"Is that all that happened?" 

I nod not looking up at the officer behind the desk. He finishes typing on the keyboard then stands. 

"ual contact with a minor under 18 is indeed illegal, and I will forward investigate this. You said they were last at Shinwa Motel room number 3, and the last time you saw the main suspect was on the side of Highway 12. I will be in contact in you. Have a good day."

We stand leaving the police department. Mom buckles Mary Kate in her car seat. I slouch in the front seat not bothering to put my seat belt on. Mom sits in the driver's seat. She grips the seat belt slack and pulls it across me securing it, she gives me a anger expression shaking her head. She starts driving. 

"So what do you want for dinner?"

I shake my head at her completely ignoring her question. She asks again I continue to sit in silence. She slams her hand angrily against the steering wheel.

"Kwon Ji Yong. Answer me. I am not going to tolerate this immature behavior young man."

I shrug.

"I don't care what you have I'm not even hungry."

She sighs loudly.

"No young man you're going to eat. I really do not care how mad you are, you show respect to me and obey what I say. Now, I am going to ask nicely only once more: What do you want to eat?"

"A big bowl of nothing!"

"DAMN IT JI YONG!" her voice boomed. 

She pulls over angrily turning off the ignition. She grips the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turn a shade of white. 

"I've had it up to my eyebrows with your non sense. We're going straight home now."

Once home, without saying a word, I walk from the car and stomp up the stairs. I flop angrily on my bed. It seems like I am getting madder and madder at my mother. I take my cell phone out, texting Seung Hyun.

4:50PM

To: Dorky

Hey dork, sorry for scaring you like that. It wont happen again.

 

4:55PM

From: Dorky

Hey no problem Ji!

 

I stand looking at the corner of my room at the broken picture frame, letting out a deep sigh. I clean the broken glass in fear I will forget it's there and step on it. I shove the two pictures in my dresser drawer. 

I look in the mirror: 

My black hair is driving me nuts. I really should bleach it. Who knows? Maybe I'll like the look...

I go into my bathroom immediately opening the bleaching kit, pulling gloves onto my hands, I empty the entire bottle in my hair working it into a lather. I heard a small noise in coming from my bathroom that sounded like footsteps. Thinking it was my mother, I angrily swung the bathroom door open. To my surprise, I see Mary Kate, creeping on the floor and cooing away, looking curiously at everything in her sight. 

Pulling my sticky hair back with an elastic and disposing the dye gloves, I pick her up smiling. 

"Hey little one how'd you get in here?"

I sit on my bed holding her in my lap. 

"Did you magically learn how to climb stairs? Well you're a very smart baby, It honestly would not surprise me if you did."

I jingle my house keys that hang from a BTS lanyard in front of her. She looks at it like a moth in light. She smiles grabbing the keys in her little grubby hand and instinctively starts to chew on it.

I let out a bit of a sad sounding laugh.

"You're a whole lot smarter than your dumb brother that's for sure. I'm so sorry about last night, I really am. The whole time I was so hyped up that you were going to see your first concert. I was really hoping that we would go as a family, if he wasn't going I knew Gabe would. Unfortunately for both of us, our old man tricked me and only wanted to get paid, he has a bad new source of income."

I give her a gentle hug.

"I'm glad they didn't hurt you. If he hurts you or mom he's going to get it."

For the past forty five minutes waiting for my hair to bleach I play and talk to Mary Kate. She kept smiling at me, absolutely melting my heart. When the time came up, I retreat to the bathroom to quickly rinse my hair. I come out, towel drying my hair looking at my baby sister, who is sitting and still playing with the keys.

"What do you think of the bleach hair look sissy?"

She takes a moment to thoroughly look at my hair and then reacts with a happy squeal. I pick her up lifting her in the air.

"I knew you'd like it."

I carry her to her nursery sitting with her in my arms. I rock with her in my arms. She slowly winds down and eventually dozes off just in time for her evening nap. I gently give her a kiss on the forehead and lay her in her bassinet.

At this very moment I've learned a life lesson: don't angry skip meals. I have to give credit to my Mom, she is right, I need to eat. She is probably cooled down by now. I go downstairs heading in the direction of the kitchen. I happen to overhear my Mom talking on the phone in the laundry room, I am assuming it's with Gabe. 

To avoid getting busted for eavesdropping, being very quiet, I get a plate out of the cupboard, and get myself a couple slices of pepperoni pizza out of the fridge. I'm actually the only one in the house that enjoys cold pizza anytime of the day, though Mom constantly argues that cold pizza is "not a nutritional breakfast food". I may not be nutritional, but I have to say, it's GOOD.

I walk by the laundry room and stand discreet by the book shelf quietly eating my pizza slice. 

"I went to the police station with Ji Yong this afternoon, they called me back just a few minutes ago, and they told me that they arrested and charged the person that hurt him, but his father is madder than a hornet. He called me and Ji a bunch of names and told the police that he made it up. The evidence of the motel's surveillance footage proves otherwise. He did come out in a hurry with the baby, he did seem showing signs of pain and his shirt was torn. The receptionist said she is aware that a group of people were staying in the room for "work" reasons, she also reported she heard Ji Yong screaming at someone to help and he howled in pain."

I lifted my eye brows when I heard weird clicking on the other end, meaning he's on speaker phone, I hear the washer beep before starting. It's indeed Gabe.

"Yeah, but what gets me is that he was lured in for tickets. It seems like his father had intentions to get him there for that kind of thing. He knew Ji likes BTS."

"Gabe he knew that his father is always up to no good, that's what I do not understand. The fact that I am in paranoid mode, and I am constantly thinking that his father and or one of his work buddies is going to seek revenge on him for reporting it to the authorities has got my nerves on edge. I do not want to see my son get hurt. I want him to be safe."

Gabe sighs.

"I know honey, I doubt he will come after him because they have to keep their reports confidential. If you get to the point where you feel that he's in danger, you're always welcome to my house. I'll keep you three safe."

I didn't hear her footsteps as she steps out and jumps when she sees me standing by the doorway. I wave. 

"Hey."

She stays silent for a moment before sighing rubbing her head.

"I got to go Gabe I'll call you later."

She hangs up giving me that typical "You're Busted" look that all parents seem to master. 

"I suppose you head that?"

I nod. She motions me to sit next to her on the couch.

"The police are taking care of the situation but they want you to talk to some kind of detective in a few months before they can get a final court case. Are you willing to talk to them and tell them what happened?"

I nod.

"I am."

"Do me a favor Ji, now that I've had time to calm down, please tell me everything that happened and why you went to get these "tickets" from your father?"

I sigh explaining the entire thing to her getting in as much detail as I could. She responds with a slow eyes closed nod.

"Thank you for explaining it to me honey."

"I wanted to see the concert so bad Mom, and I want Mary Kate to see her first concert. I suspected a scam a mile away but he tricked me into it when he said that he is going with us and he is going to be nice to you and the baby. I'm so sorry..."

She moves closer to me to give me a tight hug. She rarely ever hugs me this tight. The only time I get hugs this tight is when she is afraid or if I am really sad or if I am really sick. 

"I know honey. It's not your fault it's not fair that he tricked you like that. He's a real jerk. I'm just happy you and your sister didn't end up getting killed, in a situation like that, he could've done that in an instant. The next time someone offers you something like that, please talk to me first?"

"I will Mom."

She rubs my back.

"I'm sorry I slapped you and didn't listen to what you had to say. Next time I'll listen to you more. It seems like you're really sorry and you learned your lesson I'll lift a majority of your punishment. You can have all your gadgets back, have friends over, you can go to snow camp, and I'll give you access to the WiFi, but until this whole mess is over and for your sake I don't want you driving alone. I will be more than happy to take you where you need to go and I'll drive you to school. Okay?"

I nod and she gives me another hug. I hug her back smiling that we had made up. She takes a look at my hair before doing a double take. She feels a strand.

"Ji Yong what on earth did you do to your hair?"

I smile.

"It's blond now. Do you like it?"

She only shakes her head at me low key laughing.

"Ah you are such a crazy child."

She stands to make some hot chocolate. We spent the next three hours watching forensic files and sipping hot chocolate. She goes upstairs to get Mary Kate changed, fed, and in her crib.

"Okay honey it's almost 11PM, I think it's time for you to hit the hay."

I nod as I turn off the TV. She makes sure she locks all doors and windows. We both hear a weird ruffling in the bushes outside. 

"D-Did you hear that too?" She stampers seemingly growing scared. 

When I confirm she snaps the front porch light and slowly opens the front door, nervously peeking outside. I look out the windows. She shakes her head shutting and re locking the door.

"It's probably just an animal Ji Yong."

I close the curtains and shut the lamp off going upstairs behind her. I hug her when we get upstairs.

"Goodnight Mom I love you."

"I love you too honey Goodnight."

I go in my room and shut my door behind me.

 

I awake to the sounds of irritating constant beeping. I open my eyes slowly and quickly sat up when I smelt smoke. I run into the hallway being met with a heavy cloud of smoke. 

"Mom!" I yell out coughing and waving the air with my hand. The smoke stung my eyes and made me cough more. I could not see anything ahead of me and everything felt too hot to touch. 

"Mom! Where are you?!" 

I cough harder then I heard aloud crash from downstairs. I see flames ripping through the living room. I am absolutely terrified. I have no idea where my sister or my mother is. My vision begins to darken and my lungs hurt like crazy. I couldn't breathe anymore. 

"MOM!" I cry out.

Without any warning I felt myself being lifted off my feet and over someone's shoulder. 

"Don't worry kid I got you. You're going to be okay."