Chung Ae and Hee Young waited until the very last second of the ticking hand of the clock to hit 12, the final seconds slowly rolling out as they wrote mindlessly in their papers. They felt slightly guilty for the lack of attention they're paying as of the moment, but they couldn't help it. The moment the bell rang, they wasted no time and stuffed everything in their bags as they bolted out of the room, making a run for it as they beelined for the bus stop. Two weeks have passed after the time they found out about their father's name, and they have already sent a few gifts as well last week. Although, the moment they visited the agency to drop the gifts, he wasn't there, but the people in the agency told them that they'll make sure that he'll get the gifts they sent him. It was such a small effort, but they'll try again, hoping that this time, they might get to actually come face to face with the man they were looking for. 

The moment they landed on their stop, they wasted no time as they ran back home, the sound of their black shoes patting on the pavement as they reached their home. As they changed their clothes, Chung Ae couldn't help but draw back his drawers and take a peek at the photograph, before looking back at the mirror in front of him. He held up the photograph by his reflection, looking at the picture before looking back at his own face, trying to find the similarities in their features. He tried to smile like the man in the photograph, his eyes creasing as he widened his smile. It was weird, since it was as if he didn't exactly know if he resembled him more or his mother, but when he did smile, his features resembled more on his father than his own mother. 

"Ya, Chung Ae," Hee Young called. "We still have to help Halmeoni in the next batch of gifts. We need to get through this before we deliver them tomorrow."

"I'll be right down." He replied, hurriedly placing the photo inside the drawers as he ran down the stairs. Hee Young was already in the middle of helping Halmeoni stitch up the last hems of the blanket when he finally arrived, and Halmeoni had to hurry the twins, since their mother was about to arrive in the next hour or two. 

"Chung Ae, help me hold up that end," she directed, "Hee Young, fold it neatly in your end and carefully twist the needle in the knot."

They spent the next thirty minutes trying to make sure the blanket looked presentable, stitching the last few ends of the material, before finally settling it down and folding it properly in a neat, handwoven basket Halmeoni bought from the market a few days ago. Tucked inside the basket were a few handicrafts and toys that were meant for his pet dog, Ggoma. She was also planning to put in some baked goods, but it would only raise more suspicions in the household, particularly Ji Hyun, on the sudden occurrence of her baking. And so, the three safely tucked their quaint gift inside the small room meant for the twins' old toys underneath the staircase. They had exactly fifteen minutes to fix everything before Ji Hyun arrived, and the three wasted no time as they made sure they put everything back in place and throw all of the evidence of their surprise in the trash bins. Somehow, the twins felt more jittery than ever as they cleaned up the mess, thinking about the possibilities that could happen tomorrow if they arrived with their gift. They weren't lucky the last time, but the two were praying hard to the gods that maybe, just maybe, their wish could be granted. It would be surreal if they would see him in person, though. All they had was a picture and a name, but the thought of seeing him in the flesh, crouching down in front of them with the same smile he had in the picture, gave them more than enough determination to want to meet him. 

"Halmeoni," Hee Young muttered, "I hope... I hope we meet Appa tomorrow."

Halmeoni pats her head. "Well, the chances may be slim, but we have to pray and wish if we want it to happen."

The little girl sighed. "I really want to see him, Halmeoni. I want to meet my Appa. I want my Appa to meet my Eomma..."

The grandmother could only pull her grandchild close to her. "Let's hope it will happen. Let's not lose any hope on them."

The sound of an engine being turned off in the driveway meant only one thing, and the three scrambled to sit down on the couch as they anxiously waited for her entrance. A turn of locks and keys, the familiar sound of her shoes tapping on the tiled floors, and then, her voice. 

"Hee Young! Chung Ae!"

"Eomma!" The twins yelled as they ran towards their mother, crashing into her with open arms as they nuzzled themselves into her beige khaki trousers, a chuckle leaving her lips as she wrapped her arms around them tightly. 

"Eomma missed you so much." She muttered as she placed a kiss on the top of their heads, and they reciprocated by kissing her on the cheek, but not before parting some of her hair as they puckered their lips towards her. 

"How were my two babies in school?" She asked as they walked to the living room, and Ji Hyun observed her grandmother calmly lounging on the couch as she watched a travel show about being in Jeju. 

"Eomma," Ji Hyun beckoned as she approached her mother, giving her a kiss on the cheek as well. 

"We did a game back in Math class!" Hee Young cheered. "It was a boys versus girls game, but our team won."

Chung Ae scoffed. "That's because you were part of the team, and it's not fair since you're better in Math than the most of us."

"I thought you said that you're just as good as I am?" Hee Young taunted, and their mother laughed at the two. 

"How lucky am I to have my two babies to be very smart?" She ruffled the tops of their head, before she sat down next to her mother, the twins sitting down beside her. 

"I'm not as smart as Hee Young though," Chung Ae grumbled. "She has higher marks than I do, and sometimes she's not even trying."

Ji Hyun pinched his cheeks in response. "Ya, just because your sister has higher marks than you do, doesn't make you any less smart than you already are. You both excel in different ways, remember? Actually, your teacher told me that you consistently had high marks in English! That's impressive, right?"

Chung Ae nodded in response, before Ji Hyun pulled him towards her. "Oh my little baby, you're a smart little cookie too. Actually, I told you two many, many times that you two are so smart! Stop competing with each other over everything, understand?" 

The twins nodded, and Hee Young scooted closer so she could also wrap her arms around her mother. 

"Aigoo," Ji Hyun cooed. "I don't think I'll ever be ready for the day you two will be crying over guys or girls." 

"Ew, Eomma!" Hee Young exclaimed. "Boys are disgusting."

"Well how about Seok Jin?" Chung Ae suddenly piped up.

"Ya!" Hee Young almost charged at Chung Ae, only for him to run away, making her chase him around the living room, screaming threats and taunts at each other.

"Ya! That's enough you two!" Ji Hyun settled them down when she saw them getting tired and too physical to the point where they almost had an aggressive tickle fight when they fell down on the floor all of a sudden. She beckoned them back to the couch, shaking her head at the two for their behavior. 

"Aish," she chuckled, "you two will really be the death of me." 

And in the weird coincidence of things, a commercial of a department store suddenly comes into view in the television. Crystal chandeliers and ivory walls and furniture accented with gold, and a pair of shoes walk in the shot. It then pans into a face.

An all too familiar face. 

The four are silent, watching as the thirty seconds run past like a blur: the man in a suit, walking through the hallways, the dimpled smile, and his parting words. The elephant in the room was hard to ignore, and it was only getting bigger after the commercial came on. Nobody dared to talk about it, even though the twins were itching to ask her about it. Instead, they stared at her, looking at how she kept her eyes glued to the television even after two commercials went by. Ji Hyun was someone that could hide her emotion pretty well, but the way she looked down to the small space between her and Halmeoni on the sofa, it was like something was amiss. Even Halmeoni knew that there was something in there that spoke volumes about her. After some time, Ji Hyun gets up and smiles at her children. 

"I'll make dinner for the four of us. Be good, okay?" 

The twins nodded as they watched her walk to the kitchen, but when they stared back at Halmeoni, they knew they agreed on one thing: they'll do everything to try and make their eomma happy again.

___

Their little prayers for today included having a little luck on their side. 

Fortunately, the agency was considerate enough to accept the request of new batch of gifts they were going to give him, and as Halmeoni drove her way through the blocks and alleyways, they had to stop over by a building near the agency, since they weren't allowed to park by the area. And so, with the basket in their hands, the three walked their way towards the red-brick building. Hee Young could feel her heart bursting out her chest, thinking about the possibility of having her own father maybe open the door and see her with a gift. The thought made her toothy grin come up at her face, and she was ready to jump into his arms when given the chance. 

They stop by the gate and pressed the doorbell, the twins anticipating for the best, but when the figure that stepped in to open the gate, they held their breaths. 

"Hello." The same man from last week greeted them with a bow and a small smile. The twins felt deflated when they saw the familiar side swept hair, beady eyes, and the black cotton jacket covering his lanky figure greet them again. 

"Hello," the three reciprocated. "We're here to drop off some gifts we made for Actor Ji Chang Wook."

"Ah," He smiled. "You were also here last week, Halmeoni?" 

"Yes," she nodded. 

"Well, we all appreciate it on behalf of our agency." He nodded. "We'll inform you if Actor Ji has received all of your gifts."

"He's not here, orabeoni?" Hee Young asked him, and the man looked at her with raised eyebrows, before shaking his head.

"I'm afraid not." He gave her a sad smile. 

"When do you think he will be back?" She asked him.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon." He replied. "He's quite busy."

She nodded slowly, and she was quiet after that. "I wanna meet him."

The man chuckled. "You'll meet him someday. Don't lose hope."

Hee Young nodded in response, before Halmeoni patted her shoulder. "Okay."

The man could only give them a tight-lipped smile, before bowing at them once more. "We thank you for your kind birthday gifts to our actor! Please continue to send him some love along the way."

"Birthday?" Chung Ae asked his grandmother. 

"Didn't you see the date of his birthday before?" She asked him, and he shook his head. 

"His birthday is on July 5, Monday." Hee Young muttered. "I can't believe you forgot our appa's birthday."

"What?" 

The slip of tongue made everyone freeze, and Hee Young was quick to correct herself.

"I— I mean Oppa's birthday." Hee Young she smiled. "Oppa's birthday is approaching, right?"

The staff nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"Their father and Actor Ji actually share the same birthday." Halmeoni chuckled nervously. "It's quite a coincidence."

"I agree, Halmeoni." He chuckled as well, before bowing at them once more. "Well, thank you for your time. We will give this to Actor Ji as soon as possible."

"Thank you." The three bowed as the man walked in holding their basket, and as they walked away, Chung Ae couldn't help but slap his sister's shoulder. 

"Ya!" Hee Young exclaimed.

"You almost sold us out there!" Chung Ae hissed, and Hee Young was already shedding a few tears, biting her lip from lashing out at her brother or completely breaking down from the disappointment. 

"Oh, Hee Young-ie." Halmeoni cooed, pulling her close to her. 

"I just wanna meet my Appa." She whispered into her grandmother's cardigan, before hiding her face in it as she body shook while she sobbed. Halmeoni could feel her cardigan getting wet from the bucket of tears little Hee Young let out, but she could care less at this point, knowing that she was too heartbroken to stop. And so, the three drove home in silence, with Hee Young sniffling in the background, while a few silent tears fell from Chung Ae's eyes as he stared at the window, thinking of what they're going to do so they could finally see him, but their hearts broke, thinking that maybe, they might never get to see their father at all.  

__

Monday finally rolled in, and the twins were weirdly silent. Even their own classmates noticed how off the two were, barely interacting with them and only within themselves. Ever since the weekend gift stint, they felt like they couldn't even see their father no matter how hard they tried. It was as if they couldn't find the right time to meet him or cross paths with him, and it frustrated them to no end. Even when Halmeoni cooed and calmed them down when they got home that day, it still didn't settle that uneasy feeling in their chests as they thought of more ways to at least get closer to him, especially Hee Young. Which is why the moment they were out of school, Chung Ae was surprised that Hee Young took a good look at the routes on the bus stop, before she rode a different bus instead of the one they usually took. 

"Hee Young-ah," he started as they sat down. "You know that this is the longer route home, right?" 

She was silent, her lips pressed together as she stared outside the window. "Hee Young-ah—"

"I wanna go somewhere else, Chung Ae." 

"Hee Young, you're scaring me..." Chung Ae was about to continue, but when the next stop is announced on the speakers, his ears suddenly perked up.

Nohyun-dong. 

He watched as the bus rolled through the familiar sceneries and buildings, and before he knew it, he was chasing Hee Young through the familiar alley, the weight of his bag by his back slowing him down as he tried to catch up with her. 

"Hee Young! No!" Chung Ae panted as they turned corners and blocks, knowing where she's trying to go.

He just knew Eomma and Halmeoni are going to kill them both for this.

Just when they were a few meters away from the red-bricked building, a wall of older, sneering, cutthroat neighborhood kids decided to block their path. 

"What are you brats doing here?" One of them snapped. "The kiddie playground is meters away from here."

Hee Young was silent as she stared them down, and they continued taunting. "Aw, even if you're trying your hardest to look like a tough guy, you still look like a little br—OW!"

She didn't even let him finish his sentence when she suddenly kicked him where the sun didn't shine, and then, he fell down in pain, groaning and mumbling curse words at her, and they wasted no time to run to the white gate, just turning one last corner to their destination, but things take a turn for the worse when they heard the sound of a horn, bright flashing lights, and an unbearable pain in the shoulder and head as Hee Young was brought down by an unexpected force.