𝗧 𝗜 𝗠 𝗘 𝗜 𝗡 𝗔 𝗕 𝗢 𝗧 𝗧 𝗟 𝗘

      THE RED SPOT ON HYON YU-NA'S CHEEK  — A REMINDER OF THE MAN FROM THE TRAIN STATION — STUNG AS THE COOL AIR OF THE VETERINARY CLINIC HIT IT.  Her slim fingers played around with the pierced metal in her face, her tongue rolling the rings through her lips while one hand fiddled anxiously with the ring through her septum. She could hear the clock's ticking as she forced herself to stop messing around with the metal, instead directing her attention to the water dispenser in the corner of the waiting room.

      Pulling a paper cup from the stand, she waited as she hovered the cup beneath the automatic dispenser — watching the water fill as the clock ticked in her ears annoyingly. Stepping back, she took a sip and allowed herself to feel the chilled water travel through her body — looking up at the clock as she counted down the minutes.

      "Yu-na?" The veterinary assistant, Seung-hee called out. Her long raven hair cascaded down her white scrubs as a thin fringe partially covered her eyes.

      The cup between her lips shifted, spilling water down her chin and tight black tank top at the sudden sound that broke the eerie silence. Yu-na used the back of her hand to wipe up the water, setting the cup back down on a table near the dispenser. She proceeded to wipe her hand along the back of her cargo pants.

      She tried her best to avoid Seung-hee's gaze, instead looking in her arms at the large white tabby cat with grey markings and big blue eyes. Seung-hee allowed the cat to run free from her hands, lowering the animal to the cool tile of the clinic's waiting room.

      "Mi-cha!" Yu-na called out, squatting to the ground as the playful cat made her way over. Her fingers ran through Mi-cha's fur coat as she rubbed up against her leg. Welcoming the cat into her arms, Yu-na held her like a baby — paws in the air while she relaxed in her owner's arms. She placed a firm kiss on the tip of Mi-cha's nose before wandering over to the service desk where Seung-hee was waiting by the computer. "How was she? Was she well-behaved?"

      "Well, when she's got an owner such as yourself... of course she was," the veterinary assistant batted her eyelashes, her eyes roaming intently on every inch of Yu-na's body, "there is some concern that she's a little... overweight."

      Yu-na's crooked smile returned, her breathy laugh echoing among the silence in the room, "ah... right... there's an older woman at the markets that she sneaks off to—"

      "Eun-soo, right?" Seung-hee asked, her finger finding its way to her dark hair as she wrapped it around, "I remember your stories from all those nights we had."

      And there it was. What she dreaded most. Although it had been years ago, Seung-hee still couldn't manage to let go. Yu-na, on the other hand, had been glad to free herself from the shackles of the crazy and obsessive veterinary assistant. Cute on the outside, crazy on the inside.

      Yu-na wished she could wipe the smile free from her face, but it was as though she had just been frozen in such a facial expression. She awkwardly clutched Mi-cha in her hands and raised her eyebrows. Seung-hee's eyes never left her, and she gulped. She needed to find a new clinic if she wanted to spare herself from ever interacting with the woman again. In fairness, she should have found a new one a long time ago, but she knew Mi-cha's needs, and that the cat in her arms had grown comfortable with the staff at the clinic.

      "You certainly have a good memory..." Yu-na's smile twisted awkwardly as silence settled between them. Too good of a memory that she couldn't let go. "Well, if that's all, uh, I'm happy to pay now."

      Seung-hee's eyes widened and her eyebrows rose to meet her fringe, "oh...! Are you sure you didn't want to add it to-"

      "No! No, I have the money..." Yu-na lowered her eyes from Seung-hee. She cursed herself with how much money she owed. Lowering Mi-cha to roam free around the clinic's waiting room, she sorted through her pockets and pulled free the money that the man at the train station had given her on top of some of her own before handing it over. "Hopefully that should be enough."

      Her outstretched hand was engulfed in a delicate caress from Seung-hee as Yu-na's whole body begged for an escape. "You know... for free, the girls and I are willing to check out your face," Seung-hee offered, gesturing toward the bruises from both of the beatings she had caught on her way there.

Yu-na couldn't help but laugh — awkward and strained — before passing her gaze over Seung-hee's shoulder. Behind her, a group of four other veterinary assistants hid in the corridor with their heads poking out. Upon being caught, they all scurried away. All Yu-na could think was, save me.

Pressing her lips in a thin line, Yu-na instinctively scooped Mi-cha — who hadn't left her side — into her arms. She needed to make her escape from her own personally branded hell — her day had already been bad enough. "Look, uh, don't stress it... have a good day now!"

Her long stride saved her time as she made it to the door with Mi-cha in a death grip against her body.

"You don't want to book your next appointment?" Seung-hee called out after the fleeing woman, jogging around the counter to catch up to Yu-na.

"No, no, I'll call when I need to, thank you!" Yu-na flung the glass door wide open before passing through and allowing it to close behind her.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Seung-hee pressed against the glass with both hands firm, "call me!"

      Yu-na knew it wasn't the company line that Seung-hee wanted her to call, but rather her personal number that she had blocked long ago. She certainly would not be calling her unless she wanted to as a form of self-harm.

      Yu-na placed Mi-cha back down by her feet against the pavement. It was a miracle that the cat had never ran away from her considering how she almost always was allowed to freely roam. Her gaze remained on the tabby cat that licked at its paws, "all that just to get told you're fat like I don't have eyes... you need to lay off whatever Eun-soo is giving you..."

      With no clue in the world as to what the woman was saying, Mi-cha merely sat up, her big blue eyes staring back as she cheerfully meowed.

      They walked down the street side by side, Yu-na's walk more rugged and strained from the ache that was ongoing through her body, while Mi-cha's was elegant — the true definition of a catwalk. Catching her off guard, a door to Yu-na's left swung open as a smaller girl fled from the building. It was as though she had been stabbed as the girl ran straight into her body where it hurt the most.

      Despite the pain, Yu-na latched onto the girl to prevent them from both falling. Steadying herself on her feet, she couldn't make out the girl's face through the cap, but she was quick to offer her concern, "are you okay?" When the girl in her arms looked up past the cap, Yu-na's eyes widened. "Hey... you're the girl from the train!"

      Her heart rate increased upon seeing the stranger again. This time, she seemed much more distraught than she had been on the train. Yu-na could almost recognise her hair anyway, the blonde strands twisting their way through the black as her hair rested against her shoulders.

      It had felt like a calling from above to have run into the girl again. Fumbling through her pockets, Yu-na pulled out the bloodied tissue as a reminder of their first run-in from just a few hours ago. "I wanted to say thank you... again. I'm Yu-na, by the way."

      The girl tilted her head up as soft and dark eyes roamed Yu-na's face. Just as she began to open her mouth, Yu-na was prevented from hearing her beautifully soft-spoken voice as the girl diverted her attention down to the pavement. Mi-cha, the attention-seeking cat that she was, rubbed up against her leg.

      Watching intently as the girl carefully lowered herself closer to the ground, she ran her fingers against Mi-cha's ears before the cat rolled onto her back, allowing the attention to go toward her belly instead. Yu-na stayed watching Mi-cha and the girl interact, sending a death glare toward her cat.

      Stealing all of my glory as per usual, Yu-na thought.

"Who's this?" The girl asked, looking up at Yu-na. Her voice caught her off guard as though she had never heard it before.

Yu-na snapped out of her death glare towards the white tabby, "uh, Mi-cha..."

"Mi-cha..." The name rolled off of the girl's tongue, a small and closed smile made its way to her soft-featured face. Yu-na couldn't believe she was feeling jealous of a cat. The girl stood up, brushing her hands against her oversized sweatshirt before adjusting her hat. "Sorry for running into you. Have a good day."

Yu-na's jaw fell slack, opening upon the girl brushing past her to continue on her path down the street. But, her jaw quickly tightened back as she caught a glimpse of a small, brown card dropping from one of the girls' pockets.

"You dropped this!" Yu-na jogged over, nails dragging against the pavement as she picked up the card. On the front: a triangle, a circle, and a square that was all too familiar.

She had caught the girl's attention again, forcing her to turn around. When Yu-na offered it, the girl took the card in her hand and looked over it for a moment. "Thank you..." she whispered, bowing her head before going back onto her route.

Stood in the middle of the street with Mi-cha, Yu-na watched as the girl, whose name she still hadn't gotten, walked awkwardly down the street. Was this how Seung-hee felt when it came to her? Was she no better than some obsessive ex who couldn't let go of a memory?

Yu-na slapped both of her hands to her face and sighed from the pain, "Yu-na! Idiot! You should have asked for her name!" She cursed herself before peeking through her hands at Mi-cha walking circles around her feet, "And I would have gotten it if it wasn't for you... Proud of yourself?"

Sitting by her feet, Mi-cha glanced up with her lovable blue eyes that were irresistible to forgiveness.

Yu-na ran her hands up and down her face. Her day could only get worse from there as she dreaded when the night finally settled.

────────────────

THE WARMTH OF THE LIGHTING COMPENSATED FOR THE STONE-COLD FEELING OF BEING UNWELCOME. Silence mixed with the sound of everyone eating allowed Yu-na the opportunity to study the home. She had hardly been inside of it given her circumstances and how it came to be her parent's home. It was ironic in her eyes that while they lived in luxury, she was repaid by living in a small and cramped apartment that had some extreme wear and tear.

A thin cushion lined the floor that Yu-na sat on, positioned in front of a low table made from a rich red stained wood with her legs crossed as the white tabby in her lap rested. She was almost jealous of Mi-cha again, being able to sleep her way through the awkwardness of such a reunion that her father had invited her to.

On either side of the table, while she sat at the head, were her parents. Her mother sat rather frigidly on the right, while her father kept to his business on her left and ate what his wife had cooked for the three of them. As Yu-na analysed both of their faces, it was mainly her mother's that was easy to read. It had been a while since she stepped foot inside of the home — and for good reason.

Her father lowered the chopsticks in his hands, diverting his intense stare away from the chap chae in his bowl as he looked over at his daughter, "how have you been?" It was clear he was trying to make conversation while attempting to overlook Yu-na's beaten and bruised state.

As Yu-na's lips parted to speak, her mother took it upon herself to interrupt as she dropped the chopsticks from her hands into the bowl, "I can't believe you showed up to our house looking like this—"

"Seul-gi," her father warned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Looking up toward the ceiling as she tried her best to avoid rolling her eyes, Yu-na prayed for some kind of freedom from the awkward and intense situation she was put in. She had been dreading it all week since her father rang up and invited her. She almost wished he hadn't — for both of their sakes.

"Are we doing this now? Can't we just enjoy a meal in peace?" Yu-na brought her eyes back to her mother, picking up the bowl in front of her before setting it back down. Her movements unsettled Mi-chi, who began to gently and repeatedly dig her paws into the inside of Yu-na's leg. She was quick to find comfort in running her fingers through the white fur.

      "You find this to be some kind of joke?" Her mother, Seul-gi, laid her palms flat against the table furiously, shaking the table as she did so. "You show up looking like some kind of," her eyes roamed Yu-na's heavily tattooed arms and pierced face, "gangsta child. And don't get me started on the state of your face."

      Shoving the bowl away from her, Yu-na no longer had the appetite, "do I look like I take it as a joke? You think I enjoy being beat up by those guys every time they find me?"

      Seul-gi's chest rose and fell. She couldn't even look at her daughter. "Then find a good husband that will support you. He could pull you from—"

      Yu-na looked over at her father, Yong-Su, checking to see if he was hearing the same thing she was. "No matter how many times I tell you, I don't want a husband. I don't need one!" She scoffed, removing her hands from Mi-cha as she folded her arms across her chest. "Have you thought maybe I need a mother that sticks to her word of paying me back? Huh?"

      "You need one!" Seul-gi brushed over her daughter's final comment. "You can hardly pay off your debt on your own."

      "Yeah, a debt I carry because of you! Do you forget? Or do you just not want to hear it?" Yu-na shook her head in frustration as she could feel her hands begin to shake. It was a mistake coming there. "This," she pointed to her face before lowering her hands back to the comfort of Mi-cha's warmth, "is because of you. You should be thankful I pulled you from that shithole. At least I had the guts to do something."

      A silence fell over them all. Not even her father was stuffing his face with an overcooked chap chae. Seul-gi's glare remained on Yong-su, not bothering to look to her left at her seated daughter.

      "Get out. Get out!" For the first time throughout the night, Seul-gi looked at Yu-na. Disgusted. Angry. Almost a reflection of every emotion Yu-na felt just in a different form. The older woman pointed toward the door, her greying hair falling over her shoulder despite being tied back, "I don't want those... thugs banging on our door for money if you've led them here."

      Yu-na scoffed, her crooked smile on display, "If anything, you'd be more willing to give the money to them than me," she thought for a moment, "and I wish that they followed me so they could beat some sense into you. Next time they're after me I'll throw your name into the mix."

      "Yu-na," Yong-su warned, rubbing his hands over the length of his face. This was not exactly how he panned the night out. But Yu-na knew he shouldn't have expected anything less.

"You used to be such a gifted child. What happened to you?" Seul-gi pushed up from the cushion beneath her.

Those words echoed in her head.

Yu-na matched her actions, pushing up from the floorboards as she scooped Mi-cha up with one hand whilst using the other to steady herself as she left the circular cushion. Her lips turned downward as she looked at her mother — a feeling bubbled within her that could not be repaired.

"Look in the mirror. Then you'll see what happened." She leaned toward her mother, her hand cradling Mi-cha's head, "Oh, and the chap chae's overcooked. If you are going to take everything I've given for granted, at least learn to cook."

Yu-na didn't pass either of them another look as she fled the home, clutching Mi-cha to her chest as her breath struggled to contain itself due to its rapid pace. The cold air that came with the rain hit her like a brick, stinging every inch of her face — and yet, it was somehow warmer than the place she had fled.

She lowered herself to the ground and gently placed Mi-cha by her feet. With shaking hands, she fumbled with the almost emptied box of cigarettes, but she managed to pull one out and slip it between her lips. The flame from the lighter gave her some kind of warmth before she took a long and deep inhale until she could feel the smoke fill her lungs — exhaling what was left in her system when she felt it was right.

"So much for a family dinner, huh, Mi-cha?" The white tabby sat comfortably, looking up at her as she meowed cutely. "Well, of course, you had a good time. You ate half of my food when you need to be losing weight."

The silence between Yu-na and Mi-cha broke as the door behind them creaked open and closed, "Yu-na."

Her eyes rolled as she lowered the cigarette, turning to face the voice that belonged to her father, "you here to yell at me too?"

Yong-su's smile was sad, but he shook his head and took her free hand into his own. They were warm and comforting against the chilled air. "I'm glad you came to visit. Really."

"At least someone was," Yu-na scoffed, looking over toward the warm light that illuminated through the door as her eyes glossed over. The tears sitting on the edge of her waterline fought to run rampant across her face. "Even after everything I've done for you two... It's never enough. I can't seem to do anything right."

"I know. I know." Her father whispered, barely audible through the harsh rain. He withdrew his hands from Yu-na as Mi-cha meowed from below, rubbing her fur against the base of his leg. His laugh hit every corner of the cover they stood under as he knelt to pet the white cat. "It was also good to see you, too, Mi-cha! Yes, it was!"

Yu-na inhaled from the cigarette, blowing the smoke over her shoulder as her father stood back up to avoid blowing it into his face.

"I don't think I'm welcome here... If I ever was at all," Yu-na spoke up, tapping her finger against the cigarette that burned away. "Besides, I should head off. The weather's only getting worse."

      She whistled, signaling for Mi-cha to follow after her as she turned to leave, but her father was quick to grab onto her wrist to turn her back around from the rain. His eyes scanned her saddened face — her own emotions reflected in his. She knew that it pained him that things turned out the way they did, and being shacked down by her mother was no help to either of them.

      "You're still my daughter, Yu-na. Metal in your face... ink in your skin... debt and all," he dropped her hand and began fumbling through the pockets of his denim jeans while Yu-na remained stunned, stuck in her place at his words. While he wasn't looking, the first tear of the day slipped across her cheek, but she was quick to wipe it away before he could see. In his hands, Yong-su held his wallet open as he pulled out a few notes and handed them her way, "I know it's not a lot, and I wish I could do more for you... but, just take it. Please."

      "I don't want your money... and I don't think she'd take too kindly to you giving your money away to some gangsta child," Yu-na went to pass the notes back, but her father quickly folded her fingers over them.

      Yong-su laughed at her comment that his wife had just thrown in their daughter's face. "Then I guess she can hate us both, huh?"

      For only a moment, a laugh escaped Yu-na's lips before pressing them into a thin line. She couldn't help as she broke down as her father wrapped his arms around her. Some of the first comfort she'd had in a while. And a much-needed one at that.

      As she sobbed in his arms, she failed to reciprocate the hug. Regardless, her father understood and ran his hands up and down her back — trying to do his best. "You may be a big and strong girl, but it's okay to cry." He whispered to her. "I'm not sure now is the right time... but I'd like to get some food with you sometime. Outside of overcooked sweet potato noodles... if that's okay?"

They pulled apart from one another once she had settled down, Yu-na looked at her feet and kicked a few of the loose rocks. "I think I'd like that, too."

Yong-su sighed deeply before looking out beyond the overhead covering and toward the harsh rain that had only grown heavier with each word they said to each other, "the rain's starting to pick up," he observed before reaching over for an umbrella from its holder by the door. He passed it over to her, making sure the handle would lay in her palm, "you should use this to get home safe with Mi-cha."

Yu-na broke a smile as she glanced at the umbrella and brushed away any stray tears across her face, "I was planning on stealing one anyway."

Her father jokingly used the back of his hand to hit her across the shoulder gently as she opened the umbrella to step into the rain. It hit hard against the fabric, but she called for Mi-cha to come by her side. It was incredible how obedient Mi-cha was as the tabby took cover by Yu-na's feet.

"And Yu-na?" Her father shouted from the covered area he stood under as he watched his daughter walk onto the street pavement. "You always have a place here, you know?"

She didn't respond despite hearing him well, only trudging her boots through the puddles that had grown deep in the uneven pavement as Mi-cha followed along. She took another inhale of the cigarette, releasing the smoke as she dropped the stick to the ground and squashed it against the ground.

She used her free hand to pull out the brown business card that the man at the train station had given to her — flipping it over to read the number: 456-034.

Yu-na didn't have a place there. But, maybe she could. She just needed to sort out her debt.

──★ ˙ ̟. A U T H O R S   N O T E

╰┈➤ thank you guys for all the love?? oh my god! you guys are insane in the best way possible and i love each and everyone of you giving this story love <3 genuinely tysm. i've never felt more motivated to write 😭

╰┈➤ also i promise that shit will actually start happening end of chapter three / chapter four. just wanting to give u a bit of background on yu-na's life! and of course i had to give her a cat!

★ vote 💬 comment — etc. <3