An hour at the police station , an hour or so at the hospital, and  two hours at the child services office hyeon has cried her eyes out begging and bawlung so the kids won't get into the hellish child service system and become governmental property .

           From trying to convince their mom to file a domestic abuse charge to keep her husband away, which failed as always, to trying to convince her friends at the child's services office to let her keep the kids until the issue gets resolved instead of placing them in group homes, which after much begging and arguing she succeeded.  She is mentally exhausted and her heart is worn out .

       " this is the last time hyeona    .       .    .       .

     “ .   .     .Am trusting you with this because i know you .  .  ,”   

      " one more mishap and i have to take these kids away   .    "   

    “.      .    I don't want to do it but i will have to" is what the police officer said while walking hyeon out.

          After assisting with so many domestic abuse and children's cases hyeon has earned the of most of the people sitting behind the desks in their cities child services office; But no matter how much she uses her connections, cries, and begs things never change .She has seen kid after kid being placed into group homes, foster carers, and adoption if lucky . And now it's happening all over again and she’s on her last draw. She has one chance to somehow fix seung’s and her little sister's  broken home or lose them as the other ones.

                 Sitting in the taxi,the only thing on hyeons mind is thinking about options. She needs to come up with alot of option. she needs a plan  A, plan b and a plane c before considering the lotto like adoption system as an option.

            Convincing the kids mom to file charges would have been the best option but she knows that won't happen. She  has asked, begged , cried and plead to convince seung's mom but it always fails. It's always the same excuse she gets back for her begging.

        " he said this is the last time .     .     .       , he won't do it again"

       " he has never hit the kids .     .        .        . He will never touch the kids"

       "   i know he loves  me .      .        .      Its just the alcohol"

         " i should have bothered him when he was drunk. . . "

    " i dont want to raise another daughter with no father"

     " how can i raise the two kids by myself .   .    .    .  "

              She has heard it over and over again.  It's always a dead end as seung's mom goes back home the next day after he visits her with flowers and begs on his knees swearing to never do it again . Its a cycle .

                " mama,  we're  here" it was the driver's voice that brought hyeon back to reality.

She walked into the hospital carrying the food seung's mom loves . After walking in to find the lady, with bruises all over her face, sleeping hyeon pulled the chair next to the bed and sat down.

     " oh.  .  . your back" the nurse smiled at hyeon picking up the board from the next patient's bed.

       " i'm ' gonna leave this here can you make sure she eats it.  .   .   I got to go" hyeon placed the plastic bag on the table next to the bed.

       " sure" the nursed signed at the bottom and walked into the next patients .

          Without even much realization she has stepped out of the hospital , walked towards the bus station, and got on the bus to her house.

          Wearing her pajamas with flipflops , her bag hanging at the edge of her shoulder. Her eyes swollen, her hair a flying east and west as the wind from the open window hits it, her cheeks bright red .  .     .     . Her whole face begs for pity and  man after woman after man pass her seat giving her a pity look. “ Probably . . . A family member of hers just died”, most assume looking at her cried out eyes . Some think it's a bad breakup that has led her to looking as crazy and as disoriented as this.

               Her eyes fixated on the street hyeon didn't even pay attention to the old lady then the high school students who sat next to her nor the man who kept looking at her and trying to ask what happened but wasn't bold enough and got of 2 stops ago.

             She could get the orphanage to accept them , which by itself would take a lot of convincing and some begging for favours, but it won’t last long as the whole place is going to shut down .      .      .    Budget cut . It would have been a good option though, since both their mom and hyeon could visit them anytime and even have some sleepovers at her house. Having known the pastor , who runs the place, for the last 6 years he will gladly let the kids sleep at her house.

             The best option now is to beg the kids mom to let the kids live at hyeon's house, which she has tried before. Almost a year ago she has offered her house for all three of them, after getting an alarming call from seung at midnight and running to the police station with no shoes on. but after staying  a couple of days the mom took them back.

         But if i threaten her that it's either the kids will be separated and sent to god knows where or live with me.  .    . She would choose the later. Any mother would choose the later.

          She got off as she heard the bus lady scream her stop.

   " thats it!"  Heyons tries to convince herself of her own plan

  " its either me or probably never seeing them again .     .     .   .it's not even a threat, it's the reality".        .       . Hyeon thinks about other option walking up the hill to her apartment.

         " onni did you get the ice cream .  .   . " the little girl ran from the couch to the door , when she heard the keys at the door,trying to see if hyeon was carrying anything.

        "  you forgot again" she looked up at hyeon who closed the door and threw off her shoes quickly.

      " i've gotta to the bathrom . .   .    .     Real quick" she ran to the bathroom, sliding the little girl to the side.

        Frowning, the little girl walked back to the couch and sat next to her sister, who's attentively watching the quiz show .

             4, 6, 8 .  .       . Minutes go by

" can we watch my movie now " the little one asked

      " you said , you'll let me watch" she folded her arms and sat back trying to grab her sister's attention.

        " there you go , . . . " seung threw the remote on to the littles girls lap, who jumped up and pressed the channel number her fingers have pressed so many times as her sister stood up and walked to the bathroom.

            Seconds before she knocked on the door she heard the shower water running. She put her hand back down and walked to the kitchen.

              After 15 minutes or so she followed hyeon, who walked out with a towel wrapped around her wet body, to the bedroom

      " are we staying here tonight" seung as always , stood by the door.

       " your staying here for a couple of days until i sort some things out " hyeon grabbed a mismatched underwear and bar from the top drawer , placed it on one hand and a shirt & formal khaki pants on the other; and walked past seung back into the bathroom

            She came out moments later dressed .

      " are they gone take us  .   .     .      . After that" seung asked looking at the ground.

       " can't you keep her at least .   .    .       .   .    . I'll be fine but she's too  small. " she didn't look up.she didn't want hyeon to notice the tears forming in her eyes.

        She know what's going on. .   .       And what's probably going to happen.she has heard it so many times , as she sat at the police station carrying her asleep sister on her hands hearing her mom and stepdad curse and fight in front of cops that threatened to take her and her sister away.

        " no body is taking you guys anywhere .     .     . You hear me " hyeon walked to the door and held seung's face and raised it up.

           " you hear me , nobody.    .      .    . NOBODY .   ..   . " she wiped the girls tears away.

      " I promised to protect you both .   .     , and i will"

     " didn't i say no crying .   .     .    Hu" hyein squeezed  seung's arm after pulling back for a hug

      " says the girl with swollen eyes " seung's brushed of her eyes with her sleeves and smirked at hyeon

      " i'll do the crying and fighting .   .   .    . You guys just do all the smiling and happy face" hyeon smiled walking around the other side of the bed to pick her phone charger.

       " where are you going " seung asked lending her whole body on the bed , which she fixed with a couple of hours ago.

         " am' covering your moms shift at the hotel" hyeon turned to seung and pointed at the hotel logo on the shirt.

     " i know you look old but i don't think you'll pass as my mom"

       " we couldn't find someone to cover her shift and .   .    . I know her boss so .  .     . " hyeon pulled her wet hair into a ponytail and brushed the front to the back and placed a headband on top to hold it.

        " wait .    .        . How do you know my moms boss.       .  

        “You have some crazy connections" seung sat up smiling

            " i met her last time .        .      .   . When i covered her morning shift .when she took your sister  to the hospital" hyeon picked her jacket and walked out of the bedroom.

       " ok jiung , came here for a second" hyein grabbed her bag and started pulling out for her wallet her ID, insurance card, bank card and some cash.

       " i'm ' gonna leave for work .    .   .  Order some pizza for lunch" she glanced up at seung

        " do not get soad .    .    . You know how hyper she gets when she drinks those .   .   . So no soda" she gave seung a sharp look

       " ohaaaaaa " the little one sighed.

        " i'll be back around dinner time .    .    ,  we'll walk to the market and eat dinner out" hyeon put all the stuff in her pants pocket

     " it’s saturday night so am sure there will be some stuff happening there. " she zipped her jacket.

      " are u trying to spoil us .    .    Pizza and dinner "  seung asked watching  her sister jump around in excitement.