Assumptions

Dong learned a lot about Minji’s family on just the first day. She actually learned a lot about bunny hybrids and it was almost a little overwhelming with all of the subtle information she was able to pick up on.

Bunnies were close-knit. She learned that every single one of Minji’s siblings lived nearby and helped their parents with the large farm that grew lettuce, peas, and cucumbers. There was a smaller vegetable garden that the kits tended to which had tomatoes, various squash, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, carrots, and even potatoes.

She also learned that bunny children were called Kits, short for kittens. It was adorable in a way and she saw just how different each kit was. Some had pointed-up ears while some had downward ears just like Minji. Others had speckled ears or splotchy, and only a few had solid-colored ears.

She learned that Minji’s dad loved nature and was always talking about what he saw that day in the fields. He would always see something new or different and tell his family who seemed happy to hear that his mundane little moments brought him happiness.

She also learned that Minji’s mother loved to sew. She had multiple quilts all over the place, each one stitched with love. She listened to Minji’s mother well, listening to how she planned each pattern for every quilt herself, and would often make so many they would sell them in the farmers' market just to get rid of them.

But what she learned quickly was how family-oriented Minji was.

She knew every single kit’s name, what their major interest was at the time, knew their schools, and every little detail she remembered about each one. She even knew how to tell the identical twins apart.

Dong observed her while she chatted with them, one of the smaller kits on her lap, and just enjoyed the experience. Minji was hanging onto every single word the younger kits were saying while holding the little one in her arms tightly.

“And then it exploded!” The bunny made a loud explosion noise and threw his hands up in the air, ears with his arms to emphasize the explosion.

“Really?” Minji frowned, looking up at her brother to confirm if the story of the tractor exploding was true.

“Yeah, dad had to take out a loan to get a new one. Which is why we all started pitching it to help more around the farm…” Her brother sighed.

Dong could see the hurt in Minji’s eyes.

She was the only one who moved so far away and didn’t even know this happened. Didn’t even know her family was struggling.

Long after dinner, after Dong escaped the multiple family members that wanted to talk with her, she found Minji seated on the porch swing on the deck. It was in the rear of the house, facing the large fields that her family-owned.

“Hey, you ran out before I could catch up,” Dong sighed.

Minji glanced over at her, whispering a small apology before looking back out at the seemingly never-ending fields.

The human took a seat next to her, feeling the bunny shuffle slightly before leaning against her.

“Your family is really kind,” Dong whispered. “How many are you?” She asked.

“I have fifteen siblings, thirty-one nieces, and nephews that are kits, and five human nieces and nephews. I also have two great nieces since my eldest brother’s son just had twins last year,” Minji explained. “So… fifty-three altogether, fifty-five if you count my parents. That’s excluding their spouses,” the bunny added.

“Fifty-six if you include yourself?” Dong asked, watching her nod her head. “Wow…” She whispered.

“If I counted cousins… last time I countered it was somewhere near three hundred,” She mumbled.

“And yet bunnies are still considered rare…” Dong gawked.

It was silent for a few moments and Dong knew what Minji was thinking. She could practically hear it.

“What made you escape everyone?” Dong asked.

“What my brother said stuck with me…” Minji frowned. “My parents… make a decent amount of money selling the crops… But not enough to replace a full-blown tractor. And if it exploded where it did, that means three fields were tainted and considered unsellable,” Minji explained. “Which also makes sense why dad had to take out a loan from the bank… But it hurt to hear that every single one of my siblings came by to help… Keeping their day jobs and helping at night or whenever they could…”

Dong rubbed her arm gently, letting her vent it out.

“I moved away from them because I didn’t want to be a farming bunny… I wanted to go to college and make something of myself… be someone… and I have made a name for myself, just not in the context of anything important…” She muttered. “But I left and now it feels like I’m being selfish… Staying where I am and ignoring all of this…” She sighed.

“Well… not everything is going to work out.” Dong looked up at the fields, trying to process her words before speaking them. “Each one of your siblings moved out, got jobs, started families… And came back when your parents needed them. After speaking to your sister, it seems that your parents reached out to them first.”

“Which means they forgot about me.”

“Not exactly. They knew you lived far, had a career and a place to maintain on your own. I’m sure they didn’t know if you could even come down. And I’m most likely certain that they didn’t want to burden you with their worries,” Dong explained. “Plus, without you? That’s fifty-five hands working on this farm together without being paid,” Dong chuckled.

“Fifty-three since the twins are only one,” Minji corrected.

“Still way more than enough,” Dong smiled.