[CONTENTID1]Chapter 1 [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

“I’ll be going”, Seulgi chirped to her coworkers, sliding her employee card’s barcode under the machine. It emitted a satisfying beep before Seulgi tucked it back in her bag pocket as her large strides brought her out the door and under the lunar rays of a very round moon. The chilly atmosphere caused her to snuggle into her fuzzy sweater. It was a long shift in the hospital, because she worked extra hours during the weekends to fill the uneventful hours when she had no classes to attend.

Seulgi’s earphones were plugged into her ears as she brisk walked towards the bus station. A bus arrived after a short minute of waiting. Her house was only two stops away, so she decided to stand near the door rather than getting a seat, which was needed by a pregnant woman, anyway.

Getting off at her stop, she jogged through her front door to be welcomed by the atmosphere of her cozy home. She only dropped her bags on the floor before moving straight into the kitchen and dining area.

“Aah”, she sighed as she took a seat in front of a table laden with beef stew and a steaming bowl of rice which was set for her. She took her spoon and started to poke on the rice.

A series of sarcastic grumbles could be heard as Seulgi shoved the first spoonful of food into . Finally, she looked up at the three faces that looked at her with amusement (her father), disbelief (her mother) and annoyance (her brother, Jihyung). With the spoon still in , she grinned. She set her spoon down and did a quick bow to her family members.

“Hello, I’m home”, she murmured before returning her focus on bringing dinner to her stomach. Her brother scoffed and reached across the table to push her temple, which caused their mother to chide him about being the older sibling and taking care of his sister instead of hurting her. Their father watched the bickering and Seulgi’s feat of inhaling her food.

A typical night passed by in that household in the life of Kang Seulgi.

She was a university student, working part time as a nurse in the nearby hospital – she did this for work experience that would open doors for working abroad after graduation, and because she liked doing something productive with her time. Everything was normal and smooth running. Besides a steaming bowl of rice and beef stew, that was Seulgi’s favorite thing - norm.

+ + +

“You’re amazing”, a chatter of youthful girls gushed as a sweaty Sehun made his way to his family’s table among several others'. It was 6pm, but a full moon was already visible. Sehun and his family were at one of his competition events. They watched him as he brought his equestrian career closer to its peak. A young breakthrough athlete with good looks and decent grades seemed too good to be true...and then lo and behold Oh Sehun, the incarnation of just that.

“Water”, he said with his palm out, and his mother immediately handed him a bottle. He hastily opened it and consumed most of its contents in several gulps.

He sat down around at the table, in between his sister, Sohee, and his girlfriend, Jaera. He leaned his head against Jaera’s shoulder while she carefully wiped his sweaty face and neck with a white face towel. The air was cold and it made him shiver in his thin sports clothing. He would not admit but he was very nervous.

Jaera could tell, so she nudged him with her shoulder and pep-talked her way into putting him at ease. “One more round and you're officially the best”, she winked playfully. Sehun looked at her before placing a peck on her cheek, and stood back up to wrap up the competition with just one more round. When his name was called for the last round, his heart beat loud thumps against his ribcage.
 

All there was left between Sehun and his first trophy was a quick jumper competition through a small course. The fastest horse with the fewest mistakes wins – it sounds so simple.

The clapping and cheers and hoots from the crowd intensified when Sehun and his white steed trotted through the entrance fence and it was his turn to run the course. The course should only take a little over a minute. There being a 72-second limit, Sehun’s goal was to take up as little of that time.

Guiding the horse to the starting point, Sehun’s eyes scanned the audience, landing on his family members whose faces were plastered with bright smiles. Sehun swore he saw happy tears in his mother's eyes. The hum of excitement vibrated through the ground. Sehun could feel it, as it was evident in his eyes that were hopeful. In it to win it. Let's do this. He patted his horse encouragingly, although it was more for himself.

He lived for this – the action and adrenaline.

The whistle was blown and followed by Sehun’s kick at his horse’s side. In a flurry of white, the horse and rider go over each consecutive obstacle with finesse comparable to a trained professional.

Two obstacles to go, and the crowd’s energy rose as they looked at the time limit: there were still 30 seconds to go – Sehun was definitely ahead in the game. The crowd, which was filled with Sehun's fans, roared with delight at the very expected turn of events.

But horse and rider must be as one in this game of precision and speed - for every hurdle.

In that flurry, in the whiz of excitement, the horse was distracted for just a fraction of a second. The steed hesitated for a moment before the very last jump. Instead, the laws of inertia launched its young rider, who was pulling on the reigns to force the jump, forward over the horse.

Sehun laid on the dirt curled up in pain as the medics rushed to him. Jaera was by his side in a minute, holding his hand in worry. She looked at him worriedly and close to panic.

“Sehun, it’s me. You’ll be okay”, she repeated in a mantra to soothe both Sehun and herself, eliciting no response. Sehun held his hands out in desperation. He opened his eyes, and a realization struck him as he cried out.
 

“Jaera...I can’t see”

+++

Seulgi had her hair in a bun and was lathering her face with bubbly cleansing foam, when Jihyung entered her bedroom with a piece of paper in hand. Apparently, his sister had left the bathroom door open a crack, so he thought it would be no problem to go in to talk to her.

“Seul- damn...” Jihyung started speaking but instinctively jumped back at the sight of a white-foam-faced girl. He clutched the side of his head that had bumped against the door.

The Kang siblings’ relationship was tight-knit and full of jokes, but they were far from sweet with each other; their close relationship was evident in a different way.

Seulgi doubled over and laughed at her brother's little accident. She slipped on a wet spot on the tiled floor, but her flailing arms helped her regain balance. Jihyung saw the little slip, so it was his turn to laugh at Seulgi. Karma, bishhhh.

Seulgi did not find it funny. “What are you doing here, Ji?” She scrunched up her nose at him, “What if I was taking a shower or something?”

Jihyung scoffed. “Why would that affect me? You’re like a little brother who happens to have s. Also, you left the door open anyway” he retorted. It earned him a smack on the head. Seulgi was younger by three years, and she was aware that hitting elders on their head was rude. But did it matter? Jihyung was way too "hittable"!

Jihyung decided it was time for him to bail before Seulgi actually pulverized his head. He waved the paper he had brought in front of her. “Her