The car ride back home was quiet. Yeri had so many things in her mind. She still couldn't believe that Seulgi's soulmate was her sister. Just yesterday, she was talking to the singer about her unnie and now this…. It really was crazy how fast things had changed over night.

But most of all, she's worried for her sister. For the nth time, she looked at the passenger's seat where Joohyun was silently sitting. Her lips were shut tight and Yeri could see her clenching her jaw. Her hands were clutched tightly on her lap.

Yeri had so many questions for her sister. She wanted to know why she reacted like that when she heard Seulgi's revelation. She wanted to know her feelings. She wanted to know what she could do to help her. She just wanted to know a lot. But Yeri kept shut. 

Not yet, Yeri. She tightly held the steering wheel and focused on her driving. She couldn't wait to go home. 

A few minutes later and the car was safely parked in their garage. Yeri sighed when her sister immediately got off the car and with practiced ease, started her way inside their home. Yeri immediately removed her seatbelt and got off the car, too. She slowed down her pace when she's a couple of inches behind her sister. 

They safely entered the house and her sister made her way to her room, Yeri tailing after her. Joohyun quickly entered her room and Yeri was about to enter it, too, but then Joohyun closed the door right in front of her face, followed with the sound of the lock clicking. 

“U-Unnie…” Yeri whispered, hurt with how easy it was for Joohyun to shut her down.

She clenched her fist, trying to stop herself from crying. She felt that familiar tightening in her chest. Why must it always come down to this? Why? 

“Unnie, please… J-Just… Just talk to me.” She said, voice cracking, lips trembling.

Silence.

“W-Why can't you just talk to me?” The tears that she was trying to hold back earlier finally started falling down her face. This was just too much. “Why don't you want to talk to me? W-Why do you keep on shutting me down? I just want to be there for you, unnie. I-I just want to k-know what's wrong so I-I could help you. I-I just want to be the sister who's always there for you. I just want you to let me in… W-Why can't you just let me in? Why do you keep on pushing me away?”

Yeri couldn't stop herself from sobbing. The pain she always felt every time Joohyun did this to her finally made itself known. She just couldn't take it anymore. All she really wanted was to show her sister her love and care for the times she clearly needed it. She just wanted to make her sister know that it's okay to not be okay. That she's always going to be there every time she felt like crying, every time she's sad, every time she's hurting. She just wanted her to know that she's not alone. That they could be sad together. Because that's what family should be like. 

But Joohyun didn't open the door, locking herself away from Yeri. She didn't budge. She stayed silent.

And Yeri, like the understanding sister that she was, just wiped her tears and accepted defeat. “I’m just… I'm just here outside if you need me or something.” She smiled sadly. “I love you, Joohyunnie.”

Yeri walked away.

On the other side of the door, lying down on her bed while tightly hugging the duck patterned yellow blanket that her father gave her when she was ten, was Joohyun, silently sobbing and curled up to her side. 

The events earlier brought back the memories she was trying to forget all these years. It brought back the pain and guilt that she'd kept locked away in the deepest and darkest part of her heart. 

It felt like it was just yesterday that it happened. Memories after memories kept coming back to her and suddenly, she was not in her room anymore. Instead, she was once again a twelve year old girl who's about to experience the most painful and traumatic part of her life…

°°••°°••°°••°°••°°••°°••°°••°°••°°

A twelve year old Joohyun and her father were on their way back to their home after a whole day of father-daughter bonding. It was a sudden plan, really. Joohyun was bored and it's been a while since the last time sh