"34 out of 100?!"

 

Her appa's booming voice caused Nicole to wince.

She had gone up ten points from the last test--and this was with an upcoming audition, too! Of course, she didn't dare mention this to him; she recognized the danger that the throbbing veins in his neck and forehead signified. The last time that she had seen her appa this upset (which was on her last test), she had ended up having to run away for a week to avoid getting hit. Even back then, he hadn't hesitated to give her a hard smack when she returned home at the end of the week.

 

"What do you have to say for yourself?" he demanded. 

 

"Yeobo, please calm down," a woman's voice interrupted.

 

Nicole whirled around at the sound of her umma's voice, feeling a wave of relief wash over her at the sight of her dear umma standing by the doorway.

 

"Calm down? Calm down? What-how-how in the world do you expect me to calm down?" Nicole's appa spluttered. "Look at this! 34! Out of 100! She couldn't even get half of these questions right!"

 

"Yes, but--"

 

"AAHHH!" Nicole let out a shriek as her appa grabbed hold of her left ear and yanked her toward him. From up close, the throbbing veins in his neck and forehead looked even more terrifying. "Appa, let go! You're hurting me!"

 

"YEOBO!" her umma screamed, rushing forward.

 

"Well, your terrible score hurts my heart," he retorted, using his other hand to crumple up her test and then throwing the paper ball in her face. "Who do you think is in more pain here?"

 

"You let go of your daughter this instant!"

 

"OWWW!" her appa immediately let go of her ear when his wife angrily pinched him.

 

Rubbing her poor red ear, Nicole ran into her umma's protective arms. 

 

"How many times have I told you not to lay your hands on her? We use our words to discipline in the Jung household, not our hands!" 

 

"This pacifist attitude of yours is the reason why she's so out of control!"

 

"She's a teenager!" Nicole's umma exploded. "What do you expect? Do you really think that academics is her main interest right now? She's still young."

 

Yeah, Umma! You go and tell it to Appa! Nicole silently cheered.

 

"Well, when I was young--"

 

"Oh, boy," Nicole muttered under her breath. She rolled her eyes as she thought to herself, here we go again with another one of his stories about how he was a self-made man. 

 

But her appa was cut short when it was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. His secretary peered in nervously.

 

"What is it?" her appa snapped, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

 

"Ahh, Mr. Jung, your meeting starts in fifteen minutes," the secretary said in an apologetic tone, bowing his head slightly.

 

Adjusting his tie, Nicole's appa cleared his throat loudly before speaking again. "Very well. Prepare the car."

 

"Yes, sir! Immediately, sir!"

 

With a deep bow, the secretary retreated back into the corridor, and the Jung family listened to his footsteps recede before Nicole's appa hissed sharply to both his wife and daughter, "This conversation is not over. We'll finish it when I return."

 

He then his heel and stomped out of the room.

 

With a sigh, Nicole slid out of her umma's arms.

 

"That was close--"

 

"Nicole, was your appa telling the truth? Did you really get less than half right on your test?" her umma asked worriedly. She bent down to pick up the crumpled test before Nicole could protest. Nicole watched her umma unfold the crinkled ball and smooth it against her dress. Her umma drew in her breath sharply. "34 out of 100?! Yongjoo ah!"

 

Nicole smiled sheepishly. Her umma meant business whenever she used Nicole's Korean name.

 

"Well... it is ten points higher than last time."

 

"Yongjoo," her umma said warningly. 

 

"Whatttt? I did study this time," Nicole protested.

 

"Your test seems to say otherwise!"

 

"Then I'll ace it next time--I promise!"

 

"You also made that same promise last time," her umma said wearily rubbing her temples. 

 

"Umma, I mean it. I'll be good." 

 

She hoped that the expression on her face was as earnest as all of those times that she had spent practicing in front of the mirror. 

 

"Alright, fine. Then you prove it to me and go to your room to study right now, okay?"

 

"Right now?" Nicole repeated. Her eyes darted towards the clock on the wall beside her umma. Her audition would start in less than an hour, and it would take her at least half an hour to get there by car, and once she got there, she'd still need at least fifteen minutes for doing vocal exercises to warm up...

 

"Yes, now." Her umma narrowed her eyes. "Is there something else that's more important than your promise to your umma?"

 

"Well..."

 

"Yongjoo!"

 

"I'm sorry, Umma! The truth is that there's an audition today--"

 

"Oh, not again with this whole idol dream of yours!" her umma moaned, but Nicole rushed forth with her words.

 

"--and it's going to be the last one this year, and if I miss this one, then that means that I'll have to wait over half a year for the next one! It's a really esteemed company, and they rarely ever hold open auditions! This is my chance, Umma!"

 

Her umma folded her arms across her chest, seeming to think hard for a moment. Nicole's eyes darted back to the clock again. The seconds were ticking past so quickly...

 

"I can tolerate your not focusing on school at this point in your life, but that's only if I know that it's because you're pursuing a passion of yours--"

 

"But music is my passion."

 

"No! This dream of yours to become an idol... It's absolutely ridiculous," her umma snapped. Her words, dripping with disdain, left even Nicole shocked. "It has absolutely nothing to do with true musicianship; it's just an excuse to not achieve anything in your life and to just dress and dance inappropriately in front of thousands of people that admire nothing more than your looks! And what happens when your looks fade, huh? The idol life doesn't last forever! You'll have thousands of younger girls eager to take your place before you're even ready to be replaced!"

 

Nicole gritted her teeth, waiting for her umma to say more. Although she knew that her umma had never taken her singing dreams seriously, she still couldn't help feeling both hurt and angered upon hearing her umma's true thoughts.

 

"You are not going to that audition, and that is final."

 

Her eyes widening with horror, Nicole started to protest, "But Umma--"

 

"No buts!" 

 

"Umma, you're supposed to be on my side!"

 

"Yongjoo ah, this isn't about sides anymore. This is your future that we're talking about here!" her umma snapped.

 

"You're right," Nicole said slowly, her voice low. "It's my future."

 

"Exactly."

 

"That means that it's in my hands, not yours. And definitely not Appa's."

 

"JUNG YONGJOO!"

 

Nicole ignored her umma's shouts as she ran past her and out the door. She glanced down at her wristwatch as she quickly made her way down the corridor. She had only forty five minutes left to get to the audition...