A young woman sat holding the hand of her new husband in a Korean hospital. The smile on their faces were bright. One of her hands rested lovingly on her stomach.

“What do you want? A boy or a girl?” Her husband grinned.

“A girl!” Her answer was immediate and her smile brightened, “Named Sun Hee.” she looked at her husband with bright eyes, “I want our child's name to be Sun Hee.”

The doctor entered the room with a grave look on her face. Her husband's face fell as he got on his knees and placed both her hands in his.

His wife was shaking her head as tears fell from her face. “I can't be a mother..”

“No. You can.” Her husband was trying his hardest to look his love in the eyes. “We can try everything! We can adopt. We will be parents, Min Hee, you will be a mother, to a beautiful girl named Sun Hee.”

“Sunni!” A small boy tried to get the attention of the little girl staring at the wall. Her face held no expression. No sorrow. No grief. No happiness. No loneliness. She was empty and alone. Alone in the kin sense. Not the literal. In fact there were many kids playing in the toy room where she sat staring at the wall. Many kids like her, without parents and without a home. They all lived together in the New York orphanage. The girl turned to look at the boy calling her name.

Her hazel-green eyes stared blankly at him while she tilted her head. Her long brown hair flowed with her head. Her lips parted in curiosity but she still did not speak a word. “Sunni, lets play.” The little boy gently grabbed her hand and led her to the toy box. He was much taller than her, he was probably around five while she was only two. Only two years old and without any kin. He pulled out a doll with green eyes and brown hair to match her. “Look sunni! You're so pretty they made a doll like you.” The statement was true in the fact that Sunni was a beautiful child, who looked just like a porcelain doll, and this particular doll held so many features that Sunni held as well.

Her eyes just stared blankly at him while she took the doll from him. The doll looked at her with the same blank expression that Sunni herself wore. She hugged the doll close to her chest and muttered a quiet “Thank you.” to the boy. His eyes widened as she spoke. She had never spoken to anyone in the orphanage. And she wouldn't speak to them in there again.

“I can't believe it's been three whole years.” Min Hee sat in the passenger seat of a car. Her husband was driving. “We've been searching for two whole years..”

“Maybe this one will be the one.” Her husband smiled at her, optimistic as always.

“Bae.” Min Hee smiled weakly, “You always say that.”

“And I always mean it.” Bae smiled back at his wife as he parked the car. They both got out of the car and looked at the building in front of them. “New York Orphanage. Please be the one.”

An older woman greeted the couple at the door to welcome them. Bae and Min Hee thanked her for the warm welcome in the woman's own language. She led them to the play room where many children laughed, giggled and played.

In the corner Sunni sat brushing her doll's hair. She cocked her head looking at the doll. Her eyes were still blank but frowned slightly. She reached to untie the ribbon on top of her head and fastened it into the doll's hair. Her frown turned into a slight smile.

Bae and Min Hee were talking to the little girls that played, oblivious of Sunni sitting in the corner with her doll. Min Hee looked at her husband with distress. She didn't feel a connection to any of the girls. But strangely enough, the stars had decided to align for them that day. Sunni's only friend, the boy who gave her the doll walked into the room. His eyes scanned the room, only glancing at the potential parents, and quickly spotted Sunni in the corner with her doll.

“Sunni!” He called. Sunni's eyes shifted upward while Bae and Min Hee's heads snapped to the source of the boy and followed his eyes to the doll-like girl in the corner.

“Bae..” Min Hee looked at her husband with tears threatening to overflow. “It's her..”

“Sun Hee..” Her husband grinned at her and helped her up to go towards the girl with their daughter's name.

Sunni's eyes shifted from the boy to the couple walking towards her. She stood up and clutched onto the boy's shirt with her free hand.. He smiled softly at her. “It's okay, Sunni. Maybe they want you to be their daughter.” She looked up at the boy. Emotion filled her eyes for the first time. His breath was caught in his throat. Her beauty had multiplied when that small bit of hope filled her. She let go of his shirt and pointed to herself as if to ask “me?” The boy nodded. She looked at the couple who now stood in front of her.

“Hello,” The man smiled at her. Tears rimmed his eyes. His wife's tears were already flowing freely.

“Why is she crying?” Sunni's small voice shocked everyone in the room. Many of the orphans and volunteer's assumed she was mute. Bae and Min Hee were shocked with her concern. Sun Hee stepped forward and stood on her tippy-toes. She reached her arm out as far as it would go to try to reach Min Hee's face. Min Hee noticed this and bent her face down so sunni could reach. Sunni's small hand wiped a tear from her face. “Don't cry,” Min Hee dropped to her knees and pulled Sunni close to her. Bae's eyes overflowed with tears.

“Sun Hee... I wanted my daughter to be Sun Hee.” Min Hee looked at Sunni, who smiled at her.

“That's like my name,” She cocked her head to the side, “Does that mean you're my mommy?”

Min Hee nodded through her tears and Sunni began to cry. “I get a mommy?” Min Hee nodded again, and Bae joined the hug. Her watery eyes shifted to Bae, “And a daddy?” Bae nodded and Sunni let herself cry in the embrace of two parents for the first time she'd ever be able to remember.

She sniffled and lifted her head. “You know... This is the best birthday present ever.” Bae stood up and took Sunni in his arms. She still held her doll close to her chest but her head rested on the shoulder of a stranger she would call Appa.