Since she’s already in the city, Soojung cautiously drove back to the HQ. On her way back, her radio device finally picked up a signal. Finally, Victoria was able to reach the younger girl.

“Soojung, where are you?” She asked worriedly.

“I’m already in the city unnie. I managed to escape through the help of…”

Before she finish her sentence, the older girl cut her and said, “Come back here in the headquarters ASAP.”

“I-I got it.” She answered, sensing the more serious tone of the girl on the opposite line.

As she reached the headquarters, she didn’t know why but she suddenly felt nervous. Her senses are telling her that there’s something wrong. She drove towards the driveway and to the garage. As soon as she got in the garage, her eyes were met by the fierce stare of her father. Inhaling deeply and getting ready for her father’s cold, loud voice and long lecture, she turned off the engine and stepped out of her car.

She slowly walked towards her parents, who are standing in front of the car. Her eyes roamed around and saw the concerned eyes of her crew members. She then looked at Sulli, who looked at her apologetically, mouthing a simple “Sorry,” with Taemin. Her eyes then met her parents’ gaze. As soon as she met her father’s gaze up close, she felt nothing but fear. She started to tremble, her knees starting to get weak as she took some steps further. When she was finally standing in front of her father, the old man took a look at his youngest daughter from head to toe, her car, and back to her daughter.

Everybody gasped as a loud slap echoed around the place.

“You ungrateful child!” Her father yelled.

“Honey!” Her mother said as she held back her raging husband.

“Since when did you learn to lie, huh? School project? And you even dragged Sulli and Taemin into this?”

“I didn’t drag them into this dad. They volunteered.”

“I didn’t tell you to speak!” He said as he pointed at his daughter.

“I thought you’re different from your sister. I thought you’ve learned a lesson from her. So you also want to be like your sister, hanging out with these good-for-nothing kids?”

“YES! I wanted to be like my sister. And you don’t have any rights to tell that they’re good-for-nothing. They are my friends and they treat me like their own sister!” Soojung answered back, raising her voice. He can hit her again and again, lock her up, ground her, but she won’t let anyone, even her own father, talk lowly of the people who made her feel like she belongs with them, like she can be her carefree self. “You are my father, but I won’t let you call them like that. They are decent people.”

“You call that lesbian Yuri, decent?”

“Yes!”

“Don’t tell me you’re also like her? You immoral, ungrateful kid!” He said as he motioned to slap her again, but Henry and Daniel managed to hold him back.

“And who are you judge somebody, who didn’t do anything bad to hurt you?” Soojung defended the girl, whom she looked up as her second sister.

“Didn’t do anything bad? She’s a bad influence to your sister! Didn’t hurt me? She hurt me a lot when she took away your sister from us!”

“Yuri unnie didn’t take unnie away from you! You don’t own my sister, and so do I. You don’t own us! We have our own lives. I know that you are our father, but this is our life! This is ours for us to live.”

“YOU!!!”

“You’re our parents, and we love you and respect you. But why aren’t you respecting us? Why can’t you let us go and see the world and live the life that we wanted?”

“Because the outside world is a dangerous place! We’re only protecting you.”

“How are we supposed to take care of ourselves if you’d keep us locked up and caged in your care? Yes, the world is a harsh place, but we’re not facing it alone. We have friends. And we’re only hoping you to support us and guide us when we’re already going out of the right path.”

“Ah! You want to be independent? You want out of the house and out of our hold? Then, fine! Don’t ever show your face in MY house!”

“Dear, don’t say that. Sica’s already away, don’t push away Soojung away from us, please.” His wife pleaded, as she held onto the edge of his coat.

“This is what they want, then I’m giving it to them. Don’t come running back to me, when you’ve finally realized that you’re wrong.”

“I’m not going to regret it.” Soojung confidently stated, convinced that she can stand alone by herself.

“I’ll l