Her family's threat quickly made her realize she didn't have much of a choice, so she hesitantly accepted the invitation. She'd rather go on her own two feet than be dragged there on her knees.

She would never give them the satisfaction of seeing her weak ever again. Not if she could help it.

Unfortunately, she didn't realize how soon the luncheon would be. The butler informed her it was tomorrow and that a chauffeur would pick her up the next day at around noon. She was in shock when the butler was talking to her and sort of had a mental block; she wasn't quite processing what he was saying.

Unlike other people, it took her longer to process her thoughts and emotions. It wasn't until she went back into her room that it hit her like a semi truck. She became upset that the few hours' notice didn't give her much time to prepare at all. She was pacing now as she tried to make sense of her thoughts.

They are so inconsiderate! They should've asked for my availability before setting the date and time for this luncheon! She thought angrily to herself. It's a good thing tomorrow is the weekend or I wouldn't be able to go due to classes.

The audacity of these man-babies!

Soon, her anger morphed into anxiety. After realizing she was going to meet her "family" again in just a few short hours, her body went into flight-or-fight mode. She couldn't seem to calm down from the adrenaline rush and all her stress. Perhaps that's why when she tried to sleep that night, her body wouldn't let her rest.

She was left feeling exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Her mind kept racing with the worst possible scenarios. She imagined her family luring her in with a false sense of security, then trapping her and never letting her leave that hell ever again.

Even just thinking of it now sent chills down her spine.

After remembering that, the fear began to dissipate, and the anger returned. She couldn't help but feel angry at this blatant harassment by her family. After all, she lived independently without any type of support from them for a long time; Why did they think that she owed them her presence or time? And the fact that they threatened to drag her there too as if she were an object!

It finally clicked for her that she was just an object to them. Her consent did not matter to them; they just wanted to exert control over her in any way they could.

She wrapped her arms around herself as tears spilled down her cheeks. Why am I always seen as less than human? Don't my feelings matter?

She could never be truly free of them.

Not unless she died.

She jolted at that sudden dark thought. She wouldn't describe herself as suicidal, but she just wanted to be at peace. She had lived her entire life in survival mode, looking for danger in everyone and everything. She was so, so tired of it! She just wanted to be happy, not anxious or depressed every second of every day.

Sometimes, it seemed that death was the easiest way to accomplish that.

No, she quickly told herself as she dug her nails into her palm hard enough to draw blood. The pain of it brought her out of her thoughts and back to reality. You worked so hard to get into college. You also have two sweet friends. Don't throw it all away now just because of those bastards!

She wiped her tears away and decided to distract herself from her scary thoughts by being productive. She didn't have any good coping mechanisms except pouring all of her energy into her schoolwork. Once again, she stayed up late working on future assignments for her classes. Just as she did the night before. It didn't help her mentally, but at least it took her mind off what was stressing her momentarily.

Once the sun rose, she got up, stretched, and then went out of her room. To her surprise, her roommate Ari was chilling on the couch with her computer. She said good morning to her and then sat down to chat.

"So what are your plans for the day?" Ari asked.

Siyeon paused to think. "I have to go to a luncheon with my family, but other than that, not much. How about you?"

Ari's eyes lit up. "You're going to eat lunch with your family? That's so nice! I know you say you don't see them often, so you must be excited."

Siyeon sighed. "No, I'm not. I'm actually pretty anxious. They're not exactly the best people to be around with…"

That was an understatement but she didn't want to talk about her trauma right now. She just wanted to be honest.

Ari placed her hand on her arm. "I understand. Do you want to talk about it?"

Siyeon shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I only just met you and need some time before I can open up to you. I hope you understand."

Ari smiled back. "Of course I do! I respect your decision. Just know I'll always be here if you ever want to talk."

She then switched the topic to food. Siyeon did want to eat breakfast, but her anxiety ruined her appetite. Instead, she decided to go back to study after Ari left to go eat. After a few hours, she looked at the time and realized it was nearly lunchtime.

That meant it was finally time to go meet her family again.

The moment she had been dreading since she left them.

She hesitantly got dressed in a semi-formal fashion since that was the custom in their household. She settled on a light blue dress that was tied at the waist by a white bow and which had white semi-transparent fluffy sleeves. She then paired it with white flats. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she thought she looked fairly well put together.

She locked her room, said goodbye to her roommate Ari, and then walked outside to where she was supposed to be picked up. She immediately felt anxious at the sight of her family's chauffeur but greeted him politely nonetheless. Once she was inside the car, she let out a sigh.

This is going to be a long ride.

She didn't say another word during the entire 40-minute drive; she just stared out the window while trying to organize her many thoughts. Her heart began pounding once she recognized her family's neighborhood, and her breathing became even quicker once they pulled in front of the hell she was forced to suffer in. She could hear her pulse resounding loudly in her ears.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

As she walked up the steps to the front door; she felt her legs tremble like they were made of jello. She felt as if she would collapse at any moment due to the sheer effort it took to keep moving. She could also feel a panic attack beginning to start and felt a terrible pain in her chest.

Once she reached the doorstep, she took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves.

Calm down, you're fine. Nothing bad has happened yet.

She finally built up the courage to knock, but right at that very moment, the door flung open.

It was Haru, her second eldest brother. He gave her a look of displeasure, narrowing his eyes. "You're actually here."

"Uh… yeah," She responded back awkwardly. You were the ones who invited me here. Why do you look so surprised?!

They stared at each other for a few moments, neither one saying anything. It was making her feel more uncomfortable by the second. She lowered her hand and made a fist to her side. She then clenched and unclenched it to relieve some of her anxiety.

He finally sighed, no doubt disappointed in something she either did or didn't do. He then gestured inside. "Well, don't just stand there like an idiot. Come inside."

He turned around without sparing her another glance, walking toward the dining room. She really didn't want to enter, but she knew she had to. So she forced her legs to move. With how rigid her movements were, she likely looked like a robot to anyone else who noticed.

In the dining room, her father was wearing his usual square-framed glasses and business suit, his expression indifferent as he read the morning news. Siyeon remembered he preferred paper news to online news because that's how he received news as a child.

Haru, who sat next to him, gave her an uninterested look while sporting a frown. He wore a nice suit as well, but he draped his coat over his shoulders so his vest was very exposed. He crossed his arms over his chest, the usual pose he did daily.

Her eldest brother, Junior, was likewise dressed in a nice suit. He had been reading a report, but the moment she came in, he set it down and focused his attention solely on her. He folded his hands and rested his chin on them with a smirk, giving her a pointed glare. His judgemental eyes followed her every movement as she sat down.

His obsession with her made her skin crawl.

Junior spoke almost immediately after she sat down. "Have you no shame?"

She flinched at his voice. It was just as scary as she had remembered. He was very ill-tempered and never spoke softly; only angrily and loudly.

Her mind scattered to think of what she had done wrong in just a few short moments. I just entered this damn house! What could I have possibly done to anger him?

"What do you mean?" She finally said in a meek voice without any hint of ill will, hoping it would appease him.

He scoffed at her in annoyance. "Are you truly this ignorant? You leave this household in the middle of the night like a rat, leaving behind a note telling us not to look for you. We were beside ourselves with worry! And then when we try to contact you and see you again, you reject us. You don't even thank us for our efforts. How ungrateful you truly are!"

He ended his last statement by slamming his fist down on the table, which caused Siyeon to flinch more and her whole body to tense up. Her breathing became more shallow and her palms sweaty.

After a few moments of thinking, she decided to bow her head in shame. She then said in a low voice, "I-I apologize. It was not my… my intention to be rude…"

She couldn't believe she had to lower herself like this once again. She even promised herself that they would never see her be so weak again! However, making herself as small as possible was something she learned to do to survive; it was almost second nature. She clenched her fists to get through it.

This is for your own survival, she told herself as she tried to steady her breathing. Just do what they ask and take any insults. Don't make their abuse any worse than it already is.

She heard her father clear his throat. "Now, Junior, let's settle down-"

"No, Father. She needs to hear this." At his angry tone, she glanced up and saw Junior raking his hand through his hair exasperatedly. "How utterly selfish you are, Siyeon. Do you know what we endured because of your disappearance? Our family's reputation has plummeted because of you!"

At this, she finally lost her patience. She didn't know what came over her, but something inside her trumped her fear. It was anger. Years and years worth of it.

She snapped her head back up, her mind clouded with anger. "Why would I give a damn about this family's reputation?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she made a grave mistake. She felt an intense rush of anxiety flood her nervous system at that very moment. She had never stood up for herself before now and had no idea what the consequences of it would be.

But whatever they were, they were worth it to see Junior's haughty demeanor crumble into pieces. He looked shocked that she could stand up to him. "What did you just say?"

Notes:

Finally, the long-awaited chapter is finally here! I wrote this while thinking that everyone is always saying how they wish OG Penelope had a chance to confront the Duke and his family, and I agree, but shouldn't Siyeon have a chance to do this as well?

In this chapter, I wanted her to go back one last time to confront her family and give them a piece of her mind. The next chapter is such a catharsis man. Can't wait for her to tear them a new one!