“Sun Young honey!”

The teenager rolled her eyes at the sound of her aunt’s voice. Her mom called her aunt to cook for their little family gathering tonight since she has work until late. Sun Young, having the whole Saturday all by herself, was there to deal with her aunt’s never ending mandates.

“Suuuuuun!”

Sun Young grunted in displeasure and dragged herself downstairs to the kitchen. There, she saw the kitchen full and busy despite of only having one person inside. Four stoves were on and cooking while the island was full of vegetables, fish and more ingredients that needs to be done.

Sun Young never liked cooking but she sure does love eating. That’s why a part of her loves it whenever her aunt comes by their house. But the errands her Aunt would give her every time would prefer make her to starve and settle with fast food.

“Can you go and buy me tomatoes and salt? Your mom really needs to refill your kitchen. It’s empty! How can you even cook here?” The old woman started to nag and before it gets long, Sun Young took the reusable shopping bag and a couple of Wons to buy the damned ingredients.

“Anything else you want me to buy auntie?” she asked in an annoyed tone the old lady failed to hear.

“No that’ll be it. Can you hurry? The stew needs to be cooked first.” Aunt Mae told and Sun Young sighed before heeding her aunt’s words.

It should’ve clicked to Sun Young already that when her aunt said ‘that’s it’, it meant it has an unheard follow up which is ‘for now’ because she ended up going back to the supermarket five more times and after that, she was told to clean up the unwashed gigantic pots her aunt used.

Sun Young hates washing up those pots the most. They don’t even fit in the sink! But knowing how her aunt already has bone problems and her hands are already palsy, she bit her tongue and did what was told. After all, her aunt, just like always, was able to cook a feast in just a couple of hours and that was obviously tiring for the 60 year old.

After half an hour of cleaning utensils and endless pots in the kitchen, Sun Young came out of the kitchen. Her favorite shirt stained with grease and dishwashing soap, wet and ruined. Seeing her pathetic situation, the teen walked towards the stairs when she saw the dining table filled with mouthwatering food for the family to feast later on. Her aunt was still arranging the table busily and not wanting to get bossed at again, Sun Young quietly went her way up to her room.

She was too tired and probably won’t go out until the gathering later tonight. But her plan was ruined when she heard the familiar voice she’s beginning to hate.

“Choi Sun Young!!”

The teen huffed in annoyance as she took off her shirt and threw it on the floor. “What now?!” she asked no one in particular and glared at the innocent closed door. Not wanting to burst at her aunt, Sun Young decided to keep quiet and stay in her room but her aunt had other plans.

“Sun Young? Are you inside? Did you finish cleaning the pots?...” The old lady rained her with questions about the chores and Sun Young felt something inside her snap.

Putting on a clean shirt, Sun Young stomped her way to the door and opened it to see her aunt still talking about who-knows.what.

“Oh.” The  old lady said when Sun Young opened the door harshly and not noticing her niece’s furry, she continued her ‘conversation’. “You’re here. Oh my! Is that a dirty shirt I see on the floo--”

Sun Young’s face was red and she was breathing heavily as she glared at the old lady.

“NO!” she shouted earning a gasp from her aunt.

“Sun Young!” Aunt Mae called her name scoldingly. “That’s not how you talk to your aunt--”

“I DON’T CARE!” The teenager shouted and walked past through the old lady. She has to get away because her aunt managed to get into every single nerves she’s got in her body she might kill.

Aunt Mae, shocked at her niece’s behavior, followed Sun Young, still scolding her about education and proper behavior making the teen’s mood worse.

The niece reached the doors and opened it but before going out and slamming it shut, she turned around and gave her aunt a glare. “I wish you would get your own family and stop bothering our house all the time.” she said and out of the door she was, leaving the old lady in shock and hurt.

Sun Young went to the park nearby and cried. Her best friend Sehun was sleeping over in his uncle’s place in Busan so she couldn’t call him and she had no one to talk to. She was so upset with her aunt she couldn’t stop herself from doing that and cried in guilt and frustration for a good hour.

The young girl never meant to say those words to Aunt Mae. They’re her only family and she knew she has hurt the old woman greatly with her words. She never meant to shout or hate her. It’s just...she was being annoying and she never gave her a break. Aunt Mae didn’t even think that this is her only day to rest and she still decided to ruin it.

Tired of crying and with swollen eyes, Sun Young looked around the park and saw a wish plant beside the grass land she was sitting on. Sun Young sniffled and cleaned her tear-stained face before picking the plant up.

Her aunt wouldn’t be that annoying and whiny if she got married and had children. If her aunt had her own family, she wouldn’t bother to cook for any of her brothers anymore, right? And she won’t go to their house and boss her around, right? And if her aunt has fallen in love with someone, maybe, this fight wouldn’t have happened right? Sun Young thought as she stared at the dandelion.

“I wish I was in the past and could’ve helped aunt to fall in love back then.” she sniffled and the wind blew violently for a moment making the teenager close her eyes. After the gush of wind went away, Sun Young pouted when she saw her wish plant already had its seeds blown away. Wow, even the nature won’t let her have her way today.

Sighing, Sun Young stood up and patted herself clean from the grass and dirt from the ground before walking back home, ready to apologize and receive the scolding not only her aunt will give her but everyone who will hear about what she did later in the family gathering.

Sun Young didn’t expect to see no one in her house when she got back. The dinner was still there but her aunt wasn’t. Tired and wanting to have a moment to brace herself from the scolding later on, she went to her room and took a good nap.

*****

Sun Young woke up with the sound of roosters’ -a-doodle-doos and frowned. Since when did their family raise roosters? She asked herself and opened her eyes only to wince at the bright morning sun.

Did their family dinner got cancelled? Why didn’t they wake her up? Are they that upset with her? Are they disowning her?

Sun Young sat up with anxiety that morning and frowned when she woke up. She wasn’t in her room and that was definitely their not house. The teenager walked out of the small hut only to recognize the neighborhood. It’s her mom’s hometown and the small hut was just behind her grandparent’s, now her aunt Mae’s, house.

Maybe they all went to the province and didn’t wake her up? But why was she in the hut and not in one of the rooms of that big house like they always do when they sleep there?

Sun Young sighed and was about to go inside the house when the door opened and a rush of kids came out running. They were in their uniforms and some were still eating and struggling with their uniforms and hair as they made their way out. She heard them say ‘Bye’ and ‘see you later’ as they dashed out, failing to notice the confused teen who tumbled on the floor.

“What the hell.” Sun Young groaned on the floor. Some of those boys bumped into her and made her fall but before she could even whine about it, they were gone.

“Oh...excuse me. Are you alright?” She heard a voice only to see a young beautiful lady looking down at her. She helped Sun Young up and pat her clean from the dust.

“I’m so sorry about that. My siblings are late for school and they have to rush. I’m sure they didn’t see you there.” the lady explained and Sun Young couldn’t get over on how beautiful she is. Long hair, fair skin, beautiful big eyes… just like the young version of her aunt Mae...what--?

“Uh..Are you still there?” the lady asked worriedly and Sun Young found herself nodding. The young lady invited her in for a cup of tea to apologize for her brothers’ behavior earlier and Sun Young noticed that the house was good as new. The family picture of their family was there but some of it was gone. For example, her family portrait and her cousins’. Old photos were still there though. Those with her uncles and aunts when they were young were there.

“Do you live here?” Sun Young asked as she watched the young lady prepare the tea. She surely knew where the things were placed, even better than her.

“Yes. It’s me, my parents and those guys you saw earlier. We’re a big family of twelve.” she said proudly and it made Sun Young frown. She paused for a moment before everything in her mind clicked.

The guy who bumped into her earlier looks just like her uncle Junmyeon when he was eight and this lady looks a lot like her aunt Mae. The house looks new and the missing pictures weren’t taken until recently. It’s crazy but Sun Young has read too many fiction books and has watched lots of movies but still…

“Can you tell me the date today?” she asked and the younger aunt Mae looked back to her. She paused to think and smiled at Sun Young. “It’s October 12th.” she replied.

“Year?”

“1968.”