Unexpectedly Meeting You Again

sixteen

"I have to go," Beomgyu said before taking out his phone. Areum frowned, "Again? Will you be home late?"

"I'm sorry. Emergency meeting. You know we're releasing a new project soon. I'm sorry, Areum," he said before pecking her forehead.

She stood up from the bench and was about to walk when a group of bodyguards rushed through the hallway, one of them bumping into her shoulder.

She winced in pain and watched as they ran to the elevator. They seemed to be hiding someone in the middle of their circle. A middle-aged lady with her husband.

She followed them from behind and took the other elevator. She saw them rushing towards Minhyuk's room.

Areum groaned out of annoyance and went into the room, "Excuse me, you can't just barge into the room like this!"

The woman was begging Ni-ki to release her son, "Please, detective. Please release him! He has done nothing wrong."

"Ask my leader first," he said, looking at Areum. The lady turned around, earning her by surprise. The familiar facial features she hasn't seen for years and years.

My real mother is in front of me.

The lady looked at her daughter with shocked eyes, her handbag dropped to the floor. Heeseung and Ni-ki exchanged confused glances.

"Mother?" Areum breathed out.

Heeseung's jaw dropped. He knew Areum couldn't find her mother for years after her parents divorced. Who knew they both would be reunited again.

Areum eyed her mother's clothes. Her dress seemed to be from a luxury store which she matched with thousands of dollars worth of jewellery. Her handbag was a brand that Areum knew she couldn't afford that much.

"Areum-ah. Is that you?" Mrs Joo said before giving her a tight hug. Instead of hugging back, Areum's body tensed like a rock. The hug felt uncomfortable and she needed to get away from it.

"I believe Minhyuk is your new son," Areum said before walking towards Ni-ki. Mrs Joo smiled awkwardly, "He's your half brother."

"The kid who calls me a bitch is my brother?" She glared at Minhyuk. The said boy frowned at his mother, "You didn't tell me you had a daughter! I thought I was your only one!"

"Shut up," Areum ordered before facing her mother, "We're going to keep it professional, Mrs Joo. Your son here shot students at his school. He won't tell us how he got the gun."

"He will be kept here until he confesses how he got the gun," Ni-ki stepped in, keeping a straight face.

The man who stood next to her mother, who she assumed as Mr Joo stood forward, "Please, is there anything we can do to bail him out? I'll give you how much money you want. Just please release him without any reporters catching us."

"We will not take any bribes, Mr Joo. Your child has done a terrible crime and will do it again if we don't take this seriously. He must take the heaviest punishment and that is final. Are you going to let it go?"

"Jung Areum!" Mrs Joo said sternly, "He's your brother! You're seriously going to let him go through all this?"

"This is what you're doing all along? While dad struggled to raise me and even offered to let you see me but what did you do? You ran away when I needed you the most. And then come back with expensive attire, demanding for me to obey you as a mother?"

"I did this for your good," Mrs Joo clenched her fists, starting to get annoyed. Areum scoffed, "Sure. You did a very great job. Now I have the kindest stepmother who I treat like my real mother. She is always there when I needed help. And I noticed that my family is happier when you're gone."

"Mr and Mrs Joo, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave," Heeseung said politely but there was a glint of stern in his voice.

Mr Joo narrowed his eyes at Areum, "Are you the one who shot my son in the arm and leg?"

"Yes, dad! She shot me and even punched me!" Minhyuk pointed at her.

"I'm not going to let this go, Detective Jung," the man warned.

"Mr Joo, leave. If you don't cooperate with us, we'll just have to take this to the police station and reporters will know about this. So count yourself lucky that we're doing the questioning here," Ni-ki said, motioning for the married couple to leave the room.

Areum scoffed as she watched Minhyuk's parents leave the room. "Now I know why my dad fell out of love," she muttered under her breath.