Chapter 1 The sun dipped low above the sea, casting a golden trail across the water, making it sparkle like diamonds scattered over the surface. “Hey, Haejin,” a girl, around fifteen, said, pointing at the horizon. “What do you think about this sunset?” “It's... breathtaking, Nari,” the boy replied, his voice barely above a whisper. He wasn't looking at the sunset—he was looking at her. But she didn't notice that. “Hm.” Nari leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing. “Sometimes I wish I could become the sea. Wouldn't that be beautiful? Getting warmed by the sun every day, shining like this...” Haejin froze for a second, then gently stroked her hair, his fingers trembling slightly. “You are my sun,” he whispered, too softly for her to hear. “What did you just say?” Nari lifted her head so she could look at him. Her eyes were glistening under the rays of the sunbeam like in The Starry Night. “N-nothing,” Haejin stammered, scratching the back of his neck, his face flushing as he got caught red-handed. His heart thundered, and he avoided her eyes, hoping she wouldn't ask anything more. “Earlier you were talking about the upcoming exams…” He muttered, probably, trying to change the topic. “No.” Nari tilted her head slightly, frowning. “Why would I bring up something like that today?” She genuinely didn't remember mentioning it and was trying to figure out what he was hiding. Haejin, sensing the tension between them, immediately stood up and bolted before Nari could punch him in the face. “Hey!” Nari shouted, following him back. “You idiot! What were you hiding?” She ran as fast as she could to catch up with him. Haejin stumbled on a stone while he was running and lost his balance. But he quickly fixed his composure. Nari barely followed him. She ran out of breath as she was running quickly. “You,” she pointed her finger at Haejin, “will be the death of me some time.” She held her chest, breathing heavily. Hearing this, Haejin stopped and turned around, just to find Nari red and tired. He couldn't stop himself from bursting into laughter. “You can't even run a mile.” He giggled so loudly, making Nari's anger fuel. Nari rolled her eyes and stepped towards Haejin, clenching her fists. “Do you see this?” she held up her fist. “If you do not want it on your face, you better shut up,” she threatened him in a playful manner. Haejin shook his head in disbelief and pulled Nari into a hug. Nari got startled and yelped, struggling in his embrace. “Hey, you idiot! Let me go!” she shouted, smacking his back. “No way,” Haejin replied, pulling her closer just to inhale her cherry blossom scent. “Mm.” “You smell heavenly,” he purred softly. Nari giggled and pushed him slightly, making him stumble. “You know if someone sees us together, I can get into trouble,” she stated, scratching her nape. He remembered the weight her family's rules placed on her, and his smile softened into an apology. “Ah, I forgot. Sorry for that.” Nari just smiled weakly before dragging Haejin towards the city. The city was filled with the hustle and bustle of vehicles and people. Everyone was busy. Someone is talking on the phone, another one is just walking while listening to the music, and another one is shouting at someone. The city felt lively after a peaceful beach. Nari and Haejin walked towards their respective apartment buildings holding each other's hands. After Nari reached her building, she hugged him tightly and waved her farewell. Haejin watched lovingly as her figure disappeared in the apartment. He smiled to himself and went to his own house. As soon as Nari opened the door, the usual heavy atmosphere of her family welcomed her. “How dare you come home late?” Laura, Nari's stepmother, shouted at her. “You ungrateful little witch. Go do the dishes,” she pushed her harshly. Nari landed on the floor with her face down. She looked at her stepmom with blood-filled eyes and stood up abruptly. “How dare you yell at me like that?” she argued back, defending her rights. “I. AM. NOT. YOUR. SLAVE.” She said, emphasizing each word and pointing at her face. This only fueled Laura's anger, and she grabbed her hair and pulled her to the kitchen. “Do not come out until you finish.” Laura snapped at Nari and shoved her towards the countertop. Her eyes blazed. “And I mean it. If I do not see sparkling here after twenty minutes, you are dead.” She added and left the kitchen, locking its door behind her. Nari collapsed on the floor, leaning her head on the cupboards. She buried her face in her knees, sobbing silently, each tear soaking her cheeks and pants. She sat there for a moment before standing up and fixing her composure. She wiped her tears with her sleeves and started washing the dishes, her stepmom's harsh words echoing in her ears. She hated all of this. She was fed up with this kind of treatment by her own family. She knew she didn't deserve this; she hadn't done anything bad to be treated this poorly.

Ever wondered what it's like to be loved? For 14-year-old Sophia Park, the second child of the Park family, this remains a distant dream. Unlike her younger sister Bora and older brother Ethan, who are showered with affection. She's accustomed to it. The more her family acts cold-hearted, the more she feels solitary. And it breaks her heart every time. A typical evening with the Park family. Everybody has their own bust. Ethan came home from work. Bora rushed to her brother on the instant; Ethan picked his little sister up and kissed her cheeks profoundly. In the meantime, our Sophia was watching this scene with teary eyes. She continued watching her brother and sister bond. Then she walked to her room, sighing heavily. She heard as her brother and sister were playing games in the next room. She could hear their giggles and laughter. She wanted to cry but she couldn't. Not even a single drop of tears could escape her eyes. But she knew deep down her soul was hurt. Then her phone buzzed, indicating she received a new message. She opened the message and read the text. “Hey, princess? How have you been?” She smiled while reading it. It's her friend, Alex. Her only friend and pal whom she is comfortable with and she feels at ease with him. Alex knows everything about her. “I'm good. Nothing serious happened.” She texted back. “Can I call you?" Alex texted. Sophia agreed. They had an enjoyable video call. They talked about their days and incidents that happened today. She is really content with him. After talking with her friend, Sophia started doing her schoolwork. She was peacefully doing her homework when her little sister came in. “Sophia, can you do my homework too?” She asked in a demanding tone. “Sorry, Bora, I'm busy. I also have my schoolwork to do,” she replied politely. Bora stomped her feet in anger. She punched Sophia and walked away from her room. Sophia groaned in pain as Bora punched her back. She ran behind her to catch her. But she witnessed something terrible. She saw her sister falling from the stairs. She couldn't help her. Bora fell from the stairs, and a loud thud can be heard. Every family member stopped doing their work when they heard a voice. Bora was lying on the floor; her head is bleeding, and Sophia is beside her. “What did you do?” Ethan asked as he suspected that Sophia did it intentionally. He bent down and took Bora in his embrace. “I-I…” Sophia looked at her brother with wide eyes. “I am asking you, you dumb. Why did you do it? Are you jealous of her?” Ethan asked with anger visible in his tone. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her on the floor. Ethan tightened his grip on her wrists, making her hurt. “I did not do anything. She fell herself. I didn't push her,” Sophia defended herself, not believing her blood brother is blaming her. “And should I believe that? I know how you are jealous of her. I know how you hate my little princess,” Ethan raised his voice. Sophia can't even form normal words because of shock and hurt. Her soul shattered into million pieces after Ethan's words. Suddenly the house felt oppressive and sultry for her. She wanted to disappear from this world. Meanwhile, parents called 911 and an ambulance. Paramedics took Bora to the hospital, and Sophia was taken to the police station for interrogation. “I'm not guilty. I didn't take any action.” As she was taken by police, she muttered, “I am innocent.” She had tears streaming down her face. She finds it incomprehensible that her family did this. Why? Nothing was even looked into by them. After reaching the station, cops asked her several questions regarding the incident. But she did not answer. “I'd like to sit in prison.” Since it was the only thing she said, “I accept responsibility for it.” She spoke with earnestness and sensibleness in her tone. She was prepared to accept responsibility and leave her callous family since she was truly hurt. Even the police were taken aback by her singular response. Cops did not ask any further questions. They put her behind chambers. Meanwhile, Bora was hospitalized and put in a resuscitation room. Family members are around her, worrying about her health as she didn't open her eyes. Everyone was busy with Bora, and no one even dared to visit Sophia or even think about her. Sophia was in the police station. She hasn't said a word. She lost her hope and motive for living completely. Her life, once painted in black and white hues, felt completely dark. She was sitting alone in a prison cell, looking at only one spot. She can't believe that her family doesn't care about her on this level. She has already given up on her future. She has already accepted her wistful fate, and the silence around her echoed her despair. The weight of her choices pressed heavily on her chest, making each breath feel like a struggle as memories of happier times with Alex flickered faintly in her mind, like distant stars lost in the night sky.

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