The Longest Night
999 Words
Time passed.
The house remained silent.
Ayan sat alone on the living room sofa, staring blankly at the closed front door.
She hadn't moved since throwing Areum out.
The pregnancy test...
The slap...
The words she had spoken...
Everything replayed over and over in her mind.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes to the clock hanging on the wall.
10:00 p.m.
"...It's already ten."
She rubbed her face with both hands.
"She probably went back to Mom's."
She nodded to herself, trying to believe her own words.
"Yeah..."
"She must've gone there."
Just then...
A loud c***k of thunder echoed across the night sky.
Ayan looked toward the window.
Before she could blink...
Heavy rain began pouring from the heavens, striking against the roof and windows.
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"What if..."
"...she didn't go home?"
The thought hit her so hard that she immediately reached for her phone and called her mother.
The call connected after a few rings.
"Hello?"
"Mom..."
"Is Areum with you?"
There was a brief silence.
"No."
"I already travelled."
"I'll call the housekeeper and ask if she went home."
Ayan remained silent.
A few minutes later...
Her phone rang again.
She answered immediately.
"I asked the housekeeper."
"Areum never came home."
Her mother's voice became serious.
"Ayan..."
"Did the two of you fight?"
Ayan swallowed.
"...No."
Her mother wasn't convinced.
"Did you accuse her of something?"
"...No."
Ayan answered again, her voice sounding exhausted.
Another silence followed.
"Then where could she be at this hour?"
Ayan couldn't answer.
"...Good night."
She was about to end the call when her mother's voice suddenly became sharp.
"Good night?"
"You just said good night when Areum is nowhere to be found?"
"Ayan!"
"You're being cruel."
"If you were angry..."
"You should have poured that anger on me."
"I'm the one who deserves it."
Those words struck something inside Ayan.
She closed her eyes.
Then answered quietly,
"Why have children..."
"...when you can't give them your attention?"
Before her mother could reply...
The call ended.
Outside...
The rain continued to pour relentlessly.
Without another second of hesitation, Ayan grabbed an umbrella and rushed out of the house.
"Areum!"
The rain continued pouring.
Ayan grabbed an umbrella and rushed outside.
"Areum!"
She looked around the neighborhood.
Nothing.
"Areum!"
Her voice echoed through the empty streets.
She searched every nearby corner.
Every bus stop.
Every convenience store with a small roof.
Every place where someone might take shelter from the rain.
Nothing.
Minutes slowly turned into an hour.
Her breathing became uneven.
Her hands started shaking.
"What if..."
"...something happened to her?"
"What if..."
"...she got hurt?"
"What if..."
"...I never get to see her again?"
Tears filled her eyes.
"I..."
"I should've stayed calm."
With trembling fingers, she dialed Kyunmin's number.
He answered almost immediately.
"Sister?"
The first words that left Ayan's mouth made him sit upright.
"...What if she's dead?"
Kyunmin's expression changed instantly.
"Ayan."
"What do you mean?"
She finally broke down.
Between sobs, she told him everything.
Searching Areum's room.
Finding the pregnancy test.
Slapping her.
Throwing her out.
Every single thing.
Kyunmin listened without interrupting.
By the time Ayan finished...
She didn't even realize the umbrella had slipped from her hand.
Rain soaked her completely.
Kyunmin grabbed his car keys without another word.
"I'm coming."
---
Meanwhile...
Ayan continued walking through the rain.
"Areum!"
"Areum!"
Her voice had become hoarse.
Then...
Her eyes caught sight of someone sitting alone on a wooden bench beneath a tree.
Completely drenched.
She froze.
"...Areum."
For a brief moment...
She couldn't move.
Her knees suddenly felt weak.
The fear that had been crushing her heart all night disappeared, replaced by overwhelming relief.
"...She's alive."
Without another thought, Ayan ran toward her.
The moment she reached the bench, she dropped to her knees and pulled Areum into a tight embrace.
"I thought..."
"I thought you were dead."
Her voice broke as tears streamed down her face.
"I searched everywhere for you."
"My heart almost stopped."
"Why are you still sitting here?"
"You could've come home."
Areum cried even harder.
"You..."
"...told me never to come back."
"I didn't know where else to go."
"I kept thinking..."
"...if I left this place..."
"...you would hate me even more."
Those words pierced Ayan's heart.
Before either of them could speak again...
A car stopped beside them.
Kyunmin stepped out, holding an umbrella.
He looked at the two sisters.
One crying from guilt.
The other crying from heartbreak.
Without asking a single question...
He quietly opened the umbrella above them.
His eyes softened.
"...Let's go home."
Sometimes...
There are no words that can mend a broken heart.
Only a place where it can finally begin to heal.
---
Back at Ayan's house...
Both sisters changed into dry clothes.
Neither of them spoke.
Ayan quietly led Areum to her bedroom.
"Sleep."
Areum nodded weakly.
Ayan sat beside the bed.
For the first time since they began living together...
She didn't leave immediately.
She stayed.
Watching until Areum finally fell asleep.
Only then did she quietly leave the room.
---
The living room...
Kyunmin was waiting.
The moment Ayan sat beside him...
He gently pulled her into a hug.
That was all it took.
Ayan broke down completely.
She cried into his shoulder.
"Why..."
"How can she be pregnant at sixteen?"
"I'm still suffering because of what Mom did."
"What if..."
"...she ends up hating her own child?"
"What if..."
"...she ignores the baby too?"
"I don't want Areum to become like Mom."
Kyunmin gently rubbed her back.
His voice remained calm.
"Sister..."
"We'll figure it out."
"But not tonight."
He let her cry until she had no tears left.
Then he stood.
Walked her to her bedroom.
Made sure she lay down.
Pulled the blanket over her.
"Try to sleep."
He waited until she closed her eyes.
Only then did Kyunmin quietly leave the house and drive home, knowing that by morning...
Nothing between the two sisters would ever be the same.
- Writer
