Do Min Joon sat at the table visibly perturbed.  He rested his chin on one hand. “Aish.”

Cheon Song Yi stopped preparing dinner to laugh at her husband.  “Min Joon-ah, you can’t keep stopping time just to see if they are doing anything other than studying.”  She resumed chopping the green onions. “Besides, if you keep expending yourself, you reduce the time you can stay.”

“I know, I know,” he sighed, “But who is this kid, anyway?  What’s he doing hanging around Min Ji?”

“Min Ji has been chasing after this boy for a while.  I guess he finally noticed her.” Song Yi smiled.

“Why didn’t I know about this?” he replied in a huff.

Exasperated, Song Yi looked at her husband, “How would you?  You’re not here most of the time and it’s not like you can phone home when you’re not here, ET.”

“Sorry,” he replied contritely.

“Never mind that.  You’re here now.” She waked around the kitchen counter and kissed her husband.  “I’ve missed you.”

He wrapped his arms around his wife, “I always miss you.”  Laughter from upstairs caught his attention.  “What was that?”

“Aigoo, here we go again.”  Song Yi rolled her eyes.

Do Min Joon once more froze time, stood up from the chair and went upstairs.  The boy was sitting at a small table in Min Ji’s room, grinning, with his pencil on a worksheet.  Min Joon gave a sigh of relief.

“Appa!” Min Ji shouted.

Startled, Min Joon glanced up at his daughter a small look of guilt passed across his face.  “So you’re able to withstand what I can do…”

“Seriously, appa.  Do you have no faith in me?” Min Ji looked at her father, hurt.

“Of course I do.  It’s him I don’t trust.”  He nodded his head indignantly towards Jae Kyung.

“Appa, he’s not like that.  Besides, I really like him.”  She clasped both of her hands together to plead while approaching her father.

Min Joon looked away, “This isn’t the right time for you to be forming relationships, Min Ji-ah.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Min Ji dropped her hands indignantly, “When is the right time, then?”

“Min Ji, we will discuss this later.”  Min Joon had an edge to his voice.

“We will discuss it now or I’ll start time again and you can explain how you magically appeared in my room.”  She threatened.

Do Min Joon put his foot down.  “Min Ji-ah, I am your father.  If you want to see this boy, you’ll do as I say.  Finish your studying and send him home.  Your mother and I need to talk to you.”

Min Ji stared at her father stubbornly before acquiescing and sitting back down beside Jae Kyung.  “Fine.”

Do Min Joon left the room and everything went back to normal.

“—believe I got the conjugation of ‘be’ wrong.” Jae Kyung continued his previous statement.

Min Ji let out an uncomfortable laugh trying to remember what they were talking about earlier.  “Oh, yeah…that’s a difficult verb to conjugate.  You’ll get it with practice, oppa.”

In the other room, Do Min Joon’s face went red.  “Oppa?  She calls him oppa?”

“Stop overreacting, Min Joon-ah, and stop eavesdropping while you’re at it.”  Song Yi nudged.

Later that night after Jae Kyung went home, the three of them sat down at the table.

“Min Ji,” Song Yi started, “your father has something important to tell you.”

Min Ji sat up in her chair, not knowing what to expect, but thinking it may have to do with Jae Kyung.

“Min Ji-ah,” Min Joon started, “when I go back this time, I am taking you with me.”

“What?  Why?”  she asked completely stunned.

“The…I guess you would call them ‘elders’…have requested your presence.”  Min Joon had his hands folded on the table and looked at her with no emotion on his face.

Min Ji’s jaw dropped before she folded her arms and declared, “Tell them no.”

“Min Ji-ah, it’s not that simple.” Min Joon leaned forward trying to get his daughter to understand.

“Sure it is.  Hey alien guys, my daughter isn’t coming.  Sorry!  You can even throw in a bit of aegyo so they can swallow it better.”  Min Ji pursed her lips and looked away.

“Do Min Ji!” Song Yi shouted, “You will respect your father.  This isn’t easy for him either.”

“Fine.” Min Ji grumbled, “Tell me why it’s so important that I go with you to see the Martians.”

“Min Ji!” her mother warned again.

“My daughter,” Do Min Joon rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.  “It’s my home.”

“This is my home.” Min Ji retorted.

“The elders know your powers have surfaced.” He sounded exhausted.

“Well, who told them that?!” She peered at her dad.

Min Joon’s voice became agitated, “Do you think I would have told them?  I’ve done all I can to keep you hidden.  I thought living on Earth would protect you from finding out.”

“What are you saying?” Min Ji’s face showed confusion.

Min Joon tried to explain, “Min Ji, my people, we’re very intuitive and empathic.  There was never such thing as a traditional family because it was never necessary.  We can…feel…how others around us feel.  We know if there’s something wrong.  We know if there’s something good.  And we know when one of our kind experiences a change.”

Min Ji scoffed, “Wait…let me guess…are you guys Jedi?  Did you feel a disturbance in the force two years ago?”

Min Joon looked over at Song Yi, “Is that a movie reference?”  Song Yi shrugged with a knowing smile on her face.

Min Ji put her head in her hands and muttered, “Star Wars, dad.  Star Wars.”

“Ah…well if you want to use that as a metaphor, I guess it’s appropriate.”

Still not giving up on defending her position, “I mean really, appa, how do you people get any privacy?”

Song Yi interjected, “First of all, Do Min Ji, they’re your people, too-“

“Half my people…” she reminded both of them.

Min Joon continued, “Whatever.  The point is that I have been asked to bring you to the elders so they can see how a human-alien hybrid exists.”

Incredulous, Min Ji began to raise her voice, “So…what, you’re going to hand me over to the moon scientists and let them perform some invasive tests to see how I tick?!”

“Now you’re being way too dramatic.”  Do Min Joon almost laughed, “There is a sort of…temple.  You will spend time there with the elders and they will come to know you and test your powers.”

Min Ji threw her final card on the table, “Well I hate to disappoint them, but I have tests of my own coming up.  You know, final exams, university entrance exams…”

“No problem.” Min Joon countered.

“No problem?”  she looked at her father wide eyed.

“We won’t be leaving until after graduation.”

“That’s in two months, appa.  And what do I tell everyone about my absence?”

He nonchalantly waved a hand at her, “That you’re taking a trip abroad, of course.”

Floundering, Min Ji tried to appeal to what compassion he might have left, if any, regarding her budding relationship, “What about Jae Kyung?”

“Not my problem.” Min Joon shrugged.

“Omma!” Min Ji exclaimed in a plea to have her mother interject.

“Min Ji-ah.  I understand too well how precious budding relationships can be.  But I agree with your father on this.  You have to do this.”

“Can you come with me?” Min Ji asked her mother.

Song Yi looked down, “No.”

“Why not?”

Min Joon offered the answer, “She’s human, Min Ji.  In order to go where we’re going, you have to have the blood of our people.  It’s the only way transportation works.”

“And if it doesn’t work?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Then I go and you stay.” Min Joon shrugged.

“Well there’s that shining ray of hope.”  Min Ji slumped in her seat.

“Look, Min Ji-ah, I know this is a lot for you to process.  I’m not asking you to agree with this, but we will be going.  I’m also not asking you to break it off with that punk…”

“Jae Kyung, appa.  His name is Jae Kyung.”

He continued, “I’m just asking that you use discretion with how close you get.  You’re a smart girl.  Think on this and you’ll know what you need to do.  Even if it’s not what you want.”

Min Ji was fighting tears.  “This wasn’t the welcome home party I was expecting, appa.”

“It never is my daughter.  I’m sorry.”

Min Ji stood up from the table and sighed.  She trudged up the stairs and to her room.  Flopping down onto her bed she felt overwhelmed.  She looked over at the table where the study books still remained open.  A small sheet of paper was tucked in the binding of the book.  She unfolded it and began to read:

Min Ji-ah,
let’s study like this every day.
Lunch tomorrow?  Text me.
My number is 010-5555-2388.
Until then,
-Jae Kyung

Min Ji looked down at the note with a hint of sadness before saving the number to her cell phone.

No way am I going.  No way am I going to let go of Jae Kyung.  Not now.  You’ll have to drag me away kicking and screaming.