The eerie atmosphere burdened their fragile hearts. The trust between them was broken and Steph knew that no matter what she said, Karen would be reluctant to believe it. Agony and despair crawled into their chests, squeezing them tightly, making it difficult for them to breathe before suffocating them amongst their own silence.

Karen’s lower lip quivered in disbelief as she glared daggers into the person who she once claimed as her ‘friend’ or even ‘sister’. Her eyes were so sharp it was as if one could instantly die if their eyes made contact with hers. She clenched her fists as she tried to control her overwhelming emotions from exploding. She didn’t want to jump into conclusions, but the answer seemed too obvious.

“What do you want to talk to me about?” Steph finally spoke to break the awkward silence between them. The motionless expression on her face worried Karen, as it made her to realise the distance between them. Five years was probably not enough she presumed. It wasn’t enough for her to figure out what kind of person Steph really was.

“You. How can you do that to Lee So Man-shi, especially when he treated you like his own daughter? Don’t you know that it’s against the law for you to do something like that?” Karen stared at Steph questionably.

Karen’s nose began to sting as if it was trying to warn her that her tears were going to fall. Her breathing was getting heavier after every word she spat. Her heart on the other hand, twisted in all angles possible which made it was almost unbearable for her.

“Why would you think it’s me? And if I told you I didn’t do it…would you believe me?” Steph tilted her head slightly, but her gaze remained fixed onto her dongsaeng, waiting for her to answer. Karen was slightly startled as Steph’s eyes appeared as if they were hollow. Her expression seemed so soulless; it was as if she wasn’t even human. For a moment, she was actually frightened, but she quickly shrugged it off.

“You’re the only one with the skills amongst us who can fraud a contract like that without leaving any traces behind!” Karen exclaimed it all in one breath. And to think that she once sympathised her, made Karen regret knowing her even more.

“Really? Is that what you really think? Why didn’t you ask yourself why I had that skill in the first place? If it wasn’t for you and the Headquarters, how on earth would I be able to gain a skill like that? I became the person I am today because of the Headquarters.” She smirked disdainfully before turning away.

“Unnie!” Karen called which stopped Steph from leaving. “It really…wasn’t you?” She wanted to believe her; she really did…but if it wasn’t her then who could it possibly be?

“I’ll tell you one more time, and it’s also going to be the last time, so listen carefully. It wasn’t me. You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to, especially since…I’ve never asked you to believe me.” She swallowed uncomfortably and continued to walk until she made her exit.

Her footsteps reverberated in Karen’s ears, putting her into a trance – a spell. Once Steph left, guilt seemed to have devoured Karen in a mere second as she reminisced the day she met her; the day which made her a sinner. Even now, she doesn’t know whether she had done the right things that day.

---------------
YEAR 2005
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[Play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDCeI6h9Mx8]

The brackish brine continued to tumble down, dripping onto their damp clothing before forming little puddles on the cold concrete. Strands of their hair pasted against their faces, not allowing the other to see the tears which fell from their sore eyelids. ‘Anguished souls’ was probably not strong enough to express their distress. It had come to a point where it was beyond repair, yet to repair their souls wasn’t a difficult task at all. All was required was just a few words. Simple as that, a few words could heal their wounded hearts, but since when were things ever that simple?

“I’m sorry.” Karen covered to muffle her uncontrollable weeping noises which were seeping through her lips. Her words were sincere, but it wasn’t the words he’d wanted to hear.

“What’s the use of ‘sorry’ anymore?” Kibum lifted his head up to stare deeply into her eyes, searching for the answer that he wanted, but he was too infuriated to see anything. He didn’t understand why she was doing that to him, tormenting his pitiful soul. He was corrupted the moment the words ‘lets break up’ poured from her lips, drowning him in his own tears.

“Oppa! Don’t be like this, please.” Her knees were weakening which caused her to plummet to the ground. The sound which was produced when her knees contacted the ground, felt like a hammer hammering his heart. He wanted to help her, but he barely had the strength to stand on his own two feet, let alone helping her.

He knew that he would be foolish enough to open his arms for her, if only she said that she still loved him and she didn’t want to break up…but she didn’t.

“I thought we were in love. Was I foolish for thinking that?” He tilted his head to the right as he wasn’t able to comprehend the reason why it was all happening. Questions flowed within his mind, listing possible reasons such as: She didn’t love him anymore, she met a better guy or he did something wrong which made her angry. Yet the answer wasn’t as clear as he thought it would be.

“No. No, it’s not like that.” She spoke with her croaky voice as the tender tears trickled down her cheeks. “Why can’t you understand? We’re different. You have your dreams, I have mine too! Shouldn’t you be happy for me?” Her lips trembled as she screamed those words which aggravated him even more. The obvious lies were unrecognised as he was blinded by the throbbing pain. Her excuse was that she wanted to concentrate on studying art in France but he refused to accept it.

“For your dreams, you’ll sacrifice our love? I have a dream too! But I’ll never sacrifice you for anything!” His voice echoed across the streets. He was frustrated since he was prepared to give up everything for her. However, it appeared that she wasn’t able to do the same. Moments of silence daunted amongst them until he had the courage to say the following: “If this is what you want, then fine! You go your way and I’ll go mine.”

Yet even after he said those words, he waited for her to stop him. He stood there waiting for her to grab hold of him. He waited and waited, but she refused to respond in the way he desired.

Once he finally realised that her decision wouldn’t change, he walked away with countless tears, a clenched fist…and a broken heart. He felt selfish for not being able to put himself in her position, yet he couldn’t help but pity the heart which she damaged in just a mere second.

She didn’t want to hurt him, she really didn’t but she didn’t want to stop him from achieving his dreams either. He had always wanted to become an idol since a young age and she knew that he gave up that dream for her. Likewise, she gave up her dream as an artist who draws as well. However, she knew that she could never succeed whilst he could.

It was absurd. They were only 13-14, yet they were talking about love as if they knew everything of it. When in reality, they probably didn’t know much of it besides the feeling which came naturally when they were together.

“Karen!” Karen looked up to see a shadowy figure running towards her with an umbrella; it was Renee, the only friend who knew her well, the only friend who she could trust.

“Karen, is it really okay for you to do that?” Renee sighed once she reached her and covered her head with an umbrella in order to protect her against the rain.

Forcefully, Karen put on a smile and nodded gently, whilst her tears continued to stroll down her porcelain face. She was convinced that her job was sure to bring him down with her, so she had to let him go before she tied him down.

Renee didn’t know how to react to her tears. It was impossible for her to emphasise her pain, especially when she didn’t know love any better even though she was older. All she was capable of was surround her with her arms to protect her like a house. 

Suddenly, they both jumped as they heard screaming coming from the bridge which was across the road. A scream which sent shivers down their spines as it was filled with misery and distress.

They exchanged glances before heading towards the noise, ignoring the scene which just occurred with Karen and Kibum.

[End song]

------

She breathed heavily as the darkness consumed her little body. The rustling noises produced by the wind and the sudden footsteps frightened her dearly, causing her to yelp in fear. The smell of sea water mixed with mouldy cheese didn’t seem to help either, but she simply reminded herself that she’d been in worst situations. She scanned the alleyway thoroughly before taking a little nap in the corner, but soon a cat woke her up as it leaped into a dustbin.

Screaming, she ran out of the alleyway to search for a better place to sleep.

She looked around as she ran, and not even a soul was in sight. She was completely alone and no one was going to help her. No one was going to lend a hand to her, pitying the fact that she was only fourteen and that she’d been wandering in the streets for days.

Tears sprung to her eyelids as she finally rested under a bridge, since it appeared that no other places would be safer. Once she sat down onto the heartless, bitter ground, the tears fell painfully. The pain congregated into her chest, making it feel burdened as if a plastic bag was wrapped around it, suffocating it. Finally, the scream escaped from her tongue, but she didn’t realise that she was screaming. It came out so naturally yet so uncontrolled it made her fear of herself. She didn’t know why she screamed, but she knew one thing – it made her feel better. It released the tension in her chest.

It was her choice and there was no one to blame but herself. She wanted to go to Korea but not knowing the language itself really made a massive difference. She was conned and she didn’t even know. She felt as if she was alone in a battle to survive. Unlike in movies or dramas where you would have family, friends or companions to support you, she had no one.

Then, all of a sudden, just when she was in her midst of thoughts, a flicker of light was shone onto her which made her flinch. Her arms rose protectively as she tried to see where the source of light was coming from.

“Unnie, it’s a girl.” A young, high-pitched female voice gasped from the distance in Korean, which the ‘girl’ could not understand.

“Karen, I don’t think she’s Korean.” Another female voice entered which was lower in terms of tone compared with the previous one. “It’s ok, don’t be afraid.” The voice spoke in English which she was able to understand. Immediately, the girl under the bridge stood up to see two girls who were about her age.

“You understand English then.” The girl smiled radiantly. “My name’s Renee and she’s Karen. We can help you.” Slowly, Renee walked closer to her, trying to communicate with her. The other girl had the urge to run the other direction, but there wasn’t a place for her to run to.

Renee’s chest tightened as she noticed the dirt which covered the girl. Her fringe covered her face that made her look like some kind of ghost, creating a barrier between them. Subtly, Renee tucked a side of the girl’s fringe behind her ear, so they could see at least half of her face.

“R-really?” She stammered as she was slightly startled by Renee’s action. Renee simply nodded in a friendly manner whilst she reached her hand out, waiting for the girl to hold. Hesitantly, she took it and the two girls led her to a black car parked on the side.

“Don’t worry; you’re safe with us now. What’s your name?” Karen reassured in English as they entered the car.

“You can call me Steph. W-where are you guys taking me?” She asked with a quiet yet threatening tone.

“To the Headquarters.” They chorused cheerfully, with the Asian’s infamous ‘eye-smile’.

Steph eyed them both awkwardly, as she was expecting either their ‘house’ or ‘hotel’, or something along those lines. When Karen and Renee saw Steph’s puzzled expression, they couldn’t help but giggle.

Nevertheless, when they arrived all their smiles ceased. Chaos roared, leaving behind a painful yet unforgettable night for everyone within the building.

---

Once they stepped into the building which they claimed as the ‘Headquarters’, a man dressed in black instantly got hold of Steph by the wrist.

“What’s going on?” Her eyebrows furrowed as she asked the other two, but they just had the same puzzle expression on their faces.

“Stop it!” Renee demanded which caused the man to halt. “Where do you think you’re taking her?!”

“To the experimentation room. They need to test something out straight away and this girl would do perfectly.” He replied formally.

Karen’s body trembled as she heard the word ‘experimentation’ that seemed to have the power to take her breath away.

“Unnie, we can’t let her go in there. We can’t! We took her in to save her! Unnie!” She clung onto Renee’s sleeve with teary eyes as she begged. “It’s wrong! We’ll become sinners! Unnie, stop them! You’re the daughter of the CEO aren’t you? Tell them to stop!” She shook her head hard to let her hair fly from left to right and vice versa to show her grief. “We’ll become sinners, unnie.” Her grip on her sleeve loosened as she kneeled onto floor, whispering those same words over and over again. Tears created a path down her pinkish cheeks, which brought out the tears in Renee’s eyes as well.

Renee remained silent, so the man continued to drag Steph along.

“Where are you taking me?” She struggled within his grasp but she wasn’t able to free herself.

“Unnie! Say something!” Karen bawled into Renee’s ear. Renee slowly rotated her head to show Karen the tears which were streaming down her face.

“What can I do? How can I stop them? For so many years have the experimentation stopped? Even if I say something, do you think I can save her?!” Renee screamed back as more tears trickled down.

“So you’re not going to do anything? We know it’s wrong! It’s not right so why do we let it happen? This organisation is for justice isn’t it?”

Just whilst they were busily arguing, Steph was already locked onto a chair with metal straps around her wrists. Fear climbed onto her face as her eyes rested upon a needle with an exquisite green liquor flowing inside.

Karen crawled towards the room which Steph was in and banged aggressively against the transparent plastic wall which separated them, getting Steph’s attention.

Somehow, the desperation within Karen’s eyes pushed Steph’s hatred away. Just when Steph was about to regret acquainting them, the feeling disappeared when she saw their faces tainted with tears.

“I’m s-sorry. T-this wasn’t w-what w-we intended. I’m sorry!” Her voice trembled sincerely as she screeched. Renee on the other hand simply collapsed onto her knees. It wasn’t what they intended, they wanted to help her but it seemed as though they’ve committed a sin instead.

Steph observed them both through the wall, the two who she acknowledged as her first friends in Korea. She didn’t know them, but she knew that they were trying to help her. She could sense their sincerity as well as their guilt. At that moment, she had decided that she would be reluctant to hate them no matter what happened in future. They weren’t the ones who wanted to experiment on her.

Once she felt the needle being injected into her skin, the excruciating pain tormented her powerless body, causing her to scream. The pain tore her sanity apart as it tried to remove her soul from her body. She tried to gasp for air, but her lungs wouldn’t digest it. Her hands held onto the chair tightly as if she was clinging onto her own life.

Then, a bright white light covered her vision. It was so bright it was actually frightening to see. Once the light started to get dimmer, a voice in her head asked her: ‘are you willing to let everything go after what this world have done to you?’

-

Finally, she had stopped screaming and hung lifelessly on the chair. Their eyes widened in horror as the doctor unlocked the door to check on her. They remained silent as they waited patiently for the doctor’s analysis. Water started to build up in their eyelids, waiting to overflow once the doctor announced her death.

That's chapter one~ I hope you enjoyed it ^^
More characters will be in Chapter 2~
Please comment to tell me what you think of it so far.
Sorry it's a bit long D:

R e a d | C o m m e n t | S u b s c r i b e ^___^

S.Y waves goodbyeee~