“sooyoung?”

A voice that brings back painful memories, a deep trauma she thought never will resurface. Although she already prepared for this confrontation, having enough time running away from the root of her problem, she still feels afraid…

She stopped just in front of the open door of her step sister room. Her legs refused to move further, they remember, every limb, every inch of her skin remember what pain they received inside this room. Her body screamed to go back, out from this house eventhough she already prayed for strength from her deceased girlfriend.

‘NO!’ she yelled inside her head ‘I will not running away, ever again!’ she darted her eyes to the one person occupied the room. Hwang Stephanie, the step sister that she always been afraid for…

The red haired girl felt chill run through her spine as soon as her eyes meet sooyoungs. It was radiates with burning will, she never seen such fiery passion coming from those eyes and eventhough she know everytime sooyoung would always been the one squirming in fear when their eyes meet, it was Stephanie now whom being overwhelmed.

“… before we talk about our unfinished business” sooyoung voice came, the tone she used like a commanding officer on field “I wanted to ask you… why did you come back?”

Stephanie bites her lip, sweat forming on her forehead “i… I decide that… I have enough of regret and lamenting my fault sooyoung. I… I wanted to ask your forgiveness”

Sooyoung clenched her jaw, she wasn’t ready for that… she didn’t expect her to spout that word either “do you think that I will easily forgive and forget about it? After all those years?! Unhealed scars that still etched in my body always remind me of you, of your terror, everyday when I look at the mirror… I remember everything!!! Do you think that by leaving me alone after all that crap I get from you, all the beating, all the nonsense, do you think I will forgive you?!”

Sooyoung breath ragged, she never been angry in her whole life. It was so tiring, she never knew it would be like this… it stings on her heart to spout words like that, moreover, it was so frustrating.

On the other side, Stephanie whom getting yelled in the first time of her life, and by sooyoung on top of that, cried her tears. She know what she had done to sooyoung was explainable, inexcusable, after all sooyoung just whimpering everytime she physically abuse her. All that bruise, the scars… by the time Stephanie know and realize what she did was wrong, it was all too late and she was too afraid to ask forgiveness… rather, she run away to states.

Hoping that someday sooyoung will forgive her…

But… who she kidding with…

“forgive me…” Stephanie whispered, clenching shut her eyes remembering the vision when she abuse her step sister at their teenage days. Stephanie always thought that vision was the way god torture her consciousness for what she had done to sooyoung “i-I was…” her trembling voice stopped when she felt a force hit her left cheek… when she open her eyes, she saw sooyoung hand trembling while her left cheek was sting… hurt.

‘s-she… she slap me?’

“you know…” sooyoung spoken, woking Stephanie from her stupor “I didn’t feel any better even after doing that…” sooyoung looked at her right palm, it was red, evidence that she already slap her with it “it stings on my hand…” she looked toward her step sister who now stoped crying because she is too shocked processing what happen “for all those years… I never been once dreamed to get even at you… I wasn’t even dreaming on how it felt to make you pay for all of that horrible things I wish I can forget. But then, time passed… I don’t know what to feel, I didn’t even imagine that you will spout that words, asking for forgiveness. If… if only you can say that when we are still on our teenage days, then without regret I will forgive you”

Knowing what sooyoung meant by that, Stephanie tears flowed again.

“but now?” sooyoung looked toward the crying girl again “it’s not that simple anymore… I have changed, many things happen to me and I am not the same girl I used to be…” sooyoung clenched his hand “and you should know it too… it was never that simple, what you had caused to me is more greater pain than when I lost tae… the trauma, all those nightmare I wish I could erase…” sooyoung shut her eyes and began to walk away from the room “if you really meant it… if you really wanted my forgiveness… work for it” she spouted to the crying girl and finally left her alone.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“sooyoung?” her head shifted toward the source of voice, sunny had been calling for her. She was still in daze and she felt a whole lot tired, like she had been doing manly labor…

“lets go back” sooyoung said abruptly, her father rose from the sofa and walked toward her daughter. Looking worried at her because she never saw her like this “what’s wrong sooyoung? Are you sick?”

The girl shook her head “I just need to go back and sleep a bit… sunny and I still had to work tonight” she looked and sent a silent plea to her short friend, hoping that she understand

“y-yeah sir… unfortunately we still have night shift that we need to do, since I closed the café this morning” sunny politely bowed “its nice to know you”

“thank you, it is pleasure miss sunny. Please take care of my sooyoung” he bowed to the blonde girl “sooyoung, don’t overwork yourself” sooyoung just nod her head and already started walking toward the exit, sunny tailing just behind her wondering what actually happened to her tall friend.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The next day, when sunny thought that everything will be alright, she found sooyoung was down with fever.

A high one on that…

After taking her to the doctor, with the help of hyomin, make sure she eaten and taking her drug, she still not showing sign of recovering.

“what the hell, her fever is not coming down at all?!” hyomin surprisingly said after checking sooyoung temperature again the next day. Eventhough she and sunny had already tried many way to bring down the temperature of sooyoung body.

“damn it… but the doctor said it was just simple fever… maybe she will recover tomorrow?” sunny spoke from her kitchen apartment, preparing for breakfast. “I can tell her father… I guess that’s the correct thing I had to do huh?”

“don’t…” hyomin was surprised to hear sooyoung voice. So weak, it was like a faint, a whisper “don’t tell my… family”

“but soo!-” hyomin voice was stopped when sooyoung shook her head “you stubborn… then at least get better will you!”

“i… try” sooyoung smiled, making hyomin huffed while sunny just shook her head. It was unbelievable, even when she’s this weak, she still persistence as ever.

‘damn you taeyeon, for rubbing it to sooyoung… aaaah, you midget woman… at least send us help to make sooyoung recover will ya!’ sunny ranted on her head while looking up toward her ceiling, wishing that her deceased friend heard it.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“seriously sooyoung… is there no one that you can call to accompany you? At least for a couple hours? Me and sunny will try to cut some class to came back early” hyomin said to the tall girl who still laid down on the sofa after being moved. Both sunny and hyomin had a class to take today and it was inevitable to leave sooyoung… but alone while she is sick? No chance.

“no… just go woman” she managed to laugh a little “I will be fine… it’s just a fever, not ebola or something”

“yah! Don’t joke like that!!!” hyomin screamed “aaaah! Alright.alright! we leave now” she abruptly leave the apartment

“sooyoung… you could at least acknowledge her worries you know” sunny spoken while shook her head “see ya, don’t burn my apartment giant!” she yelled

“bah… who would burn your cave midget!”

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i know... it was a surprise for me too for updating... and at the same time my brain keep kicking my conciousness for writing while my eyes protested for some rest -.-