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There is a group of men whom they call the keepers, those officially assigned as caretakers of the aliens. Those unfortunate enough to crash onto the accursed planet called earth undergo various tests and training practices, often enduring painful pricks from needles and hook ups to machines that measure every little detail of change. The keepers regard them as nothing more than responsibilities and make no effort to truly connect with them.
Soyeon, having been stranded on this loathsome place for days now, despises the keeper overseeing them - a burly man with an unkempt, greying beard and constant flat stare as though aliens are insipid creatures that do not deserve to exist simply because they are of a different species.
He fears Soyeon, however, an undeniable fact apparent to her despite his tough exterior. It is one of her abilities: being able to sense emotions, especially those that relate to hostility, fear, and anger. Since her untimely descent onto earth, the keepers have labelled her as one of those with high intellect and aggressive tendencies, lashing out at unexpected moments.
Amongst the group of them who have fallen to earth, there is one who has caught her eye - the mute alien with blond hair in loose braids. Yuqi, they call her, with an unknown mental capacity, ranked last by the men. She appears to have an appetite that is never sated, always curious to taste things, placing random items into her mouth even if they are inedible.
But Soyeon is drawn to her, and before she knows it, she looks forward to setting her eyes on her every day. Very rarely, however, does the object of her scrutiny notice her. In fact, Yuqi seems to be oblivious to anyone else, often seeming to be in a world of her own - twirling in her plain white gown at a corner, entertaining herself, or staring blankly out the window at the dull, empty courtyard.
That very morning, Soyeon studies her for a long time, watching as she plucks a petal from a withering flower, popping it into her mouth. The anticipation on the young girl’s face turns to disappointment and she sticks out her tongue in disgust, remnants of the flower petal apparent.
Soyeon glances up at the camera with the tiny red blinking light, then at her breakfast, untouched on the table before her. Picking up the tray, she makes her way towards Yuqi, right at the very corner where it would be the camera’s blind spot, and sets the food down within Yuqi’s view. The blond girl’s eyes light up. She bounces over to the table and begins to shovel the scrambled eggs into her mouth with a hand when she freezes. Questioningly, hesitantly, she peers at Soyeon with those light grey-blue eyes, as if a small child requesting for permission, fearful she has committed a wrongdoing.
Soyeon returns her gaze steadily, and within a split second, satisfied that no harm has been made, Yuqi scoops up the eggs with her hand and munches with relish. At that moment, Soyeon realises that to get Yuqi to notice her, all she has to do is to offer food. Though she is given nothing more than a fleeting look, that is more than enough for Soyeon.
She begins to store a portion of food each time for Yuqi, who at the very bottom of the rank, must only have the basics - a tiny cell space with a bare mattress and barely enough to eat. Soyeon, however, learns that performing beyond expectations in training sessions leads to rewards such as better living conditions and better meals.
These days, Yuqi waits at that very same spot where the camera cannot catch them, always with an expectant look on her face, knowing Soyeon would have a treat for her. She would wolf down the food, humming a little odd tune every now and then, with her lips curved in a most endearing smile.
It soothes the aggressiveness inborn for Soyeon, a feat that the keepers have tried to accomplish unsuccessfully – though she has learnt to suppress signs of the trait. But with Yuqi, the rough waters that have always been present since the moment of her existence turn placid.
She decides when she leaves this place, she will take Yuqi with her. Though, of course, the only ones who have ever managed to leave the enclosure are those who have successfully assimilated to the human race, and it is clear Yuqi will never succeed if the decision is dependent on the keepers.
There are the woods, however, that extend far beyond the men’s territory. If they can get over the fence somehow, they can take their chances where the unknown roam.
The opportunity comes sooner than expected.
It arrives on an overcast day where the keeper is more short-fused than usual with the stench of alcohol in the air. He catches Yuqi stuffing a piece of paper into her mouth, and in that instant, Soyeon detects the steep spike of rage just before the keeper snatches Yuqi up by the front of her gown. Her body jerks as if she were a ragdoll, and with every word that spews from his mouth, he slaps her repeatedly, the impact ringing sharply in Soyeon’s ears.
The aggression that she has so carefully kept under wraps rises like floodwaters and breaks through the dam of self-control. In a haze of a dense red fog, there is that solidness of the heavy paperweight in the palm of her hand, the well-aimed swing at his head, the feeling of connecting with his skull.
It is Yuqi that brings her back.
Soyeon grows aware of a calmness that gradually descends upon her, soft, feathery layers dissipating the thick, red fog as the violent waters recede. There is an insistent tugging on her sleeve, the hot stickiness of blood on skin, and Yuqi’s frightened, wide-eyed gaze.
There is no turning back now. Dropping the blood-stained paperweight, she grabs Yuqi’s hand, and they flee down the stairs and through twisting passageways, huddling in dark shadows when they hear heavy tromping of steps, and into the cover of night when the alarm starts to sound.
In the chilly air of dying autumn, they scurry barefooted across the ground. Behind her, Yuqi pants and stumbles, but Soyeon has an iron grip on her hand, pulling her along until they reach the rusty mesh fence. There, as if one driven mad by desperation, she growls and yanks and claws at the ungiving steel wires until her hands bleed, and her fingers are numb with pain.
Just as she hears approaching guards in the distance, there is the sound of a tight snap, then another in quick succession. Next to her, the wires are splitting apart. Yuqi stands before it with an odd glow in her eyes, a strangely silver tint, and a look of fixation on her face, almost as if in a trance.
There is no time to ponder what it means. The moment the last wire breaks, Soyeon grips the fence and jiggles it until the opening is large enough for them to slip through. The jagged ends of the steel wires rip their gowns and mark their skin, but it matters little as they dart into the woods.
In the air, there is the smell of freedom.