HERS: The winner takes it all

CHAPTER 2 PART 3

“Good night sweetie,” Nanny HyeSun tucked in little Haerin. Her heart was heavy for the poor child. She did not deserve any of this. She kissed her forehead and turned off the lights of her room to let her sleep.

Haerin pushed the covers off her body. She had waited for a while making sure that nanny Hyesun had been far gone and probably asleep in her own room. She came down from her bed and put on her white fluffy sneakers as she snuck out of my room.

Going down the stairs, careful not to make a sound, she tiptoed towards the fireplace till she sighted what or who she was looking for. She fisted out the cat food she had kept from the pocket of her sleepwear. She quietly walked towards the cat and stretched forward, stretched open her palm, rubbing its fur as it ate her fingers.

She picked it up and took it with her to the kitchen. It did not make a noise as it focused on eating the food from her hand. She set it in the kitchen sink, placing more food in the sink to keep it distracted. Then bent down and turned on the garbage disposal.

The loud noise followed by the cry had alerted everyone. She could hear the rush of the footsteps towards the kitchen.

The maids all rushed into the kitchen, but their steps haltered at the door. Some screamed in fear, clutching onto each other as they witnessed the horror splatter of blood decorating the walls of the kitchen, the remains of the cat in the sink.

They looked around the corners of the room, sighting the little figure at the crime scene. Their face, clothes and shoes were also stained with blood. The sight was grotesque. None of them wanted to come closer. They all stood at the door.

“What’s going on here? Why did all of you stand here like that?” Nanny HyeSun called to the attention of the maids at the door. She was not only a nanny but also the head maid, so she was highly respected.

They gave room for her to walk in. Seeing the atrocity, she also looked frightened like the rest of them, but upon seeing the young child, her heart was moved, her expression changed—concern?

She came towards Haerin and tucked her hair behind her ears, then held her hand all the while smiling. She held her hand to lead her out. Just as we were about to leave the kitchen, her mother came down.

“What’s all this ruckus in my house? Who dares interrupt my sleep?” She went to the crime scene, taking in what she saw and seeing the head of her now dead cat on the kitchen counter. She shrieked, also losing her footing if not for the maids that had run to hold her up.

She tried to launch at me but HyeSun shielded her. “Ma’am, I think its best I get the child cleaned up.” As they turned to leave, Haerin could hear her mother mutter “She is a monster. I gave birth to a monster”.

The next morning, all the servants were awake earlier cleaning every corner, even the kitchen had been cleaned and repainted that not even a drop of boys coated its walls.

The master of the house had finally returned from one of his business trips. The maids were lined up at the door to receive him. Nanny Hyesun had soon stood at his front. She had previously instructed all the maids to keep the incident of the night to themselves.

But in this huge mansion, news flies faster than a race car. She was sure he would soon be informed if not from the maids but his wife. She worried about the child; the master never had the patience for her or even bothered to show her love.

“Where is the mistress?” he asked, handing Nanny Hyesun his coat.

“She is in her room upstairs, sir.’

“Good. Get me a glass of whiskey and bring it to my room.”

He opened the door to his wife’s room. She was in a horrible state.

“You can’t keep yourself together at all. Where did they say you had gone? You told me you were going to meet a friend but I was informed you had not returned home for days.”

She turned to him, then he took her face. Her eyes were blood shut red, but he had seen this look too many times. However, this time she seemed to have been crying.

“She is insane. She is a monster.” She stood, hitting his chest hard. He grabbed her hand together.

“Who are you talking about because you are the only crazy one here?” he yelled.

“Her. Your daughter, she is insane.” She yelled back, then slumped back to the dressing chair.

"Blood," she whispered. "There was blood everywhere," she spoke once again, but only for her to hear. Sang Hyun eyed her irritated. What is this crazy woman saying again?

He walked towards her and grabbed her by her shoulder, shaking her roughly. "What are you saying?"

“You should have seen her. She was soaked in Lushus blood, but she didn’t even panic. Rather, she looked comfortable.” She muttered more quietly.

Mr. Sang Hyun laughed. “If she is insane, it is your fault. You have taken so much of that trash-“ he pointed to the line of white powder on the dressing room. She doesn’t even bother to hide it anymore. “-it is no surprise if she turns out like this. One of them must have messed up her head.”

“I always told you we should have taken her to the doctor. The girl had never cried or even laughed, but you refused. Now look. What if she becomes worse than this? What happens then? Rather you planned on trapping her and me in this stupid house. You are a coward.”

Haerin shifted back. She had rushed out of the room against nanny Hyesun orders towards her mother’s room to listen to her parents and what they had to say. As you have seen, her mum and she had an animosity between them. With her father, she couldn’t say she doesn’t even remember him ever saying anything to her — she hadn’t even seen him in a long time.

Nanny Hyesun was the only one who had always protected her from her parents. Everyone else she knew was terrified of them. For her, she felt no indifference. She did not even know what any emotion was. She never understood it.

Haerin did not know why, but ever since she came back from the hospital, her father's relationship with her changed. She remembered waiting in the halls of the hospital, her little legs crossed, as she played with a rubix cube the doctor had given her. Her father finally came out of the doctor’s office, a huge grin on his face as he approached her. Then he crouched down and gently patted her head. From then on, he paid more attention to everything she did.

For him, he had just discovered his puzzle piece. He would mold her, shape her to become a prize.