Everyone was asleep as night came except for KyonDae. She was the only one in the house who was still awake and trying to finish her homework. It was nearly two in the morning and KyonDae was still struggling. Since tomorrow she didn’t have school, she will be busy with part time job and house chores so she wouldn’t have time to do her homework. Besides, her stepmother didn’t like seeing her doing something that didn’t generate money to the family.

KyonDae only had the chance to do her homework at 12 in the morning as her stepfamily came home around 11:00 pm and ordered her to do this and that as usual. Things always got worse especially when her stepmother was drunk. That woman had low tolerance with alcohol and KyonDae had to patiently bear and comply to her ridiculous wishes all the time.

She always made KyonDae do nonsense things in the middle of the night like paint her nails; mop the floor or ironing the clothes. If she found KyonDae sleeping when she got home or doing other things besides house chores, she always got steamed up.

So there KyonDae was, in her little room, doing her homework while having a little battle with her eyes that felt so damn heavy. Sleep was doing a good job on seducing her and she tried to fight it as much as she can.

“There! All done.” KyonDae said as she finished writing down the last word of her homework. She yawned and started crawling towards her thin mattress where SoRa slept on as well. She fixed SoRa’s blanket, which she had kicked and lied down beside her.

However, as she was just about to close her eyes, she heard the front door was flung opened. She was startled from her sleep and her eyes went wide. KyonDae could catch some words mumbled angrily by a man whose voice she recognized. Father’s home...

“KyonDae!” He called from the living room. With that loud voice of his, he surely can wake the rest in the household as well.

KyonDae sighed before she quickly stood up and walked towards the living room before her father started yelling for her again. If he did, there was a high chance that her stepmother will wake up and things will get ugly.

Timidly, she stood not far from her father and tried to keep the distance between them. KyonDae caught a glimpse of liquor in her father’s hand and just to be safe that her father won’t throw it at her direction, she should better not to stand so close.

“Get me some water.” DaeHo said drunkenly once he saw KyonDae in the living room. KyonDae nodded and quickly went to the kitchen. Once she had filled a glass of plain water, she returned to the living room to hand it to DaeHo. However, DaeHo was already asleep on the couch.

KyonDae put the glass on the table next to him and prayed that he won’t slap or kick the glass away. Done that, she quickly turned to go back to her room as she couldn’t stand the living room smelled with strong alcohol and cigarettes. But as she was just a few steps away, she heard her father said in his sleep, “EunJung.”

KyonDae was a bit startled when she heard it as she had seen the name before a few days’ pass. She also had seen her picture and knew how she looked like.

“EunJung, I’m sorry.” Her father said again. KyonDae was curious and confused as to why her father was saying such things and mumbled EunJung’s name all of a sudden. She really wanted to know who this EunJung was. She was very sure that EunJung wasn’t her and SoRa’s mother as their mother was named HyeSu and the lady in the picture was nothing like her deceased mother at all.

Once she was back on her mattress again, KyonDae can’t help but to wonder. Why did her father mention EunJung? Did she mean something to him? KyonDae had never ever heard her father saying anything about her late mother after her death. Or ... maybe EunJung was some other woman her father met at the club? But it can’t be possible now, can it? If EunJung that her father mentioned was the same one she saw in the picture, then they must have known each other for a very very long time. Way before her father started going to the club and such, as the condition of the picture looked like it was taken almost twenty years ago.

And then there was a child, in the picture. Is it father’s? She asked herself. If it was, then she wondered where the child might be right now.

KyonDae groaned in annoyance as she had so many questions in her head but she didn’t have any answers to any of it. She really wanted to know. She could feel that there was something that the whole house was hiding from her. Well, maybe her father and her stepmother, as she doubted that ChungAh and ChungAe knew anything.

In the end, KyonDae didn’t manage to sleep as curiosity got the best of her.

“KyonDae! Come here for a while!” HeaJung called as KyonDae was already on her way towards the door with SoRa, going to the restaurant.

KyonDae quickly went to her mother’s room with SoRa as she heard that HeaJung called her from there. While walking up the stairs, KyonDae managed to take a quick look at the clock on the wall and she frowned. It’s still early for mother to wake up. Why did she wake earlier today? Luckily, I have done preparing the breakfast.

KyonDae and SoRa approached HeaJung’s room and KyonDae told SoRa to wait there at the door while she went inside and see what HeaJung wanted. HeaJung was sitting on the bed with her nightgown on and crossing her arms. In front of her was a box, closed.

Once she saw KyonDae, she said, “Take that box and throw it away. Use the back door and make sure DaeHo doesn’t see you carrying it.” KyonDae nodded and quickly reached out for the box. She tried to carry it carefully without dropping it as the box weighed more than SoRa herself.

“Make sure DaeHo doesn’t see you.” HeaJung repeated, her voice was low unlike any other days but her tone was stern as if warning KyonDae that if DaeHo saw her walking with that box, HeaJung will knock the daylight out of her.

KyonDae gulped and quietly went out of the room, with SoRa tugging her pants. She raised one finger and brought it to her lips, as if reminding SoRa to keep quiet and don’t say a word. SoRa nodded as she saw some fear in her sister’s eyes and she could feel it. They walked down the steps very quietly and gently as to not wake her sleeping father in the living room.

They walked to the back door and went out of the house from there. Once they were out, KyonDae put the box down and took a deep breath. The box was so damn heavy and the fact that she had to carry it and walk slowly from inside just made it a lot worse.

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