ᴍʏ ɴᴇᴡ ᴍɪꜱꜱɪᴏɴ . ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ² ᵃⁿᵈ ³

VI. ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴄᴋ

Ah-yi made it clear that she wasn't an ordinary child.

Sung-hyo, Ji-ji and Hyun-su already knew that. They just didn't expect it to suddenly become so obvious to the naked eye.

By the time the snow had melted and spring had begun to arrive, Ah-yi was no longer a baby. Instead, she was a very young child, with a black bob and a beautiful flowery dress and blue shorts that Sung-hyo had picked out for her.

Ah-yi called Sung-hyo her big sister, which melted Sung-hyo's heart the first time she heard it. Sung-hyo, now with a small bun and fringe as her hairstyle, kept her machete close... but she never wore it. The last few months had been less of a danger than when they'd been living at Green Home. 

Sung-hyo's wound healed nicely too, letting all three of the young adults let out a sigh of relief the day the wound was now nothing but a scar.

Ji-ji and Hyun-su grew up a little too. Ji-ji's hair was slightly longer, but not as long as Hyun-su's had become, now reaching halfway down his neck. Ji-ji's new outfits reminded Sung-hyo of the soldiers who would occasionally head into the city for supplies, but Ji-ji wasn't anything like them.

The soldiers were living underground in the city's stadium, which had been bombed by the government beforehand, killing hundreds of survivors who had been brought there with the promise of safety. The remainder were rounded up and brought underground, where they'd been ever since.

Ji-ji knew right then and there that they were alone in this new world. 

Sung-hyo didn't argue... she just hoped some of her friends were inside that stadium, safe and alive. She missed them sometimes, to the point she'd even let out a heavy sigh.

 The group lived together on a large boat that floated on the river that stood next to the abandoned - and now slightly overgrown - city. Ah-yi had to room on top, while Hyun-su and Ji-ji shared the quarters down below. Ah-yi had begged Sung-hyo to share the room with her, to which the older girl agreed, having trouble saying no to the child's adorable pout.

Days went by fast, which Sung-hyo was oddly enjoying. The world had slowed when it had ended, which she'd disliked, especially as she'd wished for time to slow before then. Now that the world was resorting itself - in a way - time was coming back.

ᶠYͧoͨᵏu

It wasn't uncommon for Sung-hyo to find herself keeping an eye on Ah-yi while Ji-ji and Hyun-su went into the city. 

She didn't mind much; she liked spending time with the child. 

Ah-yi seemed to enjoy it too, the smile never leaving her face.

However, occasionally, Hyun-su and Sung-hyo were off to somewhere in the city together. 

Whether it was sitting on top of a building and watching the sunset, going on a small walk in the surrounding areas or just enjoying each other's company, Hyun-su and Sung-hyo's relationship blossomed from what it had been back in the apartments.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sung-hyo asked her boyfriend, staring over the edge of the building they stood on. "It's a very high drop. Higher than when you got pushed off the staircase back at Green Home."

The pair of them stood on one of the tall buildings on the outskirts of the city. It was a nice Spring afternoon, with the sun giving them a warm day but the gentle breeze making the day a cool temperature. The wind blew through their hair, more so Hyun-su's as Sung-hyo's hair was in a messy bun.