Jiu and both her maids were in the kitchen making dinner. As she had an off day, she'd use most of her time and prepared dinner that night. Looking at the time, her maid was curious as Mino still hasn't come home from work.

"Minji, is Mino coming home late?" asked ajusshi.

"He's working overtime today. He'll come home by tomorrow morning," said Jiu. While busy cooking,  her maids, ajumma and ajusshi were setting up the dining table with plates and bowls, as well as the cutlery for dinner.

"Ajumma, can you please call down Chaewon. Dinner is ready," called Jiu as she went over and poured the content in one of the ceramic plates.

"Yes Minji." Ajumma went upstairs and proceeded to Chaewon's room where she found Chaewon inside the room, lying on the bed.

Ajumma knocked on the door softly as she thought Chaewon was sleeping inside. "Little Chaewon, dinner is ready." 

"Yes, ajumma." Chaewon got up from the bed and walked out the room. As she closed the door behind her, she saw ajumma smiling, waiting for her. Chaewon barely smiled back before she quickly turned, hurrying down the stairs. Ajumma looked on frowning, later following her steps.

Chaewon sat in one of the dining chairs where ahjussi and Jiu were already seated. As ajumma settled in hers, they all said their prayers and began dining. While others were enjoying the food, Jiu spotted Chaewon who was staring at her untouched plate.

"What's wrong, Chaewon? Is the food not to your liking?" she asked.

"N-no Jiu unnie. It's just... I lost my appetite. Sorry, I'm not hungry. Excuse me... " Chaewon stood up suddenly and walked away from the dining room. She went upstairs, and went directly back to her room. The maids were curious on her behaviour while Jiu remained silent.

"Is little Chaewon alright, Minji?" ajusshi asked. Jiu shook her head, having no clue on Chaewon's moody state.

"Perhaps she is missing her sister right now," ajumma pitied. Jiu didn't say a word as the maids reduced to silence while finishing up their plates. She didn't know how to explain the situation to them and couldn't stop worrying since morning.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Sua..."

--------------

"Dad..." Sua faced her dad, cautiously looking around as she thought she had fallen into a trap. She glared at her mother who remained silent. She looked guiltily to the ground. 

"Mom, you lied to me." Sua was dumbfounded, feeling the small amount of trust in her disappearing.

"B-bora, I'm sorry. I didn't know he was following me," her mother exclaimed.

"Where did you hide Chaewon, Bora?!" her father yelled.

"I will not give up my own sister to a monster like you, dad!" 

"Tell me or I will kill you!" Sua startled as she realized her dad was not playing around when he took out a knife. She couldn't believe he would bring it along with him. And knowing he was about to meet her, she didn't know if she wanted to cry or scream by her lost of bond towards her father. 

With a shout, he ran and aimed the knife towards her but she moved fast and avoided it. Sua was at a disadvantage as her father was out of of his mind, plus Sua couldn't attack her own flesh and blood. All she could do was avoid his attacks, that is until she lost her balance and fell. Her father took the chance and lunged down at her. Her mother suddenly held her husband's hand tightly, trying to stop his madness. 

"Dear, please don't do this! She's still your daughter!" Her mom begged for mercy for their daughter. 

But things got worse as she received a blow across her face. "Shut up, b*tch!" he shouted.

Sua's mother flew to the ground from the hit. "Mom!" Sua watched her mother grimacing in pain, cupping her cheek. Seeing her hurt caused pain for Sua, as she couldn't protect her mother. She jumped up and ran towards her father, pushing him away. He lost his grip and dropped his knife to the ground.

"Don't you ever hurt my mother!" Sua stood in front of her mom, preventing him from getting close to her. After what she saw, she would bet he'd done it before behind closed doors. Her father got up with a deadly look in his eyes and picked up the knife from the ground.

"Die!" He ran towards Sua with the knife and aimed towards her heart. Sua froze and closed her eyes. She didn't want to think  what's going to happen but then, someone came to the rescue and stopped Sua's father. Stopping him by grabbing the hand with the knife with a tight grip. The rescuer made it just in time as the knife was right in front of her chest. Sua slowly opened her eyes and saw her boyfriend in front of her.

"Jimin!" she didn't expect he would be here as she didn't tell him nor any of her friends. Jimin kicked her father's leg so he fell down to his knees. He quickly took out his handcuff and cuffed him, limiting his movements. 

"How did you know I was here?"

"Sorry. It's Jiu's order. She asked me to follow you without getting noticed... but I guess I blew that," he explained. Sua stayed silent. She eyed her father who was struggling with the handcuffs, trying to get himself free.

"Let me go!" he yelled. 

"Why dad... why are you being so cruel to us. What have we done to you?"

"Shut up! You don't know anything about the sacrifices I made to raise a family!" 

Sua was boiling as she heard his excuse. "Sacrifices to raise a family? You sold me to Hyunwoo just to pay your ing debts and now you're trying to sell Chaewon too!"

"She's the only thing that I have right now. She's the one who paid all my debts before!" her father exclaimed.

"No dad... you're wrong. All the money that Chaewon got... was from me." Sua finally laid the truth and her parents' eyes widened upon hearing it.

"Bullsh*t!"

"Dad, if she was paying all your debts, where would she even get the money that's close to 300 thousand dollars. Even if she did part-time jobs, it still wouldn't be enough." Her father's reaction had completely changed as he finally realized his wrongdoings towards his family.

"I thought that if I helped you, made your life just a little bit easier, you would change. But, I guess I was wrong. You became worse, dad." A few moments later, a siren from a police car was heard and it soon arrived at the playground. Jimin went to the car as two cops stepped out. As he retold what happened, they quickly went to the trio at the park and saw Sua's dad kneeling on the ground with handcuffs around his wrists.

"Sir, you have to come with us. We'll settle this at our station."

"Let go off me! Bora! Tell them to let me go! I'm not guilty!" Her dad shouted but Sua stayed still, as she watched her dad got dragged into a police car. 

A police officer approached them. "Thank you for calling us, Mr..."

"Jimin. Agent Jimin from NiTE agency," said him. 

"You're from NiTE? It's such an honor to meet an agent from that agency," gushed one of the cops. 

"Thank you. She's also an agent from the same agency. She is agent Sua," Jimin introduced Sua.

"From Dreamcatcher Squad?! She's one of the elite agents from the agency!" said the other one. They all gazed at Sua who was standing in front of her mother.

"Mom. I'm sorry. Because of me, dad--"

"What are you being sorry for? I'm glad we've finally escaped from hell." Her mother broke down with happy tears, with the realization that they can finally live happily again. Sua remained stoic, no tears escaping but she was thankful. 

"If you want Chaewon to stay with you, I'll bring her back home tomorrow."

"No, you don't have to. I guess Chaewon wants to stay with you. She always told me that she misses you, every single day. She even have dreams about you and I can't fulfill her wants because of your dad. Will you let her stay with you?"

"But...I can't let her stay with me."

"Why?"

"Because Hyunwoo knows where I live. That's why I've sent her to one of my friends' house. She would be safe there, plus my friend can help in terms of her education."

"You have a great friend that will always be with you, Bora. I'm sorry that I failed as a mother to both of you." Sua's throat constricted, her eyes watering. She hugged her mother tightly, lasting long enough for the years she hasn't been in contact with her mother.

"No, mom. You're still my mother no matter what." Sua sobbed as she melted into the embrace only her mother could give. She cried for the mother who had no choice, and for the lost of innocence and the broken family she now had.

The Next Day

In the dining room, Jiu and Chaewon were having a merry breakfast of pancakes and coffee. Jiu sipped her coffee while Chaewon ate her maple syrup and butter topped pancakes. Halfway through breakfast, Jiu noticed Chaewon stop eating, the pancakes on her plate unfinished.

"Chaewon, what's wrong? You didn't finish your breakfast," Jiu concerned. 

"I lost my appetite," Chaewon replied.

Jiu put down her knife and fork, looking straight at Chaewon."Chaewon, I know you worry about your sister."

"I...heard your conversation with her yesterday," Chaewon confessed. Recalling her sister asking Jiu to take care of her if something happened.

"Chaewon, I didn't want to hide the truth from you but your sister's right. She wants to settle the problem alone, without anyone in the way and meet with your parents."

"That's what I'm worried about, Jiu unnie."

"I'm sure everything went fine."

The sound of the door bell rang out and ajumma went to the front door and opened it. Then, she proceeded to the dining area where Jiu and Chaewon were still having their breakfast.

"Miss Minji, Miss Sua is here."Chaewon's eyes widened, a grin appearing on her face as she heard that her sister had arrived. She ran to the living room and saw Sua reclining on the back of the sofa.

"Hey Chaewon." Sua smiled and waved at her sister and stood up to greet her. Her sister went on a full sprint towards Sua, hugging her as her tears started to stream down her face. 

"Bora unnie!" she sobbed as Sua patted her back.

"Sorry for worrying you, Chaewon," spoke Sua. 

Chaewon kept on sobbing. "Don't you ever leave me again, unnie."

"I'm never gonna leave you. Besides, I brought someone to meet you." Sua looked over Chaewon's head, seeing her mother smiling fondly. Chaewon looked at her sister, confused. Then followed her sister's line of sight.

"Mom..." Chaewon released her hug with Sua and went to her mother, hugging her. 

"Mom, I'm sorry for running away and going at Bora unnie's house. Please don't be mad at her. It's my fault for making you worry."

"No, Chaewon. What you did was right. Because of you, our family is back together and I finally can meet my lost daughter again," Sua's mother smiled, looking at Sua.

"What about dad?" When Chaewon asked about her father, the atmosphere changed.

"Chaewon, dad... he was arrested by the police," said Sua. 

"What- why, what happened?" she asked again. 

"You don't have to worry about that. Now that he's gone, we don't have to face hell every time we go home," said her mother.

"We're.... free?"

"No, not yet. Hyunwoo is still around and he'll still try to find you guys. So for your safety, I suggest both of you to stay here until we catch that crazy psychopath. I will station 5 or 6 agents to guard the house when Sua and I aren't here," stated Jiu. Both mother and daughter nodded, agreeing to her suggestion. 

"We're sorry for all the trouble that is happening, Miss Jiu." Sua's mom turned to Jiu. 

"J-just call me Jiu, Mrs Kim, and it's alright. It's my job to help and protect everyone especially my friends who's in trouble." Just then, Jiu's maid came down the stairs. 

"Miss Minji, the room is ready," said ahjumma. 

Jiu nodded. "Chaewon, please take your mother to her room. There's some spare clothes inside the wardrobe that would be about her size," she told Chaewon.

"Okay, Jiu unnie. Let's go, mom." Chaewon took her mother upstairs, followed by the maid, leaving Jiu and Sua alone. Jiu looked on as her friend took out her cigarette box from her pocket and used to pick out a cigarette. She didn't even reach for her lighter before Jiu took it from her. 

"It won't be proper if your mom sees you smoking," she said.

"Sorry, I can't help it," Sua replied.

"You should quit smoking y'know. With your mom and baby sis here."

Sua nodded distractedly. "I will, maybe soon, but not now. There's still one more problem that needs to be settled."

"At least, Chaewon is happy to meet you and your mother," Sua smiled. 

"By the way, sorry I broke your trust. I couldn't stand watching Chaewon worrying herself to death while you're out trying to protect her from your crazy dad."

"I understand. It's my fault for making everyone feel worried. But I can't believe.... that you asked Jimin out of all people to trail me yesterday."

"Hey, he's your boyfriend, Sua. He'd be worried sick. That's why I asked him to follow you." 

"But, I'm really thankful." Sua sighed, "If he wasn't there, I'd probably get killed by my dad." 

"But, how did he found you?"

"I don't know. Maybe he followed my mother sneaking out of the house to meet me."

"Your life is in danger right now, Sua," Jiu said after a few moments.

"I know but what can I do? I must protect my mother and my sister from Hyunwoo or he'll do something crazy.. look what he did to me." Sua pointed to herself.

"We have to discuss with Madam Yoona about this. Our main mission is still not over and we already have two injured agents, who still hasn't healed yet."

"I don't want to add my problem into our mission."

"I know you don't want to but Madam Yoona is like our adoptive mother, who always think about our safety. Whatever her decision is, I hope she won't withdraw you from the mission." As Jiu stated that, Sua stayed quiet, contemplating.

"Let's go, we still have to go work." They went to the front door and opened it. Walking out from the house to go to their parked car. Both of them started the car engines and they drove out of Jiu's property.

Meanwhile...

Yoohyeon was packing her clothes in the hospital ward before she would be discharged from the hospital. Just then, someone slid the door open and went inside. 

"Are you done packing, Yoohyeon?" she turned her head and was surprised to see Jooheon standing in the doorway. 

"Jooheon? What are you doing here?"

"To send you home, what else?"

"But, I already told Madam Yoona that I'll go out of the hospital by myself."

"And she asked me to not let you go home alone because you're still injured." 

Yoohyeon zipped her duffel bag, all of her stuff packed. She sat on the bed for a minute eyeing his hand that was reaching for the bag.

"I'm not a kid. I can take care of myself," she said. 

"She does this because she cares about you and you know it." Yoohyeon remained silent for a while and a frown formed on her face. 

"Hey c'mon. Cheer up Tree. You're discharging from the hospital now and I know you hate the food in here 'cause they don't have any taste at all." Jooheon tried to cheer her up but it wasn't working when she heard him calling her nickname.

"That 'red hair' leader already spread the 'tree virus' to everyone, including you." Yoohyeon knew it started from Jiu. She would always call her 'tree'. 

"I don't know about that but it really suits you," he said. 

"Why? Because I'm tall as tree?"

"Nope." He came closer to her and gently patted her soft hair. "Because trees are so cute, just like you." He pressed his lips to her forehead and smiled. Yoohyeon was so touched by his words that she started to blush.

"What the heck..." she mumbled and looked up at him "I'm not cute--" her words were cut off when Jooheon pressed his lips on hers. They broke the kiss and he smiled at her. A sweet and charming smile which Yoohyeon couldn't stand.

"Don't deny it, you are cute," he spoke. 

She could only grin and pushed him back as she stood up from the bed. She grabbed the bag from his hands and went to the door. 

"And don't smile like that," she said.

"Why?" she stopped and turned back. 

"Because my heart would skip, and we wouldn't want me to end up here because of heart problems!" She huffed, feeling annoyed. As she looked at his blooming smile, she couldn't stand being in the same room as him and she turned, hiding her blushing face. 

Jooheon giggled as he saw his girlfriend's reaction.

"Okay tree!" he shouted, loud enough for her to hear outside the door.

"Stop calling me that!" she muttered. Jooheon catched up with her, slinging his arm around her shoulders.

_________________

While Sua and Jiu were driving to their office, Sua's cellphone suddenly rang and an unknown number appeared on the screen. She swiped to the green icon to take the phone call. 

"Hello?"

"..."

"Hello who is this?" Sua asked, having no time to deal with pranks.

She heard deep chuckling from the other side. Then a voice she hadn't heard in a long time said, "You think that you're free? No, you're not, my Bora. I will come to you and take back what is mine. You are my Bora and always be my forever, Bora." Deep, manic laughing chilled Sua to the bones.

End Of Chapter 38.