“I’m so sorry you had to go through this, baby,” Mrs. Park sniffed, holding Luna’s good hand tightly, both hands clasped around the pale limb in a supportive and almost desperate hold.

                “You’re positive you don’t want to press charges?  Are you sure you told them everything?” her father asked, standing beside her mother as he rested his hand atop her head and looked at her intently.  Officer Park had just left them after finishing with his preliminary questioning.  Because she had been unconscious and unable to speak much on the matter, Kris had been able to make bail and was free, much like Yongguk though he’d suffered considerably lesser injuries.  His nose was broken but little else, aside from his pride.

                Luna sniffed and looked at both her parents, glad they could be there but a little overwhelmed all the same.  She hadn’t expected any of this and their constant hovering did nothing to help make her feel at ease.

                They looked average enough though; working class individuals with nine to five jobs who were very concerned about their little girl.  Both were starting to get gray hairs and had put on a few extra pounds, though her mother was fighting her age tooth and nail.  Wrinkles lined the edges of their mouths and eyes, and both had a pair of dark brown orbs focused on Luna.  She was having a hard time meeting them too because she had told the officer most of what he’d asked her but there were a couple things she’d left out.  Not that she had lied exactly, but she hadn’t told the whole truth.

                “No I don’t and I’ll be alright, daddy,” she nodded at him, biting her bottom lip.  The thought had actually taken her by surprise; that she could press charges against Kris, but her head was still catching up to the rest of her.  Not only that, but there was no way was she going to be able to say what she wanted to but dreaded at the same time in front of her father either, as much as she loved him.  “Um.  I’m getting kind of hungry though,” she mentioned, looking at her mother for support and hoping she’d understand as she tightened her handhold in a quiet plea.

                “Oh.  Would you like something to eat, baby?” he asked, placing his hand on his wife’s shoulder.

                “Why don’t you run down to the cafeteria?”  At Luna’s frown, her mother amended the inquiry and added instead, “On second thought.  You know how this hospital food tastes.  Why don’t you get her something from her favorite restaurant?” she winked, fishing for the keys to the car.

                “Are you sure?” he asked Luna, waiting for her response.  “If you’re really hungry, I can just step downstairs.”

                “It’s alright, daddy.  I can wait,” she assured him with a weak smile.

                “Okay,” he agreed, bending over to kiss her tenderly on the forehead, his expression turning sad when he couldn’t ignore the small cuts that still peppered her face, though there was very little bruising.  “I’ll be right back then.  You want anything too, dear?”

                “No.  I’m good,” Mrs. Park responded, freeing one hand to squeeze his reassuringly.  They both watched him leave and when the door shut behind her husband, Mrs. Park focused on Luna again, waiting for her to speak though her daughter continued to stare at the blanket covering the rest of her thinly clothed form.

                Luna couldn’t see most of her injuries but she could feel them just fine, even if the pain medicine helped keep the hurt at bay.  Her left wrist ached, as did her palm from when the shard of glass had dug in, biting into the bone.  That stupid vase had done a number on her torso and knees in particular and there was no getting around the ache that resided in her kidney area.  Her surgery had gone fine but it was still sore as anything else and all of that was only the physical side of things.

                She focused on the IV in her arm and sniffed once, “I don’t hate him, momma.”  Her mother didn’t seem to know what to say after the statement and she simply sighed, patting Luna’s hand.  “I don’t want to hurt him either,” she admitted, feeling so stupid about it.  “I mean, he did this to me, and hurt Yongguk and Junhong and… I don’t know what to do,” she exhaled with a shaky breath, feeling tears start to course down her cheeks.

                “You’ve always had nothing but love in your heart, baby,” her mother smiled sadly, shifting to trace a strand of hair behind Luna’s ear.  “But after everything you’ve been telling me lately, I just want you to make the choice that’s going to make you happy.”  It was clear there was a lot more on the matter she would have preferred to say but Luna was grateful she didn’t.

                “Not everything,” Luna murmured so quietly she almost didn’t get the words out.

                “What do you mean love?” her mother asked, changing positions to sit on the edge of the hospital bed, dragging Luna’s hand into her lap so she could face her more directly, concern in her eyes.

                “I um…  I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, momma.”  Around the drugs and resting at any rate.  She had more than enough time on her hands to go over some things; few of which were pleasant.  “Kris has been my world for so long and I thought for sure I could change him.  That I could save him when he started to become this different person,” she explained, unable to meet her mother’s eyes, feeling heavy with guilt and stupidity.

                “Oh, my little girl,” Mrs. Park whimpered, tightening her hold on Luna’s hand.

                “At first I thought it was just me, you know?” she asked, looking up finally with tears in her eyes, face flushed in her distress.  “Something I did or said or maybe didn’t do to make him annoyed or upset and I swear I deserved some of his words.”

                “Never,” her mother retorted immediately, swallowing the lump in .

                “I don’t even know when I stopped being me when I was with him,” she explained, biting her bottom lip.  “He never hit me and when we were around other people, it was him.  Like I always remembered and like who I fell in love with.  He was so good to me, momma.”

                “I know he was, baby,” Mrs. Park smiled sadly, reaching out to cup Luna’s cheek with her hand.  “You could talk about him for hours on end when you first got together,” she chuckled in fond remembrance, having spent more than one evening listening to her daughter wax and wane about Kris.  Her expression fell slightly though and she took a breath before she continued.  “But that’s no excuse for… this,” she commented, glancing down at the wan figure of her daughter with anger in her face.

                Luna looked down again, nodding in quiet understanding.  He had promised her it wouldn’t happen again and though the memory was a confusing blur, he hadn’t hit her.  But… this was worse.  Much worse in the end and it hurt too that she knew part of Kris’s overreaction had been in response to her rescuer’s arrival.  Maybe.  “It wasn’t even so bad until I met… my neighbor.”  Though the first part of her statement was sad and downcast, Luna’s face softened with a smile pulling at her lips when she recalled how she’d met the man in the first place.

                “Yongguk wasn’t it?” her mother prompted, searching Luna’s face with her eyes, a tender smile gracing her lips.

                “Ne.  And then he was almost too good to be true, momma,” she laughed, shaking her head.  Really, he was.  Polite to her, supportive when she needed him, respectful of her wishes, and always ready with that stupidly gummy grin.  The only times she’d seen him angry were when she or Junhong had been hurt.

                “You’ve always spoken highly of him,” her mother reminded her with a true smile, patting Luna’s hand lightly.

                Luna nodded in agreement and laughed around the tears that wanted to flow.  “That was part of the problem.  I started to like him back,” she admitted hesitantly, feeling as if she was on thin ice.

                Her mother laughed softly and reached out to cup Luna’s cheek with her hand again, looking her in the eyes.  “There’s nothing wrong with that, love.  People and our feelings for them change and just because it happens, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person for it.”

                “But I was supposed to love Kris,” she whimpered in response, swallowing the lump in .  “How do you fall in love with another person when you love someone else?”

                “Luna…”

                “I think it’s my fault that Kris got the way he did,” Luna whispered, back to staring at the covers again.  “I think he knew I didn’t love him like I used to and he just…  He kept saying…”  She stopped speaking and closed up again, making her fight to get the next part out; the one she hadn’t told anybody else yet.  “Is that why he…”  Her bottom lip trembled and she looked up at her mother who struggled not to choke on a sob from her daughter’s sorrow.  “Is that why he didn’t stop when I told him no?”  Her mother’s face crumpled and suddenly Luna was enveloped in her arms, face pressed against her warm bosom with tendrils of the black hair tickling her ear.

                “My little girl,” she cried softly, holding Luna as firmly yet carefully as she could while tears stained the lank brunette locks.  “None of that was your fault, baby.  And he was wrong for doing all of those things to you.  Especially that,” she stated again with an angry, hard edge to her voice.

                Luna hugged her mother back, crying into her chest as she tried to collect herself enough to speak again.  “But-”

                “No baby,” her mother stopped her before she could go on.  “You don’t hurt the ones you really care about.  Not like this.  Or that.  Not ever,” she sobbed quietly as she sat and rocked her daughter on the bed.

                “That’s w-w-what Yongguk sa-said too,” Luna hiccupped in response, eyes blurry from tears as her nose ran, making her sniff repeatedly, distorting her words further.

                “And he was right, baby.  He was right,” Mrs. Park assured her, simply holding her, letting her cry herself out.  “I’m right here.  Momma’s got you.  I’m here,” she soothed gently.

                By the time her father returned with food in hand, Luna had cried herself out but she was still holding onto her mother, with nothing resolved.  She felt her father pause in the doorway and figured her mother gestured for him to step back out again because no words were exchanged but she knew he left quietly right after.  Sniffing into the fabric of her mother’s shirt, she finally asked, “What am I supposed to do now?”

                Mrs. Park kissed the top of Luna’s head and combed her fingers through the brown locks.  “That’s for you to decide baby girl.  I can’t tell you the answer.  There are plenty of things I could say I would do now, but it’s not my decision to make.  As much as I wish it was.”

                “That’s not very helpful,” Luna grumbled with a hint of laughter, voice thick and somewhat distorted but otherwise easy to understand.

                “I just want my little girl to be happy and safe,” she explained without making any effort to move away, shifting her head to rest her cheek atop Luna’s head.

                “I don’t want anybody else to get hurt, momma,” Luna sighed, tightening her arms around the older woman’s waist.  More than enough people had been hurt by this.  Not just Yongguk and his brother, or Kris, but all of her friends hurt to see her in this condition.  She could see it in their eyes, could feel it in the way they held her hand or hugged her carefully.  And this time, there were scars for her to see long after the damage had been done.  Words cut in a different way but it was harder to ignore something that was carved into your flesh, visible for all to see…

                “Me either, love,” her mother agreed quietly, breath tickling the top of Luna’s head.  “So how are you going to keep that from happening?”

                Luna remained quiet for a long time after she heard the question.  No matter what answer she gave, lives were going to be changed irrevocably either way; just like hers had already been.  As she had started to realize though… her place was no longer at Kris’s side.  She didn’t know if it was at Yongguk’s either but she was tired of being afraid.  She was exhausted with trying to make things work and walking on eggshells all the time.  And though she was equally afraid of the angry backlash from Kris, no matter how things fell out, in the end there was no perfect answer.

                Someone was going to be hurt either way.  Maybe it was a little bit selfish of her, but with another glance at her broken wrist, she knew she was tired of it being her.  “Momma?”

                “Yes, love?” her mother asked in a quiet, hopeful whisper.

                “Can we call Officer Park back?” Luna murmured in a small, but steady voice.

                “Of course, baby.  Of course,” Mrs. Park assured her confidently, kissing the top of Luna’s head with all the pride she could convey.

                After that, it didn’t take Luna long to be released from the hospital and things happened quickly when the ball started rolling.  While everything was being sorted out, her parents stayed with her at the apartment, helping her any way they could.  Her case didn’t end up going to court since Kris’s lawyer convinced him to settle for a lesser sentence.  The evidence and testimonies against him were somewhat overwhelming so while he didn’t drop the charges against Yongguk, they were overturned.

                Luna heard later that Kris was sentenced to thirty days in prison with a fine of several thousand dollars and the mandated order to attend anger management courses upon his release.  It was a relative slap on the wrist really, though it got him fired from his coaching position at the school and his name would be tainted by the repercussions for a good long while.  His art career was going to suffer for it considerably.  That part she felt bad about at least… though the restraining order he was under gave her a modicum of peace of mind.  It didn’t matter with him in jail for the time being but after, she knew she’d be happier for it.  Hopefully at any rate.

                Guilt was hard to shake early on, locking its veritable teeth into her ankle and refusing to let go.  Even after she heard Yongguk was released from the hospital.  Actually, he got out around the same time she did, maybe sooner, but they hadn’t really tried talking to each other.  She figured he was giving her space and it was another thing she was grateful for, regardless if it was the real reason or not.  She hadn’t seen him since the night of the accident… fight?  Whatever they wanted to call it, she was unsure how she felt about seeing him now, after the fact.

                Well.  It was now or never though.  She traced her fingers over her packed suitcases and chewed her bottom lip before she felt her mother come up behind her.  The older woman hugged her from behind, propping her chin on Luna’s shoulder.  “Are you sure about this, love?”

                Luna reached up to grab her mother’s hands with her right one and forced a smile, nodding once.  “I think it’ll be best for now.  I’m just…” she trailed off, unsure what else to say.

                “It’s alright, love.  We’re here for you no matter what,” Mrs. Park assured her, kissing the side of Luna’s head tenderly.

                “I know, momma.”  Luna took a deep breath and nodded to herself, carefully stepping forward out of her mother’s hold.  “You still want to come with me?” she asked, glancing towards her door.

                “Of course,” her father surprised her by answering, his voice firm as he stepped into the doorway of her room.  “You couldn’t keep us from coming, baby girl,” he reminded her, half kidding and half serious.

                Luna was both warmed by the support and rather nervous about it too.  It would be the first time her parents met Yongguk and she could hardly say the timing was perfect.  “Alright,” she agreed simply, rubbing her right hand over her left arm nervously.  She was just hoping her timing wasn’t off and that he was actually home.  It was the weekend so there shouldn’t be a problem.

                “Let’s just get these down to the car first,” her father explained with a nod towards her suitcases.  Luna nodded mutely in agreement and he grabbed her bags while her mother stayed with her, simply holding on and offering what silent support she could.

                When Mr. Park returned, Luna made one final round of the apartment as he mother shadowed her unobtrusively.  Luna would have made a second trip if her mother didn’t grab her hand gently and just smile at her, giving her silent support and encouragement.  “Come on then, baby.”

                “Ne,” Luna nodded, leading the way after a moment.  She locked the door to her apartment with a heavy sigh and then glanced at Yongguk’s door nervously.  Feeling all manner of tension settling in her gut, she paused just outside her door and glanced down to her left, remembering the first time she’d officially met Yongguk.  His face had been flushed and he was no small amount confused at the time.  But then he’d smiled at her; that same gummy grin she’d come to love and she reached out to press her fingertips to the part of the frame he’d been resting against, a warm smile on her lips in turn.

                At a gentle nudge from her mother, she moved on, taking a deep breath as she did so.  She ended up in front of Yongguk’s door much sooner than she anticipated and had to take another breath before she could pick her hand up to knock on it quietly.  It wasn’t that early, being right around ten in the morning, so she figured they’d be up, if they were home…

                Relief followed very quickly by nervousness swamped her when she heard someone approach the door.  Her gaze traveled up when it was opened to reveal Junhong standing in the way, looking very confused but… happy to see her.  “Miss Luna,” he greeted, letting a smile win out before he glanced over her head to see the two persons behind her.

                “Hi Junhong,” she greeted, rather glad it hadn’t been Yongguk as she waved with her good hand and watched the uncertainty flitter over his features.  “These are my parents,” she gestured by way of explanation, stepping aside so they could greet him in turn.

                “Um… it’s nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Park,” he blurted, extending his hand to Luna’s father first, who accepted with a firm grip.  “I’m Junhong.  Yongguk’s brother.”

                “It’s nice to meet you too, Junhong,” Mrs. Park smiled, accepting his hand next.

                Luna stepped in front of him again when she could, feeling nerves settle in her stomach once more.  “Is… Yongguk in?” she asked quietly, searching the young face before her.

                “Ne,” Junhong nodded, stepping aside awkwardly to offer, “Would you care to come in?”

                Luna chirped in agreement and stepped past Junhong with a glance at her parents as they followed her lead and walked in after her.  She started to look around to see if she could find Yongguk but she stopped when her eyes landed on him as he rolled into sight in a wheelchair, a hesitant smile on his lips and uncertainty in his gaze.  “Yongguk,” she gasped, biting her lip on the tears that sprang to her eyes upon seeing him in his current condition.  Again, guilt sank its teeth in and she realized he was in a wheelchair because of her…

                His left hand was hidden by a large cast, rendering it practically useless and both knees were clunky under the loose pants he was wearing.  He looked tired and it appeared that he’d lost some weight but it was him and she didn’t at all know what she was supposed to feel right now.  Her heart rate sped up and her stomach did a weird flip thing and she found she was veritably glued in place.

                “Hello Luna,” he greeted, looking her over with some concern as he saw her injuries himself.  It was obvious he was glad to see her though.

                A touch to her shoulder reminded her she wasn’t alone and she flushed, “Oh!  Um.  Right.  These are my parents,” she rambled, stepping aside so they could get introductions out of the way once more.

                There was the same sort of nervous tension she’d experienced as they met Junhong, only her father was definitely sizing Yongguk up more.  Her mother was simply more speculative, keen eyes critical, though she was obviously reserving judgment for later.  It was safe to say the conversation got off to an awkward start with simple pleasantries offered and polite inquiries into well being.  Everyone was good, as was socially expected, but there was a lot that was being left unsaid on all sides.

                Finally, Luna managed to speak up while being protectively sandwiched between her parents on the couch, “Yongguk.  Could I speak with you?” she asked, though the question felt silly and out of place.

                He looked relieved more than anything and appeared to understand what she meant.  “Sure.  I could make us some tea,” he offered with a glance at her parents and then his brother.

                “That would be lovely,” she agreed, standing up though she had to gesture to her parents to stay put.  “Alone, please,” she asked, placing a hand upon both their shoulders.

                “Junhong.  Would you mind keeping our guests company?” Yongguk asked with a glance at his brother before he shifted to wheel himself towards the kitchen.

                “Sure… hyung,” Junhong responded hesitantly, not at all positive with what he was supposed to say to them in the meantime.

                Luna felt a bit bad about leaving the young man to the mercy of her parents but she walked after Yongguk, taking note of the strange extra wheel on the right side.  Well, his left hand was useless to the chair after all so it made sense he’d have to have one that he could steer with one hand.  She took a seat when he gestured towards the kitchen table and then watched him, feeling guiltier by the moment as he was able to set the kettle on the stove just fine but then couldn’t reach the cabinet that held the tea.

                “You know.  I’m not really thirsty,” she offered to give him an easy way out without making him admit he was struggling more than he wanted to.

                He pursed his lips and looked at her for a moment, turning over what she didn’t say before he sighed and nodded, removing the kettle from the heating coil and rolling to the table.  “I’m sorry,” he told her when he came abreast of the edge, resting his good hand on the surface, partially reaching for her and at the same time, offering it if she wanted to accept.

                Luna kept her hands in her lap, her bottom lip while she fought that stupid lump of guilt again.  “I should be telling you that,” she sniffed, threading her hair behind her ear without looking at him.

                “No,” he exhaled wearily, seemingly just as tired as she felt.  “If I’d have just acted sooner, things might have been different.  I blame myself for what happened to you, Luna.”

                It was hard hearing the exact same thing that she felt coming from someone as strong and reliable as Yongguk and for a moment, Luna wasn’t sure what to say.  She ran her fingers over the cast of her broken wrist and finally sighed, “How did you know?”

                When he didn’t answer immediately, she looked up to meet his gaze.  “Know what?” he asked softly, telling her there was more than one question there.

                “About that night,” she answered first.  She knew bits and pieces from the report: that Junhong had called the police while Yongguk went to the door; that the fight between Yongguk and Kris had gone on after Junhong had gotten her out; that they were both arrested for a time.  But she wanted to know what they hadn’t told her which was why Yongguk and his brother had been there at all.

                “I told you that you wouldn’t be alone that night, Luna,” he admitted quietly, staring at his good hand, partially balled into a fist on the table.  “After work, we parked near Kris’s house before you got there and waited to make sure you’d be alright.  I would have gone alone but Junhong wouldn’t let me.  He knew as well as I did what you were probably walking into.”

                Luna trembled at the answer and held her tongue, unable to say anything back for a moment.  They knew and yet they’d let her go all the same?  “Why didn’t you say something?” she asked, hurt and… angry.

                He flinched at the tone of her voice but didn’t look away.  “Would you have listened to me?”

                “Yes,” she sniffed in response, but under the intensity of his gaze, watching his eyes shimmer on the edge of tears, she covered with a hand and choked back a sob.  “I don’t know.”  She’d been so sure that Kris wasn’t going to hurt her after all.  Hadn’t she told Yongguk that often enough?  Before that night, she probably wouldn’t have.  Not really.  Now…  Well, it was a little too little too late now wasn’t it?  “How…” she trailed off, not really sure how else to ask it.  He held her gaze though, hardly daring to blink, and she went on, “How did you know about Kris?”

                Now Yongguk dropped his gaze and started picking at an imaginary blemish in the polished wood of the table.  His expression hardened and his lips turned down into a frown.  “I was thirteen when I first saw my father hit my mother.”  Luna inhaled sharply, surprised by the admission, but she didn’t interrupt him.  “He said it was an accident.  He’d lost his job that month and hadn’t been able to find anything else.  She thought he meant it then too.”  His gaze flicked up to meet her eyes but he dropped them almost immediately.

                “Yongguk.  I’m sorry,” Luna apologized breathily, holding her hand over .

                He tilted his head to the side in acknowledgment but continued on, “He was careful at first.  We didn’t see the fights so much; only the bruises when mom was too tired to hide them.  She thought she could change him.  Help him work through it only he never got better.  He never really found steady work so she had to find something else to support the family.”

                “Oh no,” Luna breathed, eyes filling with tears when she feared what he would say next.

                “When mom found a second job, we got home before she did,” Yongguk explained flatly.  “I was fifteen when he started on us, but I never let him touch Junhong.  Never.  Eventually he got tired of me fighting back but we were always afraid.  Mom most of all.  The fear never went away.”  His gaze locked on Luna’s and she shivered when he went on, “That sick feeling in the pit of your stomach that you try to explain away, thinking that maybe this time it’ll be different.  Maybe he actually meant what he said when he apologized.  That maybe he really did love you after all.  Even as he hit you.  Even as he said terrible things to and about you.”

                “Oh god,” Luna gasped with a shaky breath.  He’d pretty much summed up what she’d felt around Kris of late and it made her queasy to think about it.

                Tears sparkled on Yongguk’s lashes again and this time, thin beads of salty droplets stained his cheeks before he added, “Mom got us out before he could really hurt us anymore, but she never got better.  She was never the same.  The year I turned eighteen, I found her body in her bedroom.  Drug overdose.  I kept Junhong from seeing it but I became his guardian that year,” he exhaled shakily, hand balled into a tight fist on top of the table, gaze unseeing.

                “I didn’t know,” Luna swallowed, vision blurry with unshed tears as closed, making speech difficult.

                “And now you know why I blame myself,” he sniffed, taking a deep breath that was anything but steady.

                Head spinning from the story he’d told her, Luna sat upright and wiped at her eyes uselessly, feeling tears take their place as soon as they were cleared away.  “I uh…  I don’t know what to say,” she murmured uncertainly.

                “You don’t have to say anything,” Yongguk murmured tightly, his voice filled with emotion.  “Just… know that I’m sorry.  For everything.”

                “Um.”  Luna her lips nervously and waved at her eyes, trying to keep more tears from coming.  That just made this all the harder for his story.  She felt bad enough as it was and now it was almost impossible to say what she needed to.  “Yongguk,” she whimpered, resting her right palm on the edge of the table, searching his face until he looked up to meet her eyes again.

                “Ne?”

                Oh, why did he have to look like that?  His eyes still shimmered with tears and he looked so damn lost…  “I’m- I’m leaving.”

                He blinked at her, completely confused for a second.  “What?”

                She took a quick breath and swallowed.  “I’m going back to stay with my parents for a little while.”

                “For how long?” he asked piteously, his voice a thin whisper of broken sound.

                “I don’t know,” she answered hesitantly.  “I need time-”

                “Please don’t go,” Yongguk asked as he extended his right hand towards her across the table.

                Luna drew her hand back to her chest, staring at his proffered one.  “I have to.”

                “Please,” he begged quietly, bottom jaw trembling.

                “I’m sorry,” Luna sniffed, biting her bottom lip as she stood up quickly, looking everywhere but at him.

                “Luna,” he called, the sound a desperate plea barely loud enough to reach her ears.

                She made no effort to brush the curtain of hair that had fallen into her face out of the way, partially obscuring her view of him.  In his eyes, she saw everything he couldn’t tell her in words and she had to shut her own, crying through her closed lids.  “Yongguk.  I can’t,” she whimpered, turning to flee.

                Crying softly, she rushed out the front door, hearing behind her, “Luna?”  Her parents were quick to follow and she even heard Junhong’s voice carry out the door before it shut behind them.

                “Hyung?”

                She paused in the hallway, her back to her parents.  “Can we go now?” she sniffed, voice thick with tears.

                “Are you alright, Luna?” her mother asked, standing close as she hugged her from behind, enveloping her in loving warmth.

                “He didn’t try to do anything to you did he?” her father practically growled, preemptively bristling.

                “No, daddy,” she shook her head.  “Can we just go please?”

                “Of course baby,” her mother soothed, gently pushing her towards the elevators.  “We can go now.  Come on dear,” she called back at her husband who was looking towards the door they’d just stepped out of suspiciously.

                “I can go talk to him if I need to,” he confirmed determinedly.

                “Come on dear,” Mrs. Park reiterated firmly, standing at the elevator with one arm around Luna.

                Mr. Park reluctantly walked towards them and grumbled under his breath.  Luna watched him step inside and then stared at the hallway, praying that Yongguk wouldn’t try to follow her now.  When the doors closed slowly in front of her, she felt a mixture of relief and disappointment and she couldn’t have said which was greater.  Overwhelmed, she turned into her mother’s arms and finally let the tears flow, clinging to her tightly and utterly adrift in the sea of emotions pulling her in every direction at once.

(a/n: Well, admittedly this one went a bit of a different direction than intended but I know how it's going to end!  XD  It should have wrapped up most of my loose ends and if I do have any unanswered questions that I have failed to address, by all means, let me know.  ;)  Otherwise, thank you so much for checking it out and stay tuned for the final (presumably) update coming soon!)