Bom enters the living room area. Sandara is sitting quietly in the single chair. She didn’t want to be in the room but she had no choice but to stay because of their guests. Chaerin and Seung Hyun sat on the couch across her. Chaerin beamed a smile when Bom handed her a glass of juice.

“Thank you unnie!”

“You’re welcome Chaerin. May I know how you two found my sister?”

Chaerin looked at Seung Hyun who shot her a warning look, “Uh. Well. My oppa can answer that question.”

“Noona, we found her lying on the side of road drenched wet from the rain. That was 2 nights ago.”

Bom gasps. She sat on the arm rest of the chair Sandara was sitting on. She gently Sandara’s hair, “Dara did you get sick?” Sandara didn’t answer.

Seung Hyun answered, “Yes noona. She ran a fever and slept for 2 days. We took good care of her. I believe she’s much better now.”

“Thank you again.” Bom stood up. “Seung Hyun can I talk to you outside?”

Seung Hyun was confused, “Okay noona.” He stood up and looked back down at Chaerin. “Behave.”

Bom exited the living room and Seung Hyun followed. Chaerin immediately got up from her seat and sat next to Sandara on her single chair. She literally squeezed herself to fit on the seat with her. “Dara unnie?”

“Yes Chaerin?” Sandara had a bored tone of voice. She avoided Chaerin’s gaze and turned her head the other way.

“Let’s play!”

“Noona?”

“Sit.”

Seung Hyun followed her order and sat on the chair she pointed for him to sit on. They were both in the library room. Bom sat across him. She clasped and unclasped her hands then let out a sigh, “Seung Hyun, you’ve met my sister before?”

“Huh? Uh, yes noona.”

“When did you two meet?” Bom knew the answer but she wanted to hear it from him. She knew about him the first day Sandara met him at the toy store. Sandara wouldn’t stop talking about her mysterious gorgeous angel. Bom waited for him to answer. Plastered on his face was confusion on how did she know that he knew Sandara. He was also afraid as to why she was asking this question and why did she ask to talk to him alone. He hesitated.

“Er..noona we met 6 months ago at a toy store in Maryland. She was very kind in helping me choose a toy for my sister, Chaerin.”

Bingo! Bom sweetly smiled at Seung Hyun. Seung Hyun fidgeted in his seat. “Will you be visiting us often from now on?”

“Huh?” Seung Hyun nearly choked at Bom’s question. What does she mean by that? I don’t like the way she’s looking at me. Her look reminds me of Chaerin. Not good. Think fast Seung Hyun.

“You and Chaerin.”

“Huh?” Seung Hyun was still confused. I don’t get her. What is she asking me again? “Er..noona what was your question again?”

Bom laughed, “Your sister is quite fond of my sister and looks to me she wants to be her friend. So I thought to ask you if you and Chaerin will be visiting us often.”

“Oh! Well I don’t know noona. Err…if Sandara doesn’t mind Chaerin being her friend then I guess you’ll be seeing her here.” Seung Hyun cringed at the thought of Chaerin being at Sandara’s house almost every day. Uh maybe it isn’t a good idea if Chaerin comes here. She might not breathe again when Chaerin hugs her when I’m not around. Not good.

“How about you? You don’t want to be Sandara’s friend? We just moved back here to Korea and she has no friends. And since you two met back in Maryland maybe you’ll get along well with her…”

Seung Hyun was still lost in thought. He didn’t hear Bom’s questions. He was picturing Sandara and Chaerin alone. Seung Hyun’s facial expression changed. Wait! They’re alone right now! He abruptly stands up scaring Bom in her chair.

“Seung Hyun? Where are you going?” Bom immediately followed him out the door.

“Come on unnie! Let’s play! We’ll have fun…” 

Chaerin’s arms were wrapped around Sandara’s waist. She was pulling her or should I say carrying her inch by inch toward the door. Chaerin really had the power and strength to carry petite Sandara off the chair. Sandara struggled to break free but Chaerin’s grip on her was really tight. Geez this girl is really tough! And strong too! HELP! Where’s Bommie unnie? “Chaerin I don’t want to play. Please let go…ugh!”

“Unnie you’ll have fun! Come on let’s go outside!”

Chaerin’s grip got tighter. Sandara felt like there was an anaconda tightening around her waist. She’s going to cut off her circulation soon.Chaerin doesn’t know her strength is killing me. Ugh! I can feel my organs pulsing. She needs to let go. Aigoo!

“CHAERIN!!!!”

Chaerin’s arms dropped to her sides. She quickly sat back down on the couch and covered her face with her hands. Bom appeared behind Seung Hyun. He marched toward Sandara. He pulled her hood back revealing her face. His hand lightly caressed her cheeks as he looked into her eyes. Sandara had the urge to hug him but suppressed that feeling. She was happy he came and saved her organs from being squished to death. She giggled at that thought. Seung Hyun cracked a smile when she laughed, “Are you okay? Did my sister break any of your bones?”

Sandara shook her head. She wrapped her arms around her waist, “I’m okay.”

“No you’re not. What hurts?” Seung Hyun dropped his hand from her cheeks to her wrist. He lightly tugged her wrist away from her waist.

“Dara what happened?” Bom stepped closer to them.

Sandara looked back at Chaerin. Her hands were still covering her face and she was trembling. Omo! I don’t want her to get in trouble. She looked at Seung Hyun. His angry eyes stared at Chaerin sitting on the couch. Sandara cupped Seung Hyun’s face to look at her, “Please don’t get mad her. She just wanted to play. She didn’t hurt me on purpose. I’m fine” She let’s go and sits next to Chaerin. Sandara takes Chaerin’s hands away from her face. Chaerin starts crying.

“I’m sorry unnie! I’m sorry oppa!” 

Sandara hugs Chaerin, “Don’t cry. It’s okay. We’re not mad at you. Don’t be afraid. I’m not mad. Chaerin please stop crying.”

“Oppa’s mad at me…”

“No he’s not. Right Seung Hyun? You’re not mad at Chaerin?” Sandara looked at Seung Hyun with pleading eyes. She continued to rub small circles on Chaerin’s back. His facial expression immediately changed hearing his sister’s sobs. He sat next to her on the opposite side of Sandara.

“I’m not mad Chaerin-ah. I told you to behave before I left right?”

“Yes oppa. I’m really sorry. It’s just very hard. You know how I am when I get excited. I really like Sandara unnie. As in a lot. I’m really sorry.”

Seung Hyun wipes Chaerin’s tears and pulls her into his arms, “I forgive you. And I’m sorry for the way I yelled at you earlier.”

“It’s okay. My fault for misbehaving. Love you oppa. You’re such a caring brother.”

Sandara got up and ran out the door. Bom chased after her leaving the other siblings dumbfounded.

“What’s wrong with Sandara unnie? Should we follow?”

“Stay here Chaerin. I’ll be back.”

“Dara please talk to me!”

Bom pounded her fist on Sandara’s bedroom door. Tears were streaming down Bom’s cheeks, “Please Dara!”

Seung Hyun appeared next to her, “What’s wrong noona?”

“I’ll be back. I’m going to get the keys from the maid.” She wiped her tears and walked away.

Seung Hyun knocked on her door, “Sandara? It’s me Seung Hyun. Open the door.”

He heard the door click. He turned the door knob open and walked in. Seung Hyun found Sandara sitting in the corner of her room. Her arms were wrapped around her legs. She was rocking her body back and forth. Sandara’s head hung low on her knees. He could hear her sobs. Slowly he walked towards her and silently sat next to her. He wrapped his arms around her body. She leaned her head on his chest, “I miss Sang Hyun.”

“Where’s Sang Hyun?”

“He’s dead. It’s all my fault!” She buries her face in his chest and cries harder.

Seung Hyun gently her hair then her back. He tries to calm her down. He starts to worry because her breathing is uneven with her cries. Bom walks in and finds them in the corner. A maid hands a glass of water to her then leaves the room.

“Seung Hyun, please carry Dara to her bed.”

Seung Hyun lifts Sandara off the floor and places her lightly on her bed. She clings onto the collar of his shirt, “Don’t..don’t..don’t..leave me…”

“I’m not.” He lies next to her and wraps her in his arms.

Bom hovers over them, “Dara, please relax. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe in. Breathe out.” She opens and pops a pill in then helps her drink the glass of water.

“What’s that noona?”

“To help her calm down.” Bom kisses Sandara’s forehead and gently caresses her cheek. Sandara’s eyes flutter then slowly closes. Bom looks at Seung Hyun and nods her head toward the door. Seung Hyun shakes his head.

She whispers, “Seung Hyun the medicine is kicking in. She’ll be asleep for awhile. Come now I’m going to talk to you about her.”

He hesitates, “She’s going to look for me. I told her I wasn’t going to leave her.”

“We won’t take long. Like what I said earlier she’ll be asleep for awhile… she won’t notice your absence for just a few minutes. Come.” Bom walks out the door.

Seung Hyun looks down at Sandara. I’ll be back as quick as I can. Please don’t wake up yet. I want to know what’s wrong with you. I want to stop your pain. I want to see your bright smile again. He kisses her cheek and leaves her room.

Seung Hyun enters the living room area. Bom was sitting next to Chaerin. He raised a brow and eyed the black leather book she was holding. He sat next to her and looked at Chaerin if she knew anything about the book. Chaerin shook her head. She could tell her brother was curious like her.

“Noona what’s that?”

“This belongs to Sandara. It’s her sketchbook. It’s like her journal. You know how most people write entries into their journals?”

Chaerin nods her head.

“Well she draws her entries. My sister is one heck of an artist.” Bom’s fingers lightly brush across Sandara’s name on the book, “She said it’s better to have a picture of every happy moment she has in her life rather than writing it. It always brings a smile on her face when she looks back at her sketches. It’s like a photo album for her in a way but way better if I say so. It’s because she’s very detailed in drawing what happened on whatever particular day she wants to remember. It’s amazing when you look at her drawings.”

“Can we see?” Chaerin smiles at Bom hoping they could see Sandara’s sketchbook.

Bom opens the book to the last entry. Chaerin’s eyes widen, “That’s oppa!” 

Seung Hyun looks at the opened book. On the left side page of the book is a full figure drawing of him facing sideways at the toy store holding a cellphone. On the right side of the page is a close up of his face smiling. He had a quick flashback of that day and smiled. Bom wasn’t joking that Sandara’s an amazing artist.

“Why did she draw oppa?”

“What happened to Sang Hyun?” He cut off his sister’s question.

Bom flipped to the next page and it was blank, “He died two days after she met you. Sandara blames herself for what happened to him. She stopped drawing after he died.”

“Unnie how did he die?”

“I saw her two days after I met her. She was with Sang Hyun. She looked happy with him. They disappeared out of my sight when I looked away for just a second. Noona what happened to them on that day?”

Bom closes the book, “Dara was protecting Sang Hyun as always. She really loved our little brother. I love him too but Dara has always been a protective sister. She feels guilty for not being able to save him. She said it should have been her and not him. Sandara and Sang Hyun were leaving a bookstore when the same bullies Sandara got mad at earlier in the day cornered them.”

“Unnie did they try to hurt them?”

“Yes Chaerin. It got out of hand. They were getting back at Sandara for embarrassing them in front a lot of people. Sandara made some remarks to the bullies that caused people to laugh at them. She really hated those bullies for picking on Sang Hyun. Sang Hyun never told us about those guys until that particular day when Sandara picked him up. Anyways they got more guys to join them when they found Sandara and Sang Hyun. They brought them to a back alley. My sister is a fighter she never backs down when it comes to a love one that’s being harmed. As the saying goes looks can be deceiving. You may think she’s small and fragile but she’s trained in martial arts.” Bom shook her head.

“What did they do?”

“They were ually harassing Dara. They grabbed, pushed, and shoved her around. There were too many of them. Sandara fought back frantically with those boys. They were rough and careless. The other group of boys was ganging up on Sang Hyun. He didn’t like what they were doing to her but he couldn’t get up…he just couldn’t…” Bom’s eyes filled with tears.

Seung Hyun’s hands balled into a fist. His knuckles turned white. Chaerin noticed her brother turned to a statue, “Unnie how did you know every detail? Did Sandara unnie tell you everything that happened?”

“Yes and No. There were video cams in that back alley because it was behind a jewelry store. Dumb boys didn’t even know about those cameras. My family and I watched everything. It’s so sad. I wouldn’t watch that tape again. Sandara only spoke once about that day to the police. After that she didn’t want to repeat herself ever again to anyone who would ask her what happened. In the video I saw how Sang Hyun tried to get back up and help his sister but those heartless boys continued to kick him back down.” Tears dropped on the book, “I can still hear Dara yelling Sang Hyun’s name…so painful…seeing both my siblings in that situation…both helpless…strong willed Sandara finally broke free from the group of boys encircled around her. She was by Sang Hyun’s side in a blink of an eye. One of the boys around Sang Hyun grabbed Sandara and pulled her away from his beaten up bloody body. Sandara was still screaming his name when that boy ripped her shirt…”

“NO!” Seung Hyun roared and abruptly stood up. His hands still balled into a fist. His eyes burned like fire.

“Oppa?”

“Seung Hyun…” Bom lightly touched his fist, “Please sit back down. They did not her. Sang Hyun managed to get up and protectively wrapped his body over Sandara. He hugged her with all his might not letting her go. They were both down on the ground. Sang Hyun was on top of her while they beat him with a bat on his back. They were laughing and cursing at my siblings. Cruel boys….”

Chaerin was in tears, “Did anyone help them?”

“One of the employees at the jewelry store saw what was happening and called the police. They all got arrested. Unfortunately for my little brother he died from internal bleeding. We did a biopsy on him to find out his cause of death…They really beat the crap out of his organs. His back…they damaged his spine…he was dead when they moved him off Sandara. She came out a different person after she woke up from the hospital…it was very hard for her….and it kills me watching her act like that…I’m trying my best to be a good sister…”

“Oh unnie!!!” Chaerin embraced Bom.

Seung Hyun walked out.

Seung Hyun twirled a lose strand from Sandara’s hair with his finger. Sandara nestled her head on his chest and hugged him. He whispered, “I know what happened.”

A tear escapes Sandara’s eye and he gently wipes it away.


FLASHBACK


“Sang Hyungie….”

“Ugh. Oomphh. Ahhhh! Dara….noona!”

Sandara’s vision blurred looking at Sang Hyun’s painful facial expression. His face was inches away from her. She couldn’t move her hand to soothe the pain from his face. Her tears continued to build up in her eyes and stream down. She was locked in her brother’s arms. He was taking the entire blow for her. Protecting her from them. She wanted to protect him. Lord please stop them. Please help us! My baby brother is in pain. Please help us!

Ten minutes later, Sandara could hear sirens and the boys stopped hitting Sang Hyun and ran off. His face looks tired. His eyes slowly closed and he whispered into her ear, “I love you noona….I told you I was going to protect you….”

“No! Sang Hyungieee!!!”



END OF FLASHBACK