"Minjeong! Oh, baby. What happened to you?" Minjeong's mother knelt in front of her as soon as she stepped out of the car to pick her up from school. Little Minjeong's clothes were smudged with ink and crayon stains, and even her bag was adorned with scribbles.

"I want to see Taeyeon unnie." Minjeong replied, making her mother smile.

"She'll be home before dinner, hm? Taeyeon has her volleyball practice. Now tell Mommy, what happened to my sweetheart?" Minjeong's mother asked again as she carried her inside the car, with their driver starting the car silently to head home.

"Our class's hamster died. My classmates did not like it because I did not cry." Minjeong explained, accepting the carton of chocolate drink from her mother.

"Oh, baby. I'll talk to your teacher tomorrow, don't worry about it." Minjeong's mother hugged her, but Minjeong didn't react and continued drinking her chocolate drink.

"What is worry?" Minjeong then asked innocently.

The innocent question saddened Minjeong's mother, though she didn't show it outwardly. It might seem like a question normally asked by a child, but Minjeong was different.

Minjeong was born with the inability to feel emotions, let alone relate to and empathize with anyone. Her father suggested taking her to a child psychologist, but Taeyeon disagreed, reasoning that Minjeong was too young for that kind of treatment. She wanted to attempt to teach Minjeong herself while her sister was still young. Their mother agreed, hoping to give Minjeong as normal a life as possible with the abilities they had.

"How do I cry, Mommy? Why do I need to cry? Minjeong do not understand. I want to see Taeyeon unnie." Minjeong bombarded her mother with questions and demanded once again to see her big sister. Her mother just smiled and hugged her daughter. At that moment, she contemplated her husband's idea of professional help, but decided to discuss it again with the family once Minjeong finished daycare.

Minjeong couldn't feel emotions, but they seemed to be there, locked deep inside, refusing to be identified or felt by her. The family only noticed when Minjeong was probably experiencing intense emotions unbeknownst to her, such as when she started looking for Taeyeon and demanded to see her big sister.

Her family tried their best to teach her basic reactions based on situations, but Minjeong was too young to process all that information. As a result, she only picked up a few things, like hugging someone when thanking them, and that if they're smiling, they're happy. More complicated things than that couldn't be comprehended by Minjeong yet.

"Let's wait for your unnie to finish practicing, okay? Maybe they'll even let us inside for a few minutes so you can watch her. Sounds good to my baby?" Minjeong's mother smiled, trying to hold back her tears as her daughter agreed.

"Mkay. Mommy is happy because Mommy is smiling."

---

As Minjeong entered grade school, her family held onto hope that her inability to feel emotions would improve with time. However, to their dismay, things only worsened.

Minjeong often returned home with bruises, a tattered uniform, and a battered backpack. Her classmates, unable to understand her emotional detachment, began to bully her mercilessly. She became the outcast, isolated even by her teachers who had given up on her.

Despite attempting to transfer Minjeong to different schools, the bullying persisted, prompting her family to resort to homeschooling out of concern for her safety. Professional help yielded no improvement, and medications were rejected by Minjeong's body, leading to hospital visits. Doctors deemed her case rare not for her condition, but for her body's refusal to respond to treatment.

Upon reaching high school age, her family relocated in search of a fresh start. Initially, Minjeong made a few friends, but a cruel twist of fate led to her past being dredged up, resulting in ostracization once more.

After a serious injury landed her in the hospital, her family decided enough was enough. They withdrew Minjeong from school permanently, opting for homeschooling once again. In the hospital, Minjeong's broken voice echoed with a single plea:

"I want to see Taeyeon unnie."

---

Before Minjeong could finish high school, tragedy struck their family. Their mother passed away suddenly from cardiac arrest, leaving Minjeong oddly impassive even as she gazed at her mother lying in the coffin. To compound their grief, their father vanished without explanation.

Taeyeon stepped up to care for Minjeong, delaying her own college plans to be there for her sister. Despite their family's wealth, the challenge of looking after Minjeong alone was daunting. Eventually, their grandparents offered to take Minjeong in at their mountain home, assuring Taeyeon of her sister's well-being.

Taeyeon made every effort to visit Minjeong regularly, sacrificing her own pursuits to ensure her sister's well-being. Their cousin Seulgi also provided support, often spending time with Minjeong and treating her to outings.

Furthermore, they enrolled Minjeong in a taekwondo class, where she excelled and earned a black belt. Minjeong found joy in the activity, and Taeyeon was delighted that her decision