SoLin opened an album and smiled, “We should start at the beginning. SoJin was always the one smiling,” she started, and MiNam and MiNyu looked on, fascinated and surprise. They’d spent countless hours and several years searching and then, suddenly, everything fell in their lap. What was even stranger was how SoLin seemed to embrace them. They couldn’t help but wonder what she would want from them in return for her openness and kindness.

“I never thought we’d find all this,” MiNyu sighed, touching the old photos fondly.

Towards the end of the stories, SoLin closed the fourth album and sighed, touching it fondly, “There are more albums in the house, but I feel like these were the ones I could share with you the easiest.” She looked over at the sleeping brood and sighed, “TaeJin grew up knowing of your existence but never knowing more than that. Her older brother, TaeHyun, convinced her that you guys weren’t real and that made her cry everyday for a while.” SoLin looked at MiNam and MiNyu and then stated, “Tomorrow, we will visit your father’s grave first. I believe we will be the only ones there. After that, I will bring you to visit your mother. I hope you will understand why we do what we do.”

MiNam and MiNyu nodded and the SoLin reached into her pocket and pulled out a single photograph that had been laminated. She swallowed and placed the photo on the table before sliding it over to them. Everyone that looked at it felt tears flood their eyes. MiNyu covered as MiNam bit his lower lip.

SoLin whispered, “This was the only photo I had of SoJin and her twins,” she pointed at one of the sleeping infants in the arms of a smiling young woman, “Go MiNam,” and then she pointed at the other baby, “Go MiNyu.” SoLin swallowed and added, “The hospital didn’t approve of this, but I wanted to keep the moment forever.” SoLin stopped and turned away quickly, letting out a heavy sigh.

No one noticed as TaeJin woke up and walked over to embrace her mother from behind. She kissed the top of her mother’s head and then smiled at her cousins, “We’ll have fun tomorrow, don’t worry.” SoLin chuckled and then stood, breaking out of TaeJin’s embrace and hurrying into the house.

TaeJin looked from her cousins to her waking friends, and smiled, “Bet you didn’t know there was a waterfall in the hills a ways up.”

MiNyu looked interested but MiNam shrugged, not as interested. About the same time, Ruth and Jaci got up and looked around. After stretching, they walked over to the table and Ruth stated, “I want to go for a swim.”

MiNyu stood, “You can swim there?”

TaeJin nodded, “The best is when you jump off into the pool.”

TaeKyung grabbed MiNyu’s wrist and stated, “No. Absolutely not. It’s dangerous,” he added.

Jaci rolled her eyes, “Driving is dangerous and you still do it.” And then she turned for the house, “We should pack some water. That meat was salty,” she added.

Ruth followed her and as TaeJin turned, she smiled at MiNyu and asked, “You coming?”

MiNyu looked at TaeKyung with pleading eyes and then MiNam put his hand on TaeKyung’s hold and pulled his arm off. “Go, have fun,” he added. MiNyu smiled and hurried after TaeJin. TaeKyung looked furious but MiNam simply said, “Aunt SoLin said they aren’t staying here that long. Before they leave, I want MiNyu to feel the love of family,” he added, a bit wistfully.

TaeKyung couldn’t say anything to that. ShinWoo, however, sighed and walked over to the dog mat. He sat on it and then laid back. It was surprisingly soft. So he closed his eyes and let the food coma take him down. MiNam stood and nudged TaeKyung, “Come on, I heard they have the world of instruments in that house.”

TaeKyung wasn’t used to MiNam being so friendly with him, but them being the only ones awake, he followed MiNam into the house and found it much more spacious than he had thought it was. MiNam led TaeKyung up stairs into a greenroom of sorts. MiNam pulled a guitar off the wall as TaeKyung sat behind the grand piano next to tempered glass.

SoLin heard the sounds and entered. She smiled and walked over to open the thick glass windows, letting in fresh and cool air. “My son always enjoyed this room the most, because all of the windows open and you can play music to nature,” she smiled, opening all of the great windows.

She turned and smiled, seeing Ruth and Jaci walk together, followed by TaeJin and MiNyu, towards the hiking trail. “Be careful!” she called out.

All four girls turned and waved before disappearing up the hiking path. She leaned against the window and smiled. MiNam asked, “Is there really a waterfall up there?”

SoLin nodded, “SoJin and I used to hike up there every time we got into an argument. Our parents forced us to. We made up along the way because it’s a difficult hike and sometimes, you need help. By the time you get to the water fall, you’re tired and dirty, and the cool water sounds refreshing,” she smiled and walked over to take a guitar off the wall, “so we stripped down and jumped in.” She took a seat close to MiNam and turned to TaeKyung, “Play something nice.”

TaeKyung smiled, enjoying the breeze and the piano feel under his fingers. He played without reserve and found it cradled by a gentle guitar sound. As MiNam followed SoLin, she simply played, wondering if the music would reach her four girls in the woods.

***

On the path, Ruth and Jaci moved quickly, having done the hike a few times. MiNyu was slower but TaeJin slowed down to help her over the complicated parts. As they went, MiNyu couldn’t help but ask questions, so TaeJin answered them to the best of her abilities.

“Do you guys come back every year around this time?” MiNyu asked, panting.

TaeJin smiled, “Breathe deeply, MiNyu,” she advised first, and then answered, “Our tour brings us this way every year, before we return to the states. We stay until Aunt Sojin’s birthday before we leave.”

MiNyu nodded, “Usually, by this time of the year, A.N.Jell have a lot of activities. Is that why we haven’t met until no-ack!?” MiNyu slipped but she caught herself with her hands.

TaeJin smiled, happy to see the sweet and gentle side of MiNyu cracking open. It was a façade their family members were capable of, but on the inside, each one of them were a bit wilder than the next. “Usually, we get in town today and do the visits before leaving in two days. This time, we had to play at the Seoul Music Festival and Mom has been invited for the Immortal Songs thing,” she added, extending her hand to help MiNyu up a large boulder.

MiNyu reached up and used a tree to help her up the face of a smooth boulder. She rolled and sighed, “This is a tough climb.”

“It would be if you were alone,” TaeJin smiled and looked upwards to see a funnel made of plants. “It’s like climbing a ladder, you go first. I’ll be right behind you,” she smiled.

MiNyu nodded and pushed herself into the tunnel, climbing it like a ladder on both sides. “I think Jeremy would like this,” she added.

TaeJin smiled, flipping her bag to in front of her. “Once you get used to it, we’ll take you to run it with us. It’s fun but a definite challenge,” she added.

“Run it?” MiNyu asked, moving steadily.

TaeJin nodded, “Yup! When you have momentum, everything is faster. Especially the way down, this tunnel becomes a slide.”

“Slide?” MiNyu asked, very curious.

TaeJin nodded and then added, “Don’t think about it now. Keep going up!”

When MiNyu pulled herself out of the tunnel of bushes, she stepped out into a clearing. Ruth and Jaci sipped their waters as TaeJin pulled herself up. MiNyu, for the first time, felt parched, and as she turned to TaeJin, she saw her holding a bottle of water to her. “Thank you,” MiNyu smiled, accepting it thankfully.

TaeJin smiled, “You didn’t think we’d let you go thirsty, did you?

Ruth laughed and called over, “How many did you bring?”

TaeJin peeked into her bag and shouted back, “Five.”

Ruth and Jaci laughed as they prepared to go on. “If you listen carefully, you can hear them playing,” Jaci put in.

The group was quiet for a moment and then TaeJin placed her hand over MiNyu’s eyes, closing her eyes. “If we listen with our hearts, we can hear it better.” Everyone was still and despite the rustling of the leaves and animals in the forest, the gentle sounds of piano and other instruments passed over them, gently like the sunlight.

MiNyu turned to TaeJin, her heart calmed, and TaeJin nodded, leading the way on. The girls finish the climb to the waterfall and then took off their packs. They stashed their shirts and shorts in them before, along with their socks and shoes, before tossing them down onto the shrubbery below. Ruth and Jaci looked at each other, held hands, and then jumped.

MiNyu watched as they splashed into the water and resurfaced, laughing. As they moved away, under the waterfall, TaeJin stepped closer to the edge and smiled. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

At that moment, MiNyu recalled a photo from the albums of a younger SoLin and SoJin in mid air, and realized it had been taken from below as they jumped off the waterfall together. So, swallowing her anxiety, MiNyu shook her head, “I want to,” she smiled and took TaeJin’s hand.

TaeJin smiled and said, “On 3.” She held on to MiNyu’s hand and then looked down, “One,” she looked at MiNyu, “two,” and then she bent her knees, MiNyu following, “three!” They took two steps and then jumped from the top of the waterfall.

MiNyu couldn’t help but scream as she jumped and then she stopped, long enough to hear TaeJin shouting instead of screaming. She hit the water and felt herself sink but then, TaeJin tugged and pulled her to the surface. Eyes wide and sputtering, MiNyu turned and saw TaeJin laughing as Jaci and Ruth beckoned them over to where the water from the fall hit the surface of the pool.

Enjoying the massage of the falling water, MiNyu asked, “What did you shout?”

TaeJin smiled and replied, “I shouted, ‘Look Auntie, I brought Minyu-a!”

MiNyu smiled and looked up at the sky. “Do you think she can see us?”

“Always,” TaeJin replied, her confidence shaking MiNyu to her core.