The two of us walked into the high class restaurant that belonged to the address that my mother had sent to me just a few minutes after our phone call. I felt YongGuk’s hand instantly press against the small of my back and when I looked up at him I noticed him sigh.

                “Just a couple of hours with your parents and we’re out of here.” He muttered. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to convince me or him, but I was grateful for his words either way.

                A waitress led us to a table further away from the rest of the public and towards where my parents were currently sitting. At first glance the two of them looked absolutely happy to see us when they saw us coming, but I could see through the mask. I’d grown up watching them put on that exact mask, so it was too easy for me now to look right through it.

                I saw the flicker of recognition in my mother’s eyes as she noticed YongGuk and the frown tugging at the corners of my father’s mouth as he gestured for us to take our seats. But they forced those fake smiles, made their voices higher to seem happier, and lit a spark in their eyes as if they were ecstatic to see us. They put on a show for us.

                They put on a show for their daughter.

                YongGuk sent me a quick look as we took our seats across from them, giving me a sign that he’d noticed too. He’d known my parents long enough. He knew their facades almost as well as I did.

                Another reason why I loved him so much.

                “SoKyung.” My mother clasped her hands together and smiled as the waiters placed glasses of water in front of YongGuk and I. “It’s so good to see you, and YongGuk-sshi.” She turned to look at him, her eyes widening ever so slightly. “This is a surprise.” I narrowed my own eyes at her, waiting for her to say something she’d regret. Something that would give me a reason to get up and leave at that moment. She was good at giving me reasons like that. I’d gotten plenty of those growing up.

                My father cleared his throat, cutting my mother off from what she’d been about to say. “Yes, it is quite a surprise.” He said, staring YongGuk down the way he’d always done before. “I don’t mean to come off as rude—“

                “But you will.” I muttered under my breath, receiving a glare from my mother.

                “—but what are you doing here with my daughter?”

                “That’s none of your business, now is it?” I snapped, keeping my voice as even as possible.

                “So.” YongGuk mumbled, taking a drink of his water and giving me a warning look.

                My father turned his eyes to me and sighed. “Cut the hostility, SoKyung, we’re here to mend what was broken, not cause any trouble.”

                I raised an eyebrow at him. “You mean there’s more trouble for you to cause? I thought the damage was done.” I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms. “You’ve done enough, Father.”

                “We did what any parent would—“

                “You kicked me out of the house!” I sat up straighter and glared at him. “You disowned me! You cut me out of the family and never and glanced my way again! Don’t you dare even try to justify that! You were only thinking of yourself and your reputation in society! You have no idea what I had to go through to get back up again after that! You—“

                “That’s enough.” My father kept his voice at an even tone, never wavering, but I could tell I was making him angry. “SoKyung, we’re sorry that we overreacted in such a way, but we’re here to make amends with you.”

                I scoffed and looked away. “What promotion do you want now? What boss is looking for a happy and well-rounded family man now?”

                “SoKyung!” my mother scolded, sounding as if I had said something scandalizing. But we all knew that was the truth. They were a greedy bunch looking for the next big thing, and they were willing to do anything—use anyone—to get there.

                My father only continued as if I hadn’t said anything. “We’ve done our research for a while now, and we’ve found a wonderful family in America that would gladly take your little girl. It’s a young couple, of course, but they’ve got the stability that you don’t have to take care of her and—“

                “Excuse me?” I demanded, looking at him in disbelief.

                Mother only smiled, pulling papers out of her purse and sliding them across the table. “You only have to sign these and all the burdens will be off your shoulders for good.” Her eyes softened as she looked at me. “You can be free of such a huge responsibility. You can come home.” Her voice got quieter. “Just sign these, SoKyung.”

                I stared at the papers for a second before looking at her. Did she really think I was going to sign those? I turned to look at YongGuk, who seemed to be mirroring my look of disbelief. I looked back at my parents.

                “This is unbelievable.” I said, my voice getting dangerously low.

                My mother seemed to be taken back by my response. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” she reached out to touch my hand as if to comfort me. “Isn’t this what you want?”

                I pulled away. “No!” I yelled, standing up rather suddenly, causing the people around us to be startled. “That’s not what I want at all!”

                “SoKyung, sit down!” my father hissed, glancing around nervously. I didn’t.

                I glared at him. “Is this your idea of trying to control me?” I demanded, my voice rising with anger and frustration. I could feel it building up inside of me. All those years of repressed feelings were suddenly rising up and I just couldn’t take it anymore. “You can’t take HanMi away from me! She’s mine!” I felt the tears coming and knew I had to get out of there. There was no way I was going to let my father feel the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

                But there was one more thing I had to say to them.

                One more thing they needed to know before they never saw me again.

                I stuck out my left hand and glared at my father stubbornly.

                He looked at it for a moment and then looked back up at me. “What is this?” he gestured to the ring.

                “YongGuk and I got married. Today.” And then I grabbed YongGuk’s hand and pulled him out of the restaurant without and second glance.

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hi ^^ qucik update before i head out

going to the fair :D

i'm sooo excited!! i haven't gone to the fair in years!! (like...7)

okay, can you guys imagine being in YongGuk's place at that dinner? how awkward would that be? XD poor guy...

more to come, possibly tonight? hmm?

thanks for reading~