Seo Younghee was a solitary child, so much so that when the family moved back to a house she had no memories of, she displayed no emotion whatsoever about leaving the place she spent most of her childhood. Because at an age where many children start to grow attached to their childhood friends, she had no one to form that attachment with, thus, no one to shed tears over.
Growing up with a father who only cared about himself and hired people to take care of a house he hardly used, she was used to independence. But it wasn't always like that. Like every other child, even she cried during her first day at kindergarten. The only difference was that there was no one to pick her up and comfort her at the end of the day. That was a lesson she learnt very early on.
The black car that had been following the moving truck took a separate turn at the intersection, going the opposite way of the house. Younghee who had been fiddling with her teddy's hand looked out the window, her view of the road clouded by the heavy rain.
As the man beside her passed off a small sigh, his eyes glued to his phone since the start of the car-ride, she sat up properly, realising the surroundings were beginning to look familiar. Clenching the teddy tighter, she looked down at her feet. They weren't going to the house together, her Father was leaving the country again. The same car ride that happens once a week, as if it was his way of spending time with her, remained unchanged even today.
A part of her still had hope. Maybe they were here to pick someone up before heading to the new place. After all, her Father's assistant that usually sat with them on the ride to the airport wasn't here today. As the car parked by the departure entrance, that childish belief faltered.
The assistant who had been waiting by the entrance held an umbrella over his boss as he stepped out. He hesitated slightly as he closed the car door. The face he had seen always watching them leave wasn't expressionless today. It was devastated. Yet, somehow, in a situation where every parent would expect their child to cry and throw a tantrum, begging them to not go, the little girl sat still. She knew no amount of crying would make him turn his back.
As the car pulled off, the quiet hum of the AC was paired with small sniffles. It might've been that and the sound of the rain that made her drowsy as she fell asleep during the rest of the drive.
By the time she had woken up, Younghee was facing an unfamiliar ceiling. She sat up and looked around the bedroom that was already filled with furniture. Everything looked as if it had been there for years, yet it was so well taken care off, it still all looked new. The only thing missing were her personal belongings. She looked around, thinking the moving company would've left the boxes by the door but there was nothing.
Meanwhile by the front door, a neighbour who had come to drop off a housewarming gift was chatting with one of the movers as her daughter sat by the bottom of the stairs, kicking her feet in boredom.
Hearing a door open from upstairs, she turned around, an excited smile emerging on her face as the girl at the top paused in surprise. She stood up and walked to her mum, tugging at her shirt as if asking for something before making her way up the stairs.
The girl at the top took a step back as she did so, her eyes full of confusion as she reached the top.
"Hi, I'm Ari. Mum said we're neighbours so we should be friends!"
That cheerful voice, a stark contrast to everything Younghee knew, made her freeze on the spot, unable to talk.
Ari tilted her head, waiting for her to speak before looking like she suddenly remembered something. She grabbed Younghee's hand and placed something in it. "Here, it's my favourite."
The latter took one look at the piece of chocolate in her hand before pulling a face. "I don't like mint chocolate." She spoke quietly.
Ari's mouth dropped open in shock, her face as if heartbroken.
"Ari! Time to go home!" Her mum shouted from the front door. She turned to her mum then back to the girl who was holding what Ari would consider treasure in her hands then back again, as if unsure what to do.
Seeing her flustered face, Younghee offered it back but she refused to take it, quickly waving goodbye with a saddened expression as her mum called for her again.
It was a normal first meeting between neighbours, but to the girl who grew up being introduced to children from well-off families that saw her as competition, this was the first time someone her age had said that they wanted to be her friend.
A passing housemaid stopped as she saw the young girl. "Do you want me to take that?"
Younghee looked down at the piece of chocolate then at the door before shaking her head.
The housemaid looked a little surprised but didn't question further. "Alright. The rest of your belongings are in the living room, we were told to not disturb your sleep." Seeing the girl just nod her head absent-mindedly, she pushed a little. "Don't you want to know by who?"
Younghee turned to her, although her face didn't say much, her eyes looked as if they were saying why was she asking such a rhetorical question.
"Your cousin."
"... Miyeon Unnie?"
"Mm. She dropped by earlier and said she'll be back for dinner too. In the meantime, you should go rest."