(LE/Hyojin POV - Same day)

Walking down the street to her house, Hyojin thought to herself "ah.. What a good first day.. I made a new friend too! She's so nice and funny.  I can't want to see her again tomorrow"  Reaching her doorstep, Hyojin heard a loud crash coming from inside.  "Ah.. Grandfather must be drunk again... Poor Grandmother. I'm sorry she has to put up with him.. "  Carefully, Hyojin unlocked and entered her house.

"Mm, well, looks like Dae Hoon isn't home yet   At least that's good.  He won't have to suffer alone because of grandfather." Ahn Dae Hoon was Hyojin's little brother, and the person she loved most in the world.  He was all that was left of their old lives.... After their parents' death, Hyojin promised herself that she would never let her brother come to any harm, and she promised herself that she would give a happy life to her baby brother, who was not only her sibling, but her best friend. 

But then she saw grandfather. There he was, slumped onto the ground drunk and passed out.  

In a small chair in the corner, Hyojin's grandmother quietly sobbed.  Her abusive husband had once again gotten wasted and beat her worse than he had ever done before.  

When Hyojin saw her loving grandmother broken and upset, she felt angry. She felt scared. She felt alone. She couldn't tell anyone.  She didn't have anyone besdies Dae Hoon and what could he do? He was only 6 years old. Although Hyojin said they moved back to Korea because their parents lost their jobs, it was a lie.  They were dead.  She couldn't tell Solji that, of course.  She was done being subject to all the pitiful looks she received from peers and their parents alike.  She just wanted to be normal.. 

Attempting to sneak past the slumbering drunk, Ahn Hyojin tiptoed on the creaky floorboards towards her grandmother.  But right as she passed him and believed she was safe, her grandfather awoke with a sleepy belch.  

"Yahhhhh.. Hyojin.." He slurred, slowly coming to his senses.  

Hyojin pretended not to hear. 

"HyoooOJiiInN!" Respect me when I call you, spoiled brat. He yelled thumping his fist on the floor.  

Hyojin's breath hitched.  Slowly turning around, she walked towards him and bowed.  "Good afternoon, grandfather." 

"Thass. .. that....ssss...  better girlie." He said, tripping over his words, still clearly intoxicated. "Nowww *hic*, go get me some *hic* more soju." He said, leaning in towards Hyojin.  

Hearing this, grandmother tried to stop him.  "Ah.. grandfather, wouldn't it be best for you to take a rest? You must be tired, please just-"

"SHUT UP" He roared drowsily.  

"Noww.. hurry *hic* it *hic* up *hic* Hyoojjinnn" he said with a sick smile between disgusting hiccups. 

Holding her breath, Hyojin tried her best to ignore the overpowering stench of liquor and clothes that haven't been changed for days.  "Yes Grandfather" she said, without breathing in until she reached the kitchen, where the scent was greatly lessened, but nonetheless present.  

She came back with a large half emptied bottle of alcohol handed it to her grandfather without looking at him in the eye.  

"Goooooood girrrllll.  Hnnngggg... go to your room now... Get out of grandfather's face for a bit huh?  Annnndd take your grandmother too.  That uselss .  YAh ! What are you doing moping around and crying?  huh?! Might as well go out and become a 'Baccus Ahjumma' heh. heh. heh.  then at least you could do something for this damn family hnngghh..." (In Korea, Baccus ladies are elderly women who sell Baccus, an energy drink as a front, but secretly sell their bodies/are es.)  

Hearing this, Hyojin's blood boiled.   How could he say this to grandmother? How could she put up with this?? "I hate him. I hate him. I hate him." she repeated over and over again under her breath, in a desperate attempt to calm herself down.  She knew that if she did anything against grandfather there would be severe consequences.  Seeing as how grandmother was beaten by him, Hyojin wasn't about to take her chances.  

Looking straight ahead, Hyojin tried to walk calmly towards her grandmother and help her upstairs.  Just then, her grandfather yelled out. "WHERE .. ARE... YOUR.. . MANNERS?!!  I am the one who makes money in this house.  You should be thanking me for everything I've provided you.  Ugh."

Wordlessly, Hyojin furrowed her brow and resisted the burning urge to rage on her grandfather, then proceeded to force out the words "....Thank you...". She grimaced shamefully at her willingness to obey her grandfather.  He may have been her elder, but he was the meanest and most horrible man she had ever met.  

Just as she thought she was safe from doing anything stupid, Hyojin's grandfather called out "No wonder her parents died.  They must've wanted to kill themselves.  I would too after having a daughter like her. Pfft...  Aish.. my goddamn son never did anything besides leave me this baggage of a granddaughter and her little brother.  You little bastard" He cursed.  

That was it.  Grandfather could disrespect Hyojin all he wanted but dishonoring Dae Hoon and his own dead son?  That was enough. She whirled around and spat at his feet.  He was scum and nothing less.  It's what he deserved right?? For a slight moment, she felt pride.  For a slight moment, she got revenge.  For a slight moment, she was safe.  

Hyojin's grandfather looked up and stared in confusion for a few seconds before realizing what had just happened.  

"you... You.. little. ." He snatched her wrist in one swift movement and tiny Hyojin was thrown to the hardwood floor with a deep thud.  Immediately, grandfather pulled her up from the ground by her thin arm and slapped her in the face.  

Slap. Slap. Slap. Slap.  Slap.  The pain seemed to be never-ending.  

Hyojin refused to cry and remained defiant, gritting her teeth, trying to bear the sting of each hit.   While this happened, Hyojin's grandmother tried desperately to stop him, pulling at her husbands arm and pleading for mercy.  

Finally, when Hyojin's cheek had been split and begun to bleed, her grandfather took a step back and looked at what he had done.  "If you tell anyone about this ... or try something like that again... sweetie.. I'll make you regret it."  

He gave them one last menacing and maniacal grin and walked out of the house, slamming the door on his way out.   

Thank god Dae Hoon wasn't here to see that.  Like Hyojin, he was also isolated from everyone else and dependend on his big sister for support and love.  Hyojin knew she had to be strong for the both of them and couldn't let him see her in this weak insecure state.  

Hyojin's grandmother took a look at her beaten and bruised granddaughter and weeped deep long sobs.  "I'm sorry.  I'm sorry.  I'm sorry" grandmother kept whispering.  It was then that Hyojin herself began to cry as well.  Not because of the physical pain, but because she was emotionally battered and scarred. She joined her grandmother in crying and tears streamed down her face non stop.   The agony of isolation and fear hurt much more than the plain stings of salty tears washing over her cuts.  What started out as a quiet snivelling quick evolved into full blown bawling and Hyojin was tightly embraced by her grandmother.

Unsure of what else to do, Hyojin ran upstairs into the spare storage room (a.k.a. the room she shared with her brother) and cried herself to sleep on the dirty mattress, slowly falling asleep, exhausted, to slow lull of her shaky, breaths.  Not long after, Dae Hoon came home and thought everyone must have gone into their respective rooms, since the house was dead silent. He crept into the bed he shared with his sister and realized that grandfather must have done something horrible and nasty to Hyojin again, and he too, shed tear after tear, silently as to not wake noona (slang for older sister).  He prayed and prayed as hard as he thought he could, that something, someone, anything, could save them.  

Without coming out of their room or eating dinner for the rest of their night, Hyojin and Dae Hoon slept, both drained from the long sessions of crying, praying, and dreaming, for a better life.   

(sorry I wasn't really sure how else to end this chapter :// and as always, thank you for reading I really appreciate all the views and subscribes :)) -BootyMeister23 )