North - South

Arrangments

Warnings: this chapter contains slight-medium episodes of domestic abuse, and vague suicide thoughts. Please, if for any reason you think you would feel startled or disturbed by this FF, don't start reading. Also: it's ranked mature so don't read it if you're a minor.

London, July - Yoon Mansion

"Yes, I know you'll have to say goodbye to all your friends for a while, though it's a great opportunity for me, and a lifetime experience for you all. Your friends will understand," Yoon Jeung-pyeong explained, slightly annoyed by his elder sons' grievances.

Rather than understanding what kind of opportunity it was, for him, to be appointed ambassador to North Korea, they were protesting because they should have left their friends. Tsk, pub and clubs, that was what mattered for those two.

Se-ri was chewing the same bite of steamed seabream – her eldest oppa's fav - for more than ten minutes, cautious in keeping her eyes down on the dish. She knew that three of the four persons at the table were staring at her, like hawks waiting to launch an attack, to remember her that saying goodbye to friends wasn't a problem for her.

She didn't have any, indeed. At best, it could have been said that she had a staff, and her mother and brothers couldn't wait to remember it to her, to point out her lack of social skills in front of her dad who considered her so smart.

"Se-ri ah, what do you think?" She heard the old male voice coming from her left side.

Her dad had not had much fortune with his diplomatic career. In spite of the – many – family money –, and the boasted and presumed – as well as utterly false – connection with the Imperial family, and particularly with those members who had led the anti-japanese resistance – money and name, usually everything was informally requested to a good ambassador -, some bad choice through his career had kept him one step behind the position he believed should have been rightfully his.

Se-ri loved her dad, and valued his consideration. Not that the man was a good parent: he was distracted like nearly all the dads of his generation. Though his presence was usually enough to stop the vexations she suffered at home. As if he silently protected her.

He also gave her a second, secret pocket money. Only years later she would have realized that the man was paying her to bear. But beati monoculi in terra caecorum: her dad, with his being only negligent, was the king of her heart.

Besides, she knew that he couldn't deliberately take her defense. He was the one who had made a mistake. He was the one who had cheated and the one who had forced his wife to accept the fruit of it. Her mom and her brothers felt rightfully betrayed, and he wasn't in the position to ask them to even be kind to Se-ri.

"I agree with you, appa. It will be an irrepeatable opportunity and will probably open for you the doors of the Asian countries. Besides: a Yoon never holds back."

"Look at her, she believes she's a Yoon!" Her eldest oppa, Sae-jun, chuckled while looking around to gather consent, while the others lowered their eyes to the dishes, embarrassed. Not for the insult itself, yet because of his scarce acknowledgment of genetics. Years of biology private lessons had done anything to lessen his ignorance.

Plus, their mom didn't like to be remembered about the cheating. Even if she utterly agreed with her son.