Her mother's small car, along with any trace of a social life Joohyun once had, comes to a sudden hault.

"We're here!" Miss Bae attempts to sound as cheerful as possible, but Joohyun knows she doesn't want to be in this hellhole anymore than Joohyun does.

Jieun Bae was once beautiful, Joohyun was certain of that. Time wasn't kind to Joohyun's mother, and that was evident in the way her eyes held heavy bags and her lips could never quite smile fully. Of course, marrying a man like Bae Sangmoon wouldn't help anyone age properly.

"Is this really where you grew up?" Joohyun tried to remember the Jieun from the photo albums running on this little lawn and sitting on the quaint porch eating a popsicle. It was hard to picture, but her mother probably didn't do things like that anyway. It was much easier to picture her locked away in her bedroom, daydreaming about moving to New York City and having a perfect family.

"Yeah, this is it..." Jieun's voice trails off for a moment before putting on a brave face. "We can't have Aunt Tiffany waiting now, can we?"

If her mother was the moon Aunt Tiffany would be the sun. Aunt Tiffany is loud and is too caring for her own good, but she always has a contagious smile plastered to her face and a sway to her hips. It's sometimes hard to believe Tiffany is related to her mother, but they have a sibling bond that Joohyun will never quite understand but always will envy.

***

"It's so good to have you girls here!" Aunt Tiffany clasps her hands together. "This house feels so empty without you here, Jieun." Her mother looks a bit embarrassed by the testament but doesn't say anything.

"Where should we put our stuff?" Joohyun asks, tired of standing around with her suit case.

"Ah, right." Tiffany turns away from them and faces the staircase. "Jisoo, come here!"

A few moments later, Joohyun's cousin Jisoo bounds down the stairs wearing a messy bun and pajamas.

"Aunt Jieun? Joohyun?" Jisoo looks extremely confused. Glancing at her mother doesn't seem to subside said confusion.

"Something came up. They are going to stay with us for a little while." Aunt Tiffany pauses for a moment. "Joohyun will be staying in your room with you, okay?"

"What? What happened?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Aunt Tiffany gave her daughter a look that says I'll tell you later. "Now show Joohyun to your room. She'll sleep in Sung-ah's old bed."

Jisoo still looks confused, but looks at Joohyun and gestures up the stairs before turning her back and jogging up them.

When she was younger, Joohyun had always daydreamed of living in a house like this. She liked the idea of a little neighborhood in a little town with polished wooden stairs leading up to her bedroom. Yet here she was, her dream coming true, stepping closer and closer to her prison sentence.

Once Joohyun finally entered the room, she wasn't surprised but wasn't disappointed, either. Two twin beds were pushed into the corners of the room, each with a small nightstand and a lamp. An open window sat in between the beds, letting in a warm summer breeze.

Joohyun could immediately tell which side was Jisoo's, because one bed had pink bedding and posters plastered on the wall, while the other side's bed was stripped of bedding and had bare walls.

"You can put your stuff there." Jisoo gestures to the bare bed. "There dresser on the foot of the bed is empty, you can use it."

"Thank you." Joohyun puts her suitcase on its back next to her mattress. Figuring she can unpack later, Joohyun pulls out her phone, an action her cousin parallels. No messages.

Joohyun can't help but open her contact and hover over the call button. She hesitates for a few minutes before shutting off her phone.

"Jisoo?" Her cousin looks up from her phone. "Anything to do around here?"

***

Apparently, Newbury wasn't particularly exciting. Jisoo said the best place to go was the main road, which was a few blocks with what couldn't be more than a half dozen restaurants and a couple of shops.

It was a nice walk there. August is a kind month, with its gentle sunlight and warm breezes. All the pleasant memories of her father are under the August sun, his smile emulating it's warmth.

Bae Sangmoon. If Aunt Tiffany was the sun and her mother was the moon, then he father would surely be Pluto. He was cold and distant and never quite there, drowning his sorrows in whiskey. When her parents got married they were young and not ready but married all the same, as it would bring shame to their families if they had a baby out of wedlock.

Being married to a man like Sangmoon wears down your soul, slowly breaking you down until you become a husk of who you once were. From the stories Aunt Tiffany tells sometimes, her mother used to be loud and energetic with lungs as powerful as morning glories. The Jieun Aunt Tiffany speaks of had her fate sealed once a ring adorned her finger and a babe bounced on her lap.

The main road in Newbury was small and smelled like car fuel and cigarette smoke, a combination her nose wasn't particularly fond of. Looking around, she spots a small ice cream parlor and decides to try it.

The sweet smell of cream and vanilla is refreshing, like reliving a distant memory. Jennie worked at an ice cream parlor for a year, and Joohyun vividly remembers spending hours on end there.

The girl behind the counter was helping another customer but gave Joohyun a quick smile as if to acknowledge her existence.

The girl was cute, certainly cuter than most girls back in New York. She had long, bleached hair that was tucked into a tight ponytail and these adorable monolid eyes that formed crescents when she smiled. She somehow managed to pull off a bright pink cap that said Scoops n' Smiles in the most ridiculous font Joohyun had ever seen, which was an impressive feat.

As the other customer left and Joohyun moved to the front, the girl once again smiled at her. Joohyun's chest fluttered.

"I'm sorry about that," The girl's smile faltered a bit. "We're a bit understaffed today." A flash of annoyance passed through her eyes before they returned to their crescent state. "What would you like today?"

"May I have a single scoop of mint chocolate chip in a cup, please?" It had been Joohyun's go-to choice for years now, considering very few places sold anything remotely similar to red bean flavored bars.

"Coming right up!" The girl worked efficiently but cutely, a look of pure determination on her face as she scooped the ice cream.

The blonde slid the cup across the counter to Joohyun. "That'll be 3.75."

Joohyun fished through her wallet and only found 3 one dollars bills. She was about to pull out her debit card when the monolid girl tapped the cash register a few times.

"I got it," Joohyun couldn't help but be a bit surprised. Even if it was less than four dollars, the two were complete strangers. Hell, she didn't even know the blonde's name.

"Ah... Thank you," Joohyun attempted to smile, but it came out flat like it always did.

"Don't worry about it," The girl says and Joohyun responds with a small nod.

When Joohyun is about to leave, the blonde calls out to her.

"My name is Seulgi by the way!"