Kim Ji-eun

Ten-year-old Jieun sat solemnly on the cold, marbled floor of the funeral hall, her gaze fixed on her mother's photograph displayed on an ornate pedestal. Her mother's serene smile seemed to mock the somber atmosphere of the room. One would expect tears, anguish, perhaps even a fit of rage from a child who had just lost her mother. But Jieun remained eerily composed, her expression void of any emotion.

"How can she be so heartless?" whispered a distant relative, casting judgmental glances at Jieun.

But Jieun was far from heartless. She was simply adept at hiding her pain, burying it deep within her fragile heart where no one could see. It was either she was yet to accept the truth or the truth has accepted her.

—It's true no mother would want to leave their child behind knowing the problems ahead but if fate has willed for her to die. Then she will draw her last breath. Jieun's mother knew this fact very well. Her mother had very few days left to survive and his thus truth from her flesh and blood. It was for her own good that her mother struggled to give her everything before her passing.

The day finally came. Jieun's mother played and strolled the amusement park with Jieun to put a very large smile on her face. From one ride to another, one snack to the other. Jieun could have never guessed that all this was for the purpose that she feels no pain upon her passing.

They headed home, and she instructed Jieun to sleep with her in the room. She told her a story and whispered words of hope before they fell asleep. No one would have guess that she was never to open her eyes the next morning... —

With a forced smile plastered on her lips, she rose from the floor and quietly slipped out of the room, her cousin Mira trailing behind her.

******

Mira was the daughter of Jieun's mother's stepsister, Iana. Taken in by her mother's stepsister after her mother's passing, Jieun had hoped for solace and support in her time of need. At first, Iana had shown pity for her niece's loss, offering comforting words and a shoulder to lean on, " I feel so bad for Jieun".

But as time wore on, that pity turned to resentment, and eventually, cruelty." Don't you dare complain you leech"

"It's alright, Jieun. I'm here for you," Mira would say, trying to ease the tension between her cousin and her mother.

But Iana's kindness was short-lived, replaced by demands and disdain. Jieun was no longer treated as a cousin but rather as a servant, expected to earn her keep under Iana's roof. Mira, grew as resentful as her mother, attempted to widen the gap, often at her own expense.

"I got you this," Mira said one day, handing Jieun her favorite gown as a token of affection.

But Iana's fury knew no bounds. She lashed out at Jieun, hurling insults and accusations, reducing the poor child to tears. And Mira, caught in the crossfire of their dysfunctional relationship, could only watch in silent agony. This facade called agony when behind she smiled at the every insult her mother rained on Jieun.

The abuse didn't stop at dresses. It extended to books, toys, even the smallest of comforts. And whenever Iana's temper flared, Mira would cry and beg for mercy, her tears only serving to incite further violence.

Like mother, like daughter, Jieun thought bitterly. Neither possessed a shred of compassion or kindness.

******

7 good years have passed, and everything remained the same. Iana as cold as ever, Mira a terrible actor in the part of hospitality and Jieun the house maid.

Now punishment were more severe than before. Instead of beating and insulting her for trying to rank herself with Mira, she would result to starving, locking or over working her. There was a particular evening that Jieun had not erased from her mind in the last 7 years. Jieun and Mira came back from an outing with a relative. While Mira swayed and posed for the mirror, Jieun struggled to carry all the shopping bags. A butler escorting his lady, that was exactly what this scene portrayed. As if the day wasn't bad enough, the night decided to add to the heat. Jieun was placing the food on the table when Mira purposely placed her foot in Jieun's way, causing not only a fall, the hot soup had baptized her and spilled on Mira's foot. Iana made a big fuss out of the matter. I too got burnt pretty badly. She too action buy offering no food and water for one week.

The clothing on which the soup spilled on her,she hasn't taken it off and have yet to take a bath. She finally got out after 2 weeks and still they served her no meal. She was sent to work immediately like that was my given fate. She is human too, and she believes they forgot that part. She couldn't even cry from the pain, all she did was resent till her heart could take no more.

" Mom, why did you have to leave me so early. Your precious daughter is still suffering after your passing", she mumbled as she made way to her room to change.

But amidst the chaos and despair, Jieun clung to her mother's final words: "My child, please never let your smile fade."

Those words were a lifeline, a beacon of hope in the darkness that threatened to consume her. And so, with tears stinging her eyes and pain weighing heavy on her heart, Jieun vowed to honor her mother's memory, to keep her smile alive no matter the cost.

"I won't fail you, Mum," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own sobs.

And so, with determination etched into every line of her weary face, Jieun picked herself up and continued to wipe the window, her mother's words echoing in her mind like a mantra. For in that small act of defiance, she found strength, a glimmer of light in the darkest of nights.