Her parents had left her in the locked room and told her to go to sleep first, yet again. Standing behind the tightly closed door, young Jaerin was trembling slightly and hugging onto her teddy bear so tightly. She couldn’t make out what her parents were shouting at one another but she knew. She knew they were fighting again. It seemed like the couple thought that wooden door could shield their kid from their loud exchange. However, they were wrong. She was standing there, listening to every single word they said.

“You went to her again, right?!”

“Stop acting like a !”

“Don’t you love me?”

“I said stop tugging at my shirt, !”

“Don’t you care about Jaerin?!”

“I don’t.”

A deafening silence filled the air and the little girl behind the door cried. She covered , trying not to make too much noise which would attract any attention. At her age, she couldn’t understand much but she understood enough. She heard enough to know that: Her once loving family was falling apart.

─

“Jaerin-ah, appa needs this money for emergency. When I return in the afternoon, I will bring your favourite hamburger back for you, okay?” he said gently to his daughter.

The young girl nodded and flashed him an innocent smile.

“Good girl.” He said and patted her head.

With that, he left. He left the house and his daughter for good. He didn’t have the intention to return to the house anymore. However, he still had the heart to look back at his one and only daughter. He waved back at her slightly.

“Come back early, appa!” She shouted in her kiddy voice.

He did not reply.

Little Jaerin waited and waited until night had fallen but her father was still nowhere in sight. She had been sitting on the couch, staring at the television and waiting for her dad for the entire day already.

“Come here and eat, Jaerin.” Her mother ordered.

“I don’t want! I want to wait for appa! He promised to buy me burger to eat!” The girl shouted in defiance.

“I said come here and eat!” Her mother repeated in a stern manner.

“I don’t want! I want my burger! I want appa!” The girl cried out louder in a stubborn manner.

“Why are you such a naughty kid?!” Her mother had lost her temper.

She walked over angrily and started hitting her, causing the kid to cry out even louder.

“Let me tell you, he is not coming back! He is not coming back anymore! He doesn’t want you, he doesn’t want this family anymore! Everything he said was nothing but lies! LIES!” Her mother yelled and tears rolled down her face.

“I DON’T BELIEVE! YOU ARE THE ONE LYING!” She retorted.

“Fine! If you don’t want to eat, don’t!” Her mother released her grip.

Storming into the kitchen, Jaerin saw her mother empty all the food on the plates into the bin. She saw how her mother collapsed on the ground with some of the food scattered everywhere. She witnessed her mother crying so desperately and exasperatedly for the first time.

“Appa, you lied. You lied to Jaerin.” She muttered to herself.

─

“Umma, who is this?” Jaerin asked as she looked up at the unfamiliar man.

The man looked down at her and did not bother to flash a smile, not even a fake one.

“O-Oh, he is my cousin who is staying with us from now on.” Her mother lied.

The little girl nodded naively and smiled. With that, the man pulled his luggage into the house.

“Why does umma’s cousin stay in the same room as her, like appa?” The girl questioned in her mind.

─

“I want you and only you. Your daughter will only be a burden to our relationship.” He said.

“I know. But my ex-husband left her here, I can’t possibly…”

“Do the same.” He said with a smirk.

“Yes, you can.” He confirmed her questioning gaze.

“Bu-” Before she could say further, the man kissed her.

He kissed her so passionately, nibbling on her lower lip occasionally. With that, those protests to let her daughter stay had vanished from the surface of her lips. 

“You love me, right?” he asked.

She nodded meekly at the man before her.

“So would you…” He paused when the woman met his eyes.

“I would send her to the home if you want just the two of us to this house.” She said.

Slipping his hands around her waist, he smirked.

“That’s the way, my babe.” He whispered seductively into her ears.  

The little girl, oblivious to what was going on, continued playing happily with her dolls in the room beside theirs. Soon, she heard weird noises which she chose to ignore.

“The television is so loud, right?” she asked her Barbie doll.

─

The next day, Jaerin was all dressed up by her mother. She braided her hair so carefully, as if she was her only precious doll. Making her hold her pink bag filled with her favourite toys, they left the house. Never once did little Jaerin thought that would be the last time she stepped out of the house that she used to call ‘home’.

The streets were bustling with life, as usual. Jaerin held onto her mother’s hand even more tightly as she was afraid to be lost in the sea of people. Her mother looked down at her and felt her heart soften. However, at the thought of his father who ditched her daughter for another woman, she steeled her heart.

“I am doing this for my own happiness too.” She thought to herself.

“Umma!” The girl called out.

“Yes?” her mother asked as she put on her best smile.

“I am so happy today! Today is Jaerin’s best birthday ever!” She beamed.

Now, she felt it strongly. The pang of guilt in her heart was occurring to her stronger than ever. However, she tried her best to ignore it. She had to do this. Her boyfriend would definitely not be happy if she brought Jaerin back to the house again. He was her only helpline at the moment and she needed him. He could provide for her life and give for all the love she yearned for.

“Umma, I want that!” The girl pointed to the ice cream stall.

“Alright. I will get that for you, darling.” She said.

“There you go.” She said and handed the ice-cream over.

The girl broke into a wide smile, innocent as ever. Taking the ice-cream in her own hands, she started eating away. She was eating it so messily with the ice cream dripping all over the place. Her mother wiped the chocolate stains away from the side of her lips which earned an embarrassed smile from Jaerin. Some time later, her mother hated to a stop. They had reached. Tears were forming slightly in her eyes but she held them back.

“Jaerin-ah, umma forgot something at the ice-cream shop.  I got to go and get it back. You will be a good girl and wait here, okay?” she informed.

The girl did an ‘okay’ sign with her free hand and concentrated on the ice cream so that it wouldn’t drip onto the ground.

“You are a smart child so you will grow up well here. Be good.” She said her last words in her heart before looking away. 

With that, she turned around and left. She did not turn back at all. She convinced herself that she did nothing bad. It was all for her future. Self-interest and selfish were two different things, she believed.  Hopping onto a taxi, the woman cried a little. Then, she looked out of the window and saw her daughter standing there, for the last time. 

Author's Note: 

Hello readers!
This is the first chapter of 'The Girl who Cried Wolf' and I hope you liked it(: !
I have changed the usual font which I normally use because I somehow felt this font fit the story better. (Weird, huh?)
Anyway, leave me a comment before running off ^^! 
I will deeply appreciate that. 
Thank you for reading ~