BLUZ

Chapter 1: Past

“Hand.” A middle-aged man stretched out his hand to a little girl no less than five that stood by his side.

“Hand!” she echoed cheerfully as she placed her small hand in his open palm.

He grinned and held her hand tight.

“Let’s go, Sunmi-ah.” He ruffled her hair with his other hand that had managed to balance a bag of groceries which he also held before walking across the crosswalk onto the other side of the road. After some minutes of walking and Sunmi hopping from one feet to the other by his side, they finally reached their destination.

“We’re back!” Sunmi yelled cheerfully as she ran into the little bungalow.

A warm chuckle from her mother welcomed her happy yelling.

“Sunmi-ah, come wash your hands quickly,” her mum who stood at doorway to the adjoining kitchen, called.

“Yes!” Sunmi ran to meet her mum who smoothed her hair down and bent to her height to kiss her forehead before nudging her into the kitchen. The giggling Sunmi complied.

“Did you get everything?” Sunmi’s mother rose to her feet as she addressed her husband.

He beamed a smile at her as he raised up the grocery list. “Yes ma’am.”

They both laughed as she playfully hit his shoulder, just then the yelps of Sunmi’s squealing echoed around the whole house. The curious parents pushed open the kitchen door to see what caused that noise from the little girl.

“Oppa, stop it!” Sunmi was shrieking in laughter as she ran around the kitchen trying to avoid being hit by the splashes of water being tossed about by her brother who gapped her in age with seven years.

“Would you stop it?! She can slip and fall!” their dad yelled in panic.

Their eldest child removed his hand from the tap in the sink and turned to their parents with a wide grin on his face.

“We were just playing dad,” he laughed as his younger sister finally ran into the arms of their mother.

She soothed the little girl by petting her hair with a chuckle. Their two children were always so close it was hard to believe they were very wide apart in age, except of course the height and the fact he was a lot mature than Sunmi.

“Sunmi-ah, did oppa scare you?” their eldest son was already by her side, bent to Sunmi’s height, talking in a soft tone.

“Oppa is bad! Ambushing me with water when I wanted to wash my hand! Bad oppa!” Sunmi ranted with a pout.

He stifled his chuckle and pretended to be very solemn. “That oppa needs to be scolded a lot!”

Sunmi gave a small nod.

“Oh no, what to do?” he sighed as he looked thoughtful. “Oppa is really sorry.”

Sunmi turned to him, no longer burying her face in her mother’s skirt. “I will forgive oppa for anything he does!”

She gave her elder brother a bright grin. He smiled as well and cradled her. “Is that so?” He played with the locks of her hair that dangled on her back as he patted her. “Thank you, Sunmi-ah!”

They disengaged the hug and grinned at each other.

“Gunwoo-ah, can you set the table now?” their mum requested as she fully entered the kitchen with their dad closely behind carrying the groceries.