AUGUST 17, 1998, Monday

            That night, Yuri couldn’t stop thinking about how Hara shed tears earlier in the afternoon. Hara was never a dramatic person in general but it seemed the thought about separating from him made her emotional. He used to always understand what girls mean when they talk or bring something up vaguely but not this time around. He knew Hara might just be sad that he’ll go to the army in December, but it was too early to cry about something like that. He kept replaying it in his mind until he couldn’t stand it anymore.

            While he was massaging Tiffany’s back to ease some back pains, Yuri started, “Fany-ah, can I talk to you about something?”

            “Sure, fire away.”

            “Hara kind of broke down a while ago.”

            “Hara? About what?” Tiffany gasped.

            “About me...”

            “Oh… what about you?”

            “Well, she cried saying she was afraid to lose me because of my enlistment this year. We still have three months to be together but it seemed she was pretty upset that we’re going to be separated. A lot of things can still happen in three months, and it’s not like we’ll break up either. Does she not trust me enough? I don’t really know why she’s so afraid… am I overthinking this?”

            “Probably,” Tiffany shrugged. “She’ll miss you and that’s understandable, don’t you think?”

            “Yeah but… we’re talking about Hara here. Why would she just cry like that? I told her I loved her and promised I won’t leave her or forget her, but she just kept… crying.”

            Tiffany analyzed the situation for a moment and wondered. “What did she say to you exactly?”

            “’I’m just afraid to lose you’ and ‘I really am afraid of losing you’,” Yuri replied. “Then she burst into tears.”

            “Are you sure there’s nothing up about her?” Tiffany asked.

            “Huh? Like what? She was happy just a few minutes before the army thing was brought up.”

            “Because the last time I used those kinds of words, it was when I confessed to TaeYeon...”

            “Confess?”

            “That I’m carrying his child…” Tiffany stared at Yuri like a stern mother. At first, Yuri couldn’t understand her, but then it quickly clicked and furiously backed away from her.

            “Wait, are you implying Hara is pregnant!???”

            Tiffany just shrugged.

            “No, no, no way!” Yuri puffed like a blow fish and turned a little red. “Get that out of your head right now, Tiffany Hwang! We never did that! You know I’m not that daring!”

            “Okay, right, I’m just saying those words might mean something’s going on with her. Sometimes it might not be entirely about you but more about what’s happening or going on in her life.”

            “What do you think it might be?”

            “I don’t know… since her parents divorced back then, maybe she’s just really afraid of what a breakup could actually do. Just a guess… I really don’t know.”

            “But why would she think about breaking up with me? You don’t suppose she’s pregnant with someone else’s child… could that be possible?” Yuri shuddered.

            “Don’t think of the worst just yet. You’re acting like a girl. Stop overthinking it and just ask her about it.”

            “But I don’t want her to cry again,” Yuri pouted.

            “Just try. If she cries, then hug her. You’re Yuri, the guy who can comfort anyone.”

            “Am I really?”

            “Yeah. Don’t be afraid, Yul. You’ll destroy yourself wondering about it all day. Sometimes girls’ emotions can just randomly change for no clear reason. It might not even be a big deal in the end.”

            “And what if it is a big deal?”

            “Then come back to me and let’s talk about it,” Tiffany smiled.

            “Thanks Tiffany…”

            “Of course. Anytime.”

            “Is there anything more I could do to bring you comfort?”

            “Could you sing me something? I just need to clear my mind with some music...”

            “Sure.”

(Take A Breath - JooYoung)

Oooh… Ohh… Mmmhm…

Stop it when you cannot breathe
Trapped in a crack in the sky
The deep breath will seep through

You’ve got to take a breath
In this patched time
So you can relax and breathe in it

Filled with sigh in the gray light
My heart is scattered like a mist
Don’t you slow it down, your life
Never get in tight
In the dark night’s arms…

As Yuri continued to sing, Tiffany recalled a time just like this. It was a few days before TaeYeon’s accident, and even though it was such a small moment between the both of them, it’s one of the most precious memories of TaeYeon and she keeps it close to her heart.

DECEMBER 13, 1997, Saturday

            TaeYeon wanted to take Tiffany out on a date to cheer her up from the sudden revelation, but the weather had gotten colder than it was a few days before with the snow storm pouring down. It kept them from going anywhere to spend their Saturday. Tiffany didn’t want to go anywhere anyway. The outside world felt 10x scarier to her than it already was. She just wanted to be with Jinwon even if no words were said.

            Tiffany rested her head on TaeYeon’s shoulders as they silently sat on his bed. The lights were closed and everything seemed still, as if time had stopped for a moment. It’s like nothing much has changed for they have shared this quiet moment together a few times before. However, like a fever, her eyes heated up and trembled remembering that things are completely different from now on. She closed her eyes hoping for a darker world to escape to, but her heart ached even more through the doubts that flashed before her. She buried her face on his shoulders and cried silently. TaeYeon could do nothing but swallow his own tears and give her the consolation she needed.

            Tiffany thought her tired mind would be eased by TaeYeon’s warmth, but that just made things worse. The growing human being inside her had his DNA. All her worries traced right back to him. She wanted to hate him for putting her in this misery, but that wouldn’t make things any better. She was also at fault. She can’t just blame him for everything.

            If only she could rewind time, she would prevent all this from happening. Now, there’s nothing else she can do but sigh.

            “How are you holding up?” Tiffany asked. They kept avoiding this question for the past few days in hopes of not making each other as broken as they already were, but she figured it was time to let it out. They cannot keep brushing things off forever. If they just keep holding it in, the words unsaid will only push them apart.

            “I should be asking you that,” TaeYeon said. He wanted to run away again from this question. He didn’t want to sort his feelings out. He wanted to avoid any dangerous thoughts that would cross his mind and focus solely on making things better for her.

            “I want to know, TaeYeon…,” Tiffany sighed. “I want to know how you feel.”

            He stayed silent.

            “Please…”

            “How should I even start?” TaeYeon sighed. “I don’t know how I feel. From the very moment you told me, I just… lost my breath. I’ve never felt something like it before. The consequences, the responsibilities… it just weighed down.”

            “I’m sorry,” Tiffany’s lips trembled.

            “No… no, don’t say that,” he shook his head and closed his eyes, feeling his own tears quickly burning him up. “After everything, that’s what hurts me the most. When you say you’re sorry, it’s ridiculous, because I…,” he sighed, trying to keep himself from shedding tears. “When I think of you, everything just seems to crumble down around me. I’m the one who made the mistake. I made you go through all of this pain.”

            “Don’t just take all the blame,” Tiffany held his hand. “It’s my mistake, too.”

            “I’m sorry,” TaeYeon’s words trembled as tears started to fall down. “All I wanted was to make you happy after everything that you have gone through, but I guess I just added to your stress.” He quickly wiped his tears away and said, “I promise you, I’ll make you happy again. I’ll swear it on my life.”

            “Do you think we’ll be able to get through this? ‘Cause I honestly don’t know,” Tiffany said as tears started to fall. “I’m so scared… So scared that somewhere along the way, we might fall out of love or… The future isn’t as bright as we think it would be.”

            “I’m scared too… but we have to deal with it. There’s nothing else we can do but believe that somewhere along the lines, our mistake could turn into a blessing.”

            “Easier said than done,” Tiffany sniffed.

            “We don’t know what’s out there for us. We don’t know how hard things are going to be. So why don’t we just lay it aside for a while like we always did? I don’t want to keep thinking about the negative outcomes so please, Fany-ah… let’s rest… even just for a little while,” TaeYeon said with his voice going softer.

            “Can we really do that?” Tiffany said, wiping her tears away.

            “Relax yourself on me. I’ll sing you a song.” And so, Tiffany did as she was told and closed her eyes. She pressed herself closer to TaeYeon and sighed. TaeYeon started to sing softly.

(Sleepless – Standing Egg)

Now is the time my heart begins to flutter
When you’re in front of me with your eyes closed
Like looking at a photograph, taking my time
As I watch you slowly fall asleep

Let me sing

lalala la la lalala
Let me sing

lalala la la lalala

Now is the time I’ve been waiting for
With you falling asleep in my arms
Singing you softly a lullaby
As I watch you slowly fall asleep

Let me sing

lalala la la lalala
Let me sing

lalala la la lalala

Baby I’m sleepless, it’s deep into the night
Sleepless, your soft sound of breath
Sleepless, and my firmly pounding chest
Losing all sense of time

Now is the happiest time I could wish for
When you’re with me until the morning
When I can see myself in your sleepy eyes
I’ll keep singing for you

Let me sing

lalala la la lalala
Let me sing

lalala la la lalala

***

            “Oh by the way, how’s your leg doing?” Sunny asked Hyomin as they were headed back to the hanok house.

            “Seriously you’re asking that now? I’ve been walking with you a lot this week of course I’m alright now. It still stings quite a bit, though, but I’m fine. How about your burns?”

            “It left a cool scar. Wanna see it?” Sunny said and Hyomin nodded. Sunny pulled her hoodie’s sleeves back and showed a pinkish marking shaped like the character of her name which was ㅅ.

            “Wow, you got yourself a free tattoo!” Hyomin laughed.

            “At first I hated it but now, I’m actually happy I got this. Reminds me of a lot of things.”

            “Like what?”

            “How everything started, basically.”

            “What start?”

            “Don’t you remember that day? I saved you from the fire and then found out a lot of surprising things. You were Tiffany’s cousin, Tiffany’s plans on leaving, and Yuri and Hara’s relationship… so much shocking things happened that day. The fire alone was a horror to me.”

            “Ugh… and the amount of lips that touched that day,” Hyomin shivered and Sunny laughed.

            “When I think about it, it’s not exactly pleasant to remember. But I feel like I have to remember that day for a long time.”

            “Why?”

            “After that day, I’ve been thinking about so many things and I’ve been realizing so many things. Things like, how precious it is to really have a family, or someone you can truly depend on. For the past few weeks, I’ve been seeing too much of myself on Tiffany and it kinda hits me how much we’re the same. Because for me, I don’t really ask much help from the people around me because I think I could deal with things by myself, just like how she is. But I realized, through these times, that we truly need someone to be beside us who can lift at least a little bit of the weight we think we can but can’t bear.

            And so, I’ve been trying to see who that one person is in my life that takes all these burdens away from me. Sometimes it is Tiffany who helps me, but it’s usually the other way around. Sometimes Hyuna, but we don’t even like talking about our emotions with each other that much. I thought I really had no one, but this scar… it takes me back. Thank you for being here, Hyomin-ah.”

            “Huh?” Hyomin was a bit startled that Sunny suddenly mentioned her name after her small speech. She couldn’t understand how she was a help to her for she had never really done anything great to her. All she did was get Sunny burned.

            “You know, you help me in a lot of things.”

            “What—like havesting the crops? And Pureum?”

            “Haha, not just that,” Sunny chuckled. “I’m saying you following me around all the time makes me feel a little lighter. I used to always do my work without anyone’s help, but you always insist on coming with me to help me even though you’re not much of a worker yourself. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

            “Well… haha… I’m just trying to repay you back. You saved my life,” Hyomin shyly said and blushed because Sunny was suddenly saying these things. She never really thought she was anyone special, so hearing this from Sunny touched her heart and made her happy. She never really had friends who cherished her. Sunny was the only one.

            “Then if you take care of me, I’ll take care of you too,” Sunny smiled and held her hand. Hyomin nodded and shyly looked away.

            “Of course I will.”

            “Oh, you better take care of Tiffany too, if she ever goes back with you. Don’t leave her alone for me,” Sunny said.

            “Truthfully though, Sunny,” Hyomin said, “I don’t want Narsha Unnie to take the baby. I feel like things will be worse if Tiffany gets her way in all of this.”

            “I know. I thought a lot about it, too, ever since she considered adoption. We can’t do anything about it now, can we?” Sunny sighed.

            “Well, the papers haven’t been settled yet so… maybe she’ll change her mind?”

            “Pray she will. But if that really happens, serious changes will need to be done. “

AUGUST 18, 1998, Tuesday

            The next day, at 10 am in the morning, the Kim family had an announcement for the whole village. Most of the villagers went to the town center to anticipate the event they have set up. There at the town center was a newly furbished building set up, and they were proud to have an opening ceremony for their new restaurant called Xiah Dragon Noodles. Everyone was excited for this restaurant for they all knew how well the Kim family’s skills in cooking are. Now they can enjoy delicious meals everyday here in Xia Dragon Noodles!

            “Ehem!! Ehem!! This is Junsu and the Kim fam!! Are you all listening? Thank you all for coming to the grand opening! Did you all miss me? No? Yes? Well, well, well, anyway, since we have set up a lovely restaurant for our dear lovely parents who adopted us, we have something special for all of you! A contest! A hunting game!! Are you all up for it? Our family has hidden three golden piggy banks somewhere here in the village of Yuchiri! You are all given one week, and the three winners who find these piggy banks will have the privilege of eating her for free for our first month!” The crowd cheered, particularly very excited about the free part, not so much the hunting part.

            “And if you find it today, you get to eat at Xiah Dragon Noodles for free for the rest of your existence!” The crowd cheered even louder, all hopeful that their luck could win them free food forever from Xiah Dragon Noodles.

            As Shinyoung started going through with the rules, Sunny turned to her family and asked, “So should we group up or something to find these piggy banks?”

            “You kids pair up. Your mother and I are going to pair up with our own friends,” Munshik chuckled. “Why don’t you come with us, Narsha?”

            “But can’t I pair up with them?” Narsha said, pointing to the teens.

            “Aren’t them fellows a little young for ya? C’mon, Narsha it’ll be fun with us!”

            Narsha whimpered and agreed to go with the older group. Hyomin laughed at her sister, “Hahaha, poor old you.”

            “I’M NOT THAT OLD!” Narsha spat and stomped away. “Ugh, I’m only 27 why does everyone think that’s old??”

            Sunny and the others just laughed. “So, what’s our team?” Hyuna asked.

            “Let’s just stay as this one big pack!” Sunhwa said. “It’ll be fun, yeah?”

            “Shouldn’t we split up so that we could find them easier?” Yuri said, particularly wanting to spend the rest of the day with Hara to talk to her. “Why don’t we go in pairs of two?”

            “But then the prize won’t be shared with all of us if one of us finds it first,” Sunhwa pouted.

            “But isn’t that the point? As if Xiah Dragon Noodles will allow all 7 of us to eat for free for the rest of our lives? Finders keepers!”

            “Let’s just go along as a group for a while, and whoever finds it gets the prize.” Sunny said. “You could get easily lost on some parts of the village so let’s stick together. Besides, look at the sky, it could rain anytime soon. It’s even a little foggy already.”

            And so the time soon came when Shinyoung had sent the crowd off to find the three golden piggy banks. The seven teenagers then went on a quest quickly to find at least one. They wandered in the area of the forest where Taewoo would usually chop up some wood, assuming he might have put it there.

            Sunhwa and Hyuna were the most eager to look for these piggy banks. Hyomin didn’t really care about the prize since she won’t be staying here all her life anyway and just followed Sunny. Hara and Yuri were on their own little party looking at parts of the forest they haven’t checked yet. Meanwhile, Tiffany just tiredly waited at the bottom of the sloped forest. She wanted to search for the piggy bank, too, but she didn’t feel well. Her stomach and lower spine had been aching but she just assumed it to be because of tiredness. She didn’t want to tell the others that she had been feeling really weary because she didn’t want to ruin the fun atmosphere.

            When the group got out of the forest, they decided to look for it in the open fields. So they wandered around aimlessly with only the piggy bank in mind. They didn’t take much notice of where they were going, or how much time they are spending just searching for the lucky pig.

            “Guys, it’s starting to rain,” Tiffany said when everyone was out searching for the piggy bank everywhere in the empty field. “Where are the umbrellas?”

            “Yuri brought them,” Sunny said.

            “No, I thought you did,” Yuri said.

            “What?!” Sunny pushed the wall of her cheek with her tongue out of frustration. “So are you saying we don’t have one?”

            “Oh my gosh, we’re all going to get a