"Is this what you really want?"

"Yes."

"Go for it."

It was bitter, but it stayed as a reminder to never go down that path again. To never love again. To never trust again. 

November 2025

4.15 AM

The smell of the coffee filled the room, giving it a pleasant cozy feeling on a cold November morning, as the crackling sound of the fire in the fireplace echoed the room slightly. Areum took a sip of coffee out of her mug, closing her eyes for a moment as she enjoyed the taste of it. Everyone else in the villa was asleep, except for Areum. Truth be told she couldn't sleep at all, for most of the part she was tossing and turning in bed, trying to force herself to at least rest her mind, but nothing worked. It was impossible, so in the end, she found herself wide awake and out of bed. 

"Areum?" 

Areum turned around only to find her brother standing in the doorway. 

"Yes?" 

"Why are you up so early?" He asked, before yawning.

"I couldn't sleep, and yourself?" Areum smiled as she walked up to her brother. 

"Actually, I have to prepare for today's meetings," Junmyeon explained. "Nervous, huh?" 

Areum only nodded her head as the two of them walked over to the couch and sat down.

"It will be alright, you got this!" He winked as he hugged his sister.

It's been a while since Areum has been in public or working and it made her nervous. Her anxiety was kicking in and it wasn't something she liked. Being around people made her feel uncomfortable, and at times she doubted herself if she can do it or not, but the support her family was giving her, gave her wings again. It allowed her to do the one thing she loved, and that was flying. 

Ever since she was a little girl her dream was to be a pilot. She never once gave up on that dream, and the day she enrolled in the Academy, was the best day of her life. A bright future was in front of her... but all that changed. And it changed fast, leaving Areum on a roller coaster that had no intention of stopping any time soon. She found herself in an abusive relationship, and a once happy girl was destroyed. If it wasn't for her brother, and her daughter Ari, she would have probably ended her life a long time ago. 

Now when she looks back on it all, she was a mess. An emotional wreck and there was nothing in her life that she was looking forward to at that time. He had killed every bit of emotion in her and made her give up on her dreams. In his book she was nothing, she never did anything right. Because of him, her life was a nightmare. Her parents had turned their backs on her and they refused any kind of contact with her, even to this day, but not her brother and sister-in-law. They saved her, they helped her start a new life, and they gave her a place to stay. No matter what she does or says, she can never repay them for what they had done for her. Thanks to them and her daughter, she was able to get out of her dark place and smile again.

The day when she decided to leave will forever be engraved in her memory. 

***

"You are nothing but a worthless piece of sh*t!" He hissed at her. "Do you hear me?!" 

She only stared at him, for that was all she could do. Areum was afraid of him and she tried her best not to talk back or do anything that would provoke him. 

"Sorry..." She whispered. 

She had found herself saying sorry way too many times during the day, and in most of the cases she wasn't sure what she had done, but it became a common thing to say, but did it stop his anger? No. Every time something was wrong he would yell at her and blame her for the failures in his life, then once he was calmed down he would apologize for the things he had done and beg for forgiveness. It was a cycle with no end. She went through hell with that man, and he forced himself on her so many times, that at some point it became a normal thing and she gave up fighting him. But everyone has a turning point, don't they? 

"Sorry?!" He laughed as he smacked her cheek, causing her to fall on the bed. "All you know how to do is say sorry! You good for nothing b*tch." 

She didn't dare look at him, instead, she waited for him to leave and that is exactly what he did. The moment he was out the door she got up and rushed into her daughter's room, only to find her sleeping. She was innocent and Areum wanted to keep it that way. She felt sorry for her daughter though. No one deserves a father like the one she has. If only she had done things differently. 

She quickly grabbed her phone and called her brother. Today was the day they would set their plan into action. Junmyeon knew about the things his sister was going through and on so many occasions he would keep telling her to leave him, but she was afraid, he had full control over her, and he knew exactly what to do or say to get her to stay. She was afraid of what he might do to her, or even worse her daughter, so she stayed. She stayed in hopes that things would get better, but they didn't. They only got worse. The person she knew once was gone, and he wasn't coming back. There were times when he was sweet, caring, and loving, but something in him changed and he became a monster. He became someone Areum didn't know anymore. Why? She never had the answer to that.

"Get out of there! I am on my way!" Junmyeon quickly said over the phone. 

Areum didn't want him to hang up, so instead, he kept talking while she packed only the basic things that she needed and quickly ran out of the building. While she waited for her brother to pick her up, she held Ari close to her, as the poor child was now awake and cranky a bit. Areum kept looking around, anxious that the b*stard might appear out of nowhere, but he didn't. Junmyeon managed to get there fast, helping his sister get into the car. 

Eun, Areum's sister-in-law was also there and she sat in the back, hugging both Areum and Ari. Areum tried her best not to cry in front of her daughter, but she was tired of it all, and she was afraid. 

"It's over, you're safe," Were the only words her brother told her, as he looked at her through the rearview mirror. 

***

Even after the escape, her ex didn't leave her alone. He threatened to take Ari away from her and he would follow her around, so for a certain period of time, Areum never left the home alone, the same was with Ari. He never loved his daughter, he never even wanted to give her the family name, claiming that she wasn't his, but it was all just to torture Areum, and knowing him he was capable of doing crazy things. That's when Junmyeon came up with an idea, and the idea was to adopt Ari. Since Areum had full custody of Ari, she could decide, and in the end, that is exactly what she did. Once adopted by her uncle there was no way her father can take her away, and keeping her safe was the main goal. 

***

"I have an idea," Junmyeon finally spoke after an hour of not saying a word. 

"And that would be?" Areum sighed. 

"I'll adopt her," Junmyeon simply explained. "Once adopted, Dal can't do sh*t. He can try but the chances of winning the case in court are impossible. With the DNA that proves that she is his daughter, it will mean nothing to the court, since the legal paperwork has been covered. There is no other way, he had never laid a finger on Ari, a