As Tzuyu was driving deeper into the village, just like the farmer said that the village can be complicated. Moreover, it was their first time visiting. He decided to park by the side and walk with Sana to find the Chou’s house. 

 

Sana had her hand inter wined with Tzuyu’s as they walked. 

 

“Luckily I’m wearing flats” she said 

 

He looked at her and laughed a little bit. He was glad to have her who willingly spend her time with him searching for his uncle in an old looking village which is not her kind of place. 

 

“Let’s ask the lady over there” pointed Sana 

 

They saw an old lady sweeping the front door of her house. They approached the lady. 

“Excuse me mam” called Tzuyu 

 

The old lady straightened her back and looked at the couple with a blank face. Why? Because he spoke in Korean. 

 

“Tzuyu, we’re in America not Korea. Speak English” whispered Sana 

 

“Oh right” he mentally knocked his head. So he began to speak in English fluently, “Sorry to disturb mam but I have something to ask” 

 

“For a second I thought what you Asians are doing here” the old lady came closer to them. “Just by looking at your face, you remind me of someone” 

 

He smiled, “My dad?” 

 

“Yes of course. Boy it feels like he’s back from the dead” the old lady observed Tzuyu from head to toe 

 

Sana didn’t like the way the old lady looked at Tzuyu so she linked her arm with his. 

 

“My oh my” the old lady faced Sana. “Such a beautiful young lady you have here” 

 

Forget the way the old lady observed her boyfriend. The praise pacified her enough. 

 

“Thank you mam. I am here to look for my dad’s old house. May I know where it is?” Tzuyu smiled 

 

“Of course young man. Just go straight down and you’ll see a house with a barnyard on the right” 

 

“Thank you so much” he said and bowed 

The old lady smiled at the couple, “You both bring me old memories when your father came home holding tight onto your mother’s hand” 

 

“Really?” Tzuyu raised his eyebrows 

 

“Like father, like son” chuckled the old lady 

***************** 

 

After a long walk until the end of the road, they finally found a host just like the old lady described for them. They proceeded their way to the front door hand in hand. 

 

Tzuyu breathed in and lifted up his fist to knock it on the door. He knocked for the first and they waited. Then he knocked for the second time they kept waiting. Knock the third time, making them lose patience. 

 

“You think anyone’s home, Tzuyu?” asked Sana 

 

“I’ve no idea” 

 

He held the door knob and turned it, the door opened. They were surprised that the door wasn’t locked at all. Without delaying any time, they both entered the house together. 

 

“Is it okay to enter? What if we got the wrong house?” she asked again 

 

“I’m pretty sure we found the right house, Sana baby” said Tzuyu after he saw the portraits hung on the wall 

 

There were pictures of his late father and uncle Minwoo when they were kids. Another picture was a family portrait of them together with the parents, which was Tzuyu’s grandparents. 

The two hands separated when they were so immersed in observing the things placed neatly in the house. From the portraits on the wall, to the dust-clear carpeted floor. Tzuyu found himself standing in front of a room which he believed it was his father’s. Without any hesitation, his feet brought himself in. 

 

Everything in the room was in order. As if, someone had just cleaned the house. He knew that no one lived in the house for a long time, and a huge collection of dust was what he expected to see but no. It was something unexpected. 

 

He walked nearer to the wall when he saw another portrait. But this time it wasn’t a picture. It was a written paper. 

 

“The capacity for friendship is God's way of apologizing for our families.”  

 

That quote totally made him feel like a lightning struck inside his head or something just strong enough to knock his head and make him realize the meaning after reading the words. 

 

His fingers caressed the transparent mirror protecting the inside of the portrait. 

 

“Tzuyu” 

 

Sana suddenly appeared in the room while she pointed to the window, “Maybe you should see outside” 

 

The tanned guy walked towards the latter and held her hand. Their faces rotated to have their eyes set outside of the window. 

 

There, they saw someone carrying a pile of chopped woods. An old familiar man whom they have been searching for. A person who ran away and left the house. A family, who should stay as a family. 

 

“Uncle” 

Tzuyu quickly ran downstairs to welcome his uncle home. But his feet stopped when he something was not right with the old man. 

 

The old man looked worse than before. His clothes were in tatters. Disheveled hair. The shabby old boots. His body looked sick and his physical looked deformed because of the way he walked. How can a wealthy and healthy man transformed into this.  

 

“Tzuyu, he’s sick..” said Sana who was standing behind him 

 

From where they were standing, they can clearly hear the old man coughing so badly.  

 

Tzuyu was not happy to what he was seeing. What had he done? He had made his uncle becoming like an abandoned old father no longer wanted by his family. Tzuyu began shedding his tears as he watched the old man trying his best to carry those pile of chopped woods with his weak body. 

 

The tanned guy slowly walked towards his uncle. His tears dropped because of looking at the pitiful old man. 

 

Mr.Minwoo stopped his feet when he suddenly saw Tzuyu in front of him. His body trembled and his hands shivered. He was frightened to see his nephew again. Mr.Minwoo instantly dropped those chopped woods from his hands and started running away as fast as he could despite his hurting knee. 

 

“Wait, uncle!” Tzuyu called when he saw his uncle running away 

 

“No.. no..” Mr.Minwoo panted for air as he ran away 

 

Tzuyu quickly chased after him. He will not let his uncle go away again. 

 

The old man tried his best in running but failed when his knee couldn’t be strong enough to support his own body. In the end, he collapsed to the ground. 

“Uncle!!” 

 

Tzuyu managed to reach his uncle seconds after the old man fell. 

 

“Uncle, are you okay?! Why did you run away from me!” Tzuyu kneeled down beside and held him in his arms 

 

Mr.Minwoo’s hands trembled in front of his own face, “P-please..  I was wrong.. don’t- don’t do anything to me..” 

 

“I’m not gonna do anything to you, uncle. Uncle, it’s me, Tzuyu” he sobbed 

 

Mr.Minwoo’s chest heaved up and down while tears starting to drop from both of his eyes. 

 

“Uncle.. is sorry.. Tzuyu.. I’m.. a bad.. person.. bad family..” 

 

A few drop of tears from Tzuyu’s eyes dropped down onto the old man’s cheek, “Don’t say like that. No you’re not. You’re like a father to me please don’t say anything like that again” 

 

Tzuyu’s trembling hands made its way to cup his uncle’s wrinkled face. 

 

“Next time, don’t you ever leave me again uncle. You hear me? You can never leave me, ever. Because I still need you” 

************** 

Mina couldn’t sleep because of the jet lag she was having. In Korea it’s night time and she was supposed to be having her beauty sleep but she can’t because of the different time zone which in America should be bright sunny