The door man held the door open for Monica as she walked back into Goryeo Hotel with a dress cover over her shoulder and a large shopping bag in her other hand. She crossed the lobby and moved toward the elevators. Entering an elevator, she turned and reached for her floor button but stopped, noticing a short Korean woman wearing black silk pants, a bright paisley blouse, and black coat scurrying towards the elevator door. Monica smiled at her sympathetically and pushed the door-open button for her instead. The woman nodded appreciation and spun around next to Monica and faced the doors. The doors closed.
“What floor,” Monica asked?
The woman waived her hand and shook her head. “Op-soy-o.”
Monica pointed at the floor number panel.
The woman shook her head, waived her hand, and said, “No number, same floor.”
“Oh.” Monica’s hair went up on her neck she pushed floor button twenty-four.
“New Dress?”
“What?”
“Did you buy a new dress,” the woman asked?
“Yes.”
“What for?”
“I’m going to a funeral later today.”
“Um. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks.”
“Was the person a relative of yours?”
“Yes, a distant relative.”
“You are American,” the lady stated.
“Yes.”
The elevator slowed to the 24th floor.
“My husband also died, very recently,” explained the woman.
Monica glanced at the woman in the brushed bronze reflection of the elevator door. “I’m sorry.” Monica could feel the woman’s eyes upon her and felt the prickle of sweat beginning to form on her forehead and brow.
The elevator door opened.
Monica looked at the woman and nodded her head before she stepped out.
“My husband died in Driggs Idaho, Monica,” the woman pushed the open-door button, “at your ranch house. The Won sent him to do their dirty work. Can we talk? I have information for you.”
Monica paused, not knowing what to do.
“I mean you know harm.”
Monica needed an ally desperately. She wanted to wait for Rayman, but even that was a skeptical choice, considering his past performance. She didn’t know who to trust and how could she ever tell? Monica came to the realization that this woman had searched her out in a hurry and had something to say. Monica got back in the elevator.
The woman pushed floor 28 button and said, “I have questions, too. My name is Young-Ja.”
The elevator door closed.
“Nice to meet you,” Monica looked at the elevator numbers seeing 28 lit up and smiled. “I didn’t fool you, did I?”
“Mr. Kim, the Won driver, was nice enough to tell me what floor and what room you were staying in.” Young-Ja smiled. “I should explain some things to you so you understand what’s going on around you, now that you are here in Seoul.”
“What do you mean?”
“Monica; first and foremost, you have royal blood in you from an old empire, a family that is not dead in wealth or loyalty, it’s just been underground for hundreds of years. I’d prefer to talk in your room rather than in public. We don’t have much time. I’ll help you get dressed for the funeral and give you some basics on funeral traditions. Here let me carry your bag for you.”
“I can manage; thanks.”
“Monica, it’s what I do for your family. Let me help.” Young-ja took the bag from Monica’s hand and bowed her head.
The elevator doors opened and Monica and Young-ja stepped out. A maid pushing a cart loaded with amenities was in between rooms. Young-ja looked at Monica and shook her head slightly. The ladies walked down the hall to Monica’s door in silence.
Young-ja whispered, “This hotel is part owned by the Won. They have many eyes and ears at their beckoning. You should be very careful.”
“Won Jie picked it,” replied Monica as she slid her key card in and out. The lock light flashed green and she opened the door.
Once inside, Monica put her dress on the bed and Young-Ja set the bag she was carrying on the desk and peered in over the edge to see what was inside.
Young-ja pulled out black shoes, a disk of black stockings, a black scarf and a large hat box. “Beautiful.”
Monica smiled, pulling her dress out of the plastic covering and held it to her abdomen as she walked into the bathroom to look and half spin in the mirror.
Young-ja explained, “As you can guess, Korean funeral customs and traditions are very different than American funeral arrangements. Do you mind if I tell you some differences which will help you?”
“No, I don’t mind. It could be a big help. I don’t want to do something wrong or insulting.”
Young-ja opened the hat box and carefully lifted out Monica’s hat. A concealing veil of delicate lace fell into place. Young-ja realized, “They don’t know you’re coming?”
Monica returned from the bathroom, “No.” She laid the dress on the bed, “I wasn’t invited.” Monica kicked off her shoes, “I don’t have much time. Do mind talking to me while I get ready?”
“Of course.” Young-ja continued, “I am not a contemporary woman and my husband was not a modern man. Our daughter on the other hand, is like you, young and beautiful. Old customs in Korea, women do not dress up for a funeral, the mother may stop combing her hair the day she hears of the death or the day of the funeral, and they don’t wear jewelry, nothing. Traditional funeral clothes used to be made of hemp, but that day has also passed. Today, women dress up all fancy in black with all the jewelry they can carry. You will fit right in. Many young people just wear an armband of hemp or cloth in respect of the traditions and the dead. We Koreans are a very superstitious people. Death is all about the ghost. Ghosts are jealous of the living.”
Monica got in the shower. “I’m still listening. Please continue.”
Young-ja moved near the bathroom door which was partially open. She could see Monica’s shadow moving in the shower behind the curtain. “The family will wail a lot. This is to appease the spirit of the dead, not to hurt the living family members. The louder Father Won wails the better for the family. There will be lots of bowing. I will demonstrate when you get out.” Young-ja moved around the bed still talking and loosely going through Monica’s suit case and hand bag. “This funeral will be a mixture of the old and the new customs. Traditions will be observed by Father Won and the family, but Won Chanyu had many friends from many cultures, Chinese, Mongol, Burmese, Thai, many peoples.” Young-ja heard the shower turn off and moved to the window.
Monica saw Young-ja move around the bed in the bathroom mirror. She knew there was nothing to take; it was already gone, except her phone. She asked suspiciously, “How do you know so much about Won Chanyu’s friends?”
Young-ja picked up the hat and tried it on. It was big on her but she still liked it. She looked at herself in a small mirror over the desk. She couldn’t see her own face behind the lace. “My husband worked for Won Chanyu, not Father Won. Won Jie told me this morning that he ordered Lyin to go to Idaho, no one else, and he tried to hide it from Father Won. Won Jie is responsible for my husband’s death. I work for the Won family now because I must. I didn’t work for them a week ago.”
Monica wrapped a towel around her body and twisted her hair in another and spun it on top of her head, “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“What do you mean?”
Monica walked out of the bathroom and went to her suit case. “I saw you in the mirror.”
“I am just curious. I’m sorry.”
“Um-mmm.” Monica didn’t trust her, but Young-ja was still in the room so she asked, “Is there anything else you want to tell me before you go?” Monica grabbed a black bra and underwear from her suit case and her dress from the bed and headed back into the bathroom.
“Please don’t pass judgment so quickly. We can help each other more than you know.”
“Well, are you going to tell me what I need to know for the funeral or are you here to go through my stuff?”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I’m just curious, that’s all. I’ve never been outside Korea. Look at me; I wear the same thing my mother wore, black pants and a paisley blouse.”
“We Americans call it snooping and we don’t like it.” Monica said sternly as she got dressed and came back out into the bedroom with a piercing glare in her eye.
Young-ja remained silent as Monica sat on her bed and put on her stockings. As she stood up and turned she asked, “What questions do you have of me?”
Young-ja rolled her wedding ring round and round, “I need to know what happened to my husband.”
“You said Won Jie told you this morning?”
“Yes, Won Jie told me Lyin died on Won family business. I don’t know what business or how he died besides what I have picked up on the internet news. You see, Lyin worked for Won Chanyu, but his father worked for the Cho family in the north. Lyin was born into servitude, in the form of a family vow. And so was I. And now, so are you. It’s hard to explain.”
“Does it have to do with the family Un Jang do?”
“No, but we are on the same track.”
“Does it have to do with the keys to the vaults?”
Young-ja’s eyes steadied on Monica’s face, “Yes. My family bloodline and Lyin’s bloodline have been in the presence of the keys as long as the Won and Cho blood lines. Lyin’s bloodline goes back farther, past the Mongols to the descendants of the Hun. Our forefathers were warriors on similar quests, riding together amongst many warriors, until defeated by a warrior of the Cho sun dynasty. My family and the Won can trace our lineage back to the Donghu. The Donghu were defeated by Modu Chanyu; Won Chanyu’s name sake. What remained of the Donghu, split into two main groups, the Xianbei and the Wuhuan. The Won or Wuhuan mostly perished in the west, but some remained and assimilated into other cultures including Korean. Tadun Khan, of the Wuhuan, died in 207 A.D. This is an example of how far back our bloodlines go.”
Monica raised her eyebrows realizing how far behind she was in her family history lesson, but the funeral was only an hour away. She pushed her feet into her black heels and stood up, wedging her feet deeper into the toe of her shoes, “This sounds like a very interesting story, and a very long story, and I want to hear it. I do. But maybe now is not the time. How about the short version; like, what were you saying about bowing?”
Young-ja smiled, “Another time. But, please, could we keep our meetings confidential? If you can do that, I will help you anyway I can.”
“Of course.”
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