She was not looking forward to this, but she needed to call home. She was not proud of trying to make sure she missed her mother, but, after this week, she was not needing the drama. She rehearsed several different things to say, ways to derail questions that she might ask, and how to dodge marriage proposal parties.

  With a heavy sigh and a heavier heart, she dialed home.

  The phone was answered on the second ring and her worst fears were confirmed. Her mother yelled “SEULGI! Everyone come here! It’s Seulgi on the phone.” A couple of masculine voices in the background answered in assent.

  She had to be mistaken because she could swear that she heard the pitter-patter of running feet. It couldn’t be. Running? For her? Never.

  She couldn't believe that the phone was put on speaker, which was nothing new.

  However, her father, mother, and brother are all in the same room, wanting to talk to her? Would the sun rise in the west? Would pigs grow wings? She was even more unsure of what was happening.

  “Um…hello?”

  “Hold on a moment, love, we are almost all here.” All here? What was she talking about?

  “OK, Seulgi, your father and brother are also here. So, what’s going on? We got a very cryptic message from your boss about us needing to leave you alone, and stop all our pns for you because you are in danger? What did he mean? Danger? What danger? What did you do? Wha…” her mother bombarded her in just a moment before she was interrupted by her father of all people.

  “Dear? Shut up. Now. She cannot answer all of that at once. Let her tell us what’s going on, THEN ask questions.”

  Her mother started getting mad, but only said, “Yes, dear.”

  Her father then continued. “Seulgi, how is my favorite daughter?”

  Seulgi continued the game that they had been pying since she was a child, “You mean your ONLY daughter.”

  She could hear the smile and relief in his voice. “Yes, I mean that, too. Now, dear, what’s going on? All that we know is from that boss of yours. He called and told us that something dangerous was going on and that we needed to give you space to deal with it. I know that we do not have the best of retionships, but just remember that we are your family. We all love you. You can lean on us in times of trouble.”

  In the background, she heard from her brother saying “Love her? Speak for yourself.” Followed by a rather heavy smack and a louder “OW!” For a change, it sounded like he was actually hurt by that sp.

  “Now, Favorite Daughter, tell us what’s going on.”

  Then expectant silence.

  She began speaking, absolutely unsure of her ‘audience’. She started very broadly. Confirming that they knew the people that were involved. She made she that her doing a roll call on these people was all relevant to what was going on, but wanted to make sure that they knew who she was talking about. She also mentioned a few new names, Katie, JooHyun, and Soo-Young, to be specific. She gave a brief background on who they were and that they were relevant to what they were about to be told.

  In the background, she heard from her brother saying “Are they cute? Can you introduce me?” Followed by a rather heavy smack that sounded closer to a punch and a louder “OW! Damnit Mom!” Followed by an actual punch and it sounded like her brother fell off his chair. Her father said, “Don’t talk to your mother like that.” A mumbled apology came next.

  Then she started at the beginning. Everything started when she met Wendy. After meeting Wendy, she met Katie, who worked with Wendy. Then went on to say how she met JooHyun and Soo-Young. She told how their friendship with these four was cemented when they all went out singing.

  Her mother started to make noise at this, but her father shushed her a bit more sharply than usual. This surprised everyone present.

  Seulgi expined that knowing this background was important to the dynamic of what was going on. Her father, with a gre in his voice, gently encouraged her to continue.

  She did not need to expin to anyone about how important these people were to her. They understood that Seulgi never made a causal friend. If they were friends, they were family to her. That’s it, nothing more needed to be said.

  This was when she told them that she could give only scant information, but there were some details that she could not go into because of the police investigation. Her father agreed for the three of them and urged her to go on.

  She expined how Wendy was pushed off a bridge and was sent to the hospital. She expined how her parents flew in from Canada to take care of her. She gave an abbreviated expnation of what they were like. With a soft ugh, she expined how they basically adopted her as her second pair of parents. Her mother made a noise to interrupt again and got shut down again, only slightly stronger. Her father was getting annoyed at his wife’s rude behavior when this was very important.

  Her father interrupted this time. “Either both of you shut up, or get out. Are either of you going to leave? Good. If you stop her one more time, I’ll throw you out myself. Understood?” He got silence as an answer. “Now, dear, please continue.”

  Seulgi was as shocked as the other two. Her father never talked to anyone like this, let alone immediate family.

  So, Seulgi continued. She mentioned on how the night Wendy was hospitalized, Jackson was kidnapped. At this, Seulgi’s mother gasped. Even her brother said “Woah.”

  Now they knew how serious it was.

  She got to the point where Yeji pushed her out of the way to the flower pot and got hurt. All three excimed at that. She continued how Wendy’s parents scooped her up from the hospital and were on their way back to Canada as she spoke. No…maybe they have nded by then. She was too tired to do the time zone math in her head.

  Then her father asked the question that none of them expected: “Seulgi, do you need me to come stay with you?”