As per their usual routine, Piper went with Eun Sang to her locker first. However, when Eun Sang opened it, the sight was far from usual. Graffitied on the metal locker door were various curses and insults. ‘, die!’ and ‘Stop flirting with Kim Tan!’ were some of the lighter ones. In the bottom of her locker were her gym clothes, soaked in what they could only assume was milk, since two empty cartons were lying on top.

“Are you breeding a cow in there?” They heard Young Do wonder from behind them. Even though his voice was light, both girls knew he was probably feeling angry at the abuse Eun Sang had received.

Eun Sang sighed. “This is soy milk.” She corrected, bending down to retrieve the cartons.

“So why ask for trouble by dating Kim Tan?” He went on.

“Is now really the time?” Piper retorted, anger bubbling in her chest. It wasn’t directed at Young Do, but she had no idea who had done this to Eun Sang and he was the closest antagonist.

Eun Sang turned to Young Do, having come to a possible suspect for what had happened.

“I know what you are saying but this isn’t my doing, okay?” He informed her, holding his phone to his ear. “Yes, this is the store, right?”

He made them wait until his order had arrived. Almost ten boxes of green tea latte drink cartons sat in front of them.

He bent down and grabbed one of the cartons. “Move.” He instructed, rearing back to throw one at the first available locker.

Eun Sang gasped deeply, grabbing his arm to stop him. “Hey! What are you doing?”

“I’m taking revenge for you.” He told her simply. “I guess one of them here will be the culprit.”

“Are you saying that you’re going to ruin everyone for that one culprit?!” She demanded.

“Yes.”

“Do you think it makes sense?”

“Yes,” Piper answered this time. “I say let him do it. If it wasn’t messing with you, it was mocking Kim Tan, or Lee Bo Na, or even – dare I defend her – Yoo Rachel. They’ve all done something to warrant this.” She turned to Young Do, “Though, try to skip over my brother’s and my locker.”

“No,” Eun Sang shook her head.

“No, don’t skip our lockers, or no, don’t throw it?” Piper asked.

“Don’t throw it,” she clarified.

“Why not?” Young Do questioned. “The culprit is here in one of these.”

He reared back again, and once more Eun Sang held him back.

“Stop!” She shouted. “What sin did other students commit?”

“What about you? What sin did you commit?” Young Do returned. Eun Sang dropped his arm, a small laugh escaping her lips. “Why did you laugh?”

“Now I understand you.” She remarked. “I am grateful for your heart, but don’t do it. You shouldn’t play with food.”

“You only open your heart when you’re thankful.” He said, his voice softer.

“It seems like now you know me, too.” Eun Sang went on. “Anyways, what are you going to do with all of this?”

“I am buying them for you.” Young Do informed her, back to his playful ways. “Drink a lot, Cha Eun Sang.”

Piper groaned, “I’m going to go to class. Don’t think you can get out of telling me whatever it is you wanted to tell me, Eun Sang-ah!”

///

As Eun Sang and Piper sat chatting in class, everyone fell silent as Tan strode through the door. He made a beeline for Eun Sang and grabbed her bag off the floor, taking her school things and shoving them inside. He then grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of her chair on down the row of desks.

“What are you doing?” Eun Sang questioned as she struggled against his grip. “Class hasn’t even started yet...”

Piper shoved her things in her bag as quickly as she could, jumping out of her chair to follow them. She didn’t know what prompted her to do so, but whatever was going on most likely had something to do with what Eun Sang had wanted to tell her.

She followed behind as Tan brought Eun Sang to Myung Soo’s studio. Once there, he over turned her back, dumping the contents onto the table.

“Ya, Kim Tan!” Eun Sang scolded, her eyes widening as he went through her things. “Why are you like this? What are you going to do?”

She moved to pull him away but he shoved her off.

“Hey!” Piper shouted, shoving Tan roughly. “I put up with a lot from you, but this is too –”

He cut her off, holding up plane ticket. Piper’s words died on her lips as she stared at the one-way ticket from Seoul to Buenos Aires.

“Eun Sang, why do you have a plane ticket?” Piper asked, her eyes glued to the paper.

“Wait outside,” Tan instructed her. When Piper didn’t move, he sighed loudly. “Wait outside!”

Piper was taken aback. Tan hadn’t yelled at her before, most likely because he knew he’d earn a black eye for it. However, given the circumstances, Piper was only able to clench her fists and leave Eun Sang alone with him.

She waited at the door, a pencil stuck between the door and the frame to allow her to eaves drop on the conversation.

“It was true.” Tan accused Eun Sang. “Do you even like me? Do you believe me? Answer me!”

“Give it to me.” Eun Sang demanded.

“Do you want to die?” Tan wondered, and the ripping sounds Piper heard indicated he was tearing up her ticket.

“Hey!” Eun Sang shouted.

“You think I am an idiot? How could you not say anything to me after accepting this?” Tan continued his interrogation. “When did you receive this? Did you come up to my room after accepting this? This ticket means that you can’t come back to Korea again, and you are told not to think about coming back here. But you took this and came up, and laughed? You laughed?”

“Then what should I do?” Eun Sang asked. “I’m very scared. I couldn’t see you if I left right away. What else can I do besides that?”

“That’s why you should have said something. You should’ve let me go against my dad!” Tan shouted. “I’ve lost everything now. I told you that you are the only one left to me. You can’t possibly do this to me. I am asking you, please, don’t be hurt when I’m not there. If you do that, I’m really going to go crazy.”

Piper flinched as an unexpected hand reached out and wiped away one of the tears from her own eyes. She looked up to see Young Do standing there, looking concerned at the turn of events. Piper didn’t know how much he had heard, but she was sure he could judge from her expression that the conversation in Myung Soo’s studio was about nothing good.

He reached over and took the pencil from its spot wedged between the door and the frame and pushed it open, walking into the studio. Piper quickly wiped away her tears and followed behind.

“For only making you cry, I am sorry.” Tan continued, holding Eun Sang’s tearstained face in his hands. “I’m sorry.”

“What’s the issue for you guys to be fighting again?” Young Do drawled as he stepped up to them. “You even made her cry.” He looked to the table, seeing the aftermath of Tan’s rage. “You even got violent. Is being a major shareholder everything?”

Eun Sang bent down, picking up the pieces of her torn ticket.

“Forget it.” Tan told him, pulling Eun Sang back to a standing position. “Hold on to her for a while. I don’t want to say this, but you’re the only one I can count on.”

“What?” Young Do asked with a small laugh.

“What?” Piper echoed, more incredulous than Young Do.

“If you’re going back to school, bring her with you and then bring her back here.” Tan instructed. “Don’t touch her. And I’ll pick her up before eight.”

“You have finally lost your mind.” Young Do chuckled once more. “There’s no guarantee we’ll be waiting here when you get back.”

“I don’t have time to be doing this with you here.” Tan sighed. “That’s why I’m leaving Piper in charge of both of you. I’ll be back.”

“I – what?” Piper repeated as Tan walked out of the studio, more confused than she was before.

Eun Sang was silent as she began shoving her belongings back in her bag.

“Why are you crying?” Young Do questioned. Since both girls were sporting puffy, red eyes, they were unsure of who he was speaking to. “What about the debt you owe me?” He went on, looking to Eun Sang. “Are you not going to pay it back? You’re not paying it back because there was no IOU note.”

“I’ll pay.” She assured him. “For sure.”

“When?”

Eun Sang paused, drawing in a steady breath. “After school? Will eating noodles with you be enough?”

“Before that, can you wait outside?” Piper asked Young Do. “I need to talk to Eun Sang alone. Can you do that?”

Young Do’s gaze darted between the girls before he finally relented. Once he was out of the room – with Piper making sure the door was closed firmly behind him – she turned to Eun Sang as tears pricked her eyes again.

“Tan ripping up the ticket doesn’t mean anything, does it?” She wondered, half hoping it would be a magic fix-all. Her small hopes were dashed when Eun Sang gave a teary shake of her head. Piper drew in a heavy breath. “How long until Tan’s dad makes you leave?”

“Less than two weeks.” Eun Sang told her. “Maybe sooner, I don’t know.”

“Sooner? Why sooner?”

“If Tan keeps fighting his father’s wishes, if he keeps breaking the rules…”

“And you didn’t tell him this because…?” Piper questioned.

“I’ll have to leave either way.” Eun Sang reminded her. “At least now Tan thinks we have some time to spend together until his father makes another move.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Piper groaned. “Whether you leave in two weeks or two days, there will still be people left behind who miss you.” She gave another groan, this one tinged with frustration. “Ugh, I just want to punch that old man in his stupid face.”

Eun Sang gave a watery smile. “You’ll look after him, won’t you?”

Piper nodded. “I’ll make sure Tan doesn’t do anything stupid.” She pulled out a loose sheet of paper from her bag and quickly scribbled several digits on it. “Here, it’s my number and Parker’s. I doubt you’ll be able to keep your old number once you leave, so keep this on you. Call me or him for anything. Promise?”

Eun Sang nodded. “I promise,” she told her friend, pulling her into a tight hug.

///

Piper sat in the media room at home, a random drama playing on the screen. She wasn’t actually watching what was on the screen. Instead, she sat huddled in a mass of blankets and pillows. She heard the door open and felt someone plop onto the couch beside her. When she peeked out, she saw Hyo Shin smiling up at her.

“Hey,” he grinned. “What are you doing in here all alone?”

Piper gave a small shrug, not giving him a verbal answer. He noticed her expression and his smile faded.

“Piper-ah, are you okay?” He wondered. Again, Piper didn’t answer, responding only with a sniff. “You’re not going to tell your best friend what’s wrong?”

At the words ‘best friend’, the flood of tears erupted. She stuffed her fist in to try to stifle her sobs, but to no avail. Hyo Shin looked alarmed at her sudden outburst, and he took her face in his hands to look in her eyes.

“Piper, what happened?” He asked. “Are you hurt somewhere?”

Piper reached up and cupped her hands over Hyo Shin’s. “Please don’t ask me what’s wrong,” she besought. “I won’t be able to answer. I’ve promised not to.”

Hyo Shin looked at her intensely. He’d seen her angry, frustrated, and sad before. But never had he seen the look of hopeless despair that she was currently wearing. He had worn it himself a number of times, and to see it branded on the face of a girl he considered his closest friend wrenched his heart.

He gathered her in his arms, holding her as she sobbed and whispering worthless words of comfort in her hair.

///

“Daisy is Gatsby’s green light.” Rachel read her report in class the next day. “Looking at the unreachable green lights in the fog, Gatsby puts his hope in his life. But Daisy was not hope to Gatsby, she was poison.” Rachel gave a pointed look to Eun Sang. “In the end, Gatsby starts loving Daisy and in order to be with the one he loves, he lost his own life.”

Piper huffed in her seat, folding her arms across her chest. When class was over, Piper rose out of her seat to give Rachel a stern talking to – one that included a few slaps – only to be stopped by Eun Sang.

“Don’t,” Eun Sang shook her head. “It’s not worth it.”

“Not worth it?” Piper repeated. “Cha Eun Sang, she – ”

Piper was cut off as Eun Sang threw her arms around her friend in a tight hug. Piper was caught off guard, and then she slowly realized what the hug was for. She wrapped her arms around Eun Sang, bringing her close enough to whisper.

“How long?” Piper wondered quietly.

“Tonight,” Eun Sang confessed.

“What?” She hissed desperately.

The hug tightened. “Please don’t say anything.”

Piper sighed, hugging her friend back. “I already promised, didn’t I?”

///

That afternoon, Hyo Shin walked alongside the McPherson twins in a park. Every so often, Piper would lift her head and close her eyes, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. A few snowflakes fell against her skin, catching in her eyelashes, but she ignored them.

Parker shivered, “It’s cold out here. Did we really need to come all the way here? We have a front yard, you know.”

“I just needed some fresh air,” Piper informed him. “It’s been a bit difficult, and it’s going to get worse tomorrow.”

“Worse?” Parker and Hyo Shin both wondered.

“Does it have anything to do with why you were crying last night?” Hyo Shin asked.

“You were crying?” Parker stared at his sister with wide eyes. “Why wasn’t I told? Are you okay? Is it because of Choi Young Do? If he did something, I swear – “

“Choi Young Do hasn’t done anything.” Piper cut off her brother. “Not this time. In fact, tomorrow is going to be hard for him too.”

“Pip, you’re being weirdly vague and it’s starting to worry me,” he continued.

“I know, sorry.” She lowered her head. “Just…tomorrow, if either of you see me start to waver and look as if I’m going to cry, please try to either stop me or get me out of that situation.”

Parker and Hyo Shin agreed, but exchanged worried looks over the top of Piper’s head.

///

“Cha Eun Sang must be absent.” Bo Na remarked at the end of their first class that morning.

“Who cares?” One of the bratty girls snipped as she exited the classroom.

“Why is Cha Eun Sang absent?” Chan Young wondered aloud, his question aimed at the remaining students.

Myung Soo leaned over to Bo Na, his voice dropped to a stage whisper. “Chan Young must know, right?”

“She’s not sick anywhere, is she?” Bo Na asked her boyfriend. “She’s not responding to my text.”

“Try calling her,” Myung Soo suggested. “That would be quicker.”

“If I call her then it would seem like we’re friends.” Bo Na argued.

“It won’t work,” Piper spoke up. “Her phone’s been disconnected.”

“It has?” Bo Na marveled, her gaze turning icy as she looked to Rachel. “She didn’t get bothered without my knowing again, did she?”

Rachel sighed heavily, feeling the cold glare burning into the back of her skull. She closed her book and rose from her seat, stopped from exiting the room by Tan opening it roughly. He didn’t spare her a passing glance as he moved through the desk rows.

“She hasn’t contacted you at all?” He asked Chan Young, stopping in front of his classmate’s desk. Chan Young didn’t respond. “Did she contact you or not?”

“I told you: Don’t ask me where Eun Sang is.” Chan Young fired back. “I think that Eun Sang being like this is your fault. Are your thoughts different?”

Young Do stormed into the room in the same manner as Tan had, storming up to Chan Young’s desk. “Ya, Yoon Chan Young.”

“You, don’t ask me about it either.” Chan Young instructed, standing up from his seat.

He brushed past the two boys, taking his girlfriend by the hand and leading her out of the room.

“Kids,” Young Do addressed the remaining students. “I have something to say to Tan. Could you get out? It’s been a while so please cooperate.”

Knowing that even now it was a mistake to go against Young Do, the students stood up and walked out of the room. Piper remained sitting, motioning with her head to her brother that he should leave. She had a promise to keep.

“I’ll be right out in front.” Myung Soo informed the both of them as he walked towards the door. “I’m not going to let you guys do anything anymore! Don’t even think about fighting!”

“Piper – ” Young Do began.

“I’m not leaving.” She argued, finally standing up from her seat, only to walk towards the two boys instead of towards the door. “I made a promise to Cha Eun Sang, and I intend to keep it.”

“So you know?” Tan asked. “You know where she is?”

“I don’t know where she is,” Piper shook her head. “I just know she’s not here.”

“Cha Eun Sang disappeared.” Young Do reiterated. “You actually made it this way. She’s alive, right?”

Tan sighed. “I don’t feel like getting mad at you nor do I have the time for it. I’ll find her in my own way, so you use your ways.”

He turned to leave, but Young Do stopped him as the conversation continued. “You would know where they sent her to. Is it Korea or a foreign country?”

“None of us know where she is.” Piper informed the pair. “I don’t even think she knew until the moment she left.”

“I have to find out.” Tan told them. “Where that could be...I’m going to find it.”