Similar to the picture in Wonyoung’s hand, everything seemed to freeze, two pairs of eyes locked, unblinking, as they tried to come to terms with the truth of this reality.

All these months, Chaewon’s mind had been in a state of both blankness and turmoil, and this moment was no different; although, she found herself not knowing which of the two she was feeling, whether it was one or the other or the two combined. After all this time living in bleakness, she felt a sudden jolt, but she also felt the jarring emptiness that had aded her heart and mind. The rush left her speechless.

Although, perhaps somewhere in the jumble of emotions (or lack thereof), she felt the same confusion and yearning she felt all those years ago. It had been so long since then, yet she never found answers nor closure--at least, none that she truly wanted. She had been made to believe certain things, she knew, but she wished so dearly that they were wrong--

--that her family didn’t abandon her, that they love her.

She doesn’t remember much of that night. She only remembers the escape, the running, the heavy breathing against the backdrop of the blurred and darkened surroundings that possibly housed the very people they were running from.

Their mother had been sold to their father as an alternative form of payment many years ago for a debt her parents couldn’t pay any other way. Somehow (she tries not to think about it), they ended up with two children, herself and her sister, Wonyoung. They took every opportunity to try and live as a regular family, just the three of them. They tried their best to ignore all the blood and violence around them, even when they were forced to get involved one way or another.

Chaewon regularly found herself in between such things--almost always on the receiving end, though.

After years of this precarious lifestyle, they finally decided to make a run for it.

She isn’t sure what exactly brought the conversation about, but she remembers her mother becoming increasingly anxious in the weeks leading up to their conversation which then carried on until their escape.

Their attempted escape, at least.

They didn’t make it.

After much time discussing amongst themselves about how to escape this hellish nightmare, all that time planning out their route and everything else, they still ended up being caught.

Chaewon remembers someone lunging at Wonyoung who was still so, so young.

She remembers screaming and reaching out for her sister, throwing her body in front of her and taking the blow.

She remembers everything going dark.

It was still a mystery to her as to why they had immediately tried to attack, particularly Wonyoung. Although, after all this time working with these animals, she doesn’t rule out the idea that it may have been a result of their barbarism.

When she woke up, her mother and sister were gone.

She had been left all alone.

Her father came to her, explaining that they had left her behind after she took the blow intended for Wonyoung. He told her that they didn’t look back once, that it seemed to him that they didn’t love her at all.

Day after day, they reinforced the same stories and ideas.

Day after day, she saw her will crumble.

Being all alone, still young, being told the same horrid things over and over again…

She couldn’t fight it.

It was true: her family didn’t love her, and they had abandoned her as a result.

Chaewon spent years trying to repress the memories and feelings; she tried to forget even though she still loved and missed them so dearly.

But now, so many years later, here she was.

When she first saw Wonyoung, the name had obviously made her breath hitch. When she laid eyes on her, she couldn’t shake off the familiarity, especially the smile. It was particularly jarring when they shared the ice cream, but she attributed it to this Wonyoung’s similarity to her Wonyoung. Her mind couldn’t even conjure the idea that this could be her sister.

But somehow, the unimaginable was standing in front of her.

“It’s been a while, huh?” Wonyoung smiles sadly. She recalls the moment pictured in the photo in her hand, remembers how happy they were and how delicious that ice cream was.

When Chaewon doesn’t respond, she sets the picture down and walks closer to Chaewon, sighing softly once when stops in front of her.

“Whatever they told you, it’s wrong.”

Wonyoung feels her anger flare as she thinks about what they drilled into her sister’s head.

“He gave mom a choice back then, after you were knocked unconscious.”

“She could stay here with the gang with the two of us,

or she could leave you there and leave with me.”

She hears her voice crack as she speaks; the memories flooding her mind are almost too much to handle, but she refuses to waver.

“He wondered whether we would try something like this again, so he gave us the choice. He said that you showed promise, that you just needed to be put into shape and trained properly and then you’d be able to take over the gang when you got older. I was too young, and he’d rather not take a gamble on me. And with mom, well, it seemed like she gave him the heir he wanted,” Wonyoung smiled bitterly.

“You.”

“He told us to never show up here again. That wonderful father of ours decided that he no longer cared about the two of us as long as he got you.”

Chaewon mumbles something so softly Wonyoung can just barely hear it; but she does, and it breaks her heart.

“But you left,” Chaewon says quietly, surprised at the pained words leaving .

Those three words hit Wonyoung so harshly she feels as though her breath is knocked out of her.

“No, Chaewon, no, that’s not it,” she pleads quietly.

After it’s clear Chaewon won’t say anything further, Wonyoung takes a shaky breath and continues.

“Mom had a ridiculous amount of faith in you, you know? At first, it was hard for me to understand as well, but she truly believed, truly believes, that you were strong enough. She knew you’d be okay; she also knew that you’d be astoundingly upset if you woke up and found out that we rejected such an offer. She was right, though--you’d hate us forever if we gave ourselves up like that,” she chuckles softly. Wonyoung could vaguely make out the quiet agreement in Chaewon’s eyes at that statement.

“When we were finally far away enough, she swore to come back for you. Actually, she wasted no time in finding a spy to help us. They gave us information on you every few weeks, and mom tracked everything and tried to find a way to bring the gang down and bring you back home.”

Wonyoung’s expression turned dark.

“But then there were months of silence. Absolutely no word about you. We don’t know why, but our informant didn’t tell us a single thing about you, nothing. We don’t know why that happened, but luckily, my neighbor happens to be Minjoo.”

Chaewon flinches a little at the mention of her.

“She was talking about bumping into you with Yujin, and I had to come see for myself. Ah, I did get your address from our informant quite a while ago, by the way. And if you’re wondering, mom and I have been really good at staying low; it’s also quite helpful that I look nothing like I used to seeing as how I was just a kid the last time they saw me. We’re not too afraid of being caught.”

“The only thing we’ve been afraid of is what they’ve been doing to you, Chaewon.”

She tries not to notice how Wonyoung’s eyes start to water, how her voice wavers a bit, how Wonyoung looks at her so sadly yet also so lovingly.

But nothing prepared her for Wonyoung’s embrace.

The sister she had protected, the sister she thought of every second of the day, the sister she loves so dearly yet--

No.

Chaewon pulls her arms out of Wonyoung’s grip and pushes her away roughly, venom in her eyes as she steps back while shaking her head.

“No.”

Wonyoung is stunned.

How does one react after being shoved away by the sister you haven’t seen in years?

“Chaew--”

“Get out.”

“Bu--”

“GET OUT!”

When she looks at Chaewon’s clenched fists and narrowed eyes, when she feels the hostility rolling off of her in waves, she knows that’s she’s lost.

This isn’t the Chaewon she knows.

And so she lets her arms drop back to her sides lifelessly and walks out without another word.

As Chaewon follows her out with a safe distance in between, she notices Wonyoung’s bag that she had thrown on the table when she first barged in.

She hesitates.

“Wonyoung,” she calls quietly, her back towards Wonyoung as she grabs her bag. It doesn’t feel like it’s her own voice speaking; it’s all too weird now, that name.

The younger girl doesn’t turn around, but she stops in her tracks and waits stiffly.

From behind, Chaewon pushes the bag against the fist at her side, nudging it open and waiting for Wonyoung to take it.

It was all so surreal; none of it made sense.

There are no other words exchanged, no more glances or touches or anything. Wonyoung just leaves as Chaewon stays rooted in that very spot, staring at the door where her sister’s back stood facing her a few moments before.

Sister…

Wonyoung…

As she walks to the door and closes it softly, she realizes how truly destroyed, how utterly broken she is.

Her eyes are dry; her mind’s blank. She stares at nothing and feels nothing, but somewhere inside she knows that there’s a storm raging on.

But she’s just so, so numb.