The next few days were a whirlwind. First came the funeral, held a day after I moved from the old house into my mother’s apartment.

The skies were dreary as we stood together at the funeral pyre, as my father’s body was transported into the fires.

I didn’t know exactly what to feel, watching his cold, dead body go up in flames.

Was I to be happy that he was finally out of my life? Was I to be sad that I had lost a family member, one who had been a constant throughout my life? Was I to be guilty that I had perhaps contributed to his alcohol overdose, leading to his death?

The same questions which had haunted me for the past week still circled around me, but even throughout all the conflicting feelings, I didn’t feel alone, with the large hand clasping mine. It was a relief having him there; if it were not for Superhero-sunbaenim, I might have collapsed on the spot.

My mother stood, stonefaced, with my two brothers next to me. No one else was there.

I suddenly felt a well of pity rise up in my throat. My father had no one left for him at his funeral, not even his friends, except the family that he had abused. He had lived a miserable life, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He’d wasted his life on people who didn’t care about him, and he’d hurt the ones who cared about him the most.

After the funeral came the will reading. Not surprisingly, my father hadn’t expected to die at 42, so he didn’t have a will. So as the lawyer sat down with us, he explained about how the assets would be distributed.

My mother received mostly everything, including the house and his bank account since she was still lawfully his spouse. My brothers and I would get a small sum of money and what was left over, which wasn’t much.

My mother immediately put the house up for sale. She wanted nothing to do with my father, even his own house.

I felt a little sad to see my family home go, but I was also secretly relieved that the one place where I couldn’t live in peace was finally erased from my life.

Finally all the stuff with my father was settled, and I could get used to living with my new family.

The first day had been pretty awkward, but we soon got into a comfortable routine.

It felt foreign, just living at home, sitting on the couch alone and not being cursed at. Even walking got weird. I was so used to skulking around the house to not wake up my father and my silent movements initially freaked the rest of my family out, causing them to shriek in surprise whenever I “snuck up” on them. I soon learned how to walk with audible footsteps and noise so they wouldn’t be shocked by my sudden appearance.

I wasn’t the only one learning though. Whenever my brothers moved their hands towards my direction, I would flinch, expecting to be hit. So they learned to keep their hands to themselves when they talked to me.

My mother kept her distance physically at first, to slowly accommodate me into family life, which was something I was eternally grateful for. I knew I had to take time to slowly get used to having people who cared for me around, and it was a great relief to know that she didn’t force her love on me, even though I knew she was dying to hug me like she used to.

Slowly I got more receptive to being with the family, opening up and conversing with them, and sharing about mundane events that I hadn’t even thought were important, but they certainly did.

And having Superhero-sunbaenim around was also a great relief. The boy had been the first to introduce me to true love, and he’d been the one to hold my hand when I got scared. He was ever-present at the home, helping me get settled in and caring for me in a way I never expected another human being to.

And that night that I opened up to him about my fears and worries was also constantly on my mind. We never spoke about it again, but I knew he had my back no matter what happened.

All was good until Monday, the day I returned back to school.

---

As I walked through the school hallways, I realised that people were looking at me a little differently today. Some still looked at me with fear, but others seemed to look at me as if I was a piece of meat. I shrugged it off, not feeling the need to get into a fight when I was suddenly pushed. I fell onto my knees, an audible thwack sounding from my legs slapping onto the floor.

“Sorry, hoobae,” an unknown senior laughed as I peeled myself off the floor, frowning.

What was happening? Everybody knew who I was. Nobody would dare address me as hoobae in the old days.

The chorus of whispers started again as I glanced around. The looks on their faces were anything but friendly, their grins like sharks eyeing their next meal.

So this was the point of rebellion then. After months of inactivity, the cowards had come out of their shells and were ready to prey on me, especially when they knew now that I wouldn’t fight back.

I got up, but I was pushed onto the floor again, this time collapsing onto my and dropping my bag a few feet away.

“Yah, Lee Youngmi, watch your step,” a schoolmate jeered, smiling viciously. “Wouldn’t want to my shoes, would ya?”

I scrambled to pick up my bag, but the girl stepped on it, crushing it with her foot and blocking me from grabbing my things.

“You really thought you were so big, huh,” another chubbier girl snickered. “You thought we would forget about you so fast?”

The girl stooped to my level, eyeing me directly. I stayed silent, waiting for what would happen next.

“,” she spat, her spit landing directly on my cheek.

I made a move to rub it away, but the first girl caught my arm.

“You’re nothing now,” she laughed, gripping my arm in a tight lock. “No longer number 1.”

I refused to answer, but stared challengingly into the girl’s eyes.

“What, too scared to say anything?” she cackled. “If Kim Minho could beat your up and land you in the hospital for a month, I’m sure we could make you go back for another week.”

Ah, so this was what it was all about. So the rumour had spread that Kim Minho had put me into the hospital, and now people thought it was okay to come after me.

“Yeah, go for it Miryo,” the fat girl urged her. “Show her who’s boss.”

There was silence as the girls glowered at me, as I stared back, unfazed by their cheap show of bravado.

It was obvious to me that they were baiting me. The tremble of their hands and the shifting of their eyes told me that they were scared of me.

In the old days, I wouldn’t have hesitated to crush them under my foot, but this was the new me now. And I had new ways to deal with situations like this.

So I gave them a smile.

“Miryo-ssi, was it? I like your hair,” I asked brightly, momentarily confusing the girls. They looked at each other in confusion, the girl’s grip slackening.

I pulled my arm away, refusing to acknowledge the pain emanating from my wrist as I calmly stood up.

“May I have my bag please?” I asked confidently, shooting them a smile.

The girl numbly slid off the bag and onto the floor. I leant downwards and picked up my bag, shouldering it before making a move off.

As the crowd parted for me, I turned back to face the two girls.

“I may not be Queen anymore,” I shot them a grin, “but I know how to pick my fights. Don’t bully those who can easily defend themselves but choose not to.”

With that, I made my way to the classroom, leaving the crowd in shocked silence.

---

Mirae ran into the classroom, eyes searching wildly for me. I held my hand up in greeting as she pounded towards me.

“Did you get into a fight with Jeon Miryo just now?” she asked hurriedly.

“Well it wasn’t a fight-” I started but she interrupted me with a scream.

“Look at all the messages I’m getting from people!” she shoved her phone into my face.

I took the phone from her and read it myself, before grinning to myself triumphantly.

“They really think I was cool?” I asked, smile on my face.

“Your image totally improved!” she nodded enthusiastically, just as a classmate came up to us.

“Hey Mirae!”  Seonyeong-ssi smiled brightly at her before looking at me awkwardly. “Is it okay if I speak with Youngmi-ssi for a while?”

“Yeah sure,” Mirae grinned at her and got out of her seat. “Lunch is on later?”

The girl nodded firmly, shooting her a grin as Mirae walked over to talk to another classmate.

I smiled fondly at her retreating back. Now that we had renounced our ways, we were both becoming more accepted in class, especially now that somebody actually wanted to talk to me! And Mirae had a whole new circle of friends now (though she’d always been pretty popular since she was really pretty), which really made me happy. It reminded me of how much we had gone through to become good people again. I wouldn’t have traded anything like that for the world.

“Youngmi-ssi?” Seonyeong-ssi called me to attention.

I shot her a friendly grin, nodding for her to continue.

She looked a bit uncomfortable at this point, but she pushed herself to talk.

“I wanted to… talk to you about Minho-ssi,” she mumbled, eyes downcast. “He… he made some remarks at me the other day.”

I quirked an eyebrow. What was Kim Minho-ssi up to now?

“I’m just… I’m scared that he’d do something to me,” she whispered, glancing at me fearfully. “Ever since you left school, he’s become worse and worse… He used to ask me out a lot, and I always rejected him because I knew he already had a girlfriend.”

“So what’s happening now?” I asked curiously.

“He cornered me when I was going home from after-school study two days ago,” she whispered to me, afraid anybody could hear. “And he threatened to… me… if I didn’t comply… He gave me three days to respond.”

I felt my heart drop to my stomach. How on earth could he talk to someone like that?

“Please, Youngmi-ssi,” Seonyeong-ssi begged, tears in her eyes. “Please stop him. You’re the only one I know who can. I’m not the only one he’s threatening too…”

I looked at the girl’s pitiful stature. She’d always been pretty, but right now she looked haggard and tired, like she hadn’t slept for days. Her hands were shaking with fear as she glanced about, a frightened deer-in-headlights look in her eyes.

I felt a compelling urge to help her.

But at the same time, was I willing to risk it? Last time I had encountered Minho-ssi, he’d threatened to hurt Jungkook. What if he tried to come against Bangtan with his gang too? I couldn’t risk any of my friends getting hurt. And not to mention I didn’t want to attract more attention to myself. I didn’t have a hero complex. I didn’t want to save people from impending doom or whatever.

But looking at her now reminded me of what I’d done in the past, when people had feared me. Kim Minho-ssi himself had given me that same look when I’d bullied him.

I also remembered my agony over not being able to repent for my sins. By helping Seonyeong-ssi, wouldn’t that allow me to make it up everyone, and show people that I wasn’t a bad person anymore?

And honestly, I felt a little bad.  Kim Minho-ssi seemed a bit like me, having only retaliated to someone treating him badly, but it seemed to have gone too far this time. It’d been my fault that he’d turned out this way. I had to make things right.

I nodded my head fiercely. I had to do it, if only to protect people I had previously hurt before.

“Thank you for trusting me,” I said sincerely, clasping her hand. “I’ll do my best to talk him out of it.”

The girl sagged with relief, thanking me profusely as I wondered in the back of my mind what on earth I was signing myself up for.

---

“You’re going to what?!” the boy screamed in horror, dropping his sandwich onto the grassy floor.

“I’m going to talk to Kim Minho,” I replied calmly, nibbling my own sandwich.

“You can’t do that!” Superhero-sunbaenim groaned, smacking his forehead. “Didn’t you see what he did to you the last time? He’ll kill you!”

“I have to do it,” I looked at him clearly in the eyes. “Seonyeong-ssi needs me to do it. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“Since when did you care about random classmates?” he cried. “You’re going to be murdered, and nobody is worth that.”

I started to get a little annoyed. Who was he to decide what I could and couldn’t do?

“Look, it’s my chance to make amends and show everyone I’m not an anymore,” I said, anger bubbling beneath the surface of my calm exterior. “I have to do it, not only to protect Seonyeong-ssi but also the other people who are suffering from Minho’s tyranny. And it’s my fault that the guy turned out this way. Only I can fix it.”

“I’m not going to let you do it,” he said obstinately. “You can’t get involved with that guy anymore! I don’t care about some random girl who is crying wolf about empty threats. That boy is a monster, and he’ll murder you.”

I felt a stab of hurt. How could he say that to me? After all we’d been through?

“The old Superhero-sunbaenim I knew would jump at the chance to defend someone who was being bullied,” I said, the anger boiling in my stomach. “Was Jungkook just some random guy to you then, crying wolf about people hurting him?”

The boy fell silent, looking at me as I stubbornly got up, biting back angry tears.

“Since Minho is a monster, you must think I’m one too then,” I choked out, strangled by my fury.

With that, I turned my head and stalked off, leaving the boy staring forlornly at my retreating back.

---

I breathed in deeply.

Now not only did I have to help Minho out of his awry way, but I had to convince my boyfriend and whoever else doubted me that I had changed, and I could handle situations properly now. It was my only chance to do it.

I stepped into the classroom, walking steadily towards Kim Minho-ssi’s table. The raucous laughter stopped as I neared the cluster of boys hanging around him. All eyes turned to me, as Kim Minho-ssi smiled wickedly.

“Ah, Youngmi-yah,” he grinned, though his eyes flashed with fear. “You didn’t get enough of me the last time?”

The boys hooted with laughter as I ignored them. I knew he was terrified of me, judging by the hidden fear behind his eyes.

“We need to talk, Minho-ssi,” I said clearly.

“Talk?” the boy wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

The boys again catcalled, but shut up as I glared at them.

“Yes,” I replied firmly.

The boy seemed to wilt a bit at my decisive tone, before muttering, “Rooftop then. I’m giving you five minutes.”

He jumped off the table and walked out of the classroom, but I could notice that he’d lost a bit of his swagger.

I followed after him quietly, thinking of what to say.

As I passed by Seonyeong-ssi’s table, she glanced at me gratefully.

I willed myself not to panic as I made my way out the door and to the stairs.

Just as I had made it up two floors, my annoying boyfriend and best friend came running down the stairs.

 I still hadn’t forgiven Superhero-sunbaenim for what he’d said, so I pointedly ignored him.

“Yeah?” I asked Jungkook curiously. “What’s up?”

“I’m going to accompany you to meet Kim Minho,” he said stubbornly.

I laughed at his absurdity.

“It’s my problem, Jungkook,” I answered. “Let me handle it.”

“But what if you get hurt?” he asked worriedly. “You only went after him because of me.”

“Do you really think I’ll get willingly hurt by Minho-ssi without a fight?” I cracked a smile at him, which he didn’t return. “It’s not your fault, Jungkook. It’s mine, and I have to solve it.”

“Youngmi, are you sure about this?” Superhero-sunbaenim cut in, looking at me worriedly. “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”

I looked at him coldly.

“I’m not doing this for that,” I said pointedly. “I’m doing it because he needs help, just like I did. And if you want to truly help me help him, you have to let me do it.”

He sighed, scratching his head, before he groaned out loud.

“Good Lord, you are one stubborn girl,” he remarked. “Keep your phone on you. If you need any help, just call.”

I immediately relaxed into a grin. He’d finally been won over.

“I promise I’ll take care of myself,” I agreed readily, hooking my pinky with his as he ruffled my hair with his hand.

“I’m sure you will,” were his final comforting words as I made my way up the stairs, heart hammering in anticipation.