“Ji, bring my mother into your home. If you see her around the streets, bring her back. Fix up the bruises if there’s any. I broke the house’s door. And the windows.”

“Umma, if you could just call me back. I dropped by our home earlier this morning. I thought that you would be in. Turns out, I was wrong. Go to Jiyong’s place. Don’t return back to our home.”

“Umma, I miss you. Stay safe.”

Beep.
 

“Be my girl? Would you be my girl?"

I gagged, wondering why I have sang that out loud into the microphone.

“Byunghun, I think that I’ve officially grown mental. Total nutcase. Oh how I wished that we could have stayed much longer! I should have chosen another song. A better song.”

L.Joe leaned back in the train’s seat, crossing his feet. He let out another stream of laughter, probably thinking that we were no longer sane.

“Singing isn’t your expertise, In-Na,” L.Joe commented, earning himself a smack in the hand.

“Why thank you,” I said, sarcastic. “Hate to break it to you but all of us humans, we have this thing called physical flaws. Live with it.”

“So worked up.” He snickered, plugging in his earplugs and shoving the right side towards my left ear.

He cleared his throat and sang, without much hesitation. The other passengers were staring at him in admiration. Some took it as a disturbance (the cranky old man with the grocery bag.) My ears were quick to catch on the compliments that were thrown out. His voice spilled many emotions. Love, yearning and confidence. Wishing and heart-longing trickled out the most.

“Show off,” I muttered, figuring that I shouldn’t join in the singing. My cheeks flushed, looking away, a tiny smile perked up from my lips as I listened to his serenading voice. The bright laughter and constant gushing from the group of young ladies towards our left - didn’t die out. They were - flirting, right into our faces.

“Omo. Such a fine young man!”

"Is he serenading her?"

The late afternoon was cold. L.Joe and I made a couple of jokes in the train back to Woollim Boarding School. We were thinking about Kim Jae Rin’s reaction. As regretful as this might sound like, we didn’t get to catch her response. Knowing her, she must have ran straight to her father’s office and threw in a pitiful face. Only to meet with a bundle of what you call it – humiliation.

Yeah, that sort of stuff comes in a package.

But as said – it’s a beautiful reminder. Presented to you, by yours truly.

 

“I need to ask you something.” L.Joe took out the earplugs, pausing the upbeat song.

I whirled my body to meet his eyes, fixing the troubled look on mine. I responded, giving him a questioning look. I have been worrying about my mother. If she has been taking her medicine, if that man has mistreated her just to get money out in order to satisfy his needs, if the house bills were paid and if she has been spending long nights, crying and worrying over him.

That man had hit me. He had hit her. It wasn’t the first time. It wasn’t stopping anytime. It’s a miracle if it did.

I have retaliated, just so I could protect her. I used to imagine that a better father existed somewhere. Kinder than him. Much more loving. Someone w