Taeoh stared at his reflection in a mirror placed at the corner of his room and smiled ruefully. A sigh escaped his lips as the memory from yesterday came slamming into his mind.

‘Pathetic’, that what he has been calling himself since then. He didn’t even respond when one of the maids knocked on the door, calling him for a dinner, as he decided that he was not ready to face his mom and… everyone.

He sighed yet again as he grabbed his school bag, slung it over his shoulder and got out of his room. The house was surprisingly quiet, he noted as he walked down the stairs. Some maids who took notice his presence also bowed their head rather hesitantly, and he suddenly missed how comfortable they were all to him before.

He somehow missed the noise from In Na and Jia’s morning bickering too. ‘Have they already gone to school?’

Taeoh put on his shoes and looked down at them, still feeling heavy. He usually took some time to find his shoes whereabouts as his two sisters loved to hide them just because, but then that the prank wasn’t there, he came to miss it as well.

A black Sedan stopped in front of him and Taeoh slowly lifted up his head, expecting Siwon to open the door for him by then. However, he choked up to see another male standing before him.

“Get inside. I’ll send you to school today”

‘Appa’

 “W-what are you—“, he paused midway as he took a look at the older. “I meant where is Siwon?”

“Sick leave”, his appa replied shortly and Taeoh stared at the adult’s face, unsure. ‘He seemed nothing like he would scold me any soon’. He eventually approached the car and got inside the front seat.

A few minutes into the drive, Taeoh began to glance up to his appa and down onto his lap repetitively. He thought the older would want to talk about yesterday, but the latter just stopped after asking him on his study and school earlier.

“Abeoji”, Taeoh called out and his appa turned to him briefly right away.

“What?”

“Do you mad at me?”, Taeoh asked as he nervously eyed his appa’s reaction. But the older only chuckled, leaving him puzzled. His appa used to get all strict whenever he, In Na or Jia made their mom upset back then, and yet the older was so calm at the moment.

“Hurm… shall I?”, His appa muttered as he stopped the car at the red light. “But you did make me come to home last night to a crying wife and a very grumpy princess. Luckily, Jia had a sleepover at your uncle Baekhyun’s house or else I don’t think I could put up with her being emotional too”

Taeoh felt his heart sunk at his appa’s words. He looked away and lowered his head in guilt. “I-I’m sorry”, he whispered in a faint voice, almost got drowned out by the other voices coming from the pedestrians who were crossing the road just then. “I’m sorry, abeoji—“

“Save the apology for mom and In Na, okay?”, his appa cut him as he ruffled his hair lightly. Taeoh, too caught up by the sudden affection, only nodded his head afterwards. He brought one hand up to his hair and smiled. ‘It has been a while’.

“I’m not exactly mad at you, son”

His appa later said as their car started to move past the green light.  “I, more than anything, am mad at myself”

“How so?”, Taeoh couldn’t help but asking straight away.

“I was once at your age, Taeoh-ah. I know you’ll be highly sensitive and get really stressed out during this phase. But, it seemed I was all talk. I, even your mom, had never truly prepared ourselves how to help you along this time”

“Besides, you’re so mature since you were young. You never whine. You hardly cry. You