Eunjung looks around her surrounding and lowers his cap, covering almost half of her face before she starts to move. She targets at least 10 wallets for today in Namdaemun market so she is able to feed three mouths and if she is lucky, pay her father’s debt as well. Eunjung walks casually with her earphone plugged in her none-piercing ears as her eyes roaming around for a secured area before she sneaks her hand smoothly, grabbing the people’s wallet from the back jeans pocket or the bag.

She has done this for almost 11 years, since she was 10 years old. She knows the tactics and she knows how to read the situation but mostly she knows the rule of the area. She is not living in the underworld but less fortune than other people – in the cheap-cost old apartment near outskirt of the town. The way she’s ‘making’ money for living, she needs to know the rule – not getting caught by the head gangster of area.

“They’ll find you, y’know. They’ve heard so much about stealing not under their names.”

“I know, Wook-ah.”

Eunjung looks at her friend next to her, whom sitting together on the rooftop of the abandon building near their housing area. Ji Changwook, a childhood friend that she met in that building, with the different category of living – he is rich and she is poor. However, they mostly did the same thing but Chang Wook do it for fun.

“I tried to look for a job but y’know how hard it is without a qualifications needed.”

“How about the convenience store you worked before?”

“They kicked me out after that brat reported I stole money when he did it instead of me. Aish, that stupidass dude.”

“How about other part-time work? You sure did it before. You gained a lot.”

“I’m still working. As a replacement driver, as a delivery girl and even as waitress in GookDoo restaurant but y’know it’s not enough.”

Changwook lets out a deep breath to the bright sky of daylight, a smoke forming afterward due to the cold weather. Eunjung chuckles, patting the man’s back.

“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m still fine with it! How about your exam? Did it go well?”

“Hey, it’s Changwook. I never fail.”

He proudly said it, making Eunjung scoffs.

“Show off.”

Changwook laughs lightly.

“Do you still remember about our dream we talked here before?”

“Dream? Ah- the fixing, run errand thing? Yeah, I do.”

“What if we make it happen?”

Eunjung blinks.

“What do you mean?”

“What if, when we’re older and I’m able to get some money to make our dream comes true where we are able to- urm … saving people’s life, get their things back or even a simple errand yet thrilling kind of delivering the secret suitcase… Would you live with me?”

Eunjung surprised at the proposal.

Proposal-

“Are you proposing me-“

“Yes.”

He firmly said it.

Eunjung looks at his serious gaze, staring into her eyes. She loves it whenever he does something like this – stupid yet romantic, tingling her stomach and making her heartbeat goes crazy. She always dream about it, the kind of live – especially with him. So it does not take a much time to answer-

“Yes.”

Changwook smiles.

“But I’ll take my brother with me.”

Bang!

Eunjung heard the noise as soon as she walks into the apartment. Knowing the sound seems so familiar, she drops everything she bought from the market and runs into the room, found his father is beating his brother as usual.

“Stop it!”

Eunjung shouted as she is trying to pull her father off his half-conscious brother on the floor of the small room but her father is too strong.

“Stop it! You’re going to kill him!”

“Let him die!”

Her father said as he is giving another punch on the poor younger boy’s ribs. The boy screams in pain as he could feel his bone is cracking again. Eunjung could not stand it and uses all of her strength to push her father off his brother and hugs him immediately when she succeed to make her father fall to the floor.

“Eunjung! How dare you-“

“Are you going to beat me like you beat him?! Mom’s not going to come back even if you kill him!”

She shouted, hugging his brother protectively as she rubs his back gently. Her father puffs in anger before walking out from the house, slamming the door as loud as possible. Eunjung’s anxiety washes out and quickly checks on her little brother.

“You should’ve not interrupt like that, noona. You might get beat too.”

“I doubt that.”

Eunjung said, dabbing softly the bruises on the younger’s abdomen with a wrapped cloth ice. Eunjung is trying to make it as gentle as possible whenever she heard the hisses from her brother who is sitting on the couch. The bruises is getting bigger this time, covering the old ones that almost disappear from that tan skin.

“… You need to leave.”

“Noona…”

“You’re suffering here. Dad’s beating you more often this time and his drinking habit is getting worse.”

“I don’t want to leave you. He might beat you too.”

“You know he won’t. Even if he will, you shouldn’t be the one who got beaten after mom’s died.”

“Noona-“

“What if one day he decided to kill you when I’m gone? Who’s going to stop him?”

“Noona-“

“Please leave. Find another life, another name, another family- I’ll help you to escape, just pleas-“

“Noona!”

He called her as cupping her face, forcing her to look into his teary eyes.

“I don’t want to leave you. I want to be with you, even in the other life. You’re my noona, my family.”

“… Don’t you want to find your real family? They lost you, not dumping you. We just found you and-“

“- raised me up with enough food, enough education and lots of love. I’m fine. Even if I went to find them, I don’t know them.”

“Taehyung …”

He smiles and places a soft kiss on his sister’s cheek.

“Even if I die, for me it’s only you to make this life worth much.”

Eunjung tries so hard not to cry in front of her brother despite of her teary eyes, she chuckles and her brother’s hair gently.

“Okay.”

She knows she will jinx today’s target if she is going to steal at the same place, twice. But she has no choice. Her father leave her no choice.

The bills are getting pile up and they are going to be chased out from their own apartment. They still need money to eat, to buy food and Taehyung’s education saving ca