Byulyi had thought it was just a coincidence.

Hyejin was a common name; so was the surname Ahn.

But then she saw Hyejin’s bare face and she began doubting everything; she had to know more, so she started asking questions. As she listened to the answers, her heart screamed that it wasn’t just a coincidence; Hyejin was her.

But it was odd that she didn’t recognize Byulyi; not even when Byulyi had said her full name. Maybe Moon Byulyi was a common name too.

Suddenly, Hyejin said her head was hurting and Byulyi started panicking; she was worried that her questions were too invasive and Hyejin was using a headache as a pretext to leave. But she quickly realized that it wasn’t the case; one look at Hyejin’s pale face and the beads of sweat on her temples, she knew it was real.

After making sure Hyejin was comfortable, she stepped out of the room and sent a short text to a particular number.

Then, she went into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of wine and started drinking her confusion away.

Byulyi was half-drunk when she heard her doorbell rang.

“What took you so long, Wheein-ah?” she grumbled when she opened the door.

Wheein raised an eyebrow, her lips curling up in amusement. “Hello to you too, unnie,” she said as she stepped past Byulyi into the apartment. “When did you get back?”

Byulyi closed the door and followed her guest into the living room.

“A week ago,” she answered. She grabbed the half-emptied wine bottle and waved it in Wheein’s face. “Want some?”

Wheein shook her head and laughed. “Clearly, one of us need to be sober right now,” she said as she took the bottle of wine from Byulyi. She laughed when Byulyi started to whine in protest. “Unnie, we haven’t seen each other in so long. Don’t tell me you ask me here just to drink and…” She looked at Byulyi in disbelief and whispered, “...?”

Byulyi immediately sobered up and hissed, “No! Of course not!”

Wheein giggled at Byulyi’s reaction. “So why did you really ask me to come over?” she asked.

Byulyi pulled Wheein towards the couch and they sat down, knees brushing against each other. Wheein placed the wine bottle on the coffee table and turned her body to face Byulyi, giving her full attention; she had a feeling it was something serious.

Byulyi took a deep breath and said, “You never told me what really happened to Hyejin seven years ago, Wheein-ah.”

Wheein stiffened. Byulyi quickly grabbed her hands, afraid that the younger woman would suddenly flee, and tried again.

“Wheein-ah, Hyejin and I made a promise with each other that we would keep in contact when I went to America. But for one whole year, I heard nothing from her. Hyejin is not the kind of person who breaks her promises, so I know something must have happened. When you show up and told me that nothing was wrong, I chose to believe you because you’re her best friend. But that means Hyejin had been lying to me and had forgotten all about me. I had to live with that thought for the past seven years, but tonight I believe that isn’t the whole truth. Is it, Wheeinie?”

Wheein studied the desperate look in Byulyi’s eyes and knew that she had made a mistake back then when she kept Byulyi in the dark. She couldn’t change the past, but she couldn’t do anything about the present or the future either.

“I didn’t know you two were close, unnie,” she commented. “I won’t be surprised if you two were dating behind my back, but Hyejin would have told me if you were.”

Byulyi shook her head, a wistful smile on her face. “We never made anything official. I understood why, so I didn’t push her. It made things easier when I had to go to America. The hard part was saying goodbye and letting go.” She paused and added in a soft voice, “I did say goodbye, but I never plan on letting go.”

Wheein sighed and rubbed her temple. On one hand, she made a promise with Hyejin’s parents; on the other hand, her best friend was suffering from not knowing anything about her beloved.

“I’m sorry, unnie,” she finally said, choosing to uphold her promise. “I can’t tell you. Actually, I can't tell anyone.”

Byulyi’s face fell. “Wh-why, Wheein-ah? What’s wrong with Hyejin?”

“Nothing. She’s fine. She’s just…” Wheein paused and ran a hand through her hair, sighing loudly. “Unnie, what brought this on? Why are you suddenly asking me after all these years?”

Byulyi hesitated. “I…I met someone tonight. She makes me think of Hyejin. But I’m not sure because the only picture I have of her is from that summer...”

Wheein stared at her in disbelief. “Unnie, that was eight years ago. What are you? A hermit?”

Byulyi scowled, feeling a little offended. “Hey, I’m too good-looking to be a hermit. It's not my fault I don’t watch TV much. Or go on social media...”

Wheein wiped her face and grunted in frustration. “Unbelievable,” she muttered. “So, you started asking these questions because of that lady you met?”

Byulyi nodded. “I saw her bare face and I’m convinced she is Hyejin. But it’s weird because she didn’t recognize me, so I had to make sure. I started asking her questions, but then she suddenly got a headache-”

“Where is she?”

Wheein’s question was so abrupt, it startled Byulyi. It worried her more when she saw how upset Wheein looked.

“In my room. Why?”

“Show me.”

Still bewildered, Byulyi led Wheein towards her bedroom. She watched as Wheein approached the bed and took a peek at the sleeping Hyejin. Wheein planted a kiss on Hyejin’s forehead before dragging Byulyi back to the living room.

“I’m guessing that really is Hyejin,” Byulyi concluded in a quiet voice when they reached the living room.

“Yeah, that’s her.” Wheein paced up and down, looking more and more upset. “I’m not going to break my promise, but since you’ve already met her…” She stopped pacing and turned to Byulyi with a serious face. “Unnie, I’m not going to tell you anything. She is.” She pointed in the direction of the bedroom. “But you have to let it happen naturally. So stop asking her stuff about the past because it hurts her head. You don’t want to see Hyejin in pain, right?”

Byulyi nodded. “So what should I do now?”

“Now you wait.”

Wheein left after giving Byulyi some more warning about Hyejin, taking Byulyi’s bottle of wine with her.

Then, Byulyi returned to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, watching Hyejin sleeping peacefully.

“Hey there,” she murmured, playing with Hyejin’s manicured fingers with a soft smile on her face. “I miss you, you know. I don’t know why you don’t recognize me…maybe I’ve changed too much. But I’m here now and I won’t ever leave your side until you tell me otherwise.”

Just then, her phone buzzed.

Byulyi read the text and scowled. Then, she smiled sheepishly down at Hyejin. “I hate to be the person who breaks promises, but I’ve got work out of town tomorrow.”

Hyejin stirred a little and Byulyi wondered for a moment if she had heard her. But Hyejin went still again, snoring softly, and Byulyi let out a soft chuckle.

She leaned down and brushed her lips against Hyejin’s temple, whispering, “See you when the sun is up, love.”