“Just doing our job,” one of them excused, his tone arrogant.
“Since when did harassing people become an occupation? Incredibly noble of you,” she spat.
“Ma’am, if you don’t step aside—”
“No, actually, I don’t think I will. You’re in a museum, for God’s sake, have some respect or better yet find a real job,” she retorted.
The other photographer attempted to sidestep her, his lens still focused on her brother, but I wasn’t about to let that happen. I stepped forward, blocking his line of sight entirely.
“Those jerkcicles…” Bae grumbled, stepping in front of her brother too. “Don’t worry, Wyn Wyn, I won’t let them get what they want.”
My heart filled with warmth seeing them defend him.
“Enough,” I dictated, “can’t you see that you’re upsetting him? This is incredibly immoral even for you.”
“Listen this is for our next issue—”
“This is his life, not your next headline, leave. Now. Or I’ll call security,” I warned.
With a shared look of irritation, the photographers muttered something under their breath, and wandered towards the exit. Beck made a point of glaring at them the whole way out, almost tossing a shoe at them.
“Unbelievable.” Beck muttered, stepping towards us. “Gwenchana, miane?”Are you okay, I’m sorry.she questioned in Korean.
But he didn’t answer. He was staring at the door, his hand shaking. I grabbed ahold of it, and held it in mine. “No, he’s not,” I said, quietly, stepping in beside her.
Beck glanced back at me, her expression shifting from confusion to frustration to something of concern. “What’s going on?”
“He’s had a rough morning,” I answered honestly, not bearing to keep it a secret any longer. “A nightmare about that last winter. Bad enough to make him sick. He’s been pushing himself all day for you and Bae.”
Her face hardened, and I could see her older sister instincts kicking in. She reached out, placing a firm, but gentle hand on her brother’s shoulder.
“You’re such an idiot. Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t having a good day?” She asked. “God, you’re so fucking stubborn, always have been.”
He shrugged, not meeting her eyes. “I—I guess I just wanted for you two to have a fun day; whatever the hell is going on with me is inconsequential.”
“Wynter,” she said, both exasperated and affectionate. “You don’t have to do that. We’re your family, you’re allowed to have bad days.”
Bae stepped closer, wrapping her arms around her brother. “Seriously you don’t have to play it cool with us. You’re kind of a mess most of the damn time, and we still like you. I still like you, maybe Beck tolerates you Monday through Friday at least.”
That earned a faint smile from him, though he didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Let’s take it easy for the rest of the day,” I suggested, brushing a hand slightly against his back, “maybe let’s head down to the café, get something to eat. Sound good?"?
Wynter nodded slightly, leaning into my touch a little.
“Good,” Beck said, slipping her arm around his other shoulder, “and if those creeps come back, I’ll hit them with Bae’s thermos.”
“Hey, leave my thermos out of this!” Bae smiled.
At that he let out a quiet laugh, and for a moment some of the attention eased. Beck and Bay kept close to him as we made our way out of the exhibit, and down towards the cozy bistro filled with the soft glow of candles and chatter of conversation. Beck and Bae had chosen the place, declaring it certified holiday season vibes, and for a while, it seemed like they were right. It was something straight out of a Hallmark romcom.
“So, Baeby, do you have any cool new friends at school?” I asked her, and she immediately lightened up.
“Well, at first, it was hard stepping out of my shell. I was used to just being close with my siblings. But Dad said that wasn’t a good thing, and after everything my therapist took me off my medication, and I felt like myself again. I figured it was worth letting people know me, the real unmediated version of myself I hadn’t seen in about a year. So I joined a bunch of clubs,” she expressed, her eyes glimmering with a certain melancholy behind them.
“You were on…” I repeated.
And just as every war has its battles it also has its costs, and I was face to face with the exact price each of us had to pay for staying quiet about what happened. A life for a life. I had originally been upset. I thought that the Kwon siblings had turned their backs on us all and went on in ignorance as if nothing had happened. I was often so consumed by my own grief that I never thought that it didn’t matter how far they travelled that the events would follow them all the days of their lives. Even Bae who was only little when it happened.
