Sukyi’s POV

“That memory of the hillside is my memory too. The pieces fit too perfectly, don’t you agree?” Donghae insisted, emitting a new kind of energy. I couldn’t deny what he said was true, but it was too much to take in all at once. I lived for so many years as Shin Sukyi in San Diego with a fake family that never seemed to care about whatever the heck I did. If this was true, then I’d be more than happy to accept it. I couldn’t remember how many times I sat in my room in America crying and wishing that this wasn’t the family I was born into. I knew that we didn’t get to choose our families, but I didn’t like that even my family didn’t get the choice to keep me.

“Lee Sukyi…” I whispered, feeling how natural it was to my tongue compared to Shin Sukyi. Was this even real? I wished that it was so that I didn’t have to be scared of leaving Korea once foreign exchange ended just to go back to the two people who seemed like they hated me the most in the world. My ‘mother’ back in America was just so fake sometimes I couldn’t stand her, but was she my kidnapper too?

“Are you sure…?” I asked again. I was struck with awe and felt like I would wake up from this fantasy at any given moment. I feared that more than anything else. If Lee Donghae was my brother and not Shin Soohyun, even if I had no memories of Donghae I could still feel that he cared. Instead of answering my question right away, Donghae dug his hand into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, then pulled out an old wrinkled photograph.

“It’s you.” He nodded, and handed it to me. I gladly took it and looked at the face in the photograph—the mini version of myself staring right back into my eyes, into my soul and I shivered. In the picture, the little girl sat at the top of a slide kicking her feet up and down with a carefree smile. Her eyes formed half moons just the way mine did when I laughed, and her smile crooked slightly to the left—just like mine. There was no doubting it now. I was Donghae’s sister Lee Sukyi, and though I couldn’t remember it at all, it felt right.

“It’s me…” I began to tear up, and with every drop that slid down my face, a memory came flowing back to me. Being in the presence of my real brother under a starlit sky with a photograph of my younger self was no better way to slap reality in my face. The memories I repressed in order to move in after being forced out of Korea all came flooding back into my mind, and I tumbled backwards a little.

I could remember all the nights we snuck out so that he could teach me constellations and familiar lunar structures. I remembered begging with him at the toy store for a miniature telescope that was clearly a marketing scam for kids. Every dumb thing we did, every day that we got in trouble, but most importantly I could remember my mom. In my memory she had the sweetest smile on Earth, and the kindest eyes that made half moons when she was happy. She was skinny and tall, and always had her hair in a messy bun. I could remember how it felt to be safely in her arms, or when she tucked me in bed and hummed a lullaby until I slept.

            I finally could admit that I remembered everything. Suddenly I wasn’t so lost, and impulsively I threw myself at Donghae for a hug.

            “I remember.” I smiled, my tears were now pouring out though I didn’t feel an ounce of sadness.

            “I really missed you, dongsaeng.” Donghae smiled back, patting my head like he used to.

            “What the…?” Yoseob was now standing beside Donghae, staring at our hugging as we reluctantly pulled away. I had to admit that I forgot he was here the entire time.

            “This Sukyi is… your sister?” Yoseob asked in disbelief, throwing his arms into the air and shaking his head. Donghae only laughed and punched him playfully on the shoulder. I imagined that he’d have a lot to thank Yoseob for since it was through Yoseob that we were able to meet again.

★★★

            Donghae drove me back to his house so that I could see my mom again. After all these years I felt almost nervous to meet her. More than anything I felt sorry because she had worried for me for so long. Donghae pulled out a key and within seconds the front door opened. The living room was dark and so was the kitchen.

            “It’s really late so she’s probably sleeping or reading in her room.” Donghae informed me as he welcomed me in. We kicked off our shoes and flicked on a dim lamp. The house was just as my memories had left it, except a few couches had switched places and the TV got bigger.

            “Stay here for a second.” He told me, and then left down the hall to knock on our mother’s door. He knocked twice but there was no sound, so he twisted the knob and opened it a crack.

            “Eomeoni,” He whispered in a hushed voice to get her attention. Light from her room radiated through the crack to illuminate a bit of the dark hallway.

            “What are you doing?” He asked, entering her bedroom silently. With the door now side open though I couldn’t see anything, I could hear weak sniffles. Was she crying?

            “I’m sorry, son…” I heard her weak voice sob from the bedroom. She sounded the same as in my memory but less energetic, as if something had her joy away along with her youth.

            “It’s okay, there’s someone here to see you.” Donghae informed, and then I heard footsteps down the hallway.

            “Omo!” She breathed suddenly. She stood at the opening of the hallway as I rose from the couch I’d been sitting on. It was as if she had seen a ghost, but her face suddenly lit up and even without introductions she seemed to know exactly who I was. I guessed that this was just the kind of unexplainable connection between mother and daughter. She ran right towards me and pulled me in for a hug, and it was in fact the most memorable hug I’ve ever received.

            “Sukyi-yah…” She cried into my shoulder. My mother was now much shorter than I was, and I could feel how frail she was, but she was still warm. I was finally home—and everything felt right again.

★★★   

         A few weeks after returning to my real family, I ratted out my ‘family’ back in America and we spent days preparing and firing a lawsuit against them. There was no doubt that we’d lose the case since we had prepared a DNA matching test and the results were 99.9%. We had all the papers and my birth certificate in line to really send my kidnapper to prison, and after the court appeal, that was just what the judge had decided—plus a hefty fine.

            I no longer lived with Hyeyeong, which was convenient because her brother Jaeseop was coming back from abroad due to a car accident. We stayed friends though, and hung out every day at school with Yoseob. I reclaimed my room in my original house but replaced all the old and kiddy furniture with a desk and a bigger bed, but I left the glow in the dark stars glued to my ceiling.

            It was amazing that during my stay in America, I did not actually have an American citizenship. Somehow my kidnapper had forged everything and made everything slide so that I could live an oblivious life as an illegal resident, but I was able to regain my Korean citizenship after my mom renounced my supposed death. I gave up everything I had in America—which wasn’t much—and continued on with the life that I had left behind in Korea.

            People often told me that the grass was greener on the other side. After living in America for so long I felt like there was a flaw in this saying. Being in Korea again reminded me that the stars were brighter here—not in America. If I could wrap up how I felt in a single phrase I’d say, there really is no place like home.

A/N: Yay this fanfic is finally over!^^ I have a feeling that the ending is bad... but I never really did develop a solid plot for this and I feel so bad... If I had planned more I would've been able to make this fanfic a whole lot better so I'm a little disappointed in myself. Sorry Jenn unnie! Hope it was still relatively fun to read x]!