“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” - Bill Keane

You have 10 new messages…

Message 1.

‘Song Joohee! Are you in your right mind right now? Where are you? I’m coming to bring both of you home!’

Message 2.

‘When you get this call me, don’t make me call the authorities’

Message 3.

‘What has gotten into you? Do you know whose life you’re putting on the line? She needs to be here, in hospital where they can look after her’

Message 4.

‘Look, I understand you’re under a lot of stress, please just come back, you have me to talk to’

Message 5.

‘I don’t understand how you could be totally irresponsible, and reckless, this isn’t like you!’

I’m coming home… I’m sorry

-       Joohee

“We’re not seriously giving up are we?” Minhyuk frowns, unpacking everything Joohee was packing into their bags.

“We don’t have a car, how else are we going to get there?”

“And our only method of transport is a car?”

She sighs in frustration, allowing herself to sink into the bed. She buries her hands in her face, her loose strands of hair covering her face, and Minhyuk isn’t sure if he should leave her be. “This was a bad idea from the start” she says once, slowly, “We shouldn’t of have had done this”

She repeats it, again and again, each time hysteria, doubt and anger sneaking into her voice.

“Hey” he holds onto her hands, finding them stained with tears.

Stress, he knew, was never kind on her. “This was a bad idea from the start, we shouldn’t of have had taken her out of the hospital”

“Look, this is an obstacle, there’s always going to be obstacles, we just need to find a way around this.”

Joohee knows that she’s giving in to easily, but when the stakes are life and death, it’s always better to go with the easier option. It’s just that she also knows the easiest option isn’t the right option. There’s a loud squeal, followed by a delightful laughter, it was a strange sound to her ears, but Joohee knew what it was. It was Yooyoung laughing, playing and enjoying herself. She climbs to her feet and follows the sound to the window where she observes the young girl playfully swinging on Nara.

It was a lovely view - from afar, she always reminded herself because it was this mindset that kept Yooyoung alive.

“We’re already a third of the way there, let’s just go to the end”

Joohee sighs, “I’m afraid”

“It’s disheartening that you’ve decided to go home” Nara reaches across the table for Joohee’s hand “There really isn’t anything we can do?”

“You’ve already done enough”

“There’s a train that can take you to Gwangju, I mean you’ll have to make a few stops, but surely, it’s definitely not the end”

“It was a mistake from the start, taking her out…”

“Really? Because I haven’t seen a happier girl in my entire life”

Even Joohee couldn’t deny how all the times she’s heard Yooyoung laugh all felt so foreign to her. It had been ages since she had heard the girl laugh with so much heart, she hadn’t even complained about fatigue yet. She guesses it’s because she’s not cooped up in a lifeless room, wired to three different machines, and being injected with harmful chemicals in hopes that it cures her.

“How long have you and Donggeun been married?”

“We’re going into our third year soon” Nara’s taken back by the question

“You haven’t decided on kids?”

There’s a lump in Nara’s throat, and for the first time Joohee sees a crack on Nara’s cheerful face. She had honestly been curious over the past day whether this woman had any other emotion rather than delight, or joy. She realises then that she’s probably stepped into a sensitive topic.

“Well…”

“You don’t have to explain anything if you don’t want too”

“No… it’s just-” she clears “I can't bear children…”

“I’m sorry” Joohee wraps her fingers around her cup of tea, staring at the wisps of steam.

“It’s alright, it’s something we’ve come to accept, as a matter of fact, we’ve been looking at adopting!” She’s back again, enthusiastic, lovable Kwon Nara that she’d met just over few hours ago. “She’s a beautiful baby girl, just like Yooyoung”

Joohee finds strength to smile. Here was this woman, who keeps giving to strangers, and asking for nothing in return, and yet fate has decided to lay this awful thing on her. Still Nara smiles and she keeps fighting, and she doesn’t let anything bring her down. Joohee wishes she could be like this.

“Well, since you’re going to go home, how about joining us for a festival at the beach tonight?”

“Festival?”

“Every year when spring arrives, there’s always a festival down at the beach, they release paper lanterns into the air by the end of the night, it’s actually quite a sight” Nara smiles “We’ve actually only ever been once, but since you’re here you should definitely go”

“Let’s go!” Minhyuk peers from around the corner “Sounds like fun!”

“Great! You can borrow my dress”

Minhyuk adjusts his tie nervously and strolls around anxiously downstairs. He’s not even sure why he’s wearing a tie, considering he wasn’t even wearing a suit. The only thing he had with him was a pair of jeans and a white shirt along with the tie. Although he wasn’t wrong to assume he wasn’t going to necessarily be need a suit and tie, he was going for smart casual.

 “Ahjusshi!” Yooyoung’s adorable voice calls out to him from the stairs. She walks down in a pink floral dress with a beret placed nicely on her head. She’s hoping down the stairs, hands holding tight onto the railings and Minhyuk meets her half way, whisks her off her feet.

“You look so pretty” Minhyuk says, not out of obligation, but out of the softest spot he held for this little girl in his heart.

“Wait till you see mum” she picks at Minhyuk’s tie and he glances up.

She had her hair done in a loose bun with strands flowing gracefully down her face, wearing a black dress that hugged her body tightly and high heels that made her apparently uncomfortable. Still she puts on a face and she smiles, so does Minhyuk and so does Yooyoung. If someone saw them from afar they’d be convinced that this was a happy family. Minhyuk in that moment had never wished for this to be truer. Yet he knew that they were far from happy.

“How is this?” Joohee tugs on the hem of her dress, and struggles to stand in her pair of high heels, wobbling towards Yooyoung and Minhyuk. “Nara’s a bit taller than me, so this dress is a bit longer than it’s meant to be” she still manages to tug at the dress even though it sits above her knees.

Minhyuk teases, “You know, Yooyoung was walking down the stairs before, just like you are right now.”

It’s been a while since she had worn something so revealing and it leaves Joohee blushing “Let’s go ok” he grins and Yooyoung nods, slipping out of his arms and reaching for his hand instead. Joohee follows him closely behind and grabs the key resting on the table.

“Ready?” Minhyuk waits for her at the door and she nods, closing it shut behind her.

He stops half way down the walkway, in the middle of Yooyoung and Joohee and he smiles “By the way” he says, “You look…beautiful”