M I S F I T S

iii. precipice of fate

~

"No luck, huh?"

Tomi shook her head as a no slowly. The tingling sensation still remained on her cheek. It was the first time her mother had ever laid a hand on her like that. She couldn't help but wonder why was Kaya always so mad whenever she brought up fighting or martial arts. But when she brought up the Tekken Tournament, Kaya seemed even more triggered.

"Hey, maybe if you talk to her again—"

"It's no use, Wooyoung." Tomi let out a deep sigh and played with the biodegradable straw in her milkshake. "It's like... she's acting like fighting is a curse. A forbidden thing—Like it could kill me."

"I— well technically—"

Tomi shot her bestfriend a glare and sighed again. "And I was kinda harsh when I left, I just left without saying anything to her."

"What are you gonna do then?"

"I'm still auditioning. No matter what."

"What about your mom?"

"She will have to accept it then. Especially when I make it."

Wooyoung put down his burger and squinted his eyes at her. "Come to think of it, there must be a reason why she hates the idea of you doing martial arts that badly."

"Because it isn't lady-like," she did an impression on her mother. "Everything she does is so poised, elegant, and pretty. That's basically how she is as a person. And those are all she ever values in women. That's why she wants me to do rhythmic gymnastics instead of fighting."

"Right. You're basically the opposite of her." He snickered.

"Fighting can be elegant and pretty," she mumbled before taking a sip on her chocolate milkshake. "How's your dance group doing?"

"We're going to the semifinals this weekend." He smiled. "Remember the small competition I told you about?"

"Oh my God! Yes! When is it exactly?"

"It's tomorrow, the same time as your audition though," Wooyoung pressed his lips. Tomi caught the slight disappointment in his eyes. "But that's okay you can come another time. You always come anyway."

"Sorry." She pouted. "Say hello to Yunho for me."

"Will do."

~

After work, Tomi went home with a lot in her mind. Convincing her mother to agree with something is already a challenge for her. It took her more than a year to convince Kaya to allow her to work at the cat cafe to help their finance. Kaya would worry that she couldn't handle the pressure of working with a lot of people and the fatigue that would come with it. Now she has to convince Kaya to allow her to attend a real school, that focuses on something that she strictly prohibited her to do. How in the world could Tomi do that? She doesn't know. But she is the type of person who will get everything that she wants. Always. At least that's what she's always told herself.

"I'm home!" Tomi announced as she put her shoes in place on the shoe rack. "Mother? I'm home!" She looked around for Kaya because usually, her mother would answer right away. "Mother?" She called out once more.