Karma ━━ Jake Sim

𝟬𝟯 ͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏⠀Wait. What?

"Your behavior today - not to mention all the other discussions we've had in the past - was entirely unacceptable. Looking at you now, Sujin, it's hard to believe that you're even my daughter."

Sujin's almost inclined to agree.

"Changes need to be made, and they need to be made now. To keep you from going down this path and throwing away everything your father and I have worked so hard to give you. We've been talking and..."

She glances at her father who, up until this point, has been nervously teetering on his feet and avoiding eye contact entirely.

Despite a decayed relationship with her mother, Sujin has always felt close to the other half of her parentage. Han Donghyun is a rational man, and often the only voice of reason in the Han household. He doesn't like to take sides, especially when it comes to the two women he loves most, but Sujin could always trust him to understand her point of view in times she needs it most. She's lost count of the amount of times he's saved her from her mother's wrath, and the mere fact that he hasn't said a word since entering the room means only one thing: she's screwed.

Juliette nudges him to action, "Tell her."

"Sujin, honey, listen..." He starts nervously, eyes darting between his wife and daughter in uncertainty. The latter is gazing up at him with doe-like eyes, silently begging for mercy. The former, on the other hand, wears a deathly glare that warns him from caving to his daughter's will - the way he's done every other time.

Donghyun draws in a sharp breath before delivering the killing blow: "We're sending you to boarding school."

"What?!"

Sujin feels the world as she knows it tilt off its axis the second those god-awful words leave her father's mouth. Boarding school. Even though her mother's been threatening her with the prospect of such a change for weeks now, hearing it spoken so definitively into existence feels like a kick in the gut. She doesn't even know what to say after the initial exclamation, jaw gaping open and shut with nothing coming out.

"But it's my senior y-"

"No but's!" Her mother sharply interjects, "You are not talking yourself out of this one, young lady."

"And the school we've picked for you is great!" Her father adds in a futile attempt at lightening the mood, "You may even find yourself enjoying it, who knows?"

Sujin stares at him in a deadpan manner, expression devoid of any hope of an enjoyable time, "I think I've got a pretty good idea."

Donghyun sighs. He fishes around his briefcase, pulls out a pamphlet and extends it to the girl with a small encouraging smile, "The least you can do is give it a chance, hon."

Almost an entire minute of heavy silence follows before Sujin takes it out of his hand. The front page showcases an image of a larger-than-life stone building, complete with turrets and intricate architectural detailing. The big, bold lettering at the bottom of the page spells out 'Darisan Preparatory School', along with a fancy crest that depicts a soaring eagle. Sujin feels her scowl deepen the further she flips through the pages.

Established in 1955... Over 80 acres of land... State-of-the-art facilities... Always striving for excellence... Only a two hour drive from-

Wait.

What?

Sujin slaps the pamphlet shut with a loud laugh that reverberates off the walls of the study.

"This is all just one big joke, right?"

No reply.

"You're bluffing. Tell me you're bluffing."