warm like a gun | ot23 nct; ot5 red velvet

Chapter 9

Yerim hurries down the hall, wrapping her dressing gown tightly around her. Her AI, Mercy, had woken her just minutes ago, informing her that her little sister, Yeeun, was awake and crying.

Each girl was given an AI to look out for them on their seventh birthday. They got to name it, and the program was installed in their rooms and in their earpieces. They also communicated with one another, which is how Mercy knew Yeeun was up—Yeeun's AI, Nari, probably told her.

Sure enough, Yeeun is sitting up in bed, sniffling. Yerim is surprised to see her youngest sister, Chaeeun, already at Yeeun's bedside, trying to comfort her. Yeeun pushes her away, a little aggressively, and Chaeeun stumbles back, looking hurt.

"Hey, hey, what's going on?" Yerim asks, holding a hand out to steady Chaeeun.

"Had a nightmare," Yeeun mumbles.

"She's being mean," Chaeeun accuses. "I was awake and I heard her crying and I came in to see what was wrong but she said she didn't want me!"

"Sometimes it's hard to be nice when you're scared," Yerim replies, smoothing Chaeeun's hair. The door to Yeeun's bedroom opens again, and Yerim looks up to see Yoorim rushing in.

"Kwan woke me," she says. "Told me all of you were in here."

"Yeeun had a nightmare, that's all." Yerim replies. "Can you take Chaeeun back to bed?"

"Sure." Yoorim takes Chaeeun's hand and leads her out of the room. Yerim turns to Yeeun.

"Wanna tell me about your nightmare?" she asks.

Yeeun's crying has slowed; she picks at a loose thread on her blanket as she thinks about her response. "It was about Mom," she says finally, and Yerim feels a piercing sympathy in her chest, paired with hurt of her own. "I was just—watching her die. Chaeeun kept strangling her. It was—it was awful—" She starts crying again. "B-because I know it's not Chaeeun's fault at all, but she came in right after I woke up and I just—I didn't want anything to do with her."

"It's okay," Yerim says softly, catching Yeeun's tears with her fingers. "You were scared. We can all talk in the morning, when the sun is out and everyone is well-rested. I'm sure she'll understand."

Yeeun nods, and they're silent for a moment. And then—"Unnie?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss her," Yeeun whispers, eyes downcast. "I barely even remember her, but I miss her."

"I know." Yerim leans in and places a kiss on her forehead. "I miss her, too. But nothing like that is going to happen to any of us ever again. Dad made sure. So you don't have to be afraid." Yeeun nods solemnly. "Okay." Yerim stands. "You have school tomorrow, so you should try to get some sleep. D'you want me to stay?"

"No, it's okay." Yeeun shakes her head. "Nari will read to me. You should sleep, too. The product launch is tomorrow, isn't it?"

"It is," Yerim says, smiling. "Alright, sleep well."

"G'night."

Yerim shuts the door behind her with a soft click. She looks down the hall to see Yoorim leaving Chaeeun's room, and goes to her. They meet in the middle, and Yoorim sighs and wraps her arms around Yerim's shoulders, pulling her in for a tight hug.

"Is Chaeeun okay?" Yerim asks quietly.

"Yeah," Yoorim responds. "She's fine. We'll have them talk tomorrow after school."

"Yeah," Yerim agrees. "Yeeun's going to sleep now. She said she dreamed about Mom."

"I figured." Yoorim pulls away, though she stays close. "Are you alright?"