"Yah, why did I get a message saying you didn't show up at school?" Jewels asked me as I was playing Tetris on my laptop. 

 

"Something came up," I simply replied as she deeply exhaled. 

 

"And what would that be?" she asked while crossing her arms, leaning against the door frame. 

 

"I was helping someone out and was late for school, so I decided to skip," I honestly said. She came in the room and sat on the edge of the bed. 

 

"Ailee, please, for me just try to go to school. I know you hate it, but you don't want to live a crappy life with no education," she said with seriousness. "Your parents are counting on me to help you, I don't want to put them down nor do you want to."

 

I sighed and nodded, "I'll try."

 

"I'm counting on it," she said and got up, closing the door behind her. Those words "I'll try," brought me back to the promise I made with Soojung unnie. 

 

"I don't want to put them down, but they're always the one putting me and unnie down," I softly said while looking at the closed door. I then felt tears forming in my eyes. Everything I've said about coming to Korea was only half the truth. 

 

~~~FLASHBACK~~~

 

I came back home with bruises and cuts on my face from a fight I got into with a group of girls. My mother didn't say anything because she didn't want to get into an argument with me. My father on the other hand grew furious. 

 

"Why the hell did you get into another fight? Was it over a boy? Money? Popularity?" he asked with fierce eyes. "Someone like you won't ever get a good education or a suitable husband. With all those bruises and cuts on your face you can't get a decent man to love you and with that attitude of yours, no one will be able to stand it!"

 

"Yeobo," my mother softly said to him, tugging his sleeve. 

 

"You might as well give up and live on the streets like your sister!" he shouted with rage. 

 

"Unnie, had a good education-"

 

"Not until she got pregnant with that reckless bastard," my father firmly said. 

 

"Appa, you don't understand. Unnie had a good education, she was accepted into the best school in the world, but because of you she slowly stopped caring about her career," I firmly said as he was now over the top pissed. 

 

"So you're putting the blame on me?!" he yelled as I swallowed hard. 

 

"If you and umma supported her then she would have been able to create a good family and have your dream accomplished!!" I shouted back, earning a hard slap from him. 

 

"You will follow what I say, you hear me?!" he said firmly as I had hot tears form in my eyes. "You will go live with my sister Jaekyung in Korea to earn a decent education. Once you prove to me that you'll be able to have at least some common sense in that tiny brain of yours, you will not lay a foot in this house."

 

"Yeobo, that's too much. We can't leave her in Korea," my mother said. I let a tear drop and I ran up to my room, slamming the door behind me. I heard movement in my bathroom and I went in there to see Soojung. 

 

"Unnie," I said now crying as she pulled me in for a hug. 

 

"Did you get into another fight? Was it about me again?" she asked as I nodded. She set me on the closed toilet and took out my first aid kit from the cabinet. "Don't let their words get to you. You're strong, I'm strong, we'll be able to endure it."

 

"But unnie. You don't know what they call you," I cried as she brushed my hair back. 

 

"Don't cry Ailee," she said and kissed my forehead. She applied medicine on my wounds and put bandages on it. She then noticed my slap mark and tears formed in her eyes. "Did Appa do this?"

 

I slowly nodded and looked down to the floor. She held my hand and pulled me in for a hug. 

 

"Please, for me don't cause anymore trouble. I don't want you to get hurt Ailee," she said, crying. "Please."

 

"I'll try," I softly said as she shook her head. 

 

"I don't want you to try," she said with red eyes. "Promise me you'll get a good education and make me proud."

 

"Promise," I said and we interlocked pinkies. "Does umma and appa know you had a miscarriage?"

 

She shook her head and sniffled. "They don't need to know, I'm no longer their child."

 

"Unnie..." I softly said, on the verge of sobbing. 

 

"I'll get going," she said getting up when I grabbed her wrist. 

 

"Please stay the night with me unnie, I need you," I cried as she softly took my hands away from her wrist. 

 

"I'm sorry," she said and used the bathroom window to leave. 

 

-------------

 

Days later, after seeing my sister that night, she had committed suicide. She couldn't take it anymore and so she decided to take her life. I cried every night. My parents didn't seem to care though. It was almost like they were glad she had left this world of theirs, like she was never with us in the first place. I grew furious with them that I become more stubborn and more disobedient. I got into more fights than I could think of and I argued with my parents more than ever. They even grew scared of me.

 

"You're our only daughter left, we can only depend on you to make our family keep our image," my father said, avoiding eye contact. "You're officially moving to Korea to live with Jewels."

 

I was going to reject it and oppose, but I remembered the promise I made with Soojung unnie. So I agreed and packed my things up to leave, to leave them and all the bad memories I've made in my hometown. 

 

~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~

 

I wiped off the tears that had fallen and looked at the clock to see it was only 9PM. I decided to take a stroll in the neighborhood, so I tip-toed out my room to the living room and left the building. The cool breeze felt nice against my face as I walked down the streets. I walked around when I saw a group of guys approach my way. They were wearing caps and honestly, for the first time, I was scared. I pulled my hood over my head and walked through them when one of them grabbed my wrist. My heart raced scared. 

 

"Why do we always bump into each other?" the guy asked and I was able to identify who it was. I didn't know his name, but I knew his face. I turned around and saw that tall guy smirk down at me, but then his face softened once he saw me. I guess my eyes were puffy and red, meaning I was crying. 

 

"Are you okay?" he asked with a soft voice, that actually was soothing. "Did I say something earlier to make you cry?"

 

I shook my head and loosened myself from his grip. "Just leave me alone, will you?"

 

I walked away when I heard the "angel's" voice say, "Excuse me."

 

I turned around to see his face, worried. "Why don't you come with us? You shouldn't be out alone."

 

I shook my head and gave him a weak smile, "Its fine. I'm heading home anyways."

 

"Then we'll walk you home," he said approaching me. He was now only a few inches away from me and I could see his perfect face smile at me. "I don't want to see you get hurt, we'll send you home."

 

I just stared at him and followed the boys. I didn't talk to either of them and just walked behind them. The angel face boy slowed down, so he could walk besides me. 

 

"Why do you look so down?" he asked as I snapped out from my thoughts. 

 

"Oh...I just...it's nothing," I said and we walked in silence. The boys up ahead were laughing hysterically and I noticed they were heading to Jewels unnie's apartment building. 

 

"You don't have to tell me anything, but if you don't mind, we're dropping off some things at our noona's place," he said with a sweet smile. I returned a smile and we entered our apartment building. We had to use separate elevators, so I was stuck with tall, golden haired guy and the angel face with 2 other guys. I could feel someone watching me from behind, but the only one behind me was the tall guy. I don't know why, but the whole entire walk to the apartment building I noticed him stealing glances at me, like he was checking up on me. I then noticed we reached my floor to Jewels apartment and we got off walking to her door.

 

"How did you know where I lived?" I asked them as they knocked on the door. 

 

"What are you talking about?" they all chorused. The door flung open and Jewels looked at me with wide eyes, happy. She hugged me once she saw me, earning murmurs from the boys. 

 

"Ailee, where did you run off to? I was worried!" she said almost crying. 

 

"Noona, you know her?" one boy with a creepy look asked. 

 

"My poor little niece, did you try to runaway?" Jewels asked, hugging me tighter. 

 

"NIECE?!?!?" they all shouted in the hallway.