The young man raised an eyebrow speechlessly. He appeared taken aback by Su-Jin's words, as well as her demeanor. It was the first time his sister faced the day of their parents' death anniversary with such confidence. He was both pleased and grateful for the change, but something didn't feel quite right.
Suspecting there must be a reason behind Su-Jin's sudden change in attitude, Min-Jun decided to question her.
"That's true, they wouldn't want their son and daughter to always be sad and lonely. But sis, have you thought all that by yourself?"
"Ngh…" Su-Jin gave a small sniffle and shook her head.
With that, Min-Jun's curiosity had been thoroughly piqued.
"Oh? And who was it that helped you reach this conclusion?"
"It was…"
Su-Jin stopped, hesitating for a short moment. She hadn't gotten a chance to tell Min-Jun about the handkerchief episode. As such, she debated whether to share it with him now, or wait until later.
Ultimately, though, Su-Jin made the long story short and told Min-Jun everything she had said to Mi-Suk the previous night.
At the end, Su-Jin lowered her gaze, fumbling with her fingers in agitation. Although she nervously hid her eyes away from Min-Jun's probing gaze, she couldn't hide the look of embarrassment her face carried as she concluded her speech.
"So you see… I believe Director Kang was right. If we want our parents' souls to rest, we'll need to show them we're alright. That way, they won't be worried about us anymore, and move on to their next life."
While he listened to his sister's words, Min-Jun stared at her, falling deep in thought. At first, he was shocked to find out about this fateful encounter so many years ago. For a split second he was reminded by Mi-Suk's notion of fateful romances and star-crossed lovers and he almost burst out laughing.
Who would have thought that his own sister might end up being the protagonist to such a story?
Then, Min-Jun recollected his thoughts and guided them towards a more serious direction. He also made a silent note to thank Ji-Won next time he met him. He was truly grateful to the man for giving his sister such a big boost in morale.
'It appears that fate does bring together those who are a thousand miles apart.' Min-Jun concluded sagely.
~~~
After leaving Min-Jun's room, Su-Jin went ahead to wake up Mi-Suk.
To her surprise, though, the young woman was already up and almost dressed. When Su-Jin knocked on her door, Mi-Suk was just searching for an appropriate shirt that could go with her somber black skirt.
"You're up already? And almost dressed no less." Su-Jin blinked in surprise.
She knew that her best friend was the earliest bird in the house, but today Mi-Suk's abilities to be up early completely shattered her previous records.
Hearing Su-Jin's voice from the doorway, Mi-Suk turned her head and smiled. She gestured for Su-Jin to close the door and take a seat.
"This is an important day for the two of you, so I thought I might help Min-Jun with breakfast."
In the meantime, Su-Jin had taken a seat on a chair and watched quietly as her best friend was finishing getting dressed.
At the mention of her brother, she immediately began to chuckle.
"I guess that person is also a human. Can you believe that he was still sleeping a few minutes ago? And he wouldn't wake up no matter how many times I called him. In the end, I had to throw a pillow at his head."
"I think he went to bed pretty late last night."
"Oh, how do you know?" Su-Jin tilted her head in puzzlement.
With an imperceptible flinch, Mi-Suk quickly averted her gaze.
"Ah, uhm…when I went to the bathroom, I just happened to see light coming from his room." Mi-Suk replied vaguely.
"Hmm, I see." Su-Jin hummed.
For some reason, she suspected something wasn't quite right about her best friend's reply. Mi-Suk's reaction of looking away wasn't very trustworthy either.
In the end, though, Su-Jin had other important things to worry about that day. So, she quickly got the matter of Mi-Suk's strange behavior out of her head.
After the two friends changed the subject, Su-Jin helped Mi-Suk choose a white shirt, and even picked a black jacket to complete the young woman's formal outfit.
Half an hour later, they both walked out of Mi-Suk's room and headed downstairs. As soon as they entered the kitchen, they saw Min-Jun feeding the kitten. Their breakfast was already waiting for them on the table, steaming hot and looking as delicious as ever.
Mi-Suk stared at the table full of dishes for a second, before quietly taking a seat. Afterwards, she picked up her chopsticks and began eating without anything to either Min-Jun or Su-Jin. The curve of her mouth was slightly strained, but she kept her eyes lowered, so no one could tell for sure what she was feeling.
Min-Jun, on the other hand, wore a deadpan expression. Just like Mi-Suk, he also hadn't spoken a single word. From the moment the two young women entered the kitchen, and all throughout breakfast, he kept his eyes on the food.
During this entire time, Su-Jin was left in a state of profound confusion. She glanced between her brother and her best friend as though she could hardly recognize them. Sure, there had been other moments throughout the years when those two had waged cold wars with each other.
But, for some unknown reason, this time it felt different.
Whether it was the conspicuous silence, or the blatant manner in which those two kept ignoring each other's presence, it all seemed too strange, almost too forced.
Although Su-Jin wanted to ask, she hesitated.
What if it was really nothing and she ended up creating an awkward atmosphere with her unwanted inquiries?
Worried about making matters even worse between the other two people, Su-Jin buried her face in the bowl of rice and focused solely on her food.
Soon after breakfast, the three young people got ready to leave the house.
Just as Su-Jin stepped outside of the house, she suddenly recollected what that day represented.. As a consequence, anything else that wasn't important fled from her mind, leaving behind the nervousness she always felt when visiting her parents' graves.
The young man raised an eyebrow speechlessly. He appeared taken aback by Su-Jin's words, as well as her demeanor. It was the first time his sister faced the day of their parents' death anniversary with such confidence. He was both pleased and grateful for the change, but something didn't feel quite right.
Suspecting there must be a reason behind Su-Jin's sudden change in attitude, Min-Jun decided to question her.
"That's true, they wouldn't want their son and daughter to always be sad and lonely. But sis, have you thought all that by yourself?"
"Ngh…" Su-Jin gave a small sniffle and shook her head.
With that, Min-Jun's curiosity had been thoroughly piqued.
"Oh? And who was it that helped you reach this conclusion?"
"It was…"
Su-Jin stopped, hesitating for a short moment. She hadn't gotten a chance to tell Min-Jun about the handkerchief episode. As such, she debated whether to share it with him now, or wait until later.
Ultimately, though, Su-Jin made the long story short and told Min-Jun everything she had said to Mi-Suk the previous night.
At the end, Su-Jin lowered her gaze, fumbling with her fingers in agitation. Although she nervously hid her eyes away from Min-Jun's probing gaze, she couldn't hide the look of embarrassment her face carried as she concluded her speech.
"So you see… I believe Director Kang was right. If we want our parents' souls to rest, we'll need to show them we're alright. That way, they won't be worried about us anymore, and move on to their next life."
While he listened to his sister's words, Min-Jun stared at her, falling deep in thought. At first, he was shocked to find out about this fateful encounter so many years ago. For a split second he was reminded by Mi-Suk's notion of fateful romances and star-crossed lovers and he almost burst out laughing.
Who would have thought that his own sister might end up being the protagonist to such a story?
Then, Min-Jun recollected his thoughts and guided them towards a more serious direction. He also made a silent note to thank Ji-Won next time he met him. He was truly grateful to the man for giving his sister such a big boost in morale.
'It appears that fate does bring together those who are a thousand miles apart.' Min-Jun concluded sagely.
~~~
After leaving Min-Jun's room, Su-Jin went ahead to wake up Mi-Suk.
To her surprise, though, the young woman was already up and almost dressed. When Su-Jin knocked on her door, Mi-Suk was just searching for an appropriate shirt that could go with her somber black skirt.
"You're up already? And almost dressed no less." Su-Jin blinked in surprise.
She knew that her best friend was the earliest bird in the house, but today Mi-Suk's abilities to be up early completely shattered her previous records.
Hearing Su-Jin's voice from the doorway, Mi-Suk turned her head and smiled. She gestured for Su-Jin to close the door and take a seat.
"This is an important day for the two of you, so I thought I might help Min-Jun with breakfast."
In the meantime, Su-Jin had taken a seat on a chair and watched quietly as her best friend was finishing getting dressed.
At the mention of her brother, she immediately began to chuckle.
"I guess that person is also a human. Can you believe that he was still sleeping a few minutes ago? And he wouldn't wake up no matter how many times I called him. In the end, I had to throw a pillow at his head."
"I think he went to bed pretty late last night."
"Oh, how do you know?" Su-Jin tilted her head in puzzlement.
With an imperceptible flinch, Mi-Suk quickly averted her gaze.
"Ah, uhm…when I went to the bathroom, I just happened to see light coming from his room." Mi-Suk replied vaguely.
"Hmm, I see." Su-Jin hummed.
For some reason, she suspected something wasn't quite right about her best friend's reply. Mi-Suk's reaction of looking away wasn't very trustworthy either.
In the end, though, Su-Jin had other important things to worry about that day. So, she quickly got the matter of Mi-Suk's strange behavior out of her head.
After the two friends changed the subject, Su-Jin helped Mi-Suk choose a white shirt, and even picked a black jacket to complete the young woman's formal outfit.
Half an hour later, they both walked out of Mi-Suk's room and headed downstairs. As soon as they entered the kitchen, they saw Min-Jun feeding the kitten. Their breakfast was already waiting for them on the table, steaming hot and looking as delicious as ever.
Mi-Suk stared at the table full of dishes for a second, before quietly taking a seat. Afterwards, she picked up her chopsticks and began eating without anything to either Min-Jun or Su-Jin. The curve of her mouth was slightly strained, but she kept her eyes lowered, so no one could tell for sure what she was feeling.
Min-Jun, on the other hand, wore a deadpan expression. Just like Mi-Suk, he also hadn't spoken a single word. From the moment the two young women entered the kitchen, and all throughout breakfast, he kept his eyes on the food.
During this entire time, Su-Jin was left in a state of profound confusion. She glanced between her brother and her best friend as though she could hardly recognize them. Sure, there had been other moments throughout the years when those two had waged cold wars with each other.
But, for some unknown reason, this time it felt different.
Whether it was the conspicuous silence, or the blatant manner in which those two kept ignoring each other's presence, it all seemed too strange, almost too forced.
Although Su-Jin wanted to ask, she hesitated.
What if it was really nothing and she ended up creating an awkward atmosphere with her unwanted inquiries?
Worried about making matters even worse between the other two people, Su-Jin buried her face in the bowl of rice and focused solely on her food.
Soon after breakfast, the three young people got ready to leave the house.
Just as Su-Jin stepped outside of the house, she suddenly recollected what that day represented.. As a consequence, anything else that wasn't important fled from her mind, leaving behind the nervousness she always felt when visiting her parents' graves.
