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as the sun began to set and the day started to wind down, jaemin and myeong found themselves back at the orphanage, playing with the children once again. the twins' minds were still a bit disoriented from their emotionally charged encounter with doctor moon. to release the weight of the past, they headed outside and began kicking at branches, pouring their hearts out into the physical activity.
as they paused to catch their breath, myeong reached out and gently tugged at jaemin's arm, pulling him towards their grandmother's house, having a run for it. although jaemin had no idea where they were going, he trusted his sister completely. the scent of freshly baked garlic bread wafted through the air– enticing their senses as they approached the front door.
as soon as myeong entered the house, her halmeoni greeted her warmly. the aroma of the bread was overpowering, and she couldn't resist taking a bite of the hot, steamy loaf. her eyes scanned the room, and to her surprise, she saw her father dusting his floured hands on his apron. liquid sadness streamed down her face, and she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed, as she was longing for him. however, she didn't want to approach him.
seeing her daughter crying, sungho stood up and walked over to her. with tears in his own eyes, he greeted her with a gentle, "hello, my daughter. i made your favorite." the words were spoken softly, and so formal, but they carried the weight of a lifetime's worth of emotions.
"y-you remembered?", she hiccuped.
"mmh, garlic bread; with cheese in the middle, just the way you like it, i'm not sure if you still like them, or if your taste has changed throughout the years but i hope you–", sungho rambled.
"father!"
sungho's fervent rambling about the garlic bread he had made for myeong was abruptly interrupted by her sudden leap into her father's arms. as she held onto him tightly, her mind was consumed by the simple yet profound act of remembrance that sungho had demonstrated.
despite his absence in her life, the fact that he had gone out of his way to remember her favorite food and cook it for her was enough for her to temporarily forget the pain of it all.
for myeong, the garlic bread was more than just bread. it was a reminder of the moments they had shared, the memories they had created, and the bond they had forged. it was a testament to the power of simple acts of thoughtfulness, the ability to momentarily heal even the deepest wounds.
sungho's heart swelled with joy as he witnessed the impact of his gesture. he knew that he had missed out on so much–that his absence had caused irreparable damage to their relationship. but in that moment, he also knew that there was still hope–notwithstanding the pain and the scars–there was still a glimmer of love that could be rekindled.
the ambiance around them had been disrupted by the sudden, accidental contact jaemin had made with the hot tray, causing him to blow air onto his hand in an attempt to cool it off.
all eyes were on him now.
"uhhhhh, hi? i'm guessing you're my father?" his hand still smarting from the burn, he scratched the back of his head, trying to process the situation at hand.
if myeong called him her father, then he must be his father too, right?
how could this young man, who he had never met before, possibly be his son? sungho thought. was this a cruel prank or a misunderstanding? and if jaemin was indeed his son, how had he gone his whole life without knowing?
the palpable silence between them hung heavy in the air, punctuated only by the occasional clink of dishes as sunhee cleaned away the remnants of their meal from lunch. and in that quiet moment, sunhee knew that myeong had finally found taeyoung. tears of joy trickled down sunhee's chin–down the sink–her glossy eyes forming little crescents of happiness.
sungho's countenance was a cacophony of shock and disbelief as he gazed at jaemin, the young man who had approached him with an unexpected claim. wait, he looks familiar. he was the boy at the restaurant!
"father, i would like you to meet jaemin, he's my twin"
"what? how?", sungho couldn't find the right words to say.
they all sat on the couches by the living room, trying to make sense of it all, myeong continued with their story.
she explained that when myeongsuk was pregnant with the twins, doctor moon had convinced her that her smoking had caused jaemin to die in the womb. myeongsuk had been led to believe that only one of the twins had survived, and that was sungho's only child–his daughter–myeong.
however, doctor moon, who was still grieving the loss of her own loved ones, was not in her right mind. she became fixated on the other twin whom she proclaimed as dead, and ultimately decided to take the baby with her and treat him as her own.
doctor moon had been wracked with guilt ever since, but had been too afraid to come forward with the truth. she had watched as myeongsuk suffered through the loss of jaemin and had never found the courage to tell her the truth.
"everything is still unclear to me, but something in my heart says that you are indeed my child, jaemin."
