GA IN 

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3 weeks later

Ryul and Byul are unusually hesitant when they sit themselves down for dinner. They’re completely unlike their normally enthusiastic, chatty selves. Kwonnie definitely notices it too, but he lets it pass.

Byul looks to Ryul for support, “Daddy, Mummy, we have a confession to make.”

“Yes, Byul and I have something to tell you.”

“That’s seldom good news.”

Ryul swallows visibly, and takes off to his room.

“Oppa’s getting something to show Daddy and Mummy,” Byul hastily explains, since the sight of Ryul running off threw us off a little bit.

Ryul comes back holding onto two clear folders.

“We don’t know how Daddy and Mummy will react. We probably should have gotten permission or something, but it’s something that we wanted to do by ourselves. Byul and I thought of the idea independently, but we carried it out together.”

Byul fidgets, “Mmm. We only hope Mummy and Daddy will understand why we chose to do this. But no matter what, we love you.”

“You’ll found your birth father? Without us knowing?”

Apparently that pops into Kwonnie’s head too, “We told you, didn’t we? If you want to track, we’ll help you. You’ll don’t need to keep it from us. We’re not against it, we can’t be against it.”

“Even if you want to go back, we can’t stop you. You children are old enough to make your own decisions.”

Ryul and Byul are waving their hands around frantically.

“That’s not it, Mummy. Daddy, you’ll have gotten it all wrong!”

“We haven’t gone to find our birth father. For us, it’s a chapter closed.”

“We won’t leave Daddy and Mummy!”

“It’s just that, we know this goes against your initial decision.”

Ryul places the clear folders on the table apprehensively, deliberately.

It’s their passports, identification cards, along with official documents.

Jo Sangryul. Jo Kyungbyul.

No longer does it say Oh Sangryul and Oh Kyungbyul.

Jo Sangryul. Jo Kyungbyul.

They changed their surnames. Legally.

Jo Sangryul. Jo Kyungbyul.

“You’ll changed your surnames?” Kwonnie croaks, sounding like someone else.

“We changed it officially.”

Byul cringes, “Don’t get angry at us, please! We’re aware that Daddy and Mummy chose to keep our original surnames. But Ryul oppa and I want to change it. We’ve thought about changing it for the longest time.”
“Even without closure, we would have changed it eventually. But after meeting with our birth mother, we know that it’s only appropriate for us to change it. And if Daddy and Mummy aren’t going to do it, then we’ll do it ourselves.”

“And we did just that. Now, it feels right.”

“We don’t want Mummy and Daddy to think that we did it for you’ll. We did it for ourselves. It’s definitely not that we don’t like people knowing that we’re adopted. Most people don’t even pay enough attention to notice.”

“It’s very personal. On most levels, we genuinely feel like we’re your children. Oppa and I like that. For the most part, we feel like we truly belong here.”

“Just that every time we write our names, it’s a painful reminder, right there, in our faces, that,” Ryul falters, “You know?”

Kwonnie brushes his hand against my forearm briefly, and I turn to look at him. It’s feelings upon feelings crashing through my head as Ryul and Byul are blabbering in a corner. Emotions that Kwonnie’s also experiencing, conveyed through his eyes. A tear threatens to spill. I try to keep it back. It falls anyway. I wipe it with the back of my hand, but it’s a lost cause. More tears cascade down. Kwonnie hugs me, yet he’s also shaking. He’s crying on my shoulder.

“Please, Daddy, Mummy, try to understand. We weren’t trying to defy you.”

“But, we aren’t changing it back. We don’t want to change it back.”

Kwonnie sniffs, “Do we look angry to you? Do you actually think that we’re angry?”

“We don’t know. I don’t know. Daddy and Mummy don’t get angry at us much.”

“We’re not angry. How can we be angry at you?”

I tear myself away from Kwonnie, and instinctively, Ryul and Byul come towards me. I hug and kiss them both.

Stability. For the first time in years, we’re in a region of stability. Ryul and Byul won’t leave.

---

Ryul and Byul are lazing on either side of the sofa.

“How could you think that Daddy and I would be angry? Inconceivable really.”

Ryul shakes his head obstinately, “Daddy and Mummy chose to keep our original surnames. We went to get it changed. Don’t you think we were defying you?”

“We didn’t think that you’ll would want us to change your names,” Kwonnie deadpans, and this is the most important reason, “So we didn’t change them.”

“So you’re telling me, after eighteen, nineteen years, it’s essentially what we wish.”

“Yeah, I guess, Byul.”

“We thought that if you wanted to change it, you’ll could do it yourselves later on. We didn’t want to force it on you,” Kwonnie chuckles, “I guess after everything, we aren’t that bad after all.”

“Not bad is an understatement,” Byul snuggles up to me, “We’ve said it so many times, but oppa and I are infinitely grateful.”

“But we’re probably going to be unable to repay our debt of gratitude.”
“It’ll be more than enough if you stay by our side,” Kwonnie whispers.

Ryul picks that up immediately, “You see what you’re saying, Daddy? Otherwise, you’ll be saying something else. Something that suggests that you need us to support you.”

That stumps Kwonnie, who give me a confused look.

“Yeah, Daddy and Mummy don’t even expect that much from us.”

“You only ask us to stay, even though you’ll are probably cognizant of the fact that we have nowhere else to go in the first