5pm.

She still had no idea if her Oppa was coming back. Save for that text he had sent over earlier to announce his disappearance, she hadn't heard from him, and it's been several hours.

She eyed her drying swimsuit with annoyance and chucked it into her bag carelessly, vowing to burn it once she's back in Seoul. She still hadn't decided what to do about her Oppa. All she knew was she needed to get away, so she just started packing methodically. She hadn't gone as far as to consider the logistics of her escape - how she's getting to the airport, whether there were even flights back at this time. Do first, think later. Not like anyone would miss her presence, she thought sardonically.

Indeed, she made it out of the house successfully without raising any alarm. Instead of taking a cab, she decided to take the long winding road out on foot, thinking that the scenery and fresh air would do her some good and 'clear her head', the way her Oppa needed to 'clear his head'. She snorted at herself. She made it to as far as the public bus stop when she spotted a familiar figure, with that head of immaculately coiffed hair she would recognise anywhere. His omma.

She was lounging on a bench under a towering tree, her face lifted to the sky like she's enjoying the sun and the light breeze in the air. She must have spotted Ji Hyun from the corner of her eye because she angled her head sideways to give her a once-over, then shifted in her seat to face her squarely. Her eyes paused on her bag, before returning to her face.

"Are you going somewhere?" Omma asked without any inflection in her voice, her face similarly unreadable. That must be where Oppa got his stony mask from.

"I'm just..." Ji Hyun shrugged, her eyes darting around shiftily. Meanwhile, she tried hiding the bag behind her legs. It didn't go unnoticed by Omma, who raised an eyebrow.

"Are you escaping?"

"Ww-what?" Ji Hyun croaked as she shuffled from foot to foot.

A smile tugged at Omma's lips. That was the first smile Ji Hyun had seen from her and once again, she's struck by how much her Oppa took after her. That was his smile. She missed him already.

Omma patted the seat next to her. Ji Hyun trudged forward and sat down dutifully. Sitting in silence, they watched a few buses go by before Omma finally spoke.

"Why are you leaving?" she queried, her tone gentler than before.

"I wasn't leaving..." she mumbled, probably quite unconvincingly, because Omma shot her a 'who are you trying to kid' look and eyed the bag in her lap meaningfully. "Okay yes, I was planning to go. Something happened and I just wanted to give Oppa some space," she conceded, drawing circles in the gravel with the toe of her sneakers, awkward about discussing her son.

"Is it because of me?"

"What? No!" she widened her eyes, shaking her head vehemently. Omma continued to regard her appraisingly. That same gaze she had levelled on her at the soccer field, except it didn't feel so intimidating now.

"Is it Hyo Jin?"

Ji Hyun blinked in surprise. How did she know? This woman's more astute than she thought.

"She said something to you." Omma said it as a statement, like her silence was confirmation. She considered for a second, before she continued cautiously, "Sometimes, people are not what they seem to be. I would be careful not to believe everything they say."

Her mind took her back to the conversation she had unwittingly overheard the night before:

Unnie: "I'm not too sure about her."
Omma: "Why? She seems nice?"
Unnie: "She's immatur