It’s been two days since I opened up to Su Min, two whole days, and I don’t regret it one bit. My heart feels free of a burden after finally opening up to someone that actually cares for me. I feel….lighter, free.

As for my father, I haven’t seen much of him lately. He’s always in his room, not ready to come out after apologizing to me. He’s still drinking, as expected. After seven years of heavy alcoholism you can’t just assume a person could just stop. Even though the bottles still litter the floor, there’s not as much as before. I am grateful that he is making an effort to end his drinking.

When I open the door I am confronted by a …… interesting ……aroma.

“Dammit! Stupid vegetables! Who told you to burn?!” I hear my dad curse from the kitchen.

I follow the sound of clashing pans and dishes to the kitchen and gasp. Smoke fills the room. Dad stands in front of the stove coughing and fanning the pan of….flames? What?

“Dad what are you doing?” I ask bewildered.

My dad’s eyes widen in panic.

“What? You’re home already?” he chokes.

I hurry to the sink and get a cup of water, pouring it into the pan to cease the fire. The flames release a final sizzle before dying out. I squint beyond the smoke in front of me and look down to see multiple black chunks of broccoli (I think). I look at my dad.

He catches my stare and frowns.

“Stupid vegetables don’t know how to cook.” He mutters.

I’m lost of words.

“Were you trying to cook dinner?” I ask

He doesn’t answer but his red cheeks darken a little more.

“What’s it matter? I wanted to make us a nice homemade dinner for once but the stupid beans didn’t turn out right.”

Oh….so they were beans, not broccoli. I suppress my laughter into a mere grin. Dad sneers.

“I knew this was a stupid idea…”

He takes the pan of “beans” and moves toward the trash.

“No!” I quickly take the pan away.

“I’ll eat them.” I say. After all, Dad had gone through the trouble of attempting to make something…for me. It makes me happy that he even thought about it.

He gives me a startled look. “What you talking about boy? Are you crazy? You can’t eat that!”

Before he says anymore, I take out a fork from the drawer and stab into one of the dark blobs. I quickly pop the burnt food into my mouth before I can reconsider the consequences.

 At first I can’t taste anything. The sound of crunching seems to echo in the room. The texture is a little dry but it’s not too bad….

Suddenly, my eyes start to water from the horrid taste of burned vegetation. My teeth refused to break down anymore of the bitterness so I had no choice but to forcefully swallow the mouthful, causing myself to choke. My eyes widened and I started pounding my chest to ease the coughs. The inedible substance was stuck in my throat, I searched desperately for water. Finding none, I put my head under the sink and the faucet. I swallowed the tap water greedily and sighed in relief.

I turn to my father. His eyes stared at me unblinking.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.”  I stammer. “Um… it’s…. good.”

He turns his head down, and his body starts shaking. When he looks up a smile was on his face, a sound of laughter from his lips. He pats me on the back, the first time since I was little. The gesture warms my heart and I laugh with him, happy to have my old father back.

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Su Min’s POV

“I’m happy for you, he’s getting better.”

My fingers tighten around his. We’re sitting underneath the tree right now, enjoying how the autumn breeze blows kisses through our intertwined fingers.

Ren looks down at me and smiles.

“I know.”

A strand of hair blows across my face. Ren carefully moves it behind my ear causing my cheeks to warm. He chuckles and kisses my forehead. I close my eyes and enjoy the way my heart flutters at his touch. His lips slowly move down to my mine, brushing past my eyebrow and cheekbone along the way.

I hum into his kiss and move my hand so that it cupped his cheek.

The school bell rings. Ren groans and reluctantly moves away.

“Time for class again.”

Ren stands up and offers me a hand. I smile and reach up in gratitude. His strong arms pull me up swiftly. He wraps his arm around my waist and we start walking in.

I lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. When I open them I get a feeling that we were being watched. I look at the school window and gasp. A familiar face looks back at me. He grins, sending shivers down my spine. My eyes widen in fear and my heart starts beating rapidly. I tighten my hold on Ren.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

I don’t say anything. When I look back at the window, the man is gone.

“Su Min?”

I shake my head. “No, sorry, it’s nothing….”

My grip on his waist doesn't loosen until we make it into the classroom.

“No….it can’t be. You probably just saw wrong…” I thought desperately as I sat down in my seat.

“Yeah, that’s it. I was just seeing things. There’s no way he could find me here. No way.”

I nod in agreement with myself and open my notebook.

I flip to the first page and almost scream. My arm accidentally knocks down my pencil case. The contents diffuse from the bag. The class goes quiet and all eyes are on me.

“S-sorry….” I say. My face turns pale as my shaky hands reach down to pick up my things. The teacher clears and continues talking.

The pencil I was aiming for bounces off of my finger tips. I curse myself and move closer to pick it up. Someone else does it for me.

“Hey, Su Min, are you okay?” Eun Ji hands me my pencil.

“Y-yeah, I…I’m fine.” I try to keep my voice steady.

She gives me a worried look. “You look really pale. If you’re not feeling well I could bring you home.” She bends down to gather the rest of my pencils.

“No, that’s alright, I’m fine.” I give her a reassuring smile as she hands me my things. “Thanks.”

She looks at me one last time before turning to the teacher. I close my eyes shut and take a deep breath. The air comes out shakily, but I feel a little calmer. I open my eyes and look down. The words in my notebook are still there, staring menancingly as if a reminder to why i had left my old life. I suddenly feel dizzy.

I bite my lip to keep myself from crying. I re-read the neat writing, the cursed penmanship that has haunted me for the past four years. The handwriting of him, the man I came here to run away from.

I look up at the ceiling and try to convince myself that I was just dreaming. Every time I look down the same horror greets my eyes.

I’ve found you, my love.

For the second time today I feel like I’m being watched. I look around the room. Everyone was writing in their journals. I slowly turn my eyes to the door and catch a flash of blue. A tear rolls down my cheek.

He’s really here.

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Ohhh

Sorry I haven't written in  while. Finals were coming so I had to study ;(

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