'Unjust! - Unjust!'

Seo-Joo Hyun

There was no possiblity of going for a walk that dark, November afternoon, there was a cold wind and it was raining heavily. I was glad- I never liked long walks. Aish! I hated going back into the house feeling cold to my bones, back to the house where I was constantly told off by Yuri, the nurse, and where I felt so inferior to my cousins Hyoyeon, Eunhyuk and Sunny.
  That afternoon I went into the drawing room. There, lying on a sofa was my aunt, Mrs Kim, Surrounded by my cousins, her three 'Little Darlings'. A bright fire was burning in the fireplace, and the children, who were not arguing or crying, seemed perfectly happy. She looked up when she saw me but did not ask me to join them. 'Until I have heard from Yuri, and seen with my own eyes, that you are learning to be more sociable, more likeable child, Seohyun,' she said, 'then you will have none of the nice thingd that contented, happy little children are allowed to have.'
 I started to ask what I had done wrong, but my aunt told me to be silent and go somewhere out of the way, I went into the next room, a small breakfast room, which I liked because it had a bookcase. I took out one of my favourite books, A History of Korean Birds, climbed onto the seat under the window, closed the curtain behind me and opened the book. The pictures were beautiful and mysterious; each one told a story. I was happy for a few moments, lost in my book. The only thing I was afraid of was being interrupted. After a short time, the door opened and I heard the voice of Eunhyuk, 'Where has that pabo gone?'
'I'm sure she is hiding in the window seat,' said his sister, Hyoyeon.
I came out of my hiding place. I did not want Eunhyuk to pull me out, 'What do you want?' I asked, trying to sound as if I didn't care.

Eunhyuk was fourteen years old, four years older than me, and he was horrible to me. He hurt and bullied me not two or three times a week, or even once or twice a day, but every time he saw me. Every nerve in my body feared him, I physically shrank whenever he  came near me and I had no one to defend me. The servant said nothing because they did not want to offend their young master, and my aunt was blind and deaf to what he did, even though she saw him hit me often. 
He told me to come to the chair where he was sitting. I knew he would hit me, he always did. I looked at him and thought how ugly he looked, and that was when he hit me, suddenly, with such force that I nearly fell over.
'That was for being rude to Umma, For hiding behind the curtain, and for that look in your eye, you pabo!'
   I knew I musn't answer, so I stood in silence.
   'What were you doing behind the curtain?' he asked.
   I held out the book and he took it, 'You have no right to read our books. Umma says you have no money because your father left you with nothing. you should be out on the streets, not living with a gentleman's children like us, eating with us and wearing clothes that Umma paid for. Stand by the door and I will teach you a lesson.'
   When I reached the door, I turned round to face him, and then he threw the book at me. I tried to get out of the way but did not move quickly enough. The corner of the book hit me above the eye and made me bleed. Now instead of feeling scared, I felt angry, 'Wicked and cruel boy!' I said. 'You are like a murderer.'
   'What did you say?' he said. 'Did you hear her, Hyoyeon and Sunny? Wait till Umma hears about this.'
   Then he ran straight at me and began to attack me, pulling my hair and shouting 'Pabo!, Pabo!' In came Mrs Kim, Followed by Yuri and Mrs Kim's Maid, who pulled us appart.
    'Take her to the room and lock her in there,' said Mrs Kim. 
    the servants took hold of me and I was carried upstairs, but for the first time in my life I resisted them all the way, I was so furious, I hardly knew what I was doing.
    'Hold her arms.' said Yuri to the maid. 'She is like a mad cat!'
    'Why did you hit your young master?' Cried the maid.
    'Master! How is he my master? I'm not a servant!' I cried.
    'No you are less than a servant because you don't even work for your food and clothes.' The maid said. They took me into the Red Room and were about to tie me to a chair, but I cried out, 'No! Don't tie me to the chair, I will sit still, I promise,' and I became calm.
    Yuri stood in front of me, her arms folded. 'You should remember that your aunt keeps you here out of kindness. If she sent you away, you should have to go to the poor house.'
    'I had heard these words for as long as I could remember. Indeed, I had heard them so often that I did not really hear the words any more, thought they still hurt.
    'You must not ever think of yourself as an equal to your cousins simply because Mrs Kim is kind enough to let you live here,' Yuri said. 
    Yuri's voice became a little kinder, 'You should try to make yourself useful and pleasant, then perhaps you would have a home here. But if you get angry and rude then Mrs Kim will send you away.'
    'Perhaps god will punish the child,' said The Maid. 'He will strike her dead while she is angry and then where would he send her but to hell. Say your prayers Miss Seohyun, because if you are not sorry, then something bad might come down the chimney and take you away.'
    Then went, shutting the door and locking it behind them.

The Red Room was one of the largest and most imposing rooms in the whole house, but it was almost never used. In fact, hardly anyone went into the room, except some of the servants to clean, and the fire was never lit. Occasionally, Mrs Kim went in as this was where she kept some of jewels and letters, as well as a small potrait of her dead husband. My uncle, Mr Kim, had been dead for nine years. It was in this room that he has died and here that his body had been laid in its coffin and taken for burial. It was to honour his memory that the room was never used. The large bed where my uncle had died sat at the centre of the room as if it were an altar. It was draped w heavy red curtains. There was a huge wardrobe with a full-length mirror, there were red curtains and other heavy pieces of furniture made from polished mahogany. 
   After a few minutes, I found the courage to get up and try the door but it was firmly locked. As I turned back to my seat I sight of my reflection in the mirror. In the near dark, with my white arms and my eyes glittering with fear, I looked like a ghost. I was frightened, but I was angry. The violent cruelty of Eunhyuk, His sisters' selfishness, my aunt's coldness towards me and the servants never defending me, were all too much for me.
   'Unjust!- Unjust!' my spirit cried.

There was a question that I kept coming back to, but of course there was no answer to it- why did I have to suffer in this way? All these thoughts went round and round in my head, until, as it became completely dark and I was as cold as a stone, my courage failed me. Perhaps I was as wicked as they said, they did not love me because I was unloveable. Then I had a new thought. Before my uncle died he made my aunt promise to look after me like one of her children. I knew that if he were still alive, I would not be treated so badly. I had heard stories that ghosts come back if promises were not kept. I quickly wiped away my tears, I certainly did not want my uncle's ghost to be called back because of my suffering.
   Just at that moment a streak of light suddenly lit up the wall, It was probably no more than the moon or a light from the garden but I thought it was a visitation from another world. My heart beat hard, my head grew hot and I heard a sound of wings beating. I ran over to the door and shook the lock, desperately trying to get out. Steps came running along the corridor, The key turned and Yuri and The Maid came in.
    'Miss Seohyun, Are you ill?' Asked Yuri.
    'Take me out!' I cried, reaching for Yuri's hand. 'I thought a ghost was coming.'
At that moment Miss Kim arrived.
   'Oh Aunt, Have Pity! Forgive Me! I would rather die than be in that room!' I cried.
   'Silence!' my aunt said. 'Stop the repulsive nonsence.' and with that she took hold of me and ignoring my pain and suffering and terrible sobs, pushed me back into the room and locked the door. I must have fallen unconscious because the next I knew I was in my own bed, as if I was waking up from a terrible nightmare. I could hear two people talking quietly in the room. One was Yuri, The Other was Mr. Leeteuk, the pharmacist, who looked after the servants if they were ill. When he saw I was awake he came over and told me kindly he would come back the next day.

When Mr Leeteuk came he asked what I had made me ill. I told him about the Red Room and described my life in this house. Then he asked, 'Would You like to go to school?'
I wasn't sure what a school was but I nodded.
'Well, Well! Who knows what might happen,' He said.

One day in January, a carriage arrived and I was called to the drawing room to see my aunt. When I got there, I saw a tall, harsh-looking man dressed in a black suit.
'This is Mr Choi Siwon, Jane, of Lowood School,' said my aunt, 'where you will be going soon. Though, Mr Siwon, ais I told you, She isa a deceitful child.'
   'Don't Worry, At Lowood we do not tolerate liars,' Then the man turned to me.
   'Do you know where wicked people go after death?'
   'They go to hell.' I said.
   'And what must y
ou do to avoid going there?
   'Well, Sir, I must keep in good health and make sure I do not die.'

After he left, I found the courage to speak to my aunt, 'I am not a liar. If I were I would say that I loved you; But I do not, I dislike you. When I'm grown up I will say that even thinking about you makes me sick and that you treated me with miserable cruelty.'
   'How dare you say that, Seohyun?' said my Aunt, astonished.
   'I dare because it is the truth and when I get to Lowood School I will tell everyone what you are.' I said.
When my aunt heard that, she looked frightened. She picked up her things and left. I had one my first argument.
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Hope U enjoyed, Subscribe and comment please :))))))
PS, I don't think i'll be able to upload the next chapter today or tomorrow, Cause I'm going through really important exams, So sorry Everyone! I'll Try hard :)

 

 

 


 

 


 


 

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Comments

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eugenenni #1
Chapter 1: Ten year old little girl... What a pity. They abused and tortured.
Author-nim update soon please.
yoonfany_lover #2
Chapter 1: When i read ur ff it just remind me of the story i used to read :-) update soon.!!
Ilovecolors #3
This seems nice, I'll be waiting for you to update it ^^