Myungsoo felt awkward, and Daehyun’s mother was aware of it.

   “I’m really sorry for calling you out like this,” she said. “But I want to know if you and Daehyun are doing fine.”

   “We’re doing okay,” he replied. “He’s with a friend of mine right now.”

   “The ones who went to Sunday school with you?”

   He nodded. There was another uncomfortable lapse. “Don’t you want to see your son?”

   A pained smile graced her lips for a split of a second. “I don’t deserve to look at the boy right now.”

   Myungsoo let out a scoff, before looking away. “It’s getting late. I should get Daehyun now.”

   “But we still haven’t ordered yet—”

   “Thank you for your thoughts, but it would be better if you focus on your husband for now.”

   “You…don’t really want us to separate, do you?”

   “I don’t want Daehyun to lose one of his parents,” he promptly replied, his voice staying firm. “I don’t want him to grow up in an environment similar to mine.”

   With that, he politely bowed his head, before exiting the restaurant. By the time he stepped out into the cold, he pulled his coat’s zipper up. He wondered if his Christmas would be different this year.

<:>

   “Found you!” Sang Moon cried. Daehyun, who was hiding in Suzy’s closet at that time, shrieked with glee. “Now it’s my turn to hide.”

   Suzy chuckled to herself. She was on her bed, with an open notebook resting on her lap. She was spinning her pen subconsciously while staring at the two boys in front of her have fun.

   “Sunshine noona, won’t you join us?” Daehyun asked.

   She shook her head no. “I’ll be the overseer.”

   “Killjoy,” Sang Moon remarked, before sticking his tongue out.

   The older one sighed to keep her composure. “You play nicely. Just carry on doing that, huh?”

   “Sunshine noona,” Daehyun called out again. “What are you doing?”

   “I’m writing,” she answered with a smile.

   “Do you like writing?”

   “I do.”

   “How much?”

   Suzy stretched out her arms sideways. “Thiiiis much!”

   Daehyun chortled. “You like writing just as much as Myungsoo hyung likes playing the guitar,” the young boy faced Sang Moon once again. “Hyung, I liked playing with you during Sunday school. Will you come with us again?”

   Sang Moon glanced at Suzy, who gave him an approving nod. He smiled, and looked at Daehyun. “Of course.”

   And he meant it.

   The Bae family, together with Daehyun, were about to eat supper when their doorbell rang. Suzy approached the door, only to find Myungsoo standing in front of her. She smiled, and opened it widely to let him in. “We’re just about to eat. Why don’t you join us?”

   Myungsoo removed his coat, and smiled. “That would be nice.”

   The greeting he received from the family was warm. Mr. Bae said something about him not visiting often. Mrs. Bae complimented how behaved Daehyun was while he wasn’t around. Sang Moon said he’d love to go with them again for Sunday school, together with his sister. Suzy simply stayed quiet, but Myungsoo heard her thoughts all the same.

   “Suzy-yah, why don’t you set a plate for Myungsoo?”

   “Sure thing,” she answered. She pulled the vacant chair out for Myungsoo. It was the one which was situated across her. Afterwards she opened the cupboard to take out a plate and a glass. She opened the drawer below it to take the necessary utensils.

   “Thank you,” was all Myungsoo could say after his plate was set on the table.

   Mrs. Bae scooped rice for him, and she removed the bones from his serving of fish, as well. Carefully, she placed it on top of the rice as a topping. “Our Myungsoo should eat well,” she said.

   He couldn’t find the right words to reply. Instead, he choked out a weak ‘thank you’ and said his graces quietly. When he took his first bite, tears began to emerge from his eyes. Daehyun, who was sitting beside him at that time, simply squeezed Myungsoo’s hand which was resting on his lap for reassurance.

   The rest of the family noticed, but their knowing stares made everything okay for the student. They understood. Their warmth made him feel like he was home. And he truly was.

<:>

   “Sunggyu?” Jieun asked, when they were alone in the lounge. The two were enjoying the silence of their short break with a cup of tea. Woohyun had to finish something before the end of the day, and so he sacrificed his free time.

   He shifted his stare from the book he was reading to his colleague. “Hm?”

   “What’re you reading?”

   “Ah,” he said, a gentle smile slowly gracing his lips. “It’s a printed copy of a certain person’s story. This is the only one in the world.”

   “You seem so engrossed by it.”

   “It’s quite interesting,” he said.

   “What is it about?”

   “It’s about two people who thought they were the only ones left in the world. The boy lived in a very cold place while the girl basked beneath the sun all year long.”

   “And then?” Jieun pushed, clearly interested.

   “The world in this book is divided by a transparent wall. They found each other one day, when they reached the boundary at the same time. They talked through gestures and drawings. Time passed by, and something unfamiliar seemed to blossom in their hearts. Something called friendship. Or love. The writer was vague about it.

   “They both tried breaking the wall, but they kept on failing. The boy placed his hands against the glass and the girl did the same. They noticed that the area they were touching was beginning to melt away. By the time it did—by the time they were finally able to hold each other—the boy got burned and the girl’s hands turned cold.”

   “And then?” she asked again, totally absorbed. “What happened?”

   Sunggyu smiled. “You’ll have to read it for yourself. Do you want to borrow it?”

   She smiled, and nodded. He handed it out to her. “Fire and Ice,” she read out. “Who wrote this?”

   “My younger sister,” he answered. “It was the first story she’s ever written. I wanted to make it memorable, so I proofread it and published one copy in the company.”

   “That’s really amazing,” she said sincerely. “How old was she, when she wrote it?”

   “Fourteen.”

   Jieun’s eyes widened, and Sunggyu could only grin at her reaction.

   “You seem to be very proud of her,” she remarked.

   “It’s because I am.”

   “You must love her a lot.”

   He paused, and his eyes softened up. “I do.”

   Only Sunggyu knew that they interpreted her last statement differently.

<:>

   “Your mom cooks really well,” Myugsoo remarked over the phone.

   “I’ll tell her you said that,” she replied. “You should come here more often.”

   He smirked. “It’ll be a burden.”

   “On the contrary,” Suzy said. “It’ll be a joy.”

   Silence.

   “Hey, Sunshine.”

   She couldn’t help but beam at that name. “What is it, Summer?”

   “Your family…is really warm.”

   “I honestly don’t know how to reply to that.”

   “You can say ‘I know’ from here on end.”

   “Fine.”

   “Your family is really warm.”

   “I know,” she replied, the smile not leaving her face.

   “Whenever I’m in your house, I feel like I’m home.”

   “I know.”

   “When I first talked to you over the summer, you reminded me of my own mom.”

   A short pause. “I know.”

   “You helped me endure.”

   “I know.”

   “When things were about to crumble in front of me, you encouraged me to live on.”

   “I know.”

   “I consider you as someone very important to me.”

   “I know.”

   “And for someone who likes to make new memories, you sure do hold on to the old ones still.”

   Silence.

   “It’s difficult to forget, isn’t it, Sunshine?”

   Her lips trembled. Her eyes began to water. In a wavering voice, she whispered, “I know. I know, Summer, I know.”

   “You can slowly let go, Suzy. Take your time on this one.”

   She exhaled a mouthful of air. “I know.”

   Silence filled their conversation once again, and their gentle breathing soothed each other’s beating hearts.

<:>

   It was a Saturday when Suzy finally decided to give the clothes and hairclip to the charity shop nearest to her. Sang Moon was out of the house only to stay over at his friend’s place overnight, while her parents had to go on a business trip for the weekend. She still had to ride the train, but it wasn’t that far off from her neighborhood. She alighted on the fourth stop, and while on her way up, she saw a girl in tattered clothes. Her hair was wiry, and from the condition of her sunken eyes she knew that she was hungry. Biting her lower lip, Suzy approached the girl. She looked up, and the older one smiled.

   “Hey,” she said. “What’s your name?”

   “Ai,” was the girl’s timid reply.

   “I’m Suzy,” she replied.

   “Suzy,” Ai repeated.

   She nodded, the smile not fading away from her lips. Before she knew it, she took out the hoodie from the paper bag she was carrying. She was about to make her wear it, when she thought of something else.

   “Ai,” she said. “My house is nearby. If you want to, we can play over there.”

   The girl, despite being lectured by the other beggars that some strangers who offer help to them could possibly be a threat, didn’t doubt Suzy. Ai took the older one’s outstretched hand, and without giving it a second thought, the latter led her to the other side of the train station. Suzy held Ai close to her, and she didn’t care if the people were looking or not.

<:>

   Myungsoo and Daehyun brought more coats and blankets for the beggars in the subway station. Daehyun carried one bag which contained several books he would give to Ai, while the older one carried the rest of the load. The pavement was frosty beneath their feet, and puffs of mist appeared in front of them every time they exhaled. It was eleven in the evening, then, and by the time the brothers arrived to their destination, they saw that most of them were gathered just outside of the station’s staircase, with their hands in front of a blazing steel drum.

   “We’re here,” Myungsoo called out.

   All of them looked back, and smiled upon seeing their familiar faces. They extinguished the fire, and quietly went down to the subway station. That was when Daehyun saw Ai, all washed up with a pretty yellow dress, hidden beneath a hoodie which was a little big for her. She had a warmer pair of shoes, as well, and a pink hairclip sat prettily on top of her head.

   Myungsoo recognized the hairclip immediately.

   “Ai!” Daehyun cried, as he approached her. “You look pretty.”

   “Thank you,” she replied, blushing a little. “A nice unnie invited me to her home earlier. She fed me, bathed me and gave me some warm clothes.”

   “Did she bring you back here?” Daehyun asked.

   Ai nodded. “Just this afternoon.”

   “What’s her name?” Myungsoo blurted out.

   “Suzy,” she replied, without missing a beat. “Her name is Suzy.”

   Myungsoo stayed quiet, and as he watched Ai touch the hairclip every now and again, he realized that while a trace of a memory could be painful for someone, it could be a source of joy for another.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
- Matthew 25:40