“I don’t understand what you are saying”, I said, “Who is after me?”, I asked, “And why are they after me?”. Daniel looked at me and I could see the fear in his eyes. “I don’t even know where to begin”, he said. “Begin with what?”, I asked. “Did your parents ever tell you anything about who you are, before they died?”, Daniel asked. “No… what do you mean who I am?”, I asked. “I didn’t know”, Daniel said, “I didn’t know it was you”. “Daniel, can you please just tell me what is going on”, I pleaded.

“I knew you”, Daniel said, “I knew you... long before we even met”. “How is that even possible?”, I asked. “Your name is Kim Trisha. You were born on the 14th of November 1998. Your mother’s name was Chaerin and your father’s name was Shin”, Daniel said. “My father’s name was Soogeun”, I said. “No Tris”, Daniel said, sadly, “Your adoptive father was Soogeun”. My heart sank to the ground at the word adoptive. “What do you mean adoptive father?”, I asked. “Soogeun has been my father since I was born, there are pictures to prove that, there’s a birth certificate to prove that.”

“Soogeun might have been there since birth, but he’s not your biological father Tris”, Daniel said. “No, I don’t believe you”, I said, “That can’t be true”. “Your parents would have told you eventually”, Daniel said, apologetically, “But they died before they had the chance to tell you the truth. Daehwi was born 4 years after you. You share the same mother, but not the same father”. I started to hyperventilate, unsure of how to comprehend any of what Daniel was saying. “I’m sorry”, Daniel said, trying to keep me from falling, “I didn’t mean to drop this on you. I would have eased you into it, but there's no time now that they know who you are”.

“I don’t…”, I couldn’t get out a single sentence. “I know”, Daniel said, “I know you don’t understand, and I’m going to explain everything to you”. Daniel put his arms around me, trying to calm me down. But nothing could calm me down right now, not even being in his embrace. I didn't understand anything that was happening. Every time I thought I was okay, I remembered Daniel's words and started to cry again.

I wasn't sure how long I stood there in Daniel's arms, but eventually the crying had stopped and I just began to feel numb. “I want to know”, I said, after pulling myself together, “I need to know everything”. “Okay”, but we shouldn’t talk here, out in the open”, Daniel said. We went back to the library, got my things and then drove off campus on Dani