Perfect Illness || lookism x reader

62. Checkers

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It didn't even matter, because just then her phone buzzed with a text. She didn't recognize the number, but she could guess from the content of the text.

Jin: your move, YN Jang

(ch. 58. Let's Play a Game)

Below that was a gamepigeon game of checkers. 

62 """"""""""

Eli hooked his arm with hers, pulling YN along the aisles in the grocery store. He smiled softly at her. "This is nice."

"Definitely," YN agreed. It had been a while since they had sibling bonding time. After Eli had left Hostel, they had been tensely on the run and very busy with Yenna. After YN's stalker incident, she had moved away to Daniel Park's neighborhood, Inwan Mountain (ch. 22. Angel Fallen) and they had spent even less time together. But now that Sally and Warren had found them again, the pressing stress that had weighed on Eli seemed to be evaporated.

To some extent, but YN could tell not completely. Whenever he thought she wasn't watching him, his beautiful features would fall back into pensive misery, as he pondered something she didn't want her to realize. But when he noticed her gaze he would always smile sweetly again.

YN wasn't stupid, she could guess that it had something to do with Hostel, maybe more specifically Olly Wang. But Eli had left the gang life behind. And she had too. All she had wanted was to live a normal life with her family. (the basis of this entire story) But clearly, she couldn't resist the life of adrenaline. (also the basis of this entire story)

A curse. But Eli was still separate. Even after Warren had punched him in their convoluted game of Hide and Seek, he hadn't joined Hostel. He would never accompany her when she would visit Sally, and refused to visit her in the fashion department where Zack, Daniel, and Vasco would frequent.

"Wait," Eli called to a small kid in the aisle in front of them. The child had been shoving something surreptitiously into his jacket. Eli laid a hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

The child turned, and it was a very pretty child. For a second his wide eyes and small face were in an expression of shock, before he snarled, "The fuck you're looking at? You fucker."

YN was shot through with deja vu. Because this was exactly how Eli had been when she had found him after the separation period. (ch. 55. Stupid People) Eli seemed to be having the same thoughts because his eyes widened and he slowly removed his hand, letting the kid sprint out.

The resemblance was uncanny.

***

"So this is Yenna?" Sally smiled as the baby in her arms cooed and reached for Warren.

"Hey (I'm) filthy stay away!" he insisted.

"She... looks a lot like Heather." Her smile turned sad.

Eli smiled sadly as well. "It's all over. Don't feel too guilty about it. And Heather wasn't alone in the end...thanks to YN."

They all looked at her for a moment of awkward silence. YN tried to force her lips into a smile but it was more of a grimace. How could everyone just get over it that quickly? Every memory of her past weighed her down.

She knew Eli was lying at least, she had seen him cry and break down in her arms. (ch. 54. Purgatory) But Sally and Warren didn't need to hold that guilt.

"We uh," Sally continued. "We maintained Hostel after you left. We took in the runaway and abandoned kids and let them sleep in out home. Get them a job and taking care of them so things aren't so tough. All of us are becoming a family. Like you wanted."