“Did you really kill your mother?” Minhae asked as soon as Sooyeon entered the room.

Sooyeon who was holding her pillow and blanket ignored the middle-aged woman. She put her stuff down and sat near the wall. Today marked 30 days of Sooyeon’s whereabout in the prison. She just changed facility due to an unknown reason. She didn’t even bother to ask. She also felt sick but didn’t have the will to tell the officers. She just hoped the sickness will take her life away. It is better to die than to live like this, Sooyeon thought.

“Yah you bastard, I am talking to you.” Minhae said again but Sooyeon didn’t answer.

Sooyeon hissed in pain when another woman in the room threw a book at her head. Sooyeon took the book and threw it back to them, lightly. Sooyeon wondered why all the inmates she has met is so busybody with her business. She never asked them about their crime anyway. She doesn’t even want to talk to them.

“Wah, this is really getting on my last nerve!” Minhae gave a sign to the other women to hold Sooyeon.

“Let me go!” Sooyeon could only shout once as they covered .

Sooyeon struggled but the ajummas were really strong. Minhae squatted in front of Sooyeon and punched her stomach. Sooyeon curled up in pain.

“When you come into a new place, don’t act so arrogant. Who cares you aced your CSAT or not? You are just a murderer! ing !” Minhae kicked Sooyeon’s side and ordered the others to let Sooyeon go.

Sooyeon who was still curled up, felt an extreme pain at her abdomen.

“Minhae, she’s bleeding.” The woman named Eunso said.

Minhae turned and looked at Sooyeon’s pants which suddenly has blood stain emerging bit by bit.

“!” Minhae went to Sooyeon.

Joonil went to the metal door and covered the small opening. Minhae and Eunseo examined Sooyeon who was writhing in pain.

“Are you pregnant, you bastard?” Eunseo asked in panic.

Minhae looked at Joonil and Joonil quickly banged the metal door, screaming for help.

//

Minhae, Joonil, and Eunseo watched Sooyeon cried her heart out.

“Omma…omma…” Sooyeon wailed in her cry.

It was late night but the three of them couldn’t sleep. They felt guilt-ridden of what they have done to Sooyeon. The officer informed them that Sooyeon was 4 weeks pregnant. She had a bleeding but it didn’t hurt the fetus.

“Ajumma, can you punch me again, please. Please punch me. I don’t want to be pregnant.” Sooyeon suddenly said as she sat up from her lay.

Minhae was taken aback. Joonil and Eunseo were shock.

“I don’t want to get pregnant. I don’t even know who did this to me. I just want to study, please. I beg you. Please. Please ajumma.” Sooyeon begged as she hugged Minhae’s legs.

Eunseo and Joonil pulled Sooyeon away when Minhae asked them to. Sooyeon wept in an uncontrollable way.

“Yah, kid. I didn’t know you were pregnant. If I knew I wouldn’t even touch your hair.”

Sooyeon shok her head.

“I don’t care. Please help me get rid of this thing. I don’t want it.”

“Yah, kid! Watch your mouth. I know you are stress right now but please control yourself.” Eunseo shook Sooyeon’s shoulder to knock some sense in Sooyeon.

“But I don’t want it. I don’t want it.” Sooyeon looked like she has lost her marble.

Joonil pushed Eunseo’s hands away from Sooyeon and hugged the young girl.

“Brace yourself Sooyeon! The pregnancy may be a catastrophe for you but the baby is innocent! Pull yourself together!” Joonil said in wavering voice.

Sooyeon who was still in tantrum cried in Joonil’s arms. Minhae looked away and heaved a sigh. Eunseo could only watch as Joonil tried to make Sooyeon calm down.

//

“Poor kid. Only 19 and pregnant.” Eunseo said as the three of them watched Sooyeon who just fall asleep on Joonil’s lap after hours of crying.

“What bastard would do that? Kill the mother and the daughter.” Minhae uttered as she corrected Sooyeon’s blanket.

“Yah, Joonil. Are you going to sleep sitting up like that?” Eunseo asked as she lied down near Sooyeon.

“I think so. I can feel her pain. That’s why I hug her. When we are sad, a hug will help us through it. This kid is barely an adult. Only 19 but had to experience such life. This is the least I could do.” Joonil patted Sooyeon’s shoulder softly.

“Okay. You do that. Later during breakfast I’ll give you my juice box.” Minhae added and Joonil smiled with a nod.

As Sooyeon tantrum subsidized, Sooyeon told the ajummas what have happened. The three of them could only console Sooyeon and listened to her attentively.

//

Yul corrected the urn containing Mirae’s ashes. He looked at the picture and the flower left in the columbarium. Yul gave Mirae his respect before leaving the venue. He then went to his father’s office. He waited outside the room before his father’s secretary let him in.

“What bring you here?” Mr. Kwon asked as he stood from his work table.

Yul sat down on the sofa in the middle of the room. Mr. Kwon joined his son. Yul didn’t say anything as he took a grant. He handed it to his father. Mr. Kwon read the grant and put it on the table in between them.

“You’ve been sniffing around, huh?”

“I connected the dots, dad. Ajumma is your mistress, isn’t she?”

Mr. Kwon gave Yul a wry smile.

“You beat me to it. I was about to claim ajumma’s body when they informed someone has claimed her. But that didn’t give you away. It was the house grant and also your whereabouts these past months. Every time I went to Sooyeon’s house, I would see a glimpse of your car. Again, and again, and again. Not just that, I also found two credit cards with your signature.” Yul put the credit cards he found from Sooyeon’s house.

“You have known for so long, yet you date Sooyeon?”

“I love her sincerely.”

“She’s your sister!” Mr. Kwon yelled angrily.

“Then save her!” Yul yelled back.

“Save her? Save the only daughter I have that killed her own mother?” Mr. Kwon scoffed.

“Sooyeon would never do that. You should know. Sooyeon loves ajumma so much. She was more than obedient to her mother. Never once she talked bad about ajumma. She cherished her mother a lot.”

“I love Mirae too. I did everything I can to keep her safe. I brought her here with Sooyeon for a chance to change her life but looked what happen now? What do I get in the end? A murderer daughter and psycho son who dates his own sister.”

“It’s not about you, dad. It’s about Sooyeon. Help her.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll tell everyone about ajumma and Sooyeon.”

“You won’t dare.”

“Maybe I won’t but I found this.” Yul placed a letter on the table.

Mr. Kwon took the letter and read it. He skipped a breath.

“Ajumma seems to doubt you. There is various version of that letter which I found in their house, kept hidden here and there. Why do you think ajumma wrote such letter? Why does in every letter she asked Sooyeon to claim her right?” Yul glared at his father.

“Are you accusing me, Kwon Yul?”

“I am asking.”

“I am not that stupid to bring them all way from Jeollado to Bundang just to kill the mother. They are my family as well.”

“And yet, you let your daughter rot in prison.”

“What do you want me to do? If I get involved my reputation will be ruined. She’s a baggage at the moment and I don’t want to carry her.”

“Then let me do that. Let me take her away. She won’t have suspicions. I just need your connections. If ajumma’s intention in writing this letter isn’t about you, then, then, someone else must have known about their status.”

“…”

“Who do you think that may be?” Yul asked coldly.

“I don’t know. I don’t have such enemy that could know about Mirae and Sooyeon.”

“…” Yul heaved a sigh.

“I can do something to save her but you have to stop your relationship with her.”

“I would never do that. I have the upper hand here, dad. Not you. You need her to begone, I can do that. I will bring he to the states with me. She doesn’t need to know about you at all. It’s pointless anyway.”

“But she is your sister Kwon Yul. How could you continue loving her romantically? This is sick!”

“Then be it. I love her too much just to let her go like that and she too loves me as well. Do your best to save her. I know you can and in return, I will keep everything a secret.” Yul stood and exited the office.

Mr. Kwon heaved a sigh and massaged his head. He then made a phone call.

//

Sooyeon just stared at the food in front of her. The three ajumma looked at each other.

“Sooyeon-ah, you should eat some. You don’t want to fall sick before your trial.” Joonil said as she drew the tray nearer to Sooyeon.

“Just eat a bit Sooyeon-ah. It has been two days since you eat anything.” Minhae said.

“Sooyeon, it’s okay. If you don’t want to eat, just drink this milk. Drink mine too. Okay?” Eunseo added.

Sooyeon suddenly cried. The three of them heaved a sigh. Minhae pulled Sooyeon into a hug. She patted the young woman’s back, attempting to make Sooyeon relax.

“This will be hard on all of us if she keeps crying.” Joonil whispered and Eunseo nodded.

//

Yul was in his room when all of sudden, Mr. Kwon barged in. Yul fell to the floor when Mr. Kwon slapped him on his face.

“What did you do?! What have you done?!” Mr. Kwon grabbed Yul by his collar.

He glared at his son angrily. He was furious. Mr. Jun, the new lawyer he sent for Sooyeon, just told him the big news about Sooyeon.

“What is this about?” Yul was confused and in pain as well.

“Sooyeon is pregnant!” Mr. Kwon pushed Yul to