Fix me, please?

Chapter 13 : Back to Square 1

When a Change occurs in your life, things take a turn for the better or worse. It doesn't always guarantee a better situation. Some changes can also bring about your downfall. So there will always be a section of people who would prefer the original balance of their way of living to never be interrupted. They would prefer everything to stay the way it has been for all this time. They don't want to live a new way of life.

The hera kids who had experienced the sudden turbulence in their lives because of the new student, found themselves back to living their old lifestyle again. One where they were the rulers rulers everyone else - their peasants. The life where friendship and love were never present and the only thing they looked forward to was their future careers. Their twisted personas that had been buried away due to Rona's brightness had crawled out once again and they were back to being the monsters they had always been.

Well, this was for at least three of them.

For two people, Rona has meant much more than a new student who had stirred up a new change in their lives.

She has been warmth. A friend. A supporter. A listener. A home.

And now all of that was gone.

Abruptly and suddenly.

It was all gone.

Jenny sat up on her bed while the alarm continued to buzz on the bedside table beside her. Her face was pale and there were huge dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was also a complete mess.

"Jenny-ah...come out now or you will be late for school!"

Mari called out from the kitchen.

Exhaling a heavy sigh, the young girl pulled herself out of the comforts of her bed and walked out. Dragging herself out of her room after hastily putting on her school uniform, she seated herself in front of the dining table.

"What's with your face today as well? Are you sick? Do you have a cold?" Mari asked with a concerned look on her face as she placed a plate of toast and omelette in front of her daughter.

"I'm just stressed because of exams, eomma. It's okay." Jenny said weakly as she forced smile while looking at her mother. She glanced at her watch and sprang up, dropping a half eaten toast on the plate. 

"I'm late...I'll eat from the cafeteria at school instead."

She reached for her bag and dashed out of the house with a panicked expression while Mari watched her daughter with a confused expression. It had been a week since Jenny had stopped being her cheerful self at home and even when they went outside. She had also stopped hanging around with the other hera kids and chose to remain locked inside her room instead of joining them when they went golfing or to the community room to practice vocal music together.

The only hera kid that Mari had seen around Jenny after Rona passed away was Joo Seokhoon which came as the biggest surprise for her since he was known for being the most cold-hearted and distanced from the remaining hera kids and would rarely even smile at them except for his sister. 

There were days when she would watch Seokhoon walk Jenny home and help her carry her bag as well.  The two also would always meet up every Sunday and go out somewhere secretly and come back at night. At first, Mari had suspected that the two were dating but all of those suspicions washed away the day she saw the look that Seokhoon always gave to Jenny.

PITY.

Mari knew something was definitely up but she couldn't point a pin on what exactly it was. She sighed and brushed her fingers through her hair and placed Jenny's plate on the sink. Grabbing her coat, she walked out her house and headed to Oh Yoonhee's place with a tiffin that she had packed. After Rona's death, the woman was rarely seen outside. It felt like no one even lived there any longer. Although she had despised Yoon hee before, she couldn't help but want to help her since she was a mother as well and knew how hard it must be to lose your one and only daughter who was the sole family she had left.