Kang Dohee, now eighty-five years old, had lived a long and productive life. Born in 1933, she was the only girl in the family not counting her mother, not only was she the youngest but the favorite as her siblings playfully stated.

Her life mostly started to take off at the age of nineteen--perhaps a bit late to some--, in 1952, when she met her life-long husband Kang Hyunji. She vividly remembers the young and timid man trying to court her back in the day when she was still a college student. She had been a little frightened, a little shy, foreign to the world of relationships and courting. As a tradition of her family line, The Kwons, her brothers and her own father took it upon themselves to find out what they could about the young man. Oh, she can still remember how they tried to scare him and threaten him but, despite being a shy man, Hyunji expressed his position with the utmost respect and politeness. He said that if they wished they could search about his family, talk to his father, and he even gave them his address!

It all went well, seeing as Hyunji was a clean man who’s earned his respect around town as a man of right. It also turns out that Hyunji’s father was old school buddies with Dohee’s father! What a small world. Regardless of the awkwardness in the beginning, Dohee and Hyunji found themselves exploring the new feelings of love together, never failing to communicate to each other, always backing each other up, individuals that were together but never mixed into one.

It was years later, already married, that they decided to move to America and start a life there. Surely, they began to live their life in the big city of New York, running a restaurant chain for Korean cuisine all around town. Their first child came about, so did the second one, and the third and last. It was a wonderful life surely! Soon enough, being tired of all the big city, they had both moved down in the countryside--a nice and modest little town--purchasing a farm and beginning to run it in their last peaceful years of their life.

It had been some wonderful years of life, but shrouded with darkness in between that now only seemed to gloom over the old lady. The death of her parents, her brothers, her friends, her husband and even her oldest son, Rokhyun. All of them dead, their smiles only a vague memory in her brain. She did not regret anything, never regretted the life and the path she had chosen, always kind and polite, but she regretted not being able to see them anymore--albeit that was never really any of her choice, it was just what life had in store for her and her friends--she regretted not being able to apologize for the mundane arguments and issues she had with them. All the arguments she’s had, the disagreements, with all of them, especially with Rokhyun, seemed to not matter anymore.

The issues are gone and the feuds now were all gone, but now has been replaced by a sense of sadness, a hollowness in her heart that could not be filled with anyone else, missing the warm hugs from her friends, missing the neck massages from Rokhyun, missing the tender kisses from her lovely little sap Hyunji.

Slowly, but surely, life was losing its meaning despite being surrounded by people she loved, children who were eager to take care of her, a new generation of Kangs to make the name lively and bring pride and honor to the name.

But now, it seemed to gain a new meaning when Kang Seulgi, her grandchild, stepped into the farm. She had grown big, she had matured but now she was getting crooked. Oh, she knows about what Seulgi had done, the attitude she had taken, the grim path she’s looking at and the nefarious kick she gave the paparazzi no less. Her meaning now was to correct her, maybe not scold her but surely let her know that what she’s doing is not worth of her youth, something that she will bid farewell in two decades to come, a time she should use wisely.

This was her new meaning, her motive. She did not want to leave this world without seeing Seulgi go back to the way she was, perhaps even better. Not all her behavior was wrong, of course, something good can come out of it! Her standing up for herself attitude, not letting anyone step over her, but this was not the way to be.

This was something Joonhyung caught instantly, Eunji did too. The old lady wouldn’t give for another year, but Dohee was determined to make all the time worth it, make it last more if possible.

They had all sat back down to the table, the tears now dry, but Seulgi still felt her heart was the heaviest thing in her body. She faked her smiles as an actress of her caliber would, a hint of genuine feelings behind them but unable to say she wasn’t at all content. Sure, she was happy to see her grandmother once again, but she was still in a deep shock, a deep and annoying one. She didn’t want to act strangely, but she was just behaving this way and it was starting to get on her nerves.

Everyone, even the ever so honest Joy, was acting like nothing was wrong, like they didn’t know the news and Seulgi herself wondered if they did, and how long has her father been lying to her. She wanted to start crying again, to lose all composure and to throw a tantrum.

All the money in the world, all the talent she had, all the strings and connections she could pull… none of them would make her grandma stay home longer. She felt helpless, upset, angry at the world once again, but she did her best to behave. Were they not upset either? How were they managing it? It was perhaps her sudden stubbornness that had made her unable to digest things, a bit of a tantrum of her part, a sorrowful one. She was in a bit of a denial.

But dinner continued on, everyone had a jolly good time, except for Seulgi. Soon, it was time for Grandma to go to sleep, and so Joonhyung made it his mission to make sure she arrived to her room and helped her with anything she needed. Then, Seulgi noticed that she did not sleep upstairs, but she slept on one of the old guest rooms downstairs. She no longer slept in her own bed, her own room.

“Since when did grandma sleeps in the guest room?” Seulgi softly asked to Luna, who was arranging all the empty plates in one pile. “As far as I remember, she used to sleep upstairs?”

Luna nodded with her lips pressed together in a small line. “Well, she started going up and down the stairs a lot more slower, and since they’re long stairs it’s just… easier to sleep downstairs. She has the bathroom right there anyways.”

Seulgi’s saddened frown was nothing but telling to anyone paying attention, and that person so happens to be Irene, who was getting all the utensils in a bunch to get them to the sink. She had figured it out rather quickly, and while it wasn’t her business, it brought some sympathy to the poor girl who seemed to have arrived to this house blindly. Her grandmother was in a critical condition, natural for any human, but she wasn’t aware of it up until now. But then she wondered why they didn’t tell her. Perhaps that truly was none of her business and she should not pry on it.

Naturally, Seulgi was beyond exhausted and wanted to do nothing but sleep now. And given her conditions, she was allowed to right away. She dreamed far and beyond her imagination, her brain registering all the information of the day and sorting it out as her body finally rested.

She woke up the next day normally, without a cold wet hand rubbing all over her face. Her eyelids were stuck midway and heavy to move them, her body almost creaking with exhaustion. The sun was only slightly out by this time and the chickens had yet to sing. The person who was ready to sing with b energy was Irene who was already entering Seulgi’s and Joy’s room, careful not to disturb the pale teenager. She was always careful, as Joy was a light sleeper sometimes.

Irene was surprised to see Seulgi with her eyes open already (as open as they could be at the moment), sitting on the bed and hunched over with slumber written all over her face. It was a little while until Seulgi noticed her--already wearing a plaid shirt tucked into her jeans with her sleeves rolled up--and acknowledged her job with a nod, slowly getting out of bed and shuffling her feet rather carelessly.

The vast difference between someone who is used to waking up early and someone who is often forced to wake up early was astounding to Irene, and in addition it was also quite adorable to see the loud-mouth superstar look so… submissive and tired. She almost wanted to hug her and fix her breakfast before they got to work. Quickly, that thought faded away so that she could be firm with her job today--no softening on Seulgi. Then Irene then realized something very endearing. Seulgi looked like a bear, in a bizarre fashion. How interesting.

The moment she made it out of her room, Irene closed the door and spoke. “Don’t take a shower, just wash your face, brush your teeth and put some clothes on.”

Seulgi looked at her with a small frown, still adorably sleepy looking. “But… I haven’t showered since yesterday.”

“The thing is we gotta do it quickly,” Irene reasoned quickly, nevermind the fact that Seulgi hadn’t taken a shower. She must feel absolutely uncomfortable, but no matter. Happens when you travel so much, she reckoned. “You can do it after we get done, before breakfast. But go on, get moving.”

With a groan and a nod, Seulgi disappears into the bathroom, locks the door and begins to get ready.

Irene, however, has a few questions for the girl. But seeing her like this… was it really worth it to ask her now? She could ask any other time, maybe at the end of summer or in the middle of it. Her curiosity on the subject wasn’t too vibrant, she preferred to be oblivious for now.

While waiting for Seulgi to finish getting ready, she pondered and went over her mental checklist for the morning.

Just as she woke up, she washed her face and brushed her teeth, check. She watered the plants outside her window and the ones outside the kitchen’s window as well, check and they are looking gorgeous! Turned off her alarm before it rang and alerted anyone near her, check. Went to Grandma Kang’s bedroom to make sure she was not awake or in need of some help, check; the elder was still sound asleep. Check her schedule and remember what events and birthdays are coming up soon, thus remembering the swim competition in just a week--making a mental note to take some time in the afternoon and go to the lake and practice. And finally make the list of groceries that Dongho needed to buy when he took Seulgi out to town, check and done.

Pondering on that last bit, she found herself rather interested on seeing what Dongho would show Seulgi and her reaction to this insanely different town. Certainly, it was a reaction worth recording, so she made a new note on her mind.

Tell Dongho to record Seulgi’s reactions. She wrote it down on the back paper of the list and put the note against the fridge, letting a small magnet hold it up next to Joy’s report card that hung proud and visible for anyone to see.

Now, she was really ready to begin her day. Just in time as Seulgi got downstairs with a sleepy face and a sensible attire to the occasion. Jeans, white t-shirt. Simple and clean. Perfect.