By Your Side

Chapter 1

The dining table was silent as it always was. Only sounds of food wares were echoing the gigantic dining hall. The dinner was Jimin's favorite food, but he didn't has his appetite to gobble down the food. He only had his eyes on Sooyeon's long face. That day was Sooyeon's parent's death annivesary, and Sooyeon had been down since the morning. Jimin's mom noticed her son's behavior and parted her lips to ask him.

"Jimin, why aren't you eating? Isn't this your favorite?"

Jimin snapped at her mom's voice. He instantly turned to her mom and blinked repeatedly, clueless on what to answer.

"I'm eating."

He finally found the answer for her question and continue eating soullessly. He then stole a glance at Sooyeon who was sitting in front of him. The girl had her eyes on the food and the spoon in her hand, but she was not eating. she only stared the food with a blank expression.

"Sooyeon, you're moving to Jimin's school tomorrow,"

Mr. Park's cold voice stopped all the actions in the dining hall. Sooyeon who had her eyes on the food all the time, finally looked up at him. She peered into Mr. Park's face who was still munching on his food like nothing happened. Mrs. Park realized Sooyeon was against the decision based on her expression. She lightly touched her husband's arm.

"I don't think that's necessary, honey."

Mr. Park put down the food wares he was holding and eyed his wife.

"It is necessary. It will be way easier to send them to school if they studied in the same place."

"If it is such a big trouble to send me, I'll go to the school by myself."

Sooyeon finally spoke, sending all three pairs of eyes fixed on her.

"I'm still with my words."

Mr. Park ignored her words and continued eating calmly. Sooyeon took a deep breath, trying to hold in her fury. She might be angry, but she didn't want to be insolent.

"I'm on the debate team. We're training for our upcoming competition. I can't just leave like that."

Sooyeon said with a plain tone, trying to stand for herself. The competition was everything to her. She finally had the chance to show her potential. She figured out debating was the only way she could escape from the sadness and painful memories.

"I'd already organized everything about your transition. Your school uniform is in your room."

Again, he ignored her. Sooyeon clenched her fist tightly.

"Do you hate me that much?"

Her words caught Mr. Park's attention. He looked up on her to find her glaring at him with teary eyes.

"Sooyeon ah.."

Mrs. Park called her name, trying to ease her.

"Do you think I really wanted my parent to die? Do you know how much I suffered? Do you know how hard it was for me?"

Her voice became louder by each question she asked. Her tears started to rolled down her cheeks. She was unable to hold it in anymore. She then got up and ran up the stairs to her room. She slammed the door shut and sat down on her bed with a thud. There, she buried her face in her palm cried her head off.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Park glared her husband, feeling upset with his irrational action.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Mr. Park turned to her, calmed as always. He let out a deep sigh before leaving the dining hall and went to his room, ignoring her wife who was calling him repeatedly. He didn't know the exact reason he did that. It just, the girl seem peculiarly bright for this few days. He then knew from Jimin that she was participating in a debate competition, and she was really happy about it. He felt she didn't deserve to be happy. Even he was still suffering from her sister's death, how could the adopted girl who was the reason of his sister's death can be enjoying life like nothing happened? Because of that, he took decision to transfer her into a new school. He thought Jimin's school would be perfect as the debate team there didn't got that much attention from the school. It had crossed his mind several times to just accept his sister's death and forgive Sooyeon. But the pain from losing her was engulfing him, preventing him from doing so. His sister was the only family he had, and he had been through a lot with her. He just can't accept the fact that she was gone, in the most unexpected way. And the fact that she wouldn't be dead if Sooyeon didn't make that wish, just make his hate for the girl grew more. Sometimes, he wondered whether he was being childish and irrational, but he ignored all those thought when her sister came into his mind.

***

Sooyeon pulled out her face from her palm and a paper bag on her bed came into her sight. it was within her reach, so she just took it. The contain of the paper bag was the school uniform. Frustrated, she threw the paper bag to the floor. What had she done to deserve this? Was it really her fault? Again, the painful memory flashed before her eyes.

She lived with her poor parent, in a tiny house at outskirt of Wonju, in an unknown settlement. She barely remembered anything, but she clearly remembered that her parent fought almost all of the time. She also could recall some moments when her father furiously hit her mother. Even at her small age, she was unable to escape her father's fury. She lived her life with extreme fear, feeling insecure at her house, with her own family. She rarely got out from her house. She didn't even got to go to school. Then when she was just 7, her father died. He got killed by the loan-shark he was borrowing money from. Even after her father's death, the loan-shark won't stop. They came to her house, threatening her mom. Sometimes, her mom would get beaten up. She tried to help, but she ended up getting beaten up. Her mom was really depressed, and would get mad at her without any reason. After 3 months of her father's death, her mother committed suicide, at their house. And Sooyeon saw her dead body, lying motionlessly on the kitchen floor, with her own eyes. Since then, she lived at the orphanage, without socializing with anyone. She was extremely traumatized. The painful incident that happened to her kept on replaying in her mind, and appearing in her dream. Turning her dream every night into a nightmare.

After a year living in the orphanage, she was adopted, by a wealthy couple that was unable to have a child. But she was still with her old-self. Even after getting to live comfortably, she still rarely talked to her adoptive parents. Her adoptive parents was clueless on what to do, but didn't give up. They kept on talking with her nicely, bought her new clothes, taking her to vacation and sent her to theraphy. With their endless effort, Sooyeon became drastically better. She smiled a lot, and talked a lot. Sooyeon gradually forgot her dark past and lived on with her new life and family She became extremely close with her adoptive parents, and she had to admit, she loved them more than her actual parent. At first everything was fine. She got a big room, nice clothes, appropriate learning at an elite school, and bunch of friends. But it seemed like destiny was envying her happiness.

She was 15 when the faithful incident hapenned.It was school holiday. Sooyeon told her parent she wanted to go on a cruise. Her mom was afraid of water ride and refused immeadiately. However, Sooyeon kept on insisting and begging. Unable to let down her only child, she set aside her fear and agreed. Unluckily, during cruise's sail, it was raining heavily. The cruise which suppose to be a delightful and luxurious journey turned into a horrible nightmare. The rampage of the sea brought down the gigantic cruise. The last thing she remembered, her whole family was being swallowed by the raging sea. The next thing she knew, she was in the hospital, and her parent's family told her that her parent was dead.

Was it really her fault? Mrs. Park had told her many times that it wasn't. But it's the opposite for her uncle. He kept on blaming her.

If she didn't make the stupid wish, all of this won't happened. Yeah, maybe it was true, it was her fault. They were the reason she could escape her terrible nightmare of her past, but she killed them.

She ruffled her hair harshly, and cried.

"I'm sorry, mom, dad.."