"You can run, but it catches you..."

"You can hide, but it sees you..."

The fear in her rece again... but the question that lingered was: will she run or face it? Was she strong as she thought she was?

"My men have been following him," The man on the other side spoke. "For the time being, he hasn't come anywhere near his daughter's school or Areum's workplace. Crucial areas where he might go have been covered, so if something happens, you would be the first to know." 

"Alright," Junmyeon said, finishing up his morning coffee. 

The call ended, as the words rang in his mind. He wasn't satisfied with it and it didn't give him any comfort whatsoever. He knew Dal, and he knew how sneaky the man was, there was no doubt about it. The fact that he was keeping a low profile, for now, meant that he was up to something sinister. Something that only a sick mind like his can come up with. 

"Areum is on her way home," Eun spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "She will pick the girls up from school."

"She's in for a surprise..." Junmyeon mumbled, running his hand through his hair. "What the hell does that man want anyway?! She never asked anything from him! She didn't even ask for alimony, even though she had the right! She never even mentioned him... so why?! Why does he want to make her go through hell again?! For defending herself?! For sending him to court?! Oh, come on! That guy didn't even go to jail! So, why?! For escaping an abusive relationship?! What was she supposed to do?! Stay and end up two meters under the cold ground?!" 

Eun only listened but didn't say a word. She understood her husband's worries. Dal had brought nothing but drama and pain to their family, and once again, he was back to continue what he had started. Eun remembers it all too well, including the ugly encounters her husband had with him. The late-night phone calls. The threats. The fear he brought with him. It was all still vivid in her mind. 

***

"Tell that b*tch that I want to see my daughter!" Dal hissed over the phone.

"Anything else?" Junmyeon said, rubbing his temples. "Do you want her to wash your feet? Cook your favorite meal? Be your slave?" Junmyeon was sarcastic and clearly irritated for being woken up in the middle of the night. 

"Keep playing with fire and you'll pay the ultimate price!" 

"Oh, I am so scared that my pants are shaking!" Junmyeon hissed. "Dal? Go to hell!" 

***

That was only one of many calls that Dal made to the Kim residence. Some were worse than others, but Junmyeon wasn't afraid. He faced Dal face to face and never backed down from an argument with him or a fight. Even after it all stopped, Junmyeon was always careful because he knew that Dal doesn't give up that easily, and he will do anything to get to his goal. At times it may seem as Junmyeon was paranoid, but he wasn't. He knew this day would arrive, and now that it has... how can he not worry? 

Junmyeon kept pacing up and down the room as the two waited for Areum to arrive. As much as he wanted to spare her from all of it, he couldn't. She had to know, and she had to be prepared. He knew his sister well and he knew it won't be easy, but Junmyeon won't allow her to give up on everything again. No matter what, her only task was to stay strong and not allow him to affect her again. 

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts. At that moment his phone went off and he reached for it. Without even looking he slid his finger across the screen and answered. 

"Hello?" He said. 

"Son, have you forgotten about your parents?" His mother spoke from the other side. 

"I was just busy, mom," Junmyeon explained. "Is this about the family lunch this Sunday?" He asked. 

"Yes, is it possible for you to pick up your Uncle Ilhoon from the bus station, Sunday morning around 9?"  She asked. 

"Sure, it's no problem," Her son replied, simply. "How is dad?" 

"You know him, same old," She replied. "Eun and the kids are coming as well, right?" 

"Yes, but you are aware that you have a daughter as well, right?" 

"I think I hear your dad," She spoke again. "Kiss the kids for me." 

"Mom-" 

Before he could say anything else she had ended the call. Same story every time. No matter how many times he tried to reunite those two with their daughter, nothing worked. They were sttuborn and refused to let go of the past. That was another thing that irritated Junmyeon. He just couldn't understand them or what was going on in their mind. 

***

"It's her birthday!" Junmyeon sighed. "She is your daughter, for crying out loud!" 

"The moment she decided to marry him, was the moment she lost us," His dad spoke. 

"Are you for real right now?" 

"She chose her own path!" His mother spoke. " She never listened to us anyway!" 

"Your point?" He asked. "She went through hell and back and as a family, we should help her recover!" 

"It was her choice that brought her there," His dad spoke. "I was clear about it all, yet she made her choice." 

"Weren't you the one that always told us that we need to stick with the family? Weren't you the one that always talked about freaking family values and how important they are?" Junmyeon hissed. "So much for that!" 

***

Even to this day, he didn't understand his parents nor will he ever. At some point, he as well wanted to stop any kind of communication with them, but Areum had refused to hear that. Areum didn't allow it, regardless of everything, she wanted him to stay in touch with them. 

***

"You will do what?" She put down her coffee cup, looking at her brother. 

"I refuse to talk to them!" Junmyeon repeated. 

"I can't let you do that," Areum simply stated. "They are still parents. Think about Nari, she needs her grandparents. Don't be like them, be better." 

"But where were they when you needed them?" 

"Junmyeon," She looked at him. "I'm fine. Really. Relax and don't stress too much over things you can't change." 

Junmyeon walked over to his sister and hugged her tightly. "Well, you have my support and that will never change." He mumbled. 

She smiled, hugging him back. 

***

As a dad himself, he would always support Nari, no matter what. Isn't that a parent's job? Despite what a child does, parents should always be there... but that wasn't the case for his sister and among many other things, this also bothered him. He hated how they acted like she never existed, how they ignored her on many occasions. It was killing him, but he couldn't do anything about it, no matter how much he tried. 

At first, it bothered her a lot but eventually, she moved on. That girl. No matter what the situation was, no matter how strong the storm was, she stood up and moved on. She was like a Pheonix that rose out of the ashes, but there were times when it wasn't so easy. It took her some time to learn it all, but once she did a change in her was obvious. 

That was Areum.

That was his sister. 
 

Areum was in the car, heading back home as Jongdae was driving her, just as he had promised. Junmyeon had asked him not to mention Dal at all, as the plan was for him to tell her. Jongdae understood that and there were no questions asked about it, but he noticed Areum was distant, once again. He couldn't help but worry, so as her cousin he had to ask and check if everything was alright, even if it killed him.

"Are?" He called out to her using her nickname. 

Her head was leaned on the window, as she looked into a distance, not even registering that he had called her. Jongdae raised an eyebro