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“Why is your sister coming to live with us?” Hyunjin asks, her eyes flicking up for just a moment before going back to cutting a chocolate chip pancake into smaller pieces for Chan, who is trying to flip pancakes with Changbin’s very unhelpful “help”–which consists of him affectionately making fun of Chan’s method of flipping pancakes, providing little guidance.
Minhee sighs, adjusting a sleepy Yongbok on her hip. Getting up at six in the morning is not the toddler’s favorite thing in the world. “It’s complicated with our parents. I guess she had enough. She called me crying about a week ago–like, completely sobbing, could barely get any words out, begging me to let her stay with us.”
Hyunjin nods, pressing her lips together. She directs Chan’s hands away from the fire on the stovetop, telling him to go to sit down in his chair so he can eat. He follows the directions with little fuss–just a small whine, insisting he’s having fun, and huff of air. “When is she coming in?”
“Soon,” Minhee says. She sets Yongbok onto a counter, giving her aching arm a break, but still remaining close. Leaving Yongbok when she’s tired will always lead to whining. “She lives–well, lived –in New York City. It’s around a five hour flight, and she texted me two hours ago saying she was boarding.”
“New York?” Hyunjin questions, her head snapping up and a shocked look plastered on her face. In a hushed, concerned voice, she asks, “Are you sure she’ll be okay here?”
Minhee shrugs her shoulders. She turns her attention back to her daughter, poking her in her side to wake her up. Yongbok whines loudly, trying to nuzzle her way back into Minhee’s neck for a few extra minutes of much-needed sleep. She sets Yongbok down on the only chair with handles, ruffling her hair gently, pulling another high-pitched whine out of her.
“I don’t know if she’ll like it right away, or after a month, or year,” Minhee scrunches her face every time she lists another set of time. She hopes that Jeongin will be able to adjust to life on the ranch, but it’s definitely going to be a new experience for the poor girl. “She’ll be fine, eventually. Hopefully.”
Trying to keep Yongbok sitting up long enough to stay awake and eat is proving to be a harder task than necessary. The three year old, usually full of energy and light, is nothing more than a ball of sleepy whines and yawns. It’s just what Minhee needs today on top of the other chores she needs to do–finish setting up Jeongin’s room, pick up a few things from the grocery store, and start one of the many loads of laundry that has piled up everywhere in the house.
“Mama,” Yongbok whispers, “Wan’ sleep.”
“I know you want to sleep,” Minhee coos, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. Yongbok buries her face in Minhee’s shoulder, her warm breath tickling her mother’s skin. “But Auntie Innie is coming today. We have to get ready for her.”
Minhee doubts that Yongbok would have any recollection of Jeongin, as the last time they met, Yongbok was barely a year old–still a chubby baby who never wanted to leave Minhee’s arms. However, Yongbok has been excited at the idea of another girl to play with since it was confirmed Jeongin would stay with them.
Yongbok doesn’t react, and when Minhee looks down at her, she’s already asleep again.
“She can stay with me,” Hyunjin offers, grinning at Yongbok. “You should be leaving soon, anyway. The plane lands in three hours, we live an hour away from the airport. You want to go grocery shopping. Just go, I got it handled.”
Minhee opens her mouth to protest, insisting that she can do it herself, but Hyunjin shakes her head. “I’ll do the laundry and finish the room, too. Neither are hard jobs, especially when I have two mini helpers.”
Minhee loves her daughter, more than anything in the world, but she doesn’t hesitate in taking Hyunjin up on the offer. She grabs her purse and rushes out the door before Yongbok can even realize she’s gone.
The drive into town is relatively quiet, something Minhee didn’t know she really needed.
She’s become so used to the chatter of children, constant buzz of noise from the ranch, and the usual household noises, she rarely gets silence like this anymore. No requests from anyone, no TV playing, no hearing two grown men, one teenage boy, a little boy, and little girl swearing outside when something goes slightly wrong.
Minhee loves her family, but she also loves her silence.
Her beloved silence is soon going to come to an end, though, as she pulls into the grocery store parking lot, wanting nothing more than to sit in her car and savor the quiet for a little longer.
She takes a moment to collect herself, running a hand through her hair. She looks at her reflection in the rearview mirror, fixing her hair and sighing dramatically. Minhee grabs her shopping list, and opens the door before she can convince herself that she can go shopping another day.
The airport is relatively quiet, only a few tired people wandering around with suitcases trailing behind them. Minhee has been staring at the screen displaying the scheduled flights for ten minutes.
The New York to Montana flight is scheduled to arrive in five minutes. So, for five minutes, Minhee switches her gaze to staring out the big, floor-to-ceiling windows, watching people board a plane Boston and waiting to see a Delta plane land.
It feels like a lifetime before she finally sees the Delta plane touch down onto the tarmac. Minhee takes a deep breath, wiping her clammy hands on her jeans. She doesn’t know why she’s so nervous–she’s just meeting her sister, her sister, who she held and cared for when Jeongin was a baby. It feels like she’s meeting with the president of the United States.
A rush of passengers pour from the gate. Many different types of people–businessmen in suits, couples clinging to each other, mothers trying to keep their little children from running away–moved through the airport with one thing in common: complete and utter exhaustion.
Minhee’s eyes scan the crowd for the one familiar face. It doesn’t take her long to find Jeongin, with the same long, black hair and fox-like eyes from two years ago. Jeongin’s already looking at Minhee, a wide grin on her face.
Before Minhee can blink, Jeongin is throwing herself at her sister, wrapping her arms around Minhee. “I’ve missed you,” Jeongin mutters tearfully into Jeongin’s shoulder. Minhee tightens her arms around Jeongin’s waist.
“I’ve missed you too,” Minhee whispers, pulling away and taking Jeongin’s face into her hands. Minhee doesn’t have to bend her neck to look at Jeongin anymore. She’s much more grown up, and it shows in the way she styles her hair–straight, less messy, bangs that are meticulously styled to frame her face perfectly. It shows in the way she dresses–no more clothes she throws on just for the sake of wearing clothes, her outfit is planned and coordinated instead. Her yellow shirt, with half of the shirt and the collar cut off, pairs nicely with her light blue jean shorts. No more mismatched socks or clashing colors. It makes Minhee a little emotional, causing her to choke up as she says, “You’ve grown so much.”
Jeongin laughs wetly, leaning in and wiping her tears on the shoulder of Minhee’s (Seungmin’s) shirt. Minhee uses a finger on Jeongin’s forehead to push Jeongin away, a fond smile on her face.
“Thank you for letting me stay with you,” Jeongin says, her face turning serious for a moment. “I couldn’t stand them anymore.”
Minhee knows that feeling all too well. A million different factors could’ve pushed Jeongin over the edge–the unreachable expectations, the cruel word, the screams echoing through the house, and a thousand other things. Minhee doesn’t have to say anything, just nods and squeezes Jeongin’s hands.
Jeongin yawns. Minhee finally notices the darkness under her eyes, sticking out from half wiped off concealer. Jeongin must’ve rubbed her eyes during her flight. “How long have you been up, Innie?”
“I don’t know,” Jeongin mutters, “Seven hours, maybe? I didn’t sleep well last night, I was too nervous to sleep on the plane.”
Minhee hums sympathetically, brushing a strand of hair away from Jeongin’s face. The timezone difference must be hard on her. Jeongin never coped well with jetlag whenever their family went on international trips.
“Do you need help with your bags?” Minhee asks. Jeongin nods, handing Minhee the handle to a suitcase and a duffle bag, both packed to the brim, zippers almost bursting. When Minhee glances behind Jeongin, she sees two more suitcases and four more duffle bags in the same state. All Minhee can do is stare in equal parts amazement and disbelief. Jeongin just shrugs, saying, “I have a lot of clothes.”
Yeah, Jeongin does have a lot of clothes. Minhee did too, before she settled into life on a ranch. Before she was put to work by Seungmin on one of their dates, before she moved in with Seungmin weeks before getting married. It didn’t take her long to realize that a large portion of her closet would be completely useless on the ranch.
“Are these all only clothes?”
“No,” Jeoning pointed toward two suitcases side-by-side with two duffle bags stacked on top. “Those are all clothes. I used vacuum sealed things that sucked the air out of them to make more space.”
“What is the rest?” Minhee asks, though she’s scared to know.
Jeongin points at the suitcase by Minhee, “Shoes.”
She points toward two duffle bags, “Makeup and skincare in one, hair products in the other. And you’re holding the one with everything else. I don’t remember what’s in there.”
Minhee just nods, waiting for Jeongin to collect her bags before starting the short walk out to the car. Minhee is suddenly extremely glad she decided to skip half of her grocery list after deciding she doesn’t really need it.
It takes a few minutes of methodical planning and meticulous placement to fit all of Jeongin’s belongings into the car, but they manage. Years of playing Tetris really pays off.
“Minhee, I love you and everything,” Jeongin starts, her voice filled with doubt as she looks around at the world around her. “But I don’t think we’re going anywhere.”
Minhee laughs, glancing over at Jeongin’s expression–eyebrows raised, drawn together slightly in uncertainty, lips parted and tongue poking the corner of her mouth. It’s a spitting image of Minhee’s look when she first came to Montana, though she didn’t have anyone with her. She was alone, experiencing the vast lands of the west on her own.
“We’re going home, Innie,” Minhee says simply.
“No we aren’t,” Jeongin shakes her head, a dry laugh escaping her. “There is nothing here. We have been driving for forty-five minutes and I have seen one house and about a million cows.”
Minhee grins even wider, continuing to drive up the pothole covered road. “You’ll get used to it. It’s much more peaceful than New York.”
Jeongin doesn’t say anything, just lets out an exaggerated sigh and slumps further into the passenger seat. She stares out the window, observing the never-ending fields of golden wheat and pastures of cows grazing. Every time they pass a pasture with horses, Jeongin smiles and whispers, “Horses.”
Minhee remembers all the times when Jeongin was a little girl, watching Spirit Riding Free and My Little Pony on the living room floor, talking about how she loves horses. When Minhee would point out she’s never seen a horse, Jeongin would scoff and double down, saying she can love horses without ever seeing them. Minhee can’t wait for his little sister to see the horses on the ranch.
“How much longer until we’re there?” Jeongin asks, her head leaning against the window.
“About ten minutes,” Minhee responds. She glances at Jeongin from the corner of her eyes to gauge her reaction. Jeongin just lets out a soft huff, diverting her attention to her lap. She picks at a loose white thread on her shorts, ripping it off and tossing it on the ground in the car.
They pull up to a square, wooden entrance, a chain holding up a hanging sign that says Silver Dollar Ranch. Jeongin looks at Minhee, “Are we here?”
Minhee nods, “Yeah, house is right up there,” she points toward a beautiful wooden house, a porch around the front of the house. A porch swing hangs right by the door, Hyunjin and Yongbok sitting there, reading a book. Probably one about fish, Yongbok’s favorite.
“Minhee,” Jeongin’s voice sounds hesitant, the way she always sounds when she’s not sure if what she’s about to say should be kept inside or be said aloud. “Listen, I don’t know if this is going to sound mean or stuck up, but how in the hell do you afford this?”
Minhee can’t even hold back her laughter–loud and unexpected, torn out of her body before she could even stop it. Maybe a small part of her expected the question, but she thought it would come a little later.
“Jisung and Seungmin’s dad built the house when he came to Montana, way back in the 80s, a few years before Jisung was born. He had some money, and no one actually knows where it came from, but money was there. After he retired from ranching, Jisung and Seungmin inherited it and now we all live here. Happily enough,” Minhee explains, pulling up to the wrap-around driveway.
Jeongin stares at the house with amazement, lips parted, eyes wide and glazed. Mountains surround the house on all sides, the tips peaked with snow although it’s the middle of August. There’s a smaller house on the side of the house, a stack of wood near the entrance. Jeongin wants to ask what it is, but she’s far too busy taking in the world around her–the pasture of black cattle, a few babies by their mothers, the big tin shed with the doors open, giving Jeongin a view of the multiple tractors, trailers, and so much other equipment that Jeongin couldn’t name. On a field a few yards from the house, there is a tractor.. Without anyone on it.
Jeongin is snapped out of her trace by Minhee opening her door, already carrying three duffle bags. “Let’s go, Bokki is excited to see you.”
“She remembers me?” Jeongin questions, her shock piling up even more. Minhee has a soft smile on her face, “No, but she’s been thrilled at the idea of having another girl to hang out with. You’re going to be braiding lots of hair.”
Jeongin barely has a moment to stand up and stretch her legs out before a tiny body is barreling into her legs, screaming “Auntie Innie!” and other unintelligible words. She wastes no time in wrapping herself around Jeongin’s leg.
“Hey, Yongbok,” Jeongin says, grinning, setting a hand on the back of Yongbok’s head, stroking her soft, dark hair.
Yongbok peels herself off of Jeongin’s leg, beaming up at the teenager. She holds her arms above her head, “You’re so pretty!”
Jeongin smiles as she takes the toddler into her arms. Yongbok giggles loudly, even squealing as she’s lifted into Jeongin’s arms. “Thank you, but you’re even prettier.”
Yongbok giggles once more, before she settles and rests her head on Jeongin’s shoulder like they’ve been doing it forever. Her tiny fingers twirl Jeongin’s hair, playing with the collar of Jeongin’s shirt.
Hyunjin is leaning on the car, waiting for her turn to greet Jeongin. She has a sweet smile on her face, her eyes gentle as she takes in the view before her. “Hey, Jeongin,” she says, squeezing Jeongin’s shoulder.
“Hi Jinnie,” Jeongin says, resting her cheek on Yongbok’s head.
“Are you ready for this?” Hyunjin asks, “To move in with everyone, I mean. We aren’t exactly quiet with seven other people in the house.”
Jeongin shrugs, “New York isn’t exactly quiet either. I’m used to it.”
“Let’s go inside,” Minhee urges, her arms shaking with the effort of holding up the bags. Hyunjin leads the two women inside, chatting about how Yongbok has been practicing writing her name, how Chan has been eating nothing but breakfast foods, and how Changbin almost fell through the barn roof for the third time this week.
Jeongin listens quietly, rubbing Yongbok’s back in gentle circles. Yongbok mumbles something along the lines of the action feeling good.
“She’s been sleepy all day,” Hyunjin says fondly, opening the door to the house. Minhee rushes in, setting the bags down with a thud. “Waking up at six isn’t her favorite thing ever.”
The warm scent of cinnamon and apples is the first thing Jeongin notices. The second is that this house is big. The living room is huge–a giant L-shaped couch, covered in light brown blankets and an array of orange and white pillows. The glossy wooden coffee table has two candles burning and a few mini pumpkins. The mantel of the giant stone fireplace has small ceramic ghosts and fake leaves hanging down, hiding the pegs of a flat screen TV.
Jeongin looks around in shock. When Minhee told her they live in a cabin, this isn’t what Jeongin was expecting. However, she’s not disappointed with the reality.
“What’s with all the pumpkins and leaves and shades of brown?” Jeongin asks. She tilts her head up to see candle chandeliers hanging from the tall ceiling. The large windows provide most of the light–Jeongin can’t wait to see what the house looks like during the night.
“We’re in autumn,” Hyunjin states as if that explains everything. Jeongin notices the scented pinecones sitting on a side table, right next to a witch hat.
“It’s eighty-five degrees outside.”
“So?” Minhee shrugs, “It was sixty last week. Autumn.”
“You must be starving!” Hyunjin claps her hands. She guides Jeongin through a stone archway and into a cozy kitchen, where three men are sitting at the kitchen island–sucking down water, covered in sweat and grease. “Guys, Jeongin is here! You better not have eaten all of the bread I made!”
Three pairs of eyes all turn to look at Jeongin. Jisung waves at her, offering a simple greeting before turning his attention back to his water bottle. Seungmin stands up and moves to hug her, but stops before he makes contact with her clothing.
“I would hug you but I’m kinda..” Seungmin gestures at himself, nodding. Jeongin wrinkles her nose and nods along.
“After you shower, you can hug me,” Jeongin amends, patting her brother-in-law on the shoulder. Seungmin smiles at her and goes to sit back down on his stool.
Changbin doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even wave. He just stares at Jeongin, eyes wide and mouth parted slightly. Jeongin smiles at him, waving the best she can with a sleeping Yongbok in her arms. Changbin’s face promptly turns redder than the red, fall themed tablerunner with white leaves printed on it.
Jisung looks at Jeongin, then follows her gaze to Changbin. Jisung stares at Changbin for a few seconds, eyebrows raised.
“Bin,” Jisung hits his son’s shoulder, “get it together.”
Changbin blinks and looks back down at his glass of water, one of his fingers tracing the path of left from a droplet of condensation.
Hyunjin is already making Jeongin a grilled cheese out of homemade sourdough bread. Minhee and Hyunjin have already promised to teach Jeongin how to make sourdough. Jeongin has been to so many countries, has tried food made by Michelin star chefs, but she’s already vibrating with more excitement than she thought possible to feel over food.
When Jeongin sits on the stool next to Changbin, the boy freezes up, his glass halfway to his lips.
Seungmin barely has time to conceal his laugh with a cough. “Uh oh,” he whispers, leaning closer to Jisung, “we’re losing him.”
Jisung snorts, elbowing Seungmin, “We’ve already lost him,” he whispers under his breath, glancing over. The two brothers watch Changbin unravel in real time. He hasn’t moved once, only moving his eyes to look at Jeongin.
Jeongin, who is seemingly oblivious to the turmoil happening inches away from her, chats happily with Minhee and Hyunjin. She never stops rubbing Yongbok’s back or playing with her hair, gently rocking her side to side.
Every time Jeongin moves closer to Changbin, Changbin’s eyes widen and his shoulders shoot up to his ears, his cheeks flushing red.
Hyunjin transfers the grilled cheese onto a plate, cuts it in half, and places it in front of Jeongin. Jeongin, suddenly very aware of her hunger, doesn’t waste time. She finishes the first half before Minhee can finish refilling everyone’s glasses of water.
Next to her, Changbin hasn’t taken another sip of water.
He looks like he’s trying to remember how to use his limbs.
Hyunjin looks between the two teenagers, a knowing look on her face. She looks at Minhee, who has a similar expression on her face.
“Changbin,” Minhee starts, “you remember Jeongin, right?”
Changbin pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, worrying the thin skin until a blotch of blood forms in the middle of his lip. “Um– yeah, yeah, I do,” he mumbles, “you look a lot.. Different.. Now.”
Jeongin huffs out a laugh, adjusting her hold on Yongbok. The kid is still sleeping soundly, her tiny fist still tangled in Jeongin’s hair and her tiny puffs of air tickle Jeongin’s bare shoulder. “I’d hope so,” she says, “I was barely eleven last time we saw each other.”
Changbin just nods silently, taking a long drink of his water to avoid any more conversation. Hyunjin can’t believe it–her usually social son, taken down by the sight and a few short words from a pretty girl.
Hyunjin grins devilishly, looking right at Changbin. “Why don’t you go show Jeongin to her room?”
Changbin’s face drops, his heart visibly dropping to his ass.
Hyunjin just smiles innocently.