“Suho… can you do me a favor?” Hyeji sat up on the bed, watching Suho dress into a plain T-shirt and jeans.

            “Sure, what do you need?” Suho answered, pulling his shirt over his head.

            “I was wondering if you can track down Eun Hye…”

            “As in your mother?” Suho tried to act nonchalantly, but was looking back to the night before where he felt useless, watching Hyeji going through the emotional breakdown.

            “…Yeah. You think you can? I mean if you don’t want to---.”

            “No it’s okay. I’ll try but… I don’t know how she looks like… Do you happen to have a picture of her or something? It’ll be easier that way.”

            Hyeji froze in place, but walked over to her black bag. Clutching the framed picture, she watched the picture as if waiting for something to happen. She passed the picture to Suho and looked at her feet, as if she was in trouble.

            “Oh… okay. I’ll look for her.”

            “Thank you… really.”

            Suho came home the next day with a thin folder. Hyeji shook with nervousness and fear as she looked through it. Suho informed her that Eun Hye still lives near the area, but she’s been going in and out of homeless shelters. She married seven times and her name now was Eun Hye Lee, married to Jongshin Lee; a business man who’s financially stable. Hyeji kissed Suho on the cheek and thanked him with her smile but it was nowhere near her eyes.

♥

            With a deep breath, Hyeji knocked on the door of a small townhouse with her head held up high. She wore a baseball cap and sunglasses even though it was slightly cloudy outside. Within a minute, a gorgeous woman with slight wrinkles answered the door. Her lips were up into a smile, a smile that seemed genuine.

            “May I help you?”

            Hyeji couldn’t say anything. Eun Hye, underneath the torn and worn that aged her, was still the beauty that Hyeji painfully remembered. The anger that clouded her heart vanished and Hyeji soon heard a kid inside the house, laughed at a TV show playing in the background.

            “I--,” Hyeji couldn’t finish her sentence. Before she could stop herself, she threw herself into Eun Hye, and cried.

            “Um… excuse me? Are you okay?”

            Eun Hye broke the embrace and carefully removing the sunglasses. Eun Hye became breathless and her hands shook.

            “Hyeji-ya…”

            “Hi…,” Hyeji said, meekly, trying to bring back the tears that already had fallen down her cheeks.

            “What… When… How… how did you find me?”

            “…I—I,” Hyeji stuttered. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want me but I really wanted to see you one last time. I’m really sorry.”

            Hyeji started to sob, but pressed her hands hard against . However, Hyeji felt arms wrapping around her. To her surprise, it was her mother.

            “I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry, Hyeji,” Eun Hye started to cry.

            After biting her lip so hard, Hyeji let out a small cry. Slowly her and her mother’s cries became louder and became one. Then they heard a child cry as well. Hyeji saw a seven year old girl that looked similar to herself.

            “Sarang… this is Hyeji,” Eun Hye said, wiping her eyes.

            “Hi, Sarang.”

            “Hi… mommy, are you okay? Why are you crying?”

            Sitting down with Hyeji and Sarang, Eun Hye explained to Sarang that Hyeji was part of their family; of course she sugarcoated the story. Rather than being confused or negative about her, Sarang was thrilled.

            “So I do have a big sister! Yay!” Sarang clapped her hands together.

            “So I have a little sister…,” Hyeji smiled, quietly, as Sarang threw herself into Hyeji’s arms.