The following morning, Sung Mi woke up to a phone call from her father. 

"Jung Sung Mi, I'm coming to pick you up from school today. I already informed the school, so they excused you from classes today. I'll be there in 30 minutes." 

Before she could respond, the call ended and a headache formed near her temples. She hated the idea of being in the same car as her father. She checked the time and realized that everyone would be in classes now, so she safely made her way back to her dorm room and packed a small bag for the day. 

AS she made her way to the school gates, Teacher Yang jogged up to her. 

"I heard your father is coming for you." 

Sung Mi nodded and looked away, dreading the moment.  

"You know you can call me anytime if you need to get out of there, right?" 

She looked at her teacher and smiled kindly at him. She admired her teacher for being so caring and involved in his students' lives. When she found out that his mother was also in the hospital, she felt connected to him instantly. Once they bonded, he became like a dependable older brother and she liked knowing that he was there for her. 

Behind her, a car came to a stop and a door opened. She recognized the driver as her family's driver and followed him when he ushered her to the back seat. She bowed to her teacher and got in the car, already becoming bitter from seeing the driver's familiar face.  

The car pulled from the curb and her father began to talk in a serious tone. 

"I want you to leave that school, as soon as possible." 

As soon as Sung Mi opened to protest, he held up his hand, silencing her.  

"You can do so much better at any other school. You have done well enough to get into a good college, here or internationally. You don’t need to live away from home anymore." 

She knew all too well why he wanted her to come back. Now that her mother was gone, he had no one to come home to, which meant that he had no one to hurt and release his stress and anger unto. She scoffed loudly. 

Her father turned to her, shocked. 

"I have no intention of leaving that school. It's the only safe place I have." 

"You belong home." 

"No, I belong in a safe, thriving environment. Not cowering in my bedroom after you drink and start attacking me."  

Her father was appalled that she spoke to him so bluntly. Sung Mi could see his face redden. Before he said anything, he gave her a swift backhand slap, causing her eyes to water.  

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner! I am your father!" He hit her again, and then once more before facing forward and adjusting his suit.  

She placed her hand to her face, feeling the area where the skin on her cheekbone split open. The pain was so familiar to her that she wasn't sure if she was really hurt.  

The driver pulled up in front of her house and, as Sung Mi got out, she felt him looking at her cut.  

"It'll heal, don’t worry," she told him, reassuringly.  

Once inside, Sung Mi noticed that nothing much had changed. However, she saw a white clay canister sitting on the living room table. When she got a closer look, she saw her mother's name engraved on it. She couldn’t believe that her father had cremated her so quickly. She knew he was heartless, but he should have at least contacted her before he did it.  

"Come here," he ordered from the kitchen.  

Sung Mi found him removing the belt from his dress pants.  

"You remember this, right? I never did tolerate your rude, ungrateful behavior." 

He signaled for her to come closer. She knew she had no way of escape; her father always managed to keep 24/7 security around the house. She took one step closer to him and he pounced on her. He turned her around and pushed her to her knees. Then, he folded the belt and brought it down against her back forcefully. The sound of leather on skin and bone filled the air. She held back the urge to cry out in anguish, knowing that it would only satisfy his evil intentions. When he got bored, after 14 , he grabbed her forearm and brought her to face him again. Then, he snapped the belt against her face; against the same area where the cheek cut flashed.  

By the time he grew tired, Sung Mi lay against the cold tiled floor, trying to ease the heat and pain that radiated from her back. Once her father left the house and she  heard the car drive off, she slid herself along the ground for her bag, aiming for her cell phone.  

"Jung Sung Mi? Are you okay?" Teacher Yang asked as soon as the call connected.  

"Teach, help me please." 

"Where are you?!" 

"Home. Please, hurry."  

Twenty minutes later, Sung Mi sat outside of her gated house, avoiding eye contact with the security booth. When Teacher Yang pulled up, he jumped out of the car and knelt down to take in the sight of her. He held her head in his hands and inspected the cuts across her cheek.  

"Is there more than this?" 

She nodded. "My back." 

He bowed his head, at a loss for words. Finally, he helped her into his car and they headed for the school. Throughout the drive, Sung Mi wanted to feel comfort and safety. She wondered if she could find it by touching Teacher Yang and sensing it. He was oblivious to her psychometry powers, so she merely touched his forearm. When she did, she saw visions of the cheerleading team, notably the female coach.  

She pulled away from him and smirked at him.  

"What?" He asked. 

"You like the cheerleading coach, huh?" 

He laughed it off but she could see the redness of his cheeks becoming more prominent with every passing second.  

"Don’t be embarrassed, she likes you too." She recalled when she brushed passed the coach the previous week and saw visions of her taking in Teacher Yang's physical frame as he helped the students. 

"How could you possibly know that?" 
"She seems very interested in your physique." 

In that way, the ride back to school was less awkward and tense. She wondered if Ha Joon would care if he saw her in this state. Maybe if he wasn't around Yeon Doo, he would.