The Price Of Redemption

8.

2024:

"Are you high or something?" Haerin's voice rang with irritation as she held her phone to her ear, standing in front of the house that was never quite hers. She glanced at her motorbike, scrubbing it with careful, methodical strokes. For anyone else, this would have seemed unnecessary—washing the bike herself, despite her family's wealth and access to endless luxury. But this bike wasn't just any vehicle; it was her own hard-earned possession, a symbol of the independence she had fought for in a world that didn't quite embrace her. The house behind her, with its grand entrance and polished servants, felt alien—a place she inhabited but never belonged to. A house with memories she tried to outrun.

Her white t-shirt clung to her back as she worked, the dampness of sweat seeping through, but she didn't care. She was lost in the task, indifferent to the occasional glances from the passing servants. She could feel their sideways looks, could hear their whispers behind her back. The second child of the Kang family, dressed simply in black shorts and slippers, scrubbing away as if her life depended on it. Perhaps it did, in some way. She had long accepted her status in the family—unwanted, ignored, or worse, tolerated.

Minji's voice on the other end of the line broke through her thoughts. "Answer me first. You don't go around playing with people's feelings, do you?"

Haerin sighed, standing up and wiping the sweat off her forehead with the towel slung over her shoulder. "Minji, you've known me for five years. Why would you even ask that?"

"Well, Hyein said something, and you know how Hanni is. She's really sensitive, and if there's even a sliver of truth to what Hyein told me, I need to know." Minji's voice was laced with concern, more for Hanni than Haerin.

"Hyein?" Haerin furrowed her brows. "Who's that?"

"My sister, you idiot."

"Oh... what, does she think I'm some kind of playgirl now?" Haerin chuckled bitterly, kneeling back down to continue cleaning the rims of her bike. "She shouldn't judge people by their looks."

"She didn't—well, not exactly. She mentioned a girl's name, something about you making her attached, then ditching her. I don't know, the details were fuzzy."

At that, Haerin froze. A girl's name? The only girl in her life who mattered even remotely like that... Dani. A pit of unease began to form in Haerin's stomach. "What did Jihye tell her?" she muttered to herself, thoughts swirling. She didn't like being described like that, not by Dani, not by anyone. She wasn't a monster, but it seemed like that's how she was being painted now. Before she could continue the conversation with Minji, something—someone—caught her attention.

The figure of Dani, stepping gracefully through the gates of the mansion, caught Haerin off guard. Dani, with her signature angelic smile, greeted the security guard with a polite bow, completely unaware of the firestorm her presence ignited within Haerin. Rolling her eyes, Haerin cut the call short. "I'll talk to you later," she said quickly, returning her focus to the bike, though she could feel Dani's presence like a palpable weight in the air.

Dani stood a little distance from Haerin, just close enough to be noticeable but far enough to avoid direct interaction. It was as if the tension between them had created an invisible boundary, one that neither seemed willing to cross. Haerin kept her eyes on her task, but she couldn't ignore the scene unfolding just a few steps away. Taehyung, her father, emerged from the house with a warm, almost too-familiar smile, pulling Dani into an embrace.

Haerin's jaw tightened. "He doesn't hug anyone like that except for Soobin and that damn witch," she muttered under her breath, stealing glances at the scene.

"Great, Danielle, you came. I wanted to talk to you about the engagement and all the details," Taehyung said, his voice too cheerful, too rehearsed.

The word "engagement" was like a dagger, cutting through Haerin's indifference and leaving her simmering with anger. Dani's engagement with Soobin—it didn't make sense. Why Jihye? Why any of this?

"I have a meeting with a client, so why don't you come to the main office and wait for me there? If you're not busy, that is. Our future surgeon?" Taehyung's words dripped with the kind of paternal pride that Haerin had never experienced. The pride he had reserved for others but never for her.

For a fleeting moment, Haerin smiled, remembering how Dani used to dream aloud about becoming a surgeon. How she'd talk about it endlessly. But then, the smile vanished as quickly as it came, replaced with a bitter taste in her mouth. How did her father know about Dani's dreams? What other secrets did they share?

"Sure, Uncle," Dani replied with that ever-angelic smile, glancing in Haerin's direction with something that looked suspiciously like mischief.

Taehyung, always cold and direct with Haerin, barely acknowledged her before turning back to Dani. "Haerin can drop you off. She can be useful that way." With that the man left in his mercedes.

Haerin's hands froze mid-scrub, the towel gripped tightly in her fingers as she rolled her eyes. "Useful that way." The words echoed in her mind, but she said nothing, just focused on the bike.

"You'll drop me off," Dani declared, her voice carrying a daring tone as she stood in front of Haerin.

Haerin didn't look up. "I'm not taking you anywhere. Go call a cab." She wiped the last traces of sweat from her neck, determined to ignore the girl in front of her. But then, Dani stepped closer, gently taking the towel from Haerin's hands and wiping away the sweat herself, her touch soft, almost intimate.

"Why not?" Dani asked playfully, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Is it because of my engagement to Soobin?"

At the mention of Soobin, Haerin's expression darkened. She snatched the towel back, her brows knitting together in irritation. "You think I care about that?"

"Then why not take me? You did offer yesterday." Dani's voice was laced with challenge, the smirk on her lips daring Haerin to deny her.

Before Haerin could respond, her phone rang leaving the girl to take it out of her pocket. however Dani suddenly snatched her phone out of her hand, hiding it behind her back. "You'll drop me off," she repeated, stepping closer, her arms slipping around Haerin's neck like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Haerin's breath caught in her throat, her heart racing in confusion. Dani had always been unpredictable, but this? This felt different. It felt dangerous, like stepping too close to a flame.

But as Dani held her there, their faces inches apart, Haerin realized something that terrified her more than anything else: she wasn't sure if she wanted to pull away.

Dear Diary,

I'll find my answers—answers from the past. All of this is risky, but my gut tells me it'll be worth it. Taehyung Kang thinks he's the only one keeping secrets, but he's wrong. I've accepted his offer, but not just for a mere spot in the residency program. No, there's more on my plate. And soon, he'll realize he's not the only one pulling strings in this game.

– Dani.

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