was a little bit anxious. I was experiencing a different feeling, but I wasn't sure why. I was still on the fence about visiting her house.

We arrived at her house. She gave us a warm welcome, and I experienced warmth once more. We got to know Mr. Joon and their daughter, Kim Darim. We had a long conversation and because they were excellent English speakers, I felt at ease around them. They invited us to join them for dinner. We initially refused, but she persisted, so we had to join them for dinner. We were about to leave when she told us that she would join us and would take us to nice places in Ilsan.

The next day, she sent the car again. We first went to her home and had breakfast with them. Then she led us to new places. She shared her memories of those places with us. We enjoyed our time with her. When we got to her house that evening, she invited us for dinner, but we declined because we had other plans. We also refused to let her driver drop us off, as we didn't want to bother them any longer. Mr. Joon forewarned us and instructed us to contact them if there were any problems. We hugged and said our goodbyes. Before leaving, Mrs. Joon informed us that she would be taking us to a religious place the following day and asked us to wear some traditional attire.

The next day, I wore a long top that was knee-length, which I paired with pants and stahl, and MiSun opted to wear a mid-long dress. When Mrs. Joon noticed our distinct appearances, she smiled. She led us to Ilsan City's oldest and biggest temple. She told that she visits the temple once a week and that she is well acquainted with the local priests. We entered the temple. Mrs. Joon and MiSun performed the god-worshiping rituals. I was standing on the back side and observing them. Mrs. Joon called me and asked me to perform the rituals with them.

"Why are you not performing rituals with us?" She questioned.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Joon, but I'm not sure how to go about doing it, and I don't want to worship God incorrectly because of my lack of knowledge," I answered.

"It's fine, don't be alarmed. Simply follow me as I do it with you." She stated.

MiSun was smiling while glancing at both of us. Additionally, a priest was also observing us from the corner. He called us all when we were done. According to Mrs. Joon, the priest is well-known and respected, and that whatever he says will undoubtedly come to pass. We all went to him and gave him our greetings. He gave us his blessings. He subsequently inquired about me from Mrs. Joon. I was a little bit nervous. I assumed he would say something to me because I might not have performed the rituals correctly or perhaps only natives were permitted to perform rituals. But he made no mention of it in his speech. He asked my name and the name of my nation. I gave him the information he asked for, but I wasn't sure why he was asking for it. After that, MiSun and I left, while Mrs. Joon stayed and spoke with the priest. After some time, Mrs. Joon came back to join us. We took a stroll around the temple before leaving.

"When do you plan to return to Seoul?" She asked.

"The day after tomorrow, we will return," I responded.

"What additional plans do you have?" She inquired.

"Yes, we had been considering a shopping trip, tomorrow," MiSun replied.

"Oh, it's nice, go ahead and enjoy your shopping day together. But tomorrow, I'd like to invite the two of you to dinner." She stated.

"Mrs. Joon, It's all right. There's no need; you've already had a lot of trouble with us. Let it be." I said.

"Why? Do you dislike homemade meals?" She questioned.

"That is not the case. We enjoy food, but..." Mrs. Jun stopped MiSun before she could finish.

"Then, stop making excuses. You two will join us for dinner tomorrow. And it's over." Mrs. Joon said, raising one hand to stop further discussion.

We told the driver to drop both of us near the hotel. Before getting down from the car, Mrs. Joon made sure that we would come to her house for dinner, and if needed, she could send the car to pick us up, but we said that there was no need to send the car; we would come ourselves.

The following day, we went shopping together and purchased some gifts for Mr. and Mrs. Joon as well as their daughter. One thing I noticed in Ilsan was that there were wall paintings or posters of a single celebrity everywhere. I had no idea who he was, but I figured he must have some connection to the city.

Later that night, we had dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Joon at their home. We spent some time with them and gave them their gifts. When I was about to leave, I said, "Please let me know if you plan to visit Seoul." We bid farewell to everyone and departed from their residence.

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Mrs. Joon's POV

In the evening, both the girls visited us and spent some time. They had become like family to me, and I especially liked Priya, so I was sad when they left. She is a lovely and sweet young girl. They were going back to Seoul.

I recalled that I wanted to talk to my husband, Mr. Joon, about a few things. During our conversation, I told him everything the priest had said to me. "It would be best to ask him directly. He'll make it clear. Next week, we'll visit the temple." Mr. Joon advised.

We both went to the temple to meet the priest the following week when Mr. Joon was on holiday.

"Why did you tell me to bring my husband with me? What happened? Is something wrong?" I asked.

"There is nothing wrong, so don't be alarmed." He confirmed

"So why did you inquire about the girl on that day?" I questioned

"To be honest, I wanted to speak with both of you about that girl." He responded.

"What?" We were both confused.

"Back then, when you were instructing her in how to perform rituals, I was paying close attention to the girl. That girl, what did she tell her name?" He continued.

"Priya," I said.

"Yes, Priya. She is from India, the land of diversity, where love and family value the most." He spoke while closing his eyes. He remained silent for a short while.

"She is the one. I can see clearly." He spoke with closed eyes and a smile.

"What is the matter?" Mr. Joon asked.

"She will undoubtedly play a very important role in your family, I can tell. She will become the reason for your family's happiness." He said after a few minutes.

There was a long silence among us.

"We are not getting anything. What does it mean?" Mr. Joon asked.

"Is she... is she going to marry my son?" I asked while stuttering

"Maybe." He chuckled.

"But..." I lost my words.

"According to the Korean Tradition, the First child should get married to a Korean. And Priya is from a different country. How is it possible?" Mr. Joon stated.

The priest smiled and remained silent.

"And, if this happens, what will society say? Everyone will point fingers at us. No, it can't happen." I said anxiously.

"Please say something." Mr. Joon said.

The priest stood up from his place and a walk to a short distance, he turned towards us and said,

"Whatever has to happen will happen surely. No one can change that. God did not create rules; rather, humans did. If breaking some rules brings good results, then it's okay to break them. I've already told you what I saw. Now it's up to you. But keep in mind, God is supreme and no one can erase what the Creator has written." And then he left.

My husband and I were speechless. We also left the temple after some time.