Promise | pjm

1: No Other Choice

"Unnie are you okay?!" The 6 years old girl ran to her sister when she saw her lying down on the floor with her hand on her stomach. Her lips were bleeding

She looks towards the voice and crouched down. Smiling at the little girl, trying to make it look like she is okay. "Hyebin ah, I'm okay. I just fell from the bed" She said weakly

"Stop lying! I know dad hit you! I heard everything" The little girl cried. Tears were trickling down her cute face and Haemi felt guilty

"Unnie I want mama back" She sobbed. Haemi hugged her despite her pain in the stomach and pats the little girl's back

"Hyebin ah.. You need to go to the kindergarten now" She wiped her tears and stood up after holding her hand. She walks out of the room after getting the little girl's bag from the bed and went downstairs together. Both of them froze when they saw their father sitting on the couch with a newspaper on his hand

"I'm sending Hyebin to the kindergarten now" She bowed politely and Hyebin did the same. She felt her sister tightening the grip on her hand when their father walks towards them while rolling the newspaper

"Kindergarten huh?" He came near Hyebin. Haemi pushed her sister behind her back. Trying to protect her

"We made a deal. Never hurt Hyebin" She said and backs away

"Did I told you to open your mouth?!" Their father shouted and soon he hit Haemi with the rolled newspaper. Hyebin tried so hard not to cry when she heard her sister groaned. She knew that if she cried, her sister will probably be dead by now

"You. Are. Almost. 20. yet. you. never. change" He hits her with every word he said. The whipping gets harder by each word and when he said the last word, Hyebin could see her sister's yellow sleeve turned red

"I'm sorry" was the only thing that she could say. She bowed and dragged Hyebin from the house.

She froze again when she saw her bestfriend's car parked in front of their house. One of her best friend that was always there for her through thick and thin for almost 10 years now. She saw the girl went out of her car and ran to her

"Haemi!" She whispered-shouted knowing that the father will come out if she really shouted. "You're bleeding again"

"Yeonju yah.. Lets bring this kid to the kindergarten first. Then we'll talk about this"

*

"Haemi, You've been holding this since 2 years ago.. I cant stand seeing you with new scars everyday" Yeonju sipped on the drink that Haemi brought to the table

"Yeonju. You know what happened. Dad got Hyebin's custody by making up stories and I cant leave the little girl just like that. She will die" She sighed

"Where's your mom?"

"Mom?" She laughed half-heartedly before continued "I dont know but she is trying so hard to release both of us from that beast"

"Cha Haemi! help me serve these drinks" She heard her boss, Song Jaerim (who is also one of her bestfriend from school) shouted from the counter and she immediately stood up and did what she was told.

She needs money to send Hyebin to the kindergarten. Even though Yeonju is rich, she never accept her money. She said she'll hate herself if she accepted them.

A bell from the door signed that there was another customer. Since there were very few customers at the cafe today, the door bell caught everyone's attention. Haemi looks at the just entered customer from the counter and breaks down when she recognise the face