All her life she’d wondered. She’d dreamed. A picture ,that’s all she ever wanted. A story, a piece of jewelry, a memory. Anything. Something to connect her to her parents. Something to make them real.

   But nothing prepared her for the faded image.

   Her heart slammed so hard it hurt. There wasn’t much light in the car, only quick flashes from the streetlamps they zipped past, but it was enough. It was enough to realize that the woman in the picture she found was no stranger. “ I knew her” Ga Yeon thought. She’d seen her before, the woman with the long dark hair and haunting, wide-set eyes. At night when her eyes closed and the images of her parents took over. She always thought they were only dreams, fantasies of the perfect childhood she’d never had.

   “She was beautiful,” she whispered.

   The lights from outside the car faded as they neared Aunt Hyeri’s condo. “She was.”

   Ga Yeon was aware of the car turning, but didn’t look up. “Eommani said…” Without realizing, Ga Yeon lifted a hand to feather along the side of her mother’s face. “Eommani said there weren’t any. She said they were destroyed.”

   “Not all of them.”

   Ga Yeon glanced up to see they were pulling into the private parking garage. “Do you have more?” Ga Yeon asked as Aunt Hyeri rolled down her window and slid her access card through the scanner.

   “ I might.”

   “What was she like?” The question practically shot out of Ga Yeon. She’d gotten the occasional story out of her grandma about her son, but not about her mother, her daughter-in-law.

   The car stopped. Ga Yeon looked up, realized they were parked. The engine idled. The lights shone against the concrete wall. Aunt Hyeri stared straight ahead, silky dark hair falling against her face and hiding her eyes. Ga Yeon could see her shoulders rise and fall.

   “You.” She said, and her smile was soft. Kind. “Your mom was a lot like you.” Aunt Hyeri continued.

   “M – Me?” asked Ga Yeon, totally shocked by her aunt statement.

   “Yes, sweetheart.” Answered Aunt Hyeri. They climbed from the car and Ga Yeon followed her aunt through the dimly lit garage. All Ga Yeon could think at that time was… what if? What if her parents had lived? What would it have been like if she was raised by her own parents?

  “How did they die?” Ga Yeon asked as they reached the door of Aunt Hyeri’s house.

   With the door partially opened, her aunt stood still. Ga Yeon was glad that she didn’t play games or ask who. “You don’t know?”

   Her hair shielded her expression, but Ga Yeon heard the caution in her voice. “Eommani never like to talk about it…”

   She stood still for a few seconds, then shoved the door open and breezed inside. She threw on a few lights and tossed her purse to the small table next to her shoe rack. As if Ga Yeon wasn’t waiting for any answer.

   “You don’t want to tell me, either, do you?”

   She take off her shoes and sit on the sofa in her living room. “It’s not that,” she said, still brisk and matter-of-fact. “ It’s just…” She turned, and before she even spoke, Ga Yeon saw the change- no more answers tonight. “Ga Yeon.”

   “Don’t you think it’s time to tell me?”

   Automatically, she felt tighten. “Tell you what?” she asked, but she had a bad feeling.

   Aunt Hyeri frowned. “It’s almost two o’clockin the morning. Kai calls me and tells me—“ She broke off , in a sharp breath. “Do you have any idea what I thought—“  She squeezed her eyes shut, obviously struggling for control. “ He asks me to get you. So I do. And I find you walking by yourself. Do you even realized—“

   “My god,” she whispered, then she was closing in on me and lifting a hand to my –

   Ga Yeon stepped back and lifted her own hand.

   “You’re bleeding.” She whispered.

   Tentatively Ga Yeon’s finger found the stickiness at the side of her forehead.

   “My god,” her voice was barely more than a horrified breath. “ He hurt you. That boy—“

   “No.” Ga Yeon said, not needing her aunt to finish to realized where she was going. Teenage boy, teenage girl… Late at night.

   But she was already reaching for her phone. “I’m calling the police—“

   “No!” this time Ga Yeon did shout. “That’s not what happened.” Ga Yeon practically screamed, and finally Aunt Hyeri looked up from digging into her purse. “He didn’t touch me.”

   Frozen there, she looked at Ga Yeon. “Then what?”

   “It- It was just a game. A stupid mistake!”

   “Ga Yeo…” she called, but Ga Yeon slammed the bathroom door before she could finish. Her heart pound as if she’d been running forever.Closing her eyes, she leaned against the cool surface of the toilet’s marble wall, willing her breath to slow— and hating the hot salty moisture stinging her eyes. No way she would cry. They weren’t worth it. None of them. Not even Kai.

   a deep breath, she opened her eyes, and saw the blood on her  forehead through the luxurious mirror in the bathroom.

   Jerking, Ga Yeon ripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. It took a while for the hot water to come, but when it did, Ga Yeon let it rain down on her for a long, long time.

   “Ga Yeon?” Aunt Hyeri’s voice startled her.

   “Kai is here.”  

    All her life she’d wondered. She’d dreamed. A picture ,that’s all she ever wanted. A story, a piece of jewelry, a memory. Anything. Something to connect her to her parents. Something to make them real.

   But nothing prepared her for the faded image.

   Her heart slammed so hard it hurt. There wasn’t much light in the car, only quick flashes from the streetlamps they zipped past, but it was enough. It was enough to realize that the woman in the picture she found was no stranger. “ I knew her” Ga Yeon thought. She’d seen her before, the woman with the long dark hair and haunting, wide-set eyes. At night when her eyes closed and the images of her parents took over. She always thought they were only dreams, fantasies of the perfect childhood she’d never had.

   “She was beautiful,” she whispered.

   The lights from outside the car faded as they neared Aunt Hyeri’s condo. “She was.”

   Ga Yeon was aware of the car turning, but didn’t look up. “Eommani said…” Without realizing, Ga Yeon lifted a hand to feather along the side of her mother’s face. “Eommani said there weren’t any. She said they were destroyed.”

   “Not all of them.”

   Ga Yeon glanced up to see they were pulling into the private parking garage. “Do you have more?” Ga Yeon asked as Aunt Hyeri rolled down her window and slid her access card through the scanner.

   “ I might.”

   “What was she like?” The question practically shot out of Ga Yeon. She’d gotten the occasional story out of her grandma about her son, but not about her mother, her daughter-in-law.

   The car stopped. Ga Yeon looked up, realized they were parked. The engine idled. The lights shone against the concrete wall. Aunt Hyeri stared straight ahead, silky dark hair falling against her face and hiding her eyes. Ga Yeon could see her shoulders rise and fall.

   “You.” She said, and her smile was soft. Kind. “Your mom was a lot like you.” Aunt Hyeri continued.

   “M – Me?” asked Ga Yeon, totally shocked by her aunt statement.

   “Yes, sweetheart.” Answered Aunt Hyeri. They climbed from the car and Ga Yeon followed her aunt through the dimly lit garage. All Ga Yeon could think at that time was… what if? What if her parents had lived? What would it have been like if she was raised by her own parents?

  “How did they die?” Ga Yeon asked as they reached the door of Aunt Hyeri’s house.

   With the door partially opened, her aunt stood still. Ga Yeon was glad that she didn’t play games or ask who. “You don’t know?”

   Her hair shielded her expression, but Ga Yeon heard the caution in her voice. “Eommani never like to talk about it…”

   She stood still for a few seconds, then shoved the door open and breezed inside. She threw on a few lights and tossed her purse to the small table next to her shoe rack. As if Ga Yeon wasn’t waiting for any answer.

   “You don’t want to tell me, either, do you?”

   She take off her shoes and sit on the sofa in her living room. “It’s not that,” she said, still brisk and matter-of-fact. “ It’s just…” She turned, and before she even spoke, Ga Yeon saw the change- no more answers tonight. “Ga Yeon.”

   “Don’t you think it’s time to tell me?”

   Automatically, she felt tighten. “Tell you what?” she asked, but she had a bad feeling.

   Aunt Hyeri frowned. “It’s almost two o’clockin the morning. Kai calls me and tells me—“ She broke off , in a sharp breath. “Do you have any idea what I thought—“  She squeezed her eyes shut, obviously struggling for control. “ He asks me to get you. So I do. And I find you walking by yourself. Do you even realized—“

   “My god,” she whispered, then she was closing in on me and lifting a hand to my –

   Ga Yeon stepped back and lifted her own hand.

   “You’re bleeding.” She whispered.

   Tentatively Ga Yeon’s finger found the stickiness at the side of her forehead.

   “My god,” her voice was barely more than a horrified breath. “ He hurt you. That boy—“

   “No.” Ga Yeon said, not needing her aunt to finish to realized where she was going. Teenage boy, teenage girl… Late at night.

   But she was already reaching for her phone. “I’m calling the police—“

   “No!” this time Ga Yeon did shout. “That’s not what happened.” Ga Yeon practically screamed, and finally Aunt Hyeri looked up from digging into her purse. “He didn’t touch me.”

   Frozen there, she looked at Ga Yeon. “Then what?”

   “It- It was just a game. A stupid mistake!”

   “Ga Yeon…” she called, but Ga Yeon slammed the bathroom door before she could finish. Her heart pound as if she’d been running forever.Closing her eyes, she leaned against the cool surface of the toilet’s marble wall, willing her breath to slow— and hating the hot salty moisture stinging her eyes. No way she would cry. They weren’t worth it. None of them. Not even Kai.

   a deep breath, she opened her eyes, and saw the blood on her  forehead through the luxurious mirror in the bathroom.

   Jerking, Ga Yeon ripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. It took a while for the hot water to come, but when it did, Ga Yeon let it rain down on her for a long, long time.

   “Ga Yeon?” Aunt Hyeri’s voice startled her.

   “Kai is here.”