"Park?"

I called for her but she seemed spaced out. "Park?" I called her again. She's staring into the wall, I don't even know what she's looking at. "Park!?"

She didn't answer me. I put my hands on her shoulders and shook her violently. She finally snapped out of it, pushing me off of her. "Yah! Are you finally up, sleeping beauty?"

She shook her head, holding it. "I'm good. Let's practise." She started to ramble about some keys. Like the other day, she seems out of it.

She isn't focused. I know something is bothering her. This is bothering me because I can't learn shit when she's bothered and isn't teaching me shit.

"Yah!" I yelled, catching her attention. She stopped talking and looked at me. "Sit down right now." I glared at her and she sat down on the floor. I turned to face her.

"What's up with you? You're distracted."

"No, I'm not-"

"-Shut up. Yes, you are. You tell me or I will make sure you don't get your pay." She sighed. I shouldn't force her to tell me things she doesn't want to tell me, but I don't want a distracted teacher.

"Do you know your Eomma's back in town?" My eyes widened. What? I was never told this. "I met her the other day."

"No, she isn't." I chuckled but she didn't laugh or say it was a joke. This hurt more than not wishing me a happy birthday. She didn't even tell me? I know I'm not the best daughter, but that's her fault. I cleared my throat, looking down. "What did she say to you?"

She stood in front of the blonde, towering over her, her gaze piercing through her soul. "Are you perhaps, Chaeyoung. Park Chaeyoung?"

The blonde girl hesitantly nodded. "Right. You're my daughter's piano teacher. Kim Jisoo?" She nodded, not bothering to look her in the eye.

This woman was terrifying. Like mother like daughter.

"As Kim Jisoo's mother, I strongly advise you to just leave this job." Chaeyoung looked at her with eyes widened. "If this is about the money. Dear, I'll pay you."

"No! I'm genuinely trying to teach her piano. She wants to do it, and so does her appa. I'm sorry, Mrs Kim. But I'm declining your offer."

She scoffed. "Declining? I'll pay you triple the amount of money you're getting paid. Isn't that a good offer?"

This reminded her of her first encounter with Jisoo. Where she tried to bribe her to not teach her.

She bowed, shaking her head. "From what I've heard, she doesn't like you very much." Not a good string to pull, but it's totally worth it. "I won't be taking orders from no one. Not you or your daughter, Mrs Kim."

"How awfully rude of you, dear." Her hands landed on Chaeyoung's shoulders, brushing off invisible dirt. "What I say goes. Once I reach my home, you should have disappeared. Got that? I'll teach her on my own. I don't need a young naïve little girl looking after her."

She took her hands off of her. "I'm perfectly capable of looking after her. I'm not naïve, I can spot a bad deal when there is one. Your daughter has potential, and I will use that little flame and kindle it under my care, till it roars. Watch your words, Mrs Kim. I may not be rich, but I know how to play a good gamble." She finished what she was saying, bowed and happily smiled. "Have a good night." With that, she left. Her heart pounding as she headed home.

I smirked at her. She had a proud look on when she was explaining what happened. I can't believe my mother would do such a thing. If she knew why the money was needed, maybe she wouldn't have done that.

It may seem wrong and I will look like a jerk here, but I hired someone to check on her. I found out her mother has cancer and was rushed into surgery the other day. I found out, she's broke and living in a one-bedroom apartment. I found out she sleeps on the couch and doesn't even have enough money to feed herself. The money I gave her all went to her mother's expense.

So to apologise, without actually apologising, I'm helping a bit behind the scenes. "Don't let her bother you, Park. She's just like that."

"Would I still be able to come and teach you?" I nodded and she sighed in relief.

"Did she say when she was coming over?" She shook her head. "That's weird. She normally would."

"Do you like her?"

I looked at her weirdly. "Why would I? You've seen how much of a jerk she is."

"But so are you?" I glared at her and she cleared her throat. "I meant, why?"

"Not your business, Park." She shrugged her shoulders and agreed. "What about your appa? I've never heard about him."

She chuckled slightly. I think I unlocked a painful memory. "Not your business, Kim."

I nodded at her, turning back around to face the piano. "Touché," I mumbled. She chuckled before standing back up. "Are you okay now? Don't worry, if you want to stay and teach me, I won't let her make you leave."

Her face slightly flushed. "What a sweetheart. Watch that mouth, Kim. Someone might just fall for you, " she chuckled.

"Why? Have you?" I teased. Her eyebrows furrowed and she presented to be sick. "Hey! That isn't nice!" I grabbed a pillow from my bed and chucked it at her.

We're slowly becoming friends.

I quite like it.

Park is a nice person to be friends with.

She laughed, throwing the pillow right back at me. I laughed with her. Once we calmed down she slumped herself on the floor, letting out a big sigh.

"So, are we redoing? We're friends now, right?"

I nodded, getting and going to lay next to her. "Friends." She smiled, turning around to hug my waist.

My stomach exploded with butterflies. The only person to ever hug me is Jennie. This feels...

Nice.

She snuggled her face into my neck. "Told you, you're nice when you want to be." My arms stayed behind my head. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable and hug her back.

She's a sweet girl. I don't know why I was ever a jerk to her. I just hummed. We laid on the floor for a bit until someone knocked on my door. She was startled and quickly moved away from me, sorting out her hair as she cleared her throat.

Her face was bright red. That's honestly, adorable. "Come in, " I said, sitting up.

My father came in, smiling. He called for me and I left with him. "Yes?" I shut my door so Park wouldn't hear what he was going to talk about.

"You have a very special guest downstairs." My eyes widened.

Is the really here?

No way.

I shook my head. "I'm not going to see her." I was about to go into my room when my appa held my wrist.

"Jisoo. Please? She's asking for you, hon. Just greet her and you can go back to learning. She's your mother after all."

I removed my hand from his grip. "She's only my mother when she wants to be." With that, I went back into my room.

I'm not even going to look at her. She never cared about me, so I'll give her the same treatment.

Chaeyoung smiled at me when I came back in and I smiled back. I sat at the piano and we carried on our lesson.

She was downstairs, but what can I do?

She's your mother after all.

All she did was give birth to me. She never looked after me. Does she not know how much that broke me?

No happy birthdays.

No Christmas presents.

No mother and daughter days.

No one used to come for my school plays.

I was only a child. I deserved her love, but she didn't want to give it to me.

I was broken out of my thoughts by a warm hug.

A really comforting hug.