My parents hadn't wanted me to be an only child, but nothing happened to change it until Lily was born when I was eleven years old. 

Sadly, my mum ,Taeyeon, had passed away during Lily's birth so my little sister never knew the love of her mother. Fortunately, our father, Yongguk was a wonderful, strong man and become of the circumstances of Lily's birth, he considered her a blessing and treated her like a princess. He had lost one love and gained another. We both had, and therefore it drew us closer. 

So, when father passed away suddenly, and withotu any prior health concern to offer a warning, our world seemed at an end. It hit Lily particularly hard. With no experience of loss, and used to his constant adoring protection, his passing caused her to turn from a happy child to one who needed constant reassurance. She was never more than three feet away from me. She couldn't sleep and had nightmares. We were both broken-hearted, and yet nevertheless, I had to be strong for her.

"You won't ever leave me, will you, Gayun?" she asked, the day after father's funeral 

Her tears mingled with mine as we clung to each other.

"I will never leave you. I promise," I vowed, hoping my conviction would calm her. 

Father had no brothers or sisters and only an aunt in Seoul, so I wrote to my mother's sister, Aunt Hyoyeon, who lived near Busan, telling her we were alone and needed help. She agreed that she would put us up for a short time.