Threads of Fate (Catnipz)

A Stubborn Soul

Minji's hand rested lightly on Haerin's shoulder, offering an anchor in a world that felt so unsteady. "You didn't have to be strong for him. You were strong for yourself. And that's enough."

Haerin didn't know how to respond to that. She didn't know if she even believed it, but for the first time in a long time, the words felt like they were meant for her. Like someone understood that even when you're surrounded by broken people, you can still try to piece yourself back together.

She turned away from her father, her fingers still warm from the contact with Minji's hand. There was nothing more to be done here, nothing left to prove.

"Let's go," Haerin said softly, her voice calm and steady. "There's nothing more to see here."

Minji nodded, her gaze softening as she fell into step beside Haerin, the silence between them not uncomfortable but full of shared understanding. The night stretched ahead of them, quiet and endless, but it didn't feel as heavy now. 

Haerin's voice broke the silence, the weight of her words hanging in the air between them. "My dad... he's the reason I can't leave Hanni. If I leave her, she'll be alone. Alone to deal with him, alone to face all the things that have ruined our lives. I can't do that to her, Minji."

Her hands clenched at her sides, her knuckles turning white. She looked away from Minji, unable to meet her gaze. There was a tremble in her voice, a flicker of uncertainty beneath her usually stoic demeanor. "I owe it to her to stay. I'm the only one she has left, and if I go, what happens to her? She's so much more innocent than I ever was. She deserves better than this mess."

Minji stayed silent for a moment, letting Haerin's words sink in. She could hear the conflict, the guilt, in Haerin's tone, and it made her heart ache. She had always known Haerin to be strong; stoic, guarded, but strong, but this side of her, the side that cared so deeply for her sister, was something Minji had only seen in fragments.

"You think staying will save her?" Minji asked quietly, her voice soft but piercing. "Do you think that by staying, you're protecting her from everything? From your father, from the world? But you're not saving her, Haerin. You're only holding on to something that's already slipping away."

Haerin looked down, her eyes glistening with unspoken emotion, her chest tight. She wanted to believe Minji, wanted to think there was a way out, but it felt impossible. Every time she thought she was getting a little closer to freedom, to peace, the weight of responsibility would drag her back down.

Minji's voice cut through the air, cold and steady, but there was an underlying sorrow in it. "Haerin, even if you stay, you'll stay forever. Until the end of time. Alone. Sure, you'll be able to see the people you love, but they'll eventually leave you too. They'll move on, and you'll be stuck here. A spirit, drifting through an endless void, watching everyone around you live their lives, while you're frozen in time. You won't be able to protect them anymore. You won't be able to do anything to help them. It's a curse, a never-ending loop."

Haerin's chest tightened as she processed Minji's words. The image she had tried to avoid; of herself, eternally stuck, unable to protect those she cared for, began to take shape in her mind. She had never considered that possibility before. To stay and watch her sister grow, only to eventually lose her, just as she had lost so much already. To have the people she loved slip through her fingers, one by one, leaving her behind in the dark.

Minji's words were harsh, but they carried a truth that Haerin couldn't ignore. The guilt, the fear, the responsibility that had kept her tethered to this world; it was only a temporary solution. And she knew it deep down. She could stay and fight for Hanni, but how long could she truly protect her from the things that haunted them both? From the father who had dragged them both into this mess, from the life that had stolen their peace? How long before Hanni was forced to carry the weight alone?