8 Years [ENGV]

Last Chapter

HAEJI

I woke up feeling kind of dizzy, not understanding anything. I opened my eyes and everything felt weird. The room was different... there wasn't much in it, just a bed and a couch. The curtain was dancing with the wind, kind of funny. I got up, rubbing my eyes, a little annoyed because I didn't even know where I was. I walked to the window and—wow—there was snow everywhere! The wood around the window was all white, covered in snow. I stared outside for a long time.

"Ah! Good morning, dear." I heard my grandma's voice. I turned to her, still feeling groggy.

"Good morning, Grandma." I said, slowly walking over to her. She hugged me tight and kissed the top of my head. I love when she does that.

"Why am I here?" I asked, still totally confused.

"Because..." she knelt down in front of me and whispered, "your baby brother was born."

My eyes got huge and I smiled.

"Really?" I asked. She nodded. "On my birthday?" I asked, more excited now.
She nodded again. I jumped with joy, but then... I don't know. I suddenly felt sad.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Grandma asked.

I lowered my eyes and whispered, "Nothing..."

She could tell I was sad, but she didn't push. She just held my hand and led me to the kitchen. And when I saw the table—WHOA! It was full of yummy stuff! There were fruit skewers, pancakes, waffles, juice... even savory donuts (I'd never had those before!). I felt happy again.

"Is all this for me?" I asked, staring at everything with wide eyes.

"You like it?" Grandpa asked, appearing beside me.

I nodded quickly and grabbed a fruit skewer. There was kiwi, grape, strawberry, mango... I took a piece of kiwi and chewed while smiling at them.

Suddenly, Uncle Joon showed up, wearing his usual tank top and sweatpants.

"Whoa... is today a party?" he asked.

"It's my birthday!" I answered excitedly.

"Oh! That's right!" Uncle came over and squished my cheeks until I looked like a fish. He kissed my forehead and I laughed so hard.

"Happy birthday, princess," he said.

"Thank you!" I replied, grinning.

Uncle Joon sat across from me and kept making silly faces and goofy jokes that made me laugh. He asked about Mom and Dad, and Grandma said my brother had been born. Uncle's eyes went wide, and he smiled at me, super excited. I smiled back, but then I got sad again—I felt bad for feeling sad.

After breakfast, they said we were going to the mall and I could pick anything. Anything!

That made my heart feel warm again.

We went right after breakfast. I was super excited in the car, watching the snow through the window. Grandma turned on the heater and the glass fogged up a little, so I started drawing faces and hearts with my finger. Grandpa told me not to make a mess, but he laughed when he saw my drawing.

When we got there, the mall was all decorated. There were little lights on the ceiling, music playing, the smell of popcorn in the air. I looked around wide-eyed like it was an amusement park.

"You can choose whatever you want, Haeji." Grandma said, smiling at me.

"Anything at all?" I asked, just to be sure.

"Anything." Grandpa confirmed, winking at me.

I ran into a toy store. There was so much stuff, I got a little overwhelmed. Dolls, games, huge teddy bears, slime, puzzles, remote control cars (Uncle Joon would love those). I picked a doll with pink hair that came with changeable clothes and a mini wardrobe.