**Fictional Obsession**
Cha Na-ra's life is a never-ending nightmare of parental abuse and suffocating loneliness. Trapped in a world where hope is a rare commodity, she finds an unexpected escape in a mysterious book titled "Mystery of the Midnight...
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Na-ra was terrified of the sound coming from the living room. She sat at her desk, books open in front of her, pretending to study, but the rising volume of her parents' argument made it impossible to focus. Her hands shook as she tried to hold her pencil, the familiar dread settling in the pit of her stomach.
“Why do you always come home so late? Do you even care about this family?” Her mother’s voice, sharp and accusatory, cut through the walls.
“It’s work, for God’s sake! Someone has to pay the bills!” Her father’s response was equally loud and defensive, the clash of their voices a nightly routine that Na-ra had grown to fear.
Na-ra’s heart raced as the argument escalated, the words becoming more heated and personal.
“You think working late excuses you from being a father? Look at what you’re doing to Na-ra! She’s terrified of you!” her mother shouted.
“Don’t you dare put this on me! You’re the one who’s always yelling! Maybe if you weren’t so bitter, this house wouldn’t be a war zone!” her father shot back.
“She’s failing in school because of you! She’s depressed, and you don’t even notice! All you do is come home late and pick fights!” her mother screamed, her voice breaking.
“Oh, so now it’s my fault she’s a mess? Maybe if you were a better mother, she wouldn’t be so emotionally unstable!” he retorted, his words slicing through the air.
The argument continued, each parent blaming the other for Na-ra’s struggles, their voices growing louder and more vicious. Na-ra sat frozen, tears streaming down her face, each word cutting deeper into her already fragile heart. The hours dragged on, and the fight showed no signs of stopping.
By midnight, Na-ra was emotionally drained, her eyes unfocused as she stared blankly at the pages of her open textbook. The tears fell one by one, silently marking the pages with her sorrow. She felt completely invisible, her pain unnoticed in the whirlwind of anger and accusations.
She wished for silence, for peace, for an escape from the relentless turmoil that surrounded her. But all she could do was sit there, hoping the storm would pass and leave her in the quiet darkness of her room.
The door of her room burst open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang. Na-ra flinched, her mother’s furious glare meeting her tear-streaked face.
“Get up, Na-ra!” her mother barked, her voice sharp and cold. “Serve your father his dinner.”
Na-ra hesitated, her body trembling with fear and exhaustion. The anger in her mother’s eyes was a warning she couldn’t ignore. She nodded silently, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she stood up on unsteady legs.
Her mother’s gaze didn’t soften as she turned and stormed back into the living room. Na-ra followed, each step feeling like a march toward another battle.
