GA IN 

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2032.

“Daddy, Mummy. Can I ask a question?” That’s Ryul over dinner.

Ryul and Byul can even have dinner with us only because they are dismissed at 3pm instead of the normal 9pm. Byul followed her brother’s footsteps and also landed a spot in the gifted programme a year later.

“Hmm?”

In the end, Kwonnie relented and let the children have their way, because they were so keen on going. He’s not regretted that though, because they are really happy there. Challenged, stretched and therefore in a space of learning.  

“Why didn’t you change our surnames?”

Confrontational. Wow. We’ve told Ryul and Byul that they’re adopted. Couldn’t keep it from them forever. That didn’t go down fantastic, but they’ve long come round to the idea.

I look to Kwonnie for help, who is also struggling to come up with an answer. Fact is, we don’t really know why we didn’t change their names as per normal practice. It probably was a confluence of factors.

“A mix of factors,” I offer up feebly.

“What factors?” Byul insistently probes, “Byul’s also curious.”

“It didn’t feel right,” Kwonnie tries another answer, “Daddy and Mummy didn’t choose your names in the first place.”

“Why didn’t you change our names then?” Byul pushes. This is going to be a long night.

Kwonnie shrugs helplessly, “You don’t like your names?”

“No, I think it’s okay.” Ryul responds immediately.

“Would you rather be called something else?”

“No. I like being called Ryul.”

“That’s why we didn’t change your names.”

“As if Mummy and Daddy would have known what we wanted to be addressed as when we were adopted.”

Let’s try a different approach, “But it turned out well didn’t it?”

They seem to consider my proposition, and nod in agreement.

“Daddy and Mummy didn’t want to change your names because when we first knew you as Ryul and Byul, and it stuck. We couldn’t imagine you being called anything else, so we didn’t change your names.”

They seem to accept it.

“Then why didn’t you change our surnames?” Ryul’s probing doesn’t cease.

“We thought that since we weren’t changing your names, we wouldn’t change your surnames either.”

“But why should my surname take after my birth father, when he’s not my Daddy.”

That stumps me. Well, technically, his birth father is his father, but it all depends on how you look at it.

“He’s not the one who takes care of me. He probably doesn’t even know how I’m doing.” Byul pauses for a long moment, “He doesn’t love me.”

What have we here. Kwon looks at me in desperation. There were a few things that we didn’t address. We didn’t tell them what happened to their birth parents, partially because we don’t know either. Whether their birth father loves them is a question I cannot answer. If you ask me though, Byul’s right.

“Wait, can I clarify something? If Daddy and Mummy didn’t change our names whatsoever, then how come Byul and I have the same surname?”

We didn’t explicitly tell them that they were biologically related to each other either. That was just too complicated to do when they were younger.

Kwonnie draws in a huge breath, “Okay, one thing at a time. Daddy wouldn’t make such a statement, Ryul. He probably had adult problems that made it impossible for him to take good care of you. So he entrusted Ryul with us.”

In the back of my head, I’m scoffing at Kwonnie’s explanation. Fact, we have never met their birth father before, and honestly, I have no desire to meet him.

“What I can tell Ryul and Byul is that both of you were born to the same birth mother. We believe that you have the same birth father too, but we’re not very sure. Which is