Moonbyul slowly opened her eyes, but the sunlight was too strenuous on her already blurred vision. She lifted her hand to block the light, giving her eyes a bit of help in order for them to adjust. It took her a few moments to regain her composure. She felt a throbbing pain as though a constant force was hitting her head. She rubbed her forehead, hoping that it would ease the pain. This is not helping. I should go take some painkiller.

She got up and tried to move, but a dizzy spell took hold of her. She sat back down on her bed and closed her eyes. She held her head in her hand and felt it getting worse by the minute. Why does my body feel so heavy? She felt as though her body had been sapped of all of its energy. It feels like I’ve been asleep for a long time. Have I? Wait a second, where am I?

She tried to scan her surroundings, but it was hard to see all the details since her eyes haven’t fully adjusted. She heard the door opened and looked in its direction. There were two figures standing nearby, one was tall and the other short. She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. As her vision became clearer she looked at them once more, a woman and a little boy came into view.

The woman, who looked to be in her twenties, was dressed very elegantly. She had on a pink dress and high heels. Her hair was above shoulder length with pale purple highlights. The boy beside her was probably around four years old. He was casually dressed, wearing a pair of worn down cargo pants with a red t-shirt, its logo had completely faded. His hair was neatly combed, but he could use a haircut as his bangs were obscuring his view.

Moonbyul looked at them curiously while the boy hid behind the woman. Who are they? Do I know them? She tried to get up once more, this time the woman rushed over to help her. She bowed her head and thanked the woman for her help. The woman smiled at her. She have a very sweet smile, Moonbyul thought as she smiled in return. Not long after, tears began to form in the woman’s eyes. Why is she crying? Did I say something to hurt her feelings?

Moonbyul felt as though she had done something wrong. I want to ask who she is. Should I? I don’t want to hurt her anymore. She felt hesitant but decided to bring up the subject. We would have to talk about it eventually. I should just get it out of the way.

“I’m sorry to ask this all of a sudden.” She paused for a moment. “Do we know each other?”

“You-you don't remember me?” The woman was shock at Moonbyul’s question.

“N-no I'm sorry—” Moonbyul shook her head.

“Then do you remember who you are?”

“Who I am?” She pondered. “Who—who am I?”

The more she thought about it the more her head throbbed, until she couldn’t bear the pain any longer.

“I’m sorry. I can’t seem to remember.”

The woman sat down next to her and held her hand. “It's okay.” She reassured Moonbyul. “I was prepared for it.”

“Prepared for it?”

“Yes. The doctor told me your head injury might cause you to lose your memories. It’s not permanent, so don’t push yourself to hard.” The woman wiped away her tears and smiled at Moonbyul.

“A head injury?” Moonbyul raised her brow.

“Yes,” the woman nodded. “You tried to help someone and fell off a building. You hit your head and broke your right arm.”

“My arm?” She looked down at it.

“Don’t worry. It healed already. They took the cast off not long ago.”

“How is that person?” Moonbyul looked at the woman.

“Who do you mean?”

“The one that I helped.”

The woman grumbled and furrowed her brow as she answered. “She’s fine.” She bit her bottom lip as she spoke.

“Did I say something to upset you?”

“That’s not it.” She said sadly. “I’m just really worried about you.”

“Why?”

“You’re just too kind. You’re in this state and you’re still asking about someone else.”

“I’m sorry to worry you.” Moonbyul said sullenly.

“You don’t know how helpless I felt sitting by your beside everyday, knowing there was nothing I could do.” Tears fell from her eyes. She sniffled as she wiped them away. “I prayed and prayed that you’d wake up. I’m really happy that my prayer was answered. I really am.”

“I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”

The woman shook her head. “It’s alright.” She smiled. “Just promise me you’d take better care of yourself. Because if anything were to happen to you—I don’t know if I—” her voice cracked as tears flowed down her face. “I don’t know how I’d survive.”

“Please don’t cry.” Moonbyul wiped away the woman’s tears. “I promise I’ll be more careful.”

“Thank you.” The woman hugged her tightly. “I love your kind nature, but please don’t risk your life. It scares me. I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want to lose you, so please—”

“I understand.”

Moonbyul wasn’t sure how she should respond to someone she barely knew hugging her. She wasn’t quite comfortable with it, but she felt she should comfort the woman in some way. She decided to awkwardly tap the woman’s back. The woman loosen let go of Moonbyul and apologized.

“I’m sorry about that. It must have been weird since you don’t remember me.”

Moonbyul felt worse at the woman’s words.

“No. I should be the one apologizing.”

The woman shook her head and smiled. “It’s not your fault.” She wiped her tears. “Look at me,” she chuckled. “You just woke up and I already gave you an earful.”

“Don’t be. I like to hear about my past. I want to remember it, if I can.”

“Promise me, you won’t push yourself. Just take it slow. If you can’t remember, that’s alright. I’ll always be there for you. I’ll always be by your side.”

“We’ll always be together.” A voice echoed in her head followed by a long deafening beep. She closed her eyes and held her head. What—what was that voice just now?

“What’s wrong?” The woman asked concernedly.

She looked over to the woman and smiled wryly. “It—It’s nothing. Thank you.”

“You thanking me make us feels like stranger.” The woman spoke sadly. “Oh, I almost forgot. Jae-Yoon ah, come here.”

The woman gestured to the boy, who was hiding behind the chair with only part of his head poking out. He looked frighten and hesitated to come near. Moonbyul looked at him curiously, and then back at the woman. Speaking of which, I still don’t know who they are. She seemed to know me very well. She’s also very kind. I think I can trust her.

“I’m sorry, he’s very shy.” The woman spoke softly. “We adopted him not long before your accident. He just needs time to get use to you.”

“It’s alright.” Moonbyul smiled. “Could you tell me about his adoption?”

“Of course.” She replied happily. “We went to the adoption center a few days before your accident. You immediately took a liking to him the moment you saw him. We did the paperwork and adopted him. You really don't remember anything? Not a single thing?”

Moonbyul shook her head. “No. Nothing at all—I'm really sorry.” She replied sadly. “I can’t even remember my own name.” She mocked herself.

“Don’t feel bad. I'm here for you.” The woman smiled sweetly.

“Thank you.”

The woman got up from the bed and went toward Jae-Yoon, who was still cowering in the corner. She whispered to him and he smiled. Moonbyul felt a little joy entering her heart as she watched their interaction. She felt a loving warmth when Jae-Yoon and the woman smiled at each other. The woman led him closer to Moonbyul.

“Should we introduce ourselves?” The woman asked him cheerily and he nodded shyly.

“M-my n-name is—” he paused. His voice was a little shaky, he looked over to the woman, who urged him to continue. “M-my name is Moon Jae-Yoon.”

“What’s Umma’s name?”

“P-Park—” he stuttered. The woman squatted down next to him and whispered into his ear. “Umma’s n-name is P-Park Young-Sun.”

“And who’s your Appa?”

He glanced up at Moonbyul and she curiously looked down at him. He’s so tiny and delicate, she thought as she smiled.

“Appa is right there,” he pointed at Moonbyul and she tilted her head.

“And what’s Appa’s name?”

“It’s—It’s—It’s—” Young-Sun whispered to him once more. “A-Appa’s name is Moon Byul-Yi.”

“Moon Byul-Yi?” Moonbyul raised her brow.

Young-Sun nodded and replied. “Yes, that’s your name. Lovely isn’t it?”

Moonbyul slightly shrugged before she turned toward Jae-Yoon. “How old are you?”

He lifted two fingers but answered, “I’m three.”

“He’s turning four in a few months,” Young-Sun continued. “It’s great that you're awake. We can spend his birthday together as a family. We’ll make some great memories.”

“I look forward to it,” Moonbyul smiled sweetly.

Moonbyul picked up Jae-Yoon

“Careful,” Young-Sun exclaimed, “you only just woke up. Don’t strain yourself.”

“I’m okay. Don’t worry.” Moonbyul reassured her.

Young-Sun sat down next to Moonbyul, who was busy playing and laughing with Jae-Yoon. She watched them as tears filled her eyes once again. She wiped it away and opened her purse. She took out a photo and smiled as she looked at it. She tapped Moonbyul’s shoulder to get her attention.

“I brought this along to show you.” She handed Moonbyul the photo. “It’s the first photo we took as a family.”

Moonbyul took the photo and examined it. There were five people in the photo. Jae-Yoon, Young-Sun, and her with two older folks.

“Who are they?” Moonbyul pointed to the two she didn’t recognize.

“They’re my parents. They’ve passed away already.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She smiled. “Look at how happy we were.”

She pointed to the three of them, happily smiling in the photo.

“You’re right. We look really happy.”

“Jae-Yoon’s smile looks like yours, doesn’t it? Probably why you’re so fond of him.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Young-Sun nodded.

Although Young-Sun had told her so much and showed her a photo of them. Moonbyul still couldn't recall anything. She sighed as she looked at Jae-Yoon and Young-Sun. She wanted to apologize, but knew it wouldn’t help, so she decided to remain silent. Jae-Yoon grabbed on Moonbyul’s shirt and yanked it lightly a few times. She turned toward him and smiled.

“Appa! Appa!” He screamed. “Let’s go outside! Let’s go play!”

“Okay. Okay.” Moonbyul laughed and agreed without hesitation.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Young-Sun chimed in. “You’ve been laying in bed for a month. Moving around would be good for you. Just don’t strain yourself, alright?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t.” Moonbyul spoke sweetly.

Moonbyul handed the photo back to Young-Sun before they went outside together. Moonbyul held Jae-Yoon in her arm and Young-Sun walked beside her.

“There’s one other thing I wanted to tell you,” Young-Sun started but became hesitant.

Moonbyul looked at her curiously and questioned. “What is it? You can tell me.”

“Since you’re so kind, there will be people who want to take advantage of you.”

“Take advantage of me?” Moonbyul raised her brow.

“Yes. I’m worried about you, especially now that you’ve lost your memories.”

“There’s no need to worry.”

“Of course there is. People are so scary nowadays. They could fabricate and lie about anything. What if you fall for their lies? What if you get hurt?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” Moonbyul reassured her.

“I still can’t feel at ease.” Young-Sun shook her head.

“It’ll be alright. I promise.”

The moment Moonbyul finished her sentence, voices started echoing in her head and caused her to stop in her track.

“I promise everything will be alright.”

“I know. I’m not afraid of anything with you by my side.”

A blurred image of two people sitting next to each other played in her mind. Their hands were tightly intertwined as one of them rested her head on the other’s shoulder. Was that my memory? Was that me? Who was the other girl? Is it Young-Sun? Should I ask her about it?

“What’s wrong?” Young-Sun looked up at her.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

Moonbyul debated for a bit before she made her decision. I shouldn’t make her sad anymore. It’s best not to ask, she smiled at Young-Sun, and Young-Sun returned the gesture. The three of them continued to the courtyard. Young-Sun sat down at the nearby bench while Moonbyul and Jae-Yoon played together.

Young-Sun watched them intently, she never once took her eyes off of them. Moonbyul acted like a plane and ran around with Jae-Yoon on her back. After they were done with that game, they carefully searched the ground for caterpillars. Jae-Yoon wanted to watch them crawl away. Once he was bored with watching caterpillars, he asked to be spun in the air.

Moonbyul complied and lifted him into the air. It wasn’t long until they were both dizzy. They dropped onto the ground and giggled as they rest. They looked up at the cloud together and pointed out the different images they saw. As she was enjoying herself, the familiar voices and blurred image returned.

“Which moon would you choose then?”

“The one my heart beats for of course.”

This time the image she saw was two people standing beside a window. It was snowing outside so it must have been cold. One of them hugged the other from behind as she wrapped a blanket around them.

Moonbyul sat up and softly grunted from the pain. What am I seeing? Is it my memory? Why can’t I see it clearly? She gently tapped her head, knowing that it wouldn’t help. Maybe it’s just someone talking nearby. She examined her surroundings, but there was no one within earshot, except for Jae-Yoon. It definitely wasn’t his voice.

Moonbyul smiled at Jae-Yoon, he looked at her curiously before he grinned. She looked over at Young-Sun and Young-Sun waved at her. Maybe my body is still trying to adjust, she told herself. I’m probably just tired. Yeah, I’m just tired.

Jae-Yoon grabbed Moonbyul’s hand as he tried to pull her off the ground. He wanted to continue playing with Moonbyul and she happily complied. Spending time with Jae-Yoon helped her forget the things that was bothering her. After a while, Young-Sun came over toward Moonbyul and Jae-Yoon. She tapped on Moonbyul’s back to get her attention.

“We should head in. You need to get some rest.”

“Aw,” Jae-Yoon pouted. “Can’t we stay longer?”

“Don’t be like that.” Young-Sun spoke sternly. “Appa needs rest, okay?”

“Okay,” he spoke sullenly.

“Don’t be sad.” Moonbyul ruffled his head. “We’ll play more tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay!” He responded happily. “Can I have a piggyback ride?” He added.

“Of course.” Moonbyul smiled.

Moonbyul happily squatted down for him to climb on. Young-Sun was against the idea, fearing that Moonbyul might overexert herself, however, Moonbyul reassured her that it was fine.

On the way back, Moonbyul took notice of a girl, who was crying in the distant. She felt a faint sting in her heart at the sight. What is this feeling? Why am I feeling this way? The girl looked in Moonbyul’s direction. Why does it feel like she’s looking at me? Is she looking at me? She noticed that the girl had quickly wiped away the tears and was now smiling happily. What an odd person. Maybe I should avoid making eye contact. Whatever her problem is, I shouldn’t get involve.

Moonbyul didn’t want to worry Young-Sun, so she decided not to talk to the girl. As she was passing by, the girl grabbed onto her arm. She turned toward her, she could see the sadness in the girl’s eyes. Why do I feel a sting in my heart when I look at her? The girl was gripping tightly onto her arm. Does it hurt me to see her cry? Moonbyul felt confuse at her own feelings. She dismissed the thought and focused on what was in front of her.

“What’s wrong miss?” Moonbyul asked curiously. “Do we know each other?”

Solar’s heart dropped at Moonbyul’s words, as though a knife had just pierced it. The pain was immeasurable. She was speechless as tears escaped from her eyes. She took a moment to compose herself before she responded.

“What-what do you mean? It’s me, Yong-Sun. Don’t you remember?” Her lips trembled.

“Young-Sun?” She repeated, raising her brow.

“No.” Solar shook her head. “It’s Yong-Sun. Kim Yong-Sun.”

Moonbyul glanced over at Young-Sun’s direction before looking back at Solar. Kim Yong-Sun and Park Young-Sun. Why is there name so similar? What’s going on? She furrowed her brow.

“Byul-Kong ah, don’t joke around it’s not funny!”

“Byul-Kong?” Moonbyul was even more confused now than she was before.

Young-Sun tugged Moonbyul's sleeve and whispered, "we should go."

“Who-who is she!?” Solar demanded pointing at Young-Sun.

“Appa,” the boy trembled as he spoke. “C-can we go now? S-she’s scaring me.”

“A-Appa?” Solar looked as though she was about to break down. “What’s going on?”

“I should be the one asking you that.” Moonbyul sighed. “I think you have the wrong person.”

“Wrong person?” Solar voice shook. “How could I ever mistook you for anyone else? Please, don’t do this to me. I beg you.” Tears were falling incessantly down her face.

“Miss, you’re scaring Jae-Yoon. Please let go of my arm.”

“Please, don’t do this to me.” Solar pleaded tearfully as she tightly gripped onto Moonbyul’s arm. “If you’re angry, then tell me. If you didn’t like when I pretended not to care about you. I can change. I won’t do it again. Please, just don’t—don’t do this to me.”

Moonbyul let Jae-Yoon down and looked at Young-Sun. “Take him home.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry. Go back first.” Moonbyul didn’t give her a chance to protest.

“Alright.” Young-Sun grumpily accepted.

Young-Sun took Jae-Yoon a few feet away before she turned around and glared at Solar. She furrowed her brow as her face slightly twitched. She dug her nails into her arm as she watched Solar clung onto Moonbyul, it almost pierced her skin in the process.

“Miss, I really don’t know you.” Moonbyul tried to calm Solar by tapping Solar’s hand. “I think you have the wrong person.” She said earnestly, looking straight into Solar’s eyes. “Let go of my arm, alright?”

Solar loosen her grip and looked sullenly at the ground. It can’t be. Did she really forget about me? Her heart was heavy as her tears dripped onto the ground. What should I do? What can I do?

Moonbyul looked worriedly at Solar, I wonder if there’s anything I could do for her. I really don’t like seeing her like this. She furrowed her brow and sighed. What should I do? How can I ease her pain?

Solar wrapped her arms around Moonbyul’s waist and tightly hugged her. Moonbyul was caught by surprise so she threw her hands in the air.

“Please, don’t cry.” Moonbyul spoke softly. “Everyone will think I made you cry.”

“Please, tell me this was just a joke. It was all a lie.” Solar pleaded, her tears soaking Moonbyul’s shirt. “Please, tell me you remember me.”

I should put a stop to this. I’m not the person she’s looking for. Moonbyul gripped onto Solar’s arms and forcefully yanked her off. She looked straight into Solar’s eyes before she spoke.

“Miss, that’s quite enough. I don’t know what happened to you, but you shouldn’t act this way. I could tell you’re exhausted and I don’t want to hurt you. So please, stop, alright?”

Moonbyul let go of Solar’s arms and decided to head back to her room. Solar, however, couldn’t accept it and held onto Moonbyul’s arm once more.

“It’s okay. I know you just need a bit of time to remember. I can wait.” She looked up at Moonbyul pleadingly. “I know, we can talk about our past. The doctor said that will help recover lost memories.”

“Look,” Moonbyul said impatiently. “I just want to leave. So please, I’m asking you to let go of me.”

“Do you remember the first box of mint chocolate you gave me?”

Moonbyul looked away and sighed. Why won’t she listen to what I say? She was beginning to get more impatient. I tried to be nice, but she doesn’t seem to get it.

“Do you remember what you wrote inside of it?” Solar continued regardless of Moonbyul objection. “You said you wanted to be my heart. Don’t you remember?”

“No, I don’t. Please, let go of me.”

“No, I can’t.” Solar gripped Moonbyul’s arm tighter.

“Let me go!”

Moonbyul raised her voice and yanked her arm away, causing Solar to fall onto the ground. She slightly extended her hand toward Solar, but quickly back away. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. She felt a sadness and an anger gripping her heart. I hate this feeling. She clenched her fists as she walked away.

Solar felt as though her heart had been shattered as she gripped her chest. She wanted to scream as loud as she could, but it was as if her voice box had been damage, she could only screamed in silence. She knew she’d been beaten. She laid her tattered body onto the grass and watched as her tears dripped onto the ground. She’s forgotten about me. She chuckled sarcastically. Why am I so useless? She used her fist to beat against her chest. She felt her breath became faint as though it was suffocating her. Her vision was slowly being consumed by darkness. As she lost consciousness, she saw two figures running toward her and she smiled.