KimKim's Kids

III. First Meeting

Chaewon and Minju arrived at the orphanage just when the sun had completely set and the moon peeked above the hills. They parked their car and walked to the entrance with their hands intertwined.

"You ready?" Minju asked squeezing Chaewon's hand.

Chaewon took in a deep breath and nodded. She kept telling herself that it was just a visit but she anticipated her heart would break seeing all those children.

They walked into the orphanage and were greeted by a man in his early fifties sitting in a wheelchair. He had short salt and pepper hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He grinned at the guests with his kind eyes and introduced himself. "Hello there. I'm Eli, one of the two who take care of the children around here. How may I help you?" he asked.

"My wife met a lady at the park yesterday. We were hoping to speak with her," Minju replied.

"Ah," he clapped his hands together turning to face Chaewon, "You must be the one who found our little Sakura yesterday," he said gesturing for the two to follow him. "Thank You for that by the way. Sakura is a curious little thing so she wandered off on her own," he told them. Chaewon smiled at the thought of the girl's giant, sparkly orbs filled with so much purity. She couldn't wait to see her again.

The old man wheeled himself around the place with ease. He stopped at the beginning of a corridor, right before a wooden sign with the word 'bedrooms' carved into it and colourful doodles decorating the sign. "You both can go ahead to the last room with the younger children. My sister, Elle, is there. I'm going to go check on the older ones," he said and went into the first room.

As the pair walked towards the room, a few curious heads peeped shyly from behind the doors. Chaewon could recognise a few faces from the day before but most of them looked away as soon as they made eye contact. Upon reaching the last door, she knocked politely before stepping in to look for Madam Elle.

The older lady was surprised by them but her expression softened as soon as she saw Chaewon. "It's so great to see you again, Miss..." she said walking towards the pair with an outstretched hand.

"Chaewon and this is my wife, Minju," she replied while shaking her hand.

"I'm assuming you're here to see Sakura?"

"Yes, I couldn't get her off my mind since yesterday and Minju wanted to meet her too,"

Madam Elle grinned widely, "Come on then," she said walking into the room, "She's here,".

They walked in and saw three empty beds. Madam Elle explained that two of the children were down with a fever so they were put in a separate room and that Sakura should be here soon since she had just gone to brush her teeth.

Chaewon and Minju sat on the edge of Sakura's bed while Madam Elle sat on a chair opposite them. They had talked for about ten minutes when the bathroom door creaked open. A little figure in low pigtails wearing a baby pink onesie stepped out. Sakura's face lit up as soon as she recognised Chaewon. She instantly ran forward and jumped onto her lap, throwing her arms around Chaewon's neck and engulfing her into a hug. Minju's heart melted when she noticed how Chaewon's eyes were filled with joy as soon as she saw Sakura.

Sakura turned to Minju and gave her a hug too, "Are you both friends?" she asked.

"She's my wife," Minju replied and smiled at the little girl in her arms. Sakura giggled shyly at her reply and comfortably sat in between Chaewon and Minju.

Madam Elle spoke to Sakura, "Chaewon and Minju came here to see you. I'm going to go check up on the other girls so you need to be a big girl and take care of them, okay?".

"I will," Sakura said excitedly.

As soon as the door closed, Sakura hopped off the bed and grabbed a book from the small bookshelf, handed it to Chaewon and settled herself beneath her covers. Chaewon flipped through the pages and started reading one of the stories.

Sakura listened attentively to each and every word, letting her small room transform into the kingdom in the story. Chaewon expressively read each page while Minju made hilarious expressions to accompany them, making Sakura laugh delightedly at her goofiness.

Their voices were so soothing that Sakura felt her eyes becoming heavy. As much as she didn't want the moment to end, she couldn't stop herself. She quietly mumbled a 'good night' and closed her big bright eyes. A soft smile remained on her lips as she drifted off into a deep, peaceful slumber. 

Minju picked up the blanket on the edge of the bed and tucked Sakura in while Chaewon quietly placed the storybook on the bedside table.

They stood on either side of the bed, gazing at the tiny figure curled up into a ball. The two looked at each other, tears pricking their eyes and a smile on their lips.

Not a word passed between them but they knew they were thinking the same thing.