Je Yoon POV

I spent the entire night packing some of my belongings into the purple luggage bags I had hidden under my bed. Thankfully, I only had a few things that were actually necessary. If I had more money, I would have probably brought a ton more items.

I was more than relieved to find out that most of my things fit into two measly luggage bags. Most people would have freaked out, but I was glad that I didn't have to go through the trouble of bringing a heavy box along with me.

With every traveller, a personal bag would surely accompany them. Mine just so happened to be a purse that resembled the size of a diaper bag that a mother would have with her at all times.

I was glad that I didn't have much to worry about.

People that left the country usually brought boxes, suitcases, luggage bags, and other things that probably contained souvenirs and presents. My sympathy goes out to them when they reach the luggage carousel and wait for all their possessions to come out, lugging them all onto a cart once seen.

If I were in their position, I would have pitied myself. Because with my weak arms, short height was paired with it.

Checking my phone, I found out that it was twelve p.m. and I praised myself for taking a shower earlier in the day. I was ready to pick my tickets up from Mrs. Lee. My excitement was obvious due to the fact I couldn't stop myself from smiling once I got to her door.

After three knocks on her door, I stood on her doormat patiently, rocking myself on the tip of my toes and the balls of my feet.

She cautiously opened the door minimally and grinned once her eyes met mine. "Je Yoon!"

The door was now wide open, giving her enough space to pull me into a tight embrace.

"Hello, Mrs. Lee."

"What brings you here?" Her eyes were droopy but were definitely not tired.

I fiddled with my fingers and tried to control my emotions. "I'm here for my plane tickets."

She cocked her head to the side and gave me a confused expression. Why was she confused?

"Tickets for a plane?"

"Yes.. Minho told me that he sent them to you a couple weeks back."

"I haven't received anything from Minho." She shook her head.

Mrs. Lee didn't receive anything in the mail from him? Did I really seem that vunerable to him, accepting the nearly impossible? How could I have been gullible enough to believe him? My spirits were broken, but there was a flame in me that it wouldn't go out no matter how hard I tried to extinguish it.

"Uh.. Are you sure? It may seem like a bother, but could you please go through your letters once more?" My lips curled up into an awkward smile in an attempt to look hopeful. "It just doesn't seem to add up, Mrs. Lee. You and I both know Minho, and I don't think he does things like that. The amount of trust we've placed into each other is more than I expected, so that's why I think he wouldn't do that to me. Come to think of it, he could be a huge prankster at times. I remember one time he told me that there were bees flying around my head at the park when the family was out for a picnic. Obviously, I panicked and froze. Before I knew it, something wet landed on my forehead, and I screamed while running in circles. Once I calmed down, I found out that it was a smushed grape... and you're not paying attention, are you? I'm sorry for blabbing on. It's been a long time since I've been able to do that with someone in person, and you're practically family so..."

I fumbled with my fingers, a common habit that I had when I was nervous or on the brink of crying.

"I was paying attention. I was there when that happened." She laughed to get rid of the awkward tension that I placed between us. "When you go to Korea, talk to Minho, okay? I know that would really help you."

I glanced up at her and eyed her vigilantly. "So you do have the tickets!"

"Oh, of course! I couldn't keep up with the little white lie that Minho wanted me to do. It's just too heartbreaking to do." She pinched my cheek and shut her eyes before scrunching up her nose in memory. "Ahh, you were always such a precious child. That cousin of yours wanted me to trick you for his satisfaction. I tried." She shrugged in defeat. "Make sure to tell him that too!"

She muttered something about him being persistent all the time and wouldn't let things go unless they went his way. Before I could comment on that, she turned her back on me and took a white envelope.

I crossed my arms, a little worn out from all the mischief he had caused me. Dammit. After all these years, Minho was still out to get me with his dumb jokes and silly games. Serious business, he had said. 

"Here it is!" The writing was clearly from my cousin, and I felt my heart leap out of my chest. I was finally getting a ticket to freedom without any worries at all.

I bowed before accepting it. "Thank you so much for everything!"

She sincerely looked into my eyes and patted my head. "You be a good girl there. I assure you that there will always be someone there to pick you up when you fall down. It may not necessarily be me, but I know too damn well that another person will care for you more than you will ever know.It may be Minho or your neighbor. Who knows? Always remember to be safe. Don't do drugs. Don't drink," she scolded playfully.

"I'll probably be back the day I leave to say my goodbye, but I should just get a headstart." I chuckled lightly and gulped down the lump in my throat. "You've been a great role model to me. With everything that has happened to me, you still stayed and watched me mess up as well as fix things. Words can't even begin to express how thankfu--"

Mrs. Lee narrowed her eyes and interrupted me. "Je Yoon.. You're doing nothing but making me cry. What will I do without you? You're a little restrained here." She looked towards my house with a hint of distaste in her eyes. "Live life to the fullest. I'll miss you, but I'm sure you miss yourself."

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to make out of the last line, but I decided to keep my mouth shut and suppress my curiosity. I bit my tongue as I waved goodbye to my sobbing neighbor. 

"Bring Bada with you!" she called out once I began to walk away.

Turning my head slightly, I give her a quick nod. "Will do."

I was planning on it anyway. There was no way I was leaving my dog alone with my mother. Sun Yee wouldn't be back for a couple more weeks, so there would be no one to take care of Bada.

I began to wonder if Sun Yee knew about the plan that Minho had devised. Around last year, she had convinced me to get a passport for Bada. Then again, it was only because she wanted to take her with him as she travelled to Hawaii with her summer camp. Even though she wanted me to go, I had to refuse to focus on my summer homework. Basically, Sun Yee wasn't a likely associate of Minho when it came to this.

That fact only stressed me out even more when I realized that I had to break the news to her somehow. She didn't have wifi in the cabins, laptops weren't allowed, and phones were confiscated until their last day. I had no ways of contacting her, and I would be gone before her return. The only thing I thought of was to write her a letter and leave it in her room.

Once I unlocked the door of my house, I instantly went pale. My mother wasn't by the window as usual, my heart throbbing faster. What if she was planning something? My untimely death seemed like the proper idea. Why am I thinking about things like this? I should be thinking about Korea and only Korea... not knives and meat cleavers.

Wanting to talk to Minho, I pushed myself to take a small peek into my mother's room just to arouse peace in my mind before doing so. Everything, in there, was neat and organized. I found it hard to believe that she let fresh flowers on her desk decay, its petals scattered onto the dusty wood. In her bed, a small dip was made by her sleeping body.

A huge weight was lifted off of my back,and I eagerly logged onto AIM.

flamingminho (Choi Minho): Packed and ready to go? :D

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): :p

flamingminho (Choi Minho): What's wrong?

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): ...

flamingminho (Choi Minho): Je Yoon.. Give me a proper reply.

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): And why should I?

flamingminho (Choi Minho): Shouldn't you be grateful that I'm bringing you to Korea? I wouldn't buy a ticket just for anyone.

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): That's the thing... You aren't. I didn't get a ticket.

As irritated as I was, I couldn't help but notice that he bought the plane ticket for me.When we were younger, he would always ask me for my money because he claimed that he didn't want to spend his own.

flamingminho (Choi Minho): What do you mean?

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): I walked on over to Mrs. Lee and got nothing in return.

flamingminho (Choi Minho): It's too early in Korea for this, Je Yoon. It's 5 a.m. here. I'm about to go get some things ready before I meet up with someone, and you're giving me a small headache.

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): I'm serious. She even brought out all the mail she had since last week. She showed each and every single one of them to me. Not one was from you.

flamingminho (Choi Minho): I got the right address, didn't I?

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): I don't know. You didn't ask for the address from me, so how exactly should I know?

flamingminho (Choi Minho): Dammit.

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): But to answer your question from earlier, I'm ready :)

Just like Mrs. Lee, I easily gave in and stopped the act before I caused some intense trouble.

flamingminho (Choi Minho): You're seriously confusing me right now.

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): And you , but I'm not complaining.

flamingminho (Choi Minho): What did I do to deserve this?

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): I don't know. Maybe the part Mrs. Lee had to play when she had to act clueless about this entire thing!

flamingminho (Choi Minho): Haha! I can't believe she went through with it.

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): And you won't believe what other things she said. But anyway, I was literally going to hate you forever for almost crushing my dreams.

flamingminho (Choi Minho): Impossible. There's two tickets in there by the way.

I stopped typing mid-sentence and grabbed the envelope off of my bed. I had already assumed that I was taking Bada with me without even confirming a ride for her.

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): For Bada?

flamingminho (Choi Minho): Sun Yee wouldn't be able to make it, but we'll bring her here next time. We both know how much she loves living the American life.

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): Don't forget the American boys with their natural blond hair and undeniably good looks.

flamingminho (Choi Minho): Dye my hair and I'll be the exact same person.

chubzjeyoon (Kim Je Yoon): That's just gross. Anyway, thank you! You're the best!

flamingminho (Choi Minho): I know I am. I gotta go now! I'll see you soon :)

I put my laptop onto sleep mode and rest my head on my pillow, facing the ceiling.

I'm going to Korea.

A/N: I'm so sorry that it took forever to update! My laptop broke and I recently just got a new one :) Although I am on summer vacation, I'm still stressing out with school bcos I've got loads of AP homework that I have to do ;; Please comment<3