Mun Yeorin just stood there, his hands tucked in his pocket. Bora, lying in a hospital bed, her face pale and bruised. Ri Ta, standing beside her, holding her hand. And Lee Ahn, her mother, radiating tension and disapproval.
"Yeorin, what are you doing here?" Ri Ta asked, her voice neutral.
Mun Yeorin hesitated, his gaze darting between Bora and Ri Ta. "Nothing," he replied, his voice neutral.
Ri Ta's eyes narrowed, suspicion etched on her face. "What do you want?"
Mun Yeorin took a step forward, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He replied again, "Nothing."
Lee Ahn stepped forward, her eyes flashing with unease and confusion. "Nuguya (who are you?", I think it's best if you leave now. Bora needs rest."
Mun Yeorin nodded, his eyes lingering on Bora before turning to leave. "Get well soon, Bora."
As the door closed behind him, Bora turned to Ri Ta. "What's going on, Ri Ta? Why is everyone being so nice to me?"
Ri Ta shrugged her shoulders, "why ask me?"
Bora's eyes narrowed, her mind racing with questions. What did Ri Ta mean? And why was Mun Yeorin, of all people, visiting her in the hospital?
Lost in her thoughts, she heard Ri Ta's edgy voice, "Uh...bye, get well soon."
Ri Ta followed Mun Yeorin out of the hospital room, her eyes fixed on his back. "Yeorin wait up," she said briefly, before turning and disappearing down the corridor.
Mun Yeorin just kept his hands in his pocket and continued on his way, leaving the tense atmosphere of the hospital room behind.
Ri Ta walked as fast as she could to catch up with Yeorin, "Ya (hey)!" She grappled on Yeorin's hands. Slowly Yeorin turned back, "What does she always want from me?" He wondered.
His broad back and chiseled jawline stood out, his hair styled in a two-block cut, His aura was fitting, and his cold demeanor felt like a freeze ray, anyone would be engulfed by his presence. Ri Ta caught the scent of his perfume and was immediately drawn to it, "I like how you smell, you smell like roses."
Yeorin looked at Ri Ta with uttermost amazement, in his black and gray checkered shirt and black denim jeans. "What doesn't she like about me?" He asked himself, "First my eyes, then my jawline, then my sense of style, then to my lips, and now my cologne. She can as well just swallow me up."
"What do you want Ri Ta?" Yeorin asked.
"Well....um...I just wanted to see you," Ri Ta said, drawing closer to him. Yeorin trotted backward, "why does she have to be so frustrating? He said and continued walking.
Back in the hospital room, Lee Ahn's expression turned stern as she focused on Bora. "Now that we're alone, we need to discuss your punishment."
Bora's eyes became dull and her facial expression suddenly sagged, anticipating the worst.
Just then, the door opened and Jeong Mi walked in, another tray of food in his hands. "Hey, I brought your favorite soup, Bora - Yukgaejang (a spicy Korean soup made with shredded beef). Thought it might help you feel better."
Lee Ahn's gaze narrowed. "Jeong Mi, we were just discussing Bora's punishment."
Jeong Mi's expression turned serious as he set the tray down. "Ah, yes. Well, let's get it over with then."
Lee Ahn's voice was firm. "Bora, you'll be grounded for three months, no phone, no friends, no extracurricular activities. And when you're released from the hospital, you'll start attending a virtual therapy sessions to deal with your impulsiveness."
Bora's eyes widened, shock and anger warring within her. "Three months? That's unfair!"
Lee Ahn's expression remained unyielding. "Unfair? You're lucky I don't take away your privileges for a year, Bora. Your recklessness could have gotten you killed."
Bora looked at her Father, hoping he'd butt-in and help out, but he kept quiet and stood aloof. Bora's face burned with resentment, but Lee Ahn continued, her voice firm. "You'll do exactly as I say, no arguing, no complaining. You'll follow the rules and learn from your mistakes."
Jeong Mi stepped forward, his voice supporting Lee Ahn's. "Bora, we're doing this because we love you and want you to be safe. You need to learn responsibility and accountability and mostly how to see people for who they are."
Bora's eyes flashed with anger, but her parents' united front left her no room for argument. She clenched her jaw, seething with frustration, as Lee Ahn continued rambling on about her punishments, it was like a long list of unfulfilled promises.
After the whole barking and sparking of Lee Ahn, Jeong Mi decided to speak up, "I'm with your Mother on this Bora, except for the part of the privileges for three months."
"Okay maybe three months is too much but, the others still stand, you'll have your privileges and whatnot but from now on, you'd do everything I say," Lee Ahn reassured.
"Eoma..... (Mom)," Bora cried.
"Wae? Wae? Wae (what? What? What is it?)? Do you know how I felt when I heard you go into an accident? I ran like a mad woman who was going through clinical depression. Do you think it was easy for me? You know what? I guess my friends were right, giving you children too much space isn't the best idea."
Bora's eyes welled up with tears as her mother's words cut deep.
Lee Ahn's expression remained resolute, but her voice cracked with emotion. "We're doing this because we love you, Bora. We can't watch you self-destruct anymore, we know it was Sonya's remembrance yesterday snd you've blammed yourself for it ever since, but I wasn't your fault."
Jeong Mi stepped forward, his eyes pleading. "Bora, sweetie, we want to help you. We want to see you happy and safe."
But Bora was beyond consolation. She felt like her world was shattering like she was losing herself. "You don't love me!" she screamed, her voice hoarse with emotion. "You just want to control me, like you always do!"
Lee Ahn's face crumpled, tears streaming down her face. "Bora, that's not true...we just want what's best for you..."
But Bora was beyond reason. She felt like she was drowning in her parents' suffocating love, like she was losing her identity. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably, her heart shattered into a million pieces.
The room fell silent, the only sound was Bora's ragged sobs. Her parents stood frozen, their faces etched with pain and helplessness.
"Bora," her Father sat in the bed and placed his hands on her shoulders, "your Ma and I, we aren't trying to control you, you just don't know how hard it is to be out there without proper guidance, we love you."
Bora's eyes swelled up with tears, how could she not feel her father's genuine concern about her, even though she knew her Mother was a real pain in the ass, her Mother always had a reason to do whatever she did.
Bora fell into her father's arms, her tears running free like the wind, she wept like a baby, "E-e-eoma! A-appa! Mi-mihane, jinja mihane (Mother! Father! I-i'm sorry, I am sorry), I'll do anything and everything you tell me from now, I promise." Bora concluded.
Lee Ahn became overrun by her emotions and without control she started tearing down, she couldn't see he daughter in so much pain but she knew she had to take control of the situation also.
Confining her wouldn't be the best thing for her emotional health, but at the same time, she knew she had to keel her daughter safe, eveb if it means subduing her feelings.
Boxing Bora would only make her see her Mom as someone she can't confide and open up to, which is something Lee Ahn had been craving for, but hat was a sacrifuce Lee Ahn was willing to take.
Bora looked at the brighter side, she hated it when she had her parents worried over her. After the incident of Sonya and Min Su, her parents have become more protective of her due to her emotional vulnerability.
"You have a good heart and trying to lead a good life is something worth emulating, but not every person can be you Bora, you're different, so let it stay that way," her Father always said.
Having them keep her in check and around would be better, even if the pain accompaing it would be unbearable. Bora was willing to make it the last time she would make her parents cry.
The family of three hugged each other tightly within that split moment of openness, Bora saw how much her parents cared for her, she saw the eyebags that were on her mother's face, and she saw how her Father who prided his neatness had slight stains all over her white shirt, she saw her mother's hair was not taken care of, "they have been up all night worried..." Bora thought to herself.
The family abroke the hug, "you'd be fine my baby, " Jeong Mi said, wiping off tears from Bora's face, now rest. Your Ma and I would be back to check on you." he said dragging Lee Ahn out the room.
On the other side, just right outside Seung Hwan University Hospital, Ri Ta was still walking beside Yeorin rambling on about irrelevant things. No matter how unresponsive Yeorin was to all of Ri Ta's chatting, she still kept on talking. RI Ta had decided that she'd make him like her no matter how, either she makes him see her in a different light, or she finds a soft spot in him and exploits it.
".....So what did you come to do at this hospital?" Ri Ta questioned.
"Something personal, by the way, why was Bora there?" Yeorin asked.
"Wow, see me here thinking you don't know anyone. So you know Bora?" Ri Ta slammed trying to keep a cool face, but deep down she felt otherwise.
Yeorin doesn't talk too much, talk less of him asking of people. Him asking of Bora sparked a certain curiosity within Ri Ta.
"Well, if there's one thing that stands out for me at Jukheon University, I'd say it's the amount of annoying people you get to see," Yeorin replied and walked away.
After hearing Yeorin's remark, Ri Ta became sure that Yeorin wasn't fond of Bora in any way.
"Tsk! He could have just said he knew her, why rambling on about the university, he's such baby," she smiled and her cheeks gradually turned red, into a perfect blush.
Lost in thought of Yeorin's perfection, Ri Ta didn't hear her phone ringing. Her phone rang three times until the fourth ring penetrated her thoughts like a needle, dragging her back into reality. She looked at her phone and saw I was her lawyer.
" Yeoboseyo, Hyeong byeonhosa (hello, lawyer Hyeong)...geuge mwoya (what is it)?..."
"How are you doing today Ri Ta?" Her lawyer asked.
"Did you call me to ask how my day is, I don't need a guard dog. Is there anything you want to say? If there isn't let me drop this call I'm busy," Ri Ta blasted.
"Oh, I'm sorry Ms Ri Ta, I called to give you feedback on what you said I should do.
"What did I say you should do?" Ri Ta asked ignorantly.
"Well, you know, about Mun Yeorin.." lawyer Hyeong whispered.
Oh, yeah Mun Yeorin," Ri Ta's eyes flashed.
"Well he has a nice track record, no criminal records, he just finished a two-year course in art from the Art Institute of New York."
"He studied in New York? Wow, his dad is probably loaded..." Ri Ta thought, "okay....go on, what else?"
"Well, that's all to it, he's like a ghost, there's not much about him, not birthday date, no records, nothing really perosnal, but I can send you his social media handles."
"Nothing?" Ri Ta replied, "Is he some sort of wanted criminal?"
"Oh, and yes, he's on a fully paid scholarship from B&S, the kid's very smart, they were also the ones that paid for this study in the USA..."
"Mwo (what?), nongdamhaneun geoya (are you kidding me)?" Ri Ta snickered, "So he's a nobody and he's refusing me? Scho-scholashipu (scholarship)? Ri Ta chuckled.
"Well, thanks for your help Hyeong byeonhosa (lawyer Hyeong)." Without waiting for a replied from the other end of the phone, Ri Ta cut off the call and stared deep into her phone screen.
"I can't believe he had the guts to reject me when he's just an ordinary scholarship kid," she snickered, "now I've got his weak point," she smiled.