Baekhyun couldn’t drive his car back without raising questioning brows about him meeting Se Ryeong before going home, thus he ended up in a cab despite Se Ryeong’s offer to drive him. He needed some alone time to clear his mind and settle his poor fluttering heart. They said absence makes the heart grow fonder, and he could finally see the truth in those words. The corners of his lips tugged upwards as he scrolled through the photo gallery on his phone, lingering on every single photo for an extended amount of time before swiping to the next one. The only reason why he managed to push through the week without his mother was by thinking of the barbeque party he’d be having with her when he’s finally back. It was an added bonus to see her healthy and smiling again. He hardly ever saw a genuine and carefree smile from her anymore and he knew he had to thank Se Ryeong and her family for that. As the driver pulled into the familiar neighbor he’d grown up in, Baekhyun tucked his phone carefully into his pocket and tried his best to suppress the sigh that was about to escape his lips. If only he could be freed from this prison too.

Baekhyun was greeted by Jong In’s mother when he stepped into the house, the conniving woman sporting a smile too sweet to be true. “I’m home.” He said simply as his gaze swept across the living room. His father was not in sight and Jong In seems deeply engrossed in a game of tug-o-war with Monggu. “Is Ahbuhji asleep?”
“He just went to bed.” the woman stepped closer to him. “Which makes it easier for us to have a little talk.”
“I don’t suppose you’re interested in the stories I have from my trip?” Baekhyun cocked his head to the side with amusement flickering in his eyes. “I supposed Aunty missed me too?”
The saccharine smile on her lips instantly fell as she glared at him. “Let’s stop beating around the bush. I know you took your mother out of the house while you were away. Where the hell is she? At your girlfriend’s?”
Baekhyun was at a loss for words when Sulli came running down the stairs at an opportune time. “Oppa!” Taking the stairs two at a time, she was by his side in an instant. “Welcome back!”
“Are you trying to wake the entire neighborhood?” Aunty shot a warning glare in her direction before turning her attention back to Baekhyun. “So, what do you have to say about this? There’s no use denying it, because the caretaker confessed everything.”
Sulli’s face paled at the information, trying to figure out when she last saw the caretaker talking to Jong In’s mom. The answer was never, and she didn’t understand when they could’ve met, unless it was before Aunt Eun Sook was even smuggled out of the house.

“I didn’t want to make things difficult for your girlfriend so I’ve been patiently waiting for you. Aren’t you going to say anything to defend yourself?”
“What’s there to defend myself from? I didn’t know I had no rights to send my own mother to live elsewhere. Is this law passed while I was away? I wonder if it’s too late to make an appeal?”
Baekhyun’s blatant disregard for her had Jong In’s mom raising her hand to strike him in anger but a firm grip around her wrist had her snapping her head in surprise. “Jong In?”
“Stop it, umma.”  Jong In forcefully lowered her hand before loosening his grip. “You’re going to wake Ahbuhji.”
“Whose side are you on?” She hissed before turning back to Baekhyun. “You can choose to send your mother out of his household, but it won’t be up to you for her return. I never want to see her in this house ever again.”
“Don’t be unreasonable, umma!” Jong In finally erupted. “That woman is still Ahbuhji’s wife by law and no one else but Ahbuhji has the final say here.”
This time nobody stopped her when her palm flew across flesh as she slapped her own son. Jong In’s mother trembled with indignant coursing through her body. Of all the people who could point fingers at her and discuss her lack of official status, she was expecting her son to always be on her side.

The slap seemed to be a timely wake up call for Jong In. Holding back his tears and trying his best to ignore the sting on his cheek, he turned to look directly into his mother’s eyes for the first time. “Ever since I was born, you told me I had great obstacles to overcome. Baekhyun was my goal to be taken down and his mother was yours. I either don’t have a father by my side or had a father who didn’t do fatherly things for me. All you told me to do was to tolerate. You told me to become tougher. You measured all of my successes against Baekhyun’s but have you ever considered that I’m Jong In and not Baekhyun? I can never be him even if I tried and nobody even sees me struggling as I tried! Why do I have to fight so hard for things that were not mine in the first place? Why do I have to live in constant fear of losing everything that do not belong to me?”
“Jong In!” his mother hurriedly slapped her hand over his mouth before he could divulge the truth behind his birth. “We need to talk. In private.” she emphasized, but Jong In simply peeled her hands free from him.
“Why don’t you understand?” Jong In’s eyes were b with tears that he struggled to hold back. “I quit. I quit my position in this household, I quit Savv, and I quit being your son. I’m done.”

Jong In was going to push his way past his mother when his sight landed on his father. The man was expressionless as he watched him and Jong In felt his mother tensing up beside him. Taking this as his opportunity, Jong In shrugged free and marched straight for the front door without a single backward glance. Torn between chasing after her son and pacifying her husband, Jong In’s mother chose the latter as she sidled up against the man.
“Jong In had a few drinks at the bar and he’s not thinking clearly right now. I’ll give him a good scolding later for not appreciating what he has.”
“Bring you