"Suzy!" eomma shouts from across the campsite, relief in her voice. She rushes ahead of the men and throws her arms around me. "You're all right."

"Eomma . . ." I say, hoping the right words will come out, but I'm stuck between her concern and the storm that's approaching.

She pulls back and holds my face. "You're fine."

"I'm fine."

She moves one of her hands to Jungkook's face. "You're okay too?"

He nods. HIs expression taut.

"What in the world is going on?" my father roars over eomma's shoulder. He's not talking to me. He doesn't even give me anything but a cursory look. His eyes are on Jungkook, and he pushes eomma aside to get in Jungkook's face. "You snatch my daughter away and take her into the woods?"

"I didn't snatch anything," Jungkook says, eyes narrowing.

"I asked him to take me," I tell my dad. "Seolhyun left us. She was our transportation home. And Jungkook knows the park -"

"I don't give a damn," my dad says. "Seolhyun came home five days ago. Five days! You've been alone in the wilderness with my daughter - my daughter," he shouts at Jungkook.

"Daniel," eomma says, trying to pull him away from Jungkook.

Dr. Choi clears his throat. "Suzy, I'm glad to see you and Mr. Jeon are well."

"There was never anything to worry about," I say, giving him a tight smile. "I'm sorry you were dragged into this."

He shakes his head. "I'm just you're all right. I invited you here, so I feel responsible."

"Damn right, you're responsible," my dad snaps. "These are underage kids."

"I find that most of our club members are smart, self-aware individuals who don't need a babysitter."

My dad snorts. "Then you're obviously not a parent, because these kids don't know their asses from their faces."

Dr. Choi holds up his hands in surrender. "I told you before, I'm not going to fight with you. Since my club member is seemingly unharmed and accounted for, I will leave you to sort this out among yourselves. I just ask that you don't upset the other campers. We're here to witness nature, not disturb it." Dr. Choi looks at me, a look of pity on his face, before turns to walk away.

Eomma gently inserts herself between Jungkook and my father. "Let's talk about this civilly."

"The time for being civil has passed," Father says.

Something snaps inside my head. I look back, making sure Dr. Choi in out of earshot, and then I turn to my father.

"It absolutely has," I tell him. "It passed when you threatened Jungkook last fall in that hotel. Yeah, that's right. I know. I know everything."

"What hotel?" Eomma says.

Something close to rage passes over my father's features. "Oh, really? Did he tell you that I caught him trying to use a stolen credit card and that he took a swing at me?"

"Yeah, and that's the bruise you told Eomma and me that you'd gotten at a construction site," I shout. "You lied about that. You lied about Jungkook. Instead of telling his parents, you took it upon yourself to administer justice that you had no right doing."

"What in the world are you talking about?" Eomma says. "Daniel, what's going on?"

"I caught him trying to get a hotel room for the two of them," Dad says.

Eomma blinks rapidly. When she opens , a strangled noise comes out.

"That's right, he did. And my love life is my business alone," I tell my father. "You took my best friend away from me. You ruined both of our lives just to keep you dirty little secret."

A tense silence follows. I can't believe I just said that. It just . . . came out, and now, as Eomma's eyes narrow quizzically. I wish anything I could take it back. I look around to see if anyone at the campground can hear us arguing; no one seems to be paying attention but Solbin, who looks as if she can't decide whether she should stay or go.

"Suzy," Eomma says evenly. "What dirty little secret?"

"Nothing." I can't look at my dad. Why did I open my mouth?

"Suzy," Eomma repeats, this time more firmly.

"Jungkook was at the hotel because it was homecoming," I tell her, tears falling down my cheeks. "Dad was at the hotel because . . . he was seeing another woman."

Eomma stares at me and then calmly turns to my dad. "Was this Mina?"

He nods once, quickly.

"I see," eomma says.

What?

"That's it?" I look back and forth in disbelief, at her, then him.

"I know about her," she says. "We were going through a rough patch. We're past that now."

Now it's my turn to stare with an open mouth. When I finally speak, I sound like an idiot. "How . .  . ? When? You knew? You didn't tell me. You knew?"

Eomma glances at Solbin, who is still standing nearby, pretending to look at the night sky. "It's not something I"d like to discuss in public. But yes, your father told me about . . . the other woman. He ended it. We worked through our issues."

He cheated on you," I whisper.

"I'm not discussing this with you now," she says quietly.

"You didn't discuss with me at all!"

"It wasn't your business," she says, now angry. Her dark eyes shine with intense emotion. "It was mine. Mine alone. And your father's."

"Am I not part of this family?" I ask. "Don't I deserve to know that my father is a piece of ?"

"Yah!" eomma says.

"You're not going to talk to me like that," Dad says. "Younghee's right. It wasn't your business."

Jungkook crosses his arms over his chest. "You made it her business when you lied to her."

My dad points a finger at Jungkook and walks toward him. "You listen to me -"

"No, I won't," Jungkook says. "You want to punch me? Then do it, old man. I was too stupid to realize it then, but I know now that I didn't need to be afraid of your threats. We have a camp full of witnesses here. You want to hit a minor? My parents will see you in court."

"No one is hitting anyone," eomma shouts, angrily pushing my father back. "This is ridiculous. And everyone's emotions are out of control, so this is not the time or place to discuss this. The only thing I care about tonight is that Suzy and Jungkook are safe. We will go home and talk about the rest of it later."

"I'm not taking that punk home," my father says, then peers over eomma's head to address Jungkook, pointing an angry finger in his direction. "You can find your own way. God knows you feel adult enough to trample through the woods with my daughter. Get a taxi, catch a bus, call your own parents. But you're not riding in my car."

"Daniel," eomma argues.

"No, it's fine," Jungkook says, mouth rigid. "I wouldn't dream of accepting a favor from him. I'll catch my own ride."

"We both can," I agree, clasping Jungkook's hand. "Because I'm not getting in the car with you either, Dad. I'm staying here with Jungkook."

"Like hell you are," Dad says. "You're going home with us."

New plan.

New plan.

New plan.

I can't think of a new plan! I'm crying, and vaguely aware that half the campground is now staring at us - and probably some of them are people I know. People I wanted to meet. Jung Soyeon! Omo, a reowned astronomer could be witnessing all of the ugliness, right along with everyone else in the region who could help me potentially get into an university.

But none of it matters now, because my heart is shattering. My family is a sham, and I'm about to lose Jungkook again.

"I've never hated you more than I do right now," I tell my father.

Hurt flashes behind his eyes, but instead of talking to me, he points at Jungkook. "You did this. I blame you for corrupting my daughter. And guess what, hotshot? Nothing's changed. You're not allowed to see Suzy."

"I don't take orders from you," Jungkook says.

"You may not, but she does," he says, nodding toward me. "And if you don't remember, I've got proof of what you did last fall."

Jungkook shrugs. "My parents know about the credit card, and they know about the hotel room. They also know I'm here with Suzy, and you don't see them flipping out."

My dad is going to kill him. Straight-up murder. I seriously wonder if I should call for help, and then I see him physically force himself to calm down. Hard breaths. Crack of the jaw. Eyes on the ground. "Suzy, you're coming home with us. And that's final."

He's serious. This is all falling apart.

What am I going to do?

"I won't leave you," I tell Jungkook through my tears, turning away from my parents. "I won't let him do this to us. I won't lose you. I won't lose you," I repeat, desperate, my hands in his shirt.

Jungkook's face is stony, and he's looking over my shoulder at my father. His head dips low, and he speaks quietly in my ear. "Go home with them. I'll be okay here. And we'll figure something out."

How? How will we figure something out? I can't see how this can work. But more than that, I can't see my life without him in it. I tried living like that over the last year, and it wasn't living. It was surviving.

Without thinking, I stand on my toes and kiss him. It's quick and hard, and I'm still crying. He kisses me back, and it feels like goodbye.

"Younghee," my father says coldly, "talk sense into Suzy before I say something I regret. We're leaving in three minutes."

"I came here to take photos of the meteor shower," I protest weakly. It doesn't even matter anymore, and I'm fighting a battle I've already lost. "I was supposed to meet Jung Soyeon."

My dad shakes his head. "You lost that privilege when you lied to us about who you were coming out here with."

"I came to the trip with Seolhyun! She didn't tell me Jungkook was coming along, and she definitely didn't tell either one of us that she was going to abandon the glamping trip and take off with her friends. Jungkook and I didn't know we were going to be stranded in the middle of the wilderness. We didn't plan this!"

"Life is hard," my dad says, turning away from me sharply, storm clouds behind his eyes. "None of us plan for any of this.

(∩。·ｏ·。)っ.ﾟ☆。

The atmosphere inside the car is silent and oppressive as my father drives out of the camp's parking lot. I turn around in the backseat and see all the red lights of the star party. Jungkook is already lost among the masses, so I can't even see his face one last time. All I can see is my freedom slipping away as white meteoroids streak across the black sky. Dust and particles, some no bigger than a grain of sand, disintegrating as they pass through Earth's atmosphere. Something so small can create a brilliant flash of light. It looks like a miracle. Unearthly.

Shooting stars.

No wonder people wish upon them.

And though I knew they aren't really stars, and that wishing is pointless, I watch the white streaks over the mountains and I wish. I wish so hard. Don't let me lose him again.

Five more chapters! This has really been a journey to write. I would like you thank you all again for reading and commenting! I really do read everyone's comment and they really makes my day! So, thank you!