Every action was attached to a string of events that bore grave consequences. When one was indifferent regarding possible outcomes, regret would come over every now and then.   The punishment of Jangjun’s imprisonment took effect immediately. Several members of the household decided to visit him, including Rika who obtained Myungsoo’s permission to come along. They sat opposite of Jangjun with a gate of steel bars separating in between. The first noticeable difference was his flashy uniform—big stripes of bright orange and white—distincting the captives from the wardens. It had only been a day since his punishment commenced, yet the exhaustion and torment altered his face to appear ten years older.   “Are you well?” Hyunmi couldn’t help but ask. A sane person would never be well off in a prison; not even the overly optimistic could behave in such vacuous tendencies.   However, Jangjun fell into the collective group of the latter. He brimmed proudly, showing his perfect row of teeth, emphasizing the wide grin on his face. “This place isn’t as horrid as the grim tales make it out to be.”   “Do you receive proper meals?” Hyunmi, again, posed a foolish question they all knew the answer to. Jangjun was a convict, and no person charged with a crime would receive a luxurious treatment. They’d whip him for failure to carry out a task and withhold his meal for their personal contentment.   “I am fed well,” Jangjun smiled, his act so convincing it nearly made Hyunmi believe him. He maintained his smile, stealing a glance from Rika to see whether or not she watched him. He had never seen her hold her gaze with such attention, refusing to remove him from her sight. For once, Jangjun demurred being the gravitying object of his love interest’s gaze.   “I shall have a word with the prison guards and suggest you receive better treatments,” Hyunmi insisted. She was about to leave from her spot when Sungyoon rushed to grab her by the elbow.   “You do not want to provoke the wardens, mother. Any favoritism toward a prisoner will only result in a harsher treatment. Trust me, we show Jangjun favor through neglect,” he spoke.   After the momentary conflict resolved in Hyunmi’s mind, she nodded in agreement. No hint of emotion clouded Jangjun’s smiling face, seemingly too keen on convincing everyone of his well being. Hyunmi was uncertain regarding the state of her beliefs.   “Perhaps we should head home,” Jineul suggested, punctuating her sentence with a remorseful shudder. Their home had started to feel less like a home nowadays. Too many residents have left the place to truly call it a home.   “May I be excused to have a private audience with Jangjun?” Rika suddenly requested.   The rest offered anxious glanced to each other, sparing a discreet look at Jangjun in search for permission. But he had long dismissed their presence, for his eyes only saw Rika. They quietly excused themselves, leaving the two be.   “Rika…”   “Why did you do it?” She interjected him, a deep forlorn pain injected in her trembling voice. The same quiver was present in the manner she shifted her pupils toward and away from him. She firmly clasped her hands on top of her other one, having nothing else to hold on to.   Jangjun pressed his lips together, wishing he had considered the consequences of his thoughtless actions. Should he reveal her rejection as the cause for his rebellion, she would undoubtedly come to despise him forever. He avoided her gaze, searching for a plausible excuse.   “I enjoyed the thrill of it.”   “Lies!” She retaliated immediately, forcing him to turn to her. “You never managed to look me in the eye whenever you are spewing a lie.”   An ache began to grow in Jangjun’s heart once again, realizing that Rika would always be the subject of his affection. How could he possibly care for another woman when she was the one he desired most? No one pertained such detailed understanding regarding his habits and emotions beyond his own knowledge. Even if he elicited a million reasons to alleviate her question, she could easily objectify them as lies.   “Tell me the truth, Jangjun,” she repeated her conundrum.   Jangjun exhaled a deep breath, propping his forehead against his hand as he recollected his thoughts. Perhaps it was time to concede to her request and stop his attempts at camouflaging his feelings. Oh, what a wretched situation it was. Often times he had imagined proclaiming his feelings for her, but not like this; not when they were separated by steel bars. Haply, his current situation aided him to cope with the forthcoming rejection.   “Very well,” he said, gathering the last ounce of courage before meeting her anticipating eyes. “I am very much in love with you.”   Rika’s eyes widened with disbelief before blinking rapidly out of oblivity. He showed no signs evincing it was a jest, thus propelling her to believe it as the truth. She parted her lips in silence, clenching her teeth in the hope it could stop the unease from crawling over her. She did not despise him, not at all. However, the fact his unlawful actions had been associated to his feelings toward her was a difficult notion to cope with.   “Does loving me require you to become a convict?” she hesitantly asked, unable to find the right words to convey her feelings. The odd combination of words she chose felt foreign to her tongue, but she swallowed her discomfort to obtain his reply.   “Do not blame yourself, the fault was entirely mine. I could no longer control my apathy after discovering you and Mr. Kim share feelings for one another. He will soon wed you as his mistress, and I lack the valor to accept it. Therefore, I had no other choice but to oblige in this path, which provided me momentary pleasure and comfort, foolish as it was,” Jangjun said, a faint smile awkwardly curving his lips.   Rika frowned, wondering whether he jested with her. “Where have you obtained such unreliable information from? I am no mistress and have no plans of becoming one.”   “You confessed your feelings for him. When questioned, Mr. Kim admitted he loves you too.”   “Oh, Jangjun,” Rika cooed, exhaling a sigh of pity. Had the steel bars not separated them, she would have placed her arms around him. “The love he bears for me is an affinity to that of a family. He loves Mrs. Kim Seulyi very much, and I would abhor myself if I were ever to cause a disharmony in their relationship.”   “But you are in love with him,” Jangjun insisted, unable to comprehend the concept she was explaining to him.   “Perhaps I was in love with the affable affection he displayed me with; not with the man himself,” Rika answered. The lecture she had received from Woohyun echoed clearly in her mind: “I do not wish for your affections to originate from a single act of kindness. That is not the foundation a relationship should be built on.”   “If your love for him bears no romantic notion, then I—” Jangjun let his words linger between them, both knowing the continuation he would punctuate his sentence with. He requested a chance, wondering whether she could love him in the manner he loved her.   Rika smiled in response. “Perhaps, after two years have passed and you are liberated from your punishment, things may have changed.”   Her reply was unsatisfactory to Jangjun who was once again left to wonder whether the change she spoke of was beneficial or detrimental. Before he had time to question her, she stood up. Their seconds together had been limited, and Jangjun instantly regretted his sullen behavior. Had he not stolen those jewelries as an act of revolt, perhaps she could have reciprocated him. There was hope after all.   “Rika!” He followed her movements, standing on his feet to be at the same eye level. He had zero regard for his surrounding, unaffected by people’s condemning stares when his gaze was set on one goal. He waited for her to twirl her body around, eyes averted back on him. Then a smile chased each other over his lips, and he elicited his final request.   “Wait for me.”   Attempting not to mirror his giddy emotion was a challenge Rika failed. “I will,” she replied, nodding at him once before leaving the place.   Despite her inability to reply to him now, a change would take place. Perhaps, it had already begun. Years, she had been oblivious to his feelings, unaware of the possibility that their friendship could evolve into something else entirely.   The rhythm of her heart started to dance at the remembrance of his words, and she no longer had to suppress a smile.   “I am very much in love with you.”   ***   Unaware of the blossoming romance, the rest returned to their solemn reality and a house too empty for their liking. Due to Dongwoo’s public appearance at the court hearing, many citizens filed complaints to usher him out of town—some even petitioned for him to be executed. They believed his mental disability was associated to the devil. For that reason, Dongwoo had not been allowed to part with Jangjun in public, involuntarily remaining at the house with Joochan and Donghyun to accompany him.   Upon the others’ arrival, Dongwoo was the first to rush to the door and greeted everyone with vehement excitement. His eyes could not have twinkled a brighter spark—a spark of which the flame slowly perished when he was met by Hyunmi’s cold glare. Clearly, her rage was meant for both Woohyun and him. She sent Woohyun away with such ease, it frightened Dongwoo to think of his own exile had they not been blood related. Nay, perhaps he was being prepared for his banishment.   “Hyunmi,” he called out, his voice a creaking glass on the verge of breaking.   “Do not pester me, brother. You have inflicted enough afflictions to trouble my mind with,” Hyunmi spoke, throwing her head into the palms of her hand. “Mr. Kim granted us a week to transfer the house to its new owner. I have yet to figure out where we shall live once we become homeless. I doubt Mr. Nam will allow our stay.”   Dongwoo’s eyes were encompassed by a deep sadness, wondering what had overcome his sister to think in such degrading manners. How could she have such little faith in Woohyun after his favorable defense at court? If it weren’t for him, they might not have been granted such leniency.   “Woohyun never sign,” he dared himself to speak. Seeing her turn to him at an alarming speed frightened him a little, and he pulled the emerald colored scarf taller above his mouth.   “What are you implying?” Hyunmi insisted, her tone a demand rather than a simple solicit.   “I give contract, ask Woohyun sign. Woohyun never sign,” Dongwoo articulated the events to the best of his abilities, hoping his sister received the message. Her silence encouraged him to continue. He decided to add a fact Woohyun had never admitted verbally, yet, reflected the kindness of his solidary character. “Woohyun worry about you, so no sign.”   An array of emotion crossed Hyunmi’s face, realization dawning upon her. For someone who despised the society that placed judgements upon others, she had been the biggest hypocrite of all. How could her faith in him be limited to the lies written on a piece of parchment? How could she easily discern Woohyun’s character as a beguiling deceiver after the kindness he gifted them with?   “Why did you not alert me earlier, brother?” Hyunmi asked. The moment of epiphany fleeting across her face as soon as it had appeared. The excitement of the new rev