Chapter 7

Yonghwa was sipping his coffee as he watched Joohyun prepare breakfast. It feels normal yet at the same time alienated. It has been years anyways since they actually had breakfast together. He was just silently observing her as she moved languidly in their small kitchen. His Joohyun was the same, atleast she looks the same except older of course, he himself got old, but the Joohyun that he has in front of him now has more worries, more fears, more inhibitions. He could actually feel her tension even if she’s standing meters away from him. He can sometimes see her get lost in her own thoughts, however he knew, she was trying to be strong, she’s trying to keep it together because as she said, she is a mother. Of 2.

It has been a week since they all knew of the truth. They weren’t seeing in problems when it comes to Haneul and Yumi. It only strengthened their bond especially now that they know they are birth sisters. Haneul basically just dotes on Yumi, everything that they can possibly do together, they actually does when time permits. The sister she had always wanted was now really hers. Yumi on the other hand bask in her sisters full attention that Siwon jokingly said that he’s starting to hate her because she takes what little of time Haneul has for him. She just laughed it off. She loves having an older sister. Someone she can talk to about just about everything and anything under the sun. She was so used to doing things alone that she never realized how lonely she were. She got friends but a sister is definitely more fun. Sometimes she feels like she’s a kid again when she’s with her unnie and she likes it. In a way living with a single parent in the US makes a child more mature since they learn how to take care of themselves at such a young age. She already does a bit of grocery shopping when she was 12. Learned to make breakfast for herself at the age of 7 since her mom has two jobs.

Joohyuns family was ecstatic to find out that they told the children the truth, tho accidental , the truth is already out. They try to invite Yonghwa and Haneul over for dinner as often as possible for the last week, nothing special, just try to catch up on the lost time, even just a bit. Yonghwa’s parents on the other hand has been trying to get in touh with him, even going as far as dropping by his office, ut he refused to see and talk to them. Not now, maybe later he thought, he’s not ready. Their actions can not simply be forgiven easily. He lost his wife and his daughter for 2 decades simply because of their selfishness. One of these days he’ll drop by their old house and talk to them, but not now. His mother even went to look for Yumi in her class but good thing Yonghwa knew what she was upto.

The biggest adjustment came from them and their children. Joohyun and Haneul went out for some mother and daughter time. They had lunch and went shopping. It was fun yet eye opening to find out how little to non Joohyun knew about her eldest daughter. Er favorite food to her favorite color, to the type of music she listens, to the books that she read. She asked all of them, all the things a mother should know, she asked. Same goes for Haneul but she’s not expecting anything, she is thankful with whatever she gets, and this is more than enough. She had always dreamt of eating ice cream with her mother in the park just like what she saw her bestfriend and her mom was doing when they were little. As much as she hates to admit it, she envied her bestfriend everytime she comes over and her mom would ask them to help her bake cakes and cookies. It was fun. Her Aunt Hyoyeon, Jana’s mom, is really funny.

Yonghwa and Yumi was the oddest of them all. The choding and the choding. He usually was to pick up Yumi from home then bring her to school and then bring her home. It was fun for the first two days, no need to wait for the bus but afterwards she noticed how little her time is for socializing. It was her Haneul unnie who rescues her. But that doesn’t stop her dad from doing what he needs to do, thus taking us back to that morning when he was waiting for his youngest

“Oppa, you don’t have to pick her up everyday you know” Joohyun spoke as she gave Yonghwa his bowl of rice

“I know, but this is the only way I can talk to her”

“You can actually go out like what me and Haneul did”

“I know also but I think  that’s a bit formal”

Joohyun frowned “Formal? Just so you know nothing is ever formal with Yumi. Our cat was more formal with Yumi, heck even their class hamster was more formal than her”

“I heard that!” Yumi peeked slightly from her door “And just so you two know I am formal.. when I want to be”

“See?” Joohuyn shrugging

Yumi then went out of her room and sat beside Yonghwa. She sees her fathers effort and so she does the same. It’s not like her mom is remarrying someone else like a stepfather, it’s her own biological father, her own flesh and blood, the exact cell that help create her.  

“Yes appa, you really don’t have to pick me up everyday. I am 20 years old. You really don’t need to babysit me or anything”

Yonghwa got a piece of meat and put it in Yumis bowl “Think of me as your driver”

She pouted “Err, highly unlikely, yesterday, two of my professors saw you dropping me at school, blatantly asked if your my big brother, or single uncle, jokingly said to introduce you to them”

Joohyun can’t help but laughed. It was her problem years ago, warding off Yonghwa’s fangirls, now it’s their daughters turn to do so. “What did you tell them?” she asked

“I told them he may or may not be single”

It was Yonghwa’s turn to laugh “And why did you do that?”

“Well I don’t think you and mom has settled things between you two, and I don’t want to diminish your chances of having some new flames and thirdly, I might get better grades on my electives”

“Yumi!” Joohyun slightly smacked her

“What?! Was I wrong?”

Yonghwa and Joohyun’s laughed faded and turned into an awkward blabber of sound. Yes there’s another big elephant. All of a suddent they don’t know how to be around each other. And theres the eerie silence one more.

Yumi got up and took a jug of water from the fridge “Chill you two, geez the temperature suddenly turned cold, and the fridge and the AC has nothing to do with it”

She and Haneul talked about it a lot. Their dads perseverance, their mothers aversion. They even went as far as discussing if they now have to live together, all four of them in one house. She and Haneul has done sleep over twice that week, so no problem there but their parents was a completely different story. Unlike Haneul and Yumi, their parents had history, history of how they hugged, how they cuddled, how they talked, how they fought, how they were as husband and wife and they just can not get back to how they were. The sisters knew that their parents has enough love for each other to actually stand being together, but would they have that much love to be together again as a couple? Yumi sighed at the sight of her parents, both looking at their food but not really eating it

“No playing with your food!” she smiled widely as she blew air kisses “Dad if your done, let’s go? I don’t want this place to their into Antartica”

“Yes let’s go!”

“Bye mom” as she said goodbye to her mother, dropping a soft kiss on the top of her head

She didn’t even bother looking at her parents when her and her dad leaves every morning. Whatever their issue is, she’s out.

“You do know that you just have to be patient with mom right?” Yumi spoke in the