Byun Maya was a delicate girl who enjoyed picking the weeds from the garden, watching her small efforts turn into a garden full of wonder and mystery. She had a smile that could heal the most painful wound, and a touch that could unthaw a frozen heart. Her laughter was the sound of angels joining together in perfect harmony, a catchy tune one couldn’t help but to hum along with. She was a good kid, curious and kind natured, and she was ripped away from the world to soon.

“How are you holding up?” Dae Choi was not naïve to the pain that filled the brunette’s heart, she was incredibly aware of it for it rang within her chest all the same. A physical kind of wonder that took its toll on the mind and body, forcing it to into shock and waves of sorrow.

“Hey Dae” he deliberately dodged her question, a smile pulling at his lips yet not enough to meet his eyes “thanks for coming today.”

“Of course” she gave him the same broken smile that she could barely muster, her eyes falling towards the picture frame that held so much personality, so much love and care. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to give me a call Baekhyun.”

He nodded but they both knew that there wouldn’t be any phone calls made from either of their cell phones, the pain of loss often finding its strange comforts within isolation. Silence over loomed them all over, forcing her eyes away from the picture and back onto the living, thankful the church came together in honor of the small girl still in Sunday school. The Byun family didn’t have power in numbers, but they had all the support and love they needed within the walls of sanctuary, proven today by the amount of people who showed up.

‘They say it’s a murder’ the whispers flooded the halls, for woman loved to gossip and put baseless words to an already overbearing tragedy. ‘I heard Dae Choi is the prime suspect’ at least she earned herself a few gasps from the elderly woman, forcing her to withdraw her step forward, her fingers clinching the walls for support. ‘Who else could it have been?’ Now that was the biggest mystery, only seconded by the reason behind it.

Why? Why would someone take a child from this world? In the rural areas, things like this weren’t supposed to happen. People were supposed to be friendl