And again, Happy got into an argument with her mother during dinner. Happy is the first child of the family and is considered the ugly duckling by her mother. When her mother had high hopes for her, Happy turned out to be not what they expected. Being treated differently from her brother became a common sight."

"What does 'Happy' mean if I'm living without feeling the meaning behind the name I've been given?" Happy often thought this to herself.

Therefore, every night when everyone at home was fast asleep, Happy would sneak out of the house to clear her mind or sometimes just to cry. There was one place she would always visit - a big house of Carols.

Yes... Mr. Carol, who was the richest person in Green Village. However, the house itself had been uninhabited for a long time because years ago, the family was hit by bad news that caused them to leave the village.

The house owned by the Carol family had a beautiful flower garden, which seemed to reflect Mrs. Carol's love for it. Despite the house being uninhabited for a long time, the Carol family still hired someone to maintain the house and their flower garden.

And one of Mr. Carol's son was Happy first crush, His name was Theo. Yes, The oldest one. There's a notable age gap between them, with Theo being 4 years older than Happy

Their paths had never crossed in conversation, living in worlds that seemed miles apart. Happy had occasionally spotted Theo in the distance, walking with his siblings or his friends.

It was 9 PM, and as usual, Happy tried to climb the fence of the Carol family's house to sit on a swing and enjoy the beauty of their flower garden. But she noticed something unusual that night. Unlike previous days when only the lights at the front and garden were on, tonight she saw a light coming from inside the house - a room near the window facing the flower garden.

Happy hesitated, fearing that if someone inside saw her, she would be chased away or accused of being a thief. Just as she turned to leave, she heard a man shouting, crying, and loud thuds coming from the room. Happy's mind froze as she tried to understand what was happening inside and what she should do.

Happy mustered the courage to approach the window of the room. The man inside was heard crying out in deep anguish, his screams echoing through the night. Happy swallowed hard and whispered,

"Knock... Knock"

"Hello there? "

"Are you alright?"

Suddenly the room fell silent, and the person inside stopped making noise. Happy waited anxiously for a response, but instead the answer, the lights were just turned off from inside and the man inside didn't said anything.

Taking the hint, Happy decided it was time to go. She gave up on her plan to enjoy the garden and turned back, choosing to return home instead,, and she wondered to herself on the way back,

"Who was that person in the room?"

Happy didn't sleep a wink and left for work without a word to her family. At the small supermarket where she worked, Alvin, her coworker on the night shift, greeted her

"Oh Happy! You're here?"

Happy quickly took off her jacket and headed to the cash register to take over Alvin's shift who looked extremely already tired and sleepy.

"Hey Alvin, have the Carols come back to the village?"

Alvin looked confused, having heard nothing about it, he answered " I don't think so... are they?"

Happy raised one corner of her upper lip "You damn kid! Why are you asking me back when I asked you?"

"Haha, so why did you ask? Are you happy because the family of your crush is back?"

".........."

"Something's not right. I'm not exactly thrilled about what I saw last night, it didn't seem good." After hearing that, Alvin's curiosity was piqued, and he asked Happy what she had seen, but just as she was about to respond...

*siren wailing*

Happy and Alvin freeze and looked at each other, without saying a word, their eyes seemed to ask each other the same question: "What's going on?"

Happy quickly tapped Alvin's shoulder, as if signaling him to step out and find out what was going on. Since Happy was in the middle of her shift, Alvin was the one who could slip out and see what was going on.

"Why me? I want to go home!" Alvin was all like "Aww, do I have to?""

Happy tossed Alvin's jacket, which was stashed under the cash register, and hit him right in the face with it, as if to say, "Shut up! Get back here and tell me what's going on!"

********

An hour had passed since Alvin left, and Happy was still fuming with curiosity, dying to know what was going on. After all, she was a total gossip junkie. Happy's gaze was fixed on the front door, eagerly awaiting the return of her trusted spy, Alvin. She had noticed a crowd forming outside, with people heading in the same direction as the ambulance, but she didn't bother asking anyone around her for details.

And then the spy returned, Happy's face lighting up with a wide smile as she spotted her best friend running towards the store from a distance. "What's going on?" Happy eagerly asked her friend, trying to meet the eyes of her best buddy, who was bent over, gasping for breath after the sprint. Impatiently, Happy patted Alvin's back, saying, "Hey, hey, take a deep breath and tell me what's going on!"

"'Y-y-y-your crush! He tried to... kill himself!" Alvin stuttered trying to get the words out. Upon hearing this, Happy felt like she had been struck by lightning on a bright sunny day. She immediately released her grip on Alvin's shoulders and stared blankly into space.

"Dude, stop messing with me, that's not true, right?' Happy asked, her voice laced with a mix of shock and denial.

Happy yanked Alvin's shoulders, pulling him upright, and gazed intensely into his eyes. "You wait here, don't tell the boss about anything. I'll be right back, name your price, i'll give you as much money as you need" Before Alvin could respond, Happy had already sprinted off like lightning.

"Hey, you're always broke, how can you promise me that! Are you kidding me? You're always struggling financially, and you think you can just promise me a ton of cash? Get real, curly-haired lady!"

Alvin was cussing a storm to himself, solo by the door and no one the wiser...

Happy left the store and sprinted towards the Carols' residence to see firsthand what had happened. However, it was too late; the ambulance had already departed leaving the house behind.

Wait, is this normal? Shouldn't they have taken him to the hospital almost an hour ago? Why did they take so long? Or maybe they spent a lot of time administering first aid to Theo inside the house first?"

"Wait, is he still alive?"

Watching the crowd from a distance, Happy talked to herself, her mind filled with various questions. She was in the dark about Theo's fate.

As Happy stood there, lost in thought, she suddenly overheard people around her whispering to each other about the Carols' misfortune. They spoke with a mix of pity and scorn, some even seeming to take pleasure in the situation. Happy's face fell as she gazed around at the crowd.

"How could people be so cruel?

"But didn't I feel excited when I first heard the ambulance sirens and told Alvin to go find out what happened, without any empathy?"

 "I thought I was better than them, but maybe I'm just like them, and it took this incident to make me realize my own lack of compassion."

There was a reason the Carols were so despised in the village. They were one of the wealthiest families, and initially, people were puzzled why they chose to stay in the village despite their success in A-Town. The Carols claimed they wanted to give back to their hometown and inspire the villagers that anything is possible. They offered jobs in A-Town to teenagers from the village, promising city-level salaries, which was a huge draw for parents who saw it as a blessing. The prospect of their children working in the city, rather than in the village's limited agricultural or small-scale jobs, was too good to pass up.

But no one knew what kind of business the Carol family actually had in A-Town.

At first it seemed fine, and sure enough any teenager who went to work to join Carol's family had their fate changed drastically. They suddenly lived comfortably and not infrequently became really rich.

The children who returned to the village every time they had a holiday, had a different aura. Bringing a lot of money for their families in the village, people certainly thought they really had a good life.

Until one day, they hired the wrong person. Her name was Reina, she worked with Carol's family to A-Town and she finally returned home to the village crying to her parents, saying...

"They made me sleep with many men"

And Reina's words threw Green Village into chaos.

There was actually nothing wrong, the previous girls who had worked with Carol's family looked fine and enjoyed the changes in their lives not because Carol's family threatened them, but they really enjoyed that kind of work, as long as they had a lot of money and in the end they covered up where their money came from to their parents as long as they could live well and get out of poverty.

But Carol's family never thought they brought the wrong person. Carol's family never thought that Reina was such an innocent child.

*******

Happy returned to the store where she worked, and as she opened the door, Alvin greeted her with an annoyed expression, Happy smirk and "Heheee.. you can go home now"

Alvin immediately stood up and approached Happy, pointing at her face repeatedly while saying, "I'm in a bad mood, and you're in a bad mood too, let's settle our business another time, okay?" "

Don't play dumb pretty girl, you've got a promise to keep with me."

Happy just smiled and Alvin went back home without saying anything else.

******

At 3 pm, Happy's shift ended, and she handed over to her colleague Claire. Their relationship was stiff, largely due to their considerable age difference and the fact that Claire was new to the job. After the handover, Happy headed straight home without lingering. As she opened the door, she sighed, bracing herself for another lecture from her mother. Sure enough, over dinner, her mother launched into a familiar criticism of Happy's life choices, which she deemed a failure.

The family had previously lived in D-Town, ,When Happy was 16, her mother was imprisoned for 6 years for corruption, which led to their financial downfall plunging them into financial turmoil during Happy's high school years. They had relocated to Green Village to escape the gossip about their past misfortunes. Happy's mother harbored resentment towards her because she was the eldest child, with a nine-year gap between her and her younger brother. Happy's mother had invested everything in Happy's happiness, providing her with good schools, expensive education, and sufficient facilities. Unlike her brother, who only briefly experienced a comfortable life, Happy was expected to achieve great things.

However, Happy's current circumstances - working as a shop assistant on a modest wage - fell far short of her mother's expectations, fueling her disappointment and disillusionment.

After arguing during dinner, Happy felt like crying and decided to leave as she usually did. Uncertain where to go, Happy wondered if she should visit Carol's family after today's incident. She keep walking till she stood outside the gate of Carol's, She staring blankly at the house, wondering if she should climb in today.

And finally yes,

Happy eventually decided to enter cause. Happy Sitting on the swing in Carol's flower garden, rocked back and forth with the breeze and gazing blankly at the sky. Memories flooded her mind - her childhood, friends, good and bad times - until her mother's words echoed in her head:

"Shit, I knew this would happen." The swing came to a stop as Happy's feet touched the ground. She bent forward, covering her face with her hands, and sobbed uncontrollably.

Just as she was releasing all her emotions, untill....

"CLICK"

A sudden bright light from behind stopped her crying. Happy wiping away her tears, slowly turned around and she saw that the light in the same room as yesterday had turned on.

"Theo....?"

"Is that you?"

❤ note :

"Thank you for taking the time to read. Your support means a lot to me. If you notice any areas for improvement, please don't hesitate to let me know. I appreciate your feedback!"