She had found the doll while she was happily cleaning out a donations box. It was a poor, disgusting and ugly little thing. The doll was made of a strange black, stiff stuffing covered with delicate porcelain. It looked like someone had broken the doll's right arm and left leg, revealing the strange stuffing underneath, only for them to sew the parts in opposite places. The doll had a straight, clean line across its face, almost as if it was a coin deposit within the porcelain. The way it was positioned, however, she knew that it didn't belong there.

As ugly as it was, she found herself memorized by the details of the face. It was handsome, despite the huge diagonal cut between the bridge of his nose and cheeks. She thought it was smiling at her and there almost looked to be a sparkle in his eyes. 

"What should I name you, hm?" she asked the doll. A friend of hers looked over her shoulder then grimaced at the doll.

"Name it Garbage. There's no way we could restore that. We're fashion designers, Minji, not miracle workers," Chaerin murmured, fishing through the last of the donations boxes. "We got enough for some new outfits. Come on, are you going to bring Garbage or what?" 

"He's not Garbage," Minji countered, crinkling her nose towards Chaerin. She peered back at the doll curiously, enchanted by it. "His name is Junhong."

###

She was human again. There was no happier feeling than being able to breathe, to be able to hear some sort of heartbeat in her chest. Hayi was able to smile and laugh and cry with other people. When she found her parents' house, she explained to them that she had been abducted. She was kept somewhere with no sign of where she was or who had taken her or even why (though she clearly knew why), then suddenly, lights out. When they came back on, she was in some familiar alleyway. The place where she had been taken – the shortcut alleyway to her mother's work. It had taken her abductor seven months to bring her back. 

Just as it will take him seven months to endure, to make someone fall in love with him. 

No, she can't think about that. She was happy now. 

School was like she remembered it. There was gossip, chatter, whining, assignments galore and teenage happiness. But it was strange to her. Feeble and insolent. Foolish. Immature. She couldn't stand the things that used to make her happy. She had dealt with a terror far worse. Faced feelings far more advanced than that of a mere teenager. But she was indeed a teenager, and that mature feeling became too foolish too fast.

"Hey, you're new here, what's your name?" a boy had asked her, practically crashing into the locker beside her. She paused, looked him over once. It was recognizable. He was one of Junhong's friends. 

"My name is Hayi."

"Huh. My name is Jongup," he said, showing a charming grin that was far from greasy, as Junhong had put it. But perhaps that is why it's exactly greasy. She couldn't see that it was indeed greasy. "So, uh, I could help you around if you'd like."

Hayi paused to let out a small, soft-spoken smile. It was a charm different than Jongup's boisterous grin. "You could help me, Jongup. Maybe you could tell me about Changhyun Yoo? I heard you two became friends," Hayi inquired, using her cute, polite and awkward tone that managed to make almost everyone fall in love with her. 

"Changhyun? Who the heck – wait, that's Ricky! Sheesh, no one's called him Changhyun since he moved out of his parents' house. Y'know, they never treated him the same after he was abducted. Left everyone worried. How long was he gone again? Five... six? I'm pretty sure it was six –"

"It was seven months."

"Yeah, hey? Seven months. We, the dance group, we were the only ones who didn't treat him any differently. He enjoyed that so after we went on tour, he never came back to school. On his way to become one of those professional dancers. He's got the talent, too," Jongup explained obliviously. She knew Jongup was dense but she couldn't believe that he couldn't piece anything together.

"He's a wonderful dancer." With that, she closed the locker door and left Jongup. He'd get it eventually. But, knowing him, he'd assume that she was the doll Changhyun... Ricky was talking about all the time. He'd assume he was the person no one would be able to see. But she wasn't. 

And even if she could feel her heart now, it was icier than ever before. She was happy now, she kept on telling herself. 

Hayi was far from it. The darkness made her act on selfishness, something she never did. For that, she condemned someone to have the same fate as her. She became cold and heartless. Even as a human, that's what she knew she had become. She hated herself for being this way. It was something she's never done. She never despised her existence until now. 

And now, Junhong did, too. 

The young woman was so caught up in trying to reassure herself that she didn’t notice the person in front of her. She let out a yelp when she collided with a solid back. When the person looked back, his smile was polite and sheepish.

“Oh, hey, sorry, doll, I didn’t see you there. Are you new?” he inquired as he put his hands on her small shoulders. Hayi nodded once then flashed her polite smile.

“I’m not a – I mean, I prefer not to be called doll...” she was about to snap, though she managed to stop herself. She had even forcefully pushed away his hands. Hayi then smiled to hopefully recover the situation, though the male was clearly confused. “Uh, it was what my ex called me. Bad memories, aha. Um, my name’s Hayi and I just transferred so yeah, I guess I’m a new student.”

“Hayi? Really?” the young man asked, then paused for a considerable time. He appeared to be mulling things over, as if something was bothering him. His brow was furrowed and his lips pursed. Finally, he let out the same polite smile. “It’s almost time for first period. You should get going. My name’s Yongguk, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you –”

“Do you know a Junhong? I haven’t seen him around for a couple of days.”

Hayi suddenly panicked, shaking her head and reminding him that first period was going to start soon. She ducked out of the way and practically ran to her first class. She lied about her panicked look, explaining it was the first day jitters. However, the damage was done.

She was a selfish person. That is what she had become. She valued things more than she did people. She sought comfort in the unnatural glossy shimmer of a doll’s eye. When she was being asked a question, she would rather run than continue with the exchange. Hayi had become just like the others who fell victim, only to become the villain. As it was part of the curse, to fall in love with toys.

As Changhyun fell in love with his doll, who happened to be named Hayoung.

As Hayi fell in love with her doll.

As Junhong fell in love with his doll.

And now, Minji would fall in love with hers.

Soon, all the lights in the world will be snuffed out. Until they hate themselves for ever shining in the first place.

The curse of the dolls – the curse that happened because of too big hearts and materialism. All the lights must be taught that dolls are nothing.

Nothing but cold, heartless beauties.