"And If you do not mind, I would very much prefer for those buttons to be done up." The woman who had introduced them together spoke strictly to Seungho.

"Oh!" Both Jieun and Seungho flushed red. Seungho quickly buttoned up his shirt, fumbling a little from embarrassment and spoke, "Sorry”.

Jieun jumped a little at hearing his voice from up close. It was deep, but not so that it was booming. His voice was husky and soft, and Jieun found herself wanting to hear more of his voice.

As Seungho buttoned up his shirt completely, the woman started again, “Mr. Yang, Miss Kim will be your roommate for this year. I do know that it is not possible for a room with mixed genders, but mistakes happen. Miss Kim’s Father has given assent, and only your decision is left. Will you accept Miss Kim to be your roommate?”

“What…“ Seungho started confusingly.

“My name is Nara” Nara introduced herself after having kept silent, “If you are unable to accept that Jieun shall become your roommate, then Jieun will not have a place to attend school. Mr. Yang, your decision here affects Jieun greatly.” She spoke with politeness, knowing that it was all up to him now.

“Jieun?” Seungho stared at Jieun.

“That is my nickname, yes.” Jieun spoke softly and quietly.

Seungho fell silent for a while, the wheels slowly turning in his head. He didn’t understand in the least what had happened, and why in the world he would be sharing a room with a girl. His roommate was supposed to be a guy! Thoughts whirled in his head.

A girl.

A girl.

A girl as my roommate!?

But he could see the desperation in both of their eyes, and he wasn’t going to ruin someone’s start at an academy. Finally he spoke up, “Well… Alright I guess? But you’ll have to tell me what happened”.

Both the woman and Nara sighed in relief, but Jieun did no such thing. Instead, she frowned disappointedly. She would’ve been more than happy to not attend school at all, rather than having her roommate as a guy.

“That is a good decision”. The woman turned to Victoria, “Miss Kim, I will organize your uniforms and shortly deliver it into this room, along with your studying supplies and textbooks.” With that, she bowed and walked away, seemingly very pleased with herself.

The 3 people were left dumbfounded at the door, and a realization hit Seungho as he spoke again, “Would you like to come in?”

“No, that’s quite alright, I’ll be leaving now.” Nara smiled and bowed to Seungho. She turned to Jieun and began “Jie…”

Sensing that they needed some time alone, Seungho turned back into the room and began tidying everything. It had been too long since he had had a roommate, and he was already used to living alone, his things and belongings scattered throughout the room. He quickly began to make space for his new roommate.

Outside, Nara was talking to Jieun, and she was not ready to let go of her yet. “Jieun, I’ll be going now. You have to take care of yourself, okay? Don’t forget to eat properly and in a timely manner. I’ll be calling once in a while when your Father lets, alright?”

“Nara…” Jieun’s eyes were beginning to moisture and she was not sure if she would be able to hold back her tears for long. Nara had stayed with her since she was a baby, and they had still kept in contact even when she briefly left for a secretary job 10 years ago. Nara was something more than a maid, she could even be called Victoria’s second mother, the one who gave her all of her unconditional love. If anything, Nara was the most important person in Jieun’s life.

“Nara, you’ll keep in contact, right? You have to try. And come to visit too. Every month, at least. Please, Nara.” Jieun’s voice shook slightly as she looked at Nara and she grabbed her hands.

Nara tried to smile. “Of course. Every month.” But both of them knew she was lying through . Jieun’s parents had tried to get rid of Victoria, and they had succeeded. They weren’t going to let anyone try to contact her, for fear of Victoria coming back.

Slowly prying off Jieun’s clutching hands, Nara backed away slowly. She didn’t want to leave. Her brain screamed at her in anger, confused by her stupidness and refusal to listen. But It wasn’t that. Nara hadn’t wished for this. It wasn’t her choice. She couldn’t do anything about it.

“Bye bye, Jie. I love you.” With that, Nara spun around and ran down the stairs, not bothering to wait for the elevator. She could hear the sobs of Jieun and chuckled sadly as her own threatened to fall. Memories swam through her head as she ran down the stairs and slowly came to a stop. A wave of agony washed over her as she remembered.

Remembered when they had met. When they had fought. When they had laughed. When they had cried together.

“Nara! Nara! You’ll be with me forever, right?”

“Of course, Jie”

“I love Nara the best!”

“I love you too”

Her legs wobbled like jelly. A storm broke inside and Nara couldn’t hold it back.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you everything.

Farewell, my little sister”.

As the strength left her legs, her knees buckled down to the ground. Breaking down in pain and agony, Nara cried for the first time in her life.