Salvation (4)
In the dark, damp room, the sisters clung tightly to each other, like the faint moonlight filtering through the tiny window. They held onto that small glimmer of hope, praying desperately that someone would come to save them. They had endured endless misfortune and despair up to now, and more surely lay ahead. But just this once, they wished with all their hearts for a spark of hope for themselves.
How much time had passed? A sound came from outside—the door unlocking. Clank. Click. Click. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep—! … Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep… Crash!!!
"Eek!"
"Ugh…"
The sudden loud noise from beyond the door drew faint groans from the sisters. They steeled themselves inwardly, praying that despair wouldn't appear before their eyes. They begged that the person they longed for would show up.
Bang! Bang bang!! Thud. Tap tap. Thump— It sounded like the lock had been smashed, metal and machinery parts clattering to the floor. Clank. The doorknob turned down, and the door slowly creaked open.
The sisters' heartbeats raced wildly, growing louder. A figure gradually emerged through the widening gap in the door. When they could finally make it out, one person stood there.
The savior they had so desperately hoped for, the only light they could wish for.
"Kids…!"
"Mister…"
"Mister…?!"
Lee Seojin stared fixedly at the sisters, his face cycling through a flurry of expressions. Worry filled his eyes, then he frowned, his lips twitching as if he didn't know what to do. A torrent of emotions and thoughts surged through him, but he closed his eyes briefly to compose himself before hurrying over to them.
"You okay? Where are you hurt…"
In the space lit only by a single beam of moonlight, Lee Seojin checked them over and suddenly noticed their cheeks. Both were swollen red. At the sight, he bit his lip hard, his fists trembling. He lowered his head slightly, his body shaking with frustration. Seeing this, Yu Sua cautiously reached out and touched his cheek.
"We're fine, Mister. Please don't worry too much."
"…Yeah."
With a short, heavy sigh, Lee Seojin checked them again.
"This…"
There was a familiar item on their arms. Devices used to restrain and neutralize vicious villains—how had they gotten these?! They were expensive; no one living in a rundown place like this could have bought them. Could it be… they were connected to villains? He should tell Hoyeon-hyung just in case. If the slums were linked to villains… it could turn into a major problem.
"You okay? You don't look like you're about to collapse? This isn't meant to be used like this—how did you even…!"
"We're fine except for feeling weak. No injuries or pain."
"…Good. I'll get them off you quick."
He removed the bracelets from one arm of each sister. Having seen them used even in wartime, he knew how to dismantle and operate them. With their arms free, a bit of strength returned, and the sisters stretched and moved to loosen up.
"Phew. That's better. It'll take some time to move properly, though."
"How the hell did you get something like this? Those bastards."
"…"
Lee Seojin watched the sisters silently, his mind swirling with dozens, hundreds of thoughts and emotions. A brief silence fell as he observed them wordlessly, then, as if resolved, he spoke to them with a grim expression.
"…Let's go to a facility, kids."
Thud— At those words, something heavy sank in the sisters' hearts once more. But this time, it was deeper and weightier than when the police had dragged them away.
Why? It was written on Lee Seojin's face. An expression they'd never seen before. He looked angry yet sad, self-reproachful yet joyful—a mix of dozens of emotions. For the sisters, who were clumsy with feelings and people, this was their greatest obstacle. They could only interpret it as him having grown to hate them.
"M-Mister. Why? Why all of a sudden…"
"Yeah. Why send us to a facility…?"
Even Yu Se Eun, who was always bold and casual, behaved politely as she looked up at him. They pleaded desperately to dissuade him, but his decision was set.
"It's safe there—way better than this place, by a factor of ten, a hundred times. You'll like it, I'm sure. So…"
An undeniable truth. He smiled warmly, trying to coax their agreement, but the sisters were gripped by the fear that he might leave them forever, rejecting it unconsciously.
"N-No. I don't wanna go."
"Me neither, Mister. I don't wanna."
They shook their heads in strong refusal, trembling with fear, but it was useless against him now. He thought he had to be firm this time. So he bit his lip once, then began persuading them slowly. Unaware that his voice was rising.
"Why don't you wanna go? Because that trash calls himself your dad and you care?"
"No. I don't care about that guy either."
"Then you like this house? Or do you have friends here?"
"No, it's not that…"
Endless questions. Endless denials. Frustrated by the impasse—or perhaps sensing something—Lee Seojin, whose emotions had been churning, suddenly stood up and shouted.
"Then why don't you wanna go!!"
The sudden yell made the sisters flinch. They looked at him with eyes full of fear and dread, but this wasn't the trembling from violence or misfortune they'd endured before. It was terror at losing the one person right in front of them they couldn't bear to lose.
They gazed at him desperately, but it was no use now.
"You like this dump? You don't! You want to live somewhere warm and safe too!"
What had he seen, felt, thought? Lee Seojin kept shouting, whipping himself with guilt deep in his chest.
I can't understand it.
Why? Why must these sisters suffer like this? Unblessed from birth, never knowing happiness as they grew. Raised in darkness, never seeing even a ray of light, living only despair and sorrow—he could tell without them saying.
Why? Why must they endure this pain? Even if they sold out the country in a past life, wasn't this suffering enough? Did they have to be torn apart, standing on opposite sides, forced to kill each other?
I died, but if I hadn't… one of them surely would have. Why must they face such a horrific end?
If they had to meet that fate, shouldn't they at least have a little happiness? Even a tiny bit?
But why are you rejecting that happiness? Could it be… because of me?
Because you don't like me? Because I'm making this offer, so you're refusing?
"Why didn't you ask for help? Before getting dragged here… You could've just called normally, not an emergency line. Is it because… you can't trust me? Am I still someone you can't rely on?"
His voice trembled as he pleaded desperately for a reason. The sisters shook their heads vigorously in unison, as if by promise.
"N-No. It's not that!"
"I-I… No. Sis is… No no. We…!"
They didn't want to be hated. Didn't want to seem pathetic. They worried about burdening others with their misfortune. He was trustworthy enough. But if he felt even a sliver of affection or fondness for them.
No. If that's all there was.
They didn't want him to drift away. Didn't want to be separated. They wanted to stay by his side, in his sight, somehow, desperately.
That earnest wish welled up in the sisters, but they couldn't voice it. They feared even saying it would make him hate them. Better to take hate or resentment if it meant enduring.
So please don't leave. Stay by our side. Praying that, they rushed forward and clung to his legs.
"Sorry. We were wrong. We'll go to the facility. So please don't hate us, Mister."
"Sorry, Mister. W-We were scared you'd hate us. Didn't want you seeing us like this."
Yu Sua and Yu Se Eun begged and begged again. More desperately, more earnestly than when pleading against their father's violence as children. Praying the precious person before them wouldn't leave.
All the while, it tore at Lee Seojin's heart, ripping it apart. Even now in this situation, he couldn't fathom the pain they'd endured in their past life. He looked up and let out a deep sigh.
"Haa…"
A sigh of pity and sorrow. But the sisters thought it meant his affection had cooled, that he hated them now. Judging he might really leave, they clung tighter to his legs, tears streaming as they pleaded.
"Sob. Hic. S-Sorry… Mister. F-For being so pathetic… Don't leave us…!"
"Sniff… Sorry, Mister. D-Don't hate us. Hic…!"
Lee Seojin looked down at the sisters hugging both his legs, heads bowed in desperate plea. He bitterly regretted his momentary anger, blaming himself as he gently pried them away.
"M-Mister…"
"…Sorry…"
"No. I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have done that…"
Yu Sua and Yu Se Eun hung their heads, tears flowing. When Lee Seojin carefully wiped them away, they slowly lifted their gazes to meet his. They faced each other, taking a moment to calm down. Once their vision cleared a bit, he smiled.
"Why would you think I'd leave you?"
"…Because we're so pathetic like this…"
"Then why think I'd hate you?"
"…Scared you'd be disappointed seeing us like this…"
"No way."
Lee Seojin stroked their heads. It won't happen. I won't leave. He didn't say it, but poured that meaning into his gaze as he petted them gently. Meeting his eyes, they seemed to catch on. No more tears fell; they smiled back in kind.
"I won't ever leave. Never hate you or grow tired of you. And whether you go to a facility, meet someone else, go anywhere… if you need me, I'll be there."
That's the only way I can repay the Hero's grace to you. And now that fate had intertwined us, he wanted to heal the wounds and pain they'd suffered so much, but no method came to mind. Having lived selfishly, ignoring others, he couldn't create or imagine a way to embrace and protect them.
This was the best he could come up with.
"…Really? For real?"
"Yeah. For real. I won't ever leave you. Want me to promise?"
Yu Sua, still sniffling a little, stared at him. His eyes brimmed with sincerity, utterly devoid of lies. Perhaps because the mood had calmed, desire and greed began to bubble up in her heart. The same welled in her sister Yu Se Eun's.
The sisters resolved to muster courage just this once.
"Then… um, instead of a promise, can we do something else?"
"Actually, we have one thing we want."
"Can you grant it just once?"
"Please."
"What you want? Hmm… Sure."
What could they possibly want? It'll be fine. With that thought, he nodded with a reassuring smile. The sisters exchanged glances. Without words, they knew what the other desired. Without deciding who first, they spoke together.
""We want to live with you, Mister.""
"…Huh?"
At the request, Lee Seojin froze, blinking in confusion.
"Uh… wait. What did you just…?"
Thinking he'd misheard, he asked again, but the answer was the same.
"We said we want to live with you, Mister."
"…You don't like that?"
"Huh?! N-No… just caught me off guard."
It was an answer utterly out of left field. Live with me? At first glance, it might seem innocent, but not for these sisters. Probably because they'd met me multiple times and I was the only one they could trust.
Though their small, frail frames belied their beauty. …Could it be, just maybe… they like me? The thought flickered briefly, but he dismissed it.
What nonsense. Ridiculous. Even if they did like him, he wouldn't see it that way. Saving them was to prevent the war, but also to repay the Hero's grace from his past life. And with their age gap, what kind of perverted notion was that? Get a grip, Seojin.
"…Yeah. Got it. Let's live together."
He nodded in acceptance, and the sisters beamed, asking brightly.
"For real?"
"Really? Not lying, right?!"
"Of course. If that's what you want, better than a facility… then that's what we'll do."
Reaffirmed once more, the sisters, overjoyed, threw themselves at him—like puppies reuniting with a long-lost owner. Overflowing with immense happiness and joy, they dove into his arms, burying their faces in his chest.
Lee Seojin, pushed back and lying down under their assault, felt a bit flustered but thought their joy was enough. He stroked their heads.
"Well, with things like this… let's get along."
As he greeted their future, the sisters lifted their heads, met his eyes, and grinned widely.
"Heehee. Looking forward to it."
"Hehe. Take care of us, Seojin!"
"Yeah."
That day—the darkest day, when it seemed they'd plunge into the deepest abyss—the sisters were saved. A warm salvation, free of further sorrow, pain, or despair.