Chapter 1
Least ExpectedMinji’s POV
"You are so ungrateful!"
"You were a mistake!"
"Why are you still here, you're an adult!"
"Stop being a useless piece of crap and do something with your life!"
The words hit me like daggers, my tears were uncontrollable. "I'm sorry," I croaked. "Stop yelling! What did I do wrong?" My parents were in my room, my father was taking my albums off my shelves, stomping on them as I screamed.
"These stupid bands of yours are taking over your life, you need to have a real life! You can't stay in your room for the rest of your existence!" He yelled, proceeding to rip my posters off my walls.
“Stop! Please, stop!” I bawled. My mother was standing in the room with her arms crossed. Why were they suddenly so cruel? I remembered, years back, before I started spending more time away from them, that they loved me. They cared about me, and back then they would have never done anything like this. I wasn’t ungrateful, I loved my parents. I rarely got angry. The only time I did was when… when they bothered me while I was watching something, or listening to music. That’s not such a big deal though, is it?
“I think it’s about time you move out, and stop being such a child,” my mother finally said in a hard voice. I swear, I could feel my heart break. Did they really despise me this much?
“Your mother is right,” my father growled. “I hate you. Why can’t you be more like your older brother? He has a life, and you don’t. I don’t even know why we had you!”
“We expected more, Park Minji,” Mother shook her head. “Now, get out. And don’t come to see us until you have a life.”
My eyes widened. I looked around at the broken disks and photobooks, the ripped posters of my favorite bands, the destroyed drawings that I worked so hard on. My love, and my pride were destroyed in a matter of minutes. I snapped. I got my Big Bang backpack, stuffed my favorite pieces of clothing in it, grabbed my laptop, phone, iPod, and headphones and left the room, slamming my door shut as hard as I could behind me. I was met with a rough slap on the back of my head after I heard the door open, but I ignored it. I left the house without a word, my ears ringing as I faintly heard curses coming from both of my parents, and my beloved dog barking behind me. My lovely dog, I had to leave him. I remembered the day I got him. It was my birthday four years ago, and my parents took me to the pet store. It was a happy day, one that I thought I’d never forget. Now, I want nothing more than to forget it. I’m sorry that I have to leave you, Lemon. You can’t come with me.
The tears wouldn’t stop coming so matter how hard I tried drying them. I was met with cold air as soon as I had left the house. I didn’t have my own car, so I had to trust my feet to take me somewhere. Why did I deserve this? I thought I was a good child. Maybe they were right, maybe kpop did take over my life. But why should they care? It’s not their life that they should worry about. It’s mine. I have a job, I have friends, I have something that I love.
My tears stained my cheeks, dragging makeup down with them. I walked aimlessly out of my neighborhood, it was already dark and just within a few minutes my fingers were frozen. I had a jacket on, but no gloves. My laptop was pressed against my chest, and I gripped it like my life depended on it. I was relieved that they hadn’t ruined my laptop, it was my lifeline. My iPod, too.
I didn’t really know where I was going, all I knew was that I had to get away from that house. The resort was still open, at least I could go sleep there. But I didn’t want to. I felt useless, like I would just be wasting my energy going to the resort where nobody needed me. Instead, I started walking faster. I knew where I would go now, and I knew what I would do. There was a river about two miles east, if I kept walking I would reach a bridge. Or even better, I would get eaten by wolves on my way there.
Without my parents’ approval, I felt no need to continue living. I was going to find that bridge, and I was going to jump.
Though, everything seemed to feel different at night. Suddenly I was unsure of where that bridge would be. Just keep walking, I thought to myself. I’ll find it eventually. And if not, I’ll find something else.
Soon, I ended up in some sort of forest. A forest that I knew very well, in fact. My friends and I always used to come here to explore. The last time we did that was months ago.
It seemed like the forest was endless, and the cold air was getting worse. Eyes seemed to stare out of the forest. A few cars had passed by, just about a handful in the fifteen or so minutes I was walking. The paranoid side of me came out, and I whispered an aish or an omo every time I glanced around and felt like someone or something was watching me. Why did they have to kick me out at night? Didn’t they care if I was going to get murdered, kidnapped, or even ? Apparently not. They hadn’t called me, either. I wanted my oppa. I wanted to run into his arms and tell him about how mean our parents were being. But he was in Japan, way too far for me to run. I liked how he treated me like a princess, even though I was far from it. I missed him, a lot.
I stared at the ground, now crying about how I longed to be held and comforted, but no one could do that for me. No one cared. Everyone who cared was too far away, too hard to reach. Most of my good friends were out studying abroad, while I was here blowing all of the money I earned on albums, posters, and other things with band names on them. I didn’t regret it, but somehow I felt like my life was being taken away from me.
After walking for awhile longer, I reached the turn that I knew would lead me to the bridge. I stared down the path. Do it, go, run there and jump. Just jump. But I couldn’t do it. I felt like something was tugging me in the opposite direction. My tears slowed. The path seemed to get darker, uninteresting. My feet carried me away from it. They carried me further down the road, to another part of the forest with tall trees. I couldn’t feel my hands or toes anymore, and the rest of my body felt like ice. I lowered my head, closing my eyes and just walking. I was really lost now, not physically but mentally.
That’s when I heard a car drive up near me, and I heard it slowing. I looked to my right and was met with a window that was lowering. I slowed my pace, wiping my teary eyes and getting rid of the last of my tears. I squinted to let the light adjust, noticing that the eyes that were staring at me were wide and round. I stopped walking, and the car stopped too.
“Are you okay?” The boy with the wide eyes said. Oh no, I don’t like talking to strangers.
I nodded. “Yes, I’m okay.” My voice was a bit quiet, and it cracked. The boy looked like he didn’t believe me. The round eyes softened, seeming sad. Something was hidden in them, but I wasn’t sure what. My heart tugged, and I didn’t feel the need to walk anymore. Where had my body been taking me? Was this it?
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