Chapter 1--The Girl Who Always Forgave
THE SISTER BEHIND THE SMILE
EPISODE 1 — THE GIRL WHO ALWAYS FORGAVE
Rain tapped against the windows of the Lee family home.
Five-year-old Lee Jun-hee sat on the floor beside her twin sister, Lee Mi-ju, playing with two small dolls.
Jun-hee carefully fixed the doll's dress.
“Mi-ju, look! She's pretty now.”
Mi-ju barely glanced at it.
“She looks stupid.”
Jun-hee frowned.
“Don't say that.”
“Why?”
“Because she's your doll.”
Mi-ju stared at her sister for a moment.
Then she smiled.
“You're too kind, Jun-hee.”
Jun-hee smiled back.
Their mother entered the room carrying two bowls of warm soup.
“Girls, dinner.”
Jun-hee immediately ran toward her.
“Mom!”
She wrapped her arms around her mother's waist.
Their mother laughed.
“You're getting heavier every day.”
Mi-ju remained on the floor.
Their mother looked at her.
“Mi-ju, aren't you hungry?”
Mi-ju nodded.
“I am.”
“Then come here.”
Mi-ju stood and walked toward them.
The three of them sat together.
Across the room, Jun-hee's older brother, Lee Ji-hoon, watched with a smile.
He was seven years older than the twins.
“Mom,” he said, “Jun-hee ate my candy again.”
Jun-hee immediately protested.
“I only ate one!”
“You ate three.”
“Two.”
Ji-hoon laughed.
“See? She's still lying.”
Their mother smiled.
The house was warm.
Happy.
Safe.
At least, that's what Jun-hee believed.
---
YEARS LATER
Jun-hee was now twelve.
She was still the same gentle girl.
At school, she was the student everyone asked for favors.
“Jun-hee, can I borrow your notes?”
“Sure.”
“Can you help me with this?”
“Okay.”
“Can you give me your lunch?”
Jun-hee hesitated.
Then she handed it over.
“Thanks.”
The girl walked away laughing with her friends.
Jun-hee sat alone.
She didn't understand why helping people sometimes made her feel lonely.
Then someone dropped a notebook onto her desk.
Jun-hee looked up.
Nam Ju-kyung.
The most feared student in the class.
Ju-kyung's mother was a famous lawyer, and her father owned several businesses.
Nobody wanted to make her angry.
“Finish my homework.”
Jun-hee stared at the notebook.
“But I have my own.”
Ju-kyung leaned closer.
“Did I ask?”
Jun-hee lowered her eyes.
“No.”
“Then finish it.”
She walked away.
Jun-hee opened the notebook.
She wanted to say no.
But she was afraid.
---
That evening, Ji-hoon found her sitting at the dining table.
“You're home late.”
Jun-hee quickly closed her notebook.
“I was studying.”
Ji-hoon sat beside her.
“What were you studying?”
“Everything.”
He laughed.
“That doesn't sound suspicious at all.”
Jun-hee smiled.
Ji-hoon noticed the tired expression on her face.
“Are you okay?”
“I'm fine.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
He studied her for a moment.
Then he reached into his pocket.
“I got something for you.”
Jun-hee's eyes widened.
“A present?”
“Maybe.”
He gave her a small box.
Inside was a silver bracelet.
Jun-hee's face brightened.
“Oppa!”
She hugged him.
Ji-hoon laughed.
“It's just a bracelet.”
“I love it.”
“You haven't even worn it yet.”
“I still love it.”
Across the hallway, Mi-ju watched them.
Her eyes settled on the bracelet.
Then on Jun-hee.
She smiled.
---
THE NEXT MORNING
Jun-hee woke to the sound of coughing.
She rushed downstairs.
Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table.
“Mom?”
Her mother quickly covered her mouth.
“Why are you awake so early?”
“You were coughing.”
“It's nothing.”
Jun-hee touched her forehead.
“You're warm.”
Her mother smiled.
“I'm just tired.”
Jun-hee looked toward her father.
He was standing near the window, holding his phone.
His face was unusually serious.
“Dad?”
He turned.
“Yes?”
“Mom is sick.”
“I know.”
“Take her to the doctor.”
Her father paused.
“We will.”
Jun-hee nodded.
She trusted him.
She trusted everyone.
That was her greatest weakness.
---
THREE MONTHS LATER
Her mother's condition had worsened.
Hospitals became part of their daily lives.
Doctors couldn't explain exactly what was happening.
Jun-hee didn't understand medical words.
She only understood that her mother was getting weaker.
One evening, Jun-hee sat beside her mother's hospital bed.
“Mom?”
Her mother opened her eyes.
“Yes?”
“Will you get better?”
Her mother smiled.
“Of course.”
“Promise?”
Her mother held her hand.
“I promise.”
Jun-hee smiled.
“Then I'll wait.”
Her mother looked at her for several seconds.
Then she whispered:
“Jun-hee…”
“Yes?”
“If something ever happens to me…”
Her mother stopped.
Jun-hee waited.
“Never stop trusting yourself.”
Jun-hee didn't understand.
“Why?”
Her mother smiled sadly.
“Because you're stronger than you think.”
---
That night, Jun-hee fell asleep beside the hospital bed.
Mi-ju stood near the doorway.
Their mother looked at her.
“Mi-ju.”
“Yes?”
“Take care of your sister.”
Mi-ju smiled.
“Of course.”
Their mother closed her eyes.
Mi-ju stared at her.
Then her expression became completely blank.
---
THREE DAYS LATER
The hospital corridor was silent.
Their father stood outside the emergency room.
Ji-hoon held Jun-hee tightly.
The twins waited.
Finally, the doctor came out.
He didn't need to say anything.
Their father's expression told them everything.
Jun-hee shook her head.
“No.”
She stepped backward.
“No, she promised.”
Ji-hoon caught her.
“Jun-hee…”
“She promised me!”
Her voice broke.
Ji-hoon hugged her.
“I know.”
“I want Mom.”
“I know.”
Mi-ju stood behind them.
Silent.
Still.
Not a single tear fell from her eyes.
---
THE FUNERAL
Rain covered the cemetery.
Jun-hee stood before her mother's grave.
She placed a white flower on the ground.
“Mom…”
Her voice trembled.
“I'll be good.”
She wiped her tears.
“I'll take care of Dad.”
She turned toward Mi-ju.
“And I'll take care of you.”
Mi-ju looked at her.
Jun-hee held out her hand.
“Together?”
Mi-ju took it.
“Together.”
Their fingers intertwined.
But Mi-ju's eyes remained cold.
---
THREE MONTHS AFTER THE FUNERAL
Their father came home with a woman.
She was elegant, wealthy, and perfectly dressed.
“Girls,” he said, “this is Han Seo-yeon.”
Jun-hee bowed politely.
“Hello.”
Seo-yeon smiled.
“Hello, Jun-hee.”
Mi-ju didn't move.
“Are you replacing our mother?”
Their father immediately frowned.
“Mi-ju.”
Seo-yeon calmly replied,
“No.”
Mi-ju stared at her.
“Nobody can replace her.”
Seo-yeon looked surprised by the answer.
Mi-ju smiled.
“Good.”
She walked upstairs.
Jun-hee followed.
“Mi-ju, wait.”
Mi-ju stopped.
“Why?”
“Don't be angry.”
“I'm not.”
“You are.”
Mi-ju turned around.
Then she smiled.
“You worry too much.”
Jun-hee hugged her.
Mi-ju stood still.
Jun-hee whispered,
“We promised we'd always stay together.”
Mi-ju slowly wrapped her arms around her.
“I remember.”
Jun-hee smiled.
She couldn't see Mi-ju's face.
If she had, she might have noticed something frightening.
Mi-ju wasn't smiling anymore.
Her eyes were completely empty.
---
THAT NIGHT
Everyone was asleep.
Mi-ju quietly entered her parents' room.
She opened a drawer.
Inside was an old photograph of their mother.
Mi-ju picked it up.
Behind the photograph was a handwritten note.
She read it once.
Then again.
Her expression changed.
The note contained only one sentence:
“If anything happens to me, don't trust your father.”
Mi-ju stared at the words.
Then she heard footsteps.
She quickly hid the note.
The door opened.
Jun-hee stood there.
“Mi-ju?”
Mi-ju immediately smiled.
“Why are you awake?”
“I had a nightmare.”
Mi-ju walked toward her.
“Come here.”
Jun-hee hugged her.
“I was scared.”
Mi-ju gently stroked her hair.
“Don't be scared.”
Jun-hee closed her eyes.
Mi-ju whispered:
“I'll protect you.”
A pause.
“Even if I have to destroy everyone around you.”
Jun-hee didn't hear the last sentence.
She was already asleep in her sister's arms.
And somewhere inside the Lee family home, a secret had just begun to wake.
END OF EPISODE 1
