in the quiet sanctuary of a small-town church, two souls from different worlds collide. yunjin, a gay girl with a vibrant spirit, finds herself navigating the rigid expectations of her conservative family. each sunday, she seeks solace in the church...
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chapter one ˚✧ ₊˚ʚ
yunjin fiddled with the hems of her lacey white dress, her fingers intertwining with the loose ends to somewhat ease the feeling of betrayal and pure pain that she felt. this car felt suffocating, as if the words that were hanging in the air were grasping onto her throat in an attempt to keep her stuck.
"yunjin, you better be on your best behavior in this church. don't you dare embarrass me, and that includes none of your funny talk." her father spat, eyeing the red haired girl from the mirror as he drove. yunjin felt her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth, the lack of moisture in her mouth was enough to send her into a spiral of uncomfortableness.
"yes sir," she mumbled silently, her eyes glancing back to the blur of trees whipping past her as they drove. she was uncomfortable, the feeling that was in the car was thick of tension and she yearned for nothing more than to just throw herself out of the moving vehicle.
"you look beautiful," her mother spoke softly as she turned back to face her daughter, her arm extending out to give her a light squeeze on the knee. she gave her mom a light smile, an attempt to somewhat say thank you despite the fact that she felt everything but beautiful.
yunjin's eyes trailed up to the mirror of the car, her eyes examining the makeup that sat nicely on the purple bruise, because no one could know that someone like her father had laid a hand on her.
"we're here," her father spoke as the car slowed down, her eyes traveled to the church. it was a quaint place, that sat upon a hill with colored stained glass encasing the outside-despite the fact that it was a church it was still beautiful.
the three of them got out, yunjin following closely behind her mother in an attempt to stop the oncoming anxiety that trailed behind her with heavy steps. "mom.." she whispered softly, only loud enough to where her mother could hear. "i'm scared." she mumbled out, her eyes looking into her moms soft ones.
she never understood what her mom saw in her father, while the man may have been good when they were younger-as they aged he did nothing but become more hostile and aggressive towards the two. but she stayed, through it all.
"it's okay baby," her mom whispered back, lightly pushing back frail pieces of red hair that had fallen out of place. "it's okay to be scared, you got this. i'll be with you the entire time." she said, giving the girl a light squeeze on the chin after she pushed back her out of place hair.
she gulped back the fear and bile that seemed to be itching up her throat, and followed the two timidly into the church house. the air was cold, sending immediate shivers down yunjin's face.
she had never felt so out of place, her red hair being so vibrant against all the collections of browns, blacks, and blondes. she was the odd one out. she let her eyes travel as they walked through the corridor full of people of all ages, eyeing all of the pieces of work that was supposedly done from sections from the bible-or something along those lines she thought. the white marble floor was slick, enough to make her slight heels feel wobbly as they made their way to the sanctuary itself.
