«Why are you so kind to me?» he asked. They had been out in the garden for hours. They had moved up from the grass, now they were sitting on a bench under some trees, just looking out over the pond.
«I think everyone deserves a second chance.»
«Even me?»
«You're not the worst person to ever exist, Seonghwa.»
«I could be.»
«Nope. I've met worse.»
«Like?»
«Pretty much anyone working at the slave house.»
«Yeah, true. Your friend doesn't like me, though. I don't blame him.»
«Hyunjin? He's just protective of me.»
«Are you a couple?»
«No, definitely not. We were friends before I became a slave. Friends with benefits. I tried not to take advantage of his feelings for me, but... I might still have.»
«Yeah, he loves you. I could tell.»
«Well, he might have loved me once, but that was a long time ago. We're just colleagues now.»
«You're in the Butterfly... what did you call it?»
«The Butterfly movement, yeah. We kind of started it together, I guess. He's in charge, though. I have no desire to lead. I just want to fix what my father ruined.»
«Your father?»
«My father helped the slavery business in this country when it started. He was the doctor who made the serum that all slaves are injected with. In the beginning, the serum would take your memory, to help with an easier transition into being a slave. That was the reasoning, as crazy as it sounds. But when he realized what he had done, the magnitude of it all, he made a version of the serum that only lasted a few weeks. When the slaves got their memories back they were able to fight back. Remembering your past gives you some of your power back. Of course, the slave houses found out and returned to the original version. I was one of the first to get the permanent version. I'm going to stop it and make sure every slave gets to remember. It's cruel to steal someone's memory, and I promised my father I would finish his work.»
«Is he dead now? Your father?»
«Yes, both my parents are dead. And my sister. I'm alone.»
She felt his hand squeeze her leg gently. She appreciated him having compassion for her at this moment.
«I shouldn't be in this house,» he said.
«You're free to leave. You're no longer a slave.»
He sat up and looked at her. He was terrified. «I don't remember anything. I don't know where to go.»
«We'll go together,» she said.
«Really?»
«Yes.»
«But I... took advantage of you.»
«I was your slave. I volunteered to be a slave. You didn't do me wrong.»
«What kind of person am I?»
He looked at her, ready to hear what she had to say.
«I didn't know you. You should talk to your friends.»
«No!»
He crumpled up in fear again, and she automatically pulled him close as he cried.
YOU ARE READING
Take Me Home // Ateez // Stray Kids
FanficAfter an unexpected escape from the Mansion, Aelia finds herself in a Safe House. Who is a friend and who has alternate motives? And what do the butterflies have to do with it? As a former slave, life looks empty. Aelia has to find her way in life...
