"Are you and your mother doing anything New Years, or I guess tonight for New Years Eve?" TaeHyung asks me, putting his arm around me.

 

The party ended around 1am and I told TaeHyung that I'd walk with him to his house. Then he argued saying he doesn't want me walking home this late so now he's walking me home.

 

"No. My mom is trying to work double now since my dad isn't here anymore to pay the bills." I answer.

 

"Ah. I see." He says.

 

"Thank you." I tell him. He stops walking and looks at me, raising an eyebrow. "Thank you for calling the police. I know I yelled at you, blaming you for making life worse for me but, because of you my dad's gone. So, thank you for helping me. I don't know what would be happening right now if it weren't for you."

 

He smiles and places a short soft kiss on my lips. He pulls away.

 

"Of course." He says. I roll my eyes and continue walking, chuckling to myself.

 

Seriously, who would think that me, the girl who everyone judges in school and picks on, would be dating someone who everyone likes? That everyone finds attractive and is friends with the most popular, but , guy in the school? Who would think that we both would have similar problems.

 

 

 

I told ChaeMin about what happened the next day. She was so happy for me. She even came over and could already feel the atmosphere, how it was lightened up. She was sweet to my mom. My mom finally acts like a mother, now that my father is gone. I understand that when my father was here, she was scared because she didn't want to be abused too. I kept hating her for never protecting me but, I kind of understand. I'm just glad she acts like a normal mother now.

 

"Ms. Park? You're going to work right now?" ChaeMin asks my mom.

 

"Yeah. I'm working double now." She replies, waving at us and leaving the house.

 

ChaeMin runs up to me and grabs my shoulders. I looked at her, confused. She shook me back and forth a little and her face was a bit lit up.

 

"I still can't believe you're dating TaeHyung!" She shouts. "Does your mother know about this?"

 

"I don't know. I never really told her we're dating but, I think she knows." I say, shrugging my shoulders.

 

"Have you told JiHye? You know she'll be upset if she doesn't know this." She says. I laugh and shake my head.

 

"No. It's okay. I'll tell her at school." I answer.

 

"You know she knows about your father's arrest." ChaeMin adds. "But she doesn't know why. She asked me but I said for her to ask you."

 

I nodded my head.

 

"When she asks I'll tell her. I kind of feel bad that I kept this hidden from her. She's going to be so mad at me, especially if she knows that you know. And that TaeHyung knew." I say.

 

"I'm surprised TaeHyung isn't like MinKyu to be honest. You sure he isn't just trying to use you when you're emotional?" She asks. I shake my head.

 

" Well, the way you describe him does sound totally like you. How is he even friends with MinKyu then?" She adds.

 

"They've been friends since they were kids. That's what TaeHyung told me." I answer.

 

"Call him." She says. I raise an eyebrow.

 

"What?"

 

"Call him. Tell him to come over." She says. I roll my eyes and push her playfully. I then walk over to the couch and sit down.

 

"I'm serious. It doesn't hurt to call him." She says, sitting down next to me. I groan and call him.

 

No answer.

 

"Try again." She goes. I glare at her. "What?"

 

"Fine." I say. I call again.

 

No answer.

 

"Hm. He's probably busy then." She says, putting her legs on me, laying down on the couch.

 

"Probably." I say.

 

There was a knock on the door. I push her legs off and stood up and went over to the window. I looked through it. It was my mother's parents and sister. I don't know what they're doing here.

 

"Hey!" I say, opening the door. They all gasped at me, telling me that I've grown so much. They started going on about how I was just a little girl the last time they saw me. They hugged me and kissed me, and then finally walk in.

 

"That's my best friend, ChaeMin." I tell them. ChaeMin waves.

 

"Where's your mother?" My grandpa asks.

 

"She's working right now. She'll be back at 9pm. She's off for her night shift as well so you can stay until then!" I tell them.

 

"Alright. Because it's New Year's Eve JaeEun! We're here to celebrate with you! And your mother told us about what happened to you guys." My aunt goes.

 

I nodded and they made themselves home in my kitchen.

 

 

 

My mother finally came back and she's talking to her family in the dining room. ChaeMin already left and I'm sitting alone in the living room, watching television.

 

TaeHyung hasn't texted or called back. I'm a bit worried. Did his mom do anything?

 

"Who called the police?" I hear my grandpa ask.

 

"JaeEun's boyfriend." My mom answers. Oh, so she does know.

 

"Boyfriend?" My grandma gasps. I turn my head towards the dining room and I see them looking at me. I awkwardly smiled.

 

"She told him about you guys?" My grandma asks. I butted in.

 

"No. He found out himself. He heard my dad yelling at me one night. Then another night Dad yelled at him while he was about to beat me. He then called the cops because he was worried." I answered nonchalantly.

 

"I told you not to marry that man." My grandpa says to my mom. I chuckle to myself and pay attention back to the TV.

 

There was a knock on the door.

 

"I'll get it!" I shouted, getting up from the couch. I walked over to the door and opened it. My eyes grew wide when I saw who it was.

 

"TaeHyung? What are you doing here?" I ask him. He was holding his sister's hand. Both their eyes were red.

 

"I told my mom that I'm going to stay over MinKyu's for the night but he's out partying, and I told her SooHyung is still going to sleep over her friend's house for New Years." He says, walking in. "I couldn't stand listening to whatever she had to say."

 

My mom walked out the kitchen and saw us. She came over and asked what he was doing here.

 

"Do you mind if we stay the night?" He asks her. My mom's eyes widened, her face confused. "My sister and I will leave first thing in the morning. It's personal. I hope you understand and we're not a bother."

 

My mom looks at him, then she looks at me. Then, she looks at his sister. I think she would've told him no if he didn't have his sister with him. She nodded her head. My grandparents and aunt walked in.

 

"Is that your boyfriend, JaeEun?" My grandma says, walking up to us. TaeHyung smiled and bowed, holding out his hand, shaking hers.

 

"Hello. I'm Kim TaeHyung. This is my sister, Kim SooHyung." He says. My grandpa smiles and my grandma looks over at me.

 

"Ooh, he's a nice boy." She says. I chuckle.

 

"Don't worry. My sister and I can sleep down here. We'll leave as soon as possible in the morning. It'll be like we were never here." TaeHyung says, turning his attention back to my mother.

 

"Just sleep in JaeEun's room." My aunt says. She starts laughing.

 

"Aish, stop with your nonsense." My mom tells her. I can feel myself blushing from embarrassment.

 

"You're the boy who called the cops for my family." My grandpa says, walking closer to him to see him more clearly. TaeHyung awkwardly nods and looks over at me. I chuckle and shake my head.

 

"I like you son." My grandpa says, patting TaeHyung's shoulders. I can see TaeHyung secretly sighing in relief.

 

"We'll be in my room." I say, grabbing TaeHyung's hands and dragging him and his sister towards the stairs.

 

"Don't close the door." My aunt shouts.

 

"His sister will be with them. They're not crazy." My grandpa says. I couldn't help but laugh as I walked into the room, leaving the door slightly open. Good thing it's clean today.

 

I sit on my bed and SooHyung lets go of TaeHyung's hand and runs up to me, sitting next to me. I chuckle at her.

 

"What happened?" I ask, looking at TaeHyung. "What did she say? I won't say anything."

 

TaeHyung sighs and leans against the door.

 

"She kept yelling at SooHyung and I." He starts. "She found out about you and I. She found out that I've been making lies just so I can go out. She started calling me useless. She said that I'm going to become nothing in the future. She even yelled at SooHyung. She said that she's going to become useless like her older brother. She said that she's a bother to even watch over. She even told me..."

 

He stops talking and he turns his head away from me. I see him biting his bottom lip and closing his eyes.

 

"She told you what?" I ask.

 

"She told me to kill myself." He answers. My heart dropped.

 

"She told me, to go and kill myself. She told me to just end it all if I hated everything so much." He barely lets out. He breathes in. "I was arguing with her, on how she's too over-protective with me since I'm 18. She wouldn't listen. I told her I hated everything, she told me if so, end it."

 

I stood up from the bed and went up to him, hugging him tight. He hugs me back and I can hear him sniffing. His sister gets off from my bed and walks up to TaeHyung. He pulls away from me and looks at her. She hugged him and he started almost cried. She started sniffing.

 

"I love you." She tells him. He looks at her and breaks out a smile.

 

"I love you too." He says, kissing the top of her head. I smiled.

 

"Don't listen to your mom." I told him. He looks over at me. "You and your sister are not what she says. She's just angry."

 

"Yeah. Angry for years. Easier said than done. Your parents never called you useless." He says. I look away, my breathing getting heavier. He shakes his head, stands up, and sighs.

 

"Yeah, well my father made me feel useless okay?" I slightly yell. "And my mother hardly trying to protect me made me feel like I was not worth it. I don't need to hear it from their mouths to feel useless, alright?"

 

"Hey, I'm sorry." He says, walking over to me. My eyes filled with tears as I stayed looking the other way.

 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." He says again. He grabs both my arms and wraps them around his back. He does the same with his arms, around my waist. He pecks the top of my head. "I'm sorry."

 

I sigh and nod. He pulls away and he gives me a short kiss.

 

"Yuck." His sister says. We both slightly chuckle.

 

"Hey...I got through this. You can get through this. I'll be here with you okay? You're not alone. This is a battle you're fighting. I won mine. You're going to win yours. You and your sister. You guys are warriors." I tell him. He smiles at me.

 

My room door opens and he quickly lets go of me. My mother walks in.

 

"It's getting late TaeHyung. I think it's time for you to go downstairs." She tells him. He nods.

 

"Your sister can sleep with JaeEun, if she doesn't mind." She looks at me and I nod my head.

 

"Of course. If she wants to." SooHyung's face lit up. She hugged TaeHyung and walked over to my bed. We all chuckle.

 

"We'll leave as soon morning comes." TaeHyung says to my mom.

 

"It's okay. No need." My mom says forcing a smile. She leaves the room.

 

"Goodnight." I tell TaeHyung before he leaves. He pecks my lips.

 

"Goodnight." He says, walking over to SooHyung. He kisses her forehead and tells her goodnight as well. She smiles and cuddles more into my blanket.

 

"You can wear my husband's sleeping clothes if you want." My mom yells from downstairs. TaeHyung smiles at us, and leaves the room. He'll get through this. I know he can.