Christmas day hasn’t ended yet, Eunji planned on going to the orphanage to celebrate with Ms. Cho and the kids there. She brought Seohyun with her because Seohyun doesn’t have a family to celebrate with. She’s actually an orphan before too. Chanyeol has to go home to celebrate with his family too, and the rest did the same too. Jinki, who was all alone, thinking he’ll be alone on that day, got a surprise call from his mom on their way before departing with them. His mom is actually waiting for him at his aunt’s place nearby Seoul, she went home from Japan.

She sat at the dining chair watching Ms. Cho preparing the dishes, the children’s playing noise is overheard from the living room. The kids are playing with Seohyun. Mrs. Son was helping her set the dining table for dinner. “Mrs. Son, do you have kids?” Eunji asked without remembering she’s mute.

She took out a small thick notebook, opened a blank sheet, and wrote. She lifted the note for Eunji to see. ‘I don’t know’ it says.

Eunji somehow feels sympathy to Mrs. Son’s situation, she can’t speak but luckily, she can hear. Maybe there’s always good behind the bad. She wants to know why Mrs. Son became mute, if it’s inborn or just a result of an unfortunate circumstance. “Why?” she asked.

She wrote another note, I was in an accident.

Ms. Cho overheard Eunji’s interrogation. As much as possible at this point, it’s not usual to ask those questions on Christmas Day. “Eunji-ah, come and help me. Put this on a bowl.” She took Mrs. Cho’s request and smiled at Mrs. Son.

“Eunji-ah, Mrs. Son can’t remember anything. That accident is all that she could remember. That was a long ago, I met her a few months ago from the orphanage at the countryside, but they asked me to get her to help me because their orphanage is running out of financial support so they can’t assure having her there.”

“How about her name? Is she really Mrs. Son?”

“They called her that, but no one knows her real name and even her background was unfortunately as mysterious as now. She was named ‘Son Hae Yook’ then. But you know, we can trust her, she’s kind and I somehow pity her.”

Their whisperings aren’t touching Mrs. Son’s ear, luckily.

“I wonder if she had a child.” Eunji pouted after pouring the soup into the third bowl. “She should’ve had, but as I said, her background was absolutely obscure.”

The Christmas dinner made the kids went to sleep with filled tummies, and the adults gathered at the living room, including; Ms. Cho, Mrs. Son, Eunji and Seohyun.

Mrs. Son kept on smiling at Eunji and Seohyun. Seohyun feels something strange about the ahjumma. “Ahjumma, stop looking at me like that, huh? It’s Christmas, I’ve heard things about you from Eunji.” Seohyun smiled. Mrs. Son smiled back and nodded. Eunji nudged Seohyun. “Call her Mrs. Son, not ahjumma, huh?”

“Eommeonim, aren’t you retiring of taking care of this orphanage? You can pass it to Eunji, right?” Seohyun said. Ms. Cho chuckled,

“As long as my bones are strong enough to work, then it’ll be alright to stay with the kids.  Eunji’s dream is to become a teacher and I don’t want to force her if it’s not her dream.”

“Aishh, eomma. I can work both. You knew I’m a multitasker!” Eunji said.

At the side of Ms. Cho, Mrs. Son joined the conversation and lifted a note; I wish I have a daughter too.

“You didn’t have a child at that age?” Seohyun asked. Eunji hushed her. “Yahh.”

She was about to write another note again but Ms. Cho answered for her.

“Mrs. Son has been in an accident for maybe 15 years ago, ‘till now, she’s considerably still having an amnesia. A long term amnesia, actually.”

“Oh, jinjja? That’s so sad to hear. Ahjumma--- no… Mrs. Son, you didn’t remember any single thing, or maybe dreaming about the accident and your family or what?” Seohyun asked.

She shook her head with a sad expression, Seohyun thought she made her feel upset.

The girls decided to stay there for a week until after New Year.

--

Mrs. Son and Ms. Cho went to the orphanage’s garden, wrapping themselves with thick jackets and gloves on their hands, words come out of visible cold air.

You’re so lucky to have a daughter with you on Christmas. Mrs. Son lifted a note. She was shaking upon writing that, the letters were a bit curved and shaken.

Ms. Cho smiled at her, “It would be a lot better if she knows she is but I can’t tell her.”

Why can’t you?

“It’s not the right time. I’m afraid she’ll get mad at me, and run away. I’m afraid. What if she wouldn’t understand? What if she leaves me like her father did? I think I can’t tell her. I won’t tell her, for better.”

She’s mature enough to understand. Mrs. Son smiled and wrote another note before Ms. Cho could speak. It wouldn’t be easy for acceptance, but time will heal and she would understand.

Ms. Cho’s heart throbbed; the man who left her started it all out. But she can’t blame it all to him, yet, Eunji’s a blessing she can’t put anger to. She’s her mother. Even if the father left them, she strived to do the best for Eunji. BUT, the worst part of it was she never tod the truth to Eunji.

She made the entire story that Eunji was left at the orphanage, and that’s what Eunji believed. She was even adopted to make everything real. The couple who adopted Eunji, those who died, they knew the truth. They knew that Ms. Cho’s the real mom of Eunji. Those couple, Jung Lee Suk and Jung Hye Soo legally adopted her and had her use the name ‘Jung’ too, until now. The couple were sponsors of the orphanage back then, so when they couldn’t have a child, they used Eunji as an exchange for the financial support. In short, it could be speculated that Ms. Cho actually sold her own daughter.

But after that accident with the Jungs, she promised to herself she wouldn’t let anyone take Eunji away again. She then raised Eunji again, until she became a lady. The Jungs left their belongings, and Ms. Cho found out that all their properties were donated to the orphanage. Even after death, it’s all about kids that they’d love to help. It’s just that they have to take an important child from Ms. Cho and raised her