Ae-young sighed as she unlocked the front door of her home and stepped in.  She left her shoes by the doorway and changed into her slippers as she placed her textbooks on the kitchen table.  Another day of classes had finally come to an end – Thank God.  It had been two days since her confession and she had avoided any contact with Jaejoong.  It’s not like he would want to talk to her anyway.  She just wanted to slip away from reality for a while-at least until she was able to get over the whole embarrassment of being rejected in possibly the worst manner ever.

 

Ae-young turned over to the refrigerator to search for some leftovers from last-night’s dinner.  As she rummaged her fingers through the incalculable containers and jars inside the refrigerator, she heard noises coming from upstairs.  It sounded like angry voices. 

 

Ae-young’s heart jumped.  !  What if these are those thieves that Auntie Mae was warning me about last week?  What the hell do I do?  Ae-young could feel her heart pound through the skin of her chest, trying to escape from its fate if thieves really were the source of the noises.  Ae-young cautiously crept up the staircase, careful not to step on any of the stairs that were infamous to make creaking sounds.  On the top stair, she found an old baseball bat left leaning against the wall. 

 

She remembered how her sister and her had used to play baseball together when they were younger.  How she longed for those days when the greatest of her worries was playing “house” or pretending to cook food.  Now she had to deal with a broken heart and more serious matters.  But now the bat would serve as her shield.  She picked the bat up and held it up with both hands as she made her way to the source of the noise:  the room at the end of the long hallway.  The beads of sweat on her forehead accumulated as she approached the door.  Quickly, she opened the door and held her bat up, ready to smack the next person to come in front of her.

 

“Ae-young!  What are you doing?” she heard a familiar voice.

 

“Umma?  Appa?” Ae-young’s widened at the sight of her parents sitting on the floor by a low table with papers all over the desk.  They seemed to be just as shocked as she was, having sight of their very own daughter holding a bat aimed at them.

 

“What are you doing?” Ae-young’s mother asked again.

 

“Ah,” Ae-young began, but caught sight of her bat.  She moved the hand holding the bat behind her so that her mother wouldn’t be as alarmed.  “Jwesonghamnida, Umma.  I didn’t know it was you and Father.  I thought I heard some thieves upstairs,” Ae-young tried to smile sweetly.

 

“Ah, Ae-young, what am I going to do with you?  That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard,” Ae-young’s mother complained in exasperation. 

 

“Umma!” Ae-young whined, obviously annoyed with her mother’s complaining after all she wanted to do was protect this house from the grubby hands of thieves.  “You and Appa aren’t usually home at this time.  Why aren’t you at work anyway?”

 

Ae-young eyed her father.  She noticed that he had been silent all this time.  Usually he would jump on the opportunity to criticize her stupidity, but he hadn’t done so this time.  Instead, he looked nervous as he twiddled his thumbs.  “Appa, is something wrong?”

 

Ae-young’s father looked at his daughter with a pained expression.  “Aeya…there is something your mother and I have to tell you…but it’s not going to be easy for us.”

 

“Uh…okay…” Ae-young said with hesitance.

 

“You see…I don’t know how to say this in a nice way.  Actually, it’s really not a serious thing.  It’s just one of those stages that people go through in life that-” her father began, only to be interrupted by Ae-young.

 

“Appa!  Please stop with the pointless chatter!  What is it that you have to say?” Ae-young didn’t like to be so impolite in the tone she used with her father, but she really had to study for exams and she didn’t need to waste her time with the babbling of her father.  Besides, she had a feeling that she wasn’t about to like what her father had to say to her anyway.

 

“Dear…I’ve been suspended from work.”

 

“WHAT!?  Appa!  Again!?” Ae-young cried out loud.  Frustration filled her bones as she recounted the last time her father had been suspended from the utility company he worked for.  He worked in the office where he would take the calls of customers who needed assistance with their electricity or heating services.  One day, he came to work totally wasted from drinking the night before.  Once he started on a bottle, he couldn’t bring himself to stop.  “This is a joke, right?  You couldn’t possibly do something like this to us again…not after last time.”  Ae-young tried her best to not believe what she was hearing but she could feel the surge of frustration tingle through her body like the electrodes in ice cold water during a shower.  She was afraid of what her father’s response would be.

 

Ae-young’s father continued to twiddle his fingers and he looked down, not having the courage to face his daughter.  “Aeya…I’m so sorry…it was those drinks.  You know how I have a drinking problem.  Please try to understand my position.”

 

“Appa, this is not the first time you have done this.  Who’s going to pay the bills, or even the mortgage payments?  We still have to pay for that ty car you bought five years ago since you never make your freaking payments on time!”

 

“Ae-young,” her mother ushered her in a serious tone.  “That’s enough.  Do not speak to your father like that.”

 

“No dear,” Ae-young father said as he placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder.  “I deserve this and only more for my irresponsible actions.”

 

Ae-young felt she had said enough to prove her point, but needed to continue on to vent out the rest of her frustrations.  “And as for Hana’s soccer camp programs…how do you intend on completing the payments for that?  Most importantly, how will my university tuition be paid off!?  Do you ever consider the well-being of your children?  I’m tired of worrying about whether we’ll be evicted from this house one day!”

 

Ae-young trembled as she continued to scream at her parents.  She had never insulted them to the point she had done today.  But she couldn’t keep it bottled up for any longer.  For as long as she could remember, she had abided by the will of her parents.  She took up extra jobs and chores around the neighborhood so that she could earn some revenue for her parents whether it was to pay the rent, school-bus fees, or money to buy school clothes.  She never complained and only accepted her cross as a temporary burden.  She thought that the day would come when she could relax and live the life of an ordinary university student.  But even now, she had to deal with the frivolity of her father.

 

Sensing the silence from her parents, Ae-young didn’t know what to do.  She had had her fill of venting out, and now she expected her mother to slap her or punish her in some nature.  After all, she had to admit that she went too far with what she said.

 

“You’re right,” was all she heard from her parents who had both said it in unison.

 

“Eh?” Ae-young asked, half in disbelief and half in suspicion.  Why would her parents simply let her insolence go?  There had to be some legitimate reason for their behavior she thought.

 

“You’re right,” her father repeated.

 

“I am?” Ae-young still doubted herself but played along with it.  “I-I mean, yeah, I am right.  So…what are we going to do about this?” she asked, realizing that now the problem had been addressed and accepted, the family would have to cooperate with one another to resolve it.  Shouting was definitely not going to alleviate the predicament at hand.    

 

“Well, Aeya, your mother and I thought about it and we realized that we have to do something that will allow our family to have the money we need to make all of those payments you listed,” Ae-young’s father proudly stated, as if he didn’t already state the obvious.

 

“And…?” Ae-young questioned, wondering what her father was getting at.

 

“And…,” her father went on, “we’ve realized that there was only one way out.”

 

Ae-young stood up straight and crossed her arms over her chest.  Something told her to just run away like a mad woman and never look back, but she remained firmly rooted in her place.

 

“You see, my child,” Ae-young’s father continued, “getting another job is totally out of the question for now.  Even a dummy like me knows that the job market is down.  Your mother’s job at the tailor’s store will take care of petty expenses like food.  When it came down to it, there was only one option left.” 

 

Ae-young could sense the smile that was creeping behind her father’s lips.  He was dying to say whatever he wanted to say.  She couldn’t help but be mesmerized by her father’s positive attitude, even when the situation wasn’t looking too good for them.  She envied his childlike innocence, something that adults usually let go of upon reaching adulthood.  Ae-young herself had turned into a pessimistic person upon entering university-life.  Everything became a question of education for her.  Every action had a consequence.  For example, she would learn that falling in love with a cold and senseless human being turned out to be a pointless waste of time.

 

Ae-young cocked her head to the side in a playful manner and looked at her father.  “And Appa, what is this genius plan of yours?”

 

“Why dear, it’s to get you married!”

 

Ae-young suddenly choked on whatever happiness she did have.

 

 

♥♥♥

 

 

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Hey everyone! Thank you all for reading this fanfic. Recovering from a haitus proved to be difficult for me, but I'm back after a long time with a new chapter. Now that summer vacation is here, the chapters should be updated more frequently. Please continue to leave your much-appreciated comments, questions, or suggestions. Thanks again and enjoy!