Wendy tried to conceal her anger as her jaw clenched up. She kept her eyes closed for a few seconds before opening them back up. Unclenching her jaw, she spoke up.

“Irene is not a waste of my time nor will she ever be a waste of yours; that is, unless you interfere with her; then you’d be wasting your own time,” Wendy replied, attempting to sound as polite as possible to her parents.

Irene mentally chanted Wendy's name and cheered her on.

'Wendy! Wendy! Wendy!'

Mr. Son chuckled and smiled. His smile faltered before he spoke.

“Son Seungwan, you may be of age 22, but what I can tell you is that you’re still stuck in this confusion. Let mom and I help you, hm?” he asked, but it sounded more like a demand than a question.

“We need a daughter who has a good image, perfect in the public’s eye, successful, not a daughter who owns a bakery,” Mrs. Son said.

Irene mentally grimaced. Good image? Perfect? Successful? She was glad Wendy didn’t grow up forced to live up to their expectations. After all, you can’t put the world’s burden on a 16 year old’s shoulders as they might not be ready(Wendy’s parents obviously thought differently.) Irene looked at Seunghee and she could tell Seunghee was thinking the same thing.

Wendy stabbed the sausage with her fork and stood up in anger.

“I am a 22 year old woman. I am more than capable enough to separate feelings from confusion!” she said, her voice rising in volume.

“Son Seungwan, lower your voice,” Mrs. Son ordered. Wendy looked at the older woman with a cold, piercing gaze.

“And you lower your standards, mother,” she spat back with venom in her tone.

Irene and Seunghee felt completely uncomfortable as they felt the tension between the three family members. Seunghee was family too, of course, but she had never seen her little sister so angry. Wendy was on the verge of tears and her clenched fist shook. How could her own parents be so against her?

Wendy felt her vision blur as tears pooled around her eyes. She tried her best to hold them back, but they formed there without an invitation.

“Stop pretending you guys care about me. You don’t love me. So stop, please,” Wendy pleaded as her hot tears free falled down her cheeks.

She knew there was nothing worth crying over, but she couldn’t help it. After all, this was her parents.

“We do love you and that’s why we are trying our hardest to help you! Like your mother said, we need a successful daughter with a flawless image. Can’t you do that?” Mr. Son asked. He was getting more and more impatient as the seconds ticked by.

Irene intertwined her fingers with Wendy’s. This seemed to calm Wendy down, much to Irene’s relief. Wendy wiped away her tears and sniffed.

“You want me to be successful, but you don’t want me to be happy? You just proved my point.”

Mr.Son looked at his Rolex watch that was wrapped around his wrist neatly.

“It’s time. I must go. We’ll continue this discussion later,” he said and stood up before walking away.

Irene watched in dismay as the man walked away. Both him and his wife had 6 years to think about what wrong they did, but they stayed the same. What did they think was so disgusting? Two humans being together? Irene sighed when she heard the door open and then shut.

‘It’s time to bring out my irons.’

Seunghee bit her lip as she also looked at her watch.

“Wannie, I.. have to go. I’ll see you later, okay? You’ll be okay,” she said in a gentle voice as she patted Wendy on the back.

Seunghee reluctantly stood up before walking over to the door. She looked at her sister from afar and couldn’t help but feel a stab of pity and hurt. She opened the door and walked out before shutting it, hoping her baby sister would be alright.

‘Stay strong, Wan-ah.’

Mrs. Son quietly sighed quietly and watched as Wendy sat back down, her fingers still seemingly magnetically interlocked with her girlfri