Passing out the bread, a large strand of Valena's hair was gently tugged. Gazing down at the little one responsible, he smiled cutely and said.
"Mama! More! More!"
The smile on her face froze as Yejun continued to play with her hair while reaching for the bread in her hand.
"Not mama. Noona. I am your noona."
Her voice came out raspy as she tried to correct her baby brother. Rubbing his head, she gave him the bread and picked up the backpack.
"Come on. I have to change his diaper. Throw away your trash."
Haru and Nabi quickly cleaned up and followed her to the bathrooms.
"Nabi, come with me. Haru, go to the bathroom. We are going to be walking for a while."
Making sure he had gone safely, Valena took the Nabi into the bathroom. Locking the door, she carefully took off the carrier and put Yejun on the changing table.
"Eonni, look! They have a little sink for me!"
It warmed her heart to see the purity and simplicity of her little sister. Haru knocked on the door right as she finished changing the baby and washed their hands.
"Are you guys okay?"
"Yeah. Ready to go?"
Opening the door, Valena smiled and put Yejun back in the carrier. Walking out of the hotel, they stared in awe.
"So where to first?"
The siblings looked up at her with stars in their eyes.
By the time got back to the hotel it was already dark and after a quick bath, Valena put the kids to bed. Valena stayed up all night trying to figure out how she was going to take care of the kids. As she paced around the room, she reached for her phone for the thousandth time, only to remember it was destroyed during the explosion.
"I can't contact either of my grandparents, and I am alone with three kids in a foreign country! We'll die if we go back. Agh! I have to think of something. Uh, think, think, think! Wait, I have all of the kids' and mom and dad's papers. I can put them in school!
But they have to have a place of residence and I only have enough money to last us through tomorrow. I-I, what am I going to do?! I can't work on a visa! How am I going to pay for food and rent, let alone school!"
Going through the papers and counting the money once again, she started to panic as she thought out loud. The pain in her side and shoulder became increasingly worse, she was tortuously reminded of the additional problem. As she got up to get coffee and another large dose of painkillers, she caught a glimpse of the clock and saw it was almost time to make breakfast. After taking a deep breath, along with her anesthetics, she tried to calm down and drink her coffee but was interrupted by a quiet knock on their door. Not expecting visitors, she cautiously made her way to the door and opened it just enough to see a woman in her late twenties.
"Are you the girl who saved my mom the other day? You left her in a coffee shop, and she didn't get a chance to thank you."
Her voice was sharp and to the point. She wore a black and white business suit and her hair in a neat bun. Her face was very pretty and youthful but gave off girl-boss vibes but didn't seem threatening. Done with her observations, Valena tried to speak with a nonargumentative tone.
"I didn't do it for money. She needed help, so I helped. If you're coming here to make sure I didn't sue you or anything, you're wasting your time."
Surprised by the girl's strong demeanor, the woman felt that her attitude was very familiar to someone she once knew.
"I'm not here to sue you. My name is Kim Bonhwa. I'm a manager for Universe Entertainment. My mother's been looking for me ever since you saved her. She saw you yesterday with your siblings and followed you here. I know you don't know me, but I'll do anything to pay you back for saving my mother."
Unable to handle anything else but the current problems without coffee, Valena invited her in. As she followed the girl, Kim Bonhwa was glad she stuck to her instinct and personally came to talk to this girl who had outstanding visuals.
"Please sit. Would you like some coffee?"
Holding up her cup, she gestured to a seat while she sat on the counter. After hearing Kim Bonhwa's refusal, she got right to it.
"I know who you are, and I greatly admire your work. I wish I could tell you to forget I ever did anything, but I can't."
Putting her guard up again, Kim Bonhwa listened.
"My name is Jin Yeon. I just arrived in Korea with my three siblings two days ago. My parents were supposed to meet us, but they had to go on a last-minute business trip. We don't have anything. I only have enough money to get us through today, and this is our last day in the hotel. I-I'm on a visa, but my siblings have citizenship. I am not asking for handouts or charity. But if you know of a way I could get a roof over their heads and food for them, I would be so grateful. Please, just until my parents can send me money to get a place and food. It shouldn't be long. I just need something now. I know I am asking for help from a stranger, but I don't have any other choice. I wouldn't ask if I didn't know that you're an honest person."
Her bloodshot eyes were filled with desperation and hope as they stared at Kim Bonhwa. There was this odd closeness about her that she couldn't place. She wasn't sure if it was her courage, in asking for something so big, her exceptional visuals, or the fact that she would do anything for her siblings. Either way, Kim Bonhwa liked this girl, and against her typical personality, she was going to help.
"How would you like to become Universe entertainment's first female artist."