LE's sobs wouldn't cease even when Solji's did. At some point, Solji had started to rock her slightly in an attempt to comfort her, but it was to no avail. Somehow, her story seemed to affect LE more than she thought it would, though she couldn't fathom why.

"I'm sorry, Hyojin." She murmured. "I shouldn't have told all that to you. I'm sorry." LE shook her head, hiccuping in between sobs.

"No... It's just..." She managed to stifle her sobs long enough to say, "You're the same as me, unnie." Solji paused.

"What do you mean?" LE looked to her.

"My parents disowned me too." Solji felt her skin crawl.

"W-What...What do you mean?" She really hoped that whatever her reason was, it would not be the same as hers.

"I told them I like girls too, and they couldn't accept it either." Oh, no... Solji felt her tears begin anew as she held LE close. She was right. They really are the same. "That's why I left home."

"You... Wait, you left your house?" LE nodded. Solji took a while to process the information. Even when she had been chased out of the house, she had actually been unwilling to leave. If she could, she would've rather stayed with them even with them rejecting her than not have a family at all. How badly was LE treated after she came out of the closet that she chose to leave her family and seek a home elsewhere?

FLASHBACK

"Mom, Dad... I have something to tell you." LE knew that her parents had probably already sensed it. Growing up, she never showed any interests in boys. Instead, she treated them as though they were her brothers and never even thought of dating them. She did check out girls though, praising and complimenting them whenever she could.

"What is it, Hyojin?" Mr Ahn asked as LE breathed in deeply.

"If...If I want to do something that you might no approve of, what would you do?"

"Oh, Hyojin, you can do whatever you like. Mom and Dad will always support you no matter what. We just want you to be happy." LE swallowed hardly.

"Even...Even if I tell you that I don't like boys?" Just like that, the tension in the air shot up to an all-time high. Still, LE continued on, albeit meekly. "What if I told you that I'm lesbian and that I like girls?"

"Don't joke like that." LE jumped at her father's harsh tone.

"What your father said. Eat your dinner." It was clear her mother wanted to steer the conversation away from the topic, but LE knew they had to know.

"I'm not joking. Please, Mom, Dad. Please be ok with it." All was silent for a while before her mother broke down in tears and hit her in her shoulder.

"You bad child! I- You- I don't understand... Where did we go wrong?" Her mother's cries made her heart clench and she reached out a hand to comfort her.

"Mom, please don't say that. You did nothing wrong. This is who I am. This is what makes me happy." Her mother smacked her hand away, shaking her head. As LE held her hand, where a red spot was now forming, close to her heart, she felt close to tears. She hadn't expected her family to react this badly. Her father stood up, and as she looked to him, his cold gaze bore into her.

"...Until you stop this foolishness, don't even bother calling me your father." His cold words slashed into her heart, and her mother's agreement with him as she stood up as well made the wounds deeper. It was a sight that would forever be ingrained in her mind. Beside them, Daehoon just looked lost.

"Mom, Dad." LE looked at them sadly, unshed tears welling up in her eyes. "Just because I like girls...am I not your daughter anymore?" Neither parent replied her as they just walked away, with Daehoon casting an unsure glance to her before going after their parents.

The following days afterwards was hell to LE. Her family completely ignored her, as though she didn't exist, despite her numerous attempts to talk to them. Daehoon often looked to her nervously, but still never said a word. She had nightmares night after night, dreaming about things like her being on the verge of death yet her family paid no heed, or them coming in the middle of the night to kill her after deeming her a 'failure of a daughter' and wanting to erase her very existence so they could 'start over'. Even if her fears were irrational, she still woke up in cold sweat everytime she slept. She eventually became withdrawn and started to stop even coming out of her room. After a week, LE just couldn't take it anymore. In the dead of the night, she packed all of her belongings and left everything else in the house, house keys and all.

"Where are you going?" She turned back to see Daehoon looking timidly at her.

"Away from here." She replied, looking down to her luggage. "Anywhere away from here."

"But..." LE looked back to him, and the sight of tears streaming streaming down her face left him at a lost for words. "Noona-" He reached out a hand towards her.

"No." LE snapped as she flinched back, cutting him off with a low growl. "Don't call me that. Back. Off." Daehoon stepped back obediently when LE's breathing started to become erratic. As soon as he stepped back a few steps, LE relaxed. "I don't belong here. Mom and Dad, and even you, made that clear." She said bitterly as she turned and left without another word.

END OF FLASHBACK

Solji understood immediately after LE finished her story. That explains why they felt a strange connection with each other even though they've never met before. That explains why they were so willing to live together despite being complete strangers. That explains why her story affected LE so much, because they both went through the same abandonment and rejection from their families. That explains why she could feel something wet on her cheek as their grief poured out in a flood of uncontrollable tears.