Sweet but Psycho

SEVEN

"You let her go?"

Hanni glanced over to meet Dani's shocked expression, the older of the two had just dropped on Dani that she told Minji how to get out of the forest from here.

"Yeah I did."

Dani stared at the front door weirdly, "and... she's not leaving...?"

"Seems like she's not, do you want her to?"

The taller girl gazed at Hanni for a moment before turning away.

"I don't want you to get hurt again..."

She dried her hands on the towel that hung next to the kitchen sink, "I don't trust her, she almost turned you in."

"Yeah I don't trust her that much either anymore."

Dani glanced back at Hanni, "then why give her the option?"

"..."

"..."

Hanni looked away, "she knew the consequences of setting me free and running away with me."

"..."

"And I told her before it all happened that the Seoul police probably won't even take her back in, she's been gone for months you know? Now they definitely won't let her back in, I think she's smart enough to know that."

The bunny chuckled, giving Dani a small smile, "and besides... I think a few realizations came to her yesterday."

"Huh?"

"She thought she was protecting Haerin by calling the police, but she's starting to see that Haerin's genuinely really comfortable around you. And also that you won't hurt Haerin, she can see it."

Dani pursed her lips as she looked out the window, 'I'd never hurt her...'

"I'm giving her one last chance."

"And if you get hurt again?"

"..."

"..."

"I'll kill her myself."

Dani weakly chuckled, walking past Hanni to slump onto the small couch.

'I know you won't be able to do that... And now I'm not so sure if I can either... Seeing how close Haerin is with her.'

"Okay, Hanni."

"We're back."

The two glanced over to see Haerin poke her head through the front door.

"Sorry it took a while, Minji-unnie doesn't know which sticks are good for a fire."

Dani scoffed, a hint of amusement in her voice, "city girl."

She walked up, patting Haerin's head before walking past her, "let's not leave her alone then, she might start a forest fire accidentally."

Dani then paused, turning back around, "actually, Haerin stay inside with Hanni, I don't trust Hanni with this either."

"Whatttt."

Before she could hear Hanni complain, Dani rounded the building to the side, where Minji was seen crouched down in front of a ring of stone next to a neat pile of sticks.

"Hey city girl."

Minji flinched, turning her head to watch Dani walk up to her while still crouching.

"City girl?"

"You seriously don't know how to start a fire?"

"..."

"City girl."

Minji sighed, raising her hands up, "okay fine, I'm a city girl, I admit. I also never went camping before."

The bear glanced around to see that only Dani came over, "but where's Haerin and Hanni?"

Dani grabbed a couple sticks, taking a pocket knife out of her jeans.

"I don't trust Hanni around fire."

"Oh."

The younger girl began to explain why she was cutting up the wooden stick, Minji listening intently as she watched Dani's intricate slicing motions.

"But it seems to me that you have no survival instinct, did you understand what I just told you?"

Minji frowned at the insult, seeing that both Hanni AND Dani told her the same thing, she was starting to believe that it was true.

"Yeah I understood it."

The two stayed quiet as Dani started a fire, the two watching the burning flames for a bit together.

"Don't break her trust again."

Minji weakly chuckled, "if I hurt her you won't have to do anything, I'll go to the ocean myself."

Dani glanced up, staring at Minji who seemed like she wanted to say more.

"What is it?"

"..."

Minji gave Dani a small smile, "thank you for taking care of Haerin. I don't know if you know, but she speaks very fondly of you."

Dani's eyes widened, and she raised her gaze up as Minji stood up, brushing the dirt and leaves from her pants.

"I know I'm not the best older sister, I see it in both her and my own lil sibling. Let me go get the others."

The younger girl watched Minji leave, her words bouncing around in her head.

"She speaks very fondly of you."

"She... does...?"

Dani's face slowly turned a bright pink, and she fanned her face as she looked in the opposite direction.

"Fuck..."

'Fuck fuck fuck.'

The four girls sat around the fire when Minji came back, enjoying the warmth it gave off to them as the sun began to set.

Dani sat in the silence of her thoughts as the other three conversed, thinking of what to do.

They couldn't stay here forever, even in the past, Hanni and Dani would only come here to escape from the real world, never for more than a couple weeks at most.

'Hm...'

Dani glanced between the three girls, 'I can't take Hanni... I don't want to leave those two alone in a place they don't know at all... I can't take Minji... Her face would be too well known right now... Then...'

"Haerin?"

The cat immediately turned to face the older girl, "yeah Dani-unnie?"

'God she's so cute.'

"Think you can wake up early tomorrow? We need to take the train somewhere, and I'd like it if you helped me."

Haerin's eyes sparkled as she nodded, "yeah sure! Just wake me up and I'll be ready to go."

"Where are you gonna go?"

Dani glanced over to the two eldest, "we need a permanent place to stay, a bigger one at that since Minji and Haerin's going to join us. Last time I went to sell my art, there was a small town a few hours away that had a lot of empty apartments for sale."

She stared at Hanni, "but we're going to be gone for most of the day probably."

"I can cook."

Dani glanced over to Minji as the bear kept speaking, "I mean, if you don't mind me using your kitchen."

Hanni's eyes seemed to brighten, "you can cook?"

"Yeah."

"Minji-unnie can cook well, her food's really good."

'Surprising, really.'

Dani slowly nodded, "you two take care of this place," she then glanced over to Haerin, "and we'll leave early in the morning so we have time to look around and get back here before it gets dark."

"Got it."