Few blocks away

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While the storms dialed down at the BTS residence, thunderbolts cracked over in full rage at the Baek family-house.

Manipulated into joining for a dinner night was already testing her patience. At the table, under formal and quiet clatters of utensils, Dan Hwa felt utterly resentful and indignant by the words spoken her way.

Mr.Baek : I heard that you are visiting a hospital since a few months. Are you unwell?

Pressed under a silence, Dan Hwa had agreed to abide by the fake roleplay of a pretentious family. However, the unruly intrusion in her personal life broke her into a hysteria of unfathomable laughter.

Dan Hwa dropped the chopsticks on the holder, trying to compose herself. But the exasperation over exceeded. The embers of chaos inside her seemed to have been teased to flame up. A sense of disarrayed uproar sparked in her head.
The angry hounds of bitter against her father, that she'd barred so strongly in the murky harbors of her heart, were finally unleashed. Mr.Baek, on the flip side, anticipated that all too well.

Mr.Baek : Dan-ah, it was all out of my worry for you. You never call or update me about anything. I had no choice left than to-

Dan Hwa : -than to have me spied on?

Her expressions, from a dry chuckle almost suddenly dropped to a dark and resentful one. Her Uncle and Aunt, dined across from her on the same table, felt the atmosphere tighten for the worse. They kept a cautious silence as the presumably perfect dinner came to an uncomfortable halt.

Dan Hwa glared at Mr.Baek to her side with no compassion or respect in her eyes. The passive aggression carefully highlighted in her body language and accentuation.

Dan Hwa : Call... The phone works both ways, actually.

There was every bit of contempt sprinkled generously in her words.

Dan Hwa : And worry, you say? I am sorry, I was not familiar with your discreet ways of worrying. I. Genuinely. Apologize.

Mr.Baek held no stand or power against her wrath. He had no comeback at her accusations, for he had nothing to justify his means. And her speech, with every word infused more rancor.

Dan Hwa : Seriously though, was it really your worry for me? Or were you actually just worried about your image?

It was as if the halls, the corridors, the floors stood still and silent, listening to her umbrage apologetically.

Dan Hwa : Say, what if people found out that your secret daughter, whom you hardly ever want to acknowledge, is insane. Crazy! "How could such a talent let his daughter go waste. What a shame!" The Hallyu star image shatters.

Unable to bear further ridicule, her Uncle immediately corrected her, "That's not the case, Dan Hwa-ya. You are getting it all wrong-"

Dan Hwa, nevertheless, let out a quiet chuckle at her father's incompetent silence.

Dan Hwa : Once again, it's Uncle Hyuk, who denied when I asked you, Dad.

Mr.Hyuk had been the one to show up in all her academic activities that required the presence of parents. Every single time, the little Dan Hwa would keep her hopeful eyes for her father. And despite her fondness for her uncle, her sight would only meet with disappointment when Mr.Hyuk would appear with his brightest smiles instead.

Mr.Hyuk would tend to her when Dan Hwa would get the seasonal flu. He would always have time for her, regardless of what or when she needed. Mr. Hyuk practically raised her as his own.

This night however he did not anticipate such a retort to spring back from the well-groomed Dan Hwa- he believed to have brought up. He began to feel responsible and question his means and ways.

Dan Hwa showed no mercy; she gradually rendered everyone down to a voicless state of being under her stern and sharp remarks. Dan Hwa continually scorned at Mr.Baek, looking straight at him while the latter could hardly lift his gaze.

Dan Hwa : He seemed to do everything in your stead. Were you even aware of that?

There was a sense of domination in her calm yet hostile speech that no one could dare to cut through.

Dan Hwa : Or was it that you asked of him to replace you?

At this point, she felt herself speaking beyond her conscious will. She uttered every single word spontaneously as they clipped together in her head. From an objective perspective, Dan Hwa could not identify with herself.

Dan Hwa : On that thought, if you never wanted me, why didn't you just abort-

Mr.Hyuk : Dan Hwa! Enough!

The oldest in the gather almost involuntarily snarled at Dan Hwa's disrespectful comments. She finally looked away, feeling a momentary snap to her senses.
Mr.Hyuk, very particular in maintaining a calm attitude towards everyone, revised his tone and approached her calmly. Yet, with a sense of stiffness in his voice that was called for in that situation.

Mr.Hyuk : You don't know the truth; you don't have the full picture. Therefore, you should not speak recklessly. And most importantly, be more respectful to your father. You know better.

Dan Hwa leaned back to her seat, a sneer of cold command plastered over her face. Her arms loosely folded against her chest. She avoided straight gazes with anyone.

Dan Hwa : Truth. The full picture. Right.

The earlier episode of unhinged behavior once again held control over her actions, albeit significantly milder. In that, now her expressions matched the resent in her tone rather than a confused and deranged blunder.

Dan Hwa : Strangely, this truth whenever I asked about, all I got was silence. What on earth is so great about that truth?

And just as Dan Hwa cited it, a silence prevailed over the chaos inflicted table. The aunt never been the bearer of the truth, joined the tensed serenity. A father, who simply wanted to protect his daughter's only colorful memories of her mother, remained quiet. And an uncle, who wished to protect his brother's only request regarding Dan Hwa, could not but let out a sigh.

Mr.Hyuk then broke the ice and attempted to warm up, digressing from the topic.

Mr.Hyuk : Stop interrogating her at the dinner table, In Ho-ya(Mr.Baek). And Baek Dan Hwa, let's just eat for now. We can talk about this later with a cool head.

With the cutlery clicks resuming faintly, Dan Hwa politely nudged her serving forward.

Dan Hwa : Aunt Lily, thank you for your kind efforts to arrange this dinner. But I am afraid, I will have to get up without touching the soup-

Before anyone could react to her formal words, Mr.Baek cut through her finally.

Mr.Baek : I will retire to my room. So, just eat your food before you leave.

Corresponding to his words, Mr.Baek rose up from his seat. He had just taken a step that Dan Hwa's retaliation struck him still once again.

Dan Hwa : Hardly ever paid attention, you pretend to care about me now, huh?

She quickly grabbed her overcoat and handbag from the adjacent seat, and walked up to her father in the near distance. There, she spoke in a hushed voice.

Dan Hwa : Stop the pretense, it's giving me an indigestion.

With those pronouncements, Dan Hwa began walking away with disdain and boldness. Only until a loud voice echoed that practically startled not only her, but also the other residents of the house.

"Baek Dan Hwa!" Exclaimed Mr.Baek.

It was an unseen sight. An unheard shrill that pierced through the premise. Totally foreign, it equally had an unpredictable aura.

Mr.Baek : Will you stop acting like a rebellious teenager?! You are past that age.

The seemingly composed and quiet father broke out in a sudden fury. He had his last ounce of patience sold out to expanse Dan Hwa's attitude that night.

Mr.Baek : I might not have always been there, but is it that hard for you to even talk to me nicely?! Let alone have a meal with me.

There was a change of expressions in her face, from riled up sharp features to soft and scared. Under the cloak of confidence, her trembling and weak heart raced as she registered him advancing towards her in her peripheral vision.

Earlier, it was difficult for her to embrace his care in that it was too unfamiliar. However, it was even more traumatizing to witness and experience the rue in his eyes.

Mr.Baek : If my image was all I cared about, I wouldn't have let you move out. This grossly bad father never prevented you from living your life like you pleased!

Mr.Baek amidst those rebukes, didn't fail to notice the tears welling up in Dan Hwa's soft eyes. Consequently, his voice dialed down a few volume levels. But he could not contain his indignant frustration any longer. He lashed out.

Mr.Baek : I admit, I have neglected you all these time. I didn't realize or see it before; I was too blinded by my career.

Dan Hwa clasped her fists tight, trying to hold her stature and not topple down before him.

Mr.Baek : But, now I actively try to free my schedule as much as I can, just so I can spend some quality time with you. I am even willing to end my contract if you want that.

Dan Hwa : Appa~

Having Dan Hwa look up at him at long last, Mr.Baek mitigated his tone and tenor to convey his genuine interest.

Mr.Baek : Yes, tell me what do you want. Appa will do anything you say.

The father and daughter shared a blank moment of stare. Their eyes brimmed with longing and a glimmer of tear.

Dan Hwa : It's too late.

The most vulnerable and weak words that left her mouth, ironically had been more powerful that it instantly crumbled the scope of the whole arguement.

Dan Hwa whipped her gaze away, and left the house with a heavy heart. It was as if the words she spelled out to hurt others, have harmed and wounded her more. No voices, no arms reached out from behind to stop her steps anymore.

Inside the seal of her car, Dan Hwa held on to the steering whee- which if she let go, she felt she might lose her balance. Her grips on it tightened with every wave of tears that threatened to break at the shore of her eyes. With every choke of emotions, she pursed her mouth thinner to resist the whimpers, the screams steaming in her throat.

She did not let it escape.

She resisted the tears.

She bottled the screams.

And very soon, she successfully fought against the strong urges, and suppressed the emotions from their due manifestation.

The regrets followed right after. The realization of her ruthless attitude towards her father she respected and admired as a child, just weighed down her heart even more.

Dan Hwa had calmed down now. Her eyes were still glistened with tears, but there was a peculiar dryness in them. Her emotions achieved another layer of inexplicable complication that night. As much as she was remorsful of her conduct, never for a second did it occur to her-to retrieve her steps and water the fire she put ablaze.

Dan Hwa simply left it burn to ashes.

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The next few days suspired through inadequate sleep and further inefficiency in work. She was tossed back and forth between giving up and trying to force back to the time. The time, when her work seemingly remained unaffected by her personal life. From the mayhem of her insides.

The last visit to her parent's house rekindled many faded memories. Especially the excruciating and obnoxious ones. How the warm abode in her mother's presence grew so brutally hostile and suffocating after her death. It seemed as if she had a long due revision of those dreadful events that had ultimately led her to move out, those many years ago.

Too melancholic, Dan Hwa found herself surfing through her contact list one evening.

It was the young dark nurtured by a navy dusk that embraced the stretch of the sky. The crispy altitude zephyr gently ruffling the sheer white curtains of the balcony in her room. Dan Hwa was lucidly rested by the cold railings.

The name right above the doctor's was the newly saved contact of Jimin. Dan Hwa halted for a second, pondering how conceited it was of her to seek solace when she could have exerted that hour to better herself in her work.

Aiding that contemplation, an exquisite little butterfly flapping its exotic blue wings briefly landed on her phone screen. Subtly arresting her interest, the enigmatic little creature flew out guiding her attention to a near distance.

A well-lit balcony, in perpendicular measures to her own, came to her sight—before she lost the track of the butterfly. It was nowhere to be seen any longer.

On its delicate and curious flight, it entered that seemingly bright house that hosted one person. He seemed to be on a call, as he actively looked around the spacious hall.

"Yes. Everything seems alright. It was a nice bargain, I feel." The man in the black leather spoke over the phone.

The line responded, "Hey, Jimin. Thank me later for making you do this."
Jimin grinned, sounding grateful for the perfect deal he got for his purchase.

JM : Yes, I will treat you big, Hyung. Thanks again.

Soon as the friendly exchange concluded, the tiny blue invader caught his attention.

JM : Oh! How did you get in he-

Before he could make his rhetorical remark, Jimin received another call. After a second of skepticism over the unidentified number, he hesitantly answered it.

JM : Hello?

A muffled voice reached from the line. "I am Baek Dan Hwa... Is this Mr. Park Ji Min, by chance?"

Jimin was easily teased to a soft chuckle of relief before his words followed.

JM : You think, I gave you the wrong number?

His sight traveled to the butterfly, trying to find an exit around the apartment.

Receiving a still silence from the line however, Jimin sounded more serious.

JM : Hello? Ms. Baek, are you there-

Dan Hwa : Let's... run away.

Jimin responded in fluster at her sudden and bold statement. Simultaneously as he slid the balcony doors, he followed the careful flight of the blue butterfly. It introduced a fresh view from his new house that he decided to soak in for a while as he listened to the phone.

Dan Hwa : You said, to 'call you in' when I plan such an episode.

Just as she spoke out the words, Jimin's eyes caught the face to them. At a near distance, close enough to give a clear picture, but too far to hear them in person. The same floor, distanced by some conspicuous feet. There was Dan Hwa.

The moonlight from the clear sky highlighted her silhouette figure just perfectly against the dark, as a faint light bled from her room.

For a brief second, Jimin felt enchanted. A flimsy fabric layered over her cream nightgown; it painted her appearance as if straight out from a victorian castle. Those reckless strands of hair swaying by the wind. Her existence looked ethereal.

It likened that refined Dan Hwa, otherwise buried under the covers of a foreign, nonchalant persona. A very graceful chic elegance that hid beneath the hard barks of a bold and defiant demeanor.

It was something Jimin would have never pictured her to be, but now that he was sighted of the same, it made all the more sense.

Unaware of the pair of eyes, she had a distant and dismal mien. While Jimin, actively spellbound to her, finally broke his brief pause.

JM : The moon... is beautiful, isn't it?

Quite a peculiar direction he resigned to follow; it was actually to fuse down her current impulse with a spell of distraction.

Dan Hwa : The moon?

Sight still fixed at her, Jimin watched her eyes lifting up to stare at the celestial body.

Dan Hwa : It's the same everyday.

Her response ever so blasé and jaded. Jimin smiled, not affected by her nonchalance.

JM : Is that so? It's the first time for me.

Jimin felt content with his play of words, that the receiving end had no clue about.

JM : So, where do you want to go? To escape, I mean.

Dan Hwa withdrew her gaze from the sky back to the city lights below. Her hand firmed the grip on the cold steel railings, she was leaning against.

Dan Hwa : Some place unknown, unheard-of. Somewhere... only we know.

She stared down, the breeze giving her light shivers. Jimin started to grow a little cautious, noticing her inch so perilously close to the edge.

JM : A-alright. I will come, pick you up then. Give me five minutes, I will be right there!

On the move, Jimin saw her looking at her phone before exiting the balcony of his apartment.

JM : Don't end the call, just wait till you hear a doorbell. Okay?

He hurried through the rooms and corridors in an evident desperation. Was it the sprint or the silence over the call, or both, that Jimin felt his heart pacing up.

Finding a solitary door beside his own in that wing, he sped his way towards it. He waited for a moment before ringing at the door.

Jimin nervously looked at the phone screen, the call on-going. He, nonetheless, only heard a still silence from the end.

JM : Dan Hwa-ssi?

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