Favor

Min-ji Pho just sat there, staring at the floor, knowing her fate now rested in her father's hands. From the other side of the large, cold, grey metal desk that separated them, Min-ji Joong stood and began to process what he had just heard from his only daughter. She just seemingly appeared out of thin air today, after nobody knew fully where she had been for this last year and dropped an overload of information and emotion.

Min-ji Joong clasped his hands behind his back, pivoted on his heels to the right and as he started to started to pace, his mind sorting things out and placing it all into linear order. 

Min-ji Pho graduates from university and receives a commission as second lieutenant through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. She proceeds to complete her 27 months of obligatory service in the Republic of Korea Army, does not advance in rank and chooses not to extend her military career. Then she disappoints her father by not accepting the offered position within the shipping and receiving company in Pusan, built from scratch by the family and prospering very early from the Korean conflict of the 50's.

Min-ji Joong performed a perfect and crisp "about face", pivoting right around on the heel of one foot, the ball of the other and continued to pace in the opposite direction. He gave his daughter a sideways glance on the second step, she was still staring blankly at the floor.

He returned to his thoughts. Min-ji Pho just vanishes from the face of the earth, soon after declining employment in the family business, where her six brothers and their families appear to be quite happy with the income and the lifestyle supported by it. So, it's not for the money?

The memory of a young man she met and attended university with, came to Min-ji Joong. He had come looking for her, but left without answers and very much empty handed. A shame, Min-ji Joong would have wholeheartedly approved of him and give his blessing to the both of them. Not for love, either?

His eyes shifted over again at Min-ji Pho, she remained as she had been, motionless. He recalled her telling him she went to America and secured employment with a private military company. Modest pay, at best, compared to what she could have made if she stayed in Korea, he thought to himself.

However, it was when she talked about the other women she was associating with and her sudden change in demeanor that made the most sense to him. Growing up in a house of men, with only a mother to offset the gender scales, didn't making up an easy growing up. Min-ji Joong felt a small pain in his heart now from not finding more time to connect with his only daughter then. Instead, he spent most of it shaping her six brother for the world, the rest on the family business.

Another snap "about face", a few more steps and Min-ji Joong sat down. He looked at his lone daughter and asked dryly, "Do you believe this favor you requested of me will bring you the happiness you hope to find with it?"

Min-ji Pho looked up and their eyes met. A single tear fell as she answered, "Yes, it will." He sat there, knowing she would reply with those exact words and said, "If I do this, the slate between us is wiped clean?" She nodded.

Min-ji Joong reached into an inner pocket on the left side of his blazer and produced a small, black notebook. He opened it and turned a few pages, stopping when he found a name he was looking for. He looked up and met his daughter's eyes staring back. With the book in his left hand, he picked up the handset from an ancient, rotary dial phone and turned the necessary numbers with his right.

The female voice on the other end answered, "Yes, may I help you?" Min-ji Joong replied, "I wish to speak with Zhang Feng."