The doctor spoke to me in a slightly trembling voice.

“So Hee, I would very much like to meet you by chance within 5 months.”

“……Pardon?”

“If I happen to meet you again by chance, I’ll explain the meaning of today’s words. Have a good day.”

“Pardon?…… Alright. Thank you again for today, doctor.”

I didn’t understand the meaning of the doctor’s words, but his earlobes turned bright red, so I couldn’t ask further about the meaning and left the examination room.

He was a kind doctor with a good impression who always took care of Han Byeol and showed interest, for which I was grateful.

I could fully understand why he called me by my name instead of ‘Han Byeol’s mother’ or ‘Han Byeol’s guardian’, since he had a child with the same name as himself.

I could vaguely guess that the 5 months the doctor mentioned meant until the next infant health checkup, but I couldn’t understand the meaning of wanting to meet by chance.

Han Byeol had already started holding up his head and seemed to be growing more interested in the world, beginning to look around.

To show Han Byeol more of the world, I showed him various places as we walked and explained things to him.

Mother’s words that children who listen a lot start speaking early seemed to make sense.

I learned in school that playing good music during pregnancy was to give the child, whose auditory functions had formed, a beautiful impression of the world.

Although the world the child was born into might be cruel and harsh, positive energy was necessary to overcome life, so I tried to let the child hear only good words and masterpieces.

Whenever I saw couples walking down the street holding their child affectionately with bright smiles, I felt lonely about his empty space, but I was determined to work harder at being a mother to give the child greater happiness.

*****

Another day had set.

Although Han Byeol was disappointed that the long-awaited reunion with So Hee took place in the examination room rather than by chance, he was very glad.

The child had grown well, and her face, with the swelling gone, looked more pure, and her graceful beauty stood out much more than when seen at the neighborhood market.

As he had wished during the New Year’s countdown, father left for Baengnyeong Island on March 1st, as if shouting for independence on Independence Movement Day.

After buying a small house by the sea and doing some simple remodeling, he started a life entirely on his own with a happy smile.

Han Byeol went to Baengnyeong Island with his siblings to help father move, and they celebrated father’s new life over lunch.

Baengnyeong Island, visited after 7 years, still held its beautiful nature, sprinkling silver fish scales that sparkled on the blue sea waves.

It was Baengnyeong Island where he had spent nearly 38 months as a public health doctor after 3 weeks of training.

The painful first love with the female pharmacist came to mind, but 7 years had buried much of the pain in his heart.

Although he had said at New Year’s wish that ‘if he happened to meet a woman three times by chance, he would try to love her like fate’, in his heart he decided to consider it fate if he met So Hee by chance just one more time.

In January and February, he eagerly looked around with wide eyes hoping to meet her by chance on the way to and from the hospital, at the neighborhood market or cafe, but frustratingly, So Hee did not appear.

He had the shallow thought of wanting to check her home address in the child’s hospital chart and narrow the spatial range to increase the probability of chance, but Han Byeol wanted to believe in the inevitability of repeated chance, fate.

The 10 minutes or so spent together when So Hee walked into the examination room with the child for the infant health checkup seemed to be stored in Han Byeol’s eternal memory circuit, recalled one by one.

Her words, her expressions, her appearance……

It was three meetings in total – twice at the hospital, once at the neighborhood market – and only 30 minutes of conversation in terms of time.

But Han Byeol himself was puzzled by how he was drawn to her as if by fate, though attraction and interest were not problems that could be solved by reason and logic anyway.

There were 5 months left until the child’s third infant health checkup scheduled for August 5th.

Although So Hee would appear again with the noticeably grown child if he waited that time, it seemed like it would be a cruel time for Han Byeol waiting for a chance encounter.

Still, it was a great comfort that he had revealed a little of his feelings to her before she left the examination room.

Although he felt his voice tremble and it was said with all the courage squeezed from his heart, he desperately hoped she would feel his heart a little.

Han Byeol went to sleep wishing to meet her again even in his dreams, earnestly hoping for the last third chance encounter.

*****

The winter in Boston was long.

After sharing their first love at the ski resort, Hyun Woo and Ha Yeon grew closer.

He had heard from a friend in college that there are several rooms of love in a man’s heart, but only one room of love in a woman’s.

The friend, who had much experience with women, told Hyun Woo as if it was a truth he had realized through many relationships, but Hyun Woo had scoffed at it at the time.

Though he couldn’t be sure since one can’t know a woman’s heart completely, he vaguely felt that statement was true for a man’s heart.

It had been a year since he left Korea, and although he had started a new love with Ha Yeon, memories of So Hee would not be erased from Hyun Woo’s mind.

Ha Yeon had clearly said before sharing their first love at the ski resort that she wanted to hit the reset button on past loves, and emphasized that only she existed in the present and future, but Hyun Woo’s mind couldn’t be organized so simply.

The rational mind ordered to erase all memories and love with So Hee with an eraser, but the emotional mind kept pulling out memories of her from moment to moment.

Especially when lying in the small room in the R district slum, old memories were summoned and troubled Hyun Woo.

As time passed, Ha Yeon told him to move out of the R district slum apartment to a wealthy Brookline apartment, but Hyun Woo’s meager pride wouldn’t allow it.

Instead, Hyun Woo assuaged her dissatisfaction by spending Saturday evenings together at Ha Yeon’s house.

The winter break in America is short, starting from late December and ending in January, so the spring semester began in cold February.

As classes started and lab research involved both cell line experiments and animal experiments, more time investment was needed.

There were many nights spent in the lab, and words of envy circulated about the Asian workaholic.

Although America is a ‘melting pot’ where various races mix, Asians with different appearances often became objects of jealousy from white people due to their outstanding talents.

Hyun Woo continued his experiments ignoring the surrounding jealousy and envy, and produced good results.

The advisor patted his back and encouraged him, saying he could submit a good paper to CNS if he invested time until the end of the year.

Ha Yeon and Hyun Woo used weekends to watch performances at the New England Conservatory, Boston Symphony, or BerkleX School of Music, and went to see Broadway shows in New York once a month.

The realm of music and art, which he couldn’t have imagined when struggling with part-time jobs in Korea, gave Hyun Woo new joy in life, and he wanted to try learning an instrument when he had time after getting his doctorate.

Life progressed simply with study, research, and weekend dates, but inner satisfaction increased, and Hyun Woo was intoxicated by the abundance given by the Pandora’s box he had opened.

Ha Yeon also loved him while focusing on her studies as always.

Her fall semester grades were excellent, so Ha Yeon received an external scholarship, and Hyun Woo was praised by his advisor.

Although the scholarship was meaningless money for Ha Yeon, her parents praised her achievement.

They were keeping well to the intimidating advice Ha Yeon’s father had given Hyun Woo: “Since you’re both students, there should be no hindrance to your studies or research. You understand what I mean, right?”

Not only grades, but he wanted to quickly publish a world-renowned paper and present his research results to the chairman of S Group.

March in Boston was a coexistence of spring and winter.

Spring breezes blew, but suddenly snow fell one day.

Winter snow envying spring fell even in late March.

Hyun Woo sent 20 million won out of the 30 million won he had as emergency funds to his mother in Korea.

He told his mother he would definitely invite her to America for the graduation ceremony, and asked forgiveness for not being able to go to Korea during the break due to research.

He sent money to erase his guilty feelings, but his heart was not at ease.

His mother had supported his alcoholic father all her life, and now she was enduring her tired life with pride in her son who graduated from S University Medical School.

Ha Yeon made the kind suggestion to invite his mother to America for a tour, but Hyun Woo didn’t have the confidence to show Ha Yeon his mother, who would be in stark contrast to the elegant madam.

Making excuses about research, he told Ha Yeon they would do it next time.

When May came, the weather fully softened, and Ha Yeon asked me to go to the ‘Public Garden’ in downtown Boston.

Enjoying the warmth of spring after the long winter, Hyun Woo looked around while riding a swan boat on the lake.

It was immediately understandable why this place was called a garden rather than a park, as the lake was lined with weeping willows and various beautiful trees celebrating the brilliant spring.

After circling the lake where swans played, Ha Yeon showed Hyun Woo the signature bronze sculpture of a mother duck and ducklings in the Public Garden.

Seven baby ducks were cutely arranged following the mother duck.

The different poses of each baby duck were cute and also puzzling.

‘Where did the father duck go?’

While Hyun Woo was lost in various imaginations, Ha Yeon asked me with a somewhat serious expression.

“What were you thinking while looking at the ducks, oppa?”

Receiving Ha Yeon’s question, Hyun Woo felt embarrassed as if his thoughts had been caught.

Before hearing his answer, she seemed about to share her own thoughts and continued speaking.

“Oppa……”