pretty flower | 강새벽

006

WARNING: This chapter has a lot of topics that might be sensitive or disturbing to some people. Things such as abuse and sexual assault are mentioned in this chapter but things aren't gone into too many details. As a victim of abuse myself, I understand if this may be hard to read.

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"Who do you think you are? Running away? A bitch like you doesn't deserve to roam the world on her own!" my father yelled as he continued hitting me "You didn't finish your chores, and the house was a mess because of you! And the other brats paid for it. Are you happy now?" 

I didn't answer, guilt filling my head. 

"Answer me, slut!" he grabbed onto my hair, pulling my head towards him so we were face to face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave with things left unfinished." I spoke softly, trying not to upset him more. 

"If you think about sneaking out again, I promise you, I will make sure you can't go anywhere again." 

He let go of my hair, throwing me to the ground. I crashed into the wooden coffee table, it breaking and causing pieces of wood to go flying and stabbing into me. 

"You bitch! Did you just break my table?" he spat in my face

"No sir, you did," I spoke through gritted teeth. My answer didn't please him, causing him to grab me by the hair again, pushing me into the backyard. He began hitting me again, only stopping when my body was too weak to fight back. 

"That should teach you not to talk back." he walked away, locking the door and leaving me outside in the cold. 

I waited a while before attempting to sit up. I looked into the broken mirror that sat outside, noticing all the blood and bruises that covered me. 

"What did I ever do to you?" I muttered as I started cleaning myself up with rainwater on the ground. 

I looked back towards the house, looking up at the rooms, to see my 5-year-old sister watching me. She waved with a big smile on her face, her mouth moving too fast for me to read her lips. 

I blew her a kiss just before the back door of the house opened again, harshly. 

"Get up. You have work to do." He grabbed my arm, yanking me off the ground, back into the house. He pushed me towards the kitchen, shoving a knife towards me. I grabbed it quickly and set off to work, cooking the meal to my father's standards. 

"Brats! Get down here!" he yelled for my siblings. Seconds after he finished speaking, soft footprints echoed through the house.

It wasn't long before all my siblings were downstairs, standing in age order. The oldest, standing to the furthest left, was my younger brother, Hyun-woo. He was skinnier than the last time I saw him and his hair was still as messy. Although he was only 14, he was quite mature for his age and did his best to take charge when I wasn't there. 

Standing next to Hyun-woo, was my 9-year-old sister, Sung-Lee. Her glasses her falling off her face and there was dirt covering her whole body. 

The last of my siblings, Chi-ah, stood next to Sung-Lee, holding her hand and hiding behind her ever so slightly. Chi-ah was the biggest reason I wanted to get them all out of this house. When my father isn't home, she is the happiest person ever. Her 5-year-old personality shows and grows as she explores and uses her imagination. But as soon as my father returns home, she loses her youth. She loses her innocence. 

"Why are you standing there looking at me like that? Get to work!" he yells once more, causing them to start scrambling around the house, doing chores that were unnecessary. 

"Chi-ah, come here." Although his tone was a bit softer as he attempted not to scare her, his face was pure evil. 

"Coming papa" she waddled over to him, climbing onto his lap.

"Chi-ah, you're quite smart. Can you tell me what happens to little girls who don't listen?" 

"They get punished" 

As she said this, my body tensed up. Why was she being forced to answer this? 

"That's right. And what kind of punishments do they get?" 

"No dinner and they sleep outside." 

"I knew you were smart" he smirks and places her on the ground "Now, go back to your work or you'll have to be punished." 

Chi-ah rushed back to the corner she was in, getting back to work. 

"Sun-hi. You heard what your sister said, right?" he turns towards me

"Yes, sir." 

"Then why are you still standing there?" 

"Because there is nothing for me to do." 

"Nothing?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Well, in that case, I want you to go upstairs and wait for me." 

I nod my head slowly, knowing what was going to happen. I headed upstairs, my body cold and scared. Please, not this again.

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I lay on his bed, bare and crying. He stood over me with a grim smile as he got dressed again. 

"You're so beautiful Sun-hi, did you know that?" he asks as he caresses my face. 

"Yes sir." I stutter, not wanting him to touch me. 

"Get dressed and go back downstairs, there is new work for you to do." he leaves the room and closes the door behind him, leaving me alone to cry quietly. 

I take a few moments before heading downstairs, my face cold and emotionless as ever. 

"Get me a cold beer, now!" he yells as I make my way down the stairs. I rush into the kitchen and grab him a small case of beers that had been put in the fridge. 

"Here, sir." I hand him the case and he grabs it before going back to watching the TV. 

I walk away, heading towards Hyun-woo. 

"I'm sorry," I whisper to him as I pretend to do work beside him. 

"I'm sure you had good reasons." He answered.

"I was trying to get some money so we could get out of this shit-hole." 

"How could you get enough money? It's impossible unless you robbed a bank or something." 

"Hyun-woo, I promised you guys I would get you out of here, didn't I" he nods "I'm not going to let him continue hurting you guys just because he's an asshole who shouldn't be allowed to have children. I will get the money, no matter what it costs. I will get you out of here and I will make sure you guys stay safe." 

"If you do happen to get the money, how will you get us out of here without him finding out?"

"We'll do it at night or when he's passed out or at work." 

"Fine, but don't tell Chi-ah and Sung-Lee. We don't want to get their hopes up." 

"I wasn't going to tell them for that reason." 

He nods and stands up, walking away.

I promise I will keep you safe. Even if it means risking my life. 

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Word Count: 1181