Broken promises

Decisions

Ro-na got out of her bedroom and went downstairs. She was getting hungry and she could smell the waffles Su-ryeon was making. However, the only person having breakfast was Logan. She frowned.

"Where is Su-ryeon?" she asked him, taking a seat next to him. Logan took a sip from his coffee and looked at her.

"No idea. She left without saying where she was going," Logan replied, omitting the discussion part. They had been getting along lately and he didn't want to spoil that. He served her two waffles and she started to eat. After some time, she spoke again.

"Where is mom?" Ro-na asked him, quietly. Logan cleared his throat before speaking.

"In her bedroom, I guess," he replied, coldly. The discussion was still playing in his mind over and over again. The only thing he regretted was having Su-ryeon present during the fight. He didn't want to hurt her because lately, hurting Oh Yoon-hee was like hurting Su-ryeon. He grabbed his glass of wine and took a long sip. He could feel the anger building up inside him. Ro-na eyed him. She knew that when he was mad, he was impossible, so she decided to finish her waffles and stood up. She wanted to check on her mom. She went to Yoon-hee's bedroom and knocked twice.

"Come in," Yoon-hee said, wiping away the remaining tears. Ro-na walked in and looked around. Her suitcase was all packed.

"I'll find a job so we can move out," Yoon-hee informed her, sitting up. Ro-na frowned.

"I'm not living with you," Ro-na replied, tightening her grip on the door knob. So that was why Logan was quieter than usual. They had talked about it, she guessed. "I have a life here and I'm old enough to decide who to live with," she reminded her, coldly.

"I'm your mother and you'll do as I say so," Oh Yoon-hee raised her voice, folding her arms. Ro-na chuckled from the doorframe.

"You're my mom now, but where were you when I needed you the most?! Where were you when I got my heart broken?! Where were you when I woke up in the middle of the night, screaming because of a nightmare?!" Ro-na asked her furiously. "Where were you when the principal or my teachers would call home because I was in trouble?! That's right. You weren't. You were in jail because you killed someone!" Ro-na yelled with tears in her eyes. "I told you before. My place is here, next to Su-ryeon," she finished. Yoon-hee swallowed.

"She's not your mother, Bae Ro-na! Whether you like it or not, I am your mom. I carried you in my womb for nine months. I gave you birth. I raised you!" Oh Yoon-hee yelled back, upset.

"She has been more of a mother to me than you in my whole life," Ro-na replied, not thinking of what she was saying. The anger was blinding her. Oh Yoon-hee gasped.

"T-that's it. If you're so happy with her, if you love her as a mother, then I won't get in your way. I'll go back to Korea and I'll start over," Yoon-hee said, holding back tears and avoiding eye contact. Ro-na blinked in surprise. Suddenly, she realized what she had said. Ro-na took a deep breath and walked towards her mother. "Logan will be pleased to know that I'm leaving for good," she added sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant, mom. I'm sorry...I don't want you to leave the country, mom. Find a job and move out. That's all I'm asking you. You owe it to them and to me," she cleared up, fixing the misunderstanding provoked by her anger.

"I'll think about it," Yoon-hee replied, coldly. Ro-na nodded and left her room. On her way out, she saw Su-ryeon.

"Where were you? I was looking for you," Ro-na asked her, concerned. Su-ryeon smiled at her.

"I needed some fresh air. I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Su-ryeon apologized, knowing that Ro-na would get worried if she didn't know where she was because of all the Joo Dan-tae thing. Ro-na nodded and without any warning, she threw herself into her arms. Su-ryeon frowned and hugged her. "Are you okay?" Su-ryeon asked her, softly. Ro-na shook her head against her shoulder. Su-ryeon caressed her back. "What is it, Ro-na?"

"It's mom. I feel so many emotions and I don't know how to express them," Ro-na said between sobs. "I want her to leave us alone. Every time I look at her, all I can see is the pain she caused you," she explained to her, stepping back. Su-ryeon wiped her tears away with her thumbs.

"Ro-na, you don't have to pick a side. You're not a little girl anymore. You can judge people according to your principles, but don't forget that she's your mother. She did what she thought was best for you even if it was one of her biggest mistakes," Su-ryeon replied, calmly.

"I don't understand. Are you defending her? Why? Why don't you hate her? Shouldn't you be mad at her?" Ro-na interrogated her, anxiously. Su-ryeon sighed. She had been asking herself that same question, but she still didn't find an answer.

"I'm trying to understand why she did what she did. Don't get me wrong. That does not mean I'm defending her or forgiving her. But I know that she's a good person and a good mother," Su-ryeon defended herself.

"No. You are a good person and she's a murderer. It doesn't matter how hard we try, there are some things we cannot change," Ro-na stated, folding her arms.

"You can't judge a book by its cover, Bae Ro-na. You judge it according to its contents," Su-ryeon reflected, looking at her. Ro-na frowned. She wasn't sure she understood what she meant by that. "It means that we will have to wait and see what her future actions are before jumping to conclusions," she explained to her, patiently.

"Actions speak louder than words," Ro-na replied. Su-ryeon nodded.

"Exactly. Take your time to process all this," Su-ryeon said, putting a lock of red hair behind her ear. Ro-na nodded and went to her bedroom. Su-ryeon stared at the black door in front of her and knocked twice. She heard her voice and came in.

"Ro-na told me what happened. Are you okay?" Su-ryeon asked her, closing the door behind her. Yoon-hee didn't even look up at her. She was sitting in the edge of the bed, holding her head between her hands.

"I'm fine. I'll get changed now so I can start looking for a job," Yoon-hee replied, sniffing. Su-ryeon looked around and saw her suitcase.

"Don't you want to wait until tomorrow? I can see you're still tired. They won't hire a person that is falling asleep during an interview," Su-ryeon said, concerned. Yoon-hee removed her hands from her face and looked at her. "Is it because of your discussion with Logan?"

"No. I'm doing this because I can't take it anymore. Ro-na doesn't want me here. Logan doesn't either. Why would you want me here after everything I did to you?!" she asked her, exasperated. Yoon-hee closed her eyes as she let out a deep breath to regain her posture. "My presence here hurts you. It reminds you of what I did to your daughter and it reminds me of what I did. It will be for the better, Su-ryeon," Oh Yoon-hee concluded. Su-ryeon walked towards the bed and sat next to her. She looked at the younger woman and feeling for her, she stretched out her left hand and carefully put it on top of Yoon-hee's hand resting on her right knee.

"How long will you be gone?" Su-ryeon asked her in a whisper. Yoon-hee bit her lip as her eyes went to their hands. She swallowed and slowly turned around her hand. Su-ryeon felt the warmth of her skin against her palm and closed her eyes at the touch. Yoon-hee opened her hand and their fingers intertwined. None of them broke the silence. They were enjoying each other's company when abruptly, Su-ryeon let go of her hand and stood up. She remembered that those same soft and warm hands had ended her daughter's life and a shiver went down her spine. Oh Yoon-hee stared at her lonely hand, missing her touch already. Su-ryeon cleared her throat before speaking again.

"You're free to do as you wish. You and Ro-na will always be welcome here," she hurried to say and without giving her time to reply, she thundered out of the room. Yoon-hee nodded and thought about the moment they had just shared. Their hands had fit perfectly.
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