detention || knj ✓

twenty five

─ back to about a year before.

"you can't do this to me! you supposed to pay me $2.50 an hour but you always put away that 50 cent. give me the rest of my salary, sir!" areum, who with a shorter hair following her employer.

"why are you so noisy?? get lost!"

"sir i will report this to the ministry if you don't pay me─"

"enough of this bullshit!" the bald guy yelled. "there's a lot more students want to work with me with $2 an hour. don't show up here again!"

he dragged areum's arm to get out of the shop. areum resisted but she just a small girl against a bald, fat guy. "sir, no no. i can't lose this job! i need to attend high school─"

she was cut off by being thrown out and get locked from the shop. she exhale a deep sigh and slowly gets up from the ground. surely she attracted a lot of people's attention but that doesn't stop her from throwing her shoes to the window of the shop.

"KISS MY ASS, YOU PIG!" she bravely screamed and show her middle fingers to the shop but then quickly run away from there when the bald guy come out with a broom stick to chase her away from there.

areum run away and when she's quite far away from there, she stopped and take a rest in a playground. she sat under a shady tree and close her eyes.

damn, areum. what are you going to do now?
there barely anyone want to hire a kid like you.

she suddenly disturbed by her phone ringing ; its mom. areum quickly get the call.

"hello, areum?"

"yes, ma."
"why? is everything good
there?"

"everything is fine."
"i just suddenly thought
of you."
"you're okay, right?"

"well, just like usual."
"how's sister?"

"she passed out again this
evening, but she's okay now."
"its been awhile now, do
you have enough money?"

areum was silent for awhile.

"i do,"
"and aunt yui feed me well too,
so don't worry."
"if you send any money i'm
gonna send it back to you."

"are you sure?"
"you refused it the last time
too,"

"ma, i said its okay."
"you need a lot of money to
live there in canada, just
save it for eunjung's hospital bills
and your thing."
"i got this figured out.
i'm okay."

"i'm sorry i can't be with
you during the high school entrance,"
"i really want to be there with you,"
"i miss you so much, areum."
"eunjung said she misses you too."

"......."

"ma, i need to go now."
"my friends come for a school
thing. i'll call you later,"

"okay,"
"make sure to tell me if you
need anything okay?"

areum end the call and covered her face. stopping herself from crying but eventually she did. there's a lot that she want to say but all those remain unsaid. she cried and cried until she feels a little bit better. when she's okay, she put her hands down and is shook by a guy is sitting in front of her.

she don't know him really well, but she recognized him. he's the one who always buy cigarettes from the shop she worked in ; his name is yoongi, yuki, yuji or something. rules doesn't apply to that bald fat guy.