“Have you packed everything, dear ?” MinYoung asked ByulHee as she put her last luggage inside the car trunk. The four of them, Chen, ByulHee, MinSeok and MinYoung were now at MinSeok’s car loading ByulHee’s things up. It was quite a bright morning and also the day that ByulHee will be leaving her daddy to go to her birth parents’ house. As much as she didn’t want to go, she knew that she still had to.

ByulHee only nodded solemnly at MinYoung’s question and tried to form a smile. She looked at her stuff inside the car trunk and wished so badly that she could take it all back and put them right where they belong in Chen’s house. Or to make it easier, maybe she could just leave her things be inside the car and changed her mind about following MinSeok and MinYoung. She didn’t even own that much stuff to begin with. They can have her things if they want and she didn’t have to go.

However deep down inside her heart, she knew that it wasn’t the right thing to do. She already promised Chen the night before that she will give her parents a chance to get to know her and love her like they had always wanted. She couldn’t lie to herself too that she saw the love in MinYoung and MinSeok’s eyes everytime they looked at her.

If she changed her mind about going with them now, it might break her parents’ hearts. Not to mention Chen’s as well.

“We have to make a move now, love. Say goodbye to your daddy and that you will visit him again shortly.” MinSeok said as he bent a little to match with ByulHee’s eye level. He still referred Chen as ByulHee’s daddy as he didn’t want ByulHee to think that they were taking her away from Chen forever. MinSeok and his wife knew that their father and daughter bond was strong and that ByulHee was still a young girl.

ByulHee looked at MinSeok and the man threw her an assuring smile with a nod. ByulHee walked slowly towards Chen who was standing in front of her with a smile. It took every ounce of strength he had not to cry in front of ByulHee as he knew that it would only make things worse.

In just matter of minutes, ByulHee will be gone to her rightful place and Chen will be leaving alone in their small house. However despite feeling sad of having to let his daughter go, Chen somehow felt grateful for being able to ‘borrow’ this little angel who had brought happiness to him and his wife. Without ByulHee, his wife might not have moved on from her grieve and their house will not be filled with laughters from a child.

“I’ll miss you daddy and thanks for everything. I will definitely come back to see you again.” ByulHee said softly as her voice was beginning to crack. In her hand she was hugging the star shaped plushie SuBin had given to her when she was little. At first she wanted to give the plushie to Chen as a reminder of her but she couldn’t let it go. And Chen didn’t want to make her as well.

Chen forced a smile and nodded a little as he ByulHee’s head. He knew that ByulHee was going to cry anytime so he tried to sound as natural as possible. “Of course you will, ByulHee. This is also your home and you can come back anytime you want. I will miss you a lot too. But always remember that this isn’t a goodbye okay ? We will see each other soon.”

ByulHee nodded and gave Chen a tight hug as if she didn’t want to let him go. All her life there were only SuBin and Chen but now she was going to face a brand new life with her biological parents, who seemed to be as strangers for her.

Chen let out a bitter chuckle before hugging ByulHee back, hoping that it would not be the last time he can see his daughter again.

After few minutes, Chen gently eased her away and reminded her that if they didn’t make a move pronto, they will be stuck in a traffic. ByulHee nodded in understanding before entering the back seat of the car with MinYoung holding her hand. It seemed like MinYoung will be sitting at the back with her along the journey. It might be a good idea as MinYoung will get the chance to explain to ByulHee what would her new home be like and tried to bond a little.

Once MinYoung had entered the car with ByulHee, Chen turned to MinSeok who reached out a hand to him, waiting for a shake. “Thanks a lot, man. For all you and SuBin had done in raising ByulHee up and managed to make her follow us home. I think I speak for MinYoung as well that we are so glad and grateful that you’re willing to return her to us. No words can express our gratitude towards you.”

Chen shook MinSeok’s hand and said still with a smile on his face, “Don’t mention it, MinSeok. In fact it is actually me who should thank you and MinYoung. I don’t know how our lives would be if ByulHee hadn’t come and be a part of our lives.”

MinSeok nodded in acknowledgement and gave Chen a brotherly hug. “I will bring her back from time to time to see you.” MinSeok added as he eased himself from the hug. “I’m sure after she settles down at home and school she will want to see you again.”

Chen smiled gratefully and replied, “I will always be here if she wants to come. Thank you for not keeping us apart, MinSeok. She means as much to me as she means to you and MinYoung. Just ... take care of her and make sure she knows that you and MinYoung love her like you two always do.”

MinSeok nodded again and entered the car. Usually his chauffeur will drive the car but too bad that day his driver had to take an emergency leave. But that didn’t stop MinSeok and MinYoung to go and get their daughter back.

MinSeok started the engine and slowly the car was driven away. ByulHee rolled down the window and waved to Chen even until Chen was no longer in her sight. Chen too, kept watching the car until slowly it disappeared. Chen stood rooted to the ground for a few moments as he tried to process what just happened.

With a heavy sigh and a small smile, Chen turned away and walked towards his house. Which now was no longer filled with ByulHee’s presence. Even so, he was happy that ByulHee was finally back to where she belonged.

The journey from Chen’s place to the city took a couple of hours and throughout the drive, ByulHee kept looking out the window as she tried to keep an open mind about her new home and new family. Seeing the tall skyscrapers they passed by left ByulHee’s jaw hanging as she had never seen such tall buildings before.

MinYoung who was sitting beside her smiled to herself seeing ByulHee’s reaction and at the same time she felt guilty as well. For 12 years MinYoung had spent her life in the city and was surrounded by great buildings and was used to the modern life. Her daughter, however, had never seen these tall buildings before and she somehow felt that she was responsible for it.

“Ooh, Mrs Kim ! That building over there is very big and beautiful !” ByulHee exclaimed as her eyes were fixed on a shopping mall that obviously had caught her eyes.

MinYoung smiled and looked at where ByulHee was pointing. “That’s a shopping mall, dear. It’s very big, isn’t it ? I’ll take you to shopping later and I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun.” MinYoung said as she tried not to feel too bad when ByulHee called her ‘Mrs Kim’ instead of ‘Mom’. She knew it was still too early and she wouldn’t want to force it out of ByulHee yet. Let time slowly do it’s job.

ByulHee switched her glance from the window to MinYoung with her eyebrows met. “Shopping ? What’s shopping ?” She asked innocently which left MinYoung blinking back at her.

MinSeok who was driving the car caughed a little hearing her question and looked at the rear-view mirror. “You don’t know what ‘shopping’ is ?” He asked as he glanced at the road and back to ByulHee.

ByulHee shook her head and lifted her shoulders. “Never heard of it.”

MinYoung smiled a little and tried to hide the sadness she felt inside of her. Her own daughter didn’t know what ‘shopping’ even meant while MinYoung herself always shopped whenever she had the time. No wonder ByulHee didn’t even recognize a shopping mall when she saw one just now and called it a ‘building’. 

“ ‘Shopping’ is a leisure activity you do to buy certain goods or things at shops like food, clothes, shoes and so on. Haven’t you been shopping back when you were living with daddy ? Like when you were out to buy new clothes, or shoes ?” MinYoung asked as she looked at ByulHee properly. A part of her seemed to be refusing to believe that ByulHee had never heard of the word shopping before as she was already 12 years old.

I mean, which 12 year olds didn’t know what the word ‘shopping’ meant ? Well, in this case, ByulHee was one of them.

She shook her head at MinYoung’s question and hugged her plushie tighter. “As far as I know daddy had never taken me shopping before. Our family is a bit poor so daddy didn’t take me out to buy new clothes or shoes that often. There’s this ahjumma next door, however, who always gave me clothes as she is a tailor. Sometimes she would make some new shirts for daddy as well. Daddy and I are indebted to her though.” ByulHee explained as she grinned remembering Jung Ahjumma, who had been so nice to her and Chen and also to SuBin when she was still alive.

MinYoung and MinSeok exchanged awkward glances with one another and MinSeok just threw MinYoung