Answered Prayer

By Jennifer Park

Eun Seo, the activist daughter of the successful Pastor Lee Sang Chul, has a life that is full to bursting with blood drives, fundraising events, and visits to orphanages and old folks' homes. Eun Seo boycotts brands that use child labor. She helps stray animals find homes. All her free time is spent in crusading for one cause or another. The proud Eun Seo looks down on others who are more concerned with the latest trends in deluxe coffee beverages than in clean water for villages in Africa. Surprisingly, the straight-laced Eun Seo finds herself an unwed mother-to-be. Eun Seo is determined that her mistake will not harm her father’s reputation and ministry. Her quest to protect her unborn child and her father’s ministry leads Eun Seo into a tangle of deceptions. Joo Won provides a unique avenue of escape. Will the pastor’s daughter make a deal with the devil?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennifer Park
• Release date: Dec 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370894185

Jennifer Park

Ms. Park prefers to remain anonymous, hence the pen name, however she welcomes comments and reviews of her book! Her third novel is in the works and is expected to be released later this year. You can get in touch with her directly at her email address: jenniferparknovels {at} gmail.com

Book preview

Present Day

Eun Seo stopped walking and rubbed her aching wrist. After enduring an interminably long bus ride, she had dragged her hefty suitcase seven blocks from the bus station. Finally, she found herself in front of Saint Anne’s Catholic Church. The church had a stone stairway leading to the entrance. As Eun Seo gazed at the steps she must climb in order to reach its large wooden doors, she wondered what would happen once she made it to the top. She was physically exhausted, but after this long journey, she still had no assurance that the priest would be able to see her. She wouldn’t think about what to do if he wasn’t available. This plan had to work because she did not have a plan B.

After an arduous climb up the stone steps, she opened the doors and found herself at the entrance to the sanctuary. An elderly nun appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and asked Eun Seo if there was anything she wanted.

May I see a priest? Eun Seo ventured. Does one ask for a father or a priest? Having never stepped foot into a Catholic church before, Eun Seo didn’t know if there was a difference.

The elderly nun told her that Father Park was meeting with someone else at the moment, but she would let him know that someone was waiting to see him.

Eun Seo waited on a pew for over an hour before the nun came back and escorted her to the priest’s office. Eun Seo had not minded waiting. She wondered how she ought to begin conversation with the Catholic Father. She had never talked to one before. How would she tell him her story? She could barely bring herself to think clearly about her own circumstances. How was she going to share them openly with a complete stranger?

Eun Seo was comforted by the sight of Father Park. He was a kindly-looking, grandfatherly sort of man. His hair was solid grey and his face wore a lifetime of wrinkles.

Hello, child, Father Park greeted Eun Seo. Would you like to come to my office?

Father Park led Eun Seo to a room off the sanctuary. He led her to a small seating area and offered her some tea. After she had taken a sip, he asked, What would you like to talk with me about?

Eun Seo explained her situation as best she could. She tried to keep her voice calm and steady. She explained that she was unmarried and expecting a child. That she had left home and she only had a high school education and no work experience. She had little money and nowhere to live.

Father Park showed no sign of surprise at her tale. He simply listened.

Eun Seo continued. Maybe the church would know of someone that needed a live-in helper? Perhaps there was some family with whom she could work, and, in exchange, have room and board for herself and later for her child. She would be a hard worker. She just needed a chance. Eun Seo knew she sounded desperate and she was.

Father Park leaned forward and took Eun Seo’s hand in his old and wrinkled one. She could see the tears well up in his eyes as he asked her further questions.

Child, what about your parents? Do they know the situation you are in?

I can’t tell them. I can’t, Eun Seo insisted.

And what of the father? the old priest inquired.

He doesn’t know.

Shouldn’t you tell him? the old man tried to be as gentle as he could.

Eun Seo sighed and rose. If you can’t help me, I understand. She gathered her things and turned to leave.

Father Park stopped her. Not so fast, child. I didn’t say I can’t help you. I am asking questions to make sure you have thought about what you are doing. Sometimes people need to give their families and the men that love them more credit than they do. Sometimes those people respond to the difficulties of life in the most unexpected and wonderful ways.

I did think about it. I thought long and hard. This is the only solution.

Are you sure, child?

Yes, Father, I’m sure.

Father Park sighed. He wondered how this young girl came to be in such a state where there was no one she trusted to stand with her.

I will need to make some phone calls, I can think of a couple people who might be looking for some live-in help. Meanwhile, I think you can stay with Sister Mary. She lives in a small guest house on the back of the church property. There are several small rooms. You can stay there until we find a suitable place for you.

Father Park called Sister Mary and told her to prepare a room for Eun Seo. Eun Seo was led to a small building behind the gardens of the church. The building had several rooms with basic furnishings. A bed, a table, and a lamp were the sole furnishings of her small room. Sister Mary showed her where the common bathroom was and where the kitchen was. She told Eun Seo to ask her any questions she had and invited her to morning prayers at 6:00 a.m.

When Eun Seo was alone in her room, she sank down exhausted on the bed and wept.

Chapter 2

One Year Ago.

Eun Seo wanted to break the alarm that had awakened her from her beautiful dream. She glared at the offending device and silenced it roughly with a punch to the stop button. She stretched lazily as she tried to pull back the memory of her dream before it faded. She had been dreaming of a handsome somebody. This person did not exist in the real world, at least she had not met him in the real world. But she met him regularly in her dreams. She could never clearly see his face, yet she knew he was quite handsome.

In her dreams, he would arrive at some dangerous and terrifying moment, like before she fell from a cliff or was run over by a bus. In each and every situation, the handsome someone saved her from all manner of harm. Eun Seo wondered at her dream hero. Did all girls have dream heroes that rescued them from life’s dangers? Each time in her dreams when she came close to seeing his face clearly, she would waken and the image of her hero would fade as she left the world of dreams and entered the harsher reality of being wide awake.

Eun Seo was shaken out of her fantasy by her mother's voice. Eun Seo's mother, Jung Hee, was the wife of Pastor Lee Sang Chul. Jung Hee was well suited to her role as a pastor’s wife. She dutifully assisted her husband and cared for her three children. Her eldest, Hyun Woo, was nearly finished with his internship in neurosurgery. The family was proud of their eldest. At least, they were as proud as their religion allowed them to be. One could not be too proud as the family of a pastor, because that would not be right. Still, the family and even the church held the firstborn of their senior pastor in high regard.

Jung Hee’s second son, Min Jae, was in his last year of medical school. He was nearly as impressive as his older brother. He hoped that his internship would be in cardiology. There was a slight competitive tension between the brothers that made him think that choosing separate specialties would add to family harmony.

Jung Hee’s third child arrived four years after her second and it was an answer to her secret prayer that this child was born a girl. Having a daughter had long been the undisclosed desire of Jung Hee. She would have loved the child if it had been another son, but she was so pleased when the doctor announced she had given birth to a girl. She had visions of dressing her in pretty dresses and putting bows in her hair. Having another female in the house with her husband and two sons would be most welcome. Eun Seo was a little spoiled. She was the pet and mascot of the family. The parents who had the heart to be harsh and strict in the upbringing of their sons had no such heart towards their beautiful daughter. And the competitive brothers saw no reason to compete with their much younger female sibling.

Jung Hee was calling for Eun Seo to get ready for church. Soon it would be time for them to leave. Eun Seo dressed quickly and ate her breakfast. Eun Seo’s clothing was fashionable yet conservative, as a pastor’s daughter’s dress should be. When she arrived at the entrance to Faith Baptist Church, she saw her lifelong friend Sung Ho waiting for her.

Sung Ho was the son of Elder Lim at her father’s church. They had played together since they were babies in the church nursery. They were in Sunday school classes, youth groups, and prayer meetings together for as long as they could remember. They had both gotten in trouble when they erased the memory verse from the Sunday school board when they were little so that they would have room to play tic-tac-toe. They had spent hours waiting for their respective fathers to get out of meetings so that they could go finally go home. Sung Ho and Eun Seo had the special bond that only happens when the years of childhood are spent in each other’s company.

The church had watched with interest the closeness between the pastor’s daughter and elder’s son. More than one had speculated what would happen to them when they grew up. Would they grow up to be a couple (as their parents hoped)? Or would their friendship survive the eventual boyfriend or girlfriend that could disperse their twosome in the years to come? It was a favorite pastime of the congregation to speculate about the futures of the young people who attended their church.

Sung Ho and Eun Seo were scheduled to help in the 7 to 9 year old children's church class. They helped with the craft and the serving of snacks and they organized and led games. By the time church was nearly over, Eun Seo was getting a headache from the rowdy youngsters and her stomach ached with hunger.

Your brother wants us to meet him at the park after church, Sung Ho whispered so as not to disturb the closing prayers.

Why? Eun Seo whispered back, while keeping her head bowed and eyes closed, as if reverently paying attention to the prayer that was ridiculously lengthy for a children's Sunday school class.

He wants us to meet his new friend from medical school. He said he was trying to set you up. Sung Ho was not ashamed to tease her even during prayers.

Eun Seo opened her eyes to glare at him, only to shut them quickly as she realized that the Sunday school teacher had noticed her lack of reverence.

Sung Ho quietly laughed at his friend’s embarrassment. Served her right for talking during prayers.

Min Jae, Eun Seo's brother, texted to say that she should meet him by the bench near the stall that sold ice cream at 2:00 pm. Eun Seo and Sung Ho patiently greeted and said goodbye to various members of the congregation as they left the morning service. Both friends tried to be polite and courteous in their brief conversations as people left. In reality, they were counting the minutes until it seemed like they had stayed long enough that they would not be accused of running away as soon as the service was over.

Sung Ho and Eun Seo arrived at the designated bench before Min Jae arrived with his friend Han Gyul. Sung Ho was off at the ice cream stall when the two arrived. Min Jae was in a cheerful mood as he introduced his friend to his sister. It was obvious that he was trying to play cupid. This was very embarrassing to Eun Seo, but Han Gyul seemed to take it in stride.

Sung Ho saw Han Gyul while he was still busy at the ice cream stall. He took in the tall young man and his neat, fashionable appearance and smiled. This was not the type of guy Eun Seo would like. It was evident that he spent too much time and money on his appearance. He looked like a rich pretty boy. Eun Seo often described boys who were pretty enough to be girls as entirely unattractive to her. And she despised people who spent money on designer clothing when you could feed a small village in a developing nation for less. After this judgement made from a few seconds of keen observation, Sung Ho sighed in relief. He need not fear this introduction. His Eun Seo had the unique quality of telling boys to bug off in the most efficient manner. Maybe that was why Min Jae insisted on playing matchmaker for his sister. He liked to see how swiftly most men were judged unworthy by the proud Eun Seo.

The foursome sat on the bench while eating ice cream. After the brief introductions, Eun Seo paid no attention at all to Han Gyul. While she talked and laughed with her brother and Sung Ho, her replies to Han Gyul were one-syllable grunts, usually made while she was looking off into the distance, never looking directly at him if she could help it.

Han Gyul had agreed to this meeting against his better judgement. He had wanted Min Jae as a lab partner at school and Min Jae had agreed on the condition that Han Gyul take his sister on at least one date. Han Gyul had refused but thought better of it when the only other alternative was partnering with Ye Jun. Ye Jun was the worst student in class. Min Jae was the second-best student. Almost as good as Han Gyul himself. Han Gyul was famous for his dedication to success. He was the best at everything he attempted. And many girls at his college would had fought for the opportunity to eat ice cream with him. He was amused at the young girl at the end of the bench who couldn't have cared less about the highly intelligent, highly desirable Han Gyul.

As Han Gyul ate his ice cream and watched the interaction between girl, her brother, and her friend, he made mental notes to himself.

Note 1: Min Jae is crazy about his little sister. His devotion was clear in each word and mannerism. He teased her, defended her, scolded her, and praised her in turn. He used his napkin to wipe the ice cream from her face. He promised to help her with her homework. Han Gyul made a mental note that he should be careful not to offend his lab partner’s sister if he wanted to remain on good terms with said lab partner.

Note 2: Sung Ho was crazy about Eun Seo in more than a childhood friend type of way. But he was not antagonistic towards Han Gyul, which meant he was either very confident that Eun Seo returned his feelings, or that he did not consider Han Gyul to be competition. It was too soon to determine which was the case.

Han Gyul was intrigued. Who was this girl that dismissed him without a second glace? Han Gyul knew people considered him quite the catch. He was a handsome medical student in the top of his class. He was the only son of a reasonably wealthy family. As he continued to simultaneously watch Eun Seo and lick his ice cream, he decided that though she was pretty, she was just an average sort of pretty, not quite his style. Han Gyul did not usually waste his time on girls. He had goals and he was very focused on his goals. Where his classmates could be in the depths of despair over a breakup, Han Gyul prided himself on being above such silliness. Han Gyul was shaken from his reflections by a laugh. Eun Seo was laughing at something Min Jae had said. She was smiling up into the face of her brother, her eyes twinkling with