"Can I meet with you...please?" I asked her. I gave Seung Hyun a disconcerting look from where I stood in our bedroom as the prolonged silence followed my question.

"Okay," she said. "I'll meet with you." We both hung up and I fell to the foot of the bed where he was sitting and let him embrace me. It was as if comfort physically exuded from him, giving me strength and calm all at once. Seung Hyun didn't say a word, he just patted my head softly in that quiet bedroom of ours. The sun had now come up, its rays coming in strong once we had opened the blinds up. We had let Nara leave us so she could get ready to go to school, but she didn't leave before she made us promise not to tell Imo and dad. She wanted to tell them herself when she was ready.

"I need to tell Imo the truth," I told him.

"Everything?"

"Everything." Seung Hyun smiled at me and rubbed my arm.

"I'm proud of you."

"You sure you won't come with me?" I asked him again.

"I think even you know that this is for you and Imo to sort out, just the two of you. I'll be right at home, waiting for you."

"I don't know if I can do it."

"You can Shin Ae, you can do anything for Nara."

Imo had on a beautiful floral dress when she walked into the restaurant. It wasn't too bright, it didn't seek attention, but it brought them on anyway simply because she made them look ethereal. Her gentle eyes were filled with peace and sadness and weariness, as if they held years of stories of grief that life brings. She was only 42, I forget that sometimes. 

"Thank you for coming," I told her.

"I had hoped that you would call, honestly," she said in return. "So thank you for calling me."

"I... I want to know why. Is it because of me?"

"No. Shin Ae, if it was because of you I would have left him years ago. I love your father."

"Then why?"

"Why?" Imo looked at me and gave me a smile. Like she was trying to comfort me. I blinked in confusion. "It's because life is too short," she continued. "There's so many things to do in this world, and I can't do it being married to your father. I don't know if you've noticed Shin Ae, but being in this family takes away your freedom."

"I know."

"Sorry, of course you would know," Imo said, as if realising how silly her words were. "You're his daughter."

"No," I told her. "I know because my mum felt it too." And now it was her turn to be dumbfounded. I've never brought up my mother before, never talked about her with anyone except Seung Hyun. Only he knew the truth, and now it was time to let Imo know as well.

"When my mum died, she died unhappy." I took a sip of my cup of tea to clear my throat and continued. "But don't get me wrong, mum was so happy with me and with dad...until she wasn't. Until every night they fought because dad had work and business partners and parents and mum and me, but all she had was him. And she was stuck with his friends and their wives and his events and his world, and my mum didn't like it one bit. But like you Imo, she loved my dad, so much."

"Shin Ae..."

"I didn't know that until I was much older, but I know it now. Sometimes I blame my dad for it, I know I shouldn't be but I just feel like I had to put my resentment and bitterness somwhere. And then you came into our home, and that hate spilled over to you as well. There's no logic to it, maybe because I saw you be happy in a place where my mum couldn't. Anyway, it was wrong of me...and I'm sorry. It doesn't make up for all these years, but I want to apologise."

"There is logic though," she said. "I did replace your mum, or I tried to at least. The feelings you have towards me aren't unfounded... but I accept your apology. It means a lot to me, thank you. And thank you for telling me about your mother." I nodded, unsure of what to say next.

"... I want to take Nara wherever she wants to go. Let her do what she wants to do," Imo continued. "She hasn't seen the world."

"And I guess neither have you." Imo began to to play with her hands which were resting on her lap, trying to carefully form the words that would she would soon say.

"I think it's much too late for that. I've spent the last 15 years trying to mold myself into someone I am not, and now I'm counting down the days until my daughter will no longer be with me. Even if I saw the most beautiful things that the world can offer, what meaning will it have for me?" My eyes widened. This isn't good. These were the words of a woman who had lost all reason in living. But why am I, the person who has turned a cold shoulder towards her all her life, the one hearing this? Why was she saying these words to me?

"I can't help you," I told her. "And I can't tell you that things will get better because it might not be true."

"I appreciate the honesty," she said with a small smile.

"But, just like you told me the other day about you and dad... can you tell me again when you decide things? I want to know."

"Shin Ae, you..."

"I'm not going to be bossy and judge or anything, I just want to know, if that's okay. Regardless of what happens with dad." She looked into my eyes, as if searching for the sarcasm or cynism that lay hidden beneath my words, until she couldn't find any. I was telling the truth. I wasn't going to treat her like a mother, I probably never will, but I was going to treat her like a human and I was definitely going to treat her like Nara's mother and all the respect that came with that title.

"Okay," she replied. "I'll tell you."

Imo left first, leaving me alone with my cold tea. I watched as she sped away in the black sedan and as soon as the car was out of view I exhausted a large breath. I wasn't sure if she could survive without Nara, especially if Dad was no longer there. Everyone needs someone. Did she have any friends? Family? I don't even remember the last time she left the house for her own benefit.

My phone vibrated on the table. It was Seung Hyun.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"I guess so."

"Should I pick you up?"

"It's okay, I can take the subway. How's script reading going?"

"Not going at all. I get distracted easily apparently."

"You don't say," I chuckled. I could bet anything he was browsing the computer right now, looking at different toys to add to his in infinite collection of figurines.

"Should we make the most of our last free day?" he offered. I leaned back in my seat and smiled.

"What are you suggesting?"

"A nice bath, champagne, closed doors, drawn curtains..."

"I'm about to hang up on you." Was my face red? I think my face is red. I hid my head in hands out of embarrassment but I couldn't get rid of the smile that was plastered on my face.

"Let's go for a picnic," he said.

"You? Lying under the sun? Won't you burst into flames?"

"Funny. I'll pick you up in an hour." I smiled and hung up.

AN: SUPER long time since an update. I know, apologies. Hope everyone is having a good day today =).