Luna, sitting with Hana and Gayoon at the back of Lay’s car, rests a hand over Hana’s that is on her knee. Although Hana may not look anxious or nervous, she can tell her friend feels it inside.

A week ago, Luhan had told of the suggestion he had discussed about with his mother to everyone related to the situation, and they all agreed to attend. The friends—Lay, Luna, Xiumin, and Gayoon are tagging along for moral and emotional support; Suho is needed for affirmation of the entire situation in the placement of Kris; and Luhan is escorting both Taeyang and his mother.

The gang is to meet up at the subway station and will take a train together to the Byuns.

Luhan has previously called to inform the Byun and luckily, it wasn’t Baekhyun who answered for he was busy with keeping the family business running. Apparently, Baekhyun has not inform his grandparents about Taeyang, otherwise they would have said something the moment Luhan introduced himself over the phone as Kris’s younger brother.

He didn’t explicitly tell everything to Mrs. Byun, the one who had answered the phone. Instead, he only said that he would like to stay for a few days along for an explanation they owe to them. Although Mrs. Byun believed they can speak of it over the phone, Luhan pleaded for a face-to-face conversation.

Gayoon sees Luna’s and Hana’s clasped hands, and she too follows suit.

Hana, appreciatively, reciprocates the warmth of her friends’ comfort.

Luhan had wanted her to go with them, but he knew it’d be an awkward mess to have her with Taeyang in the same car.

The ride to the Byun’s residence is a quiet and long journey and because each member brought at least a luggage for the two-nights, three-day vacation, it is even more tiring to ensure the safety of their own personal belongings.

They arrived at the train station of the small area of the Byun family, and Suho informs them of having to walk a few miles before actually reaching their destination. With luck, however, a passing truck agrees to transport them to the Byun as they are heading there too.

When they are on Byun grounds, to the friends’ shock, an identifiable figure is on his knees in front of the open entrance.

Kris is begging for forgiveness.

No one has to guess why Kris is on his knees in front of Mr. Byun, Mrs. Byun, and Baekhyun for they are partially here for the same reason.

When Mrs. Byun sees them standing from afar, she forcibly smiles and tries to lighten up the atmosphere. “Kris, if you do not mind, may we talk of this later.”

Mr. Byun is hesitant to let this topic go, but he must because he has a prior meeting with the person who drove the group here.

“Baekhyun, dear, take our guests to the inn out in the back,” says Mrs. Byun, flip-flopping here and there in between both brothers. She’s shaken due to the astounding confession she did not expect to hear from the person she thought would never do such a thing.

“Grandma, they—” Baekhyun is interrupted from further explanation.

“—oh dear, wait.” She pauses, turning right and turning left. “I’m sorry.” She runs over to the group. “I’m Mrs. Byun. Is one of you Mr. Luhan Lu?”

Luhan raises his hand from the side. “Yes, that’s me.” He greets the elderly lady. “Also, he’s with us.” He points to his older brother still kneeing on the ground.

Mrs. Byun gradually widens her eyes in utter disbelief. “W-with him?”

Baekhyun heaves a heavy sigh. “Grandma, I’ll take care of this.” He steps out from the door. He says to the group and to the single man on his knees, “Come, follow me.”

It is another walk to the next destination, almost half a mile away from the Byun residence.

Baekhyun blankly explains that despite the far distance, the inn is the cleanest place specifically saved for guests and nothing more.

Behind him walks the group.

Luhan is tempted to interrogate his brother about his whereabouts, but he knows it’ll be insensitive of him, especially in front of Taeyang.

After the group puts their stuff away in the inn and has delegated their own rooms—Xiumin and Lay; Gayoon and Luna; Suho and Kris; Mrs. Lu and Taeyang; Luhan by himself; and Hana by herself—Baekhyun explains that his grandparents would probably not have the time for them to discuss about Taeyang because it’s the end-of-the-year harvesting.

Luhan says that they’ll wait for as long as they can.

Baekhyun stands still at the door, seeming as if he wants to say more. His eyes casually glide over to look at the young boy who is now a blood kin of his, and he makes his leave quietly.

Suho breaks the stilled tension by telling everyone to sleep and rest first before the talk with the Byun, and they listen; they go into their separate rooms.

Luna and Luhan glance once at Hana to ensure her emotional state, and after they see her unworriedly closing her door behind her, they too take their rest.

Six hours later, Baekhyun and two other staffs drop by to give dinner for the guests. When they leave, Baekhyun tells the group that after dinner, his grandparents are ready to talk.

An hour later, it is that time.

When the group enters the living room of the Byun, Mrs. Byun has a welcoming smile, but her husband does not. He has yet to give them a look at all as he sits straight and firm at the corner of a couch with his grandson beside him.

Mrs. Byun gets up and motions for the guests to freely sit around. When she sees Taeyang walking passes by her, they subtly exchange a quiet greeting, both aware of their newly-established relationship.

The two have always got along, but it’s different when all the sudden, you find out that you’re related to each other.

After everyone’s seated, everyone can see the Byun couple eyeing Hana intently. The friends then can tell that Baekhyun must have slipped some background information about the situation.

“You must be Hana,” says Mrs. Byun, half-smiling.

Hana shows her respect by nodding with a sheepish smile.

“You are as beautiful as they’ve said.”

“They?” Hana, Luhan, and Suho are the ones who questioned.

"Baekhyun and…Kris.” Mrs. Byun’s voice gradually drop in tone when she mentions the latter’s name. “Baekhyun has never praised a woman so much before in front of me, and you stand true to those convictions. As for Kris, I’ve heard so much about the ‘mother’ of Taeyang when he worked with us; he was always apologetic about how much he relied on you than the other way around.”

“Let’s get to the point,” Mr. Byun immediately adds, uncaringly showing his disinterest in flattering his guests.

Mrs. Byun clears . “Mr. Luhan, please, say what you have to say.”

Luhan offers to allow Suho to start, since he is one of the two—with Kris—who knows of the actual beginning of how it all started. When it comes to the part of raising Taeyang, Luhan then takes up on continuing from there until his one year with Taeyang is finished—in other words, when Hana ran away with Taeyang.

It is then Hana’s turn to explain how she raised Taeyang, and she’s the one who has the most to speak about. She explains in depth about the move with Kris, where they lived, the schools Taeyang had attended, how she balanced work and parenting as a supposedly “married” woman whose husband is hardly home with them.

Most of what Hana has said is news to Luhan, so he too attentively listens to her words. As much as she likes to sound stable, he can see from the opposite direction of just how nervous she is.

Whether she’s nervous that Taeyang will be taken away from her after this discussion or whether she’s nervous about how she and Taeyang’s relationship will change, Luhan cannot tell.

“None of you bothered to tell my great-grandson the truth over the course of his seven years?” Mr. Byun does not need to be seen to know that he’s angry. “How is that actually for his own good? You guys had to fake a dramatic scene in order for the truth to be told?” He stands up in rage, not able to suppress his infuriation. Pointing a finger at the group, he shouts, “What kind of adult-like behavior is that?”

He then moves his finger to point at Kris. “And you!”

Kris immediately lowers his eyes in shame.

“You’ve been with us for the last six years, and you had nothing to say? I’m willing to overlook the one-night stand because it may not be entirely your doing, but you ought to have known about who we were when you were staying with us!”

Mrs. Byun immediately stands up to calm her raging husband. “Dear. I’m sure Kris has—”

“—if he had any guilt when he was staying with us while we fed him—trusted him—he would have been honest from the start.”

Mrs. Byun pulls back from him because she too agrees with him. She slowly sits back down.

As no one speaks from the guests’ side—because they know they have no right to say anything or should not try to defend anyone—Mr. Byun gradually ceases his temperament. He exhales loud enough for everyone to hear. With a gentler voice, but still with a tone of affirmation, he asks if anyone still has something to add.

All eyes lie on Kris, unknowingly.

Kris knows it’s his turn. He musters all of his might to stand from his spot and to look straight at the Byuns. “I am here to formally apologize for the actions I have committed, and for the decisions I have chosen.”

He steps forward to the Byuns and gives the upmost respectful bow by groveling in front of them. Without his head raised, he continues to say that he is willing to do anything they ask of him.

“Bring her back,” Mr. Byun quickly answers, serious in his statement.

Mrs. Lu is about to stand up in fury for such a response, but Luhan subtly holds her hand and eyes her, signifying that it’s only reasonable for the Byuns to request for such a thing, and that their loss and this surprise justify their treatment.

“I…I am not able—” says Kris.

“—then leave Taeyang with us,” Mr. Byun immediately quips.

Kris lifts his head up; Luhan stands up; the friends freeze in motion; Mrs. Lu hugs her grand-child; Taeyang can barely process the commentary; Suho gapes his mouth open and then looks at Hana; and Hana tightens her jaws as she looks down at the ground.

Luhan finally speaks, but not for himself. He says to the elderly man that although he understands his brother is at fault for such bad choices in regards to how he had handled the situation, he, however, cannot let Taeyang stay with the Byuns, especially if the Byuns are disallowing any future contact with the Lu’s, and he knows they will.

“Why can I not request of it? Your family hid him from us for six, seven years and I cannot ask for the same?!”

Luhan is tempted to glance back at Hana but he knows that if he does, he will catch sight of his friend’s tears. “Mr. Byun, Taeyang may not have been told of the truth until now, but he has always been loved—loved by the one person who sees him as her world, her sun, her entirety; Taeyang is the reason behind her smile. He is the cause of her teardrops. And he is the warmth of her love. Without him, she’d—”

“—Luhan.” It is Hana. She sounds calm—she even looks unfazed.

“Hana…” he quietly whispers. He is sure she is saddened at the request, but everything of her this very moment shows nothing of the sort. Her entirety is filled with tranquility.

Hana stands up from her seat and walks over to where Kris and Luhan are. She is subtly smiling as she bows to the elderly couple. “Please. Take great care of my son.”

*

The discussion instantaneously ends after Hana’s bow and decision. Kris, Suho, or Luhan knows that it is useless to try to change her mind or even to help fight for Taeyang to stay with Hana; they figure that she has a reason for this conclusion.

Again, Baekhyun escorts the guests back to the inn for the night and the walk continues to be silent the entire way back.

This time, not even Luna or Gayoon bothered to comfort their friend. They’re scared that if they do, Hana will probably rethink of her decision and it will cause further trouble for both families. They rather have Hana stay firm with her decision while she is of sound mind than cause further unnecessary issues for her.

“Hana,” says Luna with Gayoon beside her in front of Hana’s door.

Everyone is already in their own rooms—although they cannot sleep—and is packing to leave tomorrow. They have planned for another night, but since the so-called vacation did not go the way they had assumed, they figured it’s best to leave after they visit Taeyang’s mother’s grave tomorrow morning.

“Do you want to brush up with us?”

“No,” Hana answers from inside. “I already did.”

“O-okay. Good night then.”

“Good night too.”

Luna and Gayoon slowly walk back to their room. They have thought of using this chance to brighten up their friend’s mood.

As soon as their door closed, someone else’s door opens and tiny, little footsteps pace to a door.

“Yes?” asks Hana.

Another knock only follows her response without an answer.

“Who is it?” She asks this time with a louder and clearer voice in case the person outside did not hear her previous question.

No answer again, but a knock. This time, however, the knock is softer, as if scared that the others will hear.

Curious, Hana gets up from her futon and goes to the door to open it. It’s either Luhan, Suho, or Kris. Most likely Luhan, she thought. Only he would have enough sense to bother her in the middle of the night, insensitive to her emotions.

When she opens the door, to her surprise, it isn’t Luhan.

“Taeyang.”

*

“Dear,” begins Mrs. Byun. She and her husband are still in the living room, having a personal discussion between themselves. “Aren’t you being a bit—”

“—this is nothing compared to what they’ve done.”

“Yes, but they have never loved our great-grandchild any less. Baekhyun said that all that had been done up until now was for Taeyang. Kris may not have intended to hide his son—our great-grandson—from us either.”

“They didn’t defend or bother to explain why they didn’t look for us when Taeyang was born!” As soon as Mr. Byun says that, a realization comes to his mind. “How could they know of Taeyang…when Seohyun was with us when she came back from college?”

He does a mental re-trace of the last memories he has of his grand-daughter. Seohyun arrived around this time—during winter break—and said that she had finished college earlier than expected and had wanted to live in the countryside with them. Because they didn’t have a room prepared, they let her live in the inn, the very same inn their guests are in. That was when he last saw her because he was busy with the business, and only his wife tended to their granddaughter.

He hastily turns to look at Mrs. Byun. “Seohyun was carrying Taeyang the time she came back that year?”

Mrs. Byun looks away, hinting the answer to her husband.

“But-but if she gave birth to him…I-I would’ve known. Who was the midwife? W-who helped—”

“—I did, Dear.”

Confusion and disbelief blanket over Mr. Byun’s entire expression. He did not know of this! Or expected his wife to have a beginning partake of the situation.

“I noticed Seohyun getting bigger each day,” says Mrs. Byun, “and when I jokingly said that she may be pregnant, she didn’t deny it. I had thought of telling you, but she knew you’d do more than find the man.”

“I’d skinned him!”

Mrs. Byun sighs. “I had pressured her to tell me of who the father is, but she wouldn’t. When our son came and forcibly took her back to live with him, she finally told me everything as she packed. She knew she would not be able to hide the truth from him and feared that he would harm her and the baby. And she was right. Two months later, by chance, I went to visit her and saw our son physically abusing her.”

As she begins to recall the tragic memories, she weeps to herself. “Her water broke and we thought it was going to be a miscarriage, so I had to take her to the hospital. Our granddaughter was crying the way there, saying how she wanted her child to survive, if anything. But she never got to hold her son.” Her hand covers , and she finally goes into a loud cry as she calls out for her granddaughter’s name.

*

“Can I—” Both Taeyang and Hana ask at the same time as they sit across from each other, separated by a small-sized, brown, wooden table.

Taeyang has not told her why he is here but he says that his grandmother is already fast asleep, so she doesn’t know that he’s gone from her side.

Hana smiles. “You go first, sweety.”

Taeyang reddens at the title his “mother” used. It used to be a term he is comfortable with, but not so much anymore. He bashfully looks away. “Can I…sit with you?”

She taps the empty and cold spot beside her. “I’d like that.”

He swiftly makes his way over.

But the two have yet to properly lock eyes with one another.

Another silence follows them.

Hana, however, is tempted to ask for a favor herself. She looks down at the little boy. “Taeyang…can I hold you?” For one last time.

He doesn’t look at her, but agrees to her request.

She picks up the small fella, pops him on her lap, wraps her gentle arms around his small waist, and grimly rests her chin on his shoulder. No matter how big he is, no matter where he is going to be, no matter what he chooses, she will forever love him and he will forever be her son.

“Why did you keep me?” Taeyang asks in a quiet manner, as if he’s scared that he’s done something wrong.

She mentally refers back to when she first saw him—the small infant was in a wooden basket and only covered with a few thin, cotton blankets. Despite so, he looked like he was having a good dream as he didn’t looked uncomfortable in its small, unconventional bed.

“I fell in love with you,” she honestly says. There is no point in lying about anything anymore. “But…later on…”

As he patiently waits for her to gather her thoughts on how to appropriately say and use the correct words, he tenses up because he believes she’ll say something negative about him. He is, after all, not her biological son.

“I realized I needed you more than you need me.” She temporarily squeezes him to show her embarrassment. She explains of her then-current situation of how her parents never trusted her, and how she was already a mother to kids that are not her own. She is even honest about raising Taeyang to see if she can ever go back to loving kids, but it’s because of him that she realizes that his radiation of pure innocence, sweet laughter, and hyper demeanor are what enable her to continue life.

“Are you still going to marry…” he doesn’t finish his sentence because he has yet to conclude on how to refer to his biological father.

She realizes his mental worry so she turns him around to face him, although he dares to not look back at her. “Taeyang, you can call us as usual until you want to refer us as something else. Daddy Kris will understand. Uncle Suho will understand. Even Luhan will understand.”

“What about you?” His voice mumbles from his lowered head.

“I won’t mind too.”

Taeyang fidgets with his hand. “Are you happy?”

“Of course I am.”

“I mean…are you okay…with marrying him when you don’t love him?”

Hana stays quiet. This is something she doesn’t know whether she should be honest or she should lie about. After a fifteen-second mental pause, she decides that honesty is what’s best. “I may not love your father like how your real mother had loved him, but I do love him as a friend.”

“But won’t it end up like…Uncle Joongki?”

“Uncle Joongki?” Hana soon understands the hidden worry of her son, and the reason for his roundabout questions.

Although she knows that her son must have known of the unfortunate situation Joongki is currently going through with his ex-wife, battling over the sole custody of their daughter who is Taeyang’s friend—she did not think that he would understand the emotional consequences the partaking parties will have to endure, such as hatred, fear, and anxiety.

Taeyang gently places a hand over hers. “I don’t want to lose…both of you.”

“You won’t,” she says. But as soon as she finishes, she recalls the request his great-grandfather has asked earlier.

“And I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy.”

“I want you to be with Unc…with your friend.” His voice lowers at the reference of Luhan. He then slowly removes himself from her lap and sits directly across from her. “I want you to marry who you really love…Uncle Luhan.”

Hana subtly glances away from the eyes of her son.

“If I cannot be with you, I want you to be with him.”

She smiles, the only response she can give her son and the only expression she can use to hide her agony of the near, painful future to come.

“Thank you for everything. Mom.”

*

After breakfast—brought over again by Baekhyun and a few staffs—the guests follow Baekhyun to the gravesite of his cousin, Seohyun. It is another long walk because it is on top of a hill, a hill that she dearly loved to go when