Stepmom looked at Bo Woon while washing the dishes.

"Bo Woon-ah, I think I see something," she said suspiciously as she approached the young lady.

The stepmom examed the young lady's legs, and saw some diagonal streaks.

"What are these?" she asked.

Bo Woon could not hide them, for she was wearing shorts. All she could do was lie.

"Ah, I stumbled unto some wires," Bo Woon lied.

Stepmom was not that convinced, but she believed her anyway.

******

Joon Hee followed Bo Woon all the way to school.

"Eonni, wait for me!"

Bo Woon stopped to look at him.

"Joon Hee-oppa, maybe you are hungry," she said playfully.

Joon Hee stopped and massaged his tummy. 

"Ne. I am very, very hungry," he said.

Just then, a woman in all red came in front of them.

"CHA BO WOON!"

Both of them looked at the woman.

"Eomma!" was all she could say, for the woman dragged her.

"Eonni!" Joon Hee screamed.

"Help, Joon Hee-ya!!!!!" she cried.

The eomeoni dragged her daughter, leading the way to the house. Not many people passed by the alley where Bo Woon and Joon Hee passed by, and it was unfortunate that they passed that way. The drummer chased them all the way to the house, but the ajumma slammed the door shut, and he watched helplessly as the ajumma whipped her own daughter. He looked around for neighbors, but the neighbors were also afraid of Bo Woon's eomma, who was a major bully in the area. He ran away in frustration and in haste, and called Bo Woon's appa, who had given his cellphone number to him.

"Come on, please answer!" he thought.

Finally, the appa answered, and he blurted out the words in hot tears. The father got so mad that the ordered Joon Hee to run to the police station, while he, the abeoji, would go to the scene.

It did not take long for Joon Hee to ask help from the police, but when they got there, they saw that the place was deserted.

"Joon Hee!" Bo Woon's appa called out. "Where are they?"

Joon Hee broke into tears to see the house empty.

"Eonni!" he shouted.

"Bo Woon-ah!" Appa shouted.

The police interrogated the neighbors, who told the police the truth.

"She brought Bo Woon down there," the old woman said in fear.

The police, Joon Hee, and Appa all went to the direction that the old woman pointed, and the police forces started their hot pursuit.

******

"Eomma!!!!" Bo Woon cried.

"Don't you go away from now on!" Eomma shouted at her. "Since you ran away from me, I will teach you a lesson! A bad daughter ought to be punished!"

She whipped her daughter again, until blood was oozing down the latter's legs. Bo Woon cried for help, all to no avail.

"No one will help you now!" the ajumma shouted as she whipped Bo Woon.

"Stop!" Joon Hee shouted at her from a distance.

The ajumma looked at him in anger.

"You again!" she shouted as she placed the whip around Bo Woon's neck.

"Halt!" the police officer shouted.

"Ah! So you even called the police! Then, I will have to do this!"

She started to strangle Bo Woon with the whip even if her ex-husband told her to stop. The police ran to them, but Joon Hee was faster, so he ran and pushed the ajumma aside. The area was a  bit deserted, and it led to the river. Joon Hee saw the bridge, so he pulled Bo Woon and ran as the ajumma ran after them. In his stress, Joon Hee lifted Bo Woon and jumped off the bridge.

"Bring back my daughter!!!!!" the ajumma shouted.

But the police were behind her, and they had all their guns pointed at her. The ajumma sneered at them and attempted to jump off the bridge, but the police got to her fast and wrestled with her. She was not drunk, and her strength was still as immense.

"What kind of a woman is this?" the leader of the team murmured.

Nevertheless, the police got hold of her, and she was not able to wriggle free. Appa went to his ex-wife and slapped her hard. Tears began welling on his eyes.

"You wicked woman!" he shouted. "You maltreated your own daughter?"

The ajumma spitted on his face.

"Don't you blame me because it is all your fault!"

The police told the ajumma to keep shut and to explain only in the police station. Appa worriedly looked down the bridge for any sign of Bo Woon. So worried was he that he went with the police to the station, and instructed his second wife to go to the suggested address to look for witnesses.

***************

Joon Hee swam to the nearby dry land and dragged Bo Woon with her. His girlfriend was getting weak due to the pain and exhaustion, and some blood had been lost.

"Eonni, please hold on," he begged.

Bo Woon looked at him with her tired eyes and nodded. She watched him take off his t-shirt.

"What are you doing?" she weakly asked. "You'll get cold.

Joon Hee did not mind that he was from the waist up. He ripped his t-shirt and started to apply pressure on her wounds and even bandaged them.

"I'll have to rip off my pants if I have to," he said to her.

Bo Woon took off her bolero and handed it to him.

"You can use this if you like," she offered.

The young man took his time fast and bandaged her wounds. Later, when he saw that her wounds were all right, he got his cellphone, only to find out that it had gone bad because of the water.

"Mine too," Bo Woon said sadly.

Joon Hee heaved a sigh of exasperation as he lay down on the grass. It was almost noon, but it was shady under the bridge. If only they could find some help, that would be best. She was exhausted too, so she reclined on his chest. Her mind was filled with thoughts as she absentmindedly caressed his chest.

"I want to go to the police station and see my eomma," Bo Woon said.

"I'd go with you," he said.

She scooted and looked at him. "Please help me..."

He looked at her and caressed her face. "I promised you, didn't I?"

She buried her face again on his chest and started another crying session. In the midst of it, he could feel her kissing his chest again.

"Let's go, Bo Woon-eonni," he said.

He got up and assisted her in standing up. They went to a nearby shack and asked for help. Good thing, the man was helpful, so he assisted them and even went to the police station just like they requested.

*********

Appa filed complaints against his ex-wife, and he told her bitterly that from that day on, he would take legal custody over their daughter. Neighbors began coming in and added more complaints, from extorting money from others to drug abuse. Appa vowed to himself that his ex-wife will be convicted. He called his lawyer and requested to have the matter taken cared of.