⚫⚫⚫Warning: not for the light-hearted⚫⚫⚫
"So..!"
She begins. She faces me so that we have a direct and close viewpoint. I nod and smile. Hopefully she doesn't break down again, I won't be able to take it.
"Im Jaebum isn't my real brother. Even though he'd like for me to say that he is. We've never called each other step-brother or step-sister so to me, he's my real big brother. But the truth is, I was adopted by his parents when I was 7 years old..."
Wow..so she was an orphan. I still had many questions, but all I had to do really was listen to her voice.
"...before that, I lived in this orphanage for girls. There were about 20 girls there, including me. I never knew anything about my parents, or their faces. Frankly, at the time, I thought I didn't have any. That they were gone and were unable to come back for me. And I've been in a orphanage since I was born.."
That's so sad. Knowing her parents wouldn't come back for her. Knowing she doesn't have siblings or anything. I wonder how you can cope with that.
"..But it wasn't as bad as it sounds. I had friends. Us girls would always be together. We made rules. If someone wanted to adopt one of us, they'd have to take all of us. We were never separated. We had sad moments, happy moments, fun moments. Anything you could think of. Even though I had many, there's only one I can truly call my best friend, and remember.."
Hmph. I guess friends can make a horrible situation better. Just like how Minseo called me at night, even though she was sad, she slept so soundly in my arms. The memory makes me smile.
"..Her name was Sohee. And you can imagine how close we were. She was literally all I had. We made plans to get married to our husbands together, shop together, get famous together. Everything."
"So what happened?" I ask. She held her head down. Oh..did I do something wrong? Then she sighed.
"September, 10, 1998..a fire started at the Busan's Oprhanage for Girls. Survivors? Two."
I gasped. Wait..only two? Out of twenty?
"I remember it clearly. Sohee had just left to use the bathroom. Me and the other girls were stuck in the room. Literally. We all saw the fire break out, but the door to exit from was jammed. I was at the door, but I was slowly dying because of it. The smoke made my eyes water, and I was coughing uncontrollably. Until a man had burst through the door we were trying to get out of.."
Oh thankfully she was saved..right?
"He picked me up, and dragged me out of the building. As he dragged me through the halls, I saw Sohee. But the not the way I would've wanted to see her. She was.."
Minseo stopped, I could see the tears filling up her eyes. "You don't have to continue if you don't want t-"
"No..I want to tell you everything." She said. I lowered my shoulders and sat back. She continued,
"The other who was saved, her name was YooJin. I know she was adopted 2 weeks later by a rich family and was moved to America. While I stayed, left with my thoughts. Until a family came 3 months later and adopted me with no hesitation. I saw Jaebum. He smiled. And he believed in me so much. But I disappoint him a lot." She looked down to her hands.
"Well I don't think so..you're amazing, Minseo.." I say.
"Really?"
"Of course! No matter what, you're Im Minseo." I smile. She bunched her lips the side. "Plus, about your past, I believe that you can get through anything. You're so strong, to the point, you can live on. That's the thing I admire about you Minseo." I smile and say.
She smiles softly. "You mean it..?"
"Yes, I do. To me, you're extraordinary."
She suddenly leans up and hugs me quick. I was taken aback at her sudden move. Then I slowly hugged her back. "Thank you for being there, Youngjae." She says. Her words and touch made my heart flutter. I was turning red.
"Of course..whatever you need, Minseo. I'm there." I say. She holds on tighter. I can't even explain what's going on with me right now. "Hehe..you're becoming soft, Youngjae." She says, still hugging me.
"Only for you." I reply.
"Tsk. Are you into me or something?"
"Kind of."