Minho was holding a folder. It came from the Investigator whom he hired in the US to  trace the whereabouts of Shin Hye, his estranged step sister. It has been 2 months since  his dad died and  he is just fulfilling his last wish. He can still vividly recall his last words “ Find her, promise me, you’ll find her. We owe it to your step mother “ and so he did.

Mrs. Park has been a good mother to him. Just like his own.  But there were times that he caught her crying and he knows it’s about her daughter who was in US.

He opened the folder. She was working as a waitress in a restaurant. She  didn’t finished studying. From the file, she used to be a consistent honor student before she dropped out from college. For some  reason unknown to him.

There were pictures of her.  Mostly candid ones. Taking orders from customers, smiling, greeting them courteously, but there were pictures wherein you can see sadness in her eyes.

He shrugged his shoulders. She’s his responsibility now. They are not blood related but he needs to take care of her. From his dad’s own words, “We owe it to her, we took her mom away” and he felt oblige to take care of Shin Hye.

His phone rang, and when he answered it, it was Attorney Jung. “Mr. Lee,  I just learned that Ms. Park just brought ticket on line and is bound to Seoul in a week’s time” he said and then he said “ Do you know her flight schedule?” and Attorney Jung said, “ Yes Sir, I have her flight details. Will monitor her arrival and will keep you in touch” . Minho asked “ How about Mr. Park? Any news about him?” and then Attorney Jung said “ Mr. Park is sick right now. I think this is the reason why his daughter is coming home”. Minho said “ Check on Mr. Park, his condition.  Get back to me the soonest” and he ended their conversation.

He opened again the file. Took a picture of Shin Hye wherein she was smiling brightly. He was staring at her picture and smiled and put back the picture inside the folder and continue with his work.

Shin Hye was packing her clothes. Her roommate  Sarah was just watching her. “ So, how are you feeling? Going back to Seoul after 10 years? “ she asked. Shin Hye smiled and said “ If I have a choice, I’d rather stay here but my dad is sick. I don’t know if I can return back to LA but I hope if that time comes, I am here to enjoy LA and not to work hard. I feel old for my age” .

Sarah looked at her watch. It’s 6pm already. She’s a nurse in a local hospital in LA. “Shoot! I have to go Shin Hye. I’ll see you tomorrow. Lock the door” and then she left. Shin Hye smiled. Sarah has been her friend for more than 3 years now. After living on her own, the person who helped her a lot was Sarah. When their business in Seoul  went bankrupt because of her dad’s  drinking problem, Shin Hye felt that she has to work on her own. She has two jobs  so that she can provide hers dads financial needs. She asked her nanny to take care of her dad.

When she arrived in LA 10 years ago, her Dad let her stay in his cousin’s house. At first, they were treating her so good because of the allowance her dad sends to her and to his cousin. But when they encountered financial difficulty, they have been cold to Shin Hye. That’s why she decided to find a decent job, stop schooling and find an apartment.

When she went to a hospital to visit a friend, she met Sarah and the rest is history.

She took her phone and called her nanny. “Ahjumma,  this is Shin Hye. How’s Appa? Is he getting better?” she asked. Her nanny was not answering. “Ahjumma, how is he?” she asked again. She heard a deep sigh “ He is not ok, my  dear. Please come home soon”. She felt tears on her eyes. “Can you put the phone on his ear so he can hear my voice?” she asked. “Appa, this is your daughter. The lovely Shin Hye. I am coming home. Wait for me. I have enough money. We can start again. You and I” and then her nanny said “Your father smiled. He knows your voice. He recognize it” and then Shin Hye said “ It’s enough for now Ahjumma. Tell him to wait for me. I am coming back” and  then she ended their conversation.

She remembered vividly “ Omma, where are we going?” she asked. “Were going on a vacation” her mom answered. “Why is Appa not joining us?” she asked. “It’s just the two of us my dear. Just the two of us” said her mom. “Wait for me in the car. I’ll just get some stuff” said Mrs. Park.

Shin Hye, who was 15 then, oblige and went inside the car. Littl