01/12/2025
🌺 Two Souls 1 Sky 🌺
✍️ Written by Authoress Mona ✍️
⚠️ No part of this story is permitted to be recreated or reposted without the writer's prior permission.
🌺 Episode 13 🌺
Ji-woo
Ji-woo stood in the orphanage bathroom, staring at her reflection like it belonged to someone else.
The girl looking back at her wore an emerald green dress that hugged her frame perfectly, elegant and expensive. Her hair had been styled after watching countless YouTube tutorials, practicing until her arms ached. The makeup, subtle but transformative, made her features sharper, more defined.
She looked beautiful.
She looked like she didn't belong to herself anymore.
Min-ji, stood behind her with a wide grin across her face. I'm
"You look like a princess," she whispered, her voice filled with wonder.
Ji-woo's reflection grimaced. "I look like an imposter."
"No, you don't! You look amazing. Like you were always meant to wear clothes like this."
But that was the problem, wasn't it? She wasn't meant to wear clothes like this. She was meant to wear hand-me-downs and thrift store finds. She was meant to fade into the background, invisible and forgettable.
Yet here she was, about to walk into a world of wealth and privilege, searching for a girl who might share her blood but had lived an entirely different life.
"Are you scared?" Min-ji asked softly.
Ji-woo nodded, her throat too tight to speak.
"What if... what if she doesn't want to know me?"
"Then she's an idiot," Min-ji said fiercely. "Anyone would be lucky to have you as a sister."
Ji-woo managed a small smile. She reached for Min-ji's hand and squeezed it.
"Thank you. For everything."
"Just promise you'll come back and tell me what happens."
"I promise."
But even as she said it, Ji-woo wondered if she'd be the same person when she came back. If this night would change her so fundamentally that the girl standing here now would cease to exist.
Eun-seo
Across the city, in a bedroom larger than most apartments, Eun-seo sat perfectly still while her stylist worked magic with a curling iron.
Her dress was custom-made, a deep ruby red that complemented her skin tone perfectly. Her jewelry, borrowed from her mother's extensive collection sparkled in the soft lighting. Every detail had been meticulously planned, from her nail polish to the angle of her hair.
She looked perfect.
She felt hollow.
But then
All she could think about were the three hospital bracelets hidden in her drawer. Baby A. Baby B. Baby C. The proof that she wasn't alone, that somewhere out there were two other girls who shared her beginning, who'd been torn away from her before she'd even had the chance to know them.
"You look beautiful, Miss Eun-seo," the stylist said, stepping back to admire her work.
Eun-seo nodded absently, her gaze distant. "Thank you."
"Are you feeling all right? You seem... distracted."
"I'm fine. Just tired."
But she wasn't tired. She was anxious. Restless. Like something enormous was about to happen and she was powerless to stop it.
The anonymous message from days ago kept replaying in her mind: "One of them will find you soon. Sooner than you think."
Was tonight the night?
Would she finally meet one of her sisters?
And if she did... what would she say?
How do you introduce yourself to someone who should have been part of your life from the very beginning but was stolen away by lies and secrets?
She suddenly asked Mrs Eliora
What do you mean, miss Eun-seo?she asked a bit nervous.
Never mind...
Eun-seo looked at her reflection one final time.
She looked like the perfect daughter. The perfect heiress. The perfect version of everything her parents had wanted her to be.
But underneath, she was breaking apart, piece by piece, waiting for the truth to finally shatter the illusion.
Ji-woo arrived at the Grand Hyatt in a taxi that had cost more than she wanted to think about.
The hotel was enormous, its entrance lit up like something from a movie. Luxury cars pulled up one after another, depositing elegantly dressed guests who moved with the kind of confidence that came from always belonging.
Ji-woo clutched her invitation like it was the only thing keeping her from floating away.
She approached the entrance on shaking legs, certain that at any moment someone would see through her disguise. That they'd take one look at her and know she didn't belong here, that she was just an orphan girl playing dress-up.
But the security guard simply scanned her invitation, nodded professionally, and gestured her inside.
Just like that.
No questions. No suspicious looks. No one to tell her she didn't have the right to be here.
Ji-woo stepped into the ballroom and felt her breath catch.
It was breathtaking.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling like frozen waterfalls of light. The walls were decorated in gold and white, elegant and understated. Tables laden with food she'd only ever seen in magazines lined one side of the room. Women in designer gowns drifted past like beautiful ghosts, their laughter tinkling like wind chimes. Men in expensive suits discussed business deals in low voices, champagne glasses in hand.
Ji-woo had never felt more out of place in her entire life.
She moved deeper into the crowd, trying to look like she belonged, trying to convince herself that she had every right to be here.
But inside, she felt like a fraud.
Ji-woo wove through the crowd, her eyes scanning every face, searching for Han Eun-seo.
She'd memorized the photographs she'd found online. The perfect smile. The confident posture. The girl who'd grown up with everything Ji-woo had been denied.
As she moved through the ballroom, she passed a large banner near the entrance, a charity fundraiser for children's education. And there, prominently displayed, was a photograph of the event's sponsors.
The Han family.
Mr. and Mrs. Han, standing proud and elegant.
And between them, their daughter.
Han Eun-seo.
Ji-woo stopped walking, her heart lurching.
The same girl. The same face she'd been searching for.
But there was something else. Something that made her blood run cold.
She recognized that face.
Not from photographs. From memory.
The girl with the umbrella. The one who'd offered her shelter from the rain months ago in jung-gu, who'd looked at her with such kindness, who'd asked if she was okay.
"No," Ji-woo whispered to herself. "That can't be... she can't be..."
But the evidence was right there in front of her.
Her sister,if the anonymous caller was telling the truth was the same girl who'd shown her a moment of kindness in the rain.
The same girl who'd had no idea they were connected by blood and lies and secrets that stretched back eighteen years.
Ji-woo's hands trembled.
She continued searching through the crowd with new urgency, her heart pounding so hard she felt it in her throat.
And then she saw her.
Across the ballroom, standing with an older couple who had to be her parents, was the girl from the banner. The girl from the rain.
Han Eun-seo.
Ji-woo's breath stopped.
They were the same height. The same build. And though Eun-seo's face was softer, rounder from a lifetime of good nutrition and no stress, the bone structure was identical.
The shape of the eyes. The curve of the lips. The way she tilted her head slightly when listening.
It was like looking at a version of herself who'd been given everything Ji-woo had been denied.
For a long moment, Ji-woo just stared, unable to move, unable to breathe.
Sister.
The word echoed in her mind like a prayer. Like a question. Like an accusation.
Across the ballroom, Eun-seo felt it.
That prickle at the back of her neck. The sensation of being watched by eyes that saw more than they should.
She turned, scanning the crowd.
And she saw her.
A girl standing alone near the refreshment table, staring at Eun-seo with an intensity that made her skin tingle.
There was something familiar about her. Something that made Eun-seo's heart skip and stumble.
The girl was beautiful in an understated way, elegant but somehow raw. Like she was wearing a costume that didn't quite fit.
And her eyes...
Eun-seo couldn't look away from her eyes.
For a moment that stretched into eternity, they just stared at each other across the crowded room. Two strangers who weren't really strangers. Two souls recognizing something they couldn't name.
Then someone stepped between them.
a waiter carrying a tray of champagne, and the moment shattered.
When Eun-seo looked again, the girl was gone.
Ji-woo escaped to the bathroom, her heart racing so fast she thought she might faint.
She leaned against the marble sink, gripping the edge, trying to steady her breathing.
That was her. That was really her.
The resemblance wasn't just in her imagination. It was real. Undeniable.
They looked alike. Not exactly identical Eun-seo's face was fuller, her features softer, but enough that anyone paying attention would notice.
We're sisters. We have to be.
Ji-woo turned on the cold water and splashed it on her face, careful not to ruin her makeup.
The bathroom door opened.
Ji-woo looked up
and froze.
Eun-seo walked in, her ruby red dress rustling softly, her expression distracted.
They were alone.
For a moment, neither spoke. They stood at opposite ends of the bathroom, two girls studying each other in the mirror's reflection.
Eun-seo's eyes widened slightly. Recognition flickered across her face, not of who Ji-woo was, but of that strange familiarity she couldn't place.
"Do I know you?" Eun-seo finally asked, her voice soft, uncertain.
Ji-woo's throat tightened. "I don't think so."
"You look... familiar somehow. Have we met before?"
"You too," Ji-woo whispered. Pretending not to know her.
Eun-seo stepped closer, her eyes searching Ji-woo's face with an intensity that made Ji-woo want to run.
"Are you sure we haven't met? Maybe at school? Or some other event?"
"I don't go to your school." Ji-woo's voice came out sharper than she intended. "I'm not from your world."
Eun-seo's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Ji-woo realized she'd said too much. Her mask was slipping.
In another moment, she might blurt out the truth , I think we're sisters, I think we were separated at birth, I think our entire lives have been built on lies, and she wasn't ready for that. Not yet. Not here.
She grabbed her small clutch purse and moved toward the door.
"Wait—"
But Ji-woo didn't wait. She hurried out of the bathroom, her heart pounding, feeling like she was about to shatter into a thousand pieces.
Eun-seo stood frozen for a moment, staring at the door the mysterious girl had disappeared through.
What just happened?
She rushed out of the bathroom, her eyes scanning the crowd desperately, trying to find that emerald green dress, that familiar face.
But the girl had vanished into the sea of people.
"Darling, are you all right?"
Eun-seo turned. Her mother stood there, concern etched on her perfectly made-up face.
"You look pale. Is something wrong?"
"I just met someone..." Eun-seo trailed off, not sure how to explain. "A girl. She looked... she felt familiar. Like I should know her. But I can't remember."
Mrs. Han's expression shifted, just for a second from concern to something else. Fear? Panic?
"What did she look like?"
"I don't know. My age. Pretty. She was wearing a green dress." Eun-seo grabbed her mother's arm. "Mom, why do you look so scared?"
"I'm not scared. I'm just" Mrs. Han swallowed hard. "I'm just worried about you. You've been under so much stress lately, with school and everything that's happened."
"This isn't about stress. I saw her. She was real. And when I looked at her, I felt... I felt like I was looking at a part of myself I didn't know existed."
Mrs. Han went pale.
"Eun-seo, listen to me. I need you to stay close tonight. Don't talk to strangers. Don't go anywhere alone."
"Why? What's going on?"
"Just promise me."
"Mom, you're scaring me—"
"Promise me!"
Eun-seo had never seen her mother like this. Desperate. Terrified.
"Okay. I promise."
But even as she said it, Eun-seo's mind was racing.
Her mother knew something. Something about the girl in the green dress. Something she was terrified Eun-seo would discover.
Was she the one the anonymous caller was talking about
Which meant Ji-woo had been right to run.
The truth was dangerous.
And they were both standing at the edge of it.
Ji-woo made it to the hotel lobby, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps.
She needed to leave. This was a mistake. She shouldn't have come.
What had she been thinking? That she could just walk into this world, see her sister, and everything would magically make sense?
She'd almost reached the exit, her hand outstretched toward the glass doors, when a hand grabbed her arm.
Ji-woo spun around, her heart leaping into her throat.
An older man stood there, dressed in an expensive suit, his eyes sharp and calculating. Everything about him screamed danger wrapped in civility.
"Leaving so soon?" His voice was smooth, dangerous. "You just arrived."
Ji-woo tried to pull away. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"No. But I know you." He pulled out his phone and showed her a photograph. It was Ji-woo, from earlier tonight, standing in the ballroom, staring at Eun-seo.
Her blood turned to ice.
"Who are you?"
"Attorney Choi Kyung-hoon. I represent certain... interests. And those interests are very curious about why an orphan girl from Seodaemun has crashed an exclusive charity gala using a forged invitation."
"It wasn't forged—"
"Oh, but it was." His smile was cold, predatory. "Very well done, I'll admit. Professional quality. But forged nonetheless. Which makes me wonder: who gave it to you? And what do they want you to find?"
Ji-woo tried to yank her arm free, but his grip tightened, fingers digging into her skin.
"I think you and I should have a conversation. Somewhere private."
"Let go of me."
"I don't think so." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a threatening whisper. "You see, you've stumbled into something much bigger than you understand. And the people I represent don't like complications."
"Is there a problem here?"
Both Ji-woo and Attorney Choi turned to find Eun-seo standing behind them, arms crossed, eyes blazing with authority that came from a lifetime of privilege.
"Miss Han." Choi released Ji-woo's arm immediately, his entire demeanor shifting to professional courtesy. "I was just addressing a security concern."
"She's my guest." Eun-seo's voice was smooth, confident, every inch the daughter of wealth and power. "I invited her. Is that a problem?"
Choi's eyes narrowed. "You invited her?"
"Yes. Is there some reason you're harassing my friend?"
The word friend hung in the air between them, fragile and powerful all at once.
Ji-woo stared at Eun-seo, confusion and gratitude warring on her face. Why was she helping? She didn't owe Ji-woo anything.
Choi looked between the two girls, clearly calculating his next move. Finally, he stepped back, his expression carefully neutral.
"My apologies, Miss Han. I must have been mistaken." But his eyes promised this wasn't over. "Enjoy your evening."
He walked away, disappearing into the crowd like a shadow.
Eun-seo and Ji-woo stood alone in the hotel lobby, facing each other.
The sounds of the gala drifted from the ballroom,laughter, music, the clinking of glasses, but it all felt distant, unreal.
"Why did you help me?" Ji-woo asked quietly.
"Because he was hurting you. And because..." Eun-seo paused, choosing her words carefully. "Because I need to know why you're here. Really here."
"I don't owe you an explanation."
"Maybe not. But I just saved you from whatever that man was planning to do." Eun-seo's voice was firm but not unkind. "The least you can do is tell me your name."
Ji-woo hesitated. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to disappear, to protect herself the way she always had.
But another part of her,the part that had been searching for belonging her entire life, wanted to stay. Wanted to know if this girl felt the same strange pull she did.
"Ji-woo," she said finally. "My name is Han Ji-woo."
Eun-seo's eyes widened. "Han? That's... that's my family name."
"I know."
"Are you... are you related to my family?"
"I don't know." Ji-woo's voice cracked. "Maybe. I'm trying to find out."
Eun-seo's phone buzzed. A text from her father: "Where are you? Come back to the ballroom immediately."
She ignored it.
"I need to know something," Eun-seo said urgently. "Were you born in April 2008?"
Ji-woo's breath caught. "I... I don't know exactly when I was born. I was found abandoned. No birth certificate. But they estimated April 2008. How did you—"
"Because I was born in April 2008. April 15th. During a storm."
The words hit Ji-woo like lightning.
They stared at each other, the pieces clicking into place but not quite forming a complete picture yet.
"We need to talk," Eun-seo said. "Really talk. But not here. Not where people can see us."
"Why are you helping me? You don't even know me."
"Because when I look at you, I feel something." Eun-seo's voice dropped to almost a whisper. "Like I should know you. Like part of me has been missing and I didn't even realize it until right now."
Ji-woo's eyes filled with tears. "I feel it too."
They found a quiet corner in the hotel's business center, away from the gala, away from watching eyes.
Eun-seo pulled out her phone with shaking hands and showed Ji-woo the photograph she'd taken of the hospital document, the one listing three babies. Baby A. Baby B. Baby C.
"This is from the night I was born. There weren't just two babies. There were three."
Ji-woo pulled out her own phone, showing the photograph she'd found at the abandoned hospital—two babies in an incubator, side by side.
"I found this. I think... I think these might be us."
They compared the photos, their hands trembling.
"If there were three of us," Eun-seo whispered, "and you're one, and I'm one... where's the third?"
"I don't know. But someone knows. Someone has been leading me to information, piece by piece. Someone wants me to find the truth."
"Or someone wants to control how you find it."
Ji-woo looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"
"Think about it. You get mysterious messages. Anonymous packages. Invitations to galas where you happen to run into me. Someone is orchestrating this. Pulling strings. Making us dance like puppets."
"But why?"
"I don't know yet. But I'm going to find out." Eun-seo's voice turned to steel. "And you're going to help me."
"Why should I trust you? You're part of the family that might have abandoned me."
"Because I didn't abandon you. I didn't even know you existed until a few days ago. And because..." Eun-seo reached out hesitantly, touching Ji-woo's hand. "Because you're my sister. I can feel it. Can't you?"
Ji-woo's carefully constructed walls cracked. A tear slid down her cheek.
"Yes," she whispered. "I can feel it."
Eun-seo's phone rang, shattering the moment.
Attorney Choi's name appeared on the screen.
Eun-seo's jaw tightened. She answered, putting it on speaker so Ji-woo could hear.
"Miss Han, I need you to listen very carefully." His voice was calm, controlled, terrifying in its civility. "Your father has asked me to convey a message. You need to stop whatever you're doing. Stop investigating. Stop asking questions. And you need to distance yourself from that girl immediately."
"Or what?"
"Or the consequences will be severe. For both of you. Your father is trying to protect you, Eun-seo. There are things about your family's past that are dangerous to uncover. Things that could destroy not just your family's reputation, but lives. Real lives."
"Whose lives?"
A pause. Heavy. Deliberate.
Then: "Your sister's. The third one. The one you haven't found yet. If you keep digging, if you keep making noise, the people who have been protecting her will have no choice but to move her somewhere you'll never find her. Is that what you want?"
Eun-seo's face went white. "Where is she? Where's our sister?"
"Stop asking questions, and maybe someday you'll get to meet her. Keep pushing, and I promise you'll never see her. The choice is yours, Miss Han. Choose wisely."
The line went dead.
Ji-woo and Eun-seo stared at each other, horror and determination warring on their faces.
"They're threatening her," Ji-woo whispered. "Our sister. They're using her to keep us quiet."
"Then we need to find her before they move her."
"How? We don't even know where to start."
Eun-seo's jaw set with fierce determination. "Then we start with the one person who knows everything. The one person who was there that night and has been hiding the truth for twenty years."
"Who?"
"Dr. Yang. The hospital director. He's the one who made us disappear." Eun-seo's eyes blazed. "And he's going to tell us where our sister is."
Two sisters, united at last.
One sister still hidden, used as a weapon to keep them silent.
And a man who held all the answers, somewhere in the city.
The hunt had begun.
And nothing would stop them now.
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