Chapter 1

Everyone was in the garden of the beautiful cozy house. A small engagement party was being held in the garden and people were drinking and celebrating.

Except for this one person, who was silently watching over the celebration from her window.

“Shinhye, are you okay sweetheart?” asked her mom, a small woman with a curly dark hair from the door.

“Yes, I’m fine, eomma,” answered the daughter, who looked exactly like the mother, except younger and glowing.

“Are you sure you are not going to congratulate your oppa and your future sister-in-law down there? I can accompany you,” this was the third time her mom checked on the only daughter after the party started half an hour ago.

“I’ll be down when there is less people. Will that be okay?”

Their small garden was already filled with guests and Shinhye didn’t think it was a good idea to be inside the crowd now.

“Sure honey. As you wish,” the elderly said with a smile, dimples formed on her chubby cheeks. “I’m going down now, your abeoji need my help with the guest.”

“Sure eomma. Eomma, I’m sorry I didn’t help much,” Shinhye said before her mom could shut the door for her.

“It’s fine sweetheart. Nothing to worry about. We don’t want you to force you and make you feel uncomfortable.”

“Hye Rin ah, could you please help me down here?” her dad called from the stairs.

“You better go eomma. I will join later,” Shinhye sent her mom off and continued watching over the party from her safe-zone.

She was thinking if she would really come down even after the guests had left. She was already feeling uncomfortable upon imagining that she would need to congratulate even to her own oppa.

It’s not like she didn’t feel comfortable with her own brother. Her family was the only people that she could be with after she got into this state. Her brother’s fiancée knew about her condition --- they were even closed before the incident ---- but everything changed. Shinhye would always lock herself in her safe-zone –her room—whenever the fiancée came to visit the house.

For her, everyone except her family was a stranger. And a stranger might harm you. That’s what her brain had been telling her ever since.

Even though she got her dark glasses on every second ---- since she could not make an eye contact to everyone including to her own family --- she still thought it would be painful once she went downstairs and congratulated the wed-to-be.

And Shinhye felt like a loser now, like she had always felt as a result of the unpleasant incident. With anxiety disorder lived inside her, she could not do much because it’s not her who control herself. It’s her brain which had been traumatized and lived in fear.

Tears dwelled inside her round dark eyes. She wished she could turn back the time and become the old her who was bright and lively. She couldn’t held the tears back anymore when she thought about her brother’s wedding this winter and she was still wearing dark glasses and never went out to meet people.

She thinks it’s better if she didn’t exist for now and she cried.

***

“You can do it. You can do it. For oppa,” Shinhye said to herself as she walked down the stairs slowly.

The celebration was coming to an end and the guests were slowly leaving the party. After hours of blaming and regretting session, Shinhye decided to make her move as she told her mom previously.

The dark glasses were still there but Shinhye changed to a simple blue dress to suit the theme party.

“It’s just for awhile. Go down and congratulate them and then you may go,” she whispered to herself again and again till she reached the garden.

Her brother was busy sending off the last guest with his fiancée.

Phew, last guest. What a relief for Shinhye.

“Shinhye, are you alright my dear?” her dad was surprised to see her.