“Alright! Now that the weirdo has left, lets cook dinner! Vitani. Go upstairs and play with Bupulda and Gongjung Geune while Tae Il and I go make dinner. Tae Il! Go wash your hands and then start chopping up some Bok Choy! Lets move people!”

I nodded, scooping both of them up into my arms, bouncing up the stairs into my room, showing Bupulda around.

I had one wall that was dedicated to my awards and achievements, that wall painted psychedelic colors so that each thing stood out. My other walls were murals of my family, Christmas lights attached to the walls, framing each persons face. My bed was normally sized. It was pushed to one side, my cartoon sheets thrown over it messily. Straight across from it was a large windowsill where my plush pillows, soft blanket, Gongjung Geune’s bed, and my stack of novels were.

I was sometimes a book nerd when no one looked. I read Hamlet ten times, Wuthering Heights a million, old classics in the original novel like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, etc. On rainy days or the weekend I would sit on the windowsill and read for hours. Adjacent to my windowsill is where the instruments I play along with my many easels and amplifiers. I play saxophone, electric guitar, piano, and bongos. My easels were filled with half done paintings and drying creations. Bupulda scrambled out of my arms jumping into Gongjung Geune’s bed, dozing off quickly. Gongjung Geune settled for my little tent in my blanket, falling asleep quickly after her. I smiled at them, the twinkling lights catching on a pale sheet of paper on my bed where Jiho had sat. I picked it up, curiosity getting the best of me.

We know you what you went through and more. Meet Yong Nam and I at Gyeongju Park at 10:00PM. Bring nobody. Jiho.

I gaped at the note, folding it tightly, tucking it under my pillow as if nothing was there, my heart racing. How could they know what happened to me? I was so young when it happened and I was the only survivor, my brothers not even there when it happened. I decided I would go, wondering if they had anything to do with it and how. Even if I’d only know Jiho and Yong Nam for a while, they seemed to be more than meets the eye.

“Vitani! Dinner’s almost ready. Set the plates please!”

I jumped as if I got caught sneaking out, bounding down the stairs as fast as I could, bursting into the dining room, setting down the plates, metal chopsticks, spoons, glasses and coasters in record time.

“Wow. You must be starving.”

Hyun Ki placed down the food, the dinner looking delectable. It was Oh-jing-uh Soondae, rice stuffed squid, Yache Mandoo, fried vegetable dumplings, ssam, lettuce wraps, and Kalbi Gui, BBQ beef ribs. I ate at my normal rate so not to raise suspicion and even asked for dessert. It was tteok, rice cakes, and yakgwa, fried honey cakes. I ate it happily, momentarily forgetting about Jiho and Yong Nam’s proposal. We finished at 9:00PM before settling down and watching T.V for thirty minutes.

I got up after the show was done, skipping up to my room for a quick shower, throwing on a large T-Shirt and plaid boy shorts, pulling my short hair back with clips. I settled into my bed just as the door opened and Hyun Ki, along with Tae Il came in, both bidding me goodnight before leaving. I pretended to fall asleep for twenty minutes before bolting out of bed, slipping on a pair of flip fops, rushing to my windowsill. I threw the windows open, stepping out onto the ledge under it, making my way down quietly, leaving the comfort of my bed to find out the truth of what happened to my parents.