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She was brimming with excitement. She wanted to run, skip ahead and feel the cool air blowing back against her.
The only thing keeping her from running away from that cursed, dreaded, house was Yeonhee. Any pull towards the outside world she might have felt was far overwhelmed by her need to stay near Yeonhee.
It was too good to be true. Two years overseas, away from that horrible family, all by themselves.
By themselves.
It was too good to be true. And so many times she had imagined this moment only to imagine suddenly her father discovering them, or suddenly the woman walking in on them.
Or the sister. Though she dismissed Yeonhee's paranoia, she herself did feel unsettled by the girl. She was still only a girl, but she could feel the dislike in every look the girl had on her face.
Too many things could go wrong, and though those fears had all remained just imagination, it still lingered in her. She would not be stepping away from Yeonhee until they were stepping into the new country.
And maybe not then, either. She would keep Yeonhee close, happy together in their little bubble where no one could hurt her.
And she was right to stay by Yeonhee's side.
"Wait!" The sister had called.
Running down the stairs to them, she had tripped.
And fell onto Yeonhee, outstretched arms jerking her off balance and almost off the long flight of stairs.
And suddenly the fears of being discovered were replaced, imagery of Yeonhee's broken body on the steps filling her mind. She threw her arm out, almost jumping, to catch Yeonhee's arm. Sharply pulling Yeonhee towards her and back to stability, she only managed to join Yeonhee in a smaller fall. Still, better than the steep and uncontrolled fall that might have happened.
Seo Jin broke their fall, and also most likely a bone.
"Agh!" She cried out as they tumbled down the stairs.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Yeonhee's voice was filled with worry, despite her being the one who fell first, and Seo Jin managed a chuckle. Careful to not jostle her arm, she just smiled.
"I just hit my arm pretty hard. Hit my funny bone so it feels weird, but I'm fine."
A fractured arm, she would discover it to be later. And despite being unable to play proper piano for the weeks of recovery, and Yeonhee's lecturing, she never regretted hiding the injury.
An injury would mean staying in that cursed place for longer, and in that split second before Yeonhee had fell, she had seen something that she trembled at for years afterwards.
The sister had jumped.
The sister had never tripped; she'd been trying to get Yeonhee to fall.
She had nightmares for months, clinging onto Yeonhee to assure herself that she was safe.
"I love you, I love you," she would whisper underneath her breath. "I couldn't live without you."
Yeonhee would hear, and pry Seo Jin's hands loose from the hold around her, before turning to face her.
"I'm right here," Yeonhee would whisper. And curled together like that, they would both fall back into peaceful sleep.
The nightmares continued for years after that, but it was okay.
Because so did their little ritual.
They never returned to that house. They'd escaped and never intended to go back.
They were free, and together they were happy.
And decades later, the news would be filled with the headlines, "Pianist Yeonhee Revealed As Pianist Seo Jin's Girlfriend!"
Two nationally acclaimed pianists kissing did cause a stir. But it was okay. Because though the sorry excuse for a family they had might have been furious, they were met by smiles the next day from the public, from their coworkers,from the press.
And they were happy.