All Chapters of ​​Parasite: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Grounded for two days? Before I could struggle to break free, I had blacked out.Dad dragged me to the basement by my arm. The door clicked shut, and all light vanished from the space. A suffocating silence filled the darkness, like a black hole.I covered my ears when I heard some rustling, hoping that the rats wouldn't nibble on my ears this time.…My name was Alessa Lieblich, and I had an older brother named August. My name signified my destiny—born to protect.August was born with a congenital blood disorder that required constant transfusions to keep him alive. Unfortunately, like our mother, he had an exceptionally rare blood type. The blood bank rarely had a sufficient supply to meet his needs.The Lieblich family had spent a fortune to purchase the blood supply. Finally, they came up with an idea—to give birth to another child, who would be a guaranteed blood supply.For that reason, Mom got pregnant and gave birth to a girl. As luck would have it, the poor girl did not

I began to speak slowly, telling the story of my past for the first time.At 15, I lived as August's living blood bank.Due to constant blood donations, my growth was severely delayed. I weighed less than 70 pounds, stood barely over five feet, and suffered from severe anemia. The slightest movement could make me faint, and I still hadn't gotten my period.When I walked with my classmates, I looked like a frail elementary school student among a group of graceful young girls. No one would guess we were the same age just by looking at us.I had almost no friends because of my pale, emaciated appearance. I was different from everyone else.Back in middle school, my classmates gave me all sorts of insulting nicknames. They would hide my homework and enjoy watching my expression when the teacher scolded me.But when I entered high school, the new students were kind to me. They said I reminded them of their younger sister. They would hug me, kiss my cheeks, tie pretty ribbons into bows

Mom glanced at me and said impatiently, "I've already told your teacher. You don't need to go to school anymore."With that, they left the house without another glance in my direction. They were probably off to be with August.I returned to my room, fished out a caramel candy from the crack between my bed and the wall, and popped it into my mouth. It was just as sweet as always.I chewed the candy forcefully, one after another, until the bag was empty. But this time, no matter how many candies I ate, my tears wouldn't stop flowing.Outside, the spring air was filled with birdsong and the fragrance of blooming flowers, yet I felt none of its vitality.My parents hadn't drawn my blood this month because they wanted me to recuperate for the kidney transplant.Every day, all I did was eat and sleep. I didn't even have the strength to check the flowerpot by the door.I wondered how the boy who had kept me company in the dark for two nights was doing. I'd probably never see him again.

"Yeah, I know. I'll run faster," Eason said."You're exhausted; you can't run anymore. Put me down," I said."Shut up! I can still run!""Eason…" I started crying. I touched his face and found it to be wet with tears, too. "They're driving. Put me down.""I don't want to!" he snapped through his tears. "You'll die!"I wiped my tears and tried to smile. "No, I won't. I want to eat a lot more junk food after the surgery. You have to keep bringing them to me."Eason finally ran out of strength and fell to the ground. His legs were trembling. He was only a skinny child. In fact, he was a year younger than me.The car's headlights grew brighter—I knew my parents were getting closer. I gritted my teeth and pushed Eason's back. "You have to bring me candy, fruit tarts, and fried chicken. I'll starve if they catch you. I won't die, okay? It's just one kidney. Leave me here, Eason!"His tears soaked my palm. He'd long since realized the truth, as had I—our escape plan had failed the m

"Can the police help you?" Eason's eyes gleamed with stubbornness. "I don't think there's anything wrong with stealing to make a living! So what if people look down at me? I don't care about that! I'm fine with it as long as you don't look down on me too.""They'll help me this time." I looked at him resolutely. "Will you have faith in me?"The night breeze brushed past us, and the faint glow of the streetlights reflected in his eyes. He grumbled, "…Fine."This time, I didn't need him to carry me anywhere. We got to the police station hand in hand. I took a deep breath and approached the police officer behind the counter. "Hi, I would like to make a police report. My parents want to kill me."The police led Eason and me to a room inside and poured a glass of water for each of us. They asked questions, and I answered. They took my statement, looking grim.Over ten minutes later, my parents arrived. Eason's grip on my hand tightened at the sight of them; I soothed him with a smile