It all goes black.

              There’s a knock on the door and I roll over. A sleepy “come in” escapes my lips. A flash of lightning lights up the room, and then the sky roars again. The little boy runs over and climbs into the bed.

              I sit up as he goes under the covers, still hugging his bear tightly. “Hyuk what are you doing here?” I ask, turning on the bed side lamp and lifting the covers.

              “I’m scared noona!”

              “Why didn’t you go to Hongbin?”

              “Hyung isn’t home he’s out with his girlfriend.”

              I nod. “But Hyuk tomorrow is your birthday.”

              “Noona it’s in 10 minutes.”

              “That means that your have to stop being a baby.”

              “I’m not a baby! I’m seven!” I laugh quietly and ruffle his hair.

              “Then don’t be scared of the thunderstorms and just go to sleep.”

              “Noona, can we stay awake until my birthday?”

              “Why not?”

              “Yay!” and so we do. Until it hits 12.

              “Happy birthday Hyukie!”

              “Noona I’m not a baby.”

              “Okay Sanghyuk. Goodnight.”

              I open my eyes, and look around, it’s the same room from my dream. Ken, is asleep by the side of the bed, still in his suit, his hair still flawless.

              I slowly get out of bed, the other way so as to not disturb him, and the sun has come up. I find the bathroom, as it’s connected to the room. It’s so sparkly, and spacious.  I wash my face of the makeup and dry it with a towel I find. I also find an elastic and manage to pull my hair into a side braid.

              I go back into the room, and there’s a crack in the door.

              “Pstt! Noona!” He says quietly and waves me over.

              I walk out of the room, into the hallway and carefully close the door. “Come have breakfast!” He starts walking and I follow him. I laugh to myself, as much as I am confused.

              He leads me through the halls, and we enter a familiar looking dining room. “Noona do you remember this?”

              I look around, and I feel like I have been here before even if I can’t remember much. Hongbin who was eating, suddenly sets his food down, and it’s so strange, he’s smiling. He stands up and comes over, almost as if he was about to hug me, but I flinch. Hyuk notices the awkwardness in the air. “Hey let’s eat first yeah?”

              Hongbin nods and we get through a surprisingly talkative breakfast, even though it’s mostly Hyuk and Hongbin talking castle matters.

              After we finish Hyuk gabs my wrist and he leads me to what I’m assuming is his room. A brown poodle jumps up at us, and Hyuk picks it up.

              “Nini! This is my noona Minhee.” He says to it, and he goes over to the balcony, where you can’t see anything but the sea. We take a seat in the chairs.

              “Noona, can I ask you something?” He says, and I’m still not used to him calling me that, yet it feels right.

              “What is it?”

              “Do you not remember anything?” He looks a bit sad, and I feel a pang in my heart.

              “Not really… The last thing I remember is your 8^th birthday when you came to my room because you were scared and Hongbin wasn’t around. Other than that, I don’t remember anything, but we’re all related, no?”

              “What do you mean?”

              “Hyuk…. I can’t remember Hongbin.”

              On the other side of the castle, Ken has found his way to the dining room, in search of Minhee, but he finds Hongbin instead.

              “Where’s Minhee?”

              “She’s with Hyuk.” Hongbin’s eyes are dark, and Ken guesses this is the depressed king the locals always talked about. “But why don’t you have breakfast first?” Ken nods, even though he feels a bit awkward, he is hungry. Hongbin leaves, and comes back with a plate and some things from the kitchen.

              “Don’t you guys have like, servants?”

              “Servants? No. There’s no such thing here.”

              “But at the party yesterday-

              “Only for occasions like that. There’s only three of us living in the huge empty place.” Ken notices the sadness in Hongbin’s voice, and it sounds like it’s been built up over the years. Hongbin suddenly smiles. “So if you don’t mind me asking… what are you to my sister?”

              “Me?” Ken chews his food, unsure of what to say. “I’m just her best friend.” But the disappointment in his voice is made evident.

              “You love Minhee don’t you?”

              He’s not able to look up, instead he mumbles a quiet yes.

              “But I could almost have sworn she loved you back yesterday.”

              Ken finds himself confused, so confused. Why does everyone keep telling him that? If that were the case, she wouldn’t be all over that Hakyeon guy. “I don’t think she does... she has someone else. Someone back at home.” He doesn’t want to talk about it, not right now, not ever because if he does he’ll get his hopes up, and he’s getting tired of that. “So you’re her brother?”

              “Yes.”

              “But then why was Minhee in Mokpo and not here?”

              Hongbin’s face is suddenly serious, and he looks so angry.

              “When she was 10, 8 years ago, a bad man stole her from us. In attempt from stopping them from escaping I set a force field around this island so they would get far. Back then, it was a good 10 mile radius around this island, but it has weakened over time. I believe it’s currently at the 3 feet mark. In any case, it didn’t stop that guy from getting away with Minhee.”

              “But why did he steal Minhee?”

              “Back then, I had a girlfriend. But her brother, the bad man, would not allow us to get married, because of what had happened 6 years prior to our engagement. He hated us, just because his family lost power, and ours was suddenly put into it. 16 years ago, the only one that was born an actual prince was Hyuk. I was 10. Minhee was 2, and Hyuk was a couple of days old. That guy, I guess I tried to understand his anger. He was born in this castle and he expected to be king one day. But his father took all the people’s money, back when we still used money, and ran off, leaving that guy and my girlfriend alone here. They kicked them out of the palace and put my father in charge, and no one ever complained again…”

              “So why did he steal Minhee? Because he was jealous of your family’s power?”

              Ken felt like he had asked a bad question suddenly, as he noticed a silent tear running down Hongbin’s face.

              “Because we were 16, and the old rules said that the royals had to marry by 16, I was going to marry her. But he wouldn’t allow it, and he locked her up in their house. I didn’t see her for a few days, all I got was that bad guy coming into the palace with the knife. He said my girlfriend had killed herself because she couldn’t marry me. That she’d rather die than not be with me. He came to kill me, but my dad got in the way, he took the blade for me. While my dad was dying, he took Minhee, and left a note saying that if he couldn’t have his sister he was going to take mine.”

              Ken suddenly understood why Minhee didn’t remember anything or anyone. He remembered when the couple next door came home one day with a girl, his age, they were both 10. This girl didn’t have a single friend, and not a single memory.

              He made friends with the girl quickly, seeing as their parents set up a play date for them to hangout. She was so pleasant, she smiled a lot and she didn’t find him annoying. He liked her immediately.

              Ken’s parents had told him not to tell her, but she was adopted. That her parents had died in a shipwreck. He didn’t like the secret, and one day he asked her if she remembered her parents.

              She looked so expressionless. “No. I don’t. I heard that they died, but I don’t know anything else.” She didn’t look sad. She just looked confused.

              “Hongbin….”

              “Hmm?”

              “She doesn’t remember this does she?”

              “No.”

              “But she remembers Hyuk?” Ken thinks back to yesterday, when Hongbin let her go, she turned to Hyuk who had spoken. “Hyuk.” She said softly, before almost collapsing onto the floor. Ken had managed to catch her, as confused as he was. “But why doesn’t she remember you?”

              “I don’t know. And that’s what worries me. I don’t think she remembers anything but Hyuk.” Ken looked at Hongbin, and for once they both had the same expression. Worry.

              “Noona, don’t cry.”

              “I’m sorry Hyuk. I wish I remembered but I don’t, and I’m so frustrated. I don’t remember anything! I don’t remember Hongbin! I don’t remember mother or father!”  I’m bawling at his point, when Hyuk puts Nini down and comes to hug me.

              “Noona it’ll come back one day! I promise!”

              I feel the warmth in his voice, his hug, this is definitely my brother and I cry even more. I don’t even notice that Hongbin and Ken have entered the room. Hongbin and Ken both exchange looks.

              “So does she have to stay here?” Ken asks.

              “No, you can go back to your house. She doesn’t have to stay here, but she’s always welcome to.” Hongbin says.

              After a while, I stop crying, and we say goodbye to Hongbin and Hyuk.

              We walk home along the beach. Ken doesn’t say much.

              Everything is normal the next few weeks I go to work, but now I get stares. Sojin tries to cheer me up, and so does Ken and Hyuk who comes to visit every once in a while. I crash into Seohyun and apologize for what happened at her wedding. She just smiles and says it’s okay.

              I’m folding origami stars, with Hyuk along the beach, waiting for Ken to come home since I finished early at the shop.

              Hyuk suddenly throws one, and I freeze. It doesn’t bounce back.

              “What’s wrong?”

              “Isn’t that… Hyuk… why is that floating away?” I watch as the bright red star floats away in the water, getting further.

              “Oh that.” He points to the sky. It’s a full moon.

              “Today is the last day of the full moon.”

              “And?”

              “OH YOU DON’T KNOW! That’s right! I’m so sorry noona I keep forgetting you’re not used to that.”

              “What is it?”

              “Noona the force field doesn’t exist during the full moon. It used to, but it’s getting weaker since Hongbin’s magic is running out. So now it doesn’t exist during the full moon. It comes back after it.”

              I throw one of the stars into the water, with Hakyeon’s name on it, and it floats away.

              “Magic?”

              “Yes noona. Hongbin has magic. So does Seohyun.”

              “But how?”

              “I’m not sure really. All I know is there have only been three people with magic on this island. Hongbin uses his for the force field. Seohyun uses hers to keep the island green. The magic doesn’t work on people. It works on nature.”

              I don’t know why, maybe because I’m used to all the weirdness of this island at this point but I don’t question it. That night we all go to the castle. I sit next to Hyuk and Ken, as Hongbin stands up, in the center. We’re in the ballroom, under the star in the center.

              “I’m going to turn the force field off.”

              “What? But hyung didn’t you say-

              “I’m going to turn it off. Because Minhee is here.”

              Ken nods in understanding, and the moon finally rises over the star, and suddenly the stop we’re in glows. It’s like a ray of light in the sky, as far as I can see.

              Back on the beach in Mokpo, sits Hakyeon.  A paper star washes up on shore, and he sees the distinct flash, almost thunder like in the distance. He grins.

              “Hakyeon” the star says.

              You miss me, don’t you Minhee?

              He writes a note in a bottle, and tosses it in the ocean. And with a simple movement of his hands, that bottle floats towards that island. Prism Island.

              Ah Hongbin, you should have never turned your force field off.

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