My first Korean fanfiction, ever... So be nice to me :)

Credits:

-- Here is a Trailer by keylelovesC that I requested! She's totally awesome for doing this for me! Thank You!

-- Thanking proximaC @ ~ ♥♥[Glitters & Me, Graphics & You]♥♥ ~ for her AWESOME Poster and Banner! Thank you sooooo much and I HEART YOU!!!! XD

***Jang Seul Mi is a fictional character, in the poster she is represented by Jessica from SNSD.***

Enjoy~

~*~*~*~

“Umma,” Jang Seul Mi called out to her mother. She lay in the wooden box unmoved. Her twin brother, Jang Geun-suk tugged on her sleeves.

“Noona,” he whimpered, tears b in the corner of his brown eyes.

“Shh, Geun-suk,” she pulled her sleeve free and patted his back. “Everything will be fine. I’ll take care of you.”

As Seul Mi promised to protect her brother, she had no idea how she would. She was only six years. She couldn’t take care of herself and she was already promising to take care of him. But she refused to make him feel scared. She had to stay strong. She was after all the oldest sister even if she was only older by forty seconds.

“Noona, umma is gone,” he wailed.

She tried to force the tears back as it was hard. The reality was taking hard to hit her. She didn’t want to believe her mother was gone and they were in her funeral. They had no family member left. Their mother had been the only family they had, dying of lung cancer. Although Seul Mi had known her mother was dying after spending the last few months in the hospital and losing the life inside her, it still hurt that she was gone.

“Don’t cry, Geun-suk,” she told him sternly. She took hold of his hand and squeezed it. “Don’t cry.”

But Geun-suk’s cries filled the quiet room. Seul Mi stared ahead at the casket and used all her will to keep the tears away.

Stay strong, Seul Mi. Stay strong, Seul Mi. Stay strong, Seul Mi. She kept chanting inside, ignoring her brother’s cries.

The double doors behind the two six year olds burst open startling the two. Seul Mi tore her eyes off her mother’s cold body and to the interrupters. An older man followed by few more men entered the room. Seul Mi quickly pushed her brother behind her, protectively.

“Y-you can’t separate us,” she stammered out.

The older man walked up to them making her shake in fear. He swatted down to their level. “I won’t separate you two,” he said, his voice coming out warmly. “I’m sorry, I’ve learnt of you two just recently. I am your appa.”

“A-appa?” she echoed doubtfully. It was too good to be true that they had another family member just when they thought they were alone.

“Yes,” he nodded. “I’ve come to take you home.”

“Home?” Geun-suk wiped his tears away and walked around his sister despite her struggle to keep him behind her. “Appa?”

“Geun-suk,” Seul Mi called out his name. She tried to grab his hand but he quickly moved it away. He proceeded over to the older man.

“Are you really our appa?”

The older man nodded his head furiously, tears b at the edge of his eyes. “Yes. I’m your appa.”

“Umma is gone,” he said sadly.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“But we have an appa now,” he said optimistically.

“Yes. You’ll have a new mother and an older brother too,” their father announced.

Geun-suk’s face brightened. He turned to his sister. “Noona, we going to have a new umma and a hyung. He’ll be able to protect you like you protect me.”

Seul Mi still had her guard up. She couldn’t trust someone who just claims to be their father suddenly. But it was better than being taken into an orphanage where there was a chance they would get separated.

“Seul Mi,” he called out her name. “Come here to appa.”

She advanced forward but instead of going to his open arms, she went straight to her brother and stayed beside him. The older man sighed. He turned to the other men.

“Go take care of all the papers and fees,” he ordered. The men left the room quickly after bowing at him.

“Appa, can we take umma with us?” Geun-suk asked.

Their father smiled genuinely but his eyes showed sadness. “No, Geun-suk. Your umma can’t come with us.”

“Why?”

“Geun-suk,” Seul Mi sternly called his name automatically shutting him up. He looked down at his feet, pouting. “What did I say about umma?”

“She’s like sleeping beauty now. She’s going to sleep forever but will always be in our hearts.”

Their father was taken aback. He stared at his daughter in utter surprise. For a six years old girl, she was aware of a lot of things. He got the feeling she always took care of her brother.

“Why don’t we say our goodbye to your umma properly and then go to your new home?” he suggested.

The two nodded. As they said goodbye to their mother, their father also said a few words, a few droplets of tears falling from his eyes. He then ushered the twins out of the room.

Seul Mi looked back at the casket one last time. I’ll keep my promise, umma. I’ll always protect Geun-suk. She vowed inwardly as she recalled her mother’s last words in the hospital.

~*~*~*~

As he had promised, their father took them to his home where his wife and child waited for them. Seul Mi inspected her ‘new’ family. The woman was staring back at them with a disgusted expression while the boy, looked at them excitedly. He quickly ran to them and took Geun-suk’s hands as he couldn’t get close to her. She still held up her guard.

“Hi,” he greeted them. “I’m No Min Woo. I’ll be your new hyung.”

“Hyung,” Geun-suk repeated. He then giggled at the ring to the name.

Min Woo turned to face her, still grinning. “You’re Seul Mi right? Nice to meet you.”

“H-hi,” she surprised herself by responding. She quickly clamped shut and looked away, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.

Geun-suk grinned seeing his sister show a little emotion. It had been a while he saw her show any kind of emotion, ever since their mother collapsed and had been in hospital. Whenever it came to his sister, a lot of people always looked down on her but they were always nice to him. It was all because the two looked the opposite.

Seul Mi had inherited blond hair and blue eyes from their mother while he had black hair and brown eyes obviously from their father. Seul Mi had always been picked on for her blond hair and blue eyes. No one liked half American and half Korean children. And it looked like their step mother was the same like everyone else when she only greeted Geun-suk and totally ignored Seul Mi.

“I’ll take you to your room,” Min Woo announced as he practically dragged the two out the family room and up the stairs.

As they left the room, Seul Mi heard the low hiss from her father. “You could try to be nice to Seul Mi,” he told his wife, trying to suppress his anger.

“That girl who looks the exact image of her mother?” her stepmother snorted. “Every time I see her…”

She couldn’t hear her finished her sentence as she was already out of earshot from her stepmother. She couldn’t help but feel saddened as she once again would have to receive ‘that’ look and receive ‘that’ treatment. But she was glad that Geun-suk wouldn’t at least get the same treatment. She was strong, so it was okay but not her brother who was weak and fragile.

And with that Seul Mi still protected her brother even if she was the main person getting the dirty look or being ignored by their stepmother. Their lives were better since their father and half-brother was always nice to them.