Moonlight | Kim Taehyung

9: Luna

It's getting late, so I leave Taehyung to meet up with his friends alone and head back home with Rae-na.

My hand intertwined in Rae-na's as she gleefully skips by my side. The little girl is a complete opposite of me as I walk with my head down. The streets are quiet, the only sounds are our footsteps. This makes me feel somewhat empty.

I sigh and Rae-na stops to look up at me, "What's wrong?"

I shake my head and smile at her, "Nothing."

"Okay then," she says and we continue walking.

I don't know what wrong with me. Sometimes I feel like I'm on top of the world, but sometimes I feel like I'm falling apart, like shattering glass. I wonder how I manage to give advice to Taehyung and make him feel better when I can't even keep myself together. Why did I promise something that I'm sure I, myself will break?

I'm so lost in thought that I don't realise we're walking past our home, until Rae-na tugs onto my arm and points at the house, "Luna, home is here."

"Hmm?" I say as I look at the house and I'm back to reality. "Oh, right."

Rae-na looks at me uncertainly, but I just smile at her, "You can go inside first, I'm going to take a walk. Tell Mina to not stay up and wait for me to be back."

"Okay," she says and darts into the house.

I keep on walking straight. The sky is pitch black and the moon slowly appears behind the clouds. The wind is light and chilly, it makes goosebumps appear on my arms. I shiver in the cold, but I still keep on walking. The neighbourhood is peaceful, though every so often I hear laughter in some of the houses. Through the window of a pale yellow house, I see a family of six having dinner. Two children prancing around the room, whilst the parents and grandparents sit by the table laughing and chatting. I smile, but it soon fades and jealousy replaces it. I wish my family could be like that again. I wish I could be a happy-go-lucky little girl again, but I can't. Our family will never be like that again.

I don't know how long I've been walking, but I somehow end up outside a night club. The building covered in neon lights as music blasts inside. People are gathered outside, alcoholic drinks held in each one of their hands. I'm underage and I've never stepped foot into a club before, yet here I am contemplating whether or not I should go inside. I'm standing and staring at the building.

A man comes from behind me and looks at me up and down, "Hey sweetheart, are you going in or not? I'll buy you a drink and keep you company if you do."

I turn to face him. He smells of cologne and he looks to be around thirty. His hair is slicked back and a stubble grows on his chin. His arm snakes around my waist as he smirks at me confidently, waiting for me to reply.

"No thank you," I say and duck away as I push him off me.

"Whatever," he says and bumps my shoulder as he walks past me and into the club.

I watch him in disgust as I see he has found two young girls to accompany him. He walks with one girl on each side as he enters the club. His arm snaked around their waists and oh-so-conveniently touching their backside.

I'm about to turn around and leave, when I hear a girl scream. Nobody else seems to care or bother to see where the sound came from. But, I notice a girl pushed up against a wall near the club and a man forcefully pressing himself onto her. I can't just do nothing and not save her, so I quickly head over to them.

"Get off her!" I exclaim to get the man's attention.

The man detaches himself from the girl. The girl falls to the floor and tears stream down her face. Her clothes are dishevelled and her body quivers. The man glares at me and I try to remain composed as I glare back at him, but my trembling hands betray me.

He laughs loudly, "What?"

He clicks his tongue and smirks as he continues to glower at me. I'm about to run away from him, but I can't leave the girl alone. He reaches his hand out to me, but before he can lay a finger on me, I dash around him and grab onto the girl's arm and run for my life.

"Hey!" I hear the man roar as he chases after us.

I keep running and my grip tightens around the girl's hand. We're sprinting down the streets until we're sure we've lost him. We're panting heavily as we sit at a bench.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

She nods timidly, "Thank you."

She's still trembling as she looks down at her feet. Her hair is like a curtain as it hides her face.

"You're sure? Did he hurt you?" I ask as I observe her.

She slowly looks up at me and meets my eyes as she says quietly, "I'm okay."

She has a petite frame and small features, which makes her look fragile. She smiles weakly at me and I smile back at her.

"I'm Park Luna," I say. "How old are you?"

"I'm Kim Hye-Yun, but you can just call me Aurora." She says. "I'm seventeen."

"Seventeen?" I say in surprise. "You're the same age as me, but you look younger."

"What were you doing there?" I ask her curiously.

She looks hesitant as she bites down onto her lip, "I... got lost."

Suddenly, her phone rings and she answers it.

Once the call ends she turns to me and says, "My sister is coming to pick me up. Will you wait with me?"

"Sure." I nod and she smiles.

The girl is like a little child as she props her legs up onto the bench and wraps her arms around them. Her chin resting on her knees.

She looks up to the sky and points at the moon, "Look. It's so round tonight. It's beautiful."

I look up at the moon and nod in agreement, "Yeah, it is."

I lean back against the bench and close my eyes. I let the cool breeze blow my hair so it tickles my face.

"What were you doing outside the club?" Aurora suddenly asks.

I open my eyes and face her, "I was just taking a stroll and ended up there."

"I see," she nods. "You look like you have a lot on your mind."

"You're right, I do." I admit.

Though Aurora is seventeen, she doesn't act like her age as she smiles like a child. She seems happy for a girl who just got assaulted.

"How can you be smiling now?" I ask and she seems confused as she looks at me with her head tilted to one side.

"How can you smile when a man just forced himself onto you. You were crying just minutes ago." I say.

She shrugs, "I don't know. I don't want to think about it, so I just forget."

"How can you forget so quickly?" I ask and study her.

She sighs and shrugs again, "I don't know. I just don't like to think about the past. I like living in the present."

I'm quiet and don't know what to say. She's so carefree as she chuckles, but I know that for her to say something like that, she must've experienced some suffering. She may look naive, but I can tell that she's been through tough times. She's just good at hiding her emotions behind a facade.

I'm curious as to what she might've gone through, yet I don't ask her and just observe her actions.

Soon. I hear footsteps coming our way and we both turn our heads to the direction of the sound. I girl stands by Aurora's side and Aurora immediately stands to embrace the girl. She must be her older sister. I stand up as well and the girl smiles at me. Her hair is a pastel pink and her hair is long and wavy like Aurora's, but other than that, they don't look alike.

They pull away from each other and Aurora's sister walks towards me and smiles, "I'm Coral. Aurora's older sister."

"Park Luna," I say.

After a while, Coral and Aurora head back home and I decide to go back home as well.

I wonder if Coral and Aurora really are biological sisters.