Author's Note:

This is update 5/?

Enjoy!

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"Chaeyoung-ah? It's time to wake up now. You need to eat something, sweetie." Chaeyoung could hear a woman's voice and for a second she thought that she was dreaming. Her whole body was in extreme pain and even the slightest move made her groan in agony. She could feel a hand lovingly stroking her hair and she recalled back to her terrifying nightmare. Jihyo had shown up in what she had thought was a beautiful dream but then it all went south and left her feeling terrified. It was the most realistic nightmare she had ever had. It was as if she could truly feel Jihyo's neck between her fingers, feel broken glass pierce her flesh, and taste the smoke coming out of her mouth. The mirror. Her reflection. The smoke. The smile.

She inwardly shivered at the thought. The demon had appeared in the nightmare behind her after dense black smoke exited and then reentered her body. She had seen the smoke and the demon back outside of the hospital, but that had to have been pure imagination. She had also remembered it from her time with Jungkook, but during those times it was real. That black smoke had controlled Jungkook and made him act out, just like it did for her with Jihyo in her nightmare.

The thought of it all made her gasp and her eyes opened wide. Her vision was blurry and she felt faint. It took her a few seconds to adjust to the many lights in the room and to stop her head from spinning. Why was she feeling so light-headed? Maybe she had gotten sick from the lack of food and water. A part of her wondered how she would survive if she hardly put any effort to keep herself alive anymore. If it weren't for the butler shoving vitamins down her throat every now and then her stomach would be completely empty.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand suddenly caressing her sunken cheek. Chaeyoung's breath hitched as she turned to her left and saw Park Haeun staring back at her with loving motherly eyes. Chaeyoung retreated from her touch immediately, her body yelling at her to stay still. "You mustn't move too much, darling. You were quite injured when we found you on the bathroom floor..." Her words made Chaeyoung freeze before she lowered her vision to her right hand in what felt like slow motion. "W-what?" she croaked. Her skin paled and her lungs were robbed of oxygen when she saw her bandaged arm. She lowered her eyes even further, noticing her bandaged feet sticking out of the bed sheets. No way...this can't be happening.

Images of yesterday flashed through her mind in a fast pace and she felt like suddenly the whole room was spinning. Her body felt extremely hot and she was beginning to sweat. She felt like she was going to be sick. Chaeyoung turned around and pushed Haeun away from her as hard as she could with the strength of her one good arm. "Please, get out." she pleaded, giving the older woman a look of desperation. "Please, just get out and leave me alone."

Haeun tried to reach out to her but Chaeyoung flinched back, raising her left hand to cover her face as she shook her head. "N-no! Don't t-touch me and just get o-out!" she was begging for the woman to leave her alone with her thoughts as she tried to figure out exactly what had happened yesterday. She was confused and terrified. What happened yesterday had felt like a complete night terror but all that pain was real. She wasn't sure if all of the nightmare was real, but she was found in the bathroom with bad injuries to her right arm, right hand, and both her feet.

Her head rapidly turned to one of the windows nearby and she could see a large wooden plank covering it. "You broke the windows....I'm not sure how you did it as they were reinforced glass but you somehow managed to break them all to perfection. You also apparently punched the bathroom mirror. What were you thinking? Do you have a death wish? We've been through hell and back to have you here and guarantee your safety. Please don't do crazy things like this again. We don't want you to keep getting hurt..." Haeun's voice was stern but careful as she spoke. Chaeyoung glanced back at the older woman, appearing lost for only second before averting her eyes downward to attempt to process everything.

Haeun took a deep breath before sitting down at the edge of Chaeyoung's bed. "Chaeyoung-ah...we are very sorry. Eomma and appa love you very much. We always have and we know you haven't had the easiest of lives because of us." Haeun could hear Chaeyoung shuffle uncomfortably on the bed. "We made a huge mistake and have paid for it gravely. Nothing is worth more to a parent than their own child's life..." she lowered her head in shame, hands wiping at the tears that were spilling from her eyes. She cleared her throat before continuing, turning back to look at Chaeyoung who was staring back at her blankly.

"You are our only child, Chaeyoung, and when you were born we wanted you to have everything in the world. Appa worked hard to provide for us while I raised you, but it wasn't enough. He tried to find a better job after he kept getting laid off but the next one was worse than the one prior. Times were hard but we were a happy family...we should have been content with just that. We had many great moments but we were always embarrassed and angered that we couldn't provide you with what other kids had. At first, it was fine....then as you got older the world got crueler and more demanding. We couldn't give you any of the nice clothing other kids would wear or the toys that were popular at the moment. You would smile like the angel you were and say it was okay, but seeing you secretly cry because kids bullied you for it broke our heart. We wanted a better life for you...we wanted a better life for all of us. A life where we would never have to worry about money and you would be able to be one with the other children. Children naturally liked you for being the cutest and most adorable of them all, but the kids grew vicious as they got older. You never once shed a tear in front of us for not giving you what others had. You never once complained to us and we were breaking with each year that went by because the light in your eyes was fading...."

Chaeyoung let out a snide chuckle, eyeing the woman near her with judgmental eyes. She didn't want to be rude as she wasn't that kind of person, but the woman in front of her just triggered negative emotions. "I don't remember much about my childhood before you abandoned me, but I do remember being happy for the most part. If I never complained about toys or clothes it was because I didn't care. I remember being happy with playing with dirt and rocks outside, using sticks to draw pictures on the ground. I remember the tiny house we lived in far away from all the big houses in the neighborhood. A small but warm home that contained a small but happy family. I remember a little girl who silently cried not because she was getting bullied by kids in school for not having the best toys or clothes, but because kids would say that their parents thought you were losers. I cared less what anyone said about me. I only cared that they messed with my family."

Haeun stared at her daughter in disbelief. "W-when you turned six you came home crying because kids were making fun of a homemade doll I replicated since we couldn't afford the real one..." Chaeyoung sighed, looking up at her with a snarky smile and anger-infused eyes. "I cried not because they made fun of the doll...I cried because they were making fun of you for making it for me. It had meant so much to me and I was proud of you for making it for me but those kids discredited all your hard work and I got angry. I couldn't do anything against them so I cried..." Chaeyoung was surprised at just how detailed she was actually remembering everything. They were memories she had suppressed for so long she thought she had forgotten everything by now but apparently that wasn't the case. The more she spoke, the more she recalled, and the more she realized where everything had gone wrong.

"You assumed instead of asking. You assumed it was all because of money but all I cared about was family. You assumed I wanted toys and clothes but all I wanted were my parents. You were money hungry and were using me as an excuse. You said it yourself...you wanted a better life for all of us but once you got that better life you forgot all about me. You got the big house you always wanted. You got the nice clothes you always yearned for. You got to spend time with all the rich ladies from your work, and would come home late at night just to ignore me; both of you did the same thing. You bought me everything I could ever possibly want but never asked for. When I wanted to play you were too busy to care. When I wanted to eat your home-cooked meals you would tell me to ask the chef to prepare something for me. I wanted YOU not anyone else. One thing I'm curious about...how did you land so much success in such a short amount of time?" Chaeyoung had been a bit passive aggressive thus far but the rage of the whole situation was making her insides burn. She clenched her good hand into a tight fist, body trembling with anger as she stared at the woman's shocked expression. What was she so surprised for? Chaeyoung might have been young but she wasn't stupid.

As a child, Chaeyoung had been a bit mature for her age in order to make life easier for her parents. She was aware of their lack of money but that didn't bother her one bit. All she wanted was to spend time with her family in their comfy home. She was completely devastated when they suddenly had to move because both her parents had landed amazing jobs. She didn't understand but she was happy her parents were happy at least. As time went on Chaeyoung saw her parents less and less. They were both too busy dealing with the new connections they had made through work. Her parents would come home after social events and she waited patiently to hug them after not seeing them for so long but they would just go straight to bed. Chaeyoung would be left in the dark, her little outstretched arms falling to her sides as her parents walked right past her. By thinking they were doing what was best for her, they were taking away the only thing she truly cared about. Her parents had been good people until they were blinded by their own greed.

Haeun's mouth fell agape and she quickly looked away from Chaeyoung almost immediately. She wanted to refute Chaeyoung's accusations but her daughter was right. It had taken both her and her husband about a year to accept the fact that they royally messed up and had given up the best part of their life due to their greed. They had always dreamed of having a better life but after marriage that was far from reality. She was content for a bit but after she had Chaeyoung she felt like their life could be better. They could have all those things that everyone else had. They could be just like those rich families in dramas with all the things in the world.

Both her and her husband wanted it so badly but they didn't know how to get there. After having Chaeyoung, they put their wishes onto her, wanting to believe they wanted a better life for their daughter. They really did but they weren't aware their daughter didn't want the same. After many years of suffering, Chaeyoung's sixth birthday was the last straw. Haeun did believe that kids were bullying Chaeyoung because she wasn't like them. She was embarrassed that she had to make her daughter a homemade replica of a doll because she couldn't have the real one; enough was enough.

Haeun and Jinwoo were researching online, trying to find ways of earning money fast without having to do anything illegal. After a few hours of looking on various sites, they came across a peculiar website that talked about demons. Neither of them believed in that sort of thing but after reading a couple of testimonies they became intrigued. At night, while Chaeyoung had finally fallen asleep after a long day, they decided to try to recreate what the directions on the site had listed. They followed everything exactly how it was stated, making sure they were doing it all correctly before proceeding. After a few minutes of nothing, Haeun and Jinwoo laughed a bit at how far they had taken their 'better life for Chaeyoung' ordeal. They were about to dismantle everything until the candles went out and the room grew cold. After they heard a dark chuckle, they both new it had worked.

They were terrified out of their minds but they had already gone this far and there was absolutely no going back. "I will take the life of your daughter at any point during adulthood in exchange for riches and luxury as soon as the deal is sealed." They shivered at the voice and found the whole situation frightening, but they were utterly desperate. A part of them didn't believe this was real and that they were just dreaming, so they accepted blindly after a moment of hesitation. The demon smirked and they gulped out of nervousness. After accepting they had to offer up some of their blood and then the deal was done. They had officially sacrificed their daughter's life to a demon on her sixth birthday.

Haeun felt nothing but guilt, shame, and disappointment in herself as she gazed up into Chaeyoung's dull eyes. She stared at each and every one of her daughters' features, wondering how everything would have ended up if things were different. Her daughter was currently staring at her with the deadest of eyes, a hint of pure anger hidden in their depth. She wondered if they would have lived a normal life her eyes would be staring back at her with pure love and adoration instead of pure anger and hatred. She took a deep breath, scooting a bit closer only to stop when Chaeyoung painfully moved away. Haeun remembered telling a little Chaeyoung that they had to leave because a mistake had caught up with them. They believed that since they had made the deal in the first place then the demon would chase them instead, but that hadn't been the case; of course it hadn't been the case. They had traded their daughter's life in exchange for money so any cold-blooded creature would send them to hell and take what belonged to it.

For many years they lived like the living dead, wondering if their daughter was okay out there all on her own. They tried to go back and find her but they were afraid. They were afraid of rejection and of what could come from the deal they had made. They wanted their daughter back but they were too afraid so they laid low. Their fear of the consequences was greater than the desire to bring their daughter back home. Park Haeun and Park Jinwoo were horrible people but they wanted to change that. After so much fear enough was enough, they would fix their mistakes no matter what it took. In order to fix their mistakes, they needed to know one thing. They needed to know that their daughter was still alive, so, they did the only thing that they could think of...they summoned the demon they had summoned all those years ago.

Once they were guaranteed that she was alive, they hired a detective to look for her and then bring her back home. It was horrible to keep her away from all she knew and suddenly force her into becoming a part of their family again but they were blood. As long as their blood was running through her veins, that meant they were family and family stayed together. They just wished they would have saved themselves all the trouble and kept that philosophy from the very beginning. Chaeyoung was just an innocent girl who got sucked into a world of darkness unknowingly but Park Haeun and Park Jinwoo would save her even if it would cost them some lives.

Chaeyoung felt disturbed when a strange smile made its way onto Haeun's face. The older woman looked kind of twisted and unnerving. She just kept staring at her and Chaeyoung's patience was running thin. She wanted answers not sob stories she didn't care for in the first place. "I want you to tell me how you gained so much money. I want you to tell me why you left me. I want you to tell me why you came back now of all times. I want you to tell me everything. Now." Her tone was demanding and she could feel the anger rushing through her veins. The fact that Haeun was just staring at her with a smile on her face made her angrier. It was like the older woman was not taking her seriously and she was frustrated. She already had enough on her mind with what had happened yesterday and her lack of understanding of whether all the events were real or not.

"On the night of your sixth birthday...when you were asleep, your appa and I...we made a deal with a d-demon and we--we traded your life in exchange for success and luxury." Chaeyoung already knew that her life had been traded in but she hadn't expected it to be on her actual birthday. What kind of parents would sacrifice their child to a demon and actually do it on the night of their birthday to top it off? Hearing the words from her own mother's mouth made her realize just how sick the whole situation was. She felt sick being near the woman who called herself her mother, who along with her father, justified their actions with a foolish excuse.

Haeun looked down, frowning as she stared at her hands. "We didn't think it would actually work so we just went with it. After we got what we wanted, we were surprised and we were scared. We were sure it was all just some dream but it turned into reality and that reality came crashing down when we realized we had basically sacrificed your life. After time passed we forgot about the whole thing as living in luxury became our new reality and you were fine. You would get small injuries here and there but we just believed it was normal since you were an active child with an active imagination. Then on your seventh birthday you woke up terrified. Your bed was at the edge of the balcony and your whole room was in ruins. There was writing on your wall...writing written with blood that said, 'time to play, Chaengie.' It was then that we felt the gravity of the situation and what we had done. We believed that it would be best to leave you. We were the ones that summoned it so we thought it would chase after us instead but that wasn't the case. We were so panicked that we didn't think and without hesitation we just left you at the park...I-I'm so sorry...so very sorry..."

Haeun was sobbing and Chaeyoung didn't feel the least bit sad for her. She hated feeling so dulled down and numb but the only thing she was ever capable of feeling while staring at the sobbing woman was hatred and anger. Chaeyoung averted her eyes from her and raised her head towards the door when she heard a loud noise coming from outside. It sounded as if someone was screaming their heart out. Haeun apparently heard it too as she raised her head and gave Chaeyoung a loving smile that made her shiver in discomfort. "We found a way to fix things, Chaeyoung. We made another deal and it will fix everything. We summoned it again and it told us you were alive. We hired the detective and he brought you to us after many months of attempting to locate you. We hired the man and he did his job well, but he's too involved now."

Chaeyoung could feel a shiver down her spine and her blood drain from her body as the shouting outside continued. "Y-you made another deal?! W-what's going on?! A-are those shouts coming from him?!" It didn't matter how much pain she felt as she jumped out of bed with all her strength. As soon as her feet touched the floor her whole body collapsed and she dragged herself to the door as Haeun watched with a sad smile. The screams were painful and she wanted them to stop; she wanted everything to stop. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?! LET HIM GO?! HE'S INNOCENT AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS ANYMORE!" She was shouting desperately, pounding her injured hand and her good hand against the door of her room. "PLEASE LET HIM GO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU'RE ALL CRAZY!"

She turned to Haeun who was approaching her slowly, "D-DON'T COME NEAR ME!" She felt helpless as she squirmed on the floor. Haeun just laughed, crouching down to Chaeyoung's level and gently touching her hair. "In order to protect you we must keep the monthly quota, Chaeyoung. I'm sorry but this is how it has to be. He won't suffer too much, I promise." Chaeyoung spat in the woman's direction, violently squirming away from her touch. The feeling from before was back, her insides were burning and the taste of smoke was slowly making its way up her esophagus. She was disgusted, she was furious, she wanted her gone. Chaeyoung could feel as if her mind was turning to mush, her body succumbing to a darkness that was spilling its way out. She was terrified, but she felt like she couldn't control it.

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