Chapter 3

"What's happening, sister?"

"Can I come in, Terra?"

Crystal asked, as she poked her head through the crack in the door.

I would have nodded quickly in the morning, but now I hesitated because of the hour and the situation.

"What's happening in the middle of the night and without knocking on the door?

Unlike Geum-Bi, who would open the door straight away when she heard something, Soo-Jung always knocked three times and asked permission to come in.

But now, she just sticks her head in and asks if she can come in.

It's as if she wants to get in without being noticed.

It's as if he has something important to tell me in the room, just the two of us, and just me.

"Come in, sis."

"Thank you. Excuse me for a moment."

The first thing Sue did when she came in was to close the door gently.

So gently that I almost didn't hear the door close when I turned the handle.

I thought to myself, "This is all a bit much. I'm already upset about the morning..."

I was suspicious, but I knew Crystal wouldn't do anything strange to me.

I thought it must have something to do with the "family secret" my mum had mentioned.

"You can't be... can you? No, no, no, no, no, no... it's not.

One of us isn't a blood relative.

The night I heard this, my heart was beating really fast when Soo-jung, the eldest, came into my room.

"Can I sit next to you? You weren't asleep, were you?"

"Yes, I've just brushed my teeth. Make yourself at home, big sister."

Soo-jung climbed into bed and leaned her back against the wall.

I sat down next to her, trying to look calm, but I was worried that the cold sweat running down my back would soak my clothes and the wallpaper.

"Did you come here to talk to me?"

"Mm-hmm. With you, Terra... I feel like that's all I can say to you."

I tried not to, but I spoke first.

I swallowed hard and looked away.

"You're the oldest in the family... the person who knows our family history best, apart from my parents.

She was young, so her memories were hazy, but she remembered being adopted by someone one day.

Or that he's the only boy in the house sitting next to her right now.

You've had plenty of time to think about it since daylight.

"I should have brought water. Oh, my throat is burning.

Tension makes you doubt things, and doubt makes you think you know more than you do.

Otherwise, why would Sister Crystal come to my room in the middle of the night, or even during the day?

The last time I remember having a chat like this was eight years ago, when I was in high school.

When I was going through a tough time, Soo-jung slowly touched me, body to body, as if to comfort me.

"You're hot, sis."

"It must be because I went to bed late. I've got a lot on my mind."

She was always the one who went to bed at the same time.

So there was no way my pulse was racing with nervousness or excuses.

"What do you mean?"

"Yes. ...Sorry, I was looking for you, and you were taking your time."

"No, it's fine. If we're not talking about something easy, that's okay."

"Judging by your reaction, Terra, did you have any ideas?"

"If it happened in the middle of the night, my family would definitely notice."

"I see. There are a few people in my family... Yes, I think so."

Oh no, here I go again.

Why did I say "my family"? I've just made it harder for her to speak.

The words "our family" came out of the mouth of someone who wasn't her blood relative.

I could feel, even if I couldn't see, how Soo-jung felt about telling the truth.

"Sis, um, I don't really care that much."

"Oh...?"

"Because, no matter who you are, blood or no blood, it doesn't change the fact that we've been together for years.We've lived in the same house for over 20 years, right?"

"Terra..."

"So it's okay, even if we're not related, we're still family, yes."

I rambled on hesitantly, trying to make up for what I'd said earlier.

I hoped that this would make Soo-jung feel a little better and that my smile, which I felt was forced, would seem real.

I pulled the corners of my mouth up and looked back at her. I could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Nu, Nu, don't cry. Why are you crying?"

"But, but, but, but, but, but... hmmm."

"You know, I'm fine. Ew."

I smiled in a strange way, as if I didn't really care, and gently hugged his shoulders.

Soo-jung leaned against my chest, her silent tears soaking my jumper.

"In the morning, you know what Mum said... Earth."

"Yes, sis."

"That... might be me. It's me, Black."

"Yeah, yeah, that's what you were talking about... huh?"

The hand patting my back stopped for a moment.

It was a sign of surprise, but it made Crystal laugh out loud.

"Hmph. I'm pretty sure it's just me... Hmph."

I quickly returned my hands to their normal position, wrapping one around his shoulders and caressing his back with the other.

But Soo-Jung wouldn't stop crying for the next ten minutes, so I had to hold her in an awkward position.

I thought about the shocking truth.

"It wasn't me, was it Crystal? Wasn't she one of us?

The hand didn't stop, but neither did the stunned expression.

I hugged her tightly, grateful that she couldn't see my face.

* * *

"Have you calmed down a bit, sis?"

"Mmm... sorry. I'm getting old and I'm holding on like a child."

"Oh, come on. Didn't I hold on to you a lot when I was younger?"

"You mean when you had problems with her? Hmph, it's all a memory now..."

The look on Soo-jung's face as she thought about the past was as if she was looking forward to a day that would never come again.

I felt sad when I saw her like that, so I took her hand and asked again.

"Sister, please tell me, what makes you think that what Mum said was about you?"

"Because I'm the eldest daughter in the family, how could I not know? I know when the children came to our house, how they grew up, everything."

Soo Soo's explanation was simple.

She was the first to arrive at the house and saw the children born under her, so the other children couldn't be adopted.

This meant that she was the only one who could be adopted without anyone knowing.

"But... that was when I was very young. I don't remember kindergarten, but do you remember it clearly?"

"Not everything... but I remember most of it. Like when your mum was pregnant, when we were in hospital getting ready to give birth, and what you were like as a newborn."

"I see... Mmm, sorry. I shouldn't have checked."

"No, it's something you're going to have to face anyway, so it's good to be sure."

I asked quickly and then rubbed my wounds.

Looking back, I can sort of remember the moment my youngest son was born.There's no denying it, right?

Let's change the subject.If we keep talking about it, she might start crying again.

I didn't want to see that.

She was the most mature of us, the one we trusted, and it was hard to see her weak.

I know it sounds selfish, but I don't know how I would comfort her if I saw her weak now.

"You know, um, why did you come to my room anyway?"

"I'm sorry, coming to my room at this time in the night to talk about it... it must have been a lot for you."

"Oh, no, I didn't mean that...! There are lots of other children on the second floor, so why did you come up to the first floor?"

I'm such an idiot.

Changing the subject now sounds like blaming my sister.Watch your language, eh?

"Is that what you meant? I thought I was a burden to you again... Earth."

"Not at all, I love these sessions, and you can be as much of a burden as you like, Crystal."

"Hmph, what do you mean, you like being a burden, not you."

"I have a driving licence, so I'll be your driver.My car has a big boot, so you can put all your stuff in there, even if you don't have anything!"

"I don't have that much stuff, and you said it wasn't luggage."

"Ah, I meant... not now... next time.You can always count on me, haha."

"Haha, thanks anyway, it's a bit encouraging to hear that, hehe."

Despite the pun, which wasn't very good, Suzy looked up at the ceiling and smiled, feeling better.

She had a smile on her face, as she had hoped she would.

"I chose you, Terra, because I thought you were the only person... in our house... who I could talk to about this."

"Why?"

"Because Hwa-yeon and Mok-hee are very young, it's not something a 21 or 20 year old can deal with."

"Yes, I guess, but they're still children, even if they're pretending to be adults."

Not all adults are the same.

There's a big difference between being in your twenties with a bit more university and social experience and being in your twenties when you're still in high school.

I'm twenty-three, so I'm barely twenty... I can understand that.

Last question.

I scratched my cheek and thought about the first person that came to mind.

"But if that's the case, isn't Goldie better than me? She's a year older than me, and her room is right next door."

"Because... that's how she reacted during the day."

"Huh? Ah, Glitch, I see."

When I mentioned Geum-Bi, Soo-Jung's face went pale.

At the same time, I remembered what had happened during the day and realised why she was hesitating.

"Besides... I can't stay with her."

"What? Why?"

"I can't. She can't stay here."

But Soo-Jung shook her head several times.

At first, I didn't pay attention, but the way she bit her lip hard... I couldn't help but ask once more.

"Is there anything else?"

"It's a secret, Terra, and only you know it."

"Ugh."

Crystal closed her eyes tightly and breathed calmly.

I could feel how nervous she was, and how hard she was trying to calm down, and it showed in our joined hands.

"Just because I'm me doesn't mean that all my memories are perfect."

"Yes."

"Especially around a year old... Of course, I can't think of any."

"Yes, I think so."

"If, very if, it's not me... because there's only one possibility."

"Ah."

I understood immediately.

Suzie's assumptions were all based on her own memories.

The only person whose memory wasn't intact, Geum Bi, was completely out of the question.

So you think that either you or Goldie were adopted at a time you don't remember.

I can see why she didn't want to talk about it.

I also realised why she was so sure she was adopted when she told me earlier.

"What?! Zee, are you from Earth?"

"Thanks. I told you yesterday, but I always appreciate and love you, sis."

"Come on, all of a sudden? It's so unexpected... I'm a bit confused."

"Only a sister who turns up in the middle of the night would do that."

"If you put it like that... I've got nothing to say, ha ha."

I hugged her again, unable to contain myself in the face of her boldness.

If I hadn't asked, I would have hugged her a little tighter. I felt like the foolish sister who tried to take everything on herself, no matter what the truth was.

But as her younger brother, I was too embarrassed to praise her for her hard work or maturity, so my hand, which had been disorientated, just stroked her back.

"I'm sorry for the late night, but now that I have you, can I lean on you a little more?"

"I'll let you have my arms for the night if you need them."

"Hmph, you can say such sentimental words. You've really grown up... Our land, hehe."

Soo-Jung smiled and hugged me happily.

She rubbed her eyes against my chest like a child, but I didn't tease her.

I just hugged her tightly in the dim light.

When the night sweats stopped, my back was dry, but the front of the T-shirt I was wearing as pyjamas had been damp all night.

When I woke up, I thought, I'll hurry up and do the washing.