Roll like a buffalo! Ring-a-liiiiiiiiiiing!

Roll like a buffalo! Ring-a-liiiiiiiiiiing!

Soojin groaned, hitting her alarm clock on its head. She’s had that timepiece since she was seven because according to Jungsoo ahjussi, Soojin rolls like a buffalo when she’s in bed. He created that lame joke for me, which eventually spread to the other ahjussis. Because of that, they started calling me buffalos, too.

The alarm tone was even lame. Roll like a buffalo? She thought in annoyance. Albeit she hated how it reminds her of Jungsoo ahjussi’s lame pun, she couldn’t manage to throw it away. Ahjussi may be the most annoying person on earth—occasionally—but he was her second father.

She pulled her blankets over her head, wishing the time would stop for a few minutes. Maybe she can be a little late for her—

“!”

She’s so late. Like two hours late.

Jumping out of her bed, she grabbed her towel hanging at the coat hanger near her bathroom. She took a quick shower and wore one of those dresses Wu Fan bought for her. While she was trying out one of her heels, she almost stumbled. She was planning to put make up, at least to pamper herself up for the CEO’s arrival, but since she has no knowledge of it, she didn’t proceed.

Her mornings aren’t complete without having breakfast. Food seems to be her first priority, besides her parents, of course, and she needed it for strength. Maybe she could grab few loaves of bread and a carton of milk.

That would probably be enough.

Carefully, she strutted down the stairs, secretly wishing she won’t actually fall flat on her face. No matter how late she was, she still needs to take care of herself. What if she falls down and gets a mark on her face? Then she won’t be presentable before the CEO.

She spotted Hyuna at the kitchen, hovering over Yunho, who was probably cooking breakfast for her. And then, the wicked stepmother, Jea, emerged from the living room. She observed Soojin head to toe, a disgusted expression coloring her face.

“Unnie, are you okay?” Hyuna asks anxiously. “You’re running… in a strange way.”

“I’m late,” Soojin told her. “I have to go. We’re meeting the important man today.”

Hyuna grabs my hand, shooting me a quizzical look. “An important man?” she asked. “Unnie, if it’s that important, shouldn’t you look like at least you’re making an effort for it? You look like you ran straight out of the shower or something. You didn’t even comb your hair. And you don’t have any makeup.”

Soojin’s panic rose. “I… don’t know how put on my make up,” she admitted, her ears burning hot.

Hyuna smiled. “I’ll do your makeup then,” she offered. She ran to her room.

She was left with Jea and Yunho in the kitchen. Pretending to be eating, she looks down to her plate, nibbling on the bread. The evil presence (also known as Jea, the wicked stepmother) dissipated moments later, leaving Soojin and her father alone.

It’s been days since the last time she talked to her father. The reason wasn’t because of she didn’t want him. The last time they talked was when he was cooking the Yunho Special and Soojin threw a fit. She absolutely felt replaced. And besides, Soojin has been going home late recently. She hasn’t abandoned her responsibilities in the car shop but with the secretary job getting in the way, it was difficult for her to juggle two jobs at the same time.

Hyuna, hurry up, she yelled mentally.

“How are you, Soojin?” She heard her father ask. Holding a spatula in hand, he gave Soojin a small smile.

Soojin leaned back against the splat of the chair, toying with the fork. Suddenly, she doesn’t feel hungry anymore. The mood was gone and she didn’t feel like staying at home. She didn’t feel like going to the office as well. She wanted to just grab a car and drive around the city. Or maybe spend some time at the race track like she usually does when she’s not busy.

She blinked. “I’m fine,” she answered, absorbing the uncomfortable atmosphere around them. Few days ago, they were fine. They were happy. “You? How’s the car shop?”

“Fine,” he answered grimly. “The car was sent back last night. It looked like it wasn’t even bruised.”

Because I’m working just to get it fixed, she thought.

“You’ve been coming home late recently,” he stated, putting the spatula on the counter top. He didn’t move from his last position though. In fact, he looked careful, trying to maintain a gap between them. It was always like this back then. Yunho wasn’t known for pep talks, but when he starts one, Soojin knew things are getting serious.

Soojin rolled her eyes. “That’s because I’m working.”

“A hundred-day contract doesn’t count as a job, Soojin,” Yunho stated, crossing his arms. “It doesn’t include getting home at twelve in the midnight and never telling me what’s up with you. Or even your ahjussi. They’ve been looking for you, too. Asking about you and I don’t even know what to say since I have no idea what you’ve been doing.”

She looked down, feeling completely disheartened.

“Unless you’re doing something really wrong, Soojin,” Yunho adds. “Something completely immoral.”

She looked up, conjecturing on what her father meant about doing something completely immoral. His hands were uncrossed now and his eyes got a little watchful. And then it hit her.

Soojin stood up rapidly, causing the chair to fall back. The wicked stepmother appeared on the door, looking surprised at what had fallen. Both Hyuna and Hyojung were at the stairs, too, lingering and watching them.

“Immoral?!” she yelled, utterly bewildered of what her father said. After twenty one years of living together, how could he even accuse his daughter of doing something immoral? “You think I’m doing something immoral just because I come home late? How dare you accuse me! I’ve lived with you my entire life and you know me more than anyone! How could you?”

“I can’t help it, Soojin,” Yunho defended, waving his hands. “You’re always coming home late. And you even have a new phone and those new dresses. What am I supposed to think?”

“That your daughter is doing her best to make up for what she’s done?” Soojin suggested, glaring at her father. “That your daughter spends hours on doing things she isn’t even familiar of but still tries to work hard on it? You wouldn’t even understand, appa. It’s a whole, different world in where I work. Even if I tell you a thing, you’d end up stopping me instead.”

Yunho looked upset, like he doesn’t even know what to believe.

“Oh, I get it,” Soojin says in a low tone. Tears swelled up in her eyes. “They told you, didn’t they? They told you what they think of what I’ve been doing and you believe them. That’s it, right?”

That got his attention. He straightened up. “Soojin, they were only worried about you—”

“Worried?” she barked in disbelief. “For me? Even if I think about it, I think the only people who’d be worried about me are Jungsoo ahjussi, Kangin ahjussi, Yoochun ahjussi and Yesung ahjussi. Or perhaps, Hyuna? She never questions what I’m doing, anyway. You said they were looking for me but you never mentioned yourself. And you believe them over me, your own family. The one who’s been with you through thick and thin.”

If she didn’t get out now, she would end up crying in front of her father. Something she hasn’t done since her mother died. And something she would never do ever in her entire life.

“Thanks for being the greatest dad,” she remarked sarcastically. “You just lost yourself a daughter.”

She turned around, taking few steps forward when she paused.

“Oh, wait,” she adds, “it’s not like you care anyway. You have two daughters to take care. It’s like you didn’t lose anything at all. See you if I see you.”

Running past the car shop, she could hear the faint sound of the four men calling her name. Before they could catch up, she quickly got inside the taxicab and didn’t even impart one last glance. , she thought. Just… , , .

so like, college sux ;_;

i've been busy, sorrrrry.