Hey lovely subbies. I'm back! And as an apology for my extended absence, I give you the next chapter. This is long. Hope you guys like it!

Bom was tidying up So Hyun’s bedroom as the girl was attending her afternoon tutorials. She was on her way to the laundry room to drop off So Hyun’s laundry when she heard the land line phone ring down the hallway. Bom picked up the call and was surprised when she heard who was at the other end of the line.

“Good morning, this is Jung Hye Young, Head Guidance Counselor of YG International School. I would like to speak with Miss Park Bom,” a kind voice said over the line.

“Uh, yes, this is Park Bom speaking. How may I help you?” Bom asked tentatively. She was surprised to receive a call from the school and was bewildered that the school’s guidance counselor was looking for her. She knew it wasn’t a good sign. 

“Oh, good day, Miss Park. I regret to inform you that there has been trouble in school,” the woman said.

“What kind of trouble?’ Bom asked. She hoped that it wasn’t a severe accident involving Hayi or Seung Hoon.

“Um, it involves Lee Seung Hoon of the third year class. I cannot discuss it further over the phone but it would be best if you could personally come to school as soon as possible to discuss the matter and to collect the boy,” the woman said calmly.

“Oh, alright. Is it alright if I could speak with Seung Hoon please?” Bom asked politely. She needed to hear the boy’s voice, to make sure that he was alright so that she wouldn’t panic. The lady agreed and a few seconds later, Seung Hoon was on the line.

“Seung Hoon-ah, are you alright? Are you hurt?” Bom asked immediately as soon as she heard Seung Hoon’s half-grunt, half-sigh over the line.

“Neh, imo (aunt),” Seung Hoon said. Bom was surprised by the honorific that he used. In the weeks that she’s been there, the boy barely acknowledged her presence aside from that one time she came across him along the hallway on her first day of work. Sometimes, he would glance over her when she would talk animatedly with the three other Lee kids but he’s never engaged her in an actual conversation. So him calling Bom “imo” was not only unusual, but also somewhat alarming.

“Okay. You don’t have to say much but answer my question honestly for now. Did you get into a fight?” Bom asked.

“Neh,” Seung Hoon grunted over the phone. I knew it, Bom thought to herself.

“Do you want me to call your father or your relatives?” she asked again.

“Aniya!” Seung Hoon almost shouted. Then again, calling any of the Lees was futile. Dong Wook was in Manila, Sora was visiting her child abroad while Dong Hae was on vacation with Dara in Jeju for their anniversary. She knew the kids had a grandfather but she has never met the man before.

“Arraso. Do you want me to come to pick you up from school?” Bom asked.

“Neh, please,” the boy said. Bom would have come anyway, but the way he said ‘please’ just sealed the deal.

“Arraso. I’ll come over, just wait for me, arachi?" Bom said before ending the call.

She told Ajjuma Kim about the phone call and about her needing to go to down to the school to pick up Seung Hoon. The older lady looked worried but Bom promised she'd try to find out what really happened. She also suggested that Bom take one of the cars in the motor pool since it will be faster than waiting for a cab.

Twenty minutes later, she was driving the borrowed black Mazda sports car (the oldest and probably the cheapest vehicle in the Lee family’s motor pool), in the YG International School campus.

YG International was famous for being the best private international school in Seoul and it's clientele includes chaebol families, celebrity's kids and children of foreign ambassadors. The buildings inside the campus were impressive modern marvels and one could immediately tell that studying here must come with a big price tag.

Bom walked inside the main building as instructed by the guard by the gates. She looked for the guidance counselor's room which was in an annex building behind the main building. Bom was worried about Seung Hoon. He sounded agitated on the phone earlier and she knew he was in deep trouble.

When she arrived at the right office she was greeted by the secretary at the reception. She also found Seung Hoon, who looked like he was beat up pretty badly, sitting on a long bench looking rather obstinate.

Bom approached Seung Hoon who just sat in his seat while staring outside the large glass windows. Bom sighed upon seeing the boy up close. He looked like a typical delinquent with messy hair, torn uniform, cuts on his eyebrow and the corner of his lip, and a bruised eye and cheek. But there was a mix of sadness, anger and frustration on his face, like he was just barely holding whatever it is he is feeling inside of him.

A second later, the door to a smaller office opened and the guidance counselor greeted Bom. The lady was elegant looking and had a friendly smile on her face which surprised Bom. Usually, when kids get in trouble in school teachers are not too kind even to the parents or guardians.

"Good day, Miss Park. I'm Jung Hye Young, we spoke on the phone earlier. I was informed by Seung Hoon that you are his guardian," the kind faced lady said.

"Ah, neh. Annyeonghaseyo. What seems to be the problem?" Bom asked.

"Please, come in and we'll discuss it," Hye Young said politely as she ushered Bom into her personal office.

Bom gave Seung Hoon a small smile before entering the room. She sat down on the seat in front of the office desk and tried to look like she belonged there. The room was quite spacious with a large glass window that opened to the school's quadrangle.

"So Miss Park. I'm really sorry we had to meet under such circumstances," the kind-faced woman began. Bom didn't say anything, just nodded politely and waited for the guidance councilor to explain everything.

"Well, Earlier today, Seung Hoon was found in a fist fight with several boys from another school who were here for an inter-academy sports competition. They were found fighting in the locker rooms of the school gymnasium and the boys from JYP High School claim that Seung Hoon attacked them from out of nowhere. The JYP students said they were just joking around in the locker rooms after their tournament when Seung Hoon assaulted them. The Principal, Yang Hyun Suk has, ordered that Lee Seung Hoon be suspended for a week." Hye Young said calmly.

Bom was surprised by this. Seung Hoon had always been quiet at home. Yes, he looked a bit like a rebelling kid, or at least he tried to look like one, with his dyed hair, ear piercings and penchant for leather but he never seemed like the type who would engage in violence. Whenever he was with his siblings, he always seemed caring and calm. Even the week before when Chan Hyuk admitted to his older siblings that he has been cutting classes to learn and make music, Seung Hoon was level headed. He calmly listened to Chan Hyuk and did not even laugh when his younger brother had said that making music was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. In fact, Seung Hoon had encouraged his brother to continue his passion. So hearing from this stranger that the boy had been in a fight was rather surprising, if not shocking, to Bom.

"How many boys from the other school were involved?" Bom asked politely. She wanted to know as much of the incident as possible.

"Um, from what was reported to us, there was a group of seven boys from the other school but he only attacked two boys who happened to be sons of foreign dignitaries," Hye Young replied.

"Obviously, Seung Hoon was outnumbered. Isn't it a bit too much of a punishment, suspending him for a week considering that he was obviously ganged up and beaten badly by the other boys?" Bom asked. 

“Well, that is true, Miss Park, the other boys did gang up on him, but it is school policy that students who engage in violence are punished for what they did and the standard penalty, unfortunately, is a week suspension,” Hye Young reasoned. 

"And have you asked Seung Hoon why he did it? I doubt he’d all of a sudden launch a punch at another kid, more so when he is outnumbered. For sure, there must have been something that triggered him," Bom reasoned.

"Yes. But unfortunately, Seung Hoon refuses to cooperate. He hasn't spoken a word since he was brought here. The parents of the other boys already came and filed complaints and they also threatened to file a case but if we managed to convince them not to since Seung Hoon sustained worse injuries than the other kids. Anyway, Seung Hoon still hasn't told us why he suddenly punched the boys and we haven't figured out a reason for him, too. Seung Hoon competed in Tae Kwon Do while the JYP boys competed in fencing, karate, and soccer. And YG Academy has won nearly all the games in all those games so it did not make sense that Seung Hoon engaged in a physical altercation with them," Hye Young explained.

Bom just sat there thinking. So this is not related to the competition. Is it personal? Bom couldn't tell. She barely spoke a proper sentence to the boy since she came to their house.

"And there is something else, Miss Park. Teachers have been complaining that Seung Hoon has been acting rather belligerent lately. He hasn't been submitting his home works and projects, he has cut classes a few times and his grades are dropping drastically. His class adviser has sent several letters to Mr. Lee but he has yet to send a response," Hye Young said.

"Is it very out of character of him to act this way?" Bom asked. "I mean, I just recently started living with them and to be honest, I have barely interacted with Seung Hoon since I usually am with his younger sisters," Bom explained. She did not miss how Hye Young slightly blushed and there was a telling smile on her lips which confused Bom but she brushed aside the thought and focused on the issue at hand which is Seung Hoon's falling scholastic standing.

"I understand your predicament. Getting to know a new family is quite difficult especially if you are dealing with teenagers," Hye Young said and Bom gave a small laugh in agreement.

"Anyway, I've known Seung Hoon for quite a while since I am a friend of their family and I've been his guidance counselor since he was in grade school. From what I know, Seung Hoon has always been aloof in general. He only interacts with his close childhood friends. He was never an outstanding student like Hayi but he always maintained above average grades in all his subjects. He's never been involved in any fighting or bullying, so this incident today is rather an unwelcome surprise," Hye Young said.

Bom just nodded.

"I know this may seem awkward for me to ask of you, but maybe it is best if someone from home could talk to him. Ask him about what is going on, how he is feeling. Maybe something happened that made him act this way," Hye Young said.