My hand that is holding my phone to my ear shakes near uncontrollably. I sigh deeply suddenly feeling very mad and very sad all at the same time. The mix of emotions had the pit of my stomach aching. I go upstairs and gently set Mary Kate in her crib.

"I'm busy. What the heck do you want?"

There is silence on the other side of the line before he finally spoke.

"Hey you know that BTS concert you always wanted to go to? Well kid you're om luck I managed to get my hands on some tickets just for you. What do you say? We can go together?"

I shake my head, not falling for his lame attempt to reel me back to his custody.

"Nice try man but no thanks. I am not going to any concert with you no matter how great it is. I'm not going anywhere unless Mom and the baby can go too."

I hear him letting out a long sigh. 

"You're still under your Mom's brain wash huh? Okay here's my bottom line last offer. I know how much you want to see this concert so I am willing for all four of us to go, I am going to give you three of the tickets and I'll keep mine. However you must come and get them from me. Meet me tonight at Shinwa Motel, room 3, at 12:30am, come alone."

Right there I had a few red flags raise in my head. Why was he only to meet me so late? Especially at the closest yet the most run down and the most disgusting motel in the country? Come alone? I sigh deeply, though I had a feeling that it was a trick he had tucked up his sleeve, I do desperately want to go to the concert. 

"I am not sure..." I hesitantly answer. He laugh coldly. 

"Now my child, I know you're probably thinking that if we go, we won't get along. Take that out of your mind. I promise from the bottom of my heart that I will be as sweet as pie to you, your sister, and your mother. I just want quality time with you. Would you turn down a concert experience as a gift from your old man?"

"Yeah you need a heart to make that kind of promise Dad." I snap.

"I know I've been horrible to you and your mother. I am so sorry buddy. Please do this, at least for me?"
 

I sigh again. He's making me feel guilty. My lips tighten. I give Mary Kate a glance then looked at the time: 8:45pm. Besides my dignity and my confidence... what do I have to lose. Maybe this isn't a trick, it'll be fun for Mary Kate to see her first BTS concert. I shrug.

"Fine."

 

10:00 PM. I am sitting on the couch watching Forensic Files and eating strawberry yogurt. Halfway through the house phone rings, I groan thinking it was my father again I picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" I answer sharply.

"Ji Yong honey it's Mom."

I clear my throat quite relieved it's just my Mom. She is really late for just a dinner and a movie. 

"Hey Mom where are you? Are you and Gabe okay?"

I hear silence for a moment.

"Yes sweetie we're okay but his car broke down at his parent's house something is wrong with the motor. Sadly we missed the movie but we found one on Netflix that is just as good."

My jaw drops.

"I'm so sorry about that Mom... Do you want me to come and pick you up? It'll be a minute I'm just going to have to get Mary Kate awake and dressed."

"No No No honey it's alright. My Lord Ji Yong, once you wake her up there's no going back to sleep. Gabe and his parents offered me to stay the night. He said his parents will get their spare car from his niece and give me a ride home in the morning around 9AM."

I nod.

"Okay Mom."

She clears .

"Before you sleep tonight sweetheart just make sure the baby monitor is on full volume and is on the night stand beside your bed. If you need me anytime during the night please don't hesitate to call me, I'll have my ringer on so I can hear you calling."

I nod again. Again, with her being overprotective, it can't be that hard caring for a baby that is going to just sleep the whole night. 

"No problem Mom don't worry about us too much. I got this under control. Stay safe I love you."

"I love you too sweetheart."

I hang up and continue to watch my show. 

I must have dozed off again, I awoke with the TV silent and Netflix is doing it's usual annoying interruption saying: Are you still watching Stranger Things? I turned off the TV when I heard Mary Kate's wails from upstairs. I hurry up the steps and go in her room. 

"Hey little sis what's the matter?" 

I pick her up and she almost instantly stopped crying. I checked her diaper it seemed clean, so I carry her downstairs and sit in the recliner slowly rocking her. She refuses the bottle. I sigh.

"Okay Sissy you aren't hungry and your diaper is clean what is the matter?"

I pat her back and try to lull her back to sleep. She whines then lets out a burp so loud it sounded like it came from a grown up.

"Woah..." I say looking at her.

She looks at my shock expression and lets out a fit of giggles before laying on my chest. I cover her up with her blanket continuing to rub her back and slowly rock. Within a few minutes she dozed off. My eyes begin to droop just as my phone received a text message. Instinctively hoping it is Seung Hyun I unlocked my phone and read on. It is from my father.

From: Dad 

Ji where are you? I need you to come get the tickets. If you're not here by 1:00 I'm selling them.

I look at the clock on the DVR showing 12:35. I was five minutes late. I roll my eyes texting him a reply.

To: Dad

Hold your horses old man I'm coming. I just need to get ready. 

 

I gently wiggle Mary Kate's coat on her along with a pair of sweatpants and socks. I manage to get her dressed and in her carrier without waking her up. I'm in my flannel pajama pants and WWE T-Shirt. I'm too tired to get better dressed only to pick up three concert tickets. I just slip my sneakers on along with my hoodie. I carry Mary Kate outside locking the front door behind me. I click the carrier in the base securely and then sit in the driver seat. I drive down the road in the direction of the motel.

 

I park in front of the motel's office under the lamp post with a surveillance camera. I cover Mary Kate's carrier with a blanket then walk to Room 3's door. I take a moment to listen through it. I can hear a bunch of men and women chattering and the horrendous funk of beer is so strong I can smell it from outside. I feel bad for the housekeeper who has to clean that.

Something in my gut told me to go back home but I work up a courage to knock on the door. The chattering stopped almost immediately. The door unlocked and slowly flung open. I see a random shirtless man smoking a cigarette.

"Are you the son for the tickets?" He asks, his voice raggedy and cold. 

He gives me a crooked yellow tooth smile when I confirm. He swings the door open inviting me in. I step into the room seeing a bunch of people sitting on the bed and the chairs. There is an equal amount of women and men in the room. I did happen to notice that the women are dressed very inappropriately. The men are shirtless and only a couple are wearing pants. 

I had the instinct to leave right then and there. I turn to leave and have my hand on the door knob. 

"Ji Yong." My father's voice echoed out from the small bathroom. 

He opens the door and comes out in a robe. I first assumed he took a shower but he seems to be bone dry. He gives me a half heart grin, then frowns when he sees me holding Mary Kate's carrier on my right arm. 

"I thought I told you to come alone." He snapped. 

I groan. 

"Well dude I had to bring her with me. Either deal with it or I'm leaving."

I look around.

"Who are all these people?"

He looks at everyone and smiles that same half heart grin. To be honest that expression of his is starting to get on my nerves.

"Eh don't worry about them. Go on have a seat on the bed closest to the wall."

I hesitantly sit and set Mary Kate down in front of me. I look around and I can swear they're all staring at me. I sigh growing very impatient.

"Okay I can't stay for a long time I need to get the baby home. Just give me the tickets and I'll be on my way." 

 The bad feeling in my gut is growing more and more the longer I stay in there. I pre-dial 911 on my phone. Dad turns on a video camera that sits on the dresser facing me and opens his suitcase and shows me three BTS tickets in his right hand. 

"See I got the tickets kid."

A taller man wearing a matching robe as my father and a black masquerade mask comes in from the bathroom. He looks at me his lips. Officially freaking out I stand and grab the carrier to walk out and Dad stands blocking the entry way.

"Where are you going?" 

He grabs Mary Kate's carrier out of my hand. I grab the handle instantly pulling her back.

"Let her go."

He pats my head.

"It's okay I'm gonna put her in the corner of the room so no one bumps into her."

He snatches her carrier away and I watch as he sets her down on the table in the corner of the room. Dad instructs me to sit and takes a seat beside me. The guy that came out of the bathroom sits behind me and gets uncomfortably close to me. I hear the drawer from the side table open and then close.

"Ji Yong, you do know the tickets are pretty expensive right?" 

I shake my head nervously as everyone grabs a portable video camera. The guy behind me covers my mouth and holds my arms back. I jump and then squirm trying to get him to release his grip but no use. 

"I didn't tell you but I got a new job. I'm a cameraman for a rather famous adult studio. I make a lot of money and I paid a lot of money to my boss for those tickets. This is just a special way to thank him properly." 

A rough shove forced me to lay down. I kick my legs at whoever came near me and try many times to get myself to sit back up. 

"Dad! What the hell?! Tell them to stop!"

He shakes his head.

The man grabs me and starts touching my chest and moving his hand lower. No matter what I did I couldn't get him away from me. I hear Mary Kate crying in the corner. I manage to take a look and see one of the guys getting frustrated with her. He rocks her carrier roughly making her crying worse.

"Come on you little rug rat shut up or you're going to get it!!"

Something inside me snapped. I grab the man's wrist and shove him off me. I quickly stand to my feet grabbing Mary Kate and running out the door. I run the car and drive off as fast as I could. 

When I got a mile away from the motel I turn onto a back road and pull over in the dark area. I shut off the lights and adjust crying Mary Kate's car seat so it's secure. I sit low in the back seat and unhook her from her car seat. I lock the doors. 

"Shhhh it's alright sissy... you're safe now. We lost them. I'm so sorry that I got you into this... All for a set of tickets."

I could not believe that Dad is making income being involved with something like that. It's harder to believe that he let someone hurt me like that. He actually try multiple times to call me. I shut my cell phone off. I hug my crying sister in my arms. I am so mad at my father and furious with myself that I start crying with her.

"I'm so sorry Mary Kate..."

I buckle her back in and drive back home. 

I open the front door and step in. In full paranoid mode I lock all door and windows in fear we might have been followed. I shut all window curtains and shut off all lights. I finally calm Mary Kate down and lay her in her crib. I am completely scared that someone might come in and hurt her and or myself. I grab my pillows and blanket and lay on the floor right beside her crib. I look up to see that I have a straight view on Mary Kate. She is looking at me like I'm a lunatic. 

"You don't mind if I sleep here right?"

She coos at me and continues to watch me. I stick my hand in between the bars and hold her little hand. I smile. 

"I'm here for you little sis. No matter how old you are I'll be behind you and one call away if you ever need me. He's never going to get the chance to hurt you."