#spoiledsins

The slippers belonging to Wenhan have been occupied by Minseo as her feet dangle off of the edge of the entrance to the house, himself by her side. They were sharing an afternoon together as he held her hand. Minseo confesses that she was feeling a little heartbroken, and so did he. So they agreed to be by each other’s side for the time being. No one would truly understand how she felt other than him. On most things.

“Do you think I’d ever have that?” Minseo feels his hand draw something— a character of some sort. She follows it.

“Someone loves you as much as you love them?” Wenhan’s words come out as a statement rather than curiosity, he finishes the lines on her palm. “A partner. Loyalty.”

There was a drop of tear on his skin, herself just letting the sadness wash over her. She felt annoyed being like this again— refusing to face him. “Bird..?” A soft chuckle. A bitter one as she guesses what he had traced. “What is it— sparrow?”

His hand cups her face, their foreheads rest against each other. There was a gentle grin on Wenhan’s lips while he erases the traces of her tears. “Sparrow, my air calligraphy is shit.”

She kisses his cheek, leaning down on his shoulder for comfort. She prefers no one else when it comes to things like this. He continues on as he leans his cheek down her head.

“I think you’ll have it… it might not be how you imagined it…”

~

“Wear it, just incase,” he muses, preparing to leave. The bracelet was subtle, odd looking and didn’t look like it belonged in their time. “Don’t do anything stupid while you’re alone here.”

“Sure,” she looks at it, still having a hard time wrapping her thoughts of this jewelry she was told was like a beacon— Minseo’s form waits by the door as Chaz wears his shoes. He couldn’t help but notice as the awkward pause was there. She sighs. “I promise not to do anything stupid while I’m alone here.”

“Good.” He stands, another pause before he realizes another pair of slippers were there. It implied she won’t be alone for long. “I’ll visit you again when I can. After Liverpool, maybe? To check up on you.”

“You can just call.”

“You don’t answer sometimes. And aside from that, you don’t tell me the truth. I’d have to see it for myself now.”

He was right. Minseo’s been terrible at keeping in contact with anyone lately. She was thankful. Another pause, “well— don’t forget to eat.”

It seemed like she wanted to say something before she raises a hand to wave goodbye. He does the same thing, with a smile and all.

~

“Mm— noona, I think you should just stay here.” Neo’s voice pipes up, chuckling a bit as Minseo returns it. “You’re just meant for the city.”

“Maybe in the future—“ she responds, taking a sip of her drink. They walk side by side as others, “who knows, maybe Santa might answer your wish this year?”

His face lights up as there was a hint Minseo will return to Seoul. But there was also a different message she laced it with. “I look forward to it. After all, you’ll be here for my wedding, right?”

A soft hand on his back, she felt welcomed to invitation. She smiles gently, nodding at the exchange.

~

“You know— you don’t have to keep baking for me—“ she chuckles as Sangmi stacks bread in front of her “Give it to your other friends?”

“I already have— you take it.” She argues, and last stack of it was pushed to her side of the table as Minseo thanks her, placing them back in the tote bag. Her fingers tap the table as Sangmi tries to extend the conversation. “Hey— are you alright? We haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“Oh you know, here and there.” She answers— not that there was really anything to say. “Listen… thank you, for all of this, really.”

“It’s what friends are for.” Her voice was gentle, trying to lighten the mood. Minseo never really thought she was ever close to sangmi, she only became acquainted with her because of Woori. But this was beyond what she had expected of her. Minseo’s heart was already locked away by the time everything had happened, and surely, looking at Sangmi felt painful for some reason. “But I do hope you come back to Seoul soon! And, permanently. Maybe we can have another spa night—?”

There was a gentle smile, nodding in agreement as she felt welcomed. For a moment her eyes avert to her hands before nodding.

“I’d like that.”

~

“Jiejie, that’s a lot of eggs—“ Xian haggled them to prevent them from falling while Minseo held Juju in her arms. A quick visit to him before travelling, she couldn’t help but think how he’s been since the accident. 

Xian must’ve caught on as he sees her looking at his hand. “It’s fine, how many times do I have to tell you that?”

She doesn’t respond and looks away before letting the cat go, inviting himself to sit on his chair and the younger one couldn’t help but immediately set up a small plate for her so they can eat the tiramisu she brought. The two don’t exchange as much words as she does with his older brother, as it seemed they were better at exchanging actions. He’s grown so much, it felt strange she actually meets up with him on his own. The first slice lands on her plate, before he serves himself. 

“I still can’t believe it has eggs--”

“We’re not talking about this--” 

~

“Here’s the recent files you asked for, also— heads up that your father’s pretty much still searching for you in Japan. I wouldn’t go there if I were you.” A lunch break with Matteo was always quick, but she opted to let Hyejung join as well. After all, they became her unofficial bodyguards. “Woori’s schedules won’t be late until the recording later tonight so Hyejung will accompany you.”

“Mm—“ half way through her chewing, Hyejung presents a child’s pill case and hands it to Minseo. She looks at her odd as they chuckle. “Figured you might get discouraged if Pororo is staring in to your soul.”

“Thoughtful.” She rolls her eyes before she too, eats. As a matter of fact, she was eating well compared before. The two notice. “Thank you. Both of you.”

“You’re eating well today.” Hyejung muses to the older one as Matteo just grins. “Someone visited?”

She only sighs, finishing the food quietly.

~

“Honestly… I don’t know— but if he’s ready, I’m ready!” Woori excitedly announces as she cuddled next to her. The two were sharing each other’s hopes for the next few years. “You’ll be my Maid of Honor, right?”

To be honest, Minseo hasn’t thought that far. She knows what she’s getting into, so whatever the outcome it would be too dangerous for her to know. She held her hand softly. Smiling at the thought of seeing her in a wedding dress, of who she could proudly call her sister. “Of course. I’d be honored, my dear.”

The girls talked about everything that night. From how their lives would be in the future, to how much have changed since they were little. They shared a laugh or two about decisions they’ve made, and we’re able to heal a little from what was lost.

“Hey…” she pipes up suddenly, Woori’s doe eyes look up to her. “Thank you, for caring.”

The younger one’s smile fades, knowing what she meant. But she just smiles again and sighs, nodding and accepting it.

~

From time to time, Minseo looks at people’s messages on how she’s doing before heading out. To remind herself that it’s not so bad. She wishes they always had a good day, hoping that whatever they are going through would somehow be easier if it won’t go by quickly.

“Your aunts and uncles are pestering me as always.” She speaks, her reflection on the glass being shown as she cleans up Jinwoo’s cubicle. There were many things left behind like toys and snacks. “I see that they are also spoiling you here, huh?” She chuckles, she was diligent in ensuring he had more space for the next few visitors. Minseo began to tell about her day with her friends whom Jinwoo had also liked.

“Watch over them for me, okay? You know how much they love you...” She speaks, putting him back and closes the glass door. Her palm on it before she goes off. “And me… so be their angel. Dont work too hard though, I dont want you getting tired, alright?” There was a soft gust of wind outside. "Looks like Uncle Wenhan's having a pretty tough week too. Get to him first, I'm sure he will appreciate a blessing or two."

She enters her car, sighing for a moment as she drives back to the countryside. The city becomes a small picture behind her, she smiles softly to herself, thinking how lucky she was despite everything else that had happened.

~

29

“You’re almost 30, this should’ve been the right time to take the company,” Yohan muses, finishing the final steps of her false identifications in a document. From IDs to passport just in case things go awry, everything was prepared. “You’re really ready to leave everything behind if things don’t go as planned?”

“They’ll be fine without me.” She responds, taking another pill. There was a soft chuckle heard on his end. “They did it once, they can do it again.”

“Again?” His words were laced with curiosity. His hands expertly presses buttons here and there. In an instant, her identity changes on paper.

“Trust me, this wasn’t the first time.”

A hum to respond, he was able to finish the last of her documents, placing everything neatly in an envelope. He placed the passport on top for to take a look at, as she exchanged a lump sum of money in a different envelope. It was thick and he had trusted her as this wasn’t the first time she had asked such favor. The only difference is that it was for her. Yohan jokes of how the name was boyish, suggesting a much gentler sounding name.

“Pleasure doing business with you, as always.” He tips his head while she reads her new identity. “Until then, ‘Seojin’. I look forward to seeing you again.”

~

“You are not ready!!” His voice echoes throughout the hall, herself being stubborn as ever. “You can barely walk and you expect yourself to go off to carry out your plan?! What’s this? A suicide mission??”

Punch him.

“Matteo, I asked you to carry out everything if I failed.” She retorts calmly but her anger is already filled to the brim. “I told you to protect me.”

“I can’t do it properly if you constantly put yourself in danger when I’m not around.” He argues, also angered at the situation. “At least let your senses heal first and we can carry it from there.”

“I have to move as quickly as I can—“

“You barely got it together—“

“Don’t speak to me that way!” Her voice rises. It was an out burst that catches Hyejung’s attention, she comes into view to witness it all. “I’m still your boss—“

“Then act like one!!” His voice was stern, also raising at the peak of his anger. “You think this is easy for me?! I’ve known you my entire life—! This isn’t you—!!”

This person is a threat. Hurt him.

There was a pause. Her face softens. She felt sorry. Having Hyejung near by prevented her from lashing out completely. Before she walks away from it all.

~

Before she can even place a pill on her mouth, the doorstep opens.

“Are you sure you wanna do that?” Hyejung’s by her side soon enough, their hands touch and she couldn’t feel the warmth. “You were in the brink of an overdose, and I hate to agree with him, but he’s right.”

She might hurt you.

Minseo’s annoyance rises once again, closing the cap of the pills and hands it over. She was quiet, the two share a comfortable silence before she tosses the pill on her hand to the ground.

“We’re here for you—“

“Stop saying that—“ she huffs out, “I get it— I’m not mentally stable to be doing anything right now. Can we just move on?”

“No, because you wouldn’t.” Hyejung frowns. She understands this difficult period and was trying her best not to trigger anything further. “It’s hard I’m sure. But there’s no reason to be this destructive.”

“This is me. This has always been me.” Destructive. Full of deceit and pain. Every time she chased love, it ends up being taken away from her. Minseo finally accepted that she can never have love like the rest. It wasn’t for her.

Have your defenses up.

~

“Since when did you smoke again?” Cash’s voice echoes between the loud music he played, opting to lay his head on her lap. His eyes were bewildered but the blunt was on his mouth. “You’re a ‘pop-a-pill’ kind of girl as far as I remember.”

“I dont-- and correct,” she responds, her line of sight in the ceiling as her hand fluff his hair. The smoke alone was already making her feel things. “Be careful smoking that around here. Aren’t you worried?” 

“About?~” He chuckles, tugging her chin down to look at him. The face of someone who’s mourning faces her, too. “Try it once.”

“No--”

“Once.” He bugs. He gets up, invading her personal space once more as the little roll is on her face. She shakes her head no again. He decides to push his luck one more time.

“What do you have to lose, little miss perfect?”

Her head tilts, she wasn’t new to things like this. But the habits she came to know were learned because of her surroundings. Of course things were more of a grander scale or she was impressing someone she needed to get a hold of. All of that changed when she was able to find the love of her life. But now it’s gone again, she couldn’t help but feel reckless. What do you have to lose? Her hand reaches for it, and she smokes after a long decade of avoiding them. Cash’s amusement of Minseo actually taking it all in made him laugh. She still had it in her, being able to hold it in her lungs well enough to blow it out of his face. And then came another round. It didn’t take long before the effects began. On top of the alcohol previously, and other drugs that was on her system already… the combination was not the best.

What?…. To lose…. what do you have to lose…?

“Cash... I feel sick...” She whispers, while the younger one observes. He held her hand gently. “I wanna go home.” She rises, despite his protests.

There was a chuckle as she was being tugged back to the couch. She started hallucinating about little things. She was looking at her hand, but it looked like a child’s. Her head feels lighter, and it looks like she’s in a brink of passing out.

She apologizes as he holds on to her, and the tears come. 

~

19

Screams fill her room as the house staff listen to it. There was no warning, there was no stopping it. They’ll just let her emotions out considering she never once lashed out publicly — understanding that it’s not her place to do it in front of others. Her room was trashed, glass shards sprawls danger on the floor. She hurts herself from gripping her hair in an action to pull them out. Her throat dry from the endless shrieks she let out. She didn’t even remember why she was angry. All she knew is that it had already built up for this week that she needs to make room for more. 

So she lets it out.

“20 minutes, ma’am.” She hears, continuing to let out her rage. It was a timer, before her father comes in the house.

She calms down at how close the time was. Minseo regains composure, as if nothing happened just now. The staff took this chance to begin cleaning up as she huffs out her breaths.

“10 minutes.” A car was heard pull up in their home, followed by the garage being felt open beneath her feet. She wipes her tears, before being handed a pill. It controlled her to be calm— worked right away like always. There was a staff that fixed her hair, made her look presentable, and ensured there were no traces of the “ugliness” she labeled her self when she was like this.

Step on it, it’s your punishment.

They send her off, leaving her room pristine and clean. Her footsteps try to make sense of which direction to go. Her father enters the home with his guards as they greet the heiress when she walks past. Minseo is standing in front of her father with a mute expression.

Jungnam takes a deep breath, suspicious to his daughter as his eyes bore to hers. “I spoke to the university directors about your status. You’re going there for business.” Her files were handed, defeated inside as she looks over that her designated route of her studies will be business. “You got in on your own, which is great. That’s not a problem when the school interviews you.”

She can only bow before his father sees that there were little droplets of blood trailing from her foot. Jungnam sighs heavily, knowing there was something she destroyed— whatever it was, it seemed like a frequent occurrence.

“Clean it up, whatever it is.” He was stern. “I didn’t raise you to be filthy.”

“Yes, papa.”

Weakling.

~

09

There was a hot breeze that entered the family home. Jungnam sat by his mother’s side as she drank tea.

“I read Minseo’s file from the child psychologist,” it tensed him up because he knew what was in it too. “You’re being too harsh on her. That’s not gonna be good for her in the future.”

“Mother, I’m not being harsh. I’m preparing her for this. All of it— just as much as I have been with Hyeseo.” He mentions, the scene below catches their eyes. He stands up to watch but the matriarch at the moment remains calm. “I treat them fairly just in case either one takes the company off of me.”

“That’s because you like Hyeseo,” she muses. Minseo comes into view with their family house staff in distress. Jungnam furrows his brows at what he was seeing. “You treat Minseo like a spare tire, she goes off discovering things on her own because she’s not given the same chances as Hyeseo. It doesn’t seem fair, no?”

They bring out the dead rabbit to discard, while someone tends to the young heiress’ wound. Her hand was cut from the branch. Her father watches, wondering why she isn’t crying like most children would’ve. Her grandmother stands up and turns around to leave the premises with the intent to comfort the child.

A message interrupting her new routine was surprising, considering there are only five people who message her for the most mundane things if it wasn’t business related. The message didn’t come much of a surprise, though the message itself was something that caught her attention fully. Hyejung’s situation was brought to light by Matteo, who insists that Minseo was the only one who can help out with something related to it financially. 

Taking out  ₩ 8 Million was nothing out of the reach for her. In fact, she chuckles at the thought of how much Hyejung was worth to this person. A person is worth that... Just the fact that her own father was able to rack up this much debt to place his own child on the line triggered not only her maternal instincts, but also her demeanor to protect her own friend. She agrees to use her ability to enclose the money, but it was no easy feat considering her status at the moment.

It took awhile to convince many people to take more than what was asked. Minseo hated meddling with outside problems because it would mean she can get tied to other people’s problems. Hyejung wasn’t a stranger to her and this is the least she could do. But knowing that this wasn’t her issue at all, she had planned out to meet this ‘father’ of hers to end things.

She steps back her foot in Seoul just in time to know that she was already in better care. Minseo tried to not let the situation worry her so much, but she couldn’t help but wonder what she had went through. She was no stranger to something like that, so she knew what Hyejung must’ve went through. 

“In exchange, I want you to leave your her alone.” Her voice was stern to the man, taking a look at how similar his features were of his daughter. “Forever.”

“Forever?!” The man stutters. “I can’t possibly do that--!”

“You did it when she was younger, when you left her out in the open for everyone to grab her-- I’m sure you can do it now, too.” it pierces through the man. She knew these things about her friend enough to use it against him. “This is more than enough to clean up your mess, and I am sure I’m not the only one to want you out of her radar.” She gets up, leaving it with a stern note that it’s what he must do. 

Minseo leaves the cash in his hands, but not long before she can walk away as the man’s wife grabs her. She was surprised to say the least. 

“How can you give us all of this?! Do you think we’re some kind of leeches??” The woman, who she can only assume was the step mother, grapples her hand. “Hyejung’s responsibility is to give what his father wants!! She’s nothing without him!”

She uses her free hand to slap the woman, and it was hard. Before the man could react, her eyes already warned him not to do anything about it. 

“Hyejung’s responsibility is to live with no worries, and most certainly not have someone who didn’t even know where she was before her success,” Minseo liked to see the woman watch her in fear. She knew she was powerful. “I wouldn’t want any of you to ever come near her again, you understand?” Her footsteps come close, before standing up straight and softly sighs. “Because I can do more than just slap you in the face, if I really wanted to. . .”

~

“Wow... that’s a lot of money,” she mentions, lying through her teeth perfectly as she watches Hyejung on the couch. She was telling the story to her as if she didn’t know. “Still, I really hope your father would leave you alone.”

“I’m still figuring out who payed the loans...” the bandages on her just shows to what extent the torture must’ve been. Minseo knew what that was like, being on the receiving and the giving end. There was another thought in her mind though, considering how perfect her face was with the lack of bruising. Wasn’t she injured just days ago...? 

“I just don’t understand who would do that,” her hands fidget, and she seemed nervous.

“There was a doctor who once told me that if I ever needed anything, all I have to do is ask her. So I did.” She starts, crossing her arms and looks out to distract the fact that she wanted to keep it low. "That was you. And even if you weren’t my doctor then, I know you would do the same thing for me."  Minseo huffs. “You’re my friend, I just wished you told me sooner...” 

Hyejung couldn’t answer. Minseo knew it wasn’t her place to meddle with it. She didn’t even know about the troubles she was going through. What Hyejung knows is that Minseo just did a visit. Nothing more than someone stopping by to see how she was. She notices the younger one’s blank thought. It seemed like this was something that bothered her. 

“Hyejung,” perhaps it was better that way too, before she gets carried away. “You were in danger. I don’t think I would ever set foot in here if I wasn’t notified. We care about you and I hope you know were here for you.”

She was moved. Hyejung just comes to hug her, much to the other’s dismay. A soft pat on her back, before she chuckles. “I’m sorry... I’m just not used to this... But, I promise to be there for you too.” 

“You’ve always been here for me.”

~

Years ago:

Hospitals were a gloomy place for Minseo. It always had, it always been. This time, she knew her hours were counted. 

The family had been notified that their grandmother would not make it through, so to give it some time as she was in her last ends of life. She couldn’t handle the news so sparingly, considering that was her closest maternal figure. Being told to pay respects was hard. She was there day and night, after every university classes and leaving only when needed. With all of this effort, Minseo managed to befriend some staff. Hyejung was one of them, she was a volunteer for her studies at the time. The girls bonded about everything and anything at all. It was a strange feeling, because she felt she can just be herself around Hyejung. No pretending, No worrying about her status. Certainly nothing to hide.

“Hey... Thank you for being here, by the way.” Minseo mentions, feeling a little shy to confess something like that. She still found it surprising that she was young and managed to accomplish so well in her studies. “Please, let’s keep in touch when all of this is over. I doubt I’ll see you again and that worries me.” 

“Oh I’m sure we will have time,” she looks out the building, sitting by her side. “And don’t worry about it. Besides, I know you’ll be there for me too when time comes. Isn’t that what friends are for?” Hyejung smiles, which Minseo couldn’t help but do as well.