Moments 2.0 | Sweet Home | Cha Hyun Soo

Chapter 5: Foolish

FOOLISH

*

The woman is talking to an empty baby stroller.

That's the first thing Yeonha notices after returning to consciousness and coming back to her senses. Originally she thought the woman had been talking to her child, but upon looking closer, Yeonha saw nothing but a blanket inside the stroller.

She does not point out the obvious to the woman, how could she? This woman had saved her even though she was a stranger, the last thing she wanted to do was break her heart by telling her there was no baby there. There were after all more dangerous things out there than a delusional woman.

So instead Yeonha smiles, as the woman introduces her imaginary child Daeun.

"It's a lovely name." She replies, and the woman smiles.

"It is isn't it?" The woman beams, and it sends a pang of sadness to Yeonha's heart.

That expression, was that what a mother who adored their child was supposed to look like? This woman could look at an empty pram like that when her own mother had only looked at her with a scowl or a sneer.

The woman picks up on Yeonha's gloomy expression and clucks her tongue. "You poor thing look at you."

Yeonha let the woman coddle her, brush her hair, and pick her a change of clothes; the woman even fished out a lip tint from somewhere and insisted Yeonha wear it, "Lipstick can't solve all problems but it's a pretty great start." She smiles.

Yeonha was not one for wearing anything more than lip balm, but couldn't bring herself to deny the woman. Truthfully after everything, she enjoyed the comfort, in this small reprieve from impending doom she could pretend she was just a girl borrowing lipstick from her mother. "Thank you," She says with a smile gingerly taking the pink tube from the woman and standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she swipes a little bit of colour on her bottom lip, before pressing them both together.

When she leaves the bathroom, the woman smiles, clapping her hands together and gushing. "So pretty!" "There we are, don't you feel better with a bit of colour?"

Yeonha smiles and nods and feels warm inside, but it's not because of the tea or lipstick or the kind words.

Was this what it felt like to have a proper mother?

If it was then she was thankful to have had a small glimpse of it before becoming a monster at least.

"Oh silly me," The woman immediately widens her eyes as she lifts a hand to her mouth. "I didn't even introduce myself to you did I? You can call me Ms Lim, but what should I call you?"

"Yeonha." She replies, giving the woman an awkward bow in greeting. "My name is Yeonha."

"A pretty name for a pretty young lady. I hope my Da Eun grows up to be as pretty as you."

"I'm sure she will grow up to be even prettier."

The walls and ground start to shake, at first Yeonha thinks it's an earthquake until a foreboding chill runs up her arms and she hears a rumbling sound that she only realises as it nears is actually a word repeated over and over.

"Protein."

Children's screams follow the sound and as soon as she hears them, Ms Lim heads straight for her door with the stroller in hand.

"Wait." Yeonha cries in alarm, putting her hand on Ms Lim's arm to stop her. "You can't go out there."

She had no weapon, nothing to defend herself with- how could she just go out there when it wasn't safe?