“Goodbyes make you think. They make you realize what you’ve had, what you’ve lost and what you’ve taken for granted…”

“I’m sorry,” I muttered, staring apologetically to a lovely face of a mother. Her fine wrinkles on her face made her more beautiful and her smile made my heart started to shake.

“Don’t be,” she said softly. “Everything’s happened for a reason. I never blamed you and neither was he.”

“You’ve met him?” I asked, widening my eyes and my jaw dropped.

She nodded.

“He came home and told me that he had to go far. But he never said where…or why.” She stared out into space. “…and I knew something bad had happened.” She turned her gaze at me and looked at me fondly. “I’m his mother, my heart just knew.”

I gulped nervously.

“How was he? Is he…said anything…about us?”

She smiled faintly and her eyes were sparkling. “He just said to look after you and Ha Yi. And even after you’re no longer my daughter-in-law, don’t ever blame you or hate you. That’s all his fault, not yours.”

I sighed. Even after I’d hurt him, he never said something bad about me.

“It’s my fault too. I’d failed to be his wife. I don’t deserve to have him…to be part of this family,” I said, shaking my head slightly. My face fell to the ground, guilt had swallowed me.

“Honey,” she cooed, holding my arms with both of her hands, and I looked up to her. “We love you. Dad, me and Hana, were always welcome you in the family. And whatever happened between you and Seungri, you’ll always be my daughter and Ha Yi is my grandchildren. Nothing’s going to change my love for both of you.”

“Thank you,” I said smiling. I hugged her tightly and my tears trickled down my face. And the heaviness I felt inside started to cease.

“Seungri was a bright kid,” Mom began as both of us having a tea in a patio outside the house. Ha Yi was in my embrace still deep in her sleep. “But Dad was too busy with his job and we had to move around a lot. He spent a lot of time with his grandparent, much more than with us and I felt bad for him. He doesn’t even have friends. Since that, we grew apart. He seemed…distant and…introvert…lonely. He talked less and he always stood far away every time we’re visited him.”

She walked closer to me and sat beside me. Her face turned brighter. “But everything started to change. Dad quit his job and bought this house, several years after Hana was born. We regretted after what happened to him and we don’t want the same thing happened to Hana too. That’s why we stayed here since then and they grew attached to us again. And Seungri became a happy kid again.”

“I never knew the story. He never told me the complete story of his childhood,” I stated.

“That was just Seungri. He never told anyone about what he felt. He tends to keep it in his heart,” she explained. “But I knew, he will never disappoint me. That was just his way of solving things and cope with his problem.”

“Do you ever…have known of where…he might be?” I stammered, avoiding her lovely gaze.

She chuckled and I turned to face her, confused.

“Did you miss him already?”

I blushed. “No, no, I’m not. I’m just…wondering…”

“He will be fine,” she cut my words. “He always…fine.”

I continued to stare at her flower garden silently. The redness of the roses filled my sight and a thought came into my mind. I hope he’s fine.

I climbed to his room and it smelled just like him. His scent still lingered in the air even when he had left a week ago. I marvelled on his stack of books in his wooden bookshelf on the wall. A bunch of comic books and manga filled the upper level. I smiled at his childishness.

My eyes fell on a book that seemed to stand out among the other books just because it was out of boundary, as if it was just been took out. I picked up the book and it happened to be a story book, a fairy tale. It was ‘The frog prince’ and I leant my back against the cold white wall with the book in my hand. I read it diligently, smile tugged on my lips and memories about my childhood flooded into my mind.

The frog said, 'I do not want your pearls, and jewels, and fine clothes; but if you will love me, and let me live with you and eat from off your golden plate, and sleep on your bed, I will bring you your ball again.'

'What nonsense,' thought the princess, 'this silly frog is talking! He can never even get out of the spring to visit me, though he may be able to get my ball for me, and therefore I will tell him he shall have what he asks.'

So she said to the frog, 'Well, if you will bring me my ball, I will do all you ask.'

As soon as the young princess saw her ball, she ran to pick it up; and she was so