“So, she passed away?” Naomi asked as she glanced at the personal belongings, her entire childhood existence rendered within a throw away plastic zip up bag, all her childhood memories fitting into one small recyclable container.

“Your mother was very ill” the person who was claimed as just another passing face spoke in a grieve tone, perfecting his impression of remorse with a hint accuracy of sympathy none in which were truly meant. “They came to America to find medicine” the male continued, Naomi’s eyes never leaving the small containments of her childhood.

“My father?” She asked instead, and for once the male gained a hint of real emotion within his grand acting skills “where is he?”

“I don’t know” he admitted with a heavy sigh and her eyes grew cold for a moment before nodding in understanding “however I can look into…”

“Don’t lie to me” Naomi spoke briefly as she looked towards the male for the second time of the day, the first being when she was introduced to him. “I don’t like when people lie to me about things they will do. You won’t look” Naomi spoke with confidence “and you don’t feel bad. I’m a stranger, there’s nothing you feel sorry for, only that you must give out the news. You feel sorry for yourself. Selfish” she exclaimed, his eyes widening as though she had just spoken every thought that crossed his mind within the last ten minutes of their meeting.

“Ma’am I didn’t mean to offend…”

“You did no such thing” Naomi offered a soft smile as though to assure him that there was no hard feelings between the two “it’s simply human nature” she spoke softly before heading out towards the real world of New York City once more, knowing she would have to take matters into her own hands should she wish for the answers she sought.

~*~*~*~*~

“I’m leaving” Naomi spoke from behind the desk, strapping her backpack along her back and tightening the adjustments to snuggle it tightly against her back.

“Are you nervous?” The Professor spoke softly, Naomi looking towards the female as though she had asked a question that had an obvious answer, still she shook her head to give it. “Did you know, that in this life, there are things to be nervous about?” The older female spoke while standing herself from her own desk and approaching the younger girl.

“I understand” Naomi spoke with a nod of encouragement, her fake smile taking her lips before she could even help herself from doing it, and it didn’t go by unnoticed.

“Must you find the answer?” The Professor asked and the nod that came once more was enough to drop the subject all together. “I only hope that you don’t miss out on your future, because of your past” she sighed heavily while giving the girls shoulder a soft squeeze.

Yet the words only reminded her of someone else, someone who had spoken those exact words to her on several occasions. It was the first boy in which she had interest in, and the very first boy who had held her as though she had mattered. She missed him with every fiber of her being, and yet she still couldn’t escape the taunting questions of what had happened, and why had they happened. She needed to know her past, so that she could live her future. She needed to let go of love, to find new love.

She needed to let go, to hold on.

‘Seokjin… Kim Seokjin… I ponder what you are doing…’

~*~*~*~*~

Her eyes couldn’t leave the drunken man who stared at her with complete disbelief written across his features, the smell of bourbon being stronger on his breath than the bottle within his hand. He looked much different than the memory she held of the strong man, his beard growing longer than his hair that was outdated and much to long and entangled. His teeth were no longer white and perfect but deca