Taeyeon held onto the side of the bed tightly as she peered anxiously at her stepbrother. Today was the day that the kind doctor had told her that he would wake up.

Her sister had disappeared three days ago.

Her mother acted like nothing was wrong.

But Taeyeon knew the truth.

She also had known about her stepbrother’s feelings for Seohyun. Those two had bonded the moment they met and they’ve never spent a moment apart. At times Taeyeon was rather jealous of their extremely close relationship, wishing that her mother would let her go just for a moment so that she could join in their mirth. But no, Seohyun was a dangerous obstacle in Taeyeon life, her mother claimed. She must stay far away from her.

And yet something about Seohyun always drew Taeyeon close. Perhaps it was her earnest way of talking, creating laughter for those around her. Perhaps it was how she truly wanted to best for everyone around her. Without her mother knowing, the two girls also created a tight bond as they whispered secrets to each other at night. They were only a year apart. Her stepbrother, who was the same age as Taeyeon, kept a distance from her, however. Seohyun was the only person he ever genuinely smiled at. And now Seohyun was gone.

She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see her mother and stepfather rushing into the room. Her stepbrother opened his muddled eyes with confusion etched across his face.

“Yonghwa!” Her mother fell upon the bed, sobbing.

“Appa,” Yonghwa mumbled. “What happened?”

“A drunk driver ran into you,” his father replied tearfully. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Who are this lady and this girl?”

The room fell silent.

“You don’t remember them?” His father asked gently.

The doctor appeared in the room and told them that after an injury like the one Yonghwa had, it was common for the victim to lose part of his memory. Yonghwa would regain his memory in a day or so, the doctor claimed. Occasionally however, if the victim had someone extremely special to him or her, they might forget the special someone for a long period of time until an event triggers their brain to recall the information.

Seohyun. Taeyeon could only think of her sister. Seohyun.

A day passed, and true to the doctor’s word, Yonghwa remembered Taeyeon and her mother.

A day had passed, and Shin had yet to utter Seohyun's name.

It got to the point that one day during a hospital visit, Taeyeon had no choice but to blurt it out. “You remembered my mother and I, but what about Seohyun-”

“Choi Taeyeon!” Her mother screeched, startling everyone in the room. “Never speak of that name again! That girl is dead to this family!”

“Who’s Seohyun?” Yonghwa questioned.

Taeyeon's heart sank. She’s the girl you love, Taeyeon wanted to scream and shake the boy until he remembered, but her fear for another outburst from her mother kept silent.

Seohyun is not dead.

“She’s a friend of Taeyeon who did something bad to our family,” her mother explained sweetly despite the glare from her husband. “Don’t worry about her. In fact, you should forget about that name all together.”

Before Yonghwa had a chance to press the matter farther, the doctor came in and the name Seohyun was truly forgotten.