"How long have you been standing there?"

"Longer than you'd like."

"Oh..."

Wheein hung her head and waited, the pried away floorboards of Moonbyul's room still exposing the money laying inside. She knew it was coming. There would be harsh words and deafening voices, sharp stings and terrible aches. Then she would be alone again.

She would just have to wait.

It was clockwork at this point. She was always the one making mistakes, always upsetting others, never doing anything right. It was a miracle that she was still here. Somehow Wheein hadn't driven her away yet like she did to everyone else. Yet things were rolling down the same path again. Both of them were tired, though for different reasons.

"So are you uh, just going to sit there?"

Wheein sighed to herself in resignation and slowly got up, turning to face the door though not looking up from the floor. When she didn't move a different sigh filled the room and Moonbyul moved to her. When she still didn't look up Moonbyul just brushed the dust off before softly taking her arm and leading her into the kitchen. 

"I don't know what it was like for you living over there but the CPS worker told me a little."

Wheein's head just drooped lower than it already was, a mumbled "sorry" barely making it's way to the older girl's ears.

"You don't have to apologize. I know its hard to trust someone new, especially since its only been a few days here. I just want to know what you were trying to do. Didn't I give you some spending money at the beginning of this week?"

Wheein briefly glanced up before reaching into her pocket. A small envelope with Moonbyul's neat cursive ended up on the table. Moonbyul just raised an eyebrow while waiting for an explaination.

The younger girl slid the packet of money towards her care taker before curling back into her seat.

"I was trying to put it back. I'm sorry."

Moonbyul, though surprised, was about to ask when Wheein beat her to the question that would only break her heart more.

"I knew you wouldn't take it back if I tried to give it to you, so I snuck in. I didn't want you to waste it on me."

Though on the outside Moonbyul was still calm and settled, her mind was racing thinking of what it must have been like in her last home for Wheein to end up like this. The CPS worker had told her very few details, explaining that it was best for Wheein to open up on her own rather than for Moonbyul to know everything at once. And moments like these made Moonbyul both appreciate and despise that sentiment.

"It'd make me feel better if you spent a little on yourself Wheein. That's not a waste is it? If it makes you happy and makes me feel better?"

Wheein only glanced up quickly before her eyes settled back onto the table.

"I guess not."