“Oh Yunho, there you are,” a familiar woman voice reverberated throughout the narrow corridor of the apartment building.

Sound of heels tapping upon the concrete floor echoed, and Yunho found himself involuntarily wincing at such noise. No, it wasn’t because of pain and it wasn’t because he was sensitive to such sound or similar. But rather, it reminded him of the past. The kind of past he wished to bury deep underground, never to look back.

“We have been waiting for an hour here,” the same voice was heard. “Quick, open the door.”

It was a clear instruction from the familiar woman. To open the door with his keys. It was as simple as that. But Yunho’s legs didn’t take a step forward. They remained stuck in the same position he was standing. Was he terrified? His hands were trembling, his breath shortened and quickened. Yet was he angry? Yunho couldn’t understand what he was feeling right now but it didn’t leave him in peace. He wanted to regain his focus but eventually he was overwhelmed by all of these unexplainable emotions. Maybe it was anger or rather… fear.

“What are you looking at? Get your keys and upon this door,” the familiar voice commanded again.

Shut up.

Yunho wanted to yell those words. He hated it so much. He hated how this woman never left him seconds to breathe, he hated how this woman convinced him that his self-worth was based on him being either a doctor or a lawyer, or an engineer of some sort. He hated this woman for making him hate himself and regretting his choices. He hated how this woman knew she could have raised him better, yet she chose not to. But sometimes Yunho wondered, was his hatred justifiable?

“Mother, father, what are you guys doing here?” the first question coming out of his mouth relieved Yunho knowing that after all these years leaving his home, he knew he could defend himself in front of these two parental figures, without having to stammer in fear, of course.

Yunho lost count at how many exact years he had left his hometown in the pursuit of his ‘life goals’. Yet he didn’t expect just as why his parents would come to his apartment right now? He thought they had all agreed that Yunho was no longer a part of the family the moment he rebelled. The first day he left home he had to secretly stay over at a friend’s house and his parents didn’t give him a call, or drop a message, or ask the neighbours if they had seen him. The two didn’t even show concern but rather full fury.

In fact, it was his mother who screamed at him to leave the house if he ever refused to become ‘successful’ in life. And Yunho took those words in straight away.

And he didn’t really want to know how these two managed to find his place after all these years.

“Is it wrong for us to check on our son?” his mother replied in a remarking tone.

“After all these years, I didn’t see a solid reason as to why you should, actually,” Yunho bantered.

He didn’t give his mother’s face a look, but he did hear a shocked gasp coming out of the woman’s mouth. Maybe his remark was a bit disrespectful, but he was glad to know he could talk back. He wasn’t the same boy who foolishly ran from home with limited pocket money. He was now a fully independent man. He was still limited on money, but at least he was making cash on his own effort.

Yunho was surprised at his sudden boldness to retort at his parents, especially considering how shaking he actually was and how these two figures remained encaged within the memories of his dark past. But maybe because now Yunho knew he had someone who would stand by him.

Walking ahead to the door of his apartment, Yunho stole a glance at Jaejoong as he inserted the key in the doorknob. The angel had remained invisible the moment he saw Yunho’s parents and he had been standing in a defensive stance while scowling at the two adults. Yunho couldn’t help but to smile slightly. He didn’t have to tell Jaejoong the history of his past, he was certain the angel knew better.

“Did something happen?” Yunho tried his best to calmly ask as he entered the apartment, indirectly inviting his parents inside as well as the unseen Jaejoong.

“A lot, but none of those would matter to you,” his mother answered with a brief nonchalant huff of breath.

Yunho’s jaw tightened at the way how his mother spoke to him. He disliked that. Yet he chose to ignore that tone she used as he proceeded to the living room and took off the vest of his suit, settling it on the sofa.

He was confused, honestly. Was it love? A parent could argue that they were simply trying to choose what would be the best for their children. Yet where was the border? Where was the line where they had to limit their attempt? Or was there no line to begin with? If there was no line, then was Yunho really be in the wrong to rebel against his parents? What if he couldn’t actually live out to his fullest under the ‘successful’ life his mother shaped for him? Maybe… Maybe if communication was just slightly better back then, things wouldn’t have to turn this bad.

And now, why were they here? Yunho found his mother’s lack of concern and longing of reuniting with her son again irked him. The least his mother could do was to ask him how he was doing in all these years. Perhaps what a decent parent should do was to run to their child and embrace them as tight as the years that had separated them both. Yunho expected a word of sorry from his mother, but none came. Instead, his mother already began to disapprovingly observe his apartment.

Yunho headed to the kitchen where he quietly prepared two cups of tea as an act of courtesy, not because he felt obliged to do so for his parents, but because he believed himself capable to be a decent human who showed general respect. He glanced back at the living room where he watched his parents, especially his mother, examining the entire apartment like a pair of inspectors or something, as if Yunho had smuggled in some illegal items in his room.

Yunho had completely lost contact with his family the day he left home. He didn’t know any news related to them at all. Yet right now he could tell that his parents appeared to be doing somewhat fine, and totally better.

His mother’s mannerism was outright arrogant and snobby. She kept her chin up high and back posed straight. The way she walked blatantly told that she deliberately tapped her heels on the floor so people could hear. She was wearing a large yet fit dark scarlet dress, squeezing her entire body so the frame of her body could clearly be shaped suggestively. A black striped scarf coiled around her neck where a glistening gold necklace rested neatly.

When Yunho moved his gaze up to his mother’s face, he almost admitted that he nearly took her for a complete stranger. Thick dark cosmetics covered her entire face, where her cheekbones were rigidly contoured, making her look like a well-mummified corpse. The extremely dark colours of her eyeliners and blushers caused her to resemble a witch if Yunho had ever seen one.

His mother had totally changed. And Yunho didn’t know what caused her to be a new person all over, and he didn’t want to understand either. He found himself gulping. Did the family suddenly gain wealth or something? Or was his mother just sacrificing the family’s limited income so that she could pretend like a noble? Both answers were possible.

Oh, and his father was just standing there awkwardly in his plain polo shirt and shorts. His father never played a huge role in his life as the man wasn’t the type of many words. Yunho almost didn’t notice him in the living room, too.

“Which friend are you staying with now?” his mother questioned as she finally sat down on the couch after roaming around the cramp apartment. She made sure to ‘wipe the dust’ on the sofa before she took a seat, shifting uncomfortably as her face distorted, showing disgust at the furniture.

“This is my apartment,” Yunho answered as he returned to the living room and served the cups of tea. His voice was coloured with a bit of pride. He had expected for his mother to still assume him as a parasite who constantly stayed with a friend. So being able to tell her directly that he finally was living on his own now, it was a bit of a flex if he dared say.

“Oh?” his mother brought her hand to , stopping her obvious gasping. Her eyes widened as she eyed her husband who sat next to her. Clearly, she didn’t expect for Yunho to be able to afford an apartment now.

“You have a job?” she quickly asked Yunho, this time she was completely looking up at him with full shock and interest. The way she voiced out her question really did tell that she never had expected to hear that from her own son.

“Yes,” Yunho briefly replied as he returned to the kitchen.

“What job?” his mother pressed further.

Yunho’s lips sealed as he closed the cabinet and cupboard in the kitchen. He wasn’t a fortune-teller, but he could tell 100% correctly just how exactly his mother would react upon hearing him revealing his career. Literally anyone could tell too. It was easy. But that didn’t mean it was pleasant to see such reaction from his mother, however.

“Hotel receptionist,” Yunho briskly told as he directed a straight, serious gaze at his mother’s eyes.

The woman remained looking at him fixedly, as if waiting for Yunho to reveal his ‘true’ answer to his job. But after realising that her son was indeed telling the truth, the woman immediately came to a laughter, a mocking one, clearly.

Her laughter filled the entire apartment so loud, as if someone had just cracked the most hilarious joke of the century. But she was the only one who laughed. Neither Yunho, his father, nor the invisible Jaejoong reacted the same way as she did. For a moment, Yunho closed his eyes in distaste. His mother’s laughter was obnoxious.

The laughter proceeded for another minute before the woman slowly came to a few minor chortles. She grabbed her husband’s hand as she tried catching her breath, then she laughed some more before eventually stopping. It was either she didn’t realise how everyone else in the room didn’t look as joyous as her, or she simply didn’t care.

“Oh, my. I thought you have finally come to your sense and get a decent job, like a doctor. Or if you are lucky enough to be rich with your art dreams,” Yunho’s mother spoke as she casually picked up the cup of tea. “A hotel receptionist? Are you joking? Not even an artist!”

Yunho forced a strained smile across his lips as he pulled a stool from the kitchen to the living room, purposedly dragging it on the floor so the irritatingly loud noises would conceal his mother’s laughter. Then he relaxedly sat on it. His mother’s words did hurt him, but he was strong enough to not show anything forward. He hoped.

“I have become independent as I wish to be, and I am completely happy with my life. I didn’t come begging to your door asking for cash, like you expected me to be when I left home,” Yunho bravely fought back with a confident smile. When his mother’s mocking face started to twist into an angry scowl, Yunho quickly pressed on his topic.

“Now, I believe you both come here not to see how I am doing or ask me if I am fine. So, without wasting time, tell me your reason to come here uninvited?” Yunho didn’t even mind to include respectful words in his question any longer. There was no point respecting someone who didn’t even plan to view him as an equal, or as a capable human.

“Your sister is getting married next month,” his mother proudly stated. “And you must come to the wedding. It’s your sister’s wish to see you in the venue. There is a formal dress code to follow. Wear something much better than your current… suit.”

Yunho ignored his mother’s indirect mockery on his ‘cheap’ suit and instead watched as his quiet father placed a well-designed envelope on the coffee table between them. Yunho reluctantly picked up the envelope and had a read at the front page. It seemed like his sister was indeed marrying a man soon.

Different than his pair of parents, Yunho’s sister had tried her best to stop her mother from treating him the way she always did. His sister was kind, polite and gentle. She often secretly sneaked into his room at night simply to check on him whenever Yunho had a fight with his mother. She was also the one who encouraged him to pursue after his artistic passion if that what would make him happy. In simpler words, the two siblings were secretly in good terms without the notice of any of their parents.

However, Yunho’s sister could only do so much. Both him and his sister admitted that their mother was perhaps unstoppable. When Yunho left the house before, he had written a letter for his sister to read, more like a farewell message full with words of gratitude and promises that he would be living to his best life even when alone, so that his sister didn’t need to be constantly worried of him like she always did. To this day, he didn’t know how his sister actually reacted to that letter though.

Yet knowing that his dear sister was going to get married so soon, Yunho couldn’t help but to secretly smile inside. He was glad and happy to hear such good news. He indeed had it difficult back then, but he was certain she had it rough as well.

“Your sister has also graduated overseas. We did a celebration for her, but we didn’t invite you, of course. It would be embarrassing for the relatives to see,” Yunho’s mother spoke again in her pretentious posh accent.

Yunho remained silent as he watched the woman seated in front of him attempted to delicately coil her fingers around the cup handle, her little pinkie finger dangling. Her brightly manicured nails were less than attractive.

She took her time bringing the cup to and had a taste. And of course, she let out a disapproving sigh as if showing that she was specifically made to savour the meals of the nobles. Yet her attempt at being a rich lady was awkward, and her ‘delicate’ movements were rigid and stiff.

It was such an embarrassing sight to see. Yunho knew his mother had been the type to chase after names, glory, fame, and prestige in any means possible, such as limiting the freedom of her children. But Yunho couldn’t have guessed for the woman to go this far at developing a newer personality, or even perhaps an identity. His father though, remained a neutral figure playing zero roles in the family.

And Yunho didn’t know the answer as to why his mother never stopped bothering him with the unnecessary ‘your sister is better than you and you are an embarrassment to the family’ kind of conversation. Back then it affected him, but right now he simply gave a zero . But he didn’t want to try to understand as to why his mother wouldn’t just leave him alone, though. He thought him leaving the house would be the end for all the feud yet apparently, he was wrong.

“Oh, congratulations for her,” Yunho nonchalantly responded with a casual smile. He wanted to show to his parents that he simply didn’t care anymore.

His mother disliked that reaction.

“It would have been better if you didn’t try being an ungrateful son. Look at your sister. She listens to me and now she is having a successful life. She could buy many cars and a villa,” his mother pressed further. “And look at you. A hotel receptionist? What a joke. How do you not have shame? Imagine how the relatives would talk to you when they know you are poor?”

Yunho’s firmly sealed his lips and his jaw tightened. His teeth gritted inside, and words accumulated in his throat. Harsh, vulgar words. Yes, he indeed didn’t care. But that didn’t mean his mother’s words didn’t sting. He needed to understand.

“Mother,” the word left his mouth felt so bitter, as if he was not allowed to say such a word as it carved no meaning for him. He directed a straight gaze at his mother into the eyes. “How long are you going to continue hurting me? Thanks to you, I never had a good childhood. I was raised like a robot with a predetermined future. I wanted to live too, you know. That’s why I