Outside of her room, Ah-Ri’s parents are in an awkward silence. After shuffling down the carpeted stairs, they sit themselves down on a velvet couch, not caring about any wrinkles in their clothes for once.

“What have we done,” the mother murmurs quietly, twisting her wedding ring on her finger, “to our daughter?”

“It’s not your fault honey. It was probably that girl she used to be friends with, and that boy too. Rolling around in the mud,” the father says, attempting to comfort his wife. His face contorts in slight disgust when he mentions the two children that Ah-Ri used to visit.

On the other hand, Ah-Ri’s mom shakes her head, covering her face with her palms. “But she was so happy back then.” Her normally loud and clear voice is muffled by her skin.

“Why can’t she appreciate this? Why can’t she see that I’m giving her all this, so she can be happy?” the mother continues, glancing back up at the stairs to her daughter’s bedroom tentatively. 

Ah-Ri’s dad sighs, placing larger hands on the mother’s shoulders. “Believe me when I say that it’s not your fault. She’s been, well, exposed to bad influences.” He scratches the back of his head, gray hair not completely visible due to hair dyes. “Out of control.”

“But so happy.”

“Wild.”

“But fierce.”

“And loud.”

They both chuckle, the memories of Ah-Ri’s childhood flooding back to them. They’re not complete villains, nor are they complete allies. In fact, they both just want the best for Ah-Ri, and in their own minds, the best for her is to live a safe and sound life, albeit restricted slightly. In a way, they want her to stay under their ‘wings’ forever.

It’s just that they have to go through stricter methods, and the only person that questions them is their daughter.

Like before, the father is the first one to snap out of the trance. His brows furrow together, creating the impression that he has a uni brow  “That was in the past.”

The mother massages her temples, lying down against her husband’s shoulders. “I know.”

“We can’t go soft on her anymore. No more empty threats, no more unwanted tolerance for these activities. We have to take action.”

She shifts her gaze to him. “Hm?”

As he digs through his pockets to pull out a phone, he finishes. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Light is a shocking glow to Ah-Ri. Brown orbs shut themselves close until they hesitatingly undo the action. It’s still bright, but it’s much more tolerable now. Feeling as though all her limbs are made of lead, she forces herself off the bed, trudging over to the bathroom connected to her room. Throwing the door open, she immediately makes her way to the mirror.

“Just as I feared,” she groans, stretching uncomfortable.

Most of the time, her skin is a clean shade of peach, no bags or wrinkles, pimples nonexistent to her face. This is because of her active lifestyle. Exercising almost excessively to keep healthy, eating balanced meals several tall glasses of water, showering twice a day, and reading whenever free time appears, has kept her lean and clear. Waking up this particular time shows a significant difference.

Ah-Ri leans closer to the mirror. Blotches of red on her cheeks and eyes area, a rash on the end of her jaw, and the puffiness of her lids gives no way to the radiance that normally shines through. Opening while poking a finger to her tongue, she finds that her breath isn’t as fresh as it should have been.

“What did I do…” Ah-Ri trails off. She suddenly remembers the argument, her tears, hot and salty, streaming down her face like a river. The way she curled up in a fetal position and sobbed as quietly as she could into her pillow. The girl balls her fists, hating that that even happened. She had showed weakness, vulnerability to her parents torments.

Always wanting to ‘help’ her, always trying to change her, always always always damaging any true sort of friendship she made. She knows that they want what’s best for her, but they’re ruining her life. Once, she had convinced herself that these feelings were something of a phase, but now, she is sure that freedom, independence is what she needs.

She needs to prove herself even further, and there is no question about it.