Hwayugi fanfic (Korean odyssey) : Guardian

Children part 9

The gate of the Sacred Heart orphanage is blue with complicated patterns.

When she arrived here, she was carried inside on a stretcher.

She stopped speaking to anyone.

She also lost the umbrella her grandma gave her. She lies inside one of the deepest room on the 3rd level, eyes lifeless. She had a high fever for a week. When the nurses thought she was going to die, she recovered miraculously.

After that, she no longer ties her hair into piggy tails, she doesn't speak and remains silent.

There are a lot of children here, also, there are a lot of......children that can only be seen at night.

She doesn't avoid them anymore, because, she thinks she's no different from them.

"Hey, what's your name? How come you don't speak?" A timid boy stands in front of her.

He's slightly older than her, his skin is dull from malnutrition.

She doesn't pay any attention to him or tries to speak to him. She just arrived here, so she's not close with any of the kids. The children might have heard the scary rumours about her, everyone is avoiding her as if she's a monster.

The boy offered her a cold bun, she continues to ignore him.

If they hate her, then why is he pretending to like her?

In front of his face, she threw the bun on the ground.

The boy didn't say anything, he picks the bun off the ground. He rips it in half and stubbornly places half next to her pillow and he ate the other dirty half.

This continued for a month, then she finally spoke for the first time.

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Why should I be afraid of you?" The boy smiles.

Then, he became her first and only best friend.

"My name is Yun-He, what about you?"

"............Jin Seon Mi." She replies in a quiet voice.

Yun-He's body would always be marked with wounds and scars.

She doesn't want to care about other people anymore, so she never asked him about it.

All the other kids are bullying her, only Yun-He would treat her kindly. He would always save food from his meal and give it to her. She loves to hide inside the closet and hide in the dark, but Yun-He can always find her.

Most of the time, she likes to space out. She doesn't do anything or think of anything. Because no one would care. Her hair remains untied and drapes messily on her shoulder.

She's constantly being bullied by other children, when she bleeds, a lot of spirits would come and find her at night. She wouldn't talk to them either.

There will children going missing from the orphanage once in a while. Yun-He would always worry about her. He would always rub dirt onto her face. He told her, avoid the 4th floor, don't talk to any of the volunteers in this orphanage. If she saw the director, run and stay away as far as she could.

DON'T WASH YOUR FACE.

She doesn't care, no one cares about her anyway. And she resents herself too.

But one day, Yun-He was beaten by other children when he tried to stop others from bullying her.

She saw Yun-He getting pushed down the stairs, landing hard on the concrete floor, blood starts to pool on the ground.

At that moment, her mind finally clears.

"Jin Seon Mi, so you do know how to cry?"

That was the first sentence he said when he opened his eyes in the infirmary.

"So, are we friends now?"

She nods quickly.

Yun-He smiles and reaches out his hand : "How about a pinky promise? We are friends forever......always together......."

She hesitates.

"I.......cursed my parents and my families......aren't you scared to be my friend?"

"No." He lies there, body full of injuries.

"I don't have my mummy or daddy, just like you. So, how about I protect you?"

"My.....my fairy-nim will protect me......." She replies, her gaze dims.

"But, when you were bullied, the person who protected you was me!" Yun-He poked through her lies.

"Don't lie to yourself anymore." There are tears in her eyes but she's trying hard to hold them back.

Yun-He takes her hand and links their pinky.

But, during that accident, because he didn't receive proper care, Yun-He's leg broke permanently and he has to limp when he walks.