The gunshot still rang as loud in Jieun's ears as the day it was shot. The spiraling bullet racing towards him. His body crumpling. She can still recall the confusion, the hopelessness...how could it happen to him? To her? It's 1989, and nine years ago is still burned at the forefront of her memory.

If she sat staring out her windowsill long enough, she could almost still smell the vibrant cherry blossoms mixing with the stench of death, or imagine the soldiers staring impassively ahead, the oncoming doom. Bitterly smiling, Jieun turned around and entered the kitchen. The hour was growing late and she had to prepare dinner. Suzy and Soohyun were coming over tonight. It'd been a routine for them to head over...ever since that incident. More importantly--"Yah! Yoseob! Give me back my Fluffykins!” Thudding footsteps could be heard racing down on the upper floor.

Shaking her head, Jieun headed up the stairs to find herself face to face with her two kids: the angel Yoseob and the always angelic Jiyeon.

Hahahaha. Jieun could crack herself up when she wanted to. Angelic kids. Oh god. “Kids! What the heck are you doing? Do you want us to get reported to the police for disturbance?” Both of them slowed and stopped in their tracks. “HE STOLE MY FLUFFYKINS!” Jiyeon shouted, pointing her fingure directly at the perpetrator. Jieun visualized the imaginary steam coming out of Jiyeon's nostrils and struggled not to laugh.

You see, Fluffykins was Jiyeon's pet cat. Fake-- pet cat, mind you. It was an old stuffed animal of Jieun's; A memory of Sogyeokdong as it used to be. On her fourth birthday-year 1994-she had given Fluffykins to Jiyeon, and Jiyeon was in love with the toy as much as she had been back then. In some ways...Jieun understood her. To love something so much...though at this point, the stuffed cat proved to provide mixed emotional feelings for her. A haunting of the past.

“Yoseob.” Jieun started down at the nine-year old boy. “What are you doing?”

“Uhmmm...taking Fluffykins out for a walk?”

Mumbling a swear, Jieun was tempted to smack herself on the forehead. Really, really, tempted. “Well, maybe Fluffykins can take a walk later” Jieun retorted and picked up the cat from the boy's hands returning it to Jiyeon. She didn't miss the tounge Jiyeon stuck out towards Yoseob.

Seeking to diffuse the situation without any further drama, Jieun turned back to the boy. “Anyways, Yoseob, can you come help me down in the kitchen? Mommy needs to cook dinner.”

“Awwwwww. Why me? Mommy! It's not fair! I don't wanna-”

“I guess poor Uncle Soohyun will have to go hungry tonight...such a shame. He's such a hardworking man.” Yoseob idolized Soohyun to such a manner that Jieun found comical, if not scary. Every time he came, they'd go out and play sports with him, go out on walks, read stories; Soohyun was the father figure to the kids, and as such held their utmost love and respect. And as expected, upon hearing his name, Yoseob's former angst about helping dissipated and he bounded down the steps to help.

They spent the next ten minutes in silence, Yoseob quite adept at his way around the kitchen now. You'd be surprised how well a nine year old can could cook.

It wasn't until the former tension had disappeared that Jieun addressed the topic once more. “Yoseob, why'd you take your sister's toy?” she sighed.

“I...” he looked quite downcast.

“Yes?”

“Fluffykins used to be your toy right?”

Jieun frowned, not expecting this conversation to take this turn. Does he feel she prioritizes Jiyeon or...? She simply decided to nod and listen.

“Well, why can't I have something yours?” he asked with tears in his eyes. About to reply, Jieun opened only to smell smoke. The food was burning.

“Quick! Yoseob!” Grabbing a fire extinguisher, they both aimed at the pan and fired, extinguishing the flames completely. The result was a kitchen filled with with white foam.

Yoseob started it. The giggles emerged, first as chuckles, then as full blown laughs as he fell to the floor it fits of giggles. With an amused eyebrow raised, Jieun stared at her son with her lips quivering, trying to hold in the laughter. Jiyeon came down the stairs a second later screaming “what is thiiiis?” grabbing the foam and making a beard.

That's when they all lost it. The family was a mess on the floor. And that's how Suzy and Soohyun found the trio on the floor, with the kitchen covered in white foam.

“Sorry, the food, HAHAHAHA” Jieun started to cry from the giggles before just shaking her arms and giving up communication.

The amused couple quickly cleaned up the kitchen before inspecting the burned dish. “Well, good thing we bought take out!” Suzy beamed.

“Chinese food! OMG OMG! Thanks Aunt Suzy!” Jiyeon jumped up after her followed by Yoseob, leaving Soohyun to pick Jieun up from the floor. She went back. She was being picked up. Only this time when he picked her up, there were no guns...it wasn't nine years ago. Yet the flashes came anyways.

“Sogyeokdong...” she whimpered. The soldiers, the fear.

“Jieun. Snap out of it!” came Soohyun's voice even softer. Shaking, she nodded and followed Suzy and the kids out to the dining room.

Sitting down at the table, still slighl upset, Jieun observed the others. If Soohyun was the father figure, Suzy was excellent at being the second mother to the children. “Jiyeon, do you want extra rice?” Jiyeon nodded towards Suzy and she served them all their portions before hugging each of them tightly. Suzy had been with the kids since day one, and Jieun couldn't be more thankful towards the couple for all their help over the years. A single mother during 1980s Korea wasn't exactly common nor an easy job to keep running smoothly.

“So what's my boy up to, huh?” Soohyun asked Yoseob.

“He's become a fan of Sanulrim” Jieun laughed.

“Have you now Yoseob?” The boy nodded vigorously. “Changwan is my favorite member!”

“A Kim! Of course he's got to be your favorite member. Kim's are great!”

Suzy, being a Bae, and Jieun, being a Lee, rolled their eyes dramatically at the statement. The night passed quickly this way, the five of them laughing and talking. Fridays were always the happiest times.

An hour later though, they said their goodbyes and Soohyun and Suzy left for their home, which lay conveniently on the same street. “Alright kids, go up and brush your teeth. It's bed time soon.” They raced upwards, each of them trying to reach the sink first. Jieun laughed. What energetic twins.

Now what to do about the whole Fluffykins situation...Jieun gulped. The time had come...she didn't think it would have to though...

Descending down the staircase to the basement, Jieun shivered in the midst of the cool chill and musty smell. Two uniforms hung on the walls. One her's, one his. Their old university uniforms. Chests of memories lay before her; reminiscent of a life once lived, one seemingly in a different universe yet very real. Each chest held a collection of different ones, but there was one in particular...

Opening the fourth chest in the room, she coughed with the plume of dust that shot up. It hadn't been open in nine years. Digging for a while, she finally found what she had been searching for: a wooden bracelet with an eagle carving. He always used to wear it. An American soldier had given to him when he was little. It represented the freedom that we struggled so hard to achieve...the freedom that killed him.

Taking a deep breath, Jieun wrapped her hands around the object and ascended up to Yoseob's room. “Honey, open up.”

The little boy opened up a few moments later, blanket wrapped around his figure. “Yeah mommy?”

Jieun smiled at the sight and kissed his forehead. “I have something special for you.” Taking out the bracelet she opened up Yoseob's palm and firmly placed it in his hand. “It was daddy's. Don't loose it.”

Yoseob's eyes widened and almost glowed. Jieun never mentioned their father, and when they asked, she was just quiet. It just brought awful memories back to the surface. “Daddy's?” He questioned disbelievingly. Jieun just nodded.

Turning it over in his hands, he inspected every detail, glancing over it with wonder. “The eagle represents liberty. It's why...daddy isn't here anymore.”

“What do you mean mommy?” a voice asked behind her. Jiyeon had peaked her head out from behind the door. Eavesdropping. I should have known. “Tell us the story!”

“It's not appropriate” Jieun said flatly. “Now get on to bed.”

“But mommy! I'm nine! I'm a big boy now!” Yoseob insisted. Leading me to his bed, the boy sat me on it with Jiyeon following. “We deserve to know what happened. Where's daddy?”

The questions bombarded Jieun, one after the other. Years later she'll still wonder how or what led her to, but she broke. She gave in, in a very uncharacteristically Jieun fashion.

“...Ok...”

“Yay!” The kids gathered closely around their mother, wrapping their arms around her lovingly and protectively.

“Although I have to warn you...I can't tell you everything.” The kids just nodded silently.

“Your father. His name was Jang Wooyoung. And it all began in Sogyeokdong...”