Bae Yong Joon’s heart thumped drastically as he approached the room. He halted as he stood in front of the door which hid his niece on the other side. He couldn’t even remember the last time he saw her in person. His twin had been sending him pictures of the girl every year, but besides that, all he knew was her name, Bae Suzy.

“Appa!”

Yong Joon froze when the girl ran towards him, with a big and bright smile on her face. He stiffened when she suddenly hugged him and giggled. The girl then looked up at him with her innocent eyes and said, “The ahjumma you left me with kept telling me that appa and omma are dead.”

Suddenly, there was a lump that started building in Yong Joon’s throat. He glanced at the woman who the girl was talking about. Her eyes were already swollen and she had an apologetic look at her face. Yong Joon gazed down at Suzy once again and the girl continued, “But I knew that appa and omma would come back.”

Her voice was full of relief and joy while her eyes were full of hope; her innocence and optimism suddenly broke Yong Joon’s heart.

“And I was right!” the little Suzy giggled. “Appa came back!”

But the girl’s laughter just prickled his heart more. He was already chewing his lips when Suzy suddenly looked around and asked, “But where’s omma? How did your trip to Japan go? What was grandpa’s reaction when you came? Did they treat you well?”

Unknowingly, tears started dropping on the floor and when the girl’s gaze softened, Yong Joon realized that the tears were his.

“Appa, why are you crying?” she worriedly asked and grabbed his hand. “Did you fight with grandpa? Don’t worry. You’ll have another chance to meet him. Hmm?”

No, Yong Joon thought. Your father has already run out of chances.

He brushed his tears and kneeled in front of the girl. He held her shoulders as he asked, “Do you know your uncle? The one whom you had been sending letters every holiday.”

“Hmmm,” Suzy nodded. “Uncle Yong Joon.”

He tried to give a small smile as he said, “That’s me. I’m Yong Joon. Bae Yong Joon.”

He saw how disappointment registered in the girl’s face which was quickly followed by anxiety. However, she too, tried to remain calm as she asked, “Then, where’s appa?”

Yong Joon first glanced at the old lady and nodded at her before taking Suzy’s hand. He said, “Come with me and we’ll see your parents.”

The walk towards the other room was quiet and by the way the girl grabbed his hand tightly, he knew that the atmosphere was already giving her hints and it made her more fearful. As they finally arrived in a spacious room where two coffins laid at the end, he saw how her eyes suddenly became dull. She was frozen first as she saw her parents’ pictures, adorned with flowers, on top of the coffins.

Yong Joon did not expect that the girl would fake cheerfulness as she asked, “So where’s my parents?”

Not knowing how to answer a simple question properly, he just pointed at the coffins and mumbled, “Inside.”

The girl suddenly let go of his hand and ran towards the coffins. She desperately tried opening them as she yelled in question, “Why did you trapped them inside?! They wouldn’t be able to breathe! My parents would die! Uncle, help me. Help me get them out! Uncle!”

But instead of the help she was expecting, Yong Joon held both of her arms to stop her. As Suzy met his gaze, she saw how her eyes were full of disbelief.

“Suzy, your parents are not going to die,” Yong Joon whispered. “They are already dead.”

He saw how her eyes then started glistening with tears. However, the girl just escaped from his grasp and continued on finding a way to open the coffins. She was crying as she complained repeatedly, “You’re lying. Uncle is lying. Why is uncle lying to me?! My parents are coming back! They’re not yet dead! They’re coming back!”

When Suzy just held the side of the coffin as she sobbed harder and cried louder, Yong Joon knew that the girl had already understood. He could do nothing but watch as he also wept silently. As he shut his eyes tight and his lips formed a thin line, he asked in his mind,

Hyung, how am I going to raise your child?

The 40-year old Bae Yong Joon glanced first at the invitation that he was holding before proceeding to the gates of the school. As he saw the festive atmosphere of the place, his lips curved into an almost unnoticeable smile.

He knew that for nine years, he had made Suzy entrapped in his world. It had made the both of them travel to different places until the time came when Yong Joon also yearned for home. When Suzy got a scholarship into a high school near their new apartment, he knew that it was a good start; when the girl started schooling, the male had actually noticed the bright aura that had always surrounded her and he thought that perhaps, they could have a new and peaceful life without having to hide or travel faraway again.

Upon receiving the invitation to the School Fair, he realized that he actually wanted to see where her happiness was coming from. Moreover, he also wanted to assure himself that his decision to settle was right.

As his feet had taken him in the fair, he noticed how each club had set up booths. Seeing the Science Club at one glance, he sighed and walked towards the two people that were manning the booth. He greeted, “Good morning.”

“Oh! Good morning! Would you like to buy some carp bread from us or would you like to see some of our experiments?”

“Ahh,” he shook his head with a polite and small smile. “I was actually looking for my niece.”

“Niece? Who?”

“Suzy. Bae Suzy.”

“I don’t know anyone with the name of Bae Suzy,” the male shook his head.

“Really?” Yong Joon tried to remain calm. “You must be mistaken. She told me that she’s in the Science Club.”

“You should be the one mistaken, Mister. I am in the Human Resource Committee of the club. I know all of the members and I don’t remember a Bae Suzy in the list.”

“But the name actually sounds familiar,” the female who accompanied him in the booth interrupted.

“That… I think I heard it somewhere else too,” the male furrowed his eyebrows.

Confusion was already starting to bubble inside Yong Joon but he proceeded on asking, “Then… Kim Myungsoo? Is he in this club too? Does the name ring a bell?”

“The name rings too many bells,” the male exclaimed while making a face. “That guy is famous in school since he’s at the top of his batch but… he’s not in this club too. In fact, he doesn’t have any club.”

Yong Joon was becoming anxious at what he had heard so he was left muttering, “Suzy and Myungsoo… are not in the Science Club?”

Then, what club was the girl talking about this whole time? He asked himself.

“Ah! That’s right!”

Yong Joon was startled when the female in the booth gasped. With a big smile, she continued, “I know Bae Suzy. She’s the girl who’s always with