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“Hi,Sis”

(May 12, 2019)

The late afternoon sun beat down on Tae-hee Kim as she stood at the bus stop. While she waited, she cleared away the day’s troubles with a silentcalculation.

Fifty-five thousand five hundred and sixty-three days. Seven thousand nine hundred and thirty-seven weeks. One hundred fifty-two years. Thirty leapyears.

The litany contained a secret she held more closely than anyother.

She rolled her neck and shoulders, then stretched her arms. Tugging out the hair band, she ran her fingers through her long black hair, letting the strands brush against her back. A lifetime of stress and weariness had forged her muscles—a century of work as a nurse, fighting exhaustion, danger, and pain day after day. She wasn’t famous like Eunice Coleman or the legendary Jang-geum, but her role at Community Care Hospital kept her busy. Fortunately, pain and fatigue vanishedquickly.

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes. She drew strength from the cool breeze and the pulse of those around her. The quiet hum of groups was a balm, easing the strain from her work at thehospital.

When the bus arrived, she slipped into the waiting line, moving with the steady rhythm of habit. She scanned her pass and found an empty seat near the back. Dropping into it, she placed her worn backpack in the empty seat beside her and stared out the window, watching the people who passed on thestreet.

The bus merged into traffic, and the familiar bustle of Springfield filled her senses. She barely noticed the man making his way down the aisle—until he stopped beside her. Her gaze flicked toward him, then to the rest of the bus. Every other seat was full. Suppressing a sigh, she pulled her backpack onto her lap and returned her gaze to thewindow.

“Gamsahamnida,” the man said, taking the now-empty seat besideher.

She would have ignored him had he not thanked her inKorean.

“I’m so glad I finally found you,” the man continued, quiet butconfident.<