The drive to the Kim's house felt longer than the usual. Mostly because this kid beside me, was in a full chatter mode, like a bomb of sunshine, full of energy and non-stop talking.
"Winter? Are you even listening to me?"
I don't. I just nodded my head. I don't even have a clue what she's talking about. Something about a K-drama she was obsessed with and how the lead actor reminded her of... well, I stopped paying attention.
A few minutes after, finally, we arrived into the driveway. We stepped out of the vehicle and headed inside.
"Ning, sweetheart! When did you arrive?" Mom, completely ignoring her own daughter's presence, went straight to this someone's kid.
"Mom! I missed you! I arrived yesterday." She said, pulling my mother into a hug.
I stood there awkwardly, feeling like I was interrupting in my own family reunion.
"You didn't tell me you were coming!" Mom said, squeezing Ningning tightly. "Why didn't you call? I would have picked you up from the airport!"
"I wanted to surprise you, guys!" Ningning said, grinning.
Not long after, Minji came rushing to Ningning's side too.
"Ning unnie! Is it true that you're staying here in Seoul?" My sister asked, excitedly.
Oh man, where's Dad? Maybe he'll at least acknowledge my existence.
"Winter, dear... I heard about the incident involving you and Felix... are you okay? Principal Im informed us that you punched him, is that true?" Right. Of course the school would tell the parents.
"Ne... Mom. I expect that Principal Im also mentioned the cause of the fight." She nodded.
"Your Dad wants to talk to you in his study." Here goes the parental lecture. Wish me luck.
I mumbled a quick 'excuse me' to Ningning, trying to avoid eye contact.
This was going to be fun.
I made my way down the hallway towards Dad's study. I knocked softly on the door and stepped inside.
Kim's Dad was sitting behind his desk, hunched over his laptop. He looked up as I entered, gesturing for me to take a sit.
"Winter, come in, sit down." He said, pushing his laptop aside.
I sit on the edge of one of the leather armchairs, feeling like I was about to be interrogated.
He leaned back in his chair, studying me for a moment.
"Principal Im called. He told me about what happened with you and Felix." I swallowed, hard. Flashbacks on how my biological father back in U.S. disciplined me with this kind of things, resurfaced.
I nodded.
"He said, you punched him, is that true?"
"Yes, Dad. It's true."
My eyes were locked on the ash-carpeted floor, so it startled me when Dad suddenly burst into laughter.
"How? How did you do it Winter? Can — can you demonstrate it to me?"
What? He was literally beaming with excitement. This wasn't the lecture I'm expecting at all.
"What? You're not... mad?" I asked, bewildered.
He shook his head, still chuckling. "Mad? No, I'm impressed! I always knew you had a bit of a fire in you, but I didn't realize you were capable of knocking someone out! Tell me, how did you punch the guy?"
I blinked, trying to process what was happening.
I stood up.
"Well, I do this... and then... I stepped back with my right leg, putting all force to my right fist and yea..."
I started to demonstrate, shifting my weight and drawing back my arm, trying to recreate the motion of the punch. It felt a little silly, demonstrating a violent act in my dad's peaceful study, but he was watching me with such intense interest that I couldn't help but get into it.
"Okay, okay, I see. So, it's all about the weight transfer. You're using your whole body to generate the power. Interesting." Dad said, nodding thoughtfully. He stood up too.
"Show me again! But this time, do it in slow motion. I want to see the mechanics." I couldn't help but laugh. Him, an intellectual type, suddenly obsessed with the physics of punching. It was ridiculous.
He watched intently, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"Winter, we'll spar on the ring sometimes." Now we're doing boxing. Great.
"Maybe, Dad," I said. "Maybe."
"But. I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise me that you'll never let yourself get into a situation like that again. If you ever feel threatened, or if you ever see someone else being hurt, you call a teacher. You call the police. You do whatever you need to do to get out of there safely. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Dad."
~•~
"You finally broke up with that lunatic? Good for you Winter." We were inside my room — Ningning and I. She'd insisted on spending the night here, wanting to know all the details after the accident.
"It wasn't exactly a 'breakup'. More like a violent termination of all future relations." I said, sinking onto the bed.
She raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Violent? Do tell."
"Fine. But promise me, you won't freak out." She nodded, placing her hands below her chin.
"He forced himself on me." That was the summary of it all.
"What?! He assaulted you?!" She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
"Yea, he grabbed me and tried to kiss me." Is this how teenager's nowadays gossip about their life? I don't have a clue, I'm just telling her what happened.
"That son of — I'm gonna kill him!" She stood up from the bed, face red with rage. So I grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm fine. Actually, before I left him, I made a solid blow on his stomach with my elbow." Ningning froze.
"Jinja? you elbowed him? In the stomach?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. It was pretty effective, if I do say so myself. He doubled over and gasped for air. It was glorious." I smirked. And then, she burst into laughter. A loud, unrestrained, almost hysterical laughter that filled my entire room.
"Oh my god, Winter! That's amazing! I can't believe you actually turned barbaric!" She said, wiping tears from eyes.
Maybe. But I'm just trying to protect myself.
"Okay, enough of this. Ningning, I want you to meet someone, tomorrow." If Yizhuo would be in the same country and same school as me. Then it'd be more convenient if she and Giselle just get to know each other.
"Who? You know I hate men." I was taken aback by that.
"Like, men,men, all of them?" She shrugged.
"Pretty much. They're all the same, you know? Selfish, arrogant, and always trying to get something from you."
Oh man, now we have the similarities I needed.
"Well, this isn't a man. It's a lady." Ningning brows shot up, her interest piqued.
"A lady? What's she like?"
"She's kind, funny, smart, and incredibly talented. And she's been through a lot lately."
"Hmm, sounds intriguing. What's her name?"
"Giselle, Uchinaga Giselle." I saw how her face dropped.
"Your other friend? No thanks, Winter. I know what her motives her. Our families are at each other's throats remember? And I.hate.that.girl."
Ouch. I knew their families weren't exactly on the best terms, thanks to the whole corporate rivalry thing, but I didn't realize Ningning felt so strongly about it. Or about Giselle, for that matter.
My initial thought was that it was all about the company. That Ningning's dislike for Giselle stemmed from the feud between their families' businesses. But the way she said it... it felt too personal.
"What are you talking about? What motives? What's wrong with Giselle?" I said, feigning innocence. She just glared at me, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Don't act like you don't know, Winter. She's an Uchinaga. That's all I need to know."
Man... this is bad.
We'll see about this tomorrow.