Apollo & Luna

Abandoned

On the North side of the Han River were popular red light districts in Seoul. Cheongnyangni 588 was one of those. Situated near the Cheongnyangni station, behind the Lotte Department Store, the place was famous to the locals as "Oh Pall Pall" which meant 588 in the local dialect.

Due to the pursuit of the government to crush the p**********n in the area, most of the clubs were shut down and the remaining few struggled to keep business alive.

In one of the rundown pubs, a heavily painted woman came out for a smoke. Scantily clad in a tube one piece with a short skirt, her exposed, weary, body didn't mind the cold. Her skin had thickened through years of wearing the same type of clothing, and the cancer stick she held in between her painted lips gave her enough warmth. 

Several business men came walking past, and she waved at them with a huge practiced smile on her face, making sure that her ample bosom was viewed by her possible clients. Some of them gave her a glance, but still continued on their way.

Hmmmph! She snorted as she turned her face away. Business has been very bad these days. It wasn't just because of the government limiting her trade but she was also painfully getting older. Competing with "fresh bods", as she called the new prostitutes wasn't as easy as most clients preferred younger women. She was getting old, and sadly, it was time for her to retire.

Although she knew that was the case, she was still reluctant to stop. Why? Because aside from the decent savings she had in the bank, she had nowhere to go. Well, technically, she could go back home, but that would mean she had to swallow her pride and prepare her heart for the ugly reception she knew would come if she came back home. She had rebelled and vowed she would brave out the city life, become rich and famous, and never return after all. So to come back would mean she had failed miserably.

A cynical laugh escaped her lips, remembering her younger days. She was full of dreams back then. With her beauty, and youthful naiveté, she thought she could escape the hard life at the farm, and become an actress. Little did she know how harsh reality was. As soon as she reached Seoul, she was slapped on the face so hard.

Not only did she fail to become an actress, she was also stupid enough to let herself be tricked into becoming a p********e. At least, at first, she was an expensive w***e. She became a mistress of several powerful men – well, until they tired of her and dumped her.

Ah, yes, it was the reason she ended up in this cheap place. Her lovers abandoned her. Not all however, as one simple man working as an employee of her ex's company somewhat got attached to her and was pursuing her.

Remembering the man, she sighed. For others, it was oddly strange that she kept turning his offer of marriage down. It was after all every woman's dream to be married and have a family of her own, right? But she didn't feel like she deserved all those anymore. She turned him down over and over again. It's what she felt she had to do. He was an honest, sincere man.

A woman like her…

A woman like her had no business bringing someone that nice down with her.

Feeling a little annoyed, the woman stomped towards a pile of trash cans, threw her cigar and gave one of the trash bins a kick. The sound of tin against the hard heel of her shoe echoed on the dimly lit alley and she watched as the trashcan rolled far away from her and stopped near a lamp post and she frowned.

"What's that?" she asked audibly as she stared at the bundle near the lamp post. It looked like a pile of blankets with something moving inside. Curiosity getting the better of her, she walked closer to the parcel and her eyes widened at what she saw. "Oh my…"

Huge blue doe eyes stared back at her from the blanket as a tiny fist waved up in the air. The tiny face was crowned with very light hair. In spite of the dirty cloth covering the baby, it looked like an angel.

"Oh my…" she whispered one more time as she glanced from her left to right, seeing if there were others who could see her. There were none.

"Uuhhhmm…" the tiny baby in the blanket started whimpering, and the woman didn't hesitate to stoop down so she could lift the child up in her arms. The whimpering turned into soft mewls as the baby's eyes filled with tears.

"Oh you poor soul," the woman crooned softly as she placed the infant against her chest and cradled it. "Are you hungry? Who could have left you here?" she asked the baby while she shifted it in her arms as she stood.

It's a baby! Who in their right mind would leave a baby here? By the trash too? Among all the heartless things people could do, this was the worst she'd ever encountered so far.

But who was she kidding? Considering where she was – a place where women like her would most certainly than not end up getting pregnant, this act was not impossible. Women in her trade who get rid of their unwanted baggage without a care in the world exist. This poor, poor child was one of those "unwanted" baggage it seemed.

Eyeing the trash where the baby was lying on, she reckoned the baby was indeed thrown like unwanted rubbish and she felt her heart sadden. This angel was abandoned – dumped, like her. "You got thrown away? Me too…"

Lifting the blanket temporarily to see the gender of the baby, a smile plastered on her face. "Ah, so you're a girl!" she told the baby, and the mewling stopped as those pitiful doe eyes focused on her painted face. "I was hoping to have a son someday, but I think a daughter is just fine," she continued as she wiped the tears from the infant's eyes.

"It seems nobody wants you, kid. But I think I do…"she declared in wonder, surprising herself. Having a child was no small matter, and here she was, getting herself a huge responsibility. But, peculiarly, instead of fear, she felt…hope. Yes, hope and salvation. 

All her life she had been shunned by people around her because of her chosen profession. She had never felt any connection with anyone in her entire life.

Until now.

"You'll be mine. You'll be my daughter," she announced as she shifted the bundle, making the edge of the blanket fall, exposing a dirty, but visible pattern inside. Curious once more, she pulled at the cloth and the pattern turned out to be small embroidery. Alicia. It was a name. Well, at least the real parent gave her something.

"So, you're Alicia. It suits you..."