“Jieun-ah!” Mrs Choi called her. Jieun still was in her dreamland on her bed. She grunted when her mother called her as it was too early and she was on her day leave. Then, her door began to make loud noises as her mom kept on knocking.

“Yah! Your father is waiting there. Yah! Jieun, wake up.” Mrs Choi knocked loudly. Jieun slowly got up while rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a mess and it looked so much like a sea monster. As soon as she opened the door, her mother almost shut the door back. She was so shocked to see how Jieun was.

“You’re a mess, Jieun. Aigoo.” Her mom face palmed. Jieun lazily looked at her mom with her half closed eyes. “Yah, faster!” Her mom hit her bum and pushed her towards the toilet and threw her a towel on the face. She grunted again and headed to shower.

Today was her father’s birthday and Jieun and her mother never missed to celebrate it yearly. They always celebrate at the graveyard, bringing along with them some bouquet of flowers and some water with various petals in it. It had almost 18 years since her father left and went to the sky. It was hard at first but she knew that her father was there, looking at her and her mom. She never blamed her father for leaving her at such a young age. Instead, she learned that some goodbyes are meant to be for someone to start a new fresh life.

“Appa, happy birthday.” She smiled at the mirror and took a few clothes to wear for that memorial day. She did not know what to wear for her father’s birthday so she just grabbed her oversized yellow hoodie with a khaki coat. It was simple but sweet. She tied her hair into a messy bun and put on some light natural makeup. She even wore her favourite clip on her hair.

“Jieun-ah! Are you done?” Her mom called from the living room.

“Yes, be there in a minute.” She shouted and took her white sling handbag. She rushed to her mother who was still fixing her hair on the mirror. She back hugged her mother and smiled. Both of them looked on the mirror and Jieun saw how similar she resembled her mother’s features. And that was why her father married her mother. It was because of her true beauty that shone her physical appearance which her mother looked so pretty and so glowing like an angel. “Aigoo, my mom is so pretty.” She said and planted a kiss on her mother’s left cheek.

“My daughter is also pretty.” Mrs Choi pinched her daughter’s cheek. “Come on, appa is waiting. We don’t want him to keep waiting right?” Mrs Choi said.

“Let’s go~” Jieun happily cheered.

.

Jieun placed the bouquet of flowers on her father’s grave. Her mother caressed the stone, lovingly and without knowing she let out a small tear. She missed her husband so much even though they had been separated by soul but their love never dies, it still live.

“Happy birthday, honey.” She said. Jieun stood there in respect of her mother. She did not want to bother her as she was communicating with him. But seeing her mother in that state, made her also tear up. It was not only her mother missed him, but also her daughter, Choi Jieun. Appa, we both miss you.

They stayed for a few minutes. The sky moved slowly with the wind blowing so gently. It was a nice weather and Jieun believed that it was his father’s work. She smiled. She could feel the breeze, kissing her neck and she suddenly felt a slight chill. She took her red scarf and wrapped it on her neck. Her mother was still kneeling at his father’s grave and talked with ‘him’.

Soon, after visiting her father, they decided to go back home and prepared for her father’s birthday. It was kind of Korean tradition to celebrate the birthday of each family members even though they had long passed away.

“What do you want for your father’s birthday?” Her mom asked, linking arms with Jieun. They walked together, side by side and people could have probably mistake her mother as her older sister. “Seaweed soup