A loud cry of a girl can be heard in the backyard where a small barbecue party between two families is happening. The girl runs for her mom who’s setting the plates on the wooden table and then hugs her mother’s legs, crying into her skirt.

A taller boy is running after the girl but he’s headed for his own mother who stands on the other side of the table where the little girl and her mother are.

“Oh, Soojung what’s happened?” The mother with the shorter says, crouching down to her daughter’s level and then scooping her up into her arms. Soojung nuzzles her face into her mother’s neck, crying there. Soojung’s mother looks over the boy’s mother with worried eyes then glances down the boy who hides behind his mother’s legs.

The boy’s mother pushes Sehun out gently, clicking her tongue at him. “Sehun, did you make Soojungie cry?” She looks down at him, brows knotted together and voice soft.

Sehun pouts, his lower lip jutting out. He knows lying is very bad and he will never lie to his mother. “Yes.”

His mother gasps, Soojung’s mother smiles slightly as she rubs her hand up and down Soojung’s back. “What did you do, Sehun?”

Sehun looks at his shoes. “I kissed her.”

The mothers burst out laughing at the same time. Sehun goes beet red and Soojung cries some more.

*

“But mom, I don’t want to go in the same school with Sehun. That means I’ll see his face every day in school and on the way to school!” Soojung whines, slumping down the couch as her high school application lie on the coffee table at the middle of the living room.

“Soojungie, this is a good high school. Your sister went here and look at where she is now! In New York, studying fashion! It’ll be good for you too to attend and I’m sure Sehun won’t bother you. When was the last time you guys even talked? When you were twelve?” Her mother explains exasperatedly as she sinks on the space next to Soojung.

Of course, it’s always Sooyeon.

Her father sits on her other side, holding her hand. “I know you and Sehun don’t really sympathize with each other well but you guys are old enough to stop acting like children every time we meet up. We are friends with his family and that is a never changing fact.”

Soojung tries her best not to roll her eyes. “But dad I’m not the problem! It’s Sehun that is, you see, he still pulls my hair and makes fun of me. I kind of loathe him more than I dislike him.”

His father gives her a look and Soojung presses her lips together. “Sorry dad,” she apologizes and leans in to give her father a kiss on the cheek. “Alright, if this is what you want for me, this thing with Sehun will not hinder your will.” She smiles up at them, the good girl smile—this is the smile that gets her what she wants.

Soojung has learned that if you’re doing things behind your parents back, you need to be a good girl in front of them.

It’s not that Soojung’s a bad person, she just likes to feel freedom. And so behind her parents’ back, Soojung drinks, she spends time with her friends in the mall and tells her parents that she’s doing a group project. These are all simple acts and what they don’t know won’t hurt them.

This is the reason why Soojung tries her best in academics… just so her parents don’t ask.

It’s a sense of freedom that Soojung craves.

*

Soojung gets her first period at 12 and unfortunately for her, it’s Sehun that first sees it. Of all the people in the world it had to be Sehun.

She remembers it like this:

“Oh Sehun this is the five hundredth time I told you to stay away from me. Why are you here?” Soojung asks, glaring at Sehun as she brings her legs up on the sofa. She’s eating ice cream from a mug and Sehun is standing smugly across her.

The taller boy with the dark hair smiles at her, and Soojung feels he’s mocking her in all levels. “It’s not like I want to be here. My parents are out for the weekend and they won’t bring me so I’m staying over.” Sehun glances over to where his bag is. Soojung glowers at him some more.

“Where are you gonna sleep then?” Soojung questions and takes a mouthful of ice cream. Her mother is upstairs and his dad’s out. Her sister’s at a friend’s house, apparently. “Do you want me to call mom?” She offers, tone short and sharp.

“Wow,” Sehun gasps and puts a hand over his chest. “I can’t believe the Jung Soojung is actually offering me help.” He clutches at the chest of his shirt and screws his eyes, as if crying.

Soojung throws the cushion on the sofa at him. “Shut up. I’m calling mom.”

Sehun guffaws as he catches the cushion and then settles on the couch adjacent to where Soojung is. The stairs that leads to where her mother is is directly behind the sofa Soojung’s sitting on. “Don’t think of this as a goodwill gesture, I just want to get rid of you.” She remarks, not looking at Sehun.

Soojung doesn’t see Sehun make a face at her when she stands up, back to Sehun.

“Oi, Jung.”

“What is it?!” Soojung turns her head, obviously annoyed.

Sehun stands up from where he’s seated and walks towards Soojung. She has only stood up from the sofa and has only moved a few inches. Sehun stops in front of her and points at the, now blood-stained seat.

“You’re bleeding.” There’s a hint of concern in Sehun’s face and Soojung goes the deepest shade of red, a hand coming to her behind and the other, out of panic, punches across Sehun’s face.

And as Soojung remembers, that is the last time they ever talked.