little hayun wondering why her big sister and her nieces and nephew, and even her sisters in law (on their ring fingers at least) get these cool markings on their skin when she doesnt. she starts drawing purple and silvery blue lines on her body to match her family
(the first time rumi sees them, she cries. she used to try to cover hers up, and now her little sister is trying to add them just so she can look like rumi.)
when shes about 6 years old and in that âif rumi gets it, so should iâ phase, she gets ANGRY about rumi having patterns. she starts to demand that she get them too. that the marker wont suffice anymore (not to mention, celine doesnt care if itâs washable or nontoxic, she doesnât want her daughter drawing on herself with marker all the time), she wants them permanently. poppy slips up by mentioning that âthe only way to get those patterns is by making a deal with gwi maâ.
hayun gets excited and she asks how she can do that, but celine stops her, looks her dead in the eyes, and says âhayun. if you make a deal with gwi me, he will take your soul and drag you down to the depths of hell and you will never get to see any of us ever again. do you want that?â
which of course makes hayun cry and poppy go âCELINE!â but it does prevent her from considering making a deal with gwi ma to get patterns.
(this is also when she finds out that rumi isnât her blood related sister, because her parents explain to her about how rumi got her patterns. she cries a little about that, too, and asks if it means theyâre not really sisters. as much as she fights with her, part of the reason she wants everything rumi gets is because she idolizes her. it would devastate her to not be sisters with rumi.
but her parents reassure her that of course sheâs still her sister, the same way theyâre still rumiâs moms. she feels a little better after that.)
when sheâs 15 years old, hayun sneaks out of the house with a bunch of cash she stole from her eomma.
several hours and many panicked phone calls later, she returns to see her parents stricken with worry, and the rest of her family having arrived as well.
âwhere have you been?â celine demands, looking absolutely distraught and furious.
hayun bites the bullet, considering it the only option now that sheâs surrounded by her family. she says, âgetting thisâ, and pulls up her jacket sleeve, and then her shirt sleeve. the entire family gasps when they see her arm bandaged up.
celine assumes her baby has been hurt, and she rushes to check on her, and demands to know what happened, who did this to her, sheâll kill them-
poppy gasps and glares at her though. âyou got a full sleeve tattoo?!â
celine freezes. hayun winces. ânot a full sleeve, exactlyâŠand not just the oneâŠâ
mira and zoey, who are not trying to let their children get the bright idea to go out and get their own tattoos, escort them from the room after that.
rumi sticks around, though. âcan we see it at least?â
hayun shakes her head. âi wanna keep it a secret. at least until its healed.â
she gets grounded, but she does keep it a secret while she takes care of it herself (with minor assistance from her parents, who are pissed at her but donât want their daughter getting an infection. not like poppy did when the sunlight sisters snuck out of their hotel room one night while drunk to go get tattoos of each otherâs names, and no matter how many times miyeong and celine offered to help poppy care for hers, she refused).
when it does fully heal, and she shows it off to everyone, they all gasp.
its patterns. not exactly the same as rumiâs, but the same colors.
rumi is in tears. âwhy?â
hayun smiles and shrugs. âi wanted to match you, but using markers felt so childish and impermanent. this seemed better.â
rumi hugs her younger sister. hayun hugs her back.
(hayun pulls back a bit, and studies their arms next to one another. âmine are cooler,â hayun says smugly.
rumi snorts and pushes her away. âand now you ruined it.â)