Not wanting to be alone with her thoughts anymore, YeongMi pulled her phone out, looking through her contacts for a moment.

Seungkwan and Jeonghan would be sleeping right now. Mingyu was probably awake but preoccupied, and stupid enough to still answer the phone. 

YeongMi wouldn't make that mistake again.

YeongMi noticed that she hadn't called Hyjoon in a while, and pressed call.

Dialing...
The Real Bae

"Hey, you've reached the coolest person alive, make it interesting or I'm hanging up."

"Wow, I didn't realize you could become any lamer. Congratulations."

"My love! Aren't you supposed to boning in Namjoon's childhood bed right now?"

"Shit you're right, I forgot. Gotta go, bye!"

"..."

"..."

"Why are you still here?"

"..."

"Seriously, bye means bye, go away."

"Ouch, you hurt me, shortcake."

"Hey, screw you."

"When I get back, sure."

"When are you gonna break up with Joon to be with me? It's gotta happen, everyone knows it."

"Sooner than we may think, shortcake."

"... Is something wrong?"

YeongMi cursed herself for not controlling her tone, and immediately brightened her voice. "You know me, it wouldn't be YeongMi without the moodiness. It's cool though, I know how to handle it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, but I'm gonna take a nap now, sorry to leave so soon."

"Oh-"

Call Ended

YeongMi suddenly wanted to disappear, and she found the next best thing. Leaving her buzzing phone on the bed, she walked into the closet and sat down in the corner. Pulling her legs to her chest, she lay her chin on her knees and closed her eyes. 

~

"Where is that little brat this time?"

YeongMi had been so happy to play hide and seek with her parents. Even if they weren't the most committed players, she thought if she tried hard enough, they would enjoy it too. Maybe they didn't like her because she didn't play enough, she thought. Maybe if she forced them to play, they'd enjoy it in the end.

Now, hearing her mother's cruel words, the smile fell from her face, and she suddenly wished that she would never be found. She crawled farther into the closet, holding her breath. 

The hanging clothes brushed against her shoulders, creeping across her hair, and YeongMi wondered if that was what the loving touch of a mother felt like.

She would never know. 

~

"I'm not messing around, get out here right now YeongMi! We're going to be late!"

YeongMi hated her name, especially when it was coming from her mother's mouth. It sounded like a curse word, with the way her parents spit it out at her.

YeongMi curled up in the closet, seeking solace in the darkness. On days like these, where not even Miss Yi could get a smile out of her, her only comfort was the soft touch of her mother's clothes. 

Funny, how she hated her mother, but still, she yearned for her attention, and affection. Perhaps that was why she preferred her mother's closet to her own. It smelled so much like her, that YeongMi pretended that she was in her mother's embrace, rather than alone in the dark closet.

She would pretend that the clothes were her friends, with the sleeves acting as hands, resting on her shoulder, asking, are you okay?

No, no she was not.

~

"Do you think it's possible that the doctors gave us the wrong baby? There's no way that mess of a child is our young lady." 

"For our sake, I hope you're right." 

YeongMi had long since perfected the art of silent crying, but once she heard her parents leave the room, she let out a few hushed sobs.

And it was then that she learned that the clothes couldn't comfort her anymore. Not when she didn't want to be helped. More importantly, not when she didn't think she deserved it.