It seemed like hours before the officer came back. To say it was awkward was terribly understated. Nobody had said a word, and nothing was exchanged but uncomfortable glances.

"Your parents have been notified. Someone is on their way to pick you kids up. Just sit tight."

Well, what else could they do?

And they were alone again.

"Well, I think this has been a great reunion. Just think, in a few days we can laugh about this."

"Hyjoon, you were laughing as it was happening."

"Well, that's true, but still. This was a great bonding moment for us - "

"I'm serious, if you don't shut up right now - "

"What are you going to do Yoongi, bleed on me? Wow, I'm so scared."

"Did your parents really raise you to be so disrespectful?"

"Did yours raise you to be such a little bitch?"

"You're one to talk about little, Hyjoon."

"Will you two shut up, we're almost out of here, don't kill each other. Then we'll have to go through an investigation, and I don't care about either of you enough to do that."

"Jeez, can you be a little meaner, Jin, I think some of us still have a speck of happiness in us."

YeongMi grabbed her head in pain as everyone began bickering with themselves.

"I swear, if I got money for every time you annoyed me Hyjoon - "

"Then you'd be rich enough to buy yourself a better personality."

"CHOI HYJOON, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Shit." The small girl quickly stood up, smoothing out her skirt before walking towards the frazzled woman.

"You have some explaining to do, come along."

Hyjoon was all but dragged away by her mother, and the others were silent as they watched her disappear.

YeongMi began to wonder if the others would be picked up by their parents.

If so, what was she to do? There was no way her parents would pick her up, even if they were on the same continent.

"If my mom comes, I'm going to die."

"We're going to die either way, stupid."

"You're stupid, stupid!"

They finally shut up at the sound of sharp taps, the sound of an important woman walking over.

Mrs. Park frowned at them behind her glasses, and the students shuddered at her expression.

"You've really done it this time. Do you understand how serious this is? You could have been hurt," she paused, noticing their worse for wear appearances. "Well, you could have been seriously hurt."

Mumbled affirmations were barely audible as the students hung their heads in shame.

"If you think that the trouble ends here, then you must have hit your head too hard."

That wasn't so funny when it was said to someone who's head was pounding like an eccentric rave was going on inside.

A hand stopped YeongMi as she tried to exit the holding cell, "not you, your situation is more.... unique. We can't let you go until your parents are notified, and so far we haven't been able to reach them."

YeongMi stared at the guard in disbelief, but she decided against arguing, instead sitting back down in resignation.

She was going to spend the rest of her life sitting in this terrible chair in this room. She'd go crazy staring at her reflection, and talk to herself until she forgot how to speak.

She spaced out as everyone shared nervous glances, uncertain about leaving without her.

"Wait, that's not fair Mrs. Park. You can't just leave her because her parents are assholes who don't pay attention to her!"

"You need to watch how you speak, that's very disrespectful to say." 

"But it's true!"

"Wait, Namjoon, how do you know about her parents?"

"Seungkwan told me about it."

"How does he know?"

"I don't know, they were friends when they were kids."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Well, it wasn't really my business to tell."

Mrs. Park stared at YeongMi regretfully as the boys argued.

"The rules are rules, so unless you want to stay the night," Mrs. Park paused, knowing some of them probably would. "No, you have to come along now. You'll get to see miss Yi soon enough."

If YeongMi had paid attention, she would have noticed that the guard had to drag Namjoon out of the building to keep him from running back into the holding cell.

But she didn't.

YeongMi lay across the chairs, throwing an arm over her face and trying to sleep to relieve her intense boredom.

"Is there a good reason that you reek of alcohol?"

YeongMi lazily glanced over at the new guard. "The assholes poured their drinks on me. That's why I started the fight."

It was complete bullshit, but the guard gave her one last glance before shrugging and leaving it be. Fortunately, he obviously didn't care enough to do anything.

She was on the floor the next time he came in.

"Excuse me, if you're alive, there's a phone call for you."

YeongMi considered pretending to be dead, but she decided to get it over with, heaving up with a heavy sigh.

She followed him to the booth, taking the phone that was balancing precariously on top of the machine.

"Hello?"

"You're the biggest disappointment I've ever had, Yi YeongMi. If you're going to pretend I'm not your mother, then I'll pretend you're not my daughter. I'm done allowing you to act like a spoiled brat. You cause too much trouble. When I sent you away to school, it wasn't so that you could get drunk and disrupt the public. You're a disgrace and a disappointment. It's time to face the consequences of your actions."

YeongMi was speechless as she hung up the phone.