Paperclips - YJH

Ten

"Miss, please get in the car. It's your mother's order." My mom's beloved driver pleaded as he waited for me to board the car she had sent to pick me up from college.

"Why? It's not the weekend yet... Just tell her that I can't come home right now." I respond, trying to send him back. Knowing my mother, she won't send a car like this to pick me up from college on a Tuesday evening unless it's serious.

"No, Miss Y/N. She said, I must not return without you." The driver spoke up again, pressuring me to enter the car. Reluctantly, I sighed and got into the car, wondering what urgent matter my mother needed to discuss with me on a weekday evening. The driver started the engine and we began the journey back home in silence.

After 7 hours of a long car ride, I finally arrived at my childhood home, feeling anxious about what awaited me inside. The sense of foreboding only grew stronger as I stepped out of the car and approached the front door. It was opened by one of our maids, whom I greeted by bowing. She, who usually smiles and welcomes me in, did not display any sort of emotion when she saw me. Instead, she guided me to the study, where my mother was seated.

"Mother," I bowed respectfully and sat down in front of her, waiting for her to speak. She looked up at me from the book she was reading. After removing her reading glasses, she sets the book down and crosses her legs as she watches me with a stern expression. "I've heard some troubling news about your behaviour," she begins, her tone serious. I feel a knot form in my stomach as I brace myself for what she is about to say.

"Do you remember what I said last time you came here?" She questions me with the same stern look. I gulp as I look down. "Yes, I do." 

She smiled; however, the atmosphere only got tenser. "Did I, perhaps, not make myself clear that day, then?"

"Mother, I don't know what you're talking about." I look at her with confusion, trying to decipher the meaning behind her words. Her eyes bore into mine, disappointment evident in her gaze.

"That boy I caught you with last time. Do you remember what I said about him?" She asked me, reminding me of the time she told me to stay away from him. My heart sank as I recalled her warning about him being trouble. I nodded slowly, realising the gravity of the situation. But for once, I had the audacity—no, the courage to talk back. Jeonghan is someone I recently started to cherish, and I don't want to lose him.

"He's a good guy. He's a friend."

I heard my mother scoff as she looked at me with a warning gaze. "That kid's family is in a lot of debt. To me." I knew then that I had to stand my ground and defend my friendship with Jeonghan, no matter what my mother thought. "I trust him," I said firmly, hoping she would understand.

"Over me? Your mother?" I knew that this was a defining moment in our relationship, where I had to choose between my mother's expectations and my own feelings. "I trust him," I repeated, with a sense of determination that surprised even myself.

A hard slap to my cheeks is what I felt the next moment, making my body slightly jerk to the side due to the impact. "Never speak to me like that again." My mother's voice was cold and cutting, 

I watched her walk out of the room through my peripheral vision. I stayed in the same position, clenching my fists. There was no way I could make her listen to me, so the thought of having her understand me was out the window. I felt a wave of frustration and helplessness wash over me as I realised the futility of trying to communicate with her in that moment. The tension between us lingered in the air, thick and suffocating. 

The next couple of moments were a blur. I saw maids rushing in, helping me up, and taking me to the dinner table. I could still feel her icy glare burning into my back as I was escorted away, the tension between us unresolved. The rest of the evening passed in a haze, the memory of our confrontation lingering in my mind long after the incident had ended.