Ki-Jun stood at the doorway and observed his wife when he saw her crouched on the basement floor, rummaging through a box that had been kept away for over two decades.
He silently watched as she picked up a pink fluffy baby shoe and dazedly stared at it. There was only one reason why sheâd step in here, and it was because of the girl that had put them in a state of shock since they saw her on their porch.
Sena hadnât stepped a foot into this room in the past decade. It had taken him a decade and a half to stop her from coming there, where sheâd mourn over the loss of their child and repeatedly apologize to him for not being able to keep their baby.
âI thought Iâd find you here.â He said with a sigh, announcing his presence which had gone unnoticed for far too long.
Sena turned at the sound of his voice. She raised her gaze to see him trudging towards her.
âHow did you know I was here?â She asked in surprise.
âYouâve been my wife for how many decades now? I know you as I know myself.â He continued his walk toward her.
.....
She sighed as she began to put the things back into the box. âI thought Iâd step in here for a while. I almost forgot this place was a part of the house.â She said in her usual voice, but Ki-Jun could hear the slight wave of emotions in it.
He crouched by her side and joined her in putting back the things she had offloaded. âItâs been a while since either of us stepped in here.â He looked at the small pink shirt she was folding away into the box.
He took it from her and unfolded it. A bitter smile lilt his lips at the sight of the words inscribed on it. âDaddyâs little princess
Seeing the smile on his face, Sena couldnât help but smile too. âYou remember that? You had insisted on buying it. You even bought a matching pair for yourself.â She softly chuckled at the memory, while Ki-Jun smiled as well.
His smile faded off, and he intently gazed at her. âSena, are you alright?â He carefully asked, his gaze assessing her face.
Sena slowly nodded as she put back the rest of the things in the box and closed it. âIâm fine.â She said.
âI just...I wanted to come down here for a while. Itâs been so long. I felt like Iâd almost forgotten her.â She turned and looked around the place filled with boxes stored at different times.
âYou know you havenât.â Ki-Jun disagreed with her. She hadnât forgotten about this place but had been trying to get better.
Sena shrugged. âWell, It felt like it. Had that girl not come-â She slurred and glanced at her husband.
âDid you see the way she looked, Ki-Jun? She looked just like me. It almost felt like I was staring back at my reflection.â Her voice was hinted with disbelief.
She was yet to get over the initial shock of seeing Eun-sunâs face. She still couldnât understand how she had reeled back her shock and carried herself all through the time of their visit. Maybe it was because she hadnât seen Dan-Han for so long, and she was eager to know the woman her godson was interested in.
Something about Eun-sun had made her want to know her, and the time they had spent talking to each other after the men had excused themselves had felt abruptly short.
Ki-Jun silently looked at her. âSheâs the reason why youâre here.â He told her matter-of-factly, and Sena didnât deny it as she gave a side shrug.
âI just wondered if sheâd had looked like that had she made it. If I didnât carry her cold body in my hand, Iâd have thought I had just found my long-lost daughter. But I know thatâs not true. Sheâs long gone.â Sena let out a dejected sigh as she sank to the floor. Her face was crestfallen as she brushed her hand against the box without minding the thick web of dust on it.
Ki-Jun silently peered at her as the memories of his meeting with Dan-Han an hour ago flashed through his head. All Dan-Hanâs words had indicated that the girl was their child, but how was that possible?
Like Sena had said, they had seen her, felt her and buried her with their own hands. Her small tomb still stood back in country C. So what was the possibility of her being alive?
He had known Dan-Han since he was a child, and he knew he wasnât one to say baseless things. So what if he was saying the truth?
If he was, then what happened twenty-five years ago? Whose child did they bury? And how was his supposed dead child alive and well, and now dating Lee Dan-Han?
He stared at Senaâs face. His lips parted to ask her if there was a possibility in her heart that the lady they had seen was somehow miraculously their child, but he stopped himself.
Asking that question meant he already believed it, but if he didnât, what was the meaning of what he had done? He had retrieved the glass which he believed she had used and had requested for his doctor to visit in the next hour.
Ki-Jun didnât know what to do, but one thing he was certain of was that he couldnât mention anything regarding this to Sena. He couldnât give her false hopes and brutally dash them when he realized all this was a wild goose chase.
Sena would be more than distraught if they found out she wasnât their child, as it would reopen old wounds that had taken forever to heal. So, for now, heâd keep to himself.
âDidnât your friend ever send you a picture of her?â He inquired when he thought about it.
Sena shook her head. âNo,â She replied.
âBut now that I think of it, she did mention how Dan-Hanâs girlfriend shared a resemblance with me and that the other women at one of their tea parties had said so too.â
âShe said so.â
âYes, but I didnât think it was this uncanny.â She sighed. âIt almost felt like I was daydreaming about the return of my child,â Ki-Jun observed the despondence on her face, and he rose to his feet. He held her shoulder and helped her up.
âMany things happen in this world, honey. Some cause us intense pain and grief. But everything sure happens for a reason. There must be a reason we lost her when we did, and even if thereâs a minute possibility that our baby is miraculously alive and out there, then Iâll believe sheâll return.â He said, making Sena confusedly stare at him, but Ki-Jun ignored her curious gaze.
He knew how ambiguous a statement he had made, but he couldnât help it. Something in him was hinting that a miracle might just be on its way to their family, and as much as he didnât want to believe it, it kept pricking in his heart.