May 25. 2013

"Did you plan this with hyung?" Eun-shil asked, stepping through the woods carefully. Woohyun was holding her hand, leading her slowly. They were going to the shack behind the buildings, as Eun-shil had requested. Woohyun turned to her and smiled.

"It was everybody's plan." He said, looking ahead. "Sunggyu even gave his idea."

"Oppa did?" She asked, a bit surprised.

"Yeah. He knew how upset you were when you didn't get to attend the wedding, so we just came up with this plan."

She smiled. "Hyung had to marry twice because of me." She laughed and made Woohyun laughed along. Then they said nothing as they went on strolling slowly into the woods but what met them was just a vast area surrounded by trees. Eun-shil stopped smiling as she looked at the site which the shack used to stand. It seemed that they had taken it down, perhaps many years ago. They couldn't be sure since none of them really went to the place anymore after they've left the orphanage.

"It's gone..." She said, her eyes brooding and she took a deep breath, through and took a few steps closer to the site. "This is where the door used to stand..."

Woohyun was only watching her from where he was standing as she was just standing there saying nothing for a few minutes.

"Nothing really last forever..." She said, and stepped even further. "But I guess memory can last a bit longer. I still remember this is where the cupboard used to be."

Woohyun smiled to himself and walked up to her. "And the bed beside it."

"Yeah..."

"I made love to you for the first time on that very bed." He said, smiling playfully. Eun-shil looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment. "You don't have to be shy about it, you know," he added.

She glared at him and spurned around. "Let's go home." Woohyun took her hand and walked her away from the woods. Eun-shil walked slowly along but after a few steps, she felt something that made her turned around. She strained her neck and looked over her shoulder but she saw nothing. Woohyun didn't notice it and just went on walking, looking down on their feet. Eun-shil turned to her front again, unable to form a smile until they met Sunggyu and the others at the entrance again. She gave the bride and groom a warm hug and bid them goodbye and told Sunggyu to wait for her at home patiently. Sunggyu laughed and wanted to pat her head but she scolded him to not ruin her hair, making him laughed even more.

Before getting in the car, Eun-shil stood at the entrance of the orphanage, studying everything with keen eyes. She felt at ease but at the same time, there was a feeling that she couldn't explain settling inside her chest as well. Woohyun called for her and she finally got in the car. When Woohyun started the engine and started driving away, Eun-shil thought it might just be a feeling but through the side mirror, she saw someone standing under a tree just outside the orphanage but when she turned her head, there was no one there. She turned to Woohyun who was concentrating on the road and stared at him for a long time.

"Woohyun-ah."

"Yes?"

"Thank you for today."

"You're welcome."

When Eun-shil arrived at home that day and looked at herself in the mirror, she kept on looking at the wig she was wearing. It looked fake yeah, but still, it made her look better and pretty. Woohyun stood next to her and smiled at their reflection.

"You look heavenly, Eun-shil-ah."

"You too, Woohyun-ah." She laughed a bit. "I... can't wait to have my hair grow again..."

"It will." He said, wrapping her shoulders. "Very soon."

"Um." She kept on looking at herself, at Woohyun and prayed in her heart that his words would be true.

Sunggyu looked a bit too happy when Eun-shil arrived at his house that evening, and he kept on talking about this and that, leaving Woohyun all by himself at the entrance. He kicked his shoes off, sulking and followed them inside. Eun-shil too, seemed glad to see Sunggyu and they were talking endlessly about the wedding the other day.  Even during the dinner too, they were still talking and Woohyun sighed and watched her with his dreamy eyes, feeling lonely yet glad to see that she was happy still.

"I'll be going now." Woohyun said, kissing her forehead. "Be a good girl now."

"I'm not your daughter." She said, laughing at his ridiculous face. He gave her a long hug and said goodnight and left. Eun-shil felt a bit lonely again, having to be separated from him yet again. She couldn't sleep again and before long she was calling for his name, crying in her sleep, finding it hard to breathe a little. In the end, she got up and sat up against the bed's head, closing her eyes, trying not to reach her phone and call him.

"No, Eun-shil..." She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "You can do this..."

She kept on telling herself that it was all in her mind; that she should not succumb to it and stop asking for help from either Woohyun or Sunggyu. It was time for her to learn to stand up again instead of moping around. She wanted to grow her hair again, put on some weight and live her live to the fullest again. She wanted to be free once more; that was all that she asked for.

But wishes hurt you the most sometimes.

Sunggyu didn't forget his promise; the next day after Eun-shil was at his house again, he managed to get his parents to come by his house. Mr. Kim didn't suspect anything at all when he arrived at Sunggyu's house that evening. Sunggyu said that he was going to treat them for dinner at his house and his mother agreed instantly, leaving his father of no choice but to tag along. They were sitting in the living room and Sunggyu, sitting across of them began speaking.

"Eun-shil's here." He said and watched as his father froze and her mother's face dulled.

"What do you mean?"

"She's been living with me all this while. I'm taking care of her." He explained, looking at his father with a serious face. "She's my sister. It's my responsibility." He said, when his father tried to argue.

Mr. Kim was silent and he looked down his feet, scared to even look at his wife.

"Eomma, you knew about this too, don't you?" Sunggyu asked, gently. His mother looked sideways and offered no answer. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I think it's time that we accept this. Eun-shil is part of this family, she-"

"Stop it!" Mr. Kim wailed, loudly. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Ahbuji..."

"That child-! She was a mistake!" Mr. Kim said, getting up and breathed rapidly. "Who do you think you are, bringing her here and saying all this things?"

"Ah