Then she spoke, her voice thick with emotion. "Unni, why couldn't you talk to me about this? Why couldn't you tell me?" At Yuna's question, Haeun's eyes burned with tears she had been holding back for months.
"Because I'm scared," she whispered.
"Scared of what?"
"Of everything falling apart." The words tumbled out now, unstoppable. "My parents just... disappeared. Eleven months ago. One day they were here, and the next they were gone. No explanation. No goodbye. Nothing."
Her voice broke. "And ever since then, I've been so afraid. Afraid that if I let anyone too close, if I show them how messy everything is, they'll leave too."
"Unni—"
