Grieving over one’s absence did not compensate for the void left behind. Every mournful tear was a reminder of another lost opportunity at being together. Million words remained unspoken, and thousands of dreams unattained. They hearts continued to cry out in the hope it would mitigate the pain.   It didn’t.   “Thank you. Your presence is very much appreciated,” Hyunmi recited over and over again as visitors appeared and shook her hands in condolence. The veil covered her visions, but her pupils gazed into an unknown distance, unable to recognize the people passing before her.   Were these people truly acquaintances of her brother who mourned his departure? Or were they evil doers who celebrated his death? No energy remained in her to discern good from evil; exhaustion carrying itself in the weight of her voice.   “Mother.”   Hyunmi looked up, distinguishing the familiar voice. Seeing Rika stand before her, another set of uncontrollable emotions unraveled itself. The two spoke no more, silently translating their grief through a tight embrace. They never imagined their reunion to take place at a funeral.   “My deepest condolences. I am truly… I…” Rika was unable to find the words, only continuing to wail louder. Her nails dug deeper into the back of Hyunmi’s black dress, the appropriate mourning attire she would wear for weeks to come. “I apologize you endured the sufferings on your own, mother.”   “Nay, I was never by myself,” Hyunmi spoke, her voice hoarse and weak despite her attempt to dawn a smile. What a horrid realization it was. She had always been surrounded by her loved ones, but at Dongwoo’s time of death, he had been in solitary confinement. No loved one was present to bid him farewell. How tragic.   As Rika stepped aside, Hyunmi was surprised to see the honorable judge and his wife standing before her, both dressed in black attire to show their token of respect. Outside, even officer Lee Howon was keeping guard, though he refused to step inside.   “My deepest condolences, Miss Jang,” Myungsoo spoke, gripping her hand with a tender squeeze.   The moment he let go, Seulyi appeared, forgoing all formalities as she took Hyunmi in an embrace. “I am truly sorry for your loss, Hyunmi,” she wailed, shuddering her shoulders to the rhythm of her cries.   Hyunmi experienced a momentary confusion, wondering what had happened to instigate this sudden connection. Seulyi, once reluctant to acknowledge her lowly life existence, showed no hesitance at today’s union.   “I understand your grief. My sister was once taken by lowlife drunkards, and I was rendered helpless,” Seulyi suddenly confessed. “However, some things are beyond our control, and we need to cope with them instead of blaming ourselves for the inevitable.”   Hyunmi whispered small words of gratitude, returning her hold around Seulyi. In the same manner she despised the rich for mistreating her family, perhaps Seulyi loathed the poor for the same reason. Hyunmi had always judged the aristocats for their wealth and arrogance, but perhaps, her prejudice had been wrong all over. Everyone had their own battle; and the inability to see other people’s struggle did not permit any acts of condemnation.   The tearful revelation was interrupted when Woohyun appeared, laying a hand on Hyunmi’s shoulders. “It is time to send him off,” he said.   Hyunmi said no more, only giving the slight nod of her head. Before changing his station, Woohyun pressed a light kiss on the back of her hand. He offered a small smile, relieved to see her return a faint resemblance of that same smile, then left.   Today’s funeral had all been courtesy to Woohyun. He had insisted on giving the most luxurious and expensive funeral. For a man whose life impacted so many souls, only the best should be presented, he reasoned. But Hyunmi disagreed, reminding him of her brother’s humble nature. Dongwoo would prefer a simple memorial, always attempting to efface himself. Woohyun assented her request, but word spread out and many guests came to pay their respects.   Considering women weren’t allowed to attend the graveside service, Woohyun ensured all visitation be done within the funeral house. He ordered the most beautiful coffin with intricate golden patterns carved along its exterior, and a soft pearl white cushion decorated its inside. The orphans placed an item for Dongwoo to take to the other side, including a sketch Rika had drawn, a jar of his favorite jam, and of course, the emerald scarf he never took off until its final moment. His wounds had been cleaned up, and he was dressed in a fine black attire. It was quite a tragic notion how one would only experience the finer things in life during the time of their death.   Before they closed the coffin, Donghyun made a ruckus telling them to wait. He had only began to understand the notion of Dongwoo’s departure, believing he had fallen into a deep sleep, which brought him to a land much much better than here. The little boy started throwing flower petals over Dongwoo’s body, beautifying the coffin, enhancing their gathering as a celebratory send-off rather than a funeral.   “Donghyun, what are you doing?” Joochan asked, trying to stop him from pouring more petals.   “I am beautifying his bed, so he will find greater comfort in his new world,” Donghyun answered with a proud grin.   “Donghyun, have you heard?” Woohyun suddenly chimed it, kneeling down to be at Donghyun’s eye level.   From up close, the little boy noticed the swollen eyebags below Woohyun’s red eyes, akin to the one he had noticed with the others. He decided not to comment on it, wondering why they displayed such sadness when they should be celebrating. “Heard what, father?”   “They say that flowers will sprout from the ground if the person has lived a good life. But if he had been evil, only weeds would grow,” Woohyun spoke.   Donghyun’s eyes widened in realization. “I do not need to beautify his bed. Uncle is one of the nicest person in the whole wide world. Surely flowers will sprout from his bed!”   Only the purest of souls managed to see the good in one’s departure, and Donghyun was one of the rare few who possessed child-like faith. His joy was contagious, and for a split second, they believed Dongwoo’s departure was a festive occasion. He’d be in a better place, free from derision, regain his lexicon, and reunite with his parents.   They were about to continue the funeral ceremony—Joochan had taken his seat behind the piano to play the piece Dongwoo loved listening to—when an unannounced intruder appeared. The first person to enter was Daeyeol, which brought a smile on their faces. But remembering his current place of residency, they realized he brought company. And indeed, striding behind him were Sungjong, Sungyeol, and Sunggyu. For once, Sungyeol seemed rather paranoid, hesitantly looked around him as if being there itself could invite viruses to infect him.   “Oh, how pathetic,” Sunggyu said, tossing his head up in detestable arrogance. He sauntered inside, holding his hands up with authority when Youngtaek and Sungyoon wanted to prevent his entrance. He headed straight to Hyunmi, a grin twisting his lips when Woohyun immediately appeared nearby.   “If you wish to sneer at our grief, you are welcome to do so elsewhere,” Hyunmi spoke, not concealing the ill tempered patience in her voice.   “What a lovely host you are; I have never experienced a more inviting welcome, Miss Jang,” Sunggyu spoke with clear sarcasm. “You have no need to be wary of me. I came here to pay my respects for Mr. Jang Dongwoo. It is the least I could do considering he has transferred the property to me.”   Everyone aware of the property acquisition attempts immediately looked up in alert; Joochan putting a harsh stop to his piece through a dissonant chord. Seeing the smug smile on Sunggyu’s face, no one dared to doubt his words.   “How is that possible?” Hyunmi questioned, suddenly wondering where Dongwoo had truly gone off to the day of his absence. Sungjong had found him in town. Had Dongwoo paid a visit to Sunggyu to negotiate the land ownership instead of trying to find Woohyun?   “If I remember correctly, the honorable judge Kim requested your brother to find a new owner for the land. Considering a female is not allowed to own a property, you are exempted. Therefore, he came to me with the proposal,” Sunggyu spoke, highly bragging of his victory. Every depletion in Hyunmi’s resolve to argue back was a victory to him.   “My brother came to you? Do not speak of such lies,” Hyunmi retaliated, but the conviction was barely audible. A part of her believed such a possibility existed, especially with the ill manner she had treated her brother with.   “Oh, but I assure you it’s the truth Miss Jang. In fact, your brother even requested our banker, Lee Sungyeol, to set up a payable on death account. I assume your lack of intelligence does not permit an understanding of this concept. Likewise, I doubt your idiot brother understood the term even after our broad explanation,” Sunggyu continued, deliberately throwing degrading words to stimulate her anger. His mouth dipped into a growing smirk seeing Woohyun control his woman from charging at him.   “What is a payable on death account?” Daeyeol asked, staring at Sungyeol. But the older brother seemed too deep in thoughts over another issue, slightly flinching in place when Daeyeol nudged him.   “Oh, it… it names the beneficiary to receive account assets when the original account owner dies,” Sungyeol answered, staring at the floor. His tone bore none of his usual arrogance and pride, as it did with Sunggyu. There was a clear disconnect with his surroundings, an issue which Sunggyu paid no heed to.   “Jang Dongwoo had been kind enough to name me the beneficiary of his account should an incident result in his death. And, ah, fate truly has a terrific way of timing, doesn’t it? Who knew he’d leave so soon?” Sunggyu relished his victory, spreading his arms as a boisterous laughter erupted from his mouth.   Hyunmi let out a staggering sigh, nearly stumbling backwards had it not been for Woohyun and Rika to hold her steady. Clearly, her brother had been tricked into obeying their will. They were skilled deceivers after all, and a person as pure as Dongwoo was an easy target to their scams. However, such mistakes couldn’t be undone. They had lost a brother, a friend, and a home.   It was over.   “Have you acquired legal documents for your claims?” Myungsoo’s authoritative voice suddenly interrupted. Despite being at a funeral procession ceremony, he took on his role as the judge when the need for it arose.   “Why certainly, Your Honor,” Sunggyu replied, his lips curling up with mockery. He snapped his fingers, commanding Sungyeol to bring him the paperwork. However, Sungyeol’s gaze had lingered at some unknown distance, hindering him from hearing the signal. It took several more attempts before he jolted back to reality, hurrying to Myungsoo. He opened the briefcase, obtaining several documents for the judge to inspect.   “Aha, I see,” Myungsoo muttered, nodding his head as he scanned the paperwork. He then cleared his throat and lowered the documents from his face. “These are all proper documents. However, you seem to forget the most important aspect of doing these transactions. None of these documents are legal and can be put into effect unless they contain my approval.”   “What?” Sunggyu huffed his breath, hanging his mouth in an odd shape as furious eyes gazed at the judge. “No such rule exists in the jurisdiction!”   Myungsoo’s face, usually deprived from any emotion, allowed a small smile to form, more cunning than anyone thought he’d be capable of producing. “Mr. Kim, you seem to forget whom you are speaking with. Do you accuse me for having a lack of knowledge regarding the law?”   Sunggyu gulped.   “As far as my knowledge pertains, Mr. Jang originally requested a transfer of ownership document to be p