>> Escape by (G)-idle

Miyeon faster her pace, walking through the hospital corridor, not minding she has tears streaming on her cheeks. Once she reaches the VIP room, numbered 303, Miyeon sniffs and wipes the tears with the edge of her sleeve. 

She put a little smile, and knocks. 

A moment after, the door is opened by the nurse on duty from inside. 

The picture of her beloved sister-cousin lying on the bed, unconscious making her heart drops. Miyeon has a hard time to mutter anything when she sees the nurse is adjusting the wire thingy at Imme's hand. 

"Are you... her kin?" the nurse asks, smilling a little to her. 

Miyeon just nods, still unable to reply with a word. 

"Are you okay? You seem...scared?" the nurse touches Miyeon's right arm gently then. "Don't worry, she just went with a mild dehydration and fatigue. Let her rest here for a few days, then she'll be fine," 

Miyeon tries to smile but her eyes couldn't stop from streaming those tears. 

"O-okay, okay miss, thank you," that's all Miyeon can say at the moment. 

"Trust me, she'll be okay, young girl. Now excuse me, I have another patient to look for," the nurse states and leaves her alone with the unconscious Imme on the room. 

Miyeon braces herself to approach the hospital bed. She studies Imme's face and slowly reaches for Imme's hand before gripping it.  

"Unnie..." Miyeon sobs, leaning her face on Imme's shoulder. 

Then, she remembers the conversation with Imme's colleagues before. About how stressful Imme was and how the pressure becomes the cause of Imme's self-negliance. 

She feels guilty since she couldn't do much to help Imme out from the situation. 

She has a thought maybe Imme's condition is not worsen, maybe she's getting the professional help while Miyeon is being away for a short vacay in Jeju with Shuhua. 

But looking at Imme now, she is wrong. Totally wrong. 

"Why you crying?" Imme asks, who's finally awake when she hears someone sobbing so close to her. 

Miyeon stops crying and adjusts her sitting position on the side of the bed, to see Imme clearer. "Unnie, I'm sorry," 

Imme inhales a deep breath then. She brings her hand to Miyeon's face and wipes her tears. "Not your fault," 

"Miyeon-nie, I was exhausted, that's why," 

Miyeon nods in understanding and leans back her head on Imme's shoulder. "You scared me out a little, you know?" she says. "Me and Shushu had to cancel our plan and flew all the way from Jeju and now we cannot enjoy our break anymore," 

Just when the mention of Shuhua, the owner of the name appears right away, as she slides the door. 

Imme puts a weak smile to welcome Shuhua, who's standing with a toter bag and some fresh flowers. 

"Hi there Imme unnie," Shuhua greets, walking to the guest corner and put all the things on the drawer there. 

"Hi, Shuhua," Imme replies. 

They are in a silence mode before Miyeon opens , "Are you hungry, unnie? Shuhua cooked some food for you," 

Finally, they're both snapped into the present moment. 

"Yes, I cooked a little for you, because I know you're not feeling well," Shuhua takes the food container and starts opening the lid one by one. Miyeon helps by moving the hospital table closer to the bed then. 

"Such a trouble, you don't need to cook for me, Shuhua. The hospital provides me food," Imme says as she struggles to sit up. Miyeon is trying to give a hand but she quickly refuses it and able to sit comfortably afterwards. 

"But, thank you, I really appreciate it," Imme looks at food in front of her and stares at Shuhua momentarily. 

"Not a big deal, unnie, I hope you like it," Shuhua replies, hiding her timid face from Imme to see. 

"Come have it with me, this is too much," Imme laughs, realizing there are a big portion of rice, chicken soup and stir fried- vegetable. 

"But I'm not hungry," Miyeon says, staring at the food. 

"You can't lie well, cousin. I know you can still eat even if you're not hungry," Imme sighs, exchanging a knowing glance with Shuhua. 

"Okay, then I'll eat with you," Miyeon exclaims excitedly. She takes the spoon and scoops the soup and feeds Imme first, before having it for herself. 

Shuhua smiles calmly, witnessing the cousin sisters' being harmony for the first time. 

But when she gets a glimpse of Imme's current figure, she starts to worry and have a deep concern. 

Getting a lot skinner, pale and her hair grows longer, Imme looks miserable. 

For Shuhua, Imme can pretend she's happy to have them there, but her sad eyes, everything is obvious. Imme is hiding what she feels from everyone. 

The sound of the sliding door catches the trio's attention out of blue, and once Imme acknowledges the man-figure coming in, her expression turns cold. 

"Uncle," Miyeon mumbles, as she recalling it's been almost a year she has not seen Mr. Cho aka Imme's father. 

Both Shuhua and Miyeon are perplexed with what they're seeing; Imme doesn't welcome her father or anything, but resumes to calmly eat. 

"How do you feel, champ?" Mr. Cho's deep manly voice greets his only child. 

Imme doesn't even bother looking up to see him, and keeps munching the food. 

The tense in the atmosphere makes Miyeon feels awkwards to be there so she grabs Shuhua's wrist then. "Excuse us, uncle. We're leaving then," 

"Don't go yet," Imme mutters and her teary eyes meet Miyeon's. "Stay," 

Miyeon stutters, looking at the father and daughter back and forth. 

"I know you're angry, Shin Mi and I deserve this cold treatment from you," Mr. Cho says, sighing. He brings a deluxe box of chocolate strawberries, that he has purchased during his staying in Japan and canceled everything once he in informed about Imme's admission. 

"I haven't see you in a while, princess Cho, so how you doing too?" Mr. Cho smiles at his niece, before placing the souvenirs on the side of Imme's hospital bed. 

"I'm doing fine, uncle," Miyeon replies in manner and suddenly remember Shuhua is present too. "Ohh, this is Shuhua, my roommate in college," 

Shuhua quickly bows, "Hi sir, I'm Shuhua, a foreign student here," 

"Whoa, a foreign student? Your Korean is good by the way," Mr. Cho claims, impressed with the young girl. 

Imme hasn't say anything either. She neglects everyone and sits there quietly. 

"Champ, I'm sorry okay?" Mr. Cho turns his attention to her. "Only if you tell me that you're not well, I should've let you off by then," 

"Why didn't you ask?" Imme reacts, as her eyes lifted and Mr. Cho is surprised to see the same flame he used to get from a young Imme, a few years back. 

The day, he found out about Imme and a poor girl from a village next to his best friend's penthouse. 

Mr. Cho sighs again in resentment. 

"Look, I was busy, we all know it. And I'm very sorry for that," Mr. Cho starts apologizing. He looks at his child with full of love and tries not to be emotional once he notices how pale and skinny she is now. 

"You have the right to be mad at me, not everyone and everything, Imme. You have the right," Mr. Cho continues and approaches her. He caresses Imme's hair and sits on the side of the bed. "I'm trying my best as the leader yet I have forgotten my duty as a father to you," 

Imme bows down her head. 

Miyeon and Shuhua only able to stand without a word, witnessing the soft side of Mr. Cho at the moment. 

"You know I'm not capable of controlling everything, right? Me and you, we're not much different," he mutters as he remembers how obedient Imme was as a motherless child. 

"But now all I can say is sorry, Shin Mi. Let's mend it together, whatever it is hurting you from the inside, I'm all opened to hear it," Mr. Cho smiles and pecks Imme's forehead. 

"You should say this to me before, daddy. Not now," Imme speaks in her deep tone. "Now everything you've said, I don't believe it, every single of it. Because I know you lied, you lied to make everything goes the way you wanted, as always," 

Imme stares at her father coldly. Her eyes and her words are enough to make Mr. Cho questions, what has happened to her, that made her full of hatred towards him. 

"Imme..." Mr. Cho calls out her nickname, that given by his wife before her passing. He couldn't believe what he's experiencing. His only child is calling him out so sudden like that. 

"Unnie," Miyeon interrupts but pauses when she sees Imme's glare. 

His eyes get smaller as he observes Imme's wrinkly- narrowed forehead. Also, he couldn't deny, Imme has his late's wife's eyes and eyebrows. 

Imme's single eyelids, and light-brown or almost hazel coloured eyes are always mesmerizing. Her gaze, sometimes soft and sometimes sharp, making her unreadable. 

But Mr. Cho, as the father understands, his only child does have the loneliest set of eyes, despite those being one of her charms. 

"Alright," he feels the pain of Imme ignoring his honesty so he decides he should just leave. "Take your time to heal, Imme. And come back to me once you feel okay. Let's discuss everything rationally," 

"I hope you like the gift I got for you," Mr. Cho points at the souvenir basket and smiles weakly at Imme. 

He caresses Imme's head again before leaving the bed and stands in front of the long-haired girls. "Gotta go, Miyeon. And nice to see you, Shuhua," 

They bow politely as he disappears after sliding off the door. 

"You guys can go, I want to sleep," Imme speaks, unbothered. She avoids any eye contact and pulls the hospital duvet all over her body. 

Miyeon, her sister-like cousin immediately understands, Imme is having a hard time and she won't ever let people see that side of her. Probably, the best way to make her feel better is leaving her alone. 

That's what Miyeon thought. 

"Don't sulk for too long, Imme unnie. You're a grown up," Miyeon teases. "I'll come back tomorrow and I'll bring Shuhua too, is that okay?" 

Shuhua don't think she has anything to say so she nods and smiles at the sick Imme. 

"You guys don't have to come, I'm okay here," Imme replies and tries closing her eyes back to sleep. 

Miyeon hisses, "I don't care, I'll come to be a nuisance in your life," 

Imme sighs, "Whatever, do as you pleased, nose-bridge," 

Shuhua chuckles when the cousins make ugly faces to each other. 

--- 

>>Anywhere But Home by SEULGI

Flashback- 10 years ago. 

"Is he the boy you're seeing now?" 

"What..? A boy?" 

"Yeah, I saw him before, walking with you side to side up to the white penthouse," 

Joanne paused from her duty stacking the snack onto the shelf. "So you saw me and you didn't bother to come and say hello? Really Dayeong, such a good friend you are," 

The tall girl in her high school uniform laughed and quickly apologized, "Well, when I saw my best friend finally 'hanging out' with some random handsome boy, I don't have a heart to interrupt! Besides, you two look good together!" 

She hid her smile then and continued stacking the snacks, trying hard not to show Dayeong her blushed cheeks. 

"Not a boy, that one person you saw with me is a girl," Joanne told the truth and walked a bit further to stack another type of snack. 

Dayeong frowned in confusion. She tried to process and stared at Joanne with a crunchy face. But then, she processed the information and nodded in understanding. 

"Wow, that's why you dumped every boy in this town because you're not interested in male?" Dayeong guessed, choosing the best words not to hurt her long-time best friend. 

Joanne just hummed as a reply. 

Dayeong persisted to tail Joanne also she was acknoledged that Joanne was still working and started to ask more question about Imme, Joanne's first love. 

"How old is she?" 

"Eighteen," 

"I'd never seen her around before, is she an outsider? Where she's from? Does your grandma or dad know anything about this???" 

"Easy there, busybody girl," Joanne stopped her best friend and chuckled. "Would you like some milk? It's on me?" Joanne grabbed a box of banana milk from the chiller and handed to Dayeong. 

Dayeong accepted and continued, "I want to know everything, come on Joanne! Isn't this is fascinating? As your best friend, should I deserved to learn about your---what? Love life???" 

"Alright, I will open up to you, soon. Now I'm working, Dayeong-ah," Joanne said and brought along the basket to the front counter. "Come over tonight? Right after my shift at the Chinese restaurant, around 11? What do you say?" 

Dayeong's face sparkled on the spot as she raised a thumb at Joanne. 

That night, Joanne fulfilled her promise to Dayeong and did tell her about Imme, a kid from Seoul who just stole her heart. 

The teenagers, were so into conversation as Dayeong accompanied Joanne back to her small house located down the hill. 

"She's weird, and so quiet too," Joanne told, smilling when Imme's face appeared before her eyes. "I think, you both are at the same height? I don't know but she's very tall for a girl, like you," 

"Excuse me, don't act like you never seen my parents, you doofus. This runs in my family, can't help it," Dayeong defended herself, panting and out of breath. They're walking up the hill and Dayeong already exhausted from the long-distance walk. 

"Yeah, she said her daddy is very tall too," Joanne added and paused her walk. "I don't really know about her family, but the fact that she's staying with Ms. Nara in that massive penthouse, I knew enough, she's the daughter of a wealthy family," 

Joanne was quiet for a little while, and Dayeong, still catching her breath looked at her blankly. 

"There, we can see how outstanding that house is, aren't we?" Joanne suddenly pointed at the only house, which is well-known belonged to the small town's richest lady, Ms. Jang Nara, the daughter of a former politician couple- Mr and Mrs Jang. 

"If you ask me, either I'm stupid or not for liking a wealthy kid like her, while I'm just a poor and unfortunate kid, probably I really am," Joanne stated. 

"It doesn't matter, Joanne," Dayeong replied. "I think she's a good kid, based on your... story?" 

"Exactly, with such a great manner, Imme isn't the same as what we've been fed on tv about chaebols, you know? 

Joanne inhaled and exhaled calmly. 

"If you're lucky, next time I'll introduce you guys to each other, Dayeong-ah," Joanne said, smilling bright to her only best friend. 

Dayeong raised her thumb again. 

"Can't wait for that, bestie!" they both laughed and resumed their teenager talk for the rest of the journey to Joanne's home. 

But sadly, the introduction they're looking forward to never happen.  

And, at the end she didn't able to be introduced to Imme in person, or Imme being introduced to her in person. 

Because the last thing Dayeong heard about Joanne was her tragic death and Imme flew away to United States for higher learning. 

It was also the day Dayeong's perception on rich people changed, completely. 

And she had an instinct, Joanne didn't kill herself but being killed by someone related to the white penthouse.