The New RFA

Mint Eye! Areum

A/N: I want to revisit 10 year old Mint Eye! Areum and Saeran. I actually really love it. I guess it's an AU sort of thing. Also, in this AU, Gyeong, Laon, Jisu ect... Don't exist. It's all different children.

Saeran busily typed on his computer, fairly aware of the bored looking ten year old behind him. She was sitting on a crate, her legs not long enough to reach the ground so she instead swayed them back and forth. He wasn't expecting to hear her high pitched voice enter his ears.

"Mr. S?" Saeran didn't tell her his name yet but he had said it started with an S. From then on, that's what she called him.

"Yes, Areum?" He responded, slightly annoyed. Don't get him wrong, Areum was wonderful most of the time but she was sometimes a bother when he was trying to concentrate.

"Do you think Miss. Savior will let us get ice cream?" He had told her before to just call her Savior but it seemed Areum had a small habit.

"Go ask her," Saeran said, a loud groan interrupting his thoughts.

"Father always said that. 'Go ask your mother'. Now you're going to start it,"

"That's the difference. I'm not your father and Savior is not your mother," He swore he heard a 'might as well be' mumbled from under Areum's breath.

"Do you think we can get ice cream?"

"You already asked me that,"

"I know but you never answered," Saeran rolled his eyes and spun around to face the chipper child. He wondered how she could remain so innocent after all the beatings she went through. He couldn't bring himself to do it to her but his brothers and sisters had. He doesn't like seeing a child get hurt.

"If I ask her, will you shut up?" He asked. Areum smiled at him before nodding happily. Saeran let out an annoyed sigh before getting up, his chair creaking from being under his weight for so long.

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"Can I go to the park?" Areum asked as she stared longingly at the park, ice cream in hand. She hasn't been outside in maybe half a year. Saeran looked up to scan across the park, seeing if there was any sign of the RFA or thier kids. He was trying to keep Areum hidden, that was his job. He spotted who he could only assume was his brother with a little girl he didn't recognize. Great... I have a niece....

Saeran looked down at the little girl holding his hand as her brown eyes stared at him pleadingly. On any day, he'd let her swing, he'd let her slide, he'd let her jump and climb and let her be a kid for at least 20 seconds. He couldn't do that now. Saeyoung was there and Saeyoung knew who Areum was.

"No. We have to go,"

"..." She didn't say anything as he pulled her away but he knew she was sad. He knew her face was one a child her age would show if they were about to cry. He couldn't look at her so he stared straight ahead and led her back to the car.

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Areum stayed silent as she stared at the screen while he worked on it. She liked just watching sometimes and besides, she had promised to stay quiet once she got her ice cream. Saeran saw her face still had some sadness expressed on it. He hated seeing that. He was grateful he was allowed to be able to be her caregiver at Mint Eye. Areum was still a child and still so innocent.

He couldn't bare the idea of her being beat everyday for no reason, which was what he knew most of them would do to her. He has begged Savior over and over again to let him have Areum. Luckily, she allowed for him to keep Areum as long as he continued to inject the 'medicine' in her.

Obviously, he did but not as often as most would. He did it maybe once a week, which is why her process is taking longer than usual. He knows it's eventually going to happen either way but he loves how she still has a bunch of love and happiness to give in Mint Eye and he wants to keep that light. He never knew he would be so attached to a child as if she were his own but it seems he had unknowingly adopted one.

"Mr. S?" Areum said as Saeran stopped working and moved from the chair.

"Areum... It's time for your medicine," Areum never knew what it was for. Saeran never told her. She smiled at him, trust radiating off of her and it made him sick. He opened a drawer and pulled out the needle, putting more of the liquid inside it.

"I don't like needles,"

"I know but it'll be over in a little bit, okay? And then we can play in the woods. We can play... hide and seek. Or maybe tag," Saeran said as he knelt down and pushed her long sleeve up her arm. She didn't move, she didn't even resist a little bit even if she was scared of the needle. She was brave.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Hold still, okay?" Saeran said. Areum held her breath and looked away as he pushed the needle inside her vein. He let the mint liquid empty out of the needle and felt like a weight had been dropped on his chest. You're just as bad. You know what's happening. "See? It's fine now," He said as he pulled it out carefully and put a band-aid over it. Areum looked down at the bandage and smiled.

"It has the print of a puppy on it!"

"Yes it does,"

"Usually it's a boring brown,"

"Yeah, I know. Puppies are better, though," Saeran smiled and grabbed her hand. "Okay, princess, we can play now," The weight lifted a small bit when Areum smiled excitedly and led him out of the room, going on about what kind of games they can play. Though, the weight never dissapears. It's always going to be there because his sins will never leave.

A/N: I love this AU. I also love suffering.