No one in the room dared to break the silence. I can feel their stares boring holes in my head. To my surprise, even my mom didn’t point out how stupid  it all sounded. Only the atmosphere in the room  turned colder with the ticking of the wall clock. So, I did the only thing that made sense to me. I laughed.

                This sudden outburst was also unhindered. I watched as the standing official glanced sideways to his colleague as though daring to say, “she's lost her mind", for which he received a mere shrug in return.  I only came to a halt when I finally realized how ridiculously childish I was being. 

                “I do hope you’ve had your dose of amusement,” the officlal Shin Woonha said, his eyes dead serious. “Monday, Mrs. Lee. I hope you will enlighten your daughter after this.”

                Shin Woonha stood up, signalling the end of the conversation. The thoughts in my head swirled in complete chaos. Surely, this can't be real?

                “Wait!” I said loudly due to the mix of shock and unprocessed frustration that came out of nowhere. “This is a prank, right?” Even to my ears, it sounded like pleading.

                 Woonha didn’t bother to look at me when he responded, “The Ministry does not commit to making mistakes. It would be good for you to exercise prudence as early as now when dealing with official matters.”

                “We're taking our leave now. There would be no reason for us to cross each other's paths again.” The three of them bowed their heads slightly, as though they were just nodding, and soon,  the sound of a rumbling car fading away was all that bade us goodbye. 

                “Huh,” I sat back down on the couch the moment they were gone. My eyes could only stare straight ahead, and I was unaware of the letter being crushed in my hand. “What was that all about?”

                There was silence, still silence like I’m the only one in the room. 

                “Eomma..." I mumbled, looking desperately at my mom. "You should have told them that they’ve got it all wrong.”

                Silence again.

                I forced out a short laugh. “What? Is this like a conspiracy or something?”

                I felt even more helpless when silence continued to reach my ears. My mom kept looking down at her lap, deep in thought, her eyebrows creased and her lips trembling.

                “I thought you…like me…I thought…” I caught some of the words my mom began whispering to herself. And then she suddenly said in a voice almost inaudible for me to hear, “You should go. It's the best for you.”

                That’s it? I thought miserably.  That’s how easy it was to send me away? An unwanted pang of pain settled in my chest. 

                “What if I don’t want to?” I challenged. I kept my jaws clenched tight because I know if I let go of this strong hold, my unwanted tears would come pouring out.

                “You know you can’t defy a direct order,” my mom stated in a voice rid of emotions. I gripped the hem of my skirt.  I knew that, no matter how much I deny it, she was right. “You wouldn’t understand this…” my mom continued as an afterthought. “But Seijira Academy will keep you safe.”

                “How could you say that?” I asked, my voice coming out a bit harsher than I intended it to. I saw my mom bit her lip. “You didn’t even attend that school.”

                “I didn’t,” my mom answered, ever so quietly. “But your dad did.”

                                I stared at her. My father has been long dead. My mom doesn’t even like talking about him. Thanks to that, I don’t even know my dad. If it wasn’t for the lone picture I saw in her room, I wouldn’t even know how he looked like. All I know about him is that he died when I was three, leaving me and my mom to struggle in this world.

                And now mom is bringing up the subject of my dad. Is she ready to tell me about him now? And why now?

              Mom heaved a deep sigh as if preparing herself for the worst.

                “Your dad was a government official,” she began.

                “Well, that wasn’t hard to figure out,” I said sarcastically. My mom looked at me as if I said something that shouldn't have come out of my mouth. “What?” I defended. “Almost all known graduates of that school work as an official of some kind.” And that’s true.

                “Your father worked behind the scene,” my mom continued. “He's the man of the president at that time. He protected him.”

                Okay… “He must really be strong, then.” I said, because I  had no idea how else to respond. 

                “He is,” my mom said proudly but there was evident sadness in her eyes. I noted how she used present tense, as if she will never ever lose faith in my dad. “Mi Yeon, you must understand. Your father is a very noble man. He did his job well. He was trusted. But it doesn’t mean he's invincible. He died on a secret mission for the president.”

                I didn’t say anything for a while. I didn’t know how to react. Am I supposed to be sad after hearing all these? Am I supposed to blame anyone for the fate of my father?

                “I assume you don’t know what this mission is.”

                “No,” my mom confirmed. “And even if I know, I wouldn’t tell you.”

                I sighed. “I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this now? What has this got to do with me?”

                My mom suddenly cupped both of my cheeks making me look straight into her eyes.

                “Mi Yeon, listen to me. Seijira Academy is the best the government can offer for people like you. Your father is special in his own way. You are, too. The academy can protect you…for quite a time…” my mom said. I didn’t like how she phrased that, as if something wrong will come sooner or later. “Attend the school, okay? Please, for me. Trust me.”

                “But…” I said, my forehead creasing. “You know what it means if I attend Seijira…it’s an all-year dorm school…”

                Suddenly,  mom had that pained expression she probably controlled from coming out all this time. She understood perfectly what I was saying. Once I entered the academy, I can’t see my mother. Visiting is not allowed. Cellphones and other technological gadgets are completely prohibited. I don’t know if there are specific holidays when students can visit their families. Simply put, it means leaving my mother alone to fend for herself. And I don’t want that. I can't allow that. 

                “I would be okay…” my mom assured me. I didn’t believe it in the slightest. “You should be thinking of yourself.”

                “But…”

                “No more buts…” my mom interjected. “Trust me?”

                I looked at my mom up close for the very first time. I noticed how her eyebrows bend and h