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She's just five-years-old, wandering through the dark corridors that seemed to haunt her mind every moment, chilling her to the bones despite not understanding many things. She tiptoes through the night, silently begging the fates above to not let her get lost.
All she wanted was some water.
She had made it to the kitchen, but now as she walks back, she can't remember the way she had come. The mansion is too big, too symmetrical, and too similar for her to even process which way to go. The ominous and dark feeling brought by the mysterious mechanisms and devices didn't help as they were lined up against each of the walls.
She's breaking a rule right now.
Five-year-old Taehwa knows that rules are meant to be followed—otherwise, the consequences would be severe. At best, she'd be locked inside her room. At worst, she'd be locked inside the room.
She hopes that luck will be on her side.
But, she doesn't notice the strong footsteps the pause as they stare at the fleeting figure of the five-year-old girl. She doesn't hear the sounds of feet clattering follow her every turn she makes. She doesn't hear the typing sounds of the phone or the silent whispering noises.
She doesn't realize until a hand reaches her shoulder, its cold presence freezing the little girl in her tracks. She's immediately whipped around, forced to stare at the one eyes she doesn't want to see in terror.
His mere presence, something that should've been calming, only instills fear into her. At this moment, the five-year-old girl wants nothing more than to run away from the area. She wishes she'd never left her room and tried to break a rule. She could've survived without water.
"Little Flower, did you just try to run away?"
What? What does he mean? I just wanted water.
"N-No! I just—I just wanted some water!"
The old male tsks, annoyed of the little girl in front of him. "If that's true, then why are you at the entrance?"
Only at that moment does the girl look past her father to see the big double-doors adorning the entrance to the mansion.
"I pinky promise! I wasn—"
The girl is flung to the floor, streams of tears easily springing to her eyes as she wails in pain.
"You left your room without permission. You tried running away. And now, you're trying to talk back to me," Lee Taejin states, his eyes still cold and unwavering despite Taehwa being in absolute pain. "That's three rules."
