The sounds of the city above drew me from my slumber. I stretched and opened my eyes to the grey light of Darkcity.

It must be afternoon already. I sure slept a lot…

“Morning, lazy.” Yo Seob my hair back from my forehead. He was sitting at my side, smiling down warmly at me.

“Tch. What were you doing? Watching me sleep?” I sat up and gave him a condescending look.

“Yeah sure, you’re so beautiful.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Anyway,” He stood up and offered me a hand. “I have to go to ‘work’ now. Do you think you could stay out of trouble for the day?”

Work referring to, of course, stealing.

I ignored his hand and stood up on my own, placing my hands on my hips.  

“What do you mean? I always go to work with you.”

He patted me on the head, careful to avoid the wound.

“I know, but you’re injured. I don’t want to have to watch over you constantly. It’s distracting, you know?”

I swatted his hand away.

“I can take care of myself just fine.” I turned and stormed away.

“Byeol, stop.” He grabbed my hand and spun me around. I snorted and turned my face away from him.

“Look at me.” He held my face gently between both his hands and turned my head to face him. In the dim light, his eyes burned with intensity.

His thumbs thumbs began moving in arcs across my cheeks.

“Just rest for a day or two, alright? I don’t want anything to happen to you. Please, listen to me. Just this once.” His eyes, which were pleading, shone with a strange light. Tears. I haven’t seen him cry for years.

I pulled his hands away from my face.

“Just this once.”

Yo Seob sighed in relief and flipped his hands so that he had both of my hands in his grip instead. He glanced around furtively.

“I don’t think you should stay here, though.” There was an edge to his voice.

My appearance, which many have told me was beautiful, was more of a curse than a blessing. I was orphaned early, and had had to live in Darkcity since I was young. I forgot how young, but young. I must have been beautiful back then, too, because filthy old men with rotting teeth would try to have their way with me every night. Sometimes during the day as well.

It only stopped when I was twelve, and Yo Seob came along. Back then, I was the one taking care of him all the time, but perhaps the presence of a male nearby discouraged the others from doing anything to me.  

I shuddered as the memories returned to me.

Yo Seob glanced at me, and released both my hands.

“Wait here.” He walked over to our makeshift bed and picked up the blanket. Then he walked back and draped it over me. He pulled the edge of it over my head so that it formed a deep hood, fastening the front with an old tattered brooch.

“There,” he picked at the edges of the blanket, “make sure that you keep your face hidden at all times, understood? The posters are ugly, but they look enough like you.” He said, referring to the wanted posters which had popped up all over the town in recent years. My fault for stealing from an artist once, I guess.

I nodded.

“See you later.” He kissed the top of my head gently, before slipping into the shadows.

Bye oppa…

I turned and walked the opposite direction, careful to use another exit.