"Yong, stay here. The boogeyman might eat you if you are stubborn!" Taeyeon cooed, scaring the frail girl on her bed. "Behave, okay? I will get your medicine, I'll be right back." She patted Yongsun's head lightly before standing up, exiting the frail girl's room.

Yongsun sighed, "Boogeyman isn't real. He's my friend!" She chided, talking to Taeyeon who had left already. Taking a look on her thinning arms and legs under the blanket, day by day she slowly lost hope in her heart.

2 years ago, Yongsun was a normal child. Playing in the playground, hide and seek with friends, eating freshly baked cookies by her Mom and many more, she wished she could turn back time to the point that her Mom gave birth to her.

She also wished that she should've died before she could step on this cruel world, giving them unending miseries and problems. She knew she was nowhere being healed, instead she was close to dying any second from now.

Lastly, she knew that someone could've given a chance to born instead of her wasted existence. Succumbing to hopelessness wasn't easy for her, being told by her parents to fight and live for them.

Why would they want to suffer? Why am I still living? Why would they want my heart to die with too much suffering? Isn't this the hell that the father in the chapel was talking?

Inappropriate questions lingered in her head. Her inner demons formed inside her at an early age. Seeing things that aren't normally perceived by others was observed from her. Aside from the hopeless case of her, she was diagnosed with a mild variation of schizoprenia which Yongsun never cared minding.

Her only friends were the cartoon-like heroes by her side, including Boogeyman even though he was originally a villain. They visited Yongsun every night, singing her lullabies with their harmonized voices and when she felt so down and alone, all of them would act goofy and funny just to make Yongsun laugh.

The only anchor that she had was her imaginary friends. She knew the truth but it didn't stop her from playing with them. She couldn't depend on someone, not even her sister and her parents.

She was left alone in the dark.

"Hey, why are you sad?" Boogeyman asked, his glitching appearance feigned worry towards the pouting girl.

"I know that you're not real. Will you still stay by my side?" Yongsun's eyes became glassy with tears. Boogeyman smiled and went by her side, his crooked hands caressing the thin girl's fading hair. 

"Sunny, time will come you'll be all fine. For now, well, yes, I will stay by your side." He sighed heavily, his jet black eyes gazed upon Yongsun's. "But when you see us as your heroes, we feel like you are not getting well. That's not good, Sun."

"What are you saying?" Yongsun said, almost tearing down with Boogeyman's obvious message.

"We want you to get better. Sun, there's a lot of wonderful things outside the door. Your life is the most precious gift we could treasure forever as we existed in your imagination. Hamzah, Ryu and Pinky, they really hated to exist, right? That's because when you play with us, they feel so sorry and guilty with your condition." 

"I won't let go, please, don't!" Yongsun ignored and cried, tears streaming down to her pale cheeks.

"Sun, listen to me. When you look at someone's eyes and you see something out of the world, that's the moment that you had found your true hero." Boogeyman glitched, his presence slowly fading.

"The hint of true kindness lies on the way he treats you, no matter what who you are."

"Don't go! Please, I need you guys!" Yongsun sobbed hard, her hands flailing towards Boogeyman but she failed to grasp the entity, his existence gradually disappearing.

"Yongsun, thank you for giving life onto us. Goodbye."

Boogeyman disappeared and at the same time, Yongsun lost consciousness, falling onto her bed.

Why did you all leave me...?

-

"It seems that the experiment was effective. Alpha 9 is now permitted for redistribution."

Taeyeon clenched her fists, trying to suppress the anger within her raging heart. If she just knew it earlier, Yongsun would've stayed as she was. Now, her little sister lost her only hope of living.

ing bastards! Those heartless rich dynasties used my sister for their own purpose, how dare they!? Using Yongsun like a ing guinea pig without their parents' consent was beyond Taeyeon's limit of suppression.

She could've been treated with a psychiatrist. Yongsun is obedient. No one would want to force the wellness out of you with such dirty ways. No one would want to get their hopes of living forcedly taken away suddenly. This is too much!

"How could you do this!?" Taeyeon furiously shouted, her hand slamming down on the desk.

"Please refrain from making loud noise. Our prioritized patient might wake up ahead of her target resting time." Dr. Choi, the head of the Alpha project, ignored Taeyeon's rage.

"You'll all pay for this. I swear to all of you that your success will soon be in dust." Taeyeon growled, grabbing her coat and satchel from the swivel chair. She exited the room with a loud slam on the door.

Leaving the doctor alone, Taeyeon regretfully thought about her successful