“Oh, you guys left her with DaeHyun? Will they be okay?” DanBi asked, trying to balance her phone between her ear and shoulder. She was washing the dishes in the kitchen when Zelo called, updating her immediately that they met SungMi earlier in front of the school gate, and that they had left with DaeHyun.

From the other line, Zelo replied, “We’re sure that they’re going to be just fine. It was a little awkward at first between the two of them, that we saw, but then every one of us knew that they needed to have a long tête-à-tête. And now that SungMi finally wants to see DaeHyun, all of us figured that she’d found out the truth.”

DanBi absently nodded her head in agreement, as she dried her hands using a dry cloth. As she walked out of the kitchen towards her room, she held her phone now and said, “Yeah, you’re right. They could use some private time at the moment to clear any misunderstandings they have. But it still wonders me on how SungMi could see DaeHyun now, considering that her mother never let her to go out after she regained her memories back.”

 Even though she couldn’t see it, DanBi knew that Zelo was shrugging from the other line, “We’re curious about it too. To see her there so suddenly, made all of us want to ask her how she managed to get out of the house. She couldn’t even attend school for the last couple of weeks, and now she was able to see DaeHyun. Anyway, we’re sure that there’s an explanation to this.” Zelo explained.

DanBi nodded her head again and heaved a sigh, as she pondered her two dear friends who turned out to be siblings, only after a few months seeing each other again. In her heart DanBi prayed, that after ten years they were separated from each other, they won’t be taken away from each other again.

Though each of them had many other people in their lives, such as new friends and families, it wouldn’t be the same as getting together again with their one and only flesh and blood, after years of separation and the thought that they won’t see one another again.

“You’re right,” DanBi finally said after being silent for a few minutes, “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

“Where are you taking me …?” SungMi asked as her question trailed. She scratched her head while walking beside DaeHyun as she didn’t know what to call him. She still remembered that she used to call DaeHyun ‘oppa’ when she was little, before the surgery, and when she woke up at the hospital the first person she looked for was DaeHyun, and she called him ‘oppa’ that time.

But now, walking beside him, she wasn’t sure if she were to call him that. Throughout the times when she still hadn’t gotten her memories back, she only called him by his name, as she couldn’t bear the thought of calling him ‘oppa’ that time, though he was a year older. In fact, she had never called any of Zelo’s hyungs as ‘oppa’.

But now that she knew he was her brother, and not only her friend, she wasn’t sure if she should keep calling him by his name.

Turning to her, DaeHyun answered, “I’m taking you to a place that we both had left for so many years and never for once visit it again.” SungMi frowned a little in confusion, before she guessed, “The playground?”

DaeHyun blinked in a split second before his lips curved into a smile, “No, not the playground. But that is also, where I’m taking you as well.” Looking at her with sad eyes and a warm smile, DaeHyun continued, “I want to tell you where are we going, but it won’t be fun anymore if you know so soon. I want to see if you still remember that place.”

SungMi puckered her lips and crossed her arms. Somehow, at the back of her mind, she recalled that DaeHyun always liked to surprise her when they were children. He enjoyed taking her everywhere he went, and he hardly ever told her where they were going. And she used to like it when her brother was being secretive. She enjoyed the feeling of curiosity and excitement of whatever her brother had in store for her.

“Okay.” SungMi finally said. “Somehow you haven’t changed, DaeHyun … oppa … DaeHyun oppa. Gosh, for heaven’s sake, please help me make my life easier. Should I call you ‘oppa’ or just DaeHyun? I mean, I don’t mind calling you either of it but I’m just afraid that you might not be comfortable, who knows. It’s been years, by the way.”

DaeHyun chuckled at his sister’s little misery, and nodded his head as he said, “Fine, fine. Why are you bothering your mind about it anyway? You can call me whichever you want. I’m okay with it.”

SungMi tipped her head, as if she was thinking, and then had come to a conclusion. “Okay, then. I’ll just call you ‘oppa’ then. It doesn’t seem right to be calling my own brother by his name.”

DaeHyun nodded his head, seeming to be fine with her decision, before asking her again, “What about you? Do you want to be called ‘SungMi’ or ‘JiHyun’ now? Now that we’re on that subject, I couldn’t make up my mind about it too.”

SungMi threw him a friendly smile and patted his shoulder, “I would’ve liked it if you can call me JiHyun. That’s my real name, anyway. I’m sure my adopted brothers at home will definitely call me SungMi, DanBi and the boys will call me that too. You’ve known me way longer than they do, and you’re my brother. So I want you to call me JiHyun. It’s a piece from the past that I don’t want to let go. But still, whichever is fine with me.”

DaeHyun nodded quietly and secretly agreed with her decision. Deep down, he, too, wanted to call his sister by her real name. Besides, her name was given by their father, and it was something that DaeHyun would cherish. The others might still be calling her by her current name, but he will call her as JiHyun, also as a relief that he finally found her.

None of them said a word afterwards, as they reached a bus-stop and waited for the bus. SungMi couldn’t really guess where DaeHyun was taking her. The only thing that she knew was that the place had a connection to their childhood.

They boarded the bus when it finally came, and SungMi tried to recall the directions the bus was heading. It had been years, so the memories were a little bit fuzzy in her mind. At first, she wanted to force DaeHyun to tell her where they were going, but she didn’t want to be the annoying girl who can’t handle her curiosities for a little bit longer.

The bus stopped after about 45 minutes, and SungMi followed DaeHyun got out of the bus. She scanned her vicinity and admitted that she felt a sense of familiarity towards this place. There were houses lined up, and she could tell it was a bit further from the city. The houses there were small, unlike the ones she saw back at her neighborhood.

She looked at DaeHyun, her eyes asking him where they were and whether they had arrived, and DaeHyun only walked first, only to be followed by SungMi afterwards. They passed by a row of houses until finally DaeHyun stopped in front of one house in particular.

“We’re here, JiHyun.” DaeHyun said as his eyes not leaving her frowning face as she took the sight of the house in. A vague sadness weighed on SungMi’s chest, as she slowly reached out and touched the gate. Her eyes suddenly watered at the sight of the house. It was empty, and no one lived in there. Just by looking at it explained enough that the house had been abandoned for a long time.

SungMi could feel her tears rolled down her cheeks, but she made no attempt to wipe them away. She felt a sudden sense of familiarity and suddenly a thought crossed her mind.

It’s that house. She told herself. The one I saw in my dream. In which that woman died and the two children were crying beside her. This is the one.

This … this was my house. I lived here before, with DaeHyun oppa.

This was where my mother died.

“Do you remember?” Right next to her, a familiar voice jolted her back to reality. SungMi turned to her right, and nodded her head as she looked at her brother. “Yes. I remember. This was our house.”

DaeHyun smiled at her sadly, as if telling her that she was correct.

SungMi looked back at the house, her tears already dried as she recalled the old memories she had during the times she was living there. There were good ones and bad ones as well. She had only managed to live there in a short while, before they were sent to their aunt, who then left the two of them in front of an orphanage and so it went on.

“Can we go inside?” SungMi asked, looking hopefully at DaeHyun. She would’ve loved to go in there again, in hopes to see what she had missed, what she had forgotten. She wanted to see their rooms again, where DaeHyun always showed her the stars at night, every time she couldn’t sleep, and told her that their father was always watching out for her.

She wanted to see their small kitchen again, the place where they always spent time with their mother making dinner, and they always laughed and being silly with one another.

She wanted to see the cozy living room again, where their mother always told them stories before they went to bed, and sometimes she told them about their father, who had passed away after she was born.

And it was also where their mother died, being killed by someone whom they thought they could rely on after their father passed on.

“I’m not sure, JiHyun. I don’t have the keys to go in there. In fact, I’m not sure who was responsible in locking the house up, maybe the police. And I guess no one wants to live here because … well, because there was a murder here.” DaeHyun said, feeling slightly guilty that he had to disappoint her. He wanted to get in too, but the gate was locked and DaeHyun figured so was the front door.

SungMi nodded in a little regret, before slightly lifting up her shoulder. “Oh, well.” She said. “It’s okay. I hope we could go inside but just seeing the house from here is already enough.”

She wanted to stay there a little longer, simply standing there and remembering the past, but she decided not to dwell on it. She could see vague images of the two of them, including their mother, laughing happily and teasing each other before the images slowly vanished. She wasn’t sure if she could handle remembering the bygone too much; hence, she turned to DaeHyun and said with a smile, “Where are we going to next?”

The playground was filled with children’s’ laughter, but the loudest one came from SungMi, who was enjoying the swings so much. Luckily, for her, the swing could still handle her weight and she was swinging back and forth, giggle and laughter escaping .

DaeHyun only stood at the side and watched her, as he knew that he could no longer fit to be on the swing. Besides, the chi