She directed the cab driver to bring her to a particular address. It was a twenty minute drive (without traffic) from her brother's to her parent's for they lived in the same district. While her brother lived in a condominium, her parents lived in a private estate where only a few of Korea's best resided. The houses there were humongous and luxurious. The place was well developed as well and would be able to accommodate more people, but only seven families lived in the so-called village; the seven families who had the place built. It had a golf course within it, and even a country club. She wanted to be sick. 'It's such a wasteful lifestyle," she thought to herself. She thought it was vain, having something that huge built for only a handful of people to put their mansions in, but what could she do? She was only a girl, only the daughter.

 

They drove silently and like a whole in a wall, the entrance finally showed. If you didn't know where to go, you could've gotten lost. Silence was a comfortable factor during the cab ride to her parent's place but the moment they reached the gate, the driver wondered why they were there. 

 

"Miss, this is the private residence of--" he started, but she cut him off.

 

"I know. You can just stop here," she told him as she looked at the high gates, then at the CCTV camera suddenly directed at them.

 

"Here," she said giving him money for their cab drive.

 

The cab driver took it but was shocked when he counted how much she gave.

 

"Miss, this is too much--" he started and she cut him off again.

 

"It's fine. Keep it." She gave him a polite smile, then took her leave. Money would never be an issue now.

 

 

Before she was even able to buzz the doorbell, a man in uniform came to open the gate. He came quickly since he was trained not to let any of the people who entered wait.

 

He was a long-time guard, and he knew every member of each family who lived here. It was his job to know, and they were only a handful of people anyway. It was no surprise that he knew her but it was a surprise to see her here. See, even he knew about the deal she had made. Word travels fast around this place.

 

"Miss, why are you alone? And why are you walking?" He said.

 

She greeted the familiar face and just told him that she wanted to.

 

"You can wait here. I can have a car called for you," he told her. Yes, she was always treated with such fragility within this area.

 

"That won't be necessary, but thank you." She told him. He tried persuading her, but she didn't give in and finally, after much hesitation, he just let her. She gave him her thanks and left.

 

 

The moment she got to the entrance of her house, the butlers rushed to let her in. The maids lined up on each side of her as she walked inside, waiting on her hand and foot. Even though she told them it wasn't necessary they still wouldn't budge.

 

"Of course, you were trained not to." She scoffed.

 

The maid closest to her bowed and said "I'm sorry, Miss Park."

 

She stopped and turned around, looking at all of them. She saw fear and restraint in the people around her. There was a certain stiffness in the air. She softened at the sight and realized that again, they were only doing what they were told to do.

 

Whenever her parents weren't around, they were much more free and less stressed. It was only she and her siblings who would be around, and they didn't like making the lives of the help difficult. But, when her parents were around, they were always like this; like robots waiting for the next command.

 

"Don't be, you were just doing your job after all." She told them.

 

The maid nodded and Summer asked "Where are they?" She was referring to her parents.

 

"In the parlor, Miss." The maid said.

 

"Thank you," Summer told her and turned to take her leave.

 

 

She remembered the parlor. That was one of her favorite places as a child for that was where she and her dad played. She remembered riding his back like he was a horse, and he would play along. She remembered sitting on his lap and drawing him pictures. She remembered eating the most delicious cookies here and drinking them with warm milk in her favorite Winnie the Pooh mug. He would always say that the chef made it but she knew, he was the one who baked the world's best chocolate chip cookies. She caught him baking once in the middle of the night and nobody else knew, so they've kept it a secret between them both since then.

 

Yes, all these happy memories with dad yet one decision seemed to ruin it all. She knew he was a busy man, yet he always tried to make time for her. She accepted that these were the dynamics of her family. But she hated how much her mother overpowered her father at home, and that changed everything for her. She was subjected to arranged marriages for crying out loud, and he wouldn't say no! Though he was still her father, she couldn't take away the fact that he would let that happen. She was hurt; that hurt would always stay and no matter how hard he'd try to make up for it, it would be there forever. And he knew.

 

 

She arrived at the parlor and opened the door. The two figures having afternoon tea turned to look at her.

 

"Sweetheart," her mother crooned.

 

"What brings you here?" She asked Summer.

 

She stiffened and her breath caught. The pools were starting to form in her eyes but she held them back. she had to say something since she was here for only one reason.

 

"I've had my fun, mother." She said and looked at her mother straight in the eye.

 

"Really.. Two years and now you tell me you've had your fun? I haven't even seen the man you've come to fancy. Are you sure?" Her mother said in a mocking tone as if she was right. The sad thing was, her mother really was right. She should have just listened; it could have saved her the heartbreak.

 

"I'm positive," she answered in a cold tone.

 

"You're really back, you say?" Her mother asked again. Why couldn't she just take her yes as a yes??

 

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't, would I?" She decided to answer her mother's question with a question to which her mother smiled.

 

"...Perfect. I suppose I should give my friend a call." Her mother said and stood up. She walked over to where Summer was standing and stopped.

 

"Not even so much as a hello, darling. Haven't I taught you anything?" She told her daughter.

 

"I'm sorry. Hello, mom. How are you?" She said and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. She was being sarcastic of course. Inside, she was bitter and spiteful and angry.

 

"That was much better, sweetheart. Make yourself at home. You're finally back." Then her mother left.

 

Summer was still by the doorway when her father, quiet throughout the whole scene, finally spoke up.

 

"What happened to you--" he started but she didn't want to hear any of it.

 

"Nothing, dad." She said.

 

"You don't have to meet anyone this soon. I can always tell your mother--" he said, but she cut him off again.

 

"You and mom can do whatever you want. I'm going to my room." And with that, she left the parlor.

 

 

------

 

 

She stayed in her room the whole day; she never left it. Her siblings called a couple of times but she didn't feel like answering any of their calls and anyway, her parents would tell them she was safe at home.

 

'Home,' she scoffed. Home is where you're supposed to feel happy, not a place where you feel trapped.

 

Dinner was brought up to her, but she wouldn't even touch it. There was nothing she wanted to do but lie in bed and think. She thought about Jiyong even though she knew she shouldn't. The life she had with him was gone forever, and even though he did something wrong, it still hurt her that she knew they'd never be together. She thought about who she was going to be set up with now; she had no clue who.

 

She tried to sleep but couldn't.

 

11pm...

 

12 midnight...

 

1 am...

 

It started raining outside; it was pouring really hard. Everything about it here just got her so depressed. She needed to walk; she needed to get out of her room.

 

She found herself wandering through the house, until finally she reached the parlor.

 

She immediately went under the table like she did when she was a little girl. She did that whenever she was scared, and the habbit never really left her.

 

She started crying. She cried because she was scared she didn't know what tomorrow had in store for her. She cried because she missed Jiyong. She cried because nothing would be the same anymore but in the midst of her crying, she saw two feet by the table.

 

The person bent down, and she looked him in the eyes. It was her dad, and he held out a plate of his famous chocolate chip cookies in front of him.

 

She kept quiet and wouldn't come out. She just stared at him.

 

He set the plate down in front of her and then sat down on the floor. He smiled and said "You know you used to do that when you were a kid, and you wouldn't come out until we got cookies from the cook downstairs." and then winked they both knew it wasn't the cook who baked them. 

 

Then he frowned because he couldn't guess why his little girl was crying.

 

"Won't you come out? Tell Dad all about it?" He asked; she came out, with a cookie already in , and sat beside him.

 

"What's wrong, Sweetheart?" He asked her again. After swallowing the cookie, she looked for the milk that always came with it, and just like always, it was on top of the table. She took a gulp and then put it back. It was stupid, crying and eating, but that's what she did.

 

He asked her what was wrong, but she just shook her head no.

 

"You won't tell me?" he asked her again.

 

She finally spoke. "It's nothing." she said.

 

"How can it be nothing when you're crying?" He told her.

 

"Fine, we broke up dad." She said.

 

"I'm so sorry, Summer--" he apologized but then...

 

"Are you really? because if you were, you wouldn't force me to marry someone I don't even know!" She told him, with a temper in her voice.

 

"Sweetheart, we're only doing this to ensure that you'll be taken--" He started reasoning out but she cut him off, for the Nth time today.

 

"--cared of. I know, dad. I know." she said spitefully.

 

 

"For what it's worth though, I wish you two had never broken up."

 

This caught her attention. She looked at her dad in utter shock.

 

"You would have had your chance at being your own person. I just want you to be happy. I wished that you'd never come back here like that. Honestly, I thought the next time I'd see you was when you'd tell us that you were engaged." He said.

 

This brought a new wave of tears to Summer, and she dove right into her dad. She hugged him and cried, right now she needed her father and she was glad that he was there.

 

"It's okay, sweetie. It's okay." He'd tell her, but she knew that it wasn't.

 

"His name's Jiyong. He was really nice. He took care of me, and he made me laugh. You would've liked him, D-dad. He was just so charming. b-b-but.." she started talking.

 

"He.. he ch-cheated o-on m-m-me." She managed to stutter as she wiped her eyes.

 

"Wh-why does it h-hurt so m-m-much, D-dad?" She asked him.

 

"because you loved him, Sweetheart." he told her. It was moments like these where he didn't like being a dad. It showed him that his kids were growing up. It showed him that...there would be other significant people in their lives. But worst of all, it showed him that they were hurting, and he didn't like it when his children were hurt.

 

He sat there beside her, comforting her, telling her that things would be okay. Things were going to be okay, just not this soon.

 

"T-tomorro-ow, I'll meet my fiance, right? I'll be nice to him...f-for y-you D-dad." she said.

 

"You only w-want to t-t-take c-care of me. Th-that's why you're doing this." She told him through her tears. He nodded.

 

 

"Thank you, for being so strong, Summer. Please, trust me when I say that things will get better, because they will." She hugged her dad because that's what she needed. Despite all they've been through, he was still the strongest person she ever knew, and she trusted him. So she had to be strong too, because this was just a phase. She would get over this, and everything would be alright; or at least, she hoped they would.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a/n

So she's finally there. O_o I wonder who her mystery man will be... :> 

Thank you again for all the comments and subs! :)

Also, it's gray because that isn't their present time. All of what's happening, is happening during their time apart. /whooops.