Seulgi and Yeji quietly went about some chores. The pce was already clean, but there was Suki’s food, water that needed to be topped off, her litter box needed to be emptied, undry needed to be done, and all the other little things.

  The soft voices of the women chattering floated throughout the apartment. It actually comforted Seulgi’s father even more into a deeper sleep. All of the dies present smiled as he started to lightly snore.

  They made up the back bedroom for ter that night. They moved his bags into the back bedroom as well. Suki naturally was there supervising and getting in the way. This did not stop the girls, they just made the bed anyway and the cat was quickly covered in three yers before poking her head out and compining.

  She received not a bit of sympathy.

  Yeji kept Seulgi distracted and busy. Yeji was not what you could call loquacious so this was out of character. She knew it, too. That just made her appreciate all of the efforts that much more.

  Later in the afternoon when everything that needed to be done was done, everything that could be done was also already done, they were at a momentary impasse as to what to do.

  Seulgi, unable to hold off the inevitable, took Yeji’s hand and led into the bedroom. There, she closed the door and sat on the bed. All of the memories of her near-death experience came flooding back and it was all too much to take in. So, she did the only rational thing and she broke down in quiet sobs again.

  Yeji, expecting this, sat next to her friend and held her hand. She didn’t say anything because there was nothing to be said. She knew that this was going to be a fairly frequent thing, for now. She knew, from experience, that this was something that her friend was going to have to work through. She had all of the things avaible for assistance, but ultimately, she would have to work through them on her own.

  Yeji fished in her pocket and pulled out the card that Jeong-Hui had given her with the councilor’s number on it and set it on the nightstand next to the bed. That was for ter. Now, she needed to be here in spirit as much as in substance. So, she was content to stay here. She did pull Seulgi close and stroked her head and hair.

  Seulgi had cried herself to sleep. Yeji id her down on the bed and then covered her with a bnket. She opened the bedroom door, allowing the cat in as she left. She left the door open enough to allow the cat back out when she wished.

  Turning back around, she found Seulgi’s father awake and sitting up.

  “You heard?” she asked.

  “I heard. I have questions. Lots of questions. I also know that there are some that you can and some that you cannot answer. I’ll leave most of them for Seulgi. But, I need some immediately from you.”

  Yeji nodded and sat down across from him. Once seated, he began.

  “Is she OK?” he continued.

  “No. Not even remotely,” she responded. He winced at her blunt response.

  “Was this Bhuwakul person involved?”

  “Yes,” then she continued, “But perhaps not in the way that you are concerned about. He was with me, protecting her.”

  “Is she in danger?” he started.

  “She was. I am not sure if she still is or not. That’s why I am still here.”

  “Do you know who I am?” his question was meant to see if he could disrupt her calm and failed to do so.

  “Yes, sir. Former soldier, former special forces, and retired policeman. And most importantly, Seulgi’s father. She also told me that you were the one who stopped her from self-harming when she was an early teen. She did not give the specifics, just that it involved fights with her mother.”

  He just grunted in the affirmative. He did not expect her to know this much about him.

  To change the mood a bit while he thought, Yeji asked, “Would you like some tea?”

  “Yes, please.”

  She busied herself with pouring two gsses. She tripped on the way back, nearly dropping the gsses, spilling more than a little bit.

  She said some things that Seulgi’s father pretended not to hear as she cussed out the cat for twining between her legs. She set the gsses down on the table and found a cloth to mop up the spill.

  Once cleaned up, she took the gsses to top back off. On the way back to the couch, she nudged the cat out of her way, again, a bit harder than strictly necessary. The girl and the cat gred at each other.

  Yeji handed him the tea and found a bit of hidden mirth in his eyes before re-seating herself. As a fairly cssy guy, he ‘didn’t see’ any of that interpy so just thanked her for the tea.

  Mollified that someone in the living room had tact and manners, she composed herself.

  “Any other questions, sir?”

  “What’s for dinner?” he shot back.

  Her grin faded as fast as it came. She responded, “We talked about some ideas, but it can wait until she wakes up.”

  The conversation psed into a comfortable small talk. She asked him about Seulgi as a child and he waxed poetic. He had many anecdotes about her. He was aware that many of these stories would end up as bckmail just from the look on the unholy glee in the younger woman’s eye.

  After the fourth or fifth more audacious story, there was a sleepy voice that said “Dad, can you not?”

  “Can I not do what, ttal?”

  “You know exactly what I mean, abeoji“

  Yeji just sat back and enjoyed the interpy. Suki jumped up next to her and also watched. Yeji absently stroked her back, all enmity forgotten.

  She looked at Yeji and said, “I called the crew, we’re all going to meet at the restaurant. Despite Nayeon’s protests. So, come up you two, let’s get going.”