Just then, Yeong-su appears in the doorway, followed by several other boys and finally the brutish man with an assault rifle.

"Alright, everyone up - women's turn," the brutish man says sternly. The women barely stir. "Now!" he yells, abruptly waking up all of the women in the room. "Toilet!"

All of the women are rounded up and escorted down the other end of the warehouse, passing the garage door entrance on the way to a toilet. Ha-neul can see the sunlight shimmering on the damp ground. It appears to be morning. It looks cold outside - indeed, some of the trees have started to change color. Summer has definitely gone; it is autumn now. The sky is a deep, deep blue, bluer than she's ever seen it before. Suddenly, Ha-neul notices some of the armed men standing near the entrance discussing business. She overhears their conversation.

"We should have sold everyone yesterday," the skinnier man with glasses speaks loudly, not caring about the bystanders. "I can't believe so many of those bastards thought they can haggle."

"Aish!" another man responds, shaking his head in disbelief, "It boggles the mind, some people. The price is already dirt cheap, and they still want to bring the price down. We didn't go through all this trouble just to get low-balled."

On the way to the toilet, for some reason, that hopeful spark rekindles in Ha-neul's heart, a spark that felt like it could have lifted her up out of the warehouse like a hot air balloon aloft in the deep blue autumn sky.

After coming out from the toilet, Ha-neul stands back behind the line, waiting for the rest to finish. Some men are still talking by the entrance.

"Did you have trouble with your group this morning?" one of them asks.

"No," another responds, "They trust us so they never even thought of running away."

Their words make Ha-neul realize just how manipulative these people are. She is suddenly angry. How stupid could I be? she thinks to herself.

The women shortly after return to the room. Ha-neul takes Hye-jin to sit next to Yeong-su and Na-ra by the corner of the wall. Yeong-su is still hanging his head, tilted straight down towards the ground. Ha-neul finds it odd.

"Oppa," Ha-neul asks Yeong-su, "Why do you keep looking down?"

"Be ready," Yeong-su replies, changing the subject. "They're going to sell the rest of us today. Remember, don't separate from Hye-jina."

"Yes," Ha-neul responds resolutely.

The rest of the group thins out again as people are led out of the room like sheep. The moment finally arrives when the brutish man returns and motions to Hye-jin to come to the door. Ha-neul lifts up Hye-jin who was sitting down. They both hug Na-ra tenderly, then proceed to the door, Ha-neul discreetly following close behind Hye-jin.

The brutish man notices and tells Ha-neul sternly, "Stop - not you, just the girl."

"She's my sister," Ha-neul replies.

"I don't care if she's your conjoined twin," the man responds coldly. "Leave her."

"But she won't listen to anyone but me," Ha-neul replies sharply. "She's stubborn, and will die stubborn."

The man thinks for a moment as he sizes up Hye-jin. He then walks out of the room and disappears for a bit, before a moment later returning with the skinnier man with glasses. They both enter the room and assess the girls. Instead of cowering behind her older sister, Hye-jin stands confidently out in front, almost glaring back at the men with a defiant fire in her eyes.

"Mm," the man with the glasses says to the brutish man. "I think it's better if we keep them together. The wealthy couple that we were going to sell this one to," pointing at Hye-jin, "Are not going to want a spoiled brat."

"They're the next buyer, right?" the brutish man asks. The man with the glasses nods in agreement. The brutish man adds, "They wanted a maid, right?"

"Yeah," the man with the glasses responds. "They wanted a younger girl as a servant for their daughter. I know right, like, Joseon era shit."

"Jeez," the brutish man responds incredulously, shaking his head before adding, "Well, maybe they'll accept two maids."

The man with the glasses momentarily takes them off and wipes them with his shirt. "Maybe," he says, as he puts his glasses back on and looks at Ha-neul. "Though it would be a waste. This one's got a pretty face. Perfect for sex work. She would've fetched a higher price for sure."

Just then the brutish man lights up with an idea. "Hey, why not sell them both as prostitutes?" the brutish man asks. "Some dudes like little girls like that."

The man with the glasses glares at the brutish man and says, "You're a degenerate bastard. She's my daughter's age."

Just then, the man with the glasses slowly scans around the room, surveying the remainder of their stock to be sold. "Girls that age are innocent," he adds, before settling on Ha-neul again. "But inevitably, when they get older, they lose their innocence, and will do anything to survive."

He then turns back to the brutish man. "That couple will be here soon anyway, and I don't think any of these others will be satisfactory. But here's what we'll do. The husband of that wealthy couple is known to be a bit of a playboy. I'm sure if we sell them as a pair, he'll pay any price for the younger one just to get the good looking one. We just have to make sure we advertise her pretty face up front. Okay?"

The brutish man nods enthusiastically in agreement. "Okay!"

The two men smile as their problem has been solved. Just then the man with the glasses says to Ha-neul, "Alright then, Cinderella, your evil stepmother awaits," aligning his arm with the door and inviting her to lead the way.