After breakfast, Huilin began her first sign language lesson with Tong-Yoon. The first phrase she learned was "It's okay." >A wave of sadness washed over Huilin. She wanted to tell Tong-Yoon that she could talk, but the weight of her mother's shouting and the world's injustice had made her choose silence. She had broken her own voice to survive. Sensing her struggle, Tong-Yoon wrote on a piece of paper: "You are a brave girl. Just try to trust yourself."

As Huilin practiced the signs, she felt her soul waking up. You can do it, it whispered. Don't let the world hurt you again. Love yourself, and we will never leave you alone.

Afterward, they sat in the garden surrounded by roses. Huilin wrote a question: "Why are there so many roses?"

"My husband and Do-Yoon planted them, "Tong-Yoon replied with a soft smile."They are a symbol of our love-a promise that we will always be together."

Huilin noticed the longing in her teacher's eyes and wrote: "You miss Do-Yoon very much."

"Yes, "Tong-yoon whispered, "I stayed alive just to see him again. I don't know when he will come, but I must see him happy in this life."

Without a word, Huilin reached out and held Tong-yoon's hand, two souls connecting through their shared wait for happiness.

The next morning was quiet. Huilin sat on the soft earth, her eyes fixed on a single rosebud. She watched with bated breath, mesmerized by the way the petals slowly unfurled, revealing their hidden beauty to the world.

Suddenly, the garden gate creaked open. At that exact moment, the rose fully bloomed, releasing a sweet, intoxicating fragrance into the air.

Huilin felt a presence behind her. When she turned, she saw a young man standing in the doorway as smooth as a gentle breeze and as delicate as the scent of roses surrounding her. He couldn't take his eyes off her; it was as if the world had stopped moving.

It was a voice on the ground and it feels like the petals of roses are saying that:

"Petals were opening with the fragrance of love, calling your name through the silent air, whispering that now, it is time to fall for you, To make this symbol of true love real."

For a long moment, they simply looked into each other's eyes-a silent conversation between two souls who didn't need words.

The silence was broken by gaps. Tong-yoon had stepped onto the porch. When she saw her son standing there, the son she had lived her whole life to see again, she began to cry. Do-yoon didn't hesitate; he ran to his mother and pulled her into a long, tearful embrace.

Huilin watched them, her hand over her heart. She was silent. But for the first time in years, her heart was beating so fast.

"Petals were opening with the fragrance of love, calling your name through the silent air..."

Welcome back, dear readers. In this episode, Huilin learns her very first sign language phrase, "It's okay," right before the universe brings Do-Yoon back into the garden. Sometimes silence speaks louder than any voice ever could, and their first look says everything.

Thank you so much for your incredible support, views, and love on this journey. I hope this long-awaited reunion brought a tear to your eyes just like it did to mine. See you in the next chapter! 🕊️