2002
Thr33It has been 7 years since Soojung visited Josephine at the orphanage. She still remembered how surprised she was as she saw Josephine's broken lips and the black left eye.
"What happened to you?" she asked with big widen eyes
"N--nothing" the other little girl answered, still half hiding behind the door
"What do you mean nothing? You don't get those from nothing"
"It's n--n--not a big deal"
"What do you mean not a big deal?!"
"D--don't y--yell. The little ones are having their naps." Josephine looked around "C---c--come i---i---in?" she said in unsure voice
Soojung walked inside the room, it was nothing like hers. Everything is in black, white or brown. No dolls, no cute stuffs like in her room, a bed, a shelf and a table at the window. Nothing more.
"S--s--sorry" Josephine apologized
"Why are you sorry this time?"
"It's n--not a n--nice room"
"Stop apologizing if you don't make any mistakes" Soojung scolded her
"S--S--Sorry"
"Hhhh, you're hopeless"
"Ah--- y--y---yes, s--s--sorry"
"Josephine, stop apologizing or I'm leaving"
"No!"
Soojung smiled at her reaction.
"Wh---why r---r---are you he--h--here anyway?"
"You didn't attend school for a few days, the teachers wouldn't answer my question is you are alright or not and I still have a lot of question because of the apples"
"You-- you're m--mad? B--because of t--the ap--apples?"
"Why would you think so?"
"I-- I-- d--d--don't k--know."
"Why don't you just give them to me? Instead of putting them in my locker?"
"M--Me? T--Talk--talking t--t--to y--y---you?" she shook her head "I-- c--c--can't d--d--do t--th--th--that"
"Why?"
"M--my---my ss--ss--ss---st--sttu--sttuu----"
"....is worse when you're surprised. You told me that, yes"
"a---an--and in s--s--ss--t---sstt----sttrress"
"Why would you be stressed when you talk to me?"
"Y--Y--You k--kk--kknow"
"No, I don't"
"Y--you--- a-- a--- are S--Soo--Soojung"
The girl with the long hair rolled her eyes as she sat herself on Josephine's bed "Yes, so they told me..."
"I m--m--mean, y--y--you a--are p--perfect. Sm--smart and p--pp--prr--prreeetty"
"Thank you, but that still doesn't explain why you wouldn't talk to me"
"I--I'm a f--f--freak"
"Who told you that?" Soojung got up so suddenly, surprising the tomboy
"S--S--So---sorry"
"Didn't I tell you to stop apologizing?"
"Y--Yes, so--sorry"
Soojung sighed "Now who called you a freak?"
"E--e--ve--every--one"
"Well, they are stupid and you shouldn't listen to them"
"I d--don't m--mind"
"You should mind! No one should tell you what to do. You should be yourself"
The girl with the glasses looked at the pretty little girl in front of her "M--may--maybe y--you sh--should t--tell y--yourself t--that too"
Soojung looked at her new friend, she lost her words.
"Y--Y--you n--never l--l--like it on st--stage" Josephine stopped for a while "I-- I-- I s--s---saw y--you cried once"
"I just want her to be proud of me" Soojung answered bitterly "I want her to love me"
Josephine nodded "I un--unders--ssstand."
Both little girls stayed silent for a while
"No--nobody w--wanted me." Josephine said "Th--the old n--nurse f--found m--me in f--front of the dd--door as I w--was three. M--most of p--people w--wanted to adopt b--babies a--and c--c--cute t--tod--toddlers. I w--wa--wasn't good e--e--enough. T--the n--nurses a--are k--kind enough to l--let m--me s--stay. I help o--out ww--with c--ch--chores a--and smaller c--children"
"Have you look for your real parents?"
The girl nodded "C--can't find th--them. I w--was n--naive, I th--thought at f--f---first s--someone w--will adopt m--me and l--love me, b--but th--then a--again, if y--your own p--parents d--don't w--want you, w--who would?"
"Stop. Don't think like that. You'll find your happiness. I'm sure"
"Y--You sh--should t--tell y--y-yyour m---m--mom wh--what y--you ww-want"
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