Strawberry

12.0 - Broken

Somewhere in Seoul, 9:20am

maya sighed as she put her hands in her pockets. she has nothing to worry about, summer was with her. "maya, you can wait in the car, you know?"

"it's okay. i'm fine." maya smiled, making summer sigh, it's gonna be hard saying no to her. "maya, you literally hate them.."

"i want to do this summer. it's closure for me." summer sighed as they stopped at the familiar door. seeing the same window still broken.

"miss maya, miss summer, is that you?" the old man welcomes them. "your parents are waiting." maya nodded, smiling at him. "how have you been mr. kim?"

"i've been great, miss maya." maya looked at him. "you can drop the formalities. we aren't part of this family anymore after all."

"perhaps. but mr. jung has informed us not to do so." maya shrugged. "didn't know he still cared after throwing me out the window."

they both enter the large home, they were a wealthy family, with their dad as one of the most powerful people in korea, and their mother a politician.

maya sighed as they were led to the dining hall, where their parents sat. "maya, summer. take a seat." the two took a seat.

"how have you been doing?" their mother asked, and maya merely looks away as summer answered. "we've been doing fine. we're all graduating next year, and violet the following year."

"but we'll still have med school and residency after that." their mother nodded. "how have you been, maya?" their father asked.

"i'm fine, father. we're all living well. can you just tell me why you called us here years after you threw us out and you threw me out a window?"

"well, we've been thinking, we have no heirs after the four of you left the family, so we're arranging the four of you for a marriage."

"we left the family, i believe this is not our problem." maya said, and their mother looked at her. "we're still your parents, maya."

"you lost that right the moment you threw us out and threw me out a goddamn window. so no, you don't have the right to order us anymore."

"if that's it, can we go now?" their dad cleared his throat. "maya, sit back down. i believe you're being sensitive."

"i'm being sensitive?!" maya's eyebrows knit together. "do you know how much we gave up after you threw us out?! we were couch surfing for months!"

"aaliyah and i had to juggle multiple jobs to pay for therapy, our rent, and our tuition before uncle found us and took us in!"

"and now that we're living well, you want to marry us off?! all of us have girlfriends! just leave us alone!" summer held maya's arm, as their parents looked at them in shock.

"therapy?" maya glared at her father. "yes. therapy. my shoulder was broken when you threw me out that window. i had to have therapy with violet."

"i took anger management because i was so angry at you for abandoning us when we needed you the most." their father sighed.

"well if you just listened then—" "listened?! did you listen to us? no, you didn't. we did so much to try to make you happy."

"just please leave us alone. i'm so tired of doing this over and over, and i know you are too. please just leave us alone."

"your father is dying, maya." her mother finally says. "when you left the house we found out a month later, please my daughter, your father wants to see you walk down the aisle.."

"mother, i'm literally 22, and i have a girlfriend. i'm not doing this. i have a life." summer suddenly speaks up. "i'll do it."

"what?" summer looks at her sister. "this is what they've wanted right? i'll do this. i don't have anyone, maya. you have someone, so does aaliyah and violet."

"but—" "maya..it's a parting wish, let's do it for the sake of dad one last time." maya huffs. "fine. do whatever you want."

-

Jung Household, 5:00pm

maya sighed as she slammed the door shut to her and violet's room, throwing her bag somewhere. just then, violet entered the room.

"maya? what's wrong?" maya shook her head,getting under the covers. "leave me alone. please.." violet sighed, but nodded.

"i'll go sleep in aaliyah's room tonight. are you alright by yourself?" maya nodded. "please leave.." violet sat on the edge of her bed.

"summer told me. i know it's upsetting, and i know it hurt you, but can you at least talk to me? you can't be keeping things, maya."

"you know what it did to you before." violet heard a soft sob as she gently pulled maya up to hug her. "i don't understand, vi..do they really not care?"

"did they ever care?" violet hugged maya tighter, who sobbed into her shirt. "they call us when they need us and toss us out like trash when we aren't needed anymore."

"i don't know how to answer you, maya.. because i don't know either..i understand summer for trying to appease them."

"they're our parents, after all. she wasn't here when we were broken either, so she still loves them. it's a hard decision for her too, i'm sure."

"we just have to try and behave tomorrow when we meet him and his family." maya nods. "plus, mom allowed us to bring our girlfriends."

"i'll try." maya sighs, making violet smile. "that's the sprit, unnie." violet pulls away from her. "go wash up now, we have to go to bed."

"okay, okay..!"