Just College

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Damin gently placed a bowl of warm rice in front of Daya. Her daughter looked up to stare at her in surprise. Damin smiled a little. Obviously, Daya was waiting for her grandma to get her a bowl of rice this morning, instead. "What are you doing?", Damin asked when all the girl did was stare up at her like a deer caught in headlights.

"H-huh?", Daya mumbled.

"Eat", Damin said, pulling a chair out, she joined the girl at the table.

"O-oh, right", Daya picked up her spoon, her palm wrapped around the warm bowl. She relished the warmth from the steel. Slowly, she scooped a good portion of the rice and ate it. Her eyes strayed to her mom's again. She wondered if all was well and if she was in trouble or something.

Damin still had her smile on, she watched the girl move her eyes to her rice again, scooping more. She pushed the bowl of soup closer. "Don't just eat rice. Have some soup too"

That was it.

Daya gently dropped her spoon back on the cutlery slab beside her bowl of rice. "What is it?. Did I do something wrong?", she asked.

Her mom didn't let it show but she was disturbed by her question. "Do I only act this way when you get in trouble?"

"Yes?", Daya unsurely said. "Kind of"

"I should work on that", Damin itched her brow. It was still her first time being a mother so she could learn things anew. She sighed quietly. Her mother had told her about her dislike for the way she welcomed the girls yesterday and after sitting in her room through most of the night, Damin realised how poorly she acted. So, when Daya slept in, Damin saw it as an opportunity to bond with her again by serving her breakfast while Seolran and Dayeon tended to the customers in the shop.

"Eomma?", Daya was getting on edge and nervous. Maybe her mother found out something. Maybe Dayeon had ratted her out. Oh goodness, she hated this. Her stomach growled out loudly, Daya had no choice but to pick up her spoon again especially after her mother silently asked her to do so.

"I'm sorry", Damin looked down at the wooden dinning table. "I was really out of it yesterday after seeing Dayeon in such a long while and-"

There goes Daya's appetite again.

"It was your first time seeing me too in 3 months, eomma", Daya interrupted, understanding what she was trying to talk about.

"Yes. It was", Damin whispered, eyes locked on the younger version of her. "But, it was Dayeon's first vacation since she left home and-"

"Yeah. I get it. I can cope on my own if I don't get hugged by my mother because I'm the 3rd year student and Dayeon is the fresher. Lovely to know, eomma. It's fine truly. Thank you for the food", Daya stood up.

"But you've barely had enough"

"I'm fine", the chair scraped backwards as the girl got around the table to walk away. She needed her mom actually. The semester was draining for her. Dayeon was in SKKU with her, she failed classes and almost bummed her exams, her sister found out about her dirty affair and she got into the school's disciplinary committee's bad side. It has been rough for her too. She needed that hug more even.

"Daya"

The call of her name brought her out of her misery and that's when she noticed the tears on her face. A small scoff came from her as she was turned around. Daya faced her mother whose eyes softened at her tears. Damin pulled the girl into her embrace, wrapping her tightly in her comforting arms. "I'm sorry, Daya. I'm really sorry, my poor child"

"Eomm-a", Daya sobbed softly. It was the first time since the semester if she could remember correctly, that she was shedding tears.

Damin's fingers stroked her brown curls, "Eomma is really sorry. I won't be preferential ever again, my daughter. I love you so much, Daya. You know I do"