COLD WRISTS ATTACHED to sagging skin and aching bones slink through the tug of brute force dragging bodies towards the ratty light, and Myung Ah-yi blinks open her tired eyes, birthing anew her resolve and her spirit.

It has been two long years spent wearing the same uniform, fit with a patch the color of mustard. Ah-yi can see the vivid hue even when she closes her eyes - It taunts her, a tattoo she wasn't meant to wear. Wrongful accusations make up the basis of the young girl's life, and she has learned not to care whether the world moves forward without her.

( She will always be looking backwards, anyway ).

Gloved hands drag Ah-yi's slightly limp body through the thick metal bars of her former home, setting her aside. The inmates that share her cell holler and whoop, faces smeared with the rapid aging the detention center brings to youthful skin.

Myung Ah-yi lifts a hand in farewell. Many try to reach out for it in an attempt to either break it or hold it; No one succeeds.

"Quiet!" The guard barks, pushing Ah-yi into a forwards march.

An itch traveling in her ear, Ah-yi uses the sharp nail of her pinky finger to dig through the cartilage, giving no sign of conversation between the guard and herself.

Soon, the two reach another gate. The guard sifts through her various keys and pushes one into the lock, holding open the gate for Ah-yi to pass through.

The warden waits for them in the visiting area. A few other guards sit lounging around, waiting to be given instructions.

The warden, a tense mess of thick brows and heavy wrinkles around her lips and cheeks, looks serious as Ah-yi takes the seat in front of her.

"Myung Ah-yi?" The warden raises a brow, scrutinizing the information report sitting on the table.

"The one and only." The teen scoffs, planting her elbows against the brightly colored, almost childlike, tables.

When the woman is silent, Ah-yi's scowl deepens.

"Look, lady, I served my time already. Can you hurry it up so I can get out of here already?" She asks.

The warden's glare hardens. "If you ever make a mistake this severe again, know that the consequences will not be as light as they were this time. Now that you're nineteen, you could be tried as an adult."

"I wasn't planning on commuting any more crimes." Ah-yi rolls her eyes. "It's not like I committed this one, either."

Her fingers jab at the citrine patch above her chest pocket, tugging on the material. It doesn't come off.

"Take her to the changing quarters and give her some spare clothes." The woman sighs at last, closing the folder.

The young teen triumphantly turns her nose at the woman, peering down at her proper form as she stands from the small bench-like chair. Myung Ah-yi has grown used to the fact that the world is attached to itself in prison; Everything is a weapon, and therefore everything must be glued down or made into plastic and rubber.

The guard no longer grabs her by the shoulder and pulls her into the room. She allows her to walk a pace quicker, leisurely making her way to the small changing room.

The reality of her situation never really settles into Ah-yi's mind. She is too preoccupied with undoing the uppermost buttons of her prison uniform to care that the world outside would be just as cruel as the one inside.

At the very least, she had made a name for herself in this den of predators. Granted, the world is made up of more than just retched teenage girls.

Halfway through undoing her second button, Ah-yi is thrown some old pedestrian clothes. They look a bit too large, made for a taller girl with lankier limbs. She takes them anyway, relishing in the feel of the cotton hoodie and the old dark jeans.

"Change in there." The security guard says gruffly, pointing to the small room near the warden's office.

Ah-yi doesn't have to be told twice. As swiftly as she can, she changes out of her gaudy uniform and into the clothes. They have an odd scent, as though they've been sitting in a bin for years without being worn.

The guard leads her to the exit doors. Ah-yi feels her stomach rumble in huber, and she decides the first thing she will do once she steps back into humanity will be to get some food.

Then she remembers she has no money, and her appetite vanishes.

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AFTER FOUR LONG years, Jang Sun-hee is finally free. The old brown leather jacket feels heavy against her neck, and her khaki-colored carpenter jeans - The only pants left in the bin that actually made it past her ankles - Scratch at her sock-less feet.

She really wishes the warden could've at least given her a pair of socks to go with the old pair of sneakers, but beggars cannot be choosers.

Leaving juvie is a breeze. Sunny doesn't have to wait for any family members or guardians to sign her release form, so the warden does it herself. A premade stamp, and Jang Sunny is ready to go.

( Her heart aches for a small moment, and part of her wishes that her father could've come to pick her up. She knows better now than to think he even wants her as a daughter anymore ).

Everything about prison is heavy. The doors are heavy, the bars are heavy, even the food is disgustingly heavy. Jang Sun-hee's head is heavy, and she hangs it low as she walks out the door. At the very least, back inside she had a family.

( A singular family, but a family nonetheless ).

The detention center seems to breathe a sigh of relief at her exit. No one truly likes Sunny. They are afraid of her, yes, but they don't like her. They like Ah-yi, though. Sunny never understood why she can be so likeable while Sunny struggles so hard.

In the end, she doesn't question it too much, because Ah-yi is the only one who understands her. She is the only one who doesn't mind that Sunny is a carnal person, who protects what she loves with her teeth and her claws.

Because just like Sun-hee, Ah-yi doesn't have anyone else to turn to, which means she can solely belong to her and no one else.

Sunny frowns as the cold air hits her face. She stares down at the jacket that braces the wind, and finds she does not like the old material.

"Wanna trade?" A brisk voice asks from behind Sunny. The taller girl cranes her neck backwards to catch a glimpse of the teen who dares to talk to her.

"Ah-yi!" She beams in excitement as the shorter girl steps through the small door, her hands snuggled into the pocket of her large grey hoodie.

"I thought for sure you'd get stuck for another year after you chewed that girl's finger off." Ah-yi muses, looking disgruntled as Sunny attacks her with a large embrace.

"She never snitched, so the warden never found out." Sunny shrugs, beginning to slide off her leather jacket.

Ah-yi does the same with her hoodie, and the two swap garments as though it is the most natural thing in existence. The hoodie fits Sunny perfectly, and the jacket fits Ah-yi only slightly oversized, the way she likes it.

"Where are you headed?" The shorter of the two asks, digging her fingers into the pockets of her leather jacket.

The taller shrugs. "I dunno. Wherever you're headed, I guess."

Ah-yi rolls her eyes. "Let's get going then."

"Where?" Sunny chirps as she falls into sidestep with the shorter girl, looping her arm around hers.

The short-haired girl grumbles in annoyance at the touch, but allows Sunny to have her fun. "Back to Hostel."

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‎Carnal & Vile,
Bury me now.
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BLED DRY.
© rkiives / august 2024
LOOKISM ( pre hostel arc )
( female oc x jonggun )
( female oc x joongoo )

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( CHAPTERS 01 ─── (?) )
STATUS : ONGOING

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