24: WHAT HAPPENS NOW

"Syndrome," by Ciki

                They had her attention now. Yoongi leaned forward and looked straight into Naeil’s eyes.

                “So this is why we’re meeting here. All of us? We’re already on the bad side of the Sa Hyeo Pa. Unfortunately for you, somehow you ended up just like us.”

                “I’m not like—”

                “Just listen, okay? At first, it might have looked like it was just some really bad iljin at school, but I think we’re all in agreement now that this isn’t kid’s stuff going on anymore, right?”

                “Well…”

                “Look, Sa Hyeo Pa—they play in the adult world. The really ugly, messed-up adult world. What happened to you a few days ago is just the beginning, and things are going to get worse.”

                Naeil was massaging her temples already. “So, what? Do I give up now?”

                Taehyung waved his hands around wildly. “No, no, don’t do that!”

                “Ideally,” said Namjoon, “You would come live with Yoongi and I on the outskirts of the city. But I think we’ve figured out you don’t like that idea so much.”

                “No. I don’t.”

                “Right,” said Namjoon, nodding.

                Seokjin spoke this time. “You’re graduating soon, right? Going to college?”

                “I’m going to graduate. Hopefully go to a decent college. It’s not like I’m overflowing with options—there’s only so much my mom and I can afford. I’ll probably end up at some no-name college. Which is fine with me, I guess. At least I get to go to college.”

                “I, uh…heard you applied at Honyong University, right?”

                Naeil’s eyes narrowed. “How did you…”

                “I heard. From around.”

                “What the heck do you mean by that?”

                “Just…that.”

                Naeil sighed. “It’s a good college, but I can’t afford it, even with the scholarships I’ve gotten.”

                “Well, it’s your lucky day then!” said Seokjin, his voice suddenly becoming animated. “You have just been awarded a scholarship by the Kim Family Foundation to attend Honyong University! …Housing included.”

                For ten full seconds, there was complete silence.

                When Naeil’s brain finally processed what Seokjin had just said, she jumped up from her seat and slammed her hands on the table screaming, “ARE YOU FOR REAL?!”

                Everyone in the restaurant turned and looked at Naeil, but she didn’t even notice. No, she was much too busy freaking out. It couldn’t be true, it just couldn’t. It was too good to be true. Taehyung and Hoseok stood up and gave Naeil some gentle back-pats, trying to stop the incoming hyperventilation. Yoongi tried to cover his mouth, but his eyes showed that he was smiling.

                When Naeil finally calmed down and eased herself back into her seat, the questions began spilling from her lips.

                “Are you serious?”

                “Yes.”

                “Seriously serious?”

                “Yeah.”

                “How?”

                “Mmm…paperwork and such.”

                “It’s a full scholarship?”

                “Pretty much.”

                “Pretty much meaning—”

                “You’ll be able to afford it. For sure.”

                “And housing too?”

                “It came with the, uh, the package.”

                Naeil’s eyes narrowed. This couldn’t just be happening for no reason. “How did this happen? Seriously, though.”

                Namjoon indicated Seokjin with a slightly smug look. “This guy’s parents. They’ve got some pretty sweet connections. They give out scholarships all the time. He took care of everything.”

                Oh. That would explain the fancy car and coats. Suddenly Naeil’s suspicion was replaced with an emotion on the other end of the spectrum—shocked gratitude. He had really done that for her? They barely knew each other, but his smile was so genuine, somehow she believed it. Even now, as he watched her expression, he looked just as excited as she was. Who were these guys, really?

                “Why…why…why on earth would you do this for me?”

                Their smiles softened a little. Some disappeared. There was hesitation.

                Hoseok finally spoke for them. “Well, we feel like…you’ve become one of us. We’ve been where you are.” He laughed. “I mean, we’re still there. And a lot of this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for us. So, we won’t abandon you. We’re going to get through this together.”

                “And the first step to that,” said Namjoon, “Is getting you somewhere safer. You don’t live in a good area. It’s in their territory. They definitely know where you live by now, and they’re already all over that church. That means they have a lot of power over you right now. It’s not like they can’t get into Honyong University, but it’s a much safer area of Seoul. On top of that, there’s security and campus police, who are much less likely to be under Sa Hyeo Pa’s control like some of the other police we’ve encountered.”

                “Another thing is…” Yoongi added slowly, “How…how do I say this…” He scratched his chin and sighed. “Well, Naeil-ssi…right now you live with someone. Someone that you care about, right?”

                Naeil’s jaw fell open. Eomma. The realization had struck her like lightning.

                “I learned this—again—the hard way. By hanging out with you, Naeil-ssi. Whoever you’re close to, they’re in danger, too.”

                How had she not thought of this before? It wasn’t just about her survival, that was much too simple. From what she had seen of the Sa Hyeo Pa so far, they weren’t the sort of people to respect a person’s private life. For all she knew, they might be watching her apartment already. Did they know what times her mother worked, what time she came home? They could be watching her right now, and there was nothing she could do about it.

                “I have one more question,” said Naeil. “Is there a microwave?”

-------------------

                Describing Naeil as ‘distracted’ was an understatement. She could barely taste the coffee pouring down . She didn’t even know why she was drinking coffee. She wasn’t sleepy, but she needed to go to sleep. It didn’t make any sense. Kind of like everything that had happened today.

                “Ttal—” Jaehee’s voice echoed through the walkway and Naeil caught the sound of their apartment door closing. How had she not heard her mom’s keys jangling when she unlocked the door?

                Jaehee stopped in the kitchen, looking at Naeil curiously. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

                Naeil felt like she was seeing her mother for the first time. All the gentle creases in her face, the sparkles in her dark irises, the frizzy tips of her graying hair. It was graying so soon. She had worked too hard, too long. It wasn’t fair to her. It wasn’t fair at all.

                Jaehee inhaled. “Naeil-ah!” she cried, running forward and grabbing her daughter’s face in her hands. “Sweetheart, why are you crying?”

                Naeil blinked. Her hand felt for her cheeks. They really were wet.

                “I…I…” She looked up at her mother. Helplessness, that was what she felt. What was she supposed to tell her mom? There was nothing, nothing at all she could do to really explain what was going on. She had never lied to her mom like this, not since she was barely a child. Now had to choose between lying or putting her mother in danger.

                “I…probably…just felt…lonely today.”

                “Oh, my poor ttal,” sighed Jaehee, putting her arms around Naeil and giving her a firm hug. “I’m sorry I have to be gone all the time.”

                “No, no,” whispered Naeil. She was really crying now, and it was annoying to speak. “It’s…not you, it’s not you at all. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, eomma.”

                Jaehee laughed breathily. “Sorry? Naeil-ah, what on earth is wrong with you?”

                Everything, eomma, she wanted to say, everything is wrong.

Author’s Note

It’s coming. Life, I mean. School, you know, all that. And I’m not ready at all TT

For anyone who listened to the song by Ciki, did you notice the little Navi sound going “Listen!” Freaked the heck outta me the first time hahaha