Chapter 107
After finishing dinner, Hyeon-woo went up to his room and sat at his desk, reading through the investment immigration guide documents he had received earlier.
It was an immigration system aimed at attracting foreign capital to the United States and revitalizing the economy by creating jobs. It was a visa concept that granted conditional permanent residency, with the condition being lifted and the investment principal fully refunded after two years if the business was successfully completed along with proof of job creation.
It sounded simple at first, but there was a risk of losing both property and permanent residency due to incorrect investments. Moreover, unlike himself, his parents had everything they had achieved so far in Korea. Hyeon-woo was not unaware of what it meant to give this up and start from scratch in a foreign country.
Knock, knock.
Hyeon-woo, who had been staring blankly at the documents, got up and opened the door. His mother, who had brought strawberries for dessert, gently sat down on one side of the bed.
“Your father was the one who first proposed immigration. I was surprised too, actually.”
Hyeon-woo’s hand holding the fork stopped at the unexpected story.
“I thought he would live his whole life knowing nothing but work. Even your selfish father realized, albeit late, that you are a precious existence to us that can’t be exchanged for anything in the world, Hyeon-woo.”
“……”
“So don’t worry about us and do what you want. Mom is unconditionally on your side.”
“……”
“If possible, I’d like to fulfill my dream thanks to you too. You know? Mom’s dream is to be the owner of a pretty brunch café with a terrace.”
Ah. Hyeon-woo blinked his eyes. He knew his mother liked cafés. Whenever she had time, she would pack a book and drive to nice cafés in the suburbs.
He remembered his mother studying vegan food from time to time and visiting vintage shops each season to look at newly arrived accessories. He had thought it was just a part of her hobby, but after hearing that owning a brunch café was her dream, he realized it wasn’t just a simple hobby.
His mother continued in an excited voice.
“A small neighborhood brunch café where people gather every morning to wait for their turn to order, in a corner of an alley full of nameless wildflowers. Wouldn’t that be lovely?”
“It suits you well, Mom.”
“Really? Thank you.”
Somehow, his heart felt warm seeing his mother’s eyes shine as she talked about her dream. Was everyone living like this, with their own shining dreams in their hearts?
Could I find one too? If I leave behind the traces of the past that are eating away at me and live focusing entirely on myself in a new place, will I someday have a dream too? Can I shine like that too?
As if reading his mind, his mother patted Hyeon-woo’s shoulder a couple of times as if to encourage him.
“It’s okay not to rush. Let’s look for it slowly.”
“……”
“As long as you don’t give up, you’ll find something that makes your heart race someday. Mom will always support you.”
After seeing his mother off as she left the room with the empty plate, Hyeon-woo sat back down at his desk. His eyes, which were flipping through the documents listing major U.S. universities, had become more careful than before.
*
After firming up his decision and conveying his intentions to his parents, all preparations were made rapidly. While his father verified the business to invest in the U.S. through an immigration support agency, Hyeon-woo prepared for the TOEFL test.
Instead of taking the SAT, the U.S. college entrance exam, he chose to enroll in a community college and then transfer to a state university. This was because the preparation process was shorter than for the SAT, and it seemed much more advantageous to be a student when adapting to an unfamiliar place.
With a goal to achieve, each day became busy without a moment to spare. While Hyeon-woo studied for TOEFL by taking online lectures, his mother was also busy preparing to start a café.
As the whole family spent busy days for their own reasons and purposes, the season passed from summer to autumn, and finally, they received a call that their visa had received final approval from the immigration office.
“Have you decided on a name?”
Hyeon-woo shook his head at his mother’s question as he ate an apple for dessert. The immigration support agency had advised them to come up with English-style names, so he had been thinking about it whenever he had time, but he still hadn’t found a suitable one.
“I’ve decided on mine. I’m going to use Maya. It’s similar to my name Mayoung, and when I looked it up, the meaning was really nice too. It means ‘great’.”
Hyeon-woo thought to himself that it was a name that really suited his mother well.
“Actually, Mom has thought of a name for Hyeon-woo too.”
“What is it?”
It seemed he was secretly concerned about not having decided on a name yet. Hyeon-woo asked with an exaggerated expression of interest.
“Your name uses the characters for ‘wise’ and ‘friend’, right? I thought it would be nice to have a similar meaning, so I looked it up and found the name Ian. It means ‘God is gracious’.”
“……”
“Maybe it’s because Hyeon-woo has two ‘ee’ sounds and Ian also has two ‘ee’ sounds. It felt familiar as soon as I saw it. I like this name, what do you think?”
“I like it too. I want to use that name. Thank you.”
He had been feeling uncomfortable, as if carrying an unfinished homework, because he couldn’t come up with a name. Now he was relieved of that effort. Hyeon-woo smiled brightly, expressing his gratitude, then put the empty plate in the sink before heading straight up to his room.
‘Wise’ Hyeon.
‘Friend’ Woo.
Hyeon-woo.
Thinking that it was really a name that didn’t suit him at all, he sat at his desk and opened his TOEFL workbook.
*
The place chosen as the new starting point was in the southwestern region, a bit more inland from the coast.
Avoiding busy big cities and tourist spots, they searched for a quiet and peaceful neighborhood, and by unanimous family decision, they chose North Channing, a small city in Hunstein County. Although it was a small city, it was a substantial one with a good academic atmosphere and excellent security, home to a prestigious university with a long tradition.
About two weeks after the whole family successfully completed their interviews at the embassy, three passports with immigration visas arrived at home.
Soon after, they were lucky enough to successfully rent a two-story detached house that they had been eyeing for a long time. The whole process went very smoothly, as if heaven was helping.
Looking at the plane ticket with the departure date just a week away, Hyeon-woo finally realized that he was leaving Korea.
Not a trip, but immigration.
Although he could come back anytime if he decided to, he wondered if the day would ever come when he would set foot on this land again.
