From that night on, Ryu Yeol stayed to have dinner with them. Jin-ho stayed as well. After they finished their meals, Jin-ho bid them a farewell. Ryu Yeol looked at Seol Ah before heading out. Seol Ah anxiously ran to the front gate to bid Ryu Yeol goodbye.
"Ryu—"
"You can start calling me Oppa if you like…" Ryu Yeol said softly. Seol Ah's body tensed without realizing that Jin-ho was still behind his front gate, listening to them.
"Oppa… will you be going home?" Seol Ah asked. Ryu Yeol sighed heavily and nodded.
"Omma is still upset at me… and I'm still sorry for how I spoke about you. I really do hope you succeed in life because you're really smart, Seol Ah."
Seol Ah subtly blushed at his compliment. The first warm compliment from him.
"Thanks…"
"And for that boy earlier, even though he saved you guys, something about him feels off. So be careful, okay?" Ryu Yeol warned. Seol Ah's lips parted halfway.
"What do you mean?" Seol Ah wondered.
"The fact that he lurks around you and dangers follow… something doesn't add up," Ryu Yeol said. Seol Ah's lips curled downward as her gaze shifted to Jin-ho at the gate. She noticed two dark shadows reflected underneath the light. She smiled at Ryu Yeol.
"Don't worry! You can trust Omma with me!" Seol Ah beamed, flexing her biceps. Ryu Yeol chuckled, patting her head for the first time.
"Who would have known… that you've grown into a strong woman despite how we treated you?" Ryu Yeol admitted solemnly. Seol Ah anxiously grinned.
"We were all just kids… growing out of it," Seol Ah defused, looking away. Ryu Yeol stared at her.
"Yet the biggest person was you, the victim…" Ryu Yeol replied, tears rolling out of his eyes. Seol Ah swallowed her nervousness.
"Hm… drive safely!" she started to change the subject. Ryu Yeol nodded and sighed in relief.
"If anything happens, make sure to call or text me to let me know," Ryu Yeol said, handing her his card. Seol Ah took the card with two hands, staring at it. She then locked eyes with him and nodded to the point where she almost lost balance from being excited. They laughed.
"I will!"
Ryu Yeol walked into his car and started his engine. He turned his head to look at Seol Ah, who smiled and waved before returning inside. Then Ryu Yeol drove off, pressing the screen inside the car to make a call. Lianna [Lim Ana].
RING. RING. RING.
"Hello?" Lianna asked in English. "Did you see Mom?"
"I did… she's safe," Ryu Yeol replied, also in English. Lianna let out a heavy sigh over the line.
"Is that annoying pest still around?" she snapped. For a second, Ryu Yeol's chest tightened.
"Lianna, why do you hate her?" he asked.
Lianna scoffed, staring at her nails.
"Because of her, I got yelled at by Mom every day… ever since she came into the house, we've never had any peace. Dad hates her too—he thinks she only brings misfortune, AND she did!" she rattled off.
Ryu Yeol gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.
"Do you trust Dad that much? That because of her, our lives have been miserable?"
Lianna rolled her eyes into the phone.
"What do you mean? Do I trust Dad? Of course!"
"What if… I told you that because of her, Dad did so well at his job. The high pay, everything… even us. We were able to go to good schools all these years," Ryu Yeol said, his voice tentative.
Lianna slammed her palm onto her bed.
"What do you mean, because of her, we had all of these luxuries?"
"I meant… Mom took her in because of a deal… but she loves her anyway," Ryu Yeol admitted, the truth cracking something inside him.
Silence stretched between them. Lianna's hands trembled as shame and anger rose.
"So you're saying… Mom loved her because of a deal—"
"Mom truly loves her, even without the deal… but she brought her into our house because of the deal," Ryu Yeol clarified.
Lianna didn't answer. She ended the call without warning, slamming the phone down and screaming into her pillow. Then she kicked the pillow and stormed down the hallway to confront their father, Nathan.
Their shouting echoed through the house, but Lianna's face showed what words couldn't: a raw sense of betrayal. Their mother had taught them to be grateful for what they were given. Their father had taught them to take it all for granted.
The night was long in Seoul, but the morning had just started in the States. Lianna stormed off with her belongings, never ever returning to her father.
The next morning, Seol Ah stepped outside her front gate, spotting Jin-ho and Woo Sol. She looked at Jin-ho, debating whether to confront him or ignore him. She sighed heavily and looked away as Po Lim hurried ahead. Jin-ho stared at Seol Ah as she walked by, pondering.
When Po Lim and Woo Sol headed to their school, Seol Ah walked in silence, knowing that Jin-ho was walking behind her quietly. Will he admit anything to me?
Jin-ho smirked and hurried to her side.
"Do you not trust me?" he asked suddenly. Seol Ah stopped and turned to look at him.
"Should I?" she retorted. Jin-ho chuckled and averted his eyes.
"Maybe… maybe not," he replied. Seol Ah groaned, squinting.
"Argh…" she ended and walked away. Jin-ho hurried to her side with a small laugh.
"Come on, I was joking—"
"Uh huh…"
"Seol Ah…" he called softly, blocking her with one hand. She glared at him.
"What?" she asked.
"I've noticed that you only kicked them… what if you learned to use your hands to punch them? Will you give it a try?" he wondered. Her brows furrowed.
"What? Why?"
"To get stronger, don't you have to use your whole body to fight these bad guys…?" Jin-ho added. The logic sounded almost too calm for someone discussing the protection of the people he loved. Seol Ah blinked at him suspiciously.
"And I should trust you because you'll help me find a place that will teach me. Is that what you're saying?"
"No… I'm saying," he paused, smiling. He put his whole hand to his chest. "Trust me because I will teach you. I learned jiu-jitsu when I was seven."
She froze, frowning. Seven? Why would anyone need to train that young?
"Why start so young—?"
"My uncle thought I'd need to protect myself…" Jin-ho replied, quick as if it were a line he'd practiced. Seol Ah pressed her top lip against her bottom, sourness rising.
"Well, I learned TKD because I need to protect myself, too," she snapped, shrugging. "Why train yourself? Guardians are supposed to protect you!"
Then she stomped away.
Jin-ho flinched at the bite in her voice. Seol Ah felt the spite land harder than she'd meant. She stopped, turned back, and hurried toward him.
"I don't care that you started at seven and that you're… messed up or whatever," she blurted, words tumbling out. "But saying you need to protect yourself—that's wrong. If your uncle really thinks that, there's something wrong with him. Get out of that house."
Jin-ho's eyes widened, and he scratched his neck, a small, nervous laugh escaping him.
"After my parents died in the States, I had no choice but to learn to protect myself," he said.
Seol Ah's face went slack with shock. Crap. I was so mean.
"Forget it… I didn't mean that," she muttered, closing her eyes with guilt. She tried to turn away, but Jin-ho caught her shoulder. She started, opened her eyes, and their gazes locked.
"I really do mean it… I want to teach you," he said softly.
So soft her heart skipped. She looked away, pressing a hand to her chest to steady the flutter. The world seemed to narrow as Jin-ho's face closed the distance between them.
Later, they walked to school in silence. Seol Ah kept to the edges, avoiding any place he might be, slapping her flushed cheeks as she hid behind a building.
"What's wrong with that boy?" she mumbled. "Is he flirting… or hiding his true intentions? Argh, so frustrating. Why am I even hiding from him?"
"Yeah, why are—"
"AHH!" Seol Ah screamed.
"Ahh!!!" the boy beside her shouted. They both took a step back, but Seol Ah almost kicked him in the groin.
Jin-ho heard the scream from a distance and turned his head toward them.
"Seol Ah?" he wondered, squinting his eyes to focus.
The boy beside Seol Ah covered between his legs, shutting his eyes.
"Please don't kick me there!" he begged. Seol Ah quickly put her foot down and bowed.
"I'm sorry… I got scared," Seol Ah replied. The boy opened his eyes and looked at her carefully. He sighed in relief.
"That's… okay…" he panted. He wiped his sweat. "By the way, someone told me to give you this…"
Seol Ah perked up and looked at the note. She took and read it. There was an address and a time.
"Who gave this to you?"
The boy scratched his neck awkwardly, furrowing his brows.
"I don't know… it was a girl, though. She wore a huge hoodie and baggy clothes that were all dirty," the boy replied without any more clues. Seol Ah nodded.
"Oh, I see… thanks—"
Then her phone buzzed. Seol Ah grabbed it and froze.
Unknown Number: "come alone… or your sister will be next."
Fear shot through her, every nerve tingling. Her muscles tensed as her heart pounded louder and louder in her ears.
Outside the school gate, a shadow lingered by a tree, hidden from all the cameras as always.
Jang Yu.
Her bloodshot eyes glinted with a sinister smile.