The Brightest Star in a Ruined World

[09]

A/N:
This chapter may be short, but it contains some triggering scenes. Please proceed with caution.

Chapter 9: The Story of a Mad Doctor
[☆]

「 Mad Doctor Park Hanbyeol. 」

BEFORE she became an important character in the novel, Park Hanbyeol was first an unfortunate daughter who lost both of her parents to an accidental plane crash at a tender age of six. On this day, said six-year-old girl was blankly staring at the two portraits placed at the center of the altar surrounded with a bunch of white flowers of varying kinds, namely lilies, orchids, roses, and chrysanthemums.

~
Park Byungho
+
Go Eunbyeol
~

Despite being young, the girl already understood why her nanny made her wear a black dress today, instead of wearing the strawberry red frill dress her Mama had specially bought for her sixth birthday. Being born as a smart child made her painfully aware of her current situation, but she admittedly didn't know how to handle it well as it was the first time she had experienced it.

At this moment, Park Hanbyeol's small nose wrinkled a bit as she turned her head to look around her. Like her, everyone was wearing black clothes and all of their eyes were looking at her with obvious pity. The heavy atmosphere surrounding the room made the little girl feel depressed and she honestly didn't like it one bit.

"Little Star."

A familiar voice spoke out of nowhere and Park Hanbyeol looked up to see a tall man - whose face closely resembled her father's - walking stiffly towards her. It was none other than her Uncle Seongjin.

"Uncle!" Her face visibly brightened at the sight of a familiar figure. Park Hanbyeol was relieved that she was no longer alone in this strange room full of strange people.

Seeing her relieved expression, Park Seongjin's face became distorted as he tried to suppress the growing pain in his chest. He then gently placed a hand on top of his niece's head before kneeling down in front of her.

Now that her uncle's face was hovering close to her eye level, Park Hanbyeol began to notice the dark bags under his normally sharp eyes that were bloodshot at this time.

"Uncle, did you cry? Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay."

Looking at the child's bright amber eyes that were gazing at him with sympathy, Park Seongjin lowered his head and pursed his lips. He struggled to speak for a moment, deliberating on what words to say without hurting the little girl, who was supposed to celebrate her birthday happily on this very day.

"Uncle, my parents..."

To this, Park Seongjin felt his throat closing up and he pulled the little girl into his arms to embrace her. "Your parents... They went to a far place and will not be coming back for a while. For now, Little Star will have to live with Uncle, alright?"

Hearing his statement, Park Hanbyeol could no longer stop her hands from clutching tightly on the back of her uncle's black suit. And before she knew it, big teardrops slowly slid down from her amber eyes. Ah, it seemed like she was only waiting for someone to hold her like this. After all, she was still but a child who was in need of an adult's comfort and love, particularly on this woeful day.

Park Seongjin's heart ached when he felt the little girl's tears dropping heavily on his shoulder. And with a shaky voice, he opened his mouth to utter words of consolation.

"They went to a far place to buy you a present. The most beautiful present for the most beautiful princess."

"Uncle will also miss your Mama and Papa, so let's wait for them together, okay?"