Days went by, and Haesoo had found a way to physically cope. Mentally and emotionally, she wasn’t ready to let go of much as thoughts of the reality of the situation continued to haunt her every minute. She didn’t attend school for a few days, both because she was trying to avoid the bullies, and also because she had too many things on her mind.

The pending question, however, was: where was Haesoo’s biological mother going to go?

Unlike Haesoo who at least had a step-family and her father, Haesoo’s mother had no one. This brought Haesoo to the thought that maybe this was the way out. So, she rang her mother in the bright morning of Tuesday, some days after the funeral.

“Haesoo,” the usual light tone greeted Haesoo.

“…Hey, how are you?” Haesoo asked.

“I’m… alright, I guess. At work right now. What about you, sweetie?”

Haesoo couldn’t answer the question. There was no right answer to it. So she ignored it. “What’s your plan?”

There was no response over the line for a brief half a minute.

Then, her mother spoke again. “The US. Probably. I'm still thinking. There this new branch opening there and they could use some help. I can speak English, so it’s a consideration… I… don’t know, Soo. Maybe, I’ll start anew there, you know; build a new life.”

Haesoo swallowed the lump forming in . “And what about me?”

“You don't want to stay in Korea?” the voice inquired.

“No. I don’t.”

“You grew up here, honey. The US is… it’s a big change. I don’t know if you really want to move, live with me, leave your dad. This is a big decision.”

“I've already decided.”

There was a pause.

“I’ll talk to your father.”

At that, the call ended.

***

That night, the house was filled with her father's yelling over the phone. Haesoo could only scoff at the reality. She sincerely wondered if the custody war was truly about her or them. She wondered if she was anyone's consideration anymore.

Her father demanded her custody, at her old age of 17, when all it took was a year before she could break away. He demanded her custody when he clearly did not care as much about her as did her mother. There was only one way one could see from his perspective and that was how he was being selfish, expressing his anger from the marriage he abandoned with Haesoo as the proxy.

Where was the father she once adored?

Haesoo eventually found peace on her balcony, against the closed doors. She couldn’t hear him from there. Jimin and Jeongguk were oddly out that night as well, probably enjoying the cool breeze. Jeongguk was sleeping plugged while Jimin was surfing away at his laptop, both ears plugged with blasting music.

In the silence of the night, Haesoo’s phone suddenly rang, the caller ID sending butterflies in her stomach, making her nauseous. Why would those feelings still exist when she hated and despised it for the nature?

When she did answer the call, however, the call was ended.

Puzzled, Haesoo even received a text message.

“I’m coming over to your room at night. Don’t sleep, just wait.”

She was curious of how Yoongi was going to manage that. Mostly, though, she was wondering why. What was so important that he couldn’t wait for her to be back at school, like the usual, and wanted to take the risk of meeting her in her house?

Yet, she waited. She waited until Jimin and Jeongguk disappeared into their rooms to turn in, and waited for