♬ | Beast/B2ST “Lightless” | ♬

Byunghun stepped out onto their front porch with Eunmi following closely behind. She gently closed the door behind her so her parents wouldn’t hear her leaving to Byunghun out of their house.

As soon as the door was safely shut behind her Eunmi groaned out loud and gave Byunghun a really apologetic look when saying,

“I’m really sorry about my parents, they really shouldn’t have said such things and they’re just being overprotective. Even though I don’t think they have the right to be.” She added the last part quietly, hoping her boyfriend didn’t hear it. Eunmi was beyond embarrassed by her parent’s rude actions and wished they never came back from their vacation for another year or so. Byunghun scratched the back of his head, not sure of what to make of the situation at hand seeing as it’s a first. He sighed and brought Eunmi in for a hug.

She stood there for a brief second, wide-eyed at his sudden action wondering why he suddenly pulled her into an embrace.

But nonetheless her arms went up and wrapped themselves around his waist, both of them standing in each other’s arms. The hug was comforting for the both of them and they both were content with the moment, wishing it could remain that way for just a minute longer.

Byunghun rested his chin on top of her head and blew up his cheeks in a cute manner before saying,

“Don’t apologize, all parents say everything for a reason. I’m sure-” He was interrupted when Mr. Kwon’s voice was heard yelling from the inside,

“Eunmi where are you?” Eunmi sighed at her father’s impeccable timing. As Eunmi let go of Byunghun he gently placed a lingering kiss on her forehead before turning.

“I’ll call you.” Eunmi said and Byunghun gave her a smile before walking down her lawn. She looked to see him put on his helmet before he swung one foot over his motorcycle. She opened her door and walked inside, frozen in place when her parents were standing before her with their arms crossed over their chest.

They’re mad.

Just as things couldn’t have gotten worse, Byunghun’s motorcycle engine decided to be ten times louder today as it was clearly heard directly outside their house as he was leaving their street. Her father looked as if he was going to explode, his face a perfect shade of volcano red.

Her mother had a mortified look, as if she’s just seem a ghost before saying,

“Eunmi please tell me you haven’t driven with him on that … that dangerous death trap?” Their daughter could only look to the side, suddenly finding interest in the wall’s faded color. Her father scoffed and said,

“What next, you’re going to tell us he has a tattoo?” Eunmi couldn’t stand her parent’s harsh words towards her boyfriend any longer and she finally managed to talk back.

“Weren’t you guys always teaching me to not judge a book by its cover? Why are you all being such hypocrites when you don’t even know the type of person Byung- L.Joe is?” She said, quickly changing his name to the one they know him by. Eunmi was slowly getting blinded by rage and fury, a million comebacks floating through her mind readying her to fight for her relationship she so desperately tried to obtain with Byunghun.

Mrs. Kwon‘s eyes softened at her daughter. She knew Eunmi was an obedient child, one that any parent could only dream of having. She was beautiful, smart, talented, and so loving. So when her beloved daughter spoke out against them, a small part of her knew that she had a strong reason for doing so.

Yet regardless of that, the elderly couple stood their ground and refused to believe the nonsense that was spouting from their daughter’s lips, believing the purple-haired rebel has only brainwashed their innocent child.

“Honey, L.Joe is a fine … friend that I have no trouble with if that’s as far as your relationship goes with him. But anything beyond that I do not approve of.” Her father said, trying to seek reason with Eunmi. Eunmi could only squint her eyes in disbelief, fighting back saying,

“You were both talking perfectly fine a minute ago! Why is it that as soon as I told you that he was my boyfriend you both shunned him?”

“Because we don’t approve of him. How do you expect a parent to say ok to passing on their daughter to someone who drives a motorcycle, has purple hair, has his ears pierced twice, and looks like he’s from a street gang?” The last part was clearly exaggerated, seeing as Byunghun wore no overly large chains and anything else her parent’s might envision a ‘gangster’ to be. He had his own fashion and sense of style that was edgy and cool, completely different from a beggar on the street’s selling a bunch of drugs.

“You’ve seen how polite and well-mannered he was today and he’s so much more than you see him through your clouded eyes. Why is it-” Eunmi began, her voice going higher and higher in volume until her father finally exploded and said,

“Kwon Eunmi that is quite enough of your misbehavior! Go to your room, this discussion is over.” His word was final, almost challenging her to say anything after him. She knew better than to take on that challenge. If she was to try and convince them, she had better listen right now.

She bit her bottom lip to restrain it from saying any words she might regret later and ran upstairs, slamming the door behind her in an act of defiance.

She landed on her soft bed and took out her phone, dialing the number that’s already been engraved into her memory.

“Yobseyo?” Byunghun answered on the third ring, the opening of a lock heard in the background.

“Hey, did you just get home?” Eunmi asked, sniffling back some tears. She didn’t know whether the tears were from anger or sadness, not really sure of where her emotions were leading her to at that moment.

“Yeah I did, what are you stalking me now?” Byunghun joked, tossing his keys onto his coffee table. He the lights one by one and went into the kitchen, looking for a cold drink to cool him down from the outside heat. Eunmi giggled but you could tell in her voice, something was up. He was no exception and noticed it quicker than any of her friends even brothers would’ve noticed. Byunghun stopped looking through the fridge and shut it closed, giving his full attention to his girlfriend.

“What’s wrong Eunmi?” Eunmi couldn’t help but smile to herself, knowing full-well that Byunghun would’ve been the first one to notice something was up by the way of her tone.

Just as she was about to reply her door opened and there stood her father marching up to her.

Her eyes grew wide as she knew what he was planning on doing. But the realization hit her late and before she could turn her back to him, before she could even say goodbye to Byunghun on the phone, her father managed to snatch her phone away from her.

“Dad no!” Eunmi exclaimed, watching in disbelief as her father turned off her phone and placed it inside his pants pocket, away from her reach.

“It’s best if you cease contact with the boy.” He said in a parental tone. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing and Eunmi finally couldn’t hold in her rage and replied,

“How would you know what’s best for me? How would you even know what’s best for this family when you and mom have been gone for two whole years because of that stupid lottery! Do you know how much you’ve missed out on?

Poor Niel had to stand there alone on stage in front of everyone for a good ten minutes before the teachers realized his so-called parents wouldn’t come up to the podium to give him his certificate for graduating middle school!

I had to wait for two hours in the dark after my piano recital every day for a year, waiting for C.A.-Min Soo to come pick me up after his work once my recital was finished because I didn’t know how to get back home by bus.

Heck I can’t believe Min Soo doesn’t hold a grudge against you guys for not attending his high school graduation! It’s a wonder Ricky and ChangJo don’t even hate you guys for-”

“Kwon Eunmi you stop right this instant! I have half a mind to simply lock you in your room the remaining summer!” Her father exploded; his face crimson red and his hands balled into fists at his sides. Her mother came into the room after all the shouting and Eunmi looked at her mother, hoping that she’d side with her one and only daughter in the matter just this once.

“You should continue focusing on your studies.” Her mother said in a flat tone before her and her father left her room, closing the door behind them.