Give me more time, please. 

“Byul-ah, are you ready?” A soft voice calls from outside Byul’s room.

“Yes, unnie. Just putting on my sweater.” The orange-haired girl answered. 

“Okay, then. I’ll go on ahead downstairs. Don’t forget the key and lock the door, okay?”

“Okay.” It came out more like a squeak than an audible word. Byul sniffs her sobs back where they should be. But it’s hard. Parting is never easy, especially from someone so dear.

Byul’s insides are shaking like something wants to come out from there to every pore of her body. This is it, it’s really happening.

“Byul-ah, I know you’re sad. My offer still stands, you’re always welcome to live with me there in Canada. Okay?”

With you and your fiance, yes, of course I’d want that. 

“Yes, Dahee-unnie, of course. I’ll…I’ll seriously think about it. It’d be a waste not to finish my studies here.” Byul fakes a smile hoping it’ll be believable. But nothing goes past her older sister.

The older woman takes her sister in a tight embrace. At this, Byul sobs for probably the nth time that month. She’d always had trouble being away from her sister, so she did all she could following her wherever she decided to move. Now that she’s finally used to living where she is, her sister just decides to follow her fiance in Canada.

Byul sometimes thinks her sister is doing it on purpose— leaving her alone. But she knows her sister, it’s always for the best. Maybe her sister held back on her life plans because of her. She’s too scared to know the answer to ever ask. But now, she’s sure that could be the case.

After a few minutes of just soaking a part of Dahee’s sweater with her tears, Byul lets go of her sister. She’s still sniffling uncontrollably and the older sister is just waiting for Byul to be calm enough for her to talk again.

“Byul-ah, I know it’s hard for you, I really thought about this long and hard. You know I’ll never abandon you, right? But now that you’re old enough, I know I can trust you and fate that you’ll survive anything that comes your way. Maybe I pampered you too much that you’ve clung to me ever since our parents died. You know I was still having second thoughts after I booked this flight. But seeing you busy yourself and telling me you’ve found a place to move in to, made me feel proud and at ease somehow. 

I’ll always worry about you, that’ll never change whether you’re twenty-five or fifty-five. Unnie will always worry and will always be there as quickly as she can when you’re in trouble. Living in this country for a couple of years, I am more sure you’ll be fine, more than in any country I’ve been to. So, can I hear my baby sister say she’ll be okay here?”

Dahee’s voice almost cracks but she’s been her sister’s mother and father since she was a middle schooler. So she knows if she breaks right now, Byul will blame herself for it.

Byul didn’t realize that her sister brought her to sit on an empty bench. Her sister’s flight is quite early so there aren’t that many people hanging around the airport yet. At last, Byul’s able to pull herself through her tears and soaks in her sister’s words.

She goes for another hug and buries her face in the crook of her sister’s neck. A minute passes and Byul feels she’ll survive another month from the hug.

“Unnie, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. It’s time that you be happy for yourself and nobody else. Not even me.” Byul set her gaze to her sister. Determination is blazing in the younger sister’s eyes. Face puffy and eyes red from crying, but determined nonetheless. Dahee is glad, this is the Byulyi she knows that’s been hiding behind her anxiety. 

The older woman checks the schedule board for her flight and she really needs to get in and head to her gate. Byul notices her sister looking up and she understands. She takes her hand and leads her near the security gates. 

“Unnie, please be happy. I really mean it. I won’t sulk too much, okay? I know you’re worried. I just cried coz it’s too early and I need time to process my emotions—”

“You had a month, though.”

“Unnie, ugh.”

“Okay, sorry. Please go on, baby sister.”

Byul frowns at the name she’s called, especially with the voice her sister used to say it.

“Anyway, okay, I really won’t sulk since I’ll be having roommates.”

“I’m not worried about that, it’s just that I hope you’d join them at dinner or whatnot. Don’t hide in your room all the time, okay? I’m glad they’re also Korean, at least you won’t be too lonely without anyone to talk with. Remember, you can call me anytime, okay? And find a time to call me with your roommates present, I need to meet them. That Wheein you’ve been telling me about seems like a nice girl, but I still need to know them. If anything urgent happens, you know who you should call. Erik and Ingrid are just a call away, okay? I already told all of my friends to look after you just in case.Hmm, what else…?”

Byul receives a barrage of instructions from her sister that she feels she’s getting overwhelmed again. So she goes for one last hug. 

“Thank you, unnie. I’ll miss you so much but you have to go now or I’ll never let you leave.”

Dahee squeezes her sister in the hug and releases her. 

“I’ll go but I’ll come back the minute you’re in trouble. Don’t give me that face, Moon Byul-yi, promise me you’ll stay out of trouble.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m already twenty-five so this is really embarrassing. Just go, please.”

Both women look at each other a few seconds more.

“Okay, then. Take care, sis. I’ll call you once I land. Bye.” 

With one last wave, Dahee, Byulyi’s older sister, joins the crowd of people queuing to the security gates.

Byul stands there looking at the line where her sister is. Putting her bags to be scanned and going through the metal detector, retrieving her stuff without a hitch. Until disappearing with another crowd, not once looking back at her. Maybe it’s for the better, Byul will end up sobbing again. Her sister really knows her well. 

Standing, waiting for the elevator, a woman in faux fur coat scans the floor where she’s at just in case the person who’s supposed to pick her up is there. She can’t have Wheein just suddenly pulling some tricks on her now, it’s too early for that crap. Or is it too late? Hyejin checks the time and it’s morning but her body thinks it’s the middle of the night and she has a deadline. She hopes Wheein can be here soon.

The elevator doors open and Hyejin enters. People fill the metal box and reach the first level of the airport. It’s where most of the fast food chains and airport restaurants are at. 

Hyejin looks around again, no signs of her pesky best friend. Why did she even agree to being picked up? She can manage to find her way around for sure. She already booked the next three days at a hotel, anyway. After that, she’ll move to the apartment Wheein said they should live in.

The woman in a faux fur coat on a windy autumn day, decides to sit on one of the vacant chairs just near the elevators. She’ll wait for her friend here. She already sent her a barrage of messages and of course, selfies. Patience running low and eyelids threatening to betray her to sleep, Hyejin decides to scroll through social media. 

At one point Hyejin looks up and sees a girl inside the elevator. Standing on a far corner, head bowed down looking miserable that even with the distance, she can see it.

The elevator goes up again and Hyejin continues to wait for Wheein while trying to stay awake being on her phone.

“Unn