“Haneul, just come out already.” Haneul heard Soo Jin snap at her door, although a little softer than her usual voice. “Don’t be a brat.”

Haneul ignored Soo Jin and a few seconds later she heard Soo Jin softly sigh at the door. ‘This is strange.’ Haneul thought to herself then realised what probably happened. Hwayoung probably made up some story about their past to make up and cover up for all the things she said in front of the others.

“Haneul… Please? Just do something for Soo Jin unnie for once.” She heard Soo Jin say from the other side of the door. “Ew. That gave me shivers. Please don’t make me say anything that disgusting in future again.”

Haneul held back a laugh at Soo Jin’s behaviour. It was silent for a minute again before Soo Jin started talking again. “Just so I’ll have you know, I don’t believe a word of what Hwayoung explained to us about you two’s past. Okay so maybe not so far as not a single word, but rather something was fishy. And I’d really like a proper explanation.” Haneul was silent as she thought about her past. The reason why she had cracked it at Hwayoung for what seemed like such a small matter and the words that Hwayoung said to her that finally made her crack it.

“Still giving me the silent treatment?” Soo Jin said and sighed. “Look, nobody’s at home except the two of us. They all took your outburst as a teenage mood swing, but I really think not. I saw your expression. It really reminded of mine a while back.” This really got Haneul curious and everyone already knew this for a fact. Curiosity killed the cat and very often agents are those very cats.

Haneul went over to the door and yanked it open to see Soo Jin fall topple over. “Yah! I was leaning on that door!”

“What did my expression remind you of?” Haneul curiously asked as she looked up at Soo Jin’s face due to her height.

“It really reminded me of my expression 4 years back.” She wistfully said. “I really had it somewhat tough back then, I have to say.”

“What happened?” Haneul curiously pressed her on.

“First, let me into your room and explain your situation first.” Soo Jin demanded.

“Nuh. No way.” Haneul shook her head, “You can come in but I’m not telling you my situation first.”

Soo Jin sighed and went in anyway, “You had better tell me after my story though.” She warned Haneul. Haneul nodded, reminding herself to fabricate a believable story along the way.

Soo Jin sat down on Haneul bed and Haneul placed herself next to her. “It was about 4 years ago,” Soo Jin started, “when I thought life was at its best for me. I had a loving boyfriend, loving parents with younger brother who may have been a brat but was very loving and my family was also somewhat well off.” She sighed wistfully at those times and then her expression hardened.

“I’m guessing everything changed?” Haneul said, taking a stab at what the next line of the story was.

“Yes, yes that was exactly what happened.” Soo Jin darkly replied. “I was what? 17 back then? And I thought life could continue so smoothly and those things you hear about in movies and stories would never be able to happen to me. I mean, why would it happen when my life was all sunshine?” She laughed bitterly, “Boy was I wrong.

“First in the series of unfortunate events that year, my father started gambling. No-one in the family knew at all that he had started gambling. Then because he was so addicted to gambling, he didn’t show up at work sometimes to continue to gamble away all our money at the casino. We didn’t know at all and he continued to borrow money from loan sharks to support our family for just a little while. Then after about two months, he gave up on that altogether and just ran away from our family and kept the remaining money on continuing to gamble. The collateral for the debt was our house, so by the end of the 6 months the loan sharks came and took the house away. We then had nowhere to live.

“The only of luck we had was that my great aunt on my mother’s side had just returned from Germany and she was a rich but lonely woman with a big house to share. We stayed there, but the loan sharks upon hearing that the man they were hunting down’s family now had a big house to stay in, came and bothered us there too. Luckily for us, my great aunt had some connection with some very powerful people and managed to get rid of them and also find my mother a job so in a few months we were up and gone again. By this time, we had moved schools twice and I was already in senior year but my education was a little instable, but all in all everything ended up alright.” Soo Jin then sighed and Haneul could just guess what the next part of her story was going to be about.

“Your boyfriend?” Haneul asked.

“Yes, getting to that. That little son of a went and ditched me the moment he heard my father had lost his job. In fact, it was only because f him that our family heard that my father had lost his job. He was actually the one who told me because his father knew my father. He said that he didn’t want to be dragged down and have to support me since my family’s financial situation was bad.”

“Oh, wow.” Haneul said and then thought of Sungyeol. The drowning sensation of guilt washed over her again as she had to remind herself that he didn’t run from her. He just happened to run at the same time that bad things had happened to Sungyeol. His reason for running wasn’t Haneul. Not at all. Or at least, so Haneul hoped.

“Yes. So that’s the worst part of my life summed up. Now for your side of the story?” Soo Jin questioned.

Haneul her bottom lip then bit it in nervousness. She had made up a believable story about it. “Well… Like your father, my father left me.” Haneul softly said.

“Well that’s one thing we have in common then.” Soo Jin commented.

Haneul could only nod wordlessly. “He left me and my mother on my 10^th birthday’s eve.” Haneul said and then bit her lip as she realised that the only other person in the world she had ever told this story to was Woohyun. Anyone else who knew had heard about it from someone else’s mouth. Haneul had no idea why she was telling Soo Jin before she was even going to tell Hwayoung, but she just knew for some reason she trusted Soo Jin with this. Because Soo Jin was the one whose father had left her by choice, not because he was murdered. Soo Jin was the one who had lost the love of someone because of bad things that had happened in her life, much like Haneul.

“On the eve?” Soo Jin raised an eyebrow, “That’s a bit cruel isn’t it.”

“No, actually…” Haneul paused as she her lips again and then began speaking again, “He left on my birthday. At 12:00:21 am, he slammed the front door shut and left.” Haneul tried to shut the sounds of her mother’s sad cries that night out of her head.

“Your father is a stupid man.” Soo Jin said understandingly as she bent over and rubbed her face and thought of her own father, “And mine is too. Why did your father leave again?”

“He left because he said he no longer loved both me and my mother.” Haneul sighed and looked at the ground, remembering that it was all her fault. It was all completely her fault that her sister had died and that her father had taken out his frustration by leaving the family and in turn causing her mother to be forever broken. “I wish I never did what I had done. I was the reason our family broke.” Haneul covered her face and whispered, “The family which always seemed so strongly bonded actually had soluble bonds and I was the one who poured water on them.” Haneul sighed and held back the tears.

“Yah, you little nerd. Don’t talk in scientific terms like that.” Soo Jin said as she poked Haneul’s head, although speaking a lot softer than usual. “And you also said you and your mother? What about your sister?”

The look in Haneul’s eyes completely changed while she was still staring at the ground as she thought about her sister. Then something she always tried to keep away at bay came flowing out. Her memories of the day her sister died.

Soo Jin gave Haneul a confused look. “Haneul-ah?” She said and raised an eyebrow. Haneul couldn’t hear Soo Jin’s words at all. “Haneul-ah?” Soo Jin asked with a little more urgency in her voice. Haneul still didn’t respond. “Haneul!” She shouted and pulled Haneul’s face to face her own. Her hands immediately dropped downwards when she saw the look on Haneul’s face. Her face was pale, so pale. Her lips looked like they were trembling, but what scared her most of all was the look in her eyes. It was something she’d never expect to see on the fearless Haneul’s face.

It was an extreme amount of pain. And terror. And guilt. All mixed in one.