In Wendy’s living room, an assortment of chairs had been arranged in a way in which their backs could be used as support for blankets. Said blankets were being strung together by a very focused Joohyun.

“You’re doing great, sweetie,” her mother cooed.

Ever since Joohyun had confessed that she wished her mother was home more, Seungwan obeyed and made sure her household had one day a week meant strictly for family time. This week’s activity, in lieu of the upcoming holiday of Halloween, was a spooky movie night. And, of course, there had to be a fort involved.

Once the blankets were assembled, Seungwan took the liberty of laying the mass of blankets on the chairs, anchoring the contraption down with books, and throwing pillows and blankets inside the fort. In the end, it was a sizable work of art, with more than enough space for two human adults and a tinier human. She couldn’t quite figure out how to get the TV inside the fort, so she settled for a laptop on the floor. 

Her phone vibrated with a call. Unintentionally, a hopeful feeling filled her fingers as she checked the caller ID. It had been like this since she had left Texas. Every phone call, every text, every knock on the door, it could’ve been Joohyun. The naive hopefulness came from her heart and nowhere else, for Wendy mentally cursed herself every time her useless heart sped up. 

She didn’t even know what she wanted from Joohyun—an “I’m sorry,” an “I love you,” or even an “I miss you.” It had been two months since their goodbye, and it was as if Joohyun disappeared all over again.

Shaking off the wistful thoughts, Wendy saw Yeri’s name flash across the top of her screen and finally answered.

“Hello?”

Yeri’s voice came through the speaker with syrup-laden words. “Hi, my beautiful sister. My rock, my pillar, my best friend. My favorite sister—“

“—I’m your only sister. What do you want?” Seungwan cut her off, knowing Yeri was up to something.

“Okay, so tonight is Son Family Bonding time, right? What if it was the Son Family... plus one?”

“Who is it?” Seungwan asked with resignation.

“Seulgi.”

“Oh… okay.” A nervous feeling settled into the pit of the mother’s stomach. She shook it off just as quickly as it came. “Yeah, that’s fine with me. Just get here soon.”

In record time, for Yeri at least, a key unlocked the front door, and Seulgi and Yeri were heard in the foyer. Wendy quickly went to greet them, despite the return of the nervousness.

She had nothing against Seulgi, not when she was the reason her sister looked a little happier each day. However, Seulgi had always been associated with a woman whose name had become synonymous with heartbreak.

“Hi, Seulgi,” she greeted. “How have you been?” How is Joohyun?

“I’ve been good.” I wish I could say the same about Joohyun. “My life’s been pretty calm; Yeri’s definitely my main source of excitement these days.”

Seungwan didn’t miss the smile that blossomed on her baby sister’s face and decided to have some fun. “Speaking of you and Yeri, are you guys… dating?”

A tense conversation between eyes took place in front of Seungwan’s.

“You didn’t tell her?”

“I thought she knew!”

“...I’m gonna take that as a ‘yes.’ Yeri, will you go get the snacks ready? I want to catch up with your girlfriend,” she teased.

Once Yeri, with red cheeks, left the foyer and went into the kitchen, Wendy looked at Seulgi, the words she wanted to say stuck on the tip of her tongue.

Have you talked to Joohyun? Is she getting married? Does she miss me too?

Instead, she said: “Can I give you the threatening big sister speech? I don’t think I can beat you up, but I’m definitely rich enough to hire a hitman. If she comes home crying because of you, just know your head is going to become a target.”

Nevermind Yeri was no longer some teenage girl rushing into a relationship, Seungwan was still going to threaten any person that came into her life. Even grown women need to be put in their places sometimes.

“You’re joking, right?” Seungwan didn’t budge, and Seulgi laughed nervously. “I didn’t get to ask how you’ve been doing,” she said in an attempt to change the subject.

“I’m…” I’m barely getting back on the track to not being a ing mess. “good,” she said.

Seulgi smiled knowingly, watching the myriad of emotions that danced in Seungwan’s eyes.

With a wistful air to her words, Seulgi smiled at the woman in front of her. “I couldn’t stand you when we were in college, you know?”

The mother let out a genuine laugh. “Really? I couldn’t tell,” she said sarcastically, remembering the glares that Seulgi used to send her way.

A signature knock on the door caused Joohyun to spring up and a groan to leave Seulgi’s lips.

“Why must you invite her to our apartment?” the less excited of the two complained.

Ignoring her, Joohyun opened the door to her two-bedroom apartment, coming face to face with her best friend.

“Hi,” she greeted as she stepped out of the way, letting Seungwan come into the familiar living room.

“Hi, Hyun,” she responded warmly, the smoothness in her voice matching the honey in her best friend’s eyes. She felt someone looking at her, and Seungwan turned to see a visibly upset Seulgi on the couch. “Hello, Seulgi; you look beautiful today. Do you still hate me, or have you finally admitted that you’re a little bit in love with me?” she teased.

Joohyun laughed and slapped her arm, but Seulgi only rolled her eyes. ‘In love with me.’ Who could be in love with a 5’2” flirt that is stringing along an oblivious Bae Joohyun for her own entertainment? Son Seungwan was bad news, and until Joohyun stopped falling for her faux charms, Seulgi wouldn’t stop the glares.

Seulgi laughed as she remembered how the shorter woman used to be a thorn in her side. “Anyway, you’re not too bad now, Son. You’ve grown up a lot. I know right now you and I only talk to each other because of Yeri, but if you ever need anything, I’m here for you.”

Gone were the glares and teasing, replaced with maturity and nostalgic smiles. “Thank you, Seulgi,” she said gratefully.

As she worked up the courage to ask an inevitable question, the smile dropped.

“How’s J—“

“—The food’s ready!” Yeri shouted from the kitchen.

Seulgi sent an apologetic smile, and Seungwan couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Did she really want to know the answer to her question?

They made their way to the kitchen to help Yeri bring the plates of food into the living room and soon enough, the four of them sat together—a little too close around a laptop screen as Wendy struggled to turn it on.

“The button must be stuck. I’ll get it, just give me a minute.”

The mother’s younger sister snorted. “Hey, genius. The battery’s dead.”

After ignoring Yeri and fiddling unsuccessfully for another minute, Wendy finally gave up with a sigh. Joohyun had specifically asked for a movie night, and now she wouldn’t get one. It was small, but Wendy was beating herself up, evident from the agitated hand running through her own hair.

Sensing her sister’s frustration, Yeri spoke up.

“Movies on a tiny laptop screen are boring anyway. What if we tell ghost stories?”

Unanimously, everyone else protested.

“Okay, okay!” Yeri conceded. “Tell some other story, then.”

Wendy’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, the faulty laptop forgotten. “Yes ma’am. Joohyun’s been really into Greek mythology recently, so I’ve been telling her different myths.”

“You’re both such nerds,” Yeri teased.

“Anyway, I know which one I’m going to tell. It’s not very Halloween-themed, but it does deal with the underworld and death.”

Wendy cleared , giving a glance to her three audience members as she prepared to tell one of her favorite stories.

“Picture a perfect wedding with two people deeply in love. The groom is named Orpheus, and he’s the greatest poet and musician alive; the bride is Eurydice, a forest nymph.

“However, the perfect day was cut short. Out of the blue, Eurydice fell to the ground after being bitten by a snake, and by the time Orpheus reached her side, she was already dead. 

“He was so overcome with grief that he decided to travel to the underworld to get her back. When he reached the gates of the underworld, he began to play his lyre. His music was so beautiful that even Cerberus lay down and let Orpheus through. He was allowed to cross the River Styx for free, allowing him to reach the king and queen of the dead.

“He sang to Hades and Persephone, pleading for Eurydice’s return, saying that she had been taken away too soon and she would come back to Hades when it was her rightful time. His voice was like honey, sweet enough to make hell freeze for an instant. Orpheus’ wish was granted, under the condition that he must not turn around to look at Eurydice as they left the underworld lest she remains there forever.

“So they climbed, with Orpheus leading and Eurydice not far behind. There was an itch in his neck that tempted him to turn around, but he knew the reward of that was not worth the consequences. He persevered, and eventually, he reached the sunlight.

“He was so excited about their reunion that he turned around to embrace her, forgetting that they both needed to be out of the underworld. She slipped back away into the abyss, and Orpheus sunk to his knees with regret.

When Orpheus finally died, years later, the world mourned the loss of the world’s greatest singer. But he had found peace, for he was finally reunited with Eurydice. To this day, they still walk together in the underworld, constantly looking at each other without consequence.”

She finished with a smile, not missing how invested everyone seemed in her storytelling.

“I still think you’re a nerd for knowing this off the top of your head, but this was really good,” Yeri complimented.

“Thank you. There are different versions of the ending, too. Eurydice trips and Orpheus turns around to help her get up because he cares about her; Orpheus can’t hear Eurydice, and out of fear that she’s not there, he turns around; or like in the version I just told, Orpheus reached the sunlight and is so lost in his excitement that he turns to hug Eurydice while forgetting that they both must be out.

“In any version, Orpheus turns because he’s in love. Not even death could take that love away.”

Not even death could take that away…

The words rang in Joohyun’s ears as her head met the soft surface of one of the pillows in the fort.

As she drifted into the realm of sleep, she thought of her mother, how even in death, she was still a part of everyone’s lives.

She saw it in the way her mom smiled fondly at old photographs or talked to the sky, in the way her aunt diligently fulfilled the wish of a dying woman by holding onto ten letters, in the way Irene was taken aback when she found out her mother died. Most of all, she felt it whenever someone said she had her mother’s smile; perhaps she never got to physically know her mother, but she would always be a part of her.

Love does not end the way life does; it transcends human barriers such as births and deaths. It is in the face of a child, an old photograph, a hand-written letter—it is eternal.

Not even death could take love away, Joohyun repeated until she was no longer conscious.

Soft sighs caught Yeri’s attention, and she turned to see her niece fast asleep. “Look, you put the kid to sleep, and she hasn’t even had dinner yet.”

Seungwan laughed in adoration at the sight of her sleeping daughter. “To be fair, I’ve been telling her this type of story every night before bed. It’s probably Pavlovian at this point.”

After waking Joohyun up to eat dinner, the four of them migrated to the dining room table, sharing stories and feeling a warm familial love.

“Yeri, do you remember when our parents found out both of us weren’t straight? I thought they were going to have a heart attack.”

Laughter was heard, and Yeri shook her head. “At least you gave them a grandchild. Every time I talk to them, it always ends up being about my love life.”

Yeri shared a shy look with Seulgi, who was sitting directly across the table. “Then the next time they call, you’ll have good news for them,” Seulgi teased.

A raised eyebrow and a knowing giggle were exchanged between the mother and daughter adjacent to the couple.

“I miss them,” Joohyun whined. “When are they going to come to visit?”

“Baby, we stayed in Korea for a week less than a month ago.”

“Yeah, but that’s not enough. Why can’t they just move back to America?”

“They are happily living out their retirement in a rich neighborhood,” Seungwan explained.

“And they knew you’d miss them more if t