1. AN YUJIN

She had her eyes gouged out after she was caught by the police in one of her missions as a spy and an assassin. Her eyes were replaced by artificial ones with a camera after she pleaded to the authorities to spare her life. She was then sent to spy on a big criminal after her eye operation, by working for their family. 

Dressed in a white wing collared dress shirt, black slacks, and brown vest, under a black silver buttoned trench coat, Yujin stood in front of the gate of Madame Kwon’s mansion, she brushed back her shoulder length auburn hair as she felt a gust of wind went past by her. The rain had just stopped, and she stood outside the gate waiting for it to open.

She took out a small mirror to admire her features— almond-shaped coffee brown eyes, button nose, and thin lips. She has a thin scar under her left eye, which caught her attention most of the time when she was by herself in the mirror. Yujin sighed as she looked at her silver watch for the nth time as she's been pressing the doorbell but the gates still won’t open.

“Is this the right address?” She was about to turn her back to leave until she heard the leaves near the gate rustle, and the gate slowly creaking open.

“Ms. An Yujin?” A teen-looking lady in a white coat welcomed her, “I am Dr. Kim Minju. I was the one who hired you. Please come in.” Yujin nodded and followed the lady who called herself Dr. Kim Minju. 

The mansion’s interior was unimaginable, everything was as if it was gold. There were red curtains and carpets, several twin doored rooms, two staircases leading to the second floor. At that moment, Yujin knew that she'd easily get lost inside the house.

Yujin already had a background on Madame Kwon and the other occupants of their house. That they're her daughters, as well as assassins. She knew that she was sent there to gather information on the Kwon and her daughters, but seeing how the mansion is too big and had surveillance cameras on its every corner, it would be too hard for her to gather information or let alone finish the whole family as they are assassins too.

There was something that the police and the government wanted her to discover. The real identity of these criminals, are they humans, or just artificial intelligences made by Madame Kwon herself? 

As she was being toured around the house, a young woman inside a room caught her interest, she sat near the window, looking over what was a forest outside their house.

“That is Wonyoung, Madame Kwon’s favorite in all of the eight. Let’s not disturb her for now.”

Her skin was pale, and her eyes were red, dressed in a somewhat old vintage type of clothing, ribbons on both sides of her head, that made her look more like an old western doll. Yujin continued walking while her eyes were still glued to her until she bumped into someone— a ginger-haired woman who wore the same style of clothing with the girl from one of the lounges that he passed. She was wearing a black dress with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

“Dr. Kim, who’s that?” She spoke in a rather haughty manner; her eyes were as red as the woman’s eyes earlier. 

“Oh, Chaewon. This is Yujin, she will be serving this household starting today.”

“A servant, eh?” She took a deep breath, “I’m Chaewon, a pleasure to meet you.” Chaewon introduced after a curtsy.

"I'm Yujin An, the pleasure is mine. Milady." She knelt and kissed her hand. 

“I was about to introduce her to all of you in the lounge, but I see. You’re scattered in the mansion at the moment.” 

“It can’t be helped, it’s been a while since we got a decent rest from work—and training.” Chaewon crossed her arms and chuckled, “Anyways, I’m telling them to gather up in the lounge.” She turned her back and continued walking towards the hallway past the two. 

“Now, now. Yujin, let’s go to the lounge. The sisters are waiting.” Those words surprised Yujin, it’s only been a few seconds when Chaewon left. Are these sisters’ immortals or espers? She followed Dr. Kim until they arrived in front of a door opened ajar. 

The moment she pushed it open, eight girls in various age differences were inside. Some leaning against the pale-yellow walls beside the windows, some are on the sofa, enjoying a cup of tea. The woman she saw earlier by the window—Wonyoung, was in the middle, reading a book.

“Girls, this is Ms. Yujin An, she’ll be serving this mansion as a servant starting today.” 

Yujin was greeted by the sisters with a warm smile, however, when she was about to bow as a sign of respect, she heard a familiar sound. Automatically, she dropped down and rolled to her side. It was a gunshot fired from a pistol. As she stood up, she identified where it came from.

Wonyoung.

“Dr. Kim, what is that young lady’s real identity?” She asks.

"Wonyoung, both of her eyes are artificial ones equipped with a camera." The reddish-blonde haired girl said. She is dressed in a white frilly top and skirt. Her skin was pale as well, and her eyes were purple.

She saw three knives on its way towards her. . She jumped backwards and cartwheeled to the right side, the three knives got stuck on the wall. It was thrown by the one dressed in a white dress shirt under a set of black blazers and slacks.

“H-Huh? What are you talking about?” Yujin couldn’t believe what she was hearing, she was about to pull out the knife hidden under her brown vest until there was a smirk that formed on the sisters’ lips, soon they chuckled which eventually turned into a giggle.

"Ms. An, we're just joking. I just had to test if you are perfect to be this house's servant. And looks like Dr. Kim wasn't wrong in choosing you in all of the selections that were given to her." Wonyoung hid her golden pistol back to where she pulled it out. Yujin let out a sigh of relief, she just thought that she was done for.

Each one of them introduced themselves to Yujin, these sisters don't look like those in the photos that were given to me when I was still recovering from the surgery and the effects of the torture I went through back when I was in the facility. They just seem like ordinary girls. She thought to herself. 

"We've already met earlier, but allow me to introduce myself once again. I am Chaewon, it's a pleasure to meet you." She wasn't wrong about her first impression with this young gingerhead. Based on how she sounded when she spoke with her earlier, she does seem like a haughty and a hot-headed person. She exhibited the beauty of a proper lady—which was emphasized more with the way she dressed—a black sleeveless dress with white frills on its edges under a blood red-colored shawl, and black long gloves that matched with the black dress. 

"I'm Sakura, my strength is with technology… I guess? Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. An." Sakura sounded calm and collected, unlike Chaewon. She had reddish-blonde hair flowing until her shoulder, and is decorated by a black hair bow at the back of her head. Sakura is dressed in a white frilly dress with a black string ribbon and a few black frills on its puritan collar and its cuffs. Unlike Wonyoung and Chaewon, her eyes are purple and she wears round-framed glasses over them. 

“Nako. Introductions are a drag—it's nice to meet you, Ms. An." Nako let out a yawn as she leaned back on the couch, not so enthusiastic, huh? She had long black hair tied into large pigtails. She wore a bow neck collared black and white short dress—the collar was white and the rest was black. Like how Sakura's dress is decorated, hers had white frills on its edges.

Wonyoung hasn't even introduced herself, but Yujin already couldn't take her eyes off her.

Her crimson eyes, her long flowing black hair, her pale white skin, and her every feature. She’s just as perfect as a doll. 

“I am Wonyoung. The leader of us, eight. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Leader? Oh, maybe she meant during their operations. Her arms crossed as she sat on the couch beside Nako. Wonyoung is dressed in an all-black dress with a few hints of white on its lower part, and its high neck ruffled collar. She had a small black cape over her dress tied by a string red ribbon. Her eyes are blood red.

"…" A girl who had long dark blue hair tied in a high ponytail, she was glaring at Yujin with her violet eyes as if she was about to kill her. Unlike her siblings, she wears a black suit, with a white dress shirt and a string ribbon tied on her short collar.

"I'm sorry, this is Hitomi, and I'm Yena. It's nice to meet you, Ms. An." Yena was mature looking and sounded calm as when she introduced herself along with Hitomi. She wore a black and red sleeveless right split skirted dress and long gloves that reached past her elbow that matched the color of her dress.

“I’m Yuri, Ms. An!” Yuri was jolly, one could see that she was excited to introduce herself—as expected for girls at her young age. She had long blonde hair; she is dressed in an all-black dress with white frills on its edges, and on her collar is a large red ribbon with an emerald stone on its center. She wears a big top hat with a large red ribbon decor on it’s top. 

"I'm Hyewon. A pleasure to meet you." Hyewon immediately sat back down after introducing herself, she seemed a bit quiet—at least to Yujin. She's dressed in a black and white frilly dress, with few red linings and ribbons. Hyewon had long brown hair.

She caught up to all the conversations but her eyes were still on Wonyoung. 

"Ms. An, are you alright?" Dr. Kim asked Yujin, she then got out of her trance and responded by nodding. "I'm fine, Dr. Kim. Maybe I'm just a bit tired from the long trip since I came from the city, all the way to the middle of the forest." She smiled at the old doctor.

"Then I'll introduce you to Madame Kwon now, so you can rest after." Dr. Kim stood up, she was moving her shoulders as she stood up—which led Yujin to believe that she's probably tired from her long day too.

"Doctor, I'll be the one to bring her to Mother. You can rest now." Wonyoung immediately stood up and went to the young doctor. She looked so worried.

“No, Wonyoung. I can still move.”

“But I insist, besides… I also have something to report to Mother.”

"Is that so? Well then, it looks like I have no choice. I'll be going now." 

Dr. Kim went on ahead.

Yujin followed Wonyoung out of the room, walking through the hallways until they arrived at a gigantic twin door to which Wonyoung knocked on, it soon opened and at the far end of the room, was a woman possibly in her mid-forties, she was sitting by the window in a black dress. Her long black hair was parted sideways and it was a bit wavy. She had an adult feature which confirmed that she is undoubtedly the feared Madame Kwon. Yujin was behind Wonyoung as they walked towards the woman. 

“Mother, the servant has arrived. This is Ms. Yujin An, the one Dr. Kim picked among the applicants.” Wonyoung started explaining about her in front of Madame Kwon, “She’s also a perfect one, she’s swift in her movements and she also managed to dodge a bullet of mine. And some of Hitomi’s knives.” She added.

Yujin then knelt in front of the well-known criminal, her right hand on her chest, as if swearing to loyalty. “I’m Yujin An, at your service, Madame Kwon.” Upon hearing the woman’s giggle, she kissed her hand as a sign of courtesy.

+++

Yujin thought that working in this household would be easy, but it wasn’t.

There was a time when she was fixing the garden for an afternoon tea when Yuri threw one of her bombs towards her. It landed on top of the cake she prepared earlier, thankfully she was able to throw it far out of the mansion—only to end up annoyed after learning that it was a toy. 

When Sakura asked her to insert her flash drive to a computer swarmed by a virus. Yena challenged her into a sword fight, a metal pole versus a katana. Hyewon fired shots at her while working in the kitchen. Chaewon asked her to go shop with her and ended up carrying a lot of shopping bags with lots of dresses inside. Going into hand-to-hand combat with Nako, and ended up losing. Hitomi threw knives towards her as if she’s an ant in her giant dart board in Madame Kwon’s rose garden.

She got close with the other sisters aside from Wonyoung. 

Wonyoung was always with Dr. Kim and Madame Kwon. They would often disappear after meal times and are assumed to be in the underground area prohibited to Yujin. The only hours that she gets to see Wonyoung was at around midnight, the hours when she's cleaning the lounge and the other parts of the mansion that couldn't be cleaned during the daytime since the sisters are using it. 

Yujin would always see Wonyoung in the library, reading books about strategies, or in the lounge, still reading a book of some sort. She wanted to initiate a conversation, but it won’t be right as she’s only a servant in this household.

One night, Wonyoung was surprisingly not in both areas she would usually be, since it’s already late, and the girls are presumably sleeping. Yujin decided to do what she had always wanted to do in the lounge—she opened the grand piano on display and started playing a few melodies. She missed touching the keys and playing a piece since it’s been a decade since the last time she touched a piano, she was a child back then.

She filled the whole lounge with music until she heard the door creak open. Yujin immediately stopped and turned to look at the doorway, she had her head down as she waited for punishment from the person behind the door. 

"Why'd you stop? It has such a nice sound…" It was Wonyoung. Her long black hair was tied in a low ponytail, she was wearing a white short-sleeved ruffled blouse tucked in on a black belted brown vintage skirt. On her collar was a thin red ribbon. 

“I’ll put it back the way it was in a few minutes, I’m sorry Milady.” Yujin was about to close the piano, but she was taken aback when Wonyoung spoke again in a cold tone.

“Continue playing the melody from earlier.” 

“Certainly, Milady.” She sat back on the chair and continued playing.

Wonyoung sat on the couch a few steps far from her, her hands on her thighs as she listened to the music with her eyes closed.

“Milady, do you play any instruments?” Yujin asked as she continued pressing the keys with her fingers, creating a sound that soothed the young lady’s ears. 

“I never learned how to play one, I’ve only known how to use weapons all my life.”

Does this mean that they’re trained to become weapons!? Yujin’s fingers started shaking, “Would you like me to teach you how to play the piano?” While her left hand continued playing; her right hand, she extended it towards Wonyoung with a smile. Still not knowledgeable on the real identity of the sisters.

Wonyoung stood up and sat beside her, Yujin went behind her and started playing the piano using her hands—with hers on top. It was the same music from earlier. She guided her until she could already play it on her own.

“Let’s try Piano four fingers. We’ll play together.” The servant sat beside the young lady and they started playing the same melody repeatedly—until they decided to stop since it’s getting late.

+++

“Madame, are you sure you want to try this program on Wonyoung?” Dr. Kim was looking at a data card in her hand. Madame Kwon wanted her to install a program on Wonyoung. The eight sisters are androids, they are capable of feeling emotions but it's not to the same extent as what humans would feel. 

“What I see in them isn’t enough, they still seem like robots.” The middle-aged woman sighed.

"This might hinder Wonyoung on the battlefield. Are you sure?" Dr. Kim wanted to make sure that the Madame is sure of what she is about to do. 

“If it would make them seem more like a human, I want it to happen. If it works fine on Wonyoung, then put it on the others too.” 

Dr. Kim sighed heavily upon hearing her response. 

“Well then, I will install it now.”