“Mark, what are you doing here?” Seulgi asked, a bit harshly.

“Here to see my new girl,” the boy grinned, slinging an arm over Sooyoung’s shoulders.  Her friend looked uncomfortable but nevertheless allowed it.  

“I never actually said yes,” Sooyoung explained, more to Seulgi than Mark.  At his arrival Seungwan’s attention had focused back to the group and she was smiling widely at the pair, though anyone could see the bit of tension she was holding back.  Seungwan still liked Mark, but she had also set him up with Sooyoung.

“Babe, don’t be like that.  I heard, you had a thing for that loser Kyungsoo.  I can get your mind off him,” Mark said, laying a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

Sooyoung blushed deeply and averted her eyes from him.  “I just remembered, I have to go see the health teacher about that assignment due next week.  I’ll see you guys later.”

With that, she got up from her seat and rushed away from their lunch table.  Whatever had just happened, it was clear Sooyoung did not like Mark, but there had to have been some sort of situation in which she couldn’t outright reject him.  She wanted to keep a close watch on the situation in case Sooyoung backed herself into something that would be hard to get out of.

They all parted ways after lunch, leaving Seulgi to feel a rock lodged in her stomach, knowing full well something bad was going to happen soon.

Seulgi didn’t see Kai for the rest of the day, knowing he'd skipped school, but a part of her wanted to see him again even though another part of her wanted to stay away from him as much as possible.  She walked down the hallway trying to forget about what happened the previous night and in the morning.  It was a one time thing.  She wouldn’t ever be recklessly going to a party again and getting high there nor would she be interacting with Kai again.  For Seulgi, she knew her actions had been out of desperation and there was no way she would ever allow herself to make the same mistake again.

A shiver went down her spine as she lifted her phone to check the time.  It was getting late and as long as she delayed going home, the limited amount of time she had to complete her chores in was growing smaller and smaller.  Seulgi rushed to her locker and hastily opened it to bring her books home with her.  The hallways weren’t as crowded since people were leaving the school but she still had to weave in and out of the crowd to make it out.

“Seulgi, what’s the rush? Joohyun and I are going out for smoothies.  Do you want to come?”  Sooyoung called out to her.

“Can’t! I have to be home.  I’ll see you guys later!” Seulgi called back, over her shoulder.

She rushed out of the school and ran as far as she could without losing her breath.  It was cold and the chilly air stung , contrasted by the the warmth around her torso given by her coat.  She slowed down once she reached her neighborhood, legs pumping as fast they could.

Her house was dark inside and it seemed that the heating had been off for a while.  It was as if nobody had been home for days, though in this case that was probably true.  Seulgi the heating to the lowest possible and left her sweatshirt to make up for the rest of the warmth she needed.  She didn’t want to turn it up too high in fear her parents wouldn’t be able to pay the bill.  Even though the both of them worked, their financial situation was a bit tight.

She made her way over to the fridge, relieved to see her mother had already cooked her father’s dinner for today.  All Seulgi had to do was warm it up before he came home.  She grabbed her bag and headed up to her room to get some homework done.  Her assignments weren’t due for a week but she wanted to get a head start unless something came up within that time frame.  

She lost herself in the work, each subject providing her with a good distraction.  She worked hard to learn, not just to take a test and move on.  Seulgi knew that all teachers and adults were right.  What they learn in school may not be applicable in the real world, but school still taught them much.  It taught her how to work hard, meet deadlines, work efficiently and broaden her brain capacity.  She worked in that fashion but soon all the information began to blur together and she couldn’t concentrate.  Seulgi sighed and glanced at the clock. 

Ten minutes left until her father came home.  She sprung up and headed down to heat his food up.

Seulgi had rushed to take out all the food and warm them in the microwave.  She hated the fact her parents preferred all types of foods, from Western to traditional Korean dishes.  According to what mother had cooked, her father's meal was to be a bit of spaghetti along with a bulgogi, kimchi and of course, rice.  Her mother had come home while she was in the middle of laying out the food, but the woman didn't stay to help.  As always after work, her mother went up the stairs and stayed locked up in her bedroom, only coming out after Seulgi's father went back out to drink with his friends from work.

She finished placing the last serving plate full of kimchi on the table just as the front door slammed open, revealing her father.  His eyes were bloodshot, his clothes were torn and he stank of alcohol.  He held a half empty bottle in his bloody hands.  Seulgi backed away as he staggered into the house looking from side to side.  He lifted up an arm that he was struggling to keep up in the air and pointed at her.

“Where’s your mother?  Where is she?! Answer me!” he y