Tarian sleeps late the following morning, perhaps because she is so exhausted from traveling or maybe because she’d cried so much the night before or possibly because she still hasn’t gotten used to the time difference yet and is still suffering from jet lag. At any rate, the sun is high in the sky when she finally rolls over in bed and cracks her eyes open. Her head feels heavy and is dry and it takes her a long moment to remember where exactly she is and why she’s there.

Her stomach is growling by the time she gets out of bed, reminding her that all she’s had to eat in the past twenty-four hours is a ty in-flight meal of something unidentifiable and a few bites of whatever it was Naeun had cooked for dinner the night before. Knowing that she has to eat something or she will pass out, she pads barefoot down the hall to the narrow kitchen.

She finds Naeun sitting at the square kitchen table, a biology textbook open as she does her homework. She glances up when Tarian appears in the doorway, smiling shyly. “Good morning, unnie!”

“Morning,” Tarian mutters, her voice hoarse and thick from sleep. She awkwardly goes to the cabinets, pulling open the doors. Even though Daeho had told her many times the night before to make herself at home, this is still a stranger’s house to her and she feels rude and awkward going through the cabinets and drawers. “Where’s Daeho?”

“Daddy had to go into the office today,” Naeun answers, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she watches the elder girl rifle around aimlessly.

Tarian frowns as she glances over boxes, packages, and cans of unrecognizable food lining the shelves in the cabinets. “The office? But it’s Saturday.”

Naeun shrugs her shoulders. “He works a lot. He’s not home often.” She hesitates, then gives Tarian another shy smile. “That’s one of the reasons I’m so happy that you’re here, unnie. I’m really excited to have a sister.”

Tarian’s smile now is a little less forced. She’s totally disenchanted with the whole thing, but she knows she has no right to take it out on Naeun. She’s just an innocent bystander in all this, after all. So Tarian slips into the chair opposite her half-sister. “To be honest, I wasn’t really sure how to react when Daeho told me he had another daughter. I didn’t know about you. When my social worker told me about Daeho, she didn’t mention you.”

There is a pause, and Naeun looks a little sad. “Was it hard?” she asks. “When your mom died?”

It’s the first time someone has asked about her mother since her mother’s funeral, since it had been decided that Tarian would come to live with her biological father. She swallows the lump in . “Yeah,” she admits, looking down at her hands as they knead the wooden tabletop restlessly. “My mom and I were really close. And she died so suddenly. My dad was a cop and he died while in the line of duty, but we’d always known that it was a possibility. And at least then my mom and I had each other. I was all alone when I lost my mother.”

Naeun her head to the side, eyes soft but quizzical. “Your dad?” she repeats.

Tarian has to remind herself for what seems like the millionth time that the man she’d grown up calling dad wasn’t actually her father. “My mother’s husband,” she amends. “He adopted me when they got married. I didn’t know that he wasn’t my biological father until after my mom died. That’s when I found out about Daeho.”

“Your mom and stepfather never told you?” Naeun seems perturbed by this, as if it affronts her sense of morality.

Though Tarian finds Naeun’s interest a bit probing, not to mention a little annoying and upsetting, she knows that the culture is different and that the younger girl is merely curious, so she tries not to hold it against her even though her questions are pushing the boundaries of politeness. She shakes her head. “No, they never told me. I suppose they thought it would be easier for me in the long run if I never found out about Daeho. My mom was studying abroad here in Korea and she didn’t find out she was pregnant until she returned home to Wales. She met my dad – I mean my other dad – while she was still pregnant, and he officially adopted me when they got married. So nobody thought that I would need to know about Daeho because nobody thought that I would lose both of my parents before I became independent.” She shrugs her shoulders indifferently, trying not to let on how much the subject bothers her.

“Your Korean is really good,” Naeun changes the subject abruptly, as though she suddenly realizes she’s being the slightest bit rude.

Tarian nods at the compliment. “My mom used to talk to me in Korean if it was just the two of us, which happened a lot because my dad worked a lot. She thought it was important that I be multi-lingual. I guess it makes sense now. She wanted me to be in touch with my cultural heritage, I suppose.” She laughs, but it’s more bitter than amused and she stops quickly.

Naeun smiles, and again it’s tinged with sadness. “I wish it was under different circumstances that we were able to meet, but I’m truly glad that you’re here, unnie. It’s been just Daddy and me for so long, and I’ve always wanted a sister.”

Tarian gives her a brief smile, one that is a little less hostile. Naeun is trying her hardest, after all, and Tarian can at least respect that.

“Are you hungry?” Naeun asks next, closing her textbook. “I don’t mind making us something to eat.”

Tarian is starving, of course, but she is more than a little wary of whatever Naeun might cook for her. Despite being well-trained in the language, she’s had little exposure to the food. “I don’t really have a palate for Korean dishes yet,” she says as diplomatically as possible.

Her half-sister chuckles. “I don’t have to make a traditional Korean dish, you know. I can make something western if you’d prefer.”

Though Tarian would rather prefer to go back to her bedroom, she thinks it would be more polite to try and get along with Naeun. So she sits at the small kitchen table, still in her pajamas, and makes small talk with her new half-sister while the younger girl bustles about, making them grilled cheese sandwiches. Tarian still has plenty of misgivings about having a sibling, but Naeun seems nice and genuine enough and she is quickly alleviating Tarian’s fears. Though quiet and soft-spoken, she is kind and cheerful, and she is more than eager to tell her new sister anything she might want to know.

“So I guess I’ll have to start school on Monday, huh?” Tarian asks, resting her elbows on the tabletop while Naeun flips the sandwiches in a frying pan.

The younger nods, wisps of dark hair coming loose from her bun to frame her moon-shaped face. “Yes, I’m afraid so. The school year here begins in March, so I’m afraid you’ve already missed the first several months of the semester, but it shouldn’t take you too long to get the hang of the way things work here. Daddy says you’re really smart.”

Tarian shrugs indifferently. She’d made decent enough grades back home, good enough to make the Dean’s list a few times, but that was only because she’d always had this defining need to please her mother. She has no such drive with Daeho. She is fairly certain that her grades will show this, but she doesn’t particularly care. She’s more focused on her photography than her schoolwork.

Naeun arranges the sandwiches on two blue plates and brings them to the table, along with two cups of juice. “I think you’ll like your school,” she says pleasantly, slipping into her usual chair, smiling that shy smile.

“My school?” Tarian repeats, brows knitting together in confusion. “Don’t you go there too?”

Naeun shakes her head, sipping at her juice. “No, unnie. I’m in my third year of middle school now, but I’ll be in high school next year.”

“Oh.” Though Tarian doesn’t exactly consider Naeun a friend, the thought of starting a new school without a single friendly face isn’t exactly appealing.

“Your school is nice, though,” Naeun assures her quickly. “There are a lot of fun festivals and events, and there are plenty of clubs and sports teams you can join if you’re into that sort of stuff. But…” She hesitates, chewing on her bottom lip as if debating whether to continue or not. “There’s actually sort of a problem at the school right now…”

“A problem?” Tarian repeats, her curiosity piqued. “What kind of problem?”

“Well…” Naeun sighs.

Before she can elaborate on her cryptic warning, however, the front door of the apartment opens and they hear Daeho come in. “Girls?” he calls, and they can hear him toeing off his shoes. “I’m home!”

“We’re in the kitchen, Daddy!” Naeun calls back, smiling brightly. Whatever secret she’d been about to share is instantly forgotten.

Daeho walks into the kitchen, dressed in a pressed suit that, despite being old, is in very nice condition. He smiles, pleasantly surprised at finding them together. “Having a bit of lunch?” he asks, squeezing Naeun’s shoulder in passing. “Is there enough for me to join you?”

Naeun hops up at once. “Of course, Daddy! I made extra. I’ll make you a plate.”

“Did you sleep well?” Daeho asks Tarian as he takes his place at the table.

Tarian nods, immediately withdrawing into herself once more. It is one thing to be friendly with Naeun, who really isn’t that much younger than she is, but she is still more than awkward with Daeho. “Yeah, thanks,” she mumbles, looking down at the crusts on her plate.

He obviously notices her distance but, thankfully, he doesn’t comment on it, preferring to pretend that everything is just peachy instead. “Naeun is going to go grocery shopping tomorrow,” he says. “Maybe you’d like to go with her? That way you can see a bit of the city. How does that sound?”

“Sure. I’d like that,” Tarian lies. She’d still prefer to stay hunkered down in her bed until she comes of age and can escape this hellhole; she’s still in mourning for her mother, after all. But she figures she can’t play the depressed teenager card forever, and both Daeho and Naeun seem to be making a real effort to welcome her and make her feel at home.

Naeun beams at her sister’s answer. “Great! I’m sure we’ll have a blast, unnie!”

Tarian doesn’t answer. She’s never heard anyone refer to grocery shopping as ‘a blast’ before, but she figures she can’t knock it until she’s tried it. And who knows? Maybe grocery shopping in Korea is more exciting than it is back home. 

So here's a little backstory this chapter. 

No worries, the action will start next chapter. 

Thanks to everyone for subscribing <3