The next morning, Aera woke up and came downstairs like always.
Her mother was already at the table, setting breakfast with a soft, tired expression.
"How was your sleep? Did you sleep better?" her mother asked, voice gentle.
Aera gave a cold shoulder reply, "Yeah."
Instead of Meera Auntie serving breakfast as usual, her mother took the plates and served them herself, the sadness in her face tugging faintly at the corner of Aera's heart but she pushed it aside.
"I'm leaving for school now, Ma," Aera said to Meera Auntie, grabbing her bag.
"No need to go alone today. I'll take you in the car," her mother said firmly.
Aera paused, confused. "Till yesterday, I was going alone for myself. Now what?"
They argued quietly, but her mother won and dropped her off at school.
At the school gate, Lia ran up, "Hey, Aera!"
Her mother turned to Lia, trying to smile. "You must be her friend?"
Lia replied, "Yes, auntie! And… are you her aunt?"
Her mother embarrassedly said, "No, I'm her mother."
Lia said, "Oh sorry auntie, but there was another auntie who dropped her one time and one time picked her up. Who was she?"
Aera answered, "It is my auntie, but more like my mother."
The words hit her mother like a sharp jab.
She forced a smile, voice quieter now, "I'll pick you up this evening."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away.
As soon as Aera turned and walked through the school gates with Lia, her mother stood still for a moment, watching her daughter's back disappear into the crowd.
Then slowly, she got into the car.
The moment the door shut and the outside world was sealed off, her composure shattered.
She gripped the steering wheel with trembling hands, her breath hitching.
The words kept echoing.
"It is my auntie, but more like my mother."
Each syllable stabbed deeper than the last.
Tears rolled down silently, leaving trails on her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, but they just kept coming years of bottled guilt, regrets, things unsaid.
All pouring out.
She leaned her forehead against the steering wheel, her voice cracking in a whisper,
"Am I really that replaceable in her heart?"
The honk from a vehicle behind startled her, and she quickly wiped her face, putting on a weak mask. But inside, everything felt broken.
She drove off, her vision still blurred with tears because for the first time, she wasn't just Aera's mother…
She was a stranger in her daughter's world.
And she didn't know how to find her way back in.
At School
As Aera and Lia reached the classroom, Lia gave her a look.
"Okay... what was that all about?" she asked.
Aera slumped into her chair. "She doesn't deserve it."
Lia frowned. "Don't say that. I think if you just talked—"
"You won't understand. Let's not talk about it," Aera cut her off quickly.
Lia sighed and let it go.
In-su had already tossed his bag on the bench next to Aera and was sitting silently. He glanced sideways at her, noticing the dullness in her usually sharp gaze.
He leaned a little closer. "Hey, what happened?"
Aera mumbled, "Nothing."
He didn't push. Instead, he slid a piece of chocolate toward her under the bench.
She blinked. "What the... chocolate?"
He shrugged. "You looked off. Thought maybe… period stuff. If it hurts or whatever, tell me."
Aera stared at him. "What? No! I'm not on my period. It's just family crap."
His eyebrows raised slightly. "Oh. Sorry."
She gave him a mock gasp. "Oh my god. Did the cold hearted school ice prince just say sorry to me?"
In-su turned his face away quickly. "Don't start."
Aera chuckled. "I'm writing this in my diary."
After School, Aera, Lia, In-su, and Jake walked out of school, Aera's mom stood near the car, waving.
When they got closer, her mom's eyes landed on In-su.
"Hey… you. What are you doing here?"
In-su raised a brow. "Uh… picking up my legs to walk home?"
She squinted. "Wait… don't you remember me? From the convenience store?"
Aera blinked, confused. "Convenience store?"
[FLASHBACK]
Her mom had once gone out late to secretly buy Aera her favorite snacks and things after spotting a scribbled list on a torn paper in her notebook. She didn't open her diary, just that paper.
While paying, a man snatched her purse. In-su, who happened to be there, chased after the guy and tackled him. He returned the purse, casually said "Be careful next time," and walked off.
[END FLASHBACK]
"Ohh, you're the purse lady?", In-su said
"Yes! You helped me get it back… I didn't realize you were Aera's classmate."
Aera looked between the two, clearly confused. "Wait, when was this?"
"I'd gone out to get you something… it doesn't matter. He just helped me out.", Her mother said
In-su scratching his head, "Oh, my bad. Small world, huh?"
Her mother nodding, a bit awkward, "Well, thank you. I didn't expect to see you here."
Then, turning to Aera. "Come on, let's go."
Aera didn't say anything. She just gave a short nod and followed her to the car.
After a moment of driving, her mother spoke.
Her mother softly, "He's the boy who helped me that day… and the one who was with you last night, right?"
Aera turned her face to the window. "Yeah."
Her mother after a pause, "I didn't know... I just saw you two together and assumed the worst."
Aera let out a small sigh. "You always assume. You don't ask. You just explode."
Her mother gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.
"I'm sorry."
Aera's eyes widened slightly. She didn't say anything, but the tension in her shoulders softened.
Her mother quietly, "I'm not good at this. But I want to try."
Aera just stared ahead. No snark. No cold reply. Just… silence.
But that night, for the first time in a long time, she fell asleep without crying.