“Don’t worry, Eunji-yah. I’m not going to beat her, just talk. I promise…”

Eunji sighed, but she believed that Chorong would stay true to her words. “They’re at the playground’s hut…”

“Thanks, Eunji… I’ll be back soon. Take care of the kids.” Chorong took her jacket and walked out.

Eunji nodded.

“Unnie, is Mom home yet?” Hayoung asked Namjoo this time.

Namjoo looked at Hayoung with a question mark in her head. Her eyebrows furrowed. She still had no idea why Hayoung kept asking for their mother.

“Unnie…” Hayoung called Namjoo as the older girl stared at her with no words.

Namjoo’s lips slightly parted. She ignored Hayoung and walked out of the room.

“Namjoo, where are you going?” Eunji asked.

“I’m following Chorong Unnie.”

“Stay here with us. I don’t think Chorong Unnie will allow you to go with her.”

Namjoo did not reply. She left the room.

“Yah!!” Eunji yelled softly. “Argh! Why is this all happening?” She said to herself.

“Eunji Unnie?” Hayoung called.

“Hmm?” Eunji turned to the maknae.

Hayoung looked outside again.

“Hayoungie?” Eunji was confused. “Why did you call me?”

Hayoung did not answer.

Eunji frowned. She lay down beside Hayoung.

Hayoung shifted her body, facing Eunji and looked at her Unnie in the eyes.

“Why?” Eunji asked, pulling the blanket to cover herself and Hayoung up.

“It’s raining outside but Mom’s not home yet…” Hayoung said softly as if she was whispering.

Eunji did not know what to tell Hayoung regarding their mother. Their maknae was too young and naïve. ‘Hayoung’s totally shaken up by the Naeun’s words’, Eunji thought. She hoped that when morning come, Hayoung would be all right again. “Hayoung-ah, close your eyes. Sleep…”

“I wanna wait for Mom… I wanna sleep with Mom…” Hayoung whined, almost teared up again.

“You better sleep now, it’s late.” Eunji persuaded. Looking at how Hayoung did not react, she added, “Can’t you hear the thunder roaring? Aren’t you scared?”

“I’m scared…”

Eunji smiled. “Then, sleep. I’m switching off the light.” Eunji tried to get off from the bed to turn off the light, but Hayoung grabbed her hand. “Why?”

“Don’t turn it off… It’ll be dark. I don’t want to sleep in dark. I’m scared.”

Eunji grinned, finding Hayoung cute. “Alright then, I won’t turn it off.” She lay down again.

“Unnie, hug me…” Hayoung looked at Eunji with puppy-eyes.

Eunji laughed softly. “Okay, okay. Come here. Let me cuddle you all night…” She pulled Hayoung into her arms and wrapped Hayoung and herself under the thin blanket again. “Now sleep. Don’t talk or else I’ll bite you…” Eunji patted Hayoung’s head.

……………………………

Chorong opened an umbrella as she put on her slippers. She took another smaller umbrella with her before exiting the house. Chorong was about four meters away from their house when she heard Namjoo’s voice.

“Unnie! Take me with you!” Namjoo screamed as loud as she could. She was standing under their house’s tiny porch. The rain splatters hit her face.

“Go inside, Namjoo-yah! It’s raining heavily!!” Chorong yelled as she turned around.

“Unnie! Let me go with you!!”

“I can’t hear you!!! Go inside!!!” The thunders were too loud, Chorong screamed from the top of her lungs to let Namjoo hear her. She continued her walk without looking back, holding hard on to the umbrellas.

“Unnie!!!!!” Namjoo yelled. She ran after Chorong in the rain without her slippers or umbrella. “Unnie!!! Wait for me!!!!!” Namjoo teared up.

Chorong had already turned to one of the neighbourhood’s street junctions. She could no longer hear Namjoo. She expected that the girl had already gone inside when she left.

“CHORONG UNNIE!!!” Namjoo yelled again, hoping for Chorong to hear her. She fell onto the ground on her knees, crying out of frustration and sadness. “Mom! Dad! Do you see us? Do you see us?!” Namjoo cried harder. “Why did you have to leave us so early? How could you…..” Namjoo vented out her long-kept feelings in the rain. She realized that many things had happened since their parents and sister died. She understood about the finance and other shortness, but she could not understand nor tolerate to why their deaths made her sibling’s relationship to crumble apart. Namjoo never had a chance to talk to any of her sisters about this. She swallowed all pains and sadness by herself.

………………………………

“Chorong Unnie?” Bomi was ready to block Chorong from beating Naeun up. She stood in between Chorong and Naeun.

“Relax, Bbom-ah. I’m not going to abuse my own sister.” Chorong chuckled half-heartedly. “Can you go home first? I would like to have a private talk with Naeun…”

Bomi glanced over her shoulder to get Naeun’s reply.

Naeun nodded. “It’s okay, Unnie…” She mouthed. Naeun too wanted to settle the problem as soon as possible.

“Okay then.” Bomi said. “Please just talk and bring her home in one piece,” Bomi told Chorong.

Chorong smiled, finding Bomi absurd. “Here….” She handed Bomi the smaller umbrella.

After Bomi left, Naeun and Chorong felt awkward. They kept avoiding each other’s gazes for the first two minutes.

“Unnie.” “Naeun-ah” They called, simultaneously.

Naeun smiled. “Can I go first?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Chorong nodded.

“I’m sorry that I had not been myself for the past few weeks. I admitted that I was being harsh towards my sisters, especially Hayoung. I did feel unfair that only Hayoung survived. I’m a fool, I know that. But believe me, I never mea