• DARA •

 

"What's up with you and Jeff?" sam asks me after he gets home from his date with Haley. I was lying on my bed, finding it difficult to keep my thoughts away from chaerin.

 

"Nothing's up between jeff and I." I inform sam. "I made sure jeff got the memo that I wasn't interested in being more than just friends."

 

sam chuckles, ripping off his shirt and flopping down on the bed beside me. "Good. jeff's not your type. chaerin, on the other hand-"

 

"sam," I frown. "I don't want to talk about it."

 

"Sorry." He throws me an apologetic look. During the dance, sam had asked me what had gone on between chaerin and I. I told him everything, letting Aunt and bom unnie in on the deets as well.

 

"And sam?" I look over at him. "Put on your shirt."

 

He raises an eyebrow. "Are my good looks too much for you to handle?" He teases. My frown deepens. "What good looks?" I joke in return. "And I just don't feel comfortable having a shirtless boy on my bed."

 

sam laughs softly, not bothering how put in his shirt. "How many times have chaerin been shirtless in your bed?" My face heats up, recalling those times back in korea when chaerin would get in the bed beside me, her shirt sometimes off she just wearing bra. I never had a problem with it though.

 

"That's what I thought." sam continues to laugh.

 

"I hate you." I let him know.

 

"I love you too." He winks,

 

I make a face. "How did your date go?" I question, remembering that I hadn't asked. sam frowns. "I don't want to talk about it." "Not too good, I assume."

 

sam purses his lips and goes back to staring at the TV, not getting back on the subject. I decided to just drop it. I wouldn't like to talk about a date-gone-wrong either.

 

• • •

 

I wake up the next morning with my arm hanging off the edge of my bed. I yawn and sit up, stumbling out of bed and towards dresser. Still kinda sleepy, I grab a pair of peach-colored shorts and gray tee with 'Believe' scribbled across the front in black letters. I strip out of my pajamas and slide on my choice of clothes, quickly combing through my hair and heading out my bedroom.

 

I barely have to time to reach the stairs because I strip over some square-shaped object, almost tumbling over. I crinkle my nose and look down to find a medium-sized box with 'Mi-Hyun Stuff' printed on the top in sharpe.

 

.Mi-Hyun

 

My mother.

 

I in a deep breath and kneeled down, absentmindedly prying the box open to reveal a pile of papers and a few photo albums here and there.

 

I grabbed the first sheet of paper of the top, my eyes scanning over it.

 

My mouth drops and I look closer, rereading everything I'd already read. It was some hospital documents...indicating that my mother had lost her baby.

 

Did mom have another child that she had lost? Or...or is there a different story behind all ST. LUKE'S MEDICAL CENTER was written on top. The name of the hospital. Isn't ST. LUKE'S MEDICAL CENTER here...in Philippines ?