Follow The Leader — pt. 1
baek harin x oc (original character) fanfic
TW: murder, child abuse, and a subtle mention of sexual assault.
Note: I wrote all the mentioned crimes based on research, not from experience. I
The gathered thin sticks crackle and pop, releasing small sparks that rise and disappear into the atmosphere. Its flames dancing and twisting in the air. The fire emits a warm glow, casting flickering orange, red, and yellow hues against its surroundings.
The little boy cried so loudly that his voice cracked, turning ragged. The metal, glowing red and orange, scorched against his femur. He immediately moved his hand to the metal, regretting it after the pain spread from his palm to his elbow.
A 9-year-old Jae-yeo stood, staring down at him as if he was the most disgusting creation that God had ever made. In front of her little peach-colored shoes lies the end of the small metal rod, obvious evidence of who caused the disarray.
Some of the little kids around their age surrounded them out of curiosity, others did because of shock. Most of them ran away in fear, and a few sprinted to the Director inside the Children's Home.
But unlike the others who stared at the weeping boy on the ground, a little girl — who was the closest to the mess — didn't even bother looking at him. The scene shook her without a doubt. It was when she heard a noise. Not humane but it's from a human. It almost sounded like an animal. She disturbed a second glance at him, then darted her eyes at Jae-yeo, and then her gaze didn't move from there.
It was the teacher's voice that broke Yang So-eun in her trance. Her eyes dropped to the ground as they followed the bright red lighter falling from the suspect's tiny grasp.
The teacher's eyes were widening— her body shaking more violently with every step she took to get her closer to the scene. The older woman didn't spare a second, she frantically rushed to the boy, almost tripping over the sand to hurriedly take the burning rod off of him.
His skin made a squelching sound, Jae-yeo didn't understand why she found it satisfying. She stared at the scene that she caused with an emotionless face. The rod sticks to the skin for a moment, a sting of molten flesh hanging on it as the woman tries her best to gently remove it from him, desperately trying to make it less painful.
The rod was hissing the whole time, for the boy and the teacher felt like an eternity, but she finally managed to get it off. As soon as she did, the boy made another wail. The teacher wasted no time and carried him, heading towards the infirmary.
"YOU— WHACK — INSOLENT— WHACK SON OF A DEVIL— WHACK!"
Jae-yeo kept her trembling hands high, refusing to drop them to ease the pain caused by the long meter stick repeatedly striking her forearms. She stood on a small chair, adding height to her little frame. The teacher, Mrs. Yer, held the stick, her hands also trembling, but unlike Jae-yeo, she wasn't shaking out of pain. She was shaking out of fury.
It wasn't the first time that the kid caused mayhem in the orphanage, but this was one of the worst ones. Actually, this was far worse than anything that she had done. Before, all she could do was poke one of the children's eyes or punch them when she was provoked— when her friend was being provoked. Locking girls in the closet or any claustrophobic areas or poisoning their foods with terrible aftertaste when they drop insults towards her friend. But now? She could've killed someone. A kid in her age.
That may sound exaggerated but her original plan was to swing the scorching to the boy's face. But thanks to the metal's weight, she had no choice but to let go and drop it into his thighs. You can imagine the horror of all of the kids' faces. But you cannot imagine the regret and disappointment Jae-yeo felt after fumbling over the metal instead of hitting the targeted region on the boy's body.
How did this happen, you may ask? Out of all the children in the orphanage, that boy, Ni-ki, was the most annoying one. He never learned his lessons. Once, he drank an apple juice that, unbeknownst to him, was made by none other than Jae-yeo. For four days straight, he was unable to move his tongue which felt like jelly on top of his mouth. And for another six days, he wasn't able to eat any solids and speak clearly. After his treatment, the culprit was revealed. Jae-yeo's reason is: "because he hurt So-eun."
So-eun. Her only friend in this place. So-eun was far like Jae-yeo. She was scrawny— Jae-yeo was at least healthy-looking— and she loved dancing and singing— Jae-yeo could neither do both— and she never knew how to fight back. Jae-yeo... She's the only one who protected her from all those bad kids. But as guilt likes to play with her, she can't muster the courage to do that when things are the other way around. When Jae-yeo was the one who was hurting. All she can do is stand and hope that her pain will stop.
Just like now. She just stood far from the window where she could see a clear image of Jae-yeo being punished because of her. Again. She felt like crying. And she is sure that that's how Jae-yeo felt right now with all those painful whips burning on her skin. But knowing her only friend, she wouldn't even let a single tear run down her cheek. So she tried her best to somehow imitate Jae-yeo's mindset. To stop herself from crying. Because how dare she cry? She doesn't do anything to stop Jae-yeo from being hurt because of her. She doesn't deserve to cry. Jae-yeo does.
And Jae-yeo tried her best to hold it back. Her arms faltered but after another hit, she held it up high once more. Through her teary vision, she can see blood forming on her skin, threatening to fall, making a pattern of thick and thin lines scattered on her soft silk skin. There are also faded scars, similar to the scars right now. A proof of all the bad things she did. Because of the meter stick, the old scars opened, causing blood and watery, yellow fluid to ooze out of it.
With wide eyes, Jae-yeo's mind fell into a void. The stick snapped in half, falling on the floor with a limited series of clicks. The teacher was still yelling, probably cursing at her. But the little girl, can't hear anything anymore besides the constant ringing in her ears that goes down her neck. To her, the time suddenly slowed down, the sticks were still clacking on the floor in slow motion. Everything was in slow motion. Even her movements are in slow motion. The way she goes down on the small chair, almost tripping off the process, but her subconscious mind doesn't let her fall. The string in her brain that kept her under control snapped. It all seemed so gradual from Jae-yeo's perspective. She didn't even feel the stick in her hands. The stick was smeared with her young blood. The stick had a sharp edge after it was snapped in half. The stick that is now buried deep into Mrs. Yer's abdomen.
The teacher let out a scream, finally, the same reason why Jae-yeo was trembling. It was loud, extremely loud. But it was cut short when she felt the sharp edge completely go through her. Despite the terrible noises that Mrs. Yer made, Jae-yeo was still lost. She started at the end of the stick. Well... She tried to stare at the end of the stick but it was impossible since it was on the back of the teacher. So she let her eyes sit on the wound. She saw the blood. But she hasn't broken in her trance yet. But when the black starts to trickle down, running onto the rims of the stick, dripping on her hands... She blinked. The whole time she didn't, now because the warm liquid that passed to her made her wake up.
She stared up, the teacher's eyes wide, identical to hers, but Jae-yeo saw the reason. In the depths of the windows of her soul, she saw it gradually wanting to leave— she saw that the life in her eyes was slowly ceasing. But Jae-yeo was compulsive, she felt her pain running down her backbone, then with another blink, her eyes not widened but rested, she plunged it forward, twisting it until she saw the teacher's eyes twitch once, then twice, and fell.
She fell along with the meter stick inside of her. Jae-yeo let go of it immediately. And she stood by her teacher.
Jae-yeo stared at the body, specifically her face. The expression she made when the stick was piercing right into her intestine, was... Something that Jae-yeo couldn't quite explain. She felt something at the very outermost of her chest behind her skin. She couldn't explain it as well. Jae-yeo breathed steadily. Unusual for someone who had just killed a person. She was calm. Somehow she didn't feel any guilt— even in the remotest parts of her body. She felt nothing.
Something in her peripheral vision moved. His eyes flicked at the window, faster than lightning. For a split second, she was terrified that another teacher might have seen what a monstrosity she had done to her poor teacher. But then her eyes widened once again.
A sweet, innocent So-eun was staring back at her with wide eyes. The poor girl was terrified. For the first time in a long time, Jae-yeo felt guilty. Not because of what she did to the teacher, but because she let her best friend watch how she just slaughtered someone right in front of her eyes.
And it's not just someone, Jae-yeo remembered how giddy So-eun can get whenever it was literature time in their classes. It's held by Mrs. Yer. So-eun mentioned that she is her favorite teacher. Mrs. Yer was the one who taught So-eun how to read English, she's the one who taught her how to write poems— she learned fast. So-eun wrote countless poems, most of which she always gave to Jae-yeo, who struggled to understand them because they refused to tutor her. Mrs. Yer never liked her the way Mrs. Yer liked So-eun.
Jae-yeo never liked her too, anyway. But since So-eun liked the teacher so much, she had no choice but to behave herself in front of her. But as much as she tried her best to do that, she couldn't. Not when that teacher was in charge of punishing whoever disobeys the rules. Even if she acted all kind and soft in front of Mrs. Yer, it could not be helped if she was the one who would discipline her whenever she crossed a line.
Unbeknownst to Jae-yeo, So-eun had started to grow a pot of anger inside of her when she first saw those fresh line marks on her forearms— it was the first scars that Jae-yeo got from the teacher.
A knock was heard, and Jae-yeo immediately whipped her head on the door. Another teacher entered the room. Her eyes instantly dropped to Jae-yeo, furrowed her eyebrows, and then noticed a familiar frame dipped on the ground, blood surrounding her below her.
That day was filled with a lot of screams.
"We must get rid of her as soon as possible."
"Why don't we just contact the police? For juvenile prison?"
"No. It'll damage the orphanage's image. No parents would want to buy from us if they found out that one of our products would most likely kill them."
It was late at night. Jae-yeo and So-eun's knees are huddled up in their arms, listening outside the room with the help of the ajar door that serves as access to whatever the adults are talking about. Jae-yeo made an appropriate distance away from So-eun for a reasonable reason.
After the accident, the teacher who witnessed the post-murder of a teacher by a child called the other staff to help her with the scene. As they took care of the lifeless body, all the teacher could ever do was yell at Jae-yeo, too scared for her own life that the kid might do something to her too if she would ever put her hand on her.
They did nothing to Jae-yeo besides locking her up in her room to 'protect themselves from her'. The orphanage was too careful with its impression that they were willing to do anything to bury all their issues, hidden from the public.
The Haneul House was known for its perfect standards for parents who want to adopt. The outsiders adored the kids in the orphanage. But they didn't know how the children were taught and made — not born — as prodigies. The House made special categories for every specific 'specialty' of the kids. But not everyone is equal just because of that.
They have a pyramid. And each specialty has a specific part in the pyramid. The logical and mathematical are on top, music at second, arts and literature at third, and finally, theatre at the bottom, where So-eun was put. The children are treated based on their part of the pyramid so that they — based on the teacher's words — can be motivated to do better.
Jae-yeo can easily possess all these talents, but given her behavior, she fits into no part of the pyramid.
"What about the family who called us? The Baekyeon Family? They were willing to pay a large sum of money for one kid, right?" A faint voice squeaked.
"No." A firm one almost instantly answered like she just heard a blasphemy. "We will be digging our own graves if we give her to them."
"She's right. Beakyeon group cares about its image too much. That little devil will definitely cause them trouble, they will shut down this orphanage once that happens."
"How about... The Cheon Family?" the faint voice suggested slowly with caution.
There was silence after that. Jae-yeo wondered if they purposely lowered their voice because they knew that they were listening— the hunch made her swallow a lump in her throat. She turned behind her to see So-eun, who was already looking at her.
"That wouldn't be a problem for us, but we're putting that kid in danger—"
"She killed a fucking teacher! Why should we care what happens to her?"
Jae-yeo felt the hem of her shirt tighten behind her. So-eun's fingers dug into her night clothes. Fear and concern radiated around her, but thankfully, it was not contagious. Jae-yeo remained monotonous as they eavesdropped. But in the nucleus of her brain, something played with her emotions. Her? In danger?
"I agree with Ms. Ara." Another beat of silence. Jae-yeo managed to peek just a glimpse of a man, the head of the Haneul House, all eyes on him. "If we don't suggest her to them, it will be bad for us."
Jae-yeo had never felt so small.
It was so chilly that her long sleeves and long pajamas were not even helping.
Her feet had fully neglected her control as they stayed planted on the hardwood floor. She wanted to get out of this room as soon as possible, to go to So-eun, who was now far from where she was. But because of how quiet the room was, distinct, familiar music kept her at bay. And at the same time, it made her want to run away and leave there. Her heartbeat drummed with the rhythm of the song— Magic by Secret.
Dark, eerie from silence eyes bore into her soul. A man who looked like he was in his 30s stood before her, staring at her down while his hands were tucked into the pocket of her onyx — even plain — luxurious pants. There was no doubt that he came with great power. A high-quality fabric hung over his shoulders, tailored and ironed.
Jae-yeo remained back at him. Though she didn't want to admit it, his gaze made her insecure for herself. It made her feel uncomfortable. She doesn't like to call it 'afraid' or 'scared'. She clenched her jaw in frustration and out of pure confusion. She doesn't like it. She doesn't like this feeling. She doesn't like this man one bit.
The man seemed to notice the way the structure of her cheekbones tightened, and the corner of his lips tugged. Jae-yeo's eyebrows twitched downwards.
"What's your name, kid?" The man asked after a minute of scrutinizing her.
Jae-yeo knew what was happening. All of the kids knew.
Today is the day when they are going to get adopted. And almost half of them are desperate to get picked. That explains the whole gathering in the main hall, where the children are expected to give their best to show off their talents in front of all the prestigious families. This 'get-together' event happens annually. Jae-yeo never got picked. No matter how hard the teachers pushed her, she refused to throw herself onto that stage just to entertain them.
The children here, they come and go. Most of them came from hospitals and broke parents who can't afford to provide for their kids, some were just trash on the streets who were blessed — or cursed — to be harvested out of their misery and thrown into the Haneul House. And that's when they will be forced to acquire a talent.
They are products in the process. And the families are here to buy them. Families who are unable to produce their own offspring, families who just want to use a kid for their own pleasure, families who want to use them for connections, and other purposes.
She doesn't want to be bought. And she's not going to leave this place without So-eun. Jae-yeo wonders where she is right now. She guessed that she was behind the building, sitting under the oak tree where they usually go and hide whenever the event starts. That's where they made the promise to not leave each other.
And that's exactly what she's going to do. She's not gonna let herself be bought. She's not going to leave this place without So-eun.
"Jae-yeo," she said monotonously.
The man smiled at her and knelt to reach her eye-to-eye. "How old are you?"
"Jae-yeo." He stared at her for a few seconds. "Do you want to have a family?"
The man nodded and then turned her gaze to the teacher, who was standing tall beside Jae-yeo. She looks uncomfortable being in the room with this kid and this unknown man, that's evident if you're insightful enough. The man noticed it, too. And so did Jae-yeo.
The man eyed the teacher up and down before turning back to Jae-yeo. "I left some candies over there at the table. You want some?"
Jae-yeo, learning how to keep different masks at a very young age, nodded slowly.
The man smiled ear-to-ear and took her little hands into his broad one, guiding her to the Director's table. The teacher was about to take a step but the man directly sent her a stare, not a glare, but still emitted an uneasy feeling to her. "Go. You can come back if Ms. Cho-soon is done choosing. I will talk to the kid alone."
"Of course," she mustered a weak smile and hurriedly left the room.
Jae-yeo sat across from the man. The table was just beside them, in the middle was a bowl of different colored sweets. He slowly slid it to him and picked up a piece, handing it to Jae-yeo. She took it and popped it into her mouth. Strawberry.
Jae-yeo, perplexed, stared at him with hidden confusion. Nonetheless, she brought up her hand to him.
He took her hand with gentle comfort and then flipped it so that her forearm was facing upward. I thought saying anything, he unbuttoned the buttons of the sleeves, exposing her sacred scarred skin. Jae-yeo didn't make any effort to pull back or stop him.
"There's more in the other one, too, right?" He nodded to her right hand.
Jae-yeo didn't say anything.
"Aren't you going to ask how I knew?" The man let go of her hand and took another candy, giving it to her. She ate it without letting it sit longer in her hand. She didn't say anything, the man expected that. "Want me to tell you a secret?"
Jae-yeo is always up for secrets. She stared at his eyes, the man saw this as an invitation for him to keep going.
He leaned in as if there were other people in this room besides them. "I grew up here."
The man leaned back, smiling at Jae-yeo's expression. Her eyes widened, and curiosity was visible on her face. "What?"
He took another candy, but this time, he didn't give it to Jae-yeo and placed it in his mouth instead. "I was like you." He pulled up his sleeves and showed her his forearm, white lines ghosted across his skin, and buttoned it again after giving Jae-yeo a few seconds to look. "Life was a living hell for me here. I'm sure that's how you feel, too."
Jae-yeo looked down, unable to deny him.
"I have no talent to show. I really thought I was going to spend the rest of my life slaving here in this hellhole for nothing." He took another candy and popped it into his mouth. "But then a miracle happened. A man in a suit came to me. He ignored the stage. His attention was focused on me while I was cleaning the tables for them. After the event, he took me. Cheong Dae-han. A kind man who showed me sympathy. He made me realize that I'm far more worthy than being here. He changed my life. He ended my suffering."
He took another candy and stretched it to her, but instead of taking it, she stared at it, hesitating.
"Jae-yeo. Do you want to end the suffering, too?"
Jae-yeo finally took the candy from his hand but she didn't answer the question.
"You can show them what you're capable of. You can make them feel what they did to you. You can do whatever you want— and it all depends on how you answer this question..." He clasped his hands together. "Do you want to have a family?"
Jae-yeo clenched her jaw, critically thinking about her decisions. She's not dumb. But she's too prideful to also choose the smartest option. So-eun... Clashing her front teeth, she muttered. "No."
The man's smile faltered. "No?" He let out a small chuckle. Then it became a stifle of fits of giggles. And then a laugh. And before she knew it, the man was laughing hysterically in front of her. Like he's making fun of her. "Did you just hear what I said? Did you just hear what you said?"
Jae-yeo didn't answer. And the laughter had died down.
"Jae-yeo..." His tone dropped, but his smile remained. "You can't survive this place being alone."
"I'm not alone." So-eun...
"Oh?" His eyebrows were raised with genuine amusement. "What's their name?"
Jae-yeo opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of the door prevented her. The teacher from earlier entered and walked up to the man.
"Mr. Woo, the Baekyeon family has chosen their heir."
The man tore his eyes off Jae-yeo and to the woman. "Name?"
Jae-yeo whipped her head to the teacher, eyebrows furrowed. The man didn't fail to notice that as he began to smirk. He turned his head to the teacher, nodding his head, gesturing for her to get out of the room once more. The woman complied.
"Where were we?" He pretended to ponder. "Ah, back to the question..."
Jae-yeo's eyebrows were furrowed. So-eun? What did she do? Didn't they promise each other not to leave each other? They promised each other not to join any performances so that wouldn't be a chance for them to get picked.
She was full of possible thoughts. None of them were good. And it was visible that she was uneasy, and the man took advantage.
"... Do you want to come with me?"
"So-eun-ah~," Jae-yeo called out sweetly. Too sweet, if you may ask.
"Jae-yeo!" So-eun was still in her ballerina outfit, her eyes wide as they darted to Jae-yeo's. "I have something to tell you—"
"I heard you were getting adopted!" Jae-yeo beamed, her smile as wide as a Cheshire cat, and her eyes sparkled under her will. It was terrifying how real it looked. So-eun even believed it.
"Jae-yeo..." So-eun looked down. "I'm sorry."
Jae-yeo gritted her teeth. She thought So-eun was apologizing because she was going to leave her with the devils. She thought she was apologizing because So-eun took pity in picturing her all alone here. Because she broke their promise.
So-eun apologized because she thought she was the reason why Jae-yeo was always being punished by the teachers, she apologized because she thought no one wanted to be friends with Jae-yeo because she was friends with her. And leaving this orphanage, So-eun thinks that it would be the best for Jae-yeo.
Jae-yeo sighed and pulled her into a hug. "What are you sorry about?" Her arms tightened around So-eun, enough to let her feel some sort of pain, but not enough for her to notice it. "You're just being practical. You just want to get away from the suffering. You just wanted to have a family. Those are not something you should be sorry about, hm?" She said through spite, disguised in an understanding tone.
Unaware of the suffocating embrace, So-eun hugged back. And Jae-yeo heard a sob from her.
"Don't cry." She brought up her hand and stroked the back of her head. "I'd like you to know... That I got adopted, too."
So-eun gasped and was about to pull away but Jae-yeo pulled her back.
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