“Well?” Minsoo cocked her eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

 

 

Seunghyun made up his mind as he cleared his throat. “Araso. I’ll tell you. Shinhye and Jiyong…well…they used to be together…”

 

 

The croissant immediately slipped from her hands, eyes widening in response. “Mwo? W-What happened to them? Why did they break up?”

 

 

Seunghyun sighed. “I guess it’s best if I start from the very beginning.”

 

 

FLASBACK:

 

 

“Come on, Kyeunhee ah. Jebal...smile for umma.” No matter how much her mother pleaded, the frown remained on the little girl’s crestfallen face. “*Sigh* Kyeunhee ah…I know it was so sudden but you have to understand. Umma’s getting married, and you have to accept it. Don’t worry, Hyesung’s a good man and he’ll take care of us. Plus, you’ll have an older brother.” Still, Sung Kyeunhee or better known as Shinhye, remained immobile. She continued to bury herself on the couch, eyes fixed on the window, completely ignoring her mother.

 

 

Just then, the doorbell rang. Sung Hyewon left her 12 year old daughter as she attended the door. As she opened it, she was greeted by familiar faces. “Hyewon ah, annyonghaseo!”

 

 

Hyewon smiled in relief. “Inyoung ah, I’m glad you’re here!” She opened the door wider as she ushered them inside.

 

“So, I heard Kyeunhee didn’t take the news too well. How’s she now?” Inyoung asked in outmost concern. “Run along, Seunghyunnie. Go find Kyeunhee and see how she’s doing.”

 

 

14 year old Choi Seunghyun obediently nodded as he searched for his friend.

 

 

“You bet. She still hasn’t talk to me ever since I told her. I tried almost everything to make her understand but still she ignores me. She even throws me a death glare whenever I call her ‘Kyeunhee’. Oh, what do I do, Inyoung?” Inyoung sympathetically hugged her friend, patting her back in a comforting manner.

 

 

“Yah, Guenchana. You have to give her time. It’s always been the two of you together. She’s just not used to the idea of having a third party. She’ll understand sooner or later. And as for her name, you do now she prefers to be called ‘Shinhye’.”

 

 

“Oh I know. It’s just hard to call her that again after…you know…” Tears began to well up on her eyes.

 

 

“Now, now…you have to stop living in the past and move on, okay? You’re getting married, remember!  By the time that happens, she’ll be able to accept your new husband.” Inyoung whispered soothingly as she continued to calm Hyewon.

 

“Araso…”

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

“Shinhye ah, where are you?” Seunghyun tiptoed around the room, searching for his troubled friend. “Shinhye?”

 

 

All of a sudden, he was engulfed by a petite figure, knocking him on the ground. The figure began to sob on his chest, alarming him.

 

“Hyung!!!”

 

 

“Shinhye ah, what’s---”

 

 

“---umma’s getting married!”

 

 

“Oh…guen---”

 

 

“---I don’t want a new appa! I still love my appa very much even if he’s dead!”

 

 

“Shinhye---”

 

 

“---I can’t believe her! I don’t care if I don’t have an appa now. I’m contently happy even if it’s just the two of us!”

 

 

“But Shinhye---”

 

 

“---and can you believe it, she’s calling me with that horrible name! I----”

 

 

“---SHINHYE! Listen, even if you’re happy with just you and your umma, she isn’t. She wants to have a partner to be with besides you. She wants to have a family. Even if you’ll have a family, you know very well your umma loves you and won’t ever neglect you.”

 

 

Shinhye arouse her teary eyes to face Seunghyun. “…Really?”

 

 

Seunghyun smiled reassuringly as he ruffled Shinhye’s auburn locks.

 

 

“Of course! Now, stop thinking about that. Think about the bright side, araso?”

 

“Araso.” She smiled brightly, forgetting about what happened. “But I still hate it when she calls me, ‘Kyeunhee’.”

 

 

“Shinhye!” Laughter began to erupt from them, events long forgotten.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

“Kyeunhee, I want you to meet your new father.” Grimly, Shinhye forced a smile as she stared at her supposed step-father. Jet-black hair, stunning onyx eyes, overall, he had a handsome and fresh feature.

 

 

“Annyonghaseo, Kyeunhee. I’m going to be your new appa. I hope you’ll allow me to take care of you and your umma. Oh, I also want you to meet your oppa.”

 

 

“Oppa?” She stared confusedly at them as Hyesung, her step-father, chuckled slightly. A teenage boy, about 16 years of age emerged from behind him.

 

 

“This is Changsun, my son. He’ll be your oppa from now on.” The boy smiled charmingly as he approached her.

 

 

“Annyonghaseo, Changsun imnida! I hope we get along, Kyeunhee ah.” Shinhye stared back at him. She had a bad feeling about him but she didn’t know why. Must be the awkwardness ticking in. She set aside the feeling as she smiled back but this time, a true one.

 

 

“Me too…oppa.”

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

“Yah, Shinhye wait up!” Seunghyun hurriedly rushed towards Shinhye, who was making her way towards the school gardens. “Where ya goin’?”

 

“Changsun oppa’s giving me a ride home.” She said cheerfully.

 

 

Seunghyun cocked an eyebrow at her. “Who’s he?”

 

 

“He’s my new step-brother.” She smiled with glee.

 

 

“Dongsaeng…I don’t th---”

 

 

“Oh look, there he is! Come on, hyung. I want you to meet him.” Before Seunghyun could even retort, Shinhye had pulled him with her towards a red Ferrari.

 

 

There stood her step brother, Lee Changsun. From his sinister and cunning looks, you could tell he was up to no good. Girls swooned over him while he ignored them coldly. Upon seeing his dongsaeng, he immediately wiped the frown off his face and replaced it with a welcoming and loving grin.

 

 

“Kyeunhee! Over here, dongsaeng!” Daggers were immediately directed towards Shinhye. Who knew his stepbrother was such a chick magnet? Well, who knew?

 

 

“Kyeunhee? Hahaha…I---” Seunghyun was cut short by Shinhye’s piercing glare. “I’ll shut up now. But Shinhye ah…I just don’t think---”

 

 

“---Oppa!” Shinhye lunged forward as she was welcomed into Changsun’s open arms.

 

 

“Kyeunhee ah, bogoshipo.” He held her in place, heaving in her strawberry scent. His eyes suddenly clouded into something Seunghyun couldn’t describe. Changsun met Seunghyun’s gaze. The glare intensified on Seunghyun’s eyes as Changsun just smirked in return.

 

“Bogoshipo, Changsun oppa! Yah, I want you to meet my best friend. Changsun oppa this is Seunghyun hyung, hyung this is Changsun oppa.”

 

 

“Yah, stop calling me ‘hyung’!” Seunghyun punched her in the arm playfully.

 

 

“Aish…araso…” she muttered incoherently. “…hyung…”

 

 

“Yah!”

 

 

Changsun watched them carefully, laughter erupting from them. He too was starting to dislike this Seunghyun guy. He felt anger rising within him. He didn’t like him one bit. He threw aside the feeling as he putted on his mask. “It’s getting late and we need to go. It was nice meeting you Seunghyun ssi. Kyeunhee and I will see you again tomorrow.” Fake enthusiasm reeked from his so-called farewell and Seunghyun felt it. He even said his name in a malicious and hostile way.

 

 

“Annyeong, Seunghyun oppa! Take care!” She gave him a swift hug as she made her way inside the shabby car. She continued to wave goodbye while Seunghyun remained motionless. Finally noticing her, he weakly waved his hand goodbye, muttering a soft farewell, an utter that caught Changsun’s curiosity.

 

 

“Annyeong…Shinhye ah…”

 

 

Throughout the car ride, both remained silent. Not a word escaped from their lips until Changsun broke the silence.

 

 

“So…how long have you and that Seunghyun guy been friends?”

 

 

Shinhye glaned up at her stepbrother as she cleared . “Oh, Seunghyun and I have been best friends since we were 3 years old.”

 

Unknown to Shinhye, jealousy boiled up deep within Changsun. Still, like the master of charades he was, he plastered a fake grin on his face. “Cheongmalyo? Huh…wae…why did he call you ‘Shinhye’?”

 

 

“Ye…Kyeunhee’s  just a name. Shinhye is my real name; the name my appa gave me. Kyeunhee is just a name to cover up the past.  Shinhye is…who I really am.” A radiant smile graced her face, awe filling Changsun.

 

 

“Can I call you ‘Shinhye’ too?” He tilted his head to the side, showing off his handsome features as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

 

 

“Eh?” She stared at him dumbly. Did he just say what she thought she heard?

 

 

“Can I call you ‘Shinhye’?” Yeah. She heard right. Her eyes continued to bore holes on his.

 

 

Hesitation filled her but she drained all of her doubts. She looked backed at him and gave him a meek smile. “Ye.”

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

8 months later…

 

 

“Shinhye.” Shinhye tore her eyes from her book as her eyes met the source of the voice. She let a smile appear on her face. She was glad there was someone in the family who called her by her REAL name.

 

 

“Oppa? Is anything wrong?”

 

 

“Umma and appa wants us to go downstairs.”

 

 

“Araso.” She placed her book back on the bookshelf and went downstairs, Changsun on her tail.

 

 

“Umma…appa…you wanted to see me…”

 

 

“Ah Kyeunhee! Ye, I just wanted to tell you that your appa and I are going out for tonight. We’ll be back first thing in the morning. Chansgun will be in charge, so please listen to him, araso?”

 

 

“Araso.”

 

 

“Well, we better go now. Be a good girl, Kyeunhee. Umma loves you so much.” Hyewon hugged her daughter tightly. It sure has been a long time since she has held her this way. Time flies by so fast. One moment she was changing her diapers, that next thing she knew she was slowly growing distant from the one she had carried inside her womb for 9 months.

 

 

Shinhye on the other hand stood stiff. Why had she grown apart from her mother? She was the person who had loved and cared for her dearly. Why did she treat her mother that way? How selfish and blind was she to not notice her mother’s one and only wish… her wish to have a wholesome family. She wanted to make it up for her mother. To make up for all the things she had done to her. She slowly brought her arms around her mother and returned the hug. “I will. Nado saranghae, umma.”

 

 

Hyewon smiled brightly as she broke the hug and faced her daughter. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Annyeong.” She kissed her forehead lightly and gave a slight ruffle on her hair. “Changsun ah, take good care of her, araso?”

 

 

“I will, umma.” He darted his eyes toward Shinhye, an evil smirk appearing on his face. “I will…”

 

 

“Okay. Annnyeong you two.”

 

“Annyeong!” Both Shinhye and Changsun chorused as their parents disappeared from their sight.

 

 

“Yah, I’ll be going upstairs, oppa. I’m going to finish my homework.”

 

 

 

Math was driving her nuts! Ugh, whoever invented math, she wanted to murder that bastard for making life so complicated. Painstakingly, she forced herself to finish her logarithm assignment. She frustratingly bit her pencil as her calculator showed a negative answer.

 

 

“Aish, damn it!” she yelled out loudly, knocking her calculator on the floor.

 

 

“Need help, dongsaeng?” a warm breath asked, tickling her sensitive neck.

 

 

She whirled her head only to find Changsun only inches away from her face. Her eyes widened like saucers as her heart pounded loudly, startled by his sudden appearance.

 

 

 “Changsun oppa! You almost gave me a heart attack!” 

 

 

Changsun grinned innocently. “Mianhae, dongsaeng. I just wanted to check on you. Mind if I sit beside you?”

 

 

“Of course not!” Shinhye patted the space beside her as Changsun sat extremely close to her.

 

 

Shinhye continued to ponder deeply on the problem but she was pulled out from her concentration when a hand trailed up and down her arm, sending shivers to her spine. She looked back at her brother, who was still caressing her skin. “Oppa…what are you doing?”

 

 

“Hmm…nothing.” He stopped his actions as he acted as if nothing happened.

 

 

She let out a sigh of relief, bringing her full attention back to her homework. She motioned for her calculator but it suddenly slipped from her hands. She felt once again Changsun’s breath on her cheek. “Oppa?”

 

 

A gasp escaped her lips as she met his lustful gaze. She nervously pushed him away but he didn’t budge. Instead, he s his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him, as he whispered huskily, “Neon nae babiyeo (You’re mine).” And with that, he crushed his lips harshly on hers. Scared, Shinhye gathered all her strength and pushed him off her. To her avail she was able to escape his grasp and made her way towards the door. She was almost there but she was pulled back by his strong grip. He threw her on the bed and went on top of her. Tears welled up on her eyes as her brother proceeded to kiss her roughly again. His lips traveled to her neck, biting her sensitive skin until it bled. He barbarically tore off all of her clothing, his lust growing by the minute.

 

 

His menacing stare made Shinhye tremble in fear. What was going on? Why’s her stepbrother doing this to her? Her fear grew more when she saw him hurriedly removing all of his clothing. He got on top of her again as he caressed her face again. He forced her to look at him, a sadistic smirk appearing on his face.

 

 

“O-Oppa…why are you doing this to me?” She cried. But it was useless.

 

 

He chuckled sardonically, pinning both of her arms above her head. “It’s quite simple, my dear Shinhye. I. Want. YOU.”

 

Shinhye trembled uncontrollably. This wasn’t her brother. No, this was a demon. A goddamn demon! She yelled out loud as she spat right on his face. Pissed, Changsun wiped the foul slime off his face, and slapped her hard on the face. “You little ! You want it rough, eh? I’ll show you rough!” He smacked her once again, only this time blood flew out from .

 

 

She winced at the great amount of pain she felt on her face. But it didn’t stop her from the screaming for hell. “Umma! Help! Somebody help me! Anyone…help!” She cried out as the boy hovering over her gave a psychotic and sadistic laugh.

 

 

“Your pitiful pleas are useless, Shinhye ah. No one will ever hear you. No one will ever save you!” Shinhye screamed in pain as Changsun plunged into her mercilessly. It was the most painful punishment anyone could ever imagine.

 

 

The question ‘why’ always played back in her mind.

 

 

It hurt, a lot.

 

 

He tore her apart.

 

 

And the most painful part, he was her brother. Not by blood but by heart.

 

 

Minutes passed and her brother finally released himself inside her. He collapsed beside her, not even caring he was still inside her.

 

 

It was finally over. She thought it would never end. Seeing that he had already fallen asleep, she silently let out a sob; letting out all her tears of pain. 

 

She still couldn’t believe this had happened to her. She always dreamed to have a normal life, to live normally. But all of it shattered right before her eyes. She lost the valor of her dignity. She was . by her ing stepbrother! She can’t be the same anymore. What she was once before can never return. She is now broken…broken beyond repair.

 

 

She tearfully glanced at her nightstand as a loud agonizing sob escaped from her.

 

 

12:01 am. February 2.

 

 

Nothing will ever be the same. The faithful day of her adolescence stage was the cursed day she became impure, abused…torn from her ity.  

 

 

Hopefully, she could shut an eye. Hopefully, she could forget those traumatic scenes. Hopefully, she could manipulate her mind that nothing happened today. But she knew she couldn’t. She knew she was scarred for life.

 

 

She removed him from her, forgetting the pain as she hugged her knees to her chest. She silently put herself to sleep. At least there would be someway to temporarily ease the pain.

 

 

END OF FLASHBACK