“Have you thought about it, dear?”

Jiwon looked up from her phone to her aunt. “Jiwon-ah. . .” Aunt Hayoung walked over to her bed and sat down on its edge. A wave of anxiety went through Jiwon’s body upon hearing the same question she’s been asking for the past few days. “The company has given me the big privilege to work again, they fixed everything for me, they really wanted me back and now this, I really don’t want you to waste it. It’s a big opportunity to study there, hm?” The older woman placed her hand on Jiwon’s lap.

“I d-don’t want to. Also. . .” Jiwon explained, “Baekhyun hasn’t replied to me yet, I don’t want to make any decision without him.”

With her hopeful eyes, Aunt Hayoung turned her body more towards the girl. “Jiwon-ah. . . they’re granting you a full scholarship, this is not something we could have afforded if not because of the company. Hm? They have so many connections and they can help you get a student visa in a snap. Your papers are already being filed, all they need is our yes and we’re good to go. Now it’ll be your choice if you want to go back here after or you want to file for citizenship together with me later on. Hm? This doesn’t need to be permanent if you don’t want to.” She encouraged more.

Jiwon felt a big lump on .

“I-I don’t know. . .”

Aunt Hayoung ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. “How long has it been since you last had any signs of him? Like two, three days? D-don’t you think. . . he finally went through with what his mother wants? I hate to say this but things haven’t been very good between you two ever since the kidnapping and I don’t think it’ll ever be the same.” She spoke and reached for Jiwon’s hair, giving it gentle . Jiwon took a deep breath, what her aunt just said is something she’s been fearing about. It was a thought that’s been bothering her for the past couple of days. One big reason why she tried avoiding Baekhyun after that talk with his mother. Despite only meeting Mrs. Byun a couple of times, she could already tell that she’s the type of person who is firm with her words and thoughts.

She will never let us be together, she always thought.

Jiwon felt his aunt’s head on her shoulder waking her up from the trance. “Aunty. . . I’m sorry but give me more time to think. I-I’m not completely declining this opportunity but I want to talk about this with Baekhyun first. Hm?” She hugged her aunt’s arm while placing her head gently against hers. She looked down to their hands clasped together tightly. “Honestly, I don’t trust our current situation but I do trust him. Although it’s hard, I just keep on trusting him over and over again if I need to.” She added. Aunt Hayoung leaned away to look at her. Jiwon smiled, a breath of chuckle escaped. “I promise him that I won’t run away unless he told me to. I want to keep that promise.” She added while looking back at the older woman.

Aunt Hayoung finally smiled and started her niece’s back. “To be honest, Baekhyun’s a great guy. I don’t even need to meet him many times for me to know that. I mean, he almost died for you. I think he’s the type of man who will support you in whatever decision you make especially if it’s for the better, right?” She asked, finally giving in to the young lovers. The old lady then stood up while fixing her shirt. “Well then, let’s wait a little more for him. Anyway, I still need to finish boxing some old clothes into the garage. Go out and help if you want to, hm?” She ruffled Jiwon’s hair before walking out. Jiwon forced a hopeful smile while taking deep breaths. “He will come back. . . I just know it.” She clasped her hands together and prayed silently.

Just in time, her phone rang. She unconsciously held her breath as she aims her thumb on the answering button. She was excited yet nervous at the same time, she didn’t know what to expect. With the remaining confidence she had, she finally answered the call.

“H-hello?”

Jiwon pursed her lips in a tight line and made sure to keep her head low. Mrs. Byun sat across her with a very unreadable expression but for some reasons, she didn’t look as mas as she always was. She never expected to ever receive a call from her at seven in the evening. Most especially, she didn’t expect her to come right at her house just to pick her up and talk. She didn’t even tell her aunt who was too busy boxing some stuff in their storage closet.

Their drinks came and Jiwon timidly bowed to the server before gazing at the older woman across her.

“T-thank you for the drink.” She hesitantly mumbled out of gratitude. She could see her judging eyes but at the same time, Mrs. Byun seemed to be keeping her composure. Probably because they were in a public place? Jiwon doesn’t know exactly why. “I’m not here to fight.” Mrs. Byun finally spoke in monotone, just like the usual. That straight, emotionless tone that always scared Jiwon to bits. “You probably thought it was my son who called you. I have his phone, I confiscated it three days ago.” She continued and grabbed her drink to take a small sip. Placing it back on the table, she adjusted her seat much closer to the table and sighed. “I’m not quite sure if you’ve seen it or if you even cared but he has changed so much after the incident. He’s badly rebelling and I have nothing but concern for his future if he keeps on doing it.” For the first time, Jiwon felt the sincere concern on her voice.

She couldn’t tell if the old lady was making it up but it was very convincing.

“Y-yes. . .” Jiwon agreed while lowering her head once again. Mrs. Byun cleared while gazing her eyes at the girl. “I admit that I am very strict over my children and I am not ashamed of it. I grew up the same way and I believe wherever and however I am right now, it’s because of my family’s traditions. There’s no question that I would like my own children to be just as successful as we are right now even after my husband and I are long gone. It’s for them and their future families, not for me. Do you understand me, Jiwon ssi?” She asked. Her voice was calm yet intimidating in Jiwon’s ears. It gave her goosebumps on the back of her neck.

“I understand. . .” She gave a slow nod. The desire to run away started building up in her head as the tension grew. “And I don’t want some undeveloped and naïve relationship you two may have right now to ruin everything for Baekhyun. You two are still very young, to go through all of these is not even worth it. The two of you will meet more people as you grow old and mature so I don’t understand this whole mulishness you two are showing. The first time I met you, I asked you properly. I was polite and I believe I was very clear of my concerns. But I guess you’re just really that a