“Unnie, I’ll get going first.”

Hyejoo called to her sister who is cleaning up in the kitchen. Sticking a head out from the kitchen, Hyemi waved.

“Bye, stay safe.”

“Nehhh.”

And the door closes.

Turning back to the unwashed plates, she glances at the clock hanging on the wall. It reads 7.50 a.m. She still has time left before her class starts so she decided to wipe the dusty cabinet in the living room. It's been a while since she last clean it. When she comes across the family picture of just the three of them, she smiled.

Their father was an irresponsible man. When their mother left them when they were only seven and Joohyuk, twelve, he ran off with debts without caring about them. They had no idea if he’s still alive or not because he’d cut off all connections with them and she didn't want to know.

Hyemi and Hyejoo never mentioned their father in front of Joohyuk because they knew how much the older one hates him. He ran off when they needed him the most and being the oldest, he had to take up all the responsibility in protecting this family, in protecting them. And both of them knew how hard it was for him.

Their mother had heart disease and even if there’s a chance for heart transplant at the last minute, her mother still wouldn’t be saved, because of… Hyemi.

She knew the reason why their mother died and although her siblings told her that it’s not her fault. True, they went mad at what Hyemi did to their mother but they also know it wasn’t done intentionally so they didn’t blame her. After that night, all their fate changes and Hyemi believes it’s all because of her.

If only, if only she didn’t press that button, would her mother still be here, smiling down brightly at them?

If only, if only she wasn’t curious on how the machine works, would their life be better?

If only, if only she didn’t visit her mother that night without permission, would-

Without realizing, she broke down into tears, holding onto the picture frame tightly.  Her heartbeat thumped very fast as if its going to explode and its slowly getting harder to breathe. Her back hits the small cabinet next to her as she tried to reach for her bag.

As a punishment for what she did, she inherited the heart disease from her mother. Her heart is very weak and she can’t do physical activity like what normal kids can. She can’t run because she’ll get asthma. She has to maintain her heartbeat so that she won