Everyone went there separate ways while I followed Do Eun to his home. Do Eun called his mother to let her know that we had left school early to help with Soo Min's search. From what I heard from Do Eun's phone conversations, Soo Min had gotten into an argument with her father over the weekend and ran off. He didn't think anything of it until she hadn't return the following day. Apparently she always ran off to Do Eun's, but this time she had completely disappeared.

When we arrived, Do Eun's mother was trying her best in consoling Soo Min's father who was holding his crying face in his hands. He was or Soo Min was the spitting image of him.

"Eun Sang-ah, what are we going to do?" He said in between tears. I could tell he had been crying for at least a couple of hours by how red and swollen his eyes were.

"Don't worry. Soo Min will be alright," Do Eun's mother said.

Another woman I hadn't seen before was also trying her best in consoling the worried father.

"I shouldn't have said the things I said," he cried out.

The woman rubbed his back, "You couldn't keep lying to her."

"Eomma," Do Eun finally spoke up.

Before his mother could greet him, Soo Min's father stood up and embraced him. "Do Eun-ah, our Soo Min is gone."

Do Eun hugged him, "Uncle, it's alright. Everyone is looking for her."

"I just couldn't keep lying to her," Soo Min's father said letting go.

Eun Sang grabbed and sat him down on the nearest couch. "It was bound to come out."

"What are you talking about?" Do Eun asked wondering what had made Soo Min leave in the first place.

Soo Min's father wiped away any stray tears from his face and took in a large breath before recounting. "I invited Soo Ji over to announce our engagement to Soo Min, but I had forgotten it was Soo Min's mother's anniversary so Soo Min was upset. She started saying things she didn't mean and then I started to say things that I didn't mean."

"Finally I blurted out the truth. Soo Min's mother never passed away. She abandoned us when Soo Min was only three and never returned."

"Why have you kept this a secret?" Do Eun asked.

"I couldn't bear to tell her that her mother didn't want her so I lied. I planned to tell her the truth once she got older, but after every passing year it became harder to tell her. She adored and admired her so much. I just couldn't do it. I'm a coward." Soo Min's father buried his face into his fiance's chest and she gently soothed him.

"You never want to be the bad guy," Eun Sang added understanding Soo Min's father's difficulties.

At that moment, Do Eun received a phone call and excused himself to answer it. Just as quickly as he picked up, he hung up. "They found her."

Soo Min had run off to the only place that held any remainders of her mother and that was a small beach town in the south. It was her mother's hometown and where her maternal grandparents still lived. Do Eun somehow convinced the parents to allow only us to go and bring her back safely. It took about six hours to get there by bus so the sun was setting when we arrived.

Joon guided us to the address and we stood before a small traditional home. When he knocked an elderly man answered and smiled when he saw us.

"You must be Minnie's friends," he said inviting us in. "Come and sit. We were about to have dinner."

He had a hard accent so I followed the others since I could barely understand him. The table was filled with dishes of food I'd never seen before and my mouth watered at the sight. While we sat down, Soo Min appeared with utensils and bowls, but her outfit was what shocked all of us. She was wearing wild-printed baggy pants and an old t-shirt while her hair was in a messy bun.

"W-what are you guys doing here?" Soo Min was surprised as she laid the utensils on the table. "How did you find me?"

"It wasn't easy," Joon said as he brought a large pitcher of water and cups for everyone.

"I love your new look," Hannah uncharacteristically joked while feeling the material of her friend's parachute pants. "I don't even know what fabric this is…"

Chan Yeol suddenly pinched her which had her letting out a loud yelp. "Jo Soo Min, who do you think you are to have us city kids come to a small village on a bus!"

Soo Min hit him back and her grandparents returned with the final dish which was seafood stew. "Let's eat."

Soo Min helped her grandparents to their spots at the table before everyone started digging in. Her grandmother handed me a bowl of the stew, but before I could do anything with it, Do Eun took it away and added it to his empty bowl. The food was so good everyone was silent and we finished every dish.

After dinner we helped in clearing the table and Soo Min's grandparents said their goodbyes as they retreated back indoors. I guess they understood why we were here.

"The last thing I want is you guys to feel sorry for me," Soo Min said as she placed a plate of cut apples on the table.

Joon chuckled, "Sorry? Your father has literally been crying since the moment you left."

Soo Min's eyes began to water at his sentence, "How is he?"

"Devastated," Do Eun answered remembering his uncle's face from earlier.

"All these years I thought she was dead, but in reality she's been living in Paris with her husband," Soo Min informed. She stabbed an apple with her fork, "Even my grandparents haven't heard from her in years."

"Paris? How cliche," Hannah mumbled underneath her breath.

"I'm not even angry at her," Soo Min admitted, "I'm more upset over the fact that daddy had kept it a secret all these years."

"Then why did you run away," Chan Yeol wondered.

Soo Min sighed, "I overheard daddy and Soo Ji talking about their upcoming marriage. They wanted to do it as soon as possible before the baby starts showing."

"She's pregnant," Soo Min revealed, "Daddy's going to finally have the family he's always wanted and I'm going to be forgotten."

"Idiot," Do Eun blurted out. "Are you really this clueless? Your father loves you so much its repulsive. Every time you stayed over at my house, he wouldn't go to bed unless I sent him a picture of you sound asleep."

"My uncle says he stops by school during lunch just to catch a glimpse of you because he missed you during the day," Joon added.

Chan Yeol chuckled, "Before we started high school, he asked me to watch over you and to make sure no other boys came near you."

"Uncle always asks me for advice on what to get you for Christmas and birthdays since he doesn't know much about what teenage girls like," Hannah mentioned.

"Soo Min," I started, "You're dad was heartbroken when I saw him earlier today."

She immediately burst into tears after the sudden confessions and ran inside without a word, returning with her school bag. "Let's go back home."

"There are no more buses tonight," Joon notified her. "We can take the earliest one in the morning."

"I've always wanted to experience the old ways of our ancestors," Chan Yeol said before looking around, "Please tell me the bathroom is indoors?"

"Good thing I brought my overnight bag," Hannah pulled a small black purse out.

"We should get to bed then," Do Eun said.

Maybe it was the feelings or emotions from that night, but I gently nudged Joon and smiled at him. "I knew you weren't a total bad guy."

Joon seemed surprised by my action, but all I could do was giggle at his expression. It was one I hadn't seen before.

"The girls are washing up first," Do Eun interrupted standing between us.

"Oh, goodnight then."

The following morning, Soo Min's father sent a car to pick us up since he wanted to see his little girl as soon as possible. I heard he wanted to send a private jet, but the nearest airport was a couple hours away so a car was the only choice. I'm just glad I didn't have to ride a bus for six hours with everyone.

All of the parents were waiting outside Do Eun's family hotel so it was a bombardment of hugs and kisses when we arrived. Soo Min and her father ran toward each other crying like babies. He kissed her over and over again while she cried out apologies.

"Why did you suffer alone all these years just for me?!" Soo Min cried burying her face into his chest.

"Because your my daughter and I love you more than you can imagine!" He answered back covering her in kisses.

It was like a scene from a melodrama.

Do Eun's parents welcomed their son back with a group hug though Do Eun's father looked longingly at his friend's reunion.

"Why didn't we have a daughter?" He asked his wife seeing how affectionate the two were being.

She rolled her eyes, "You're lucky that I even married you."

Do Eun smirked at his parents bickering before he flashed a smile at me. I was about to smile back when Joon suddenly nudged me.

"Ya, we should get going."

"Alright," I nodded, but then dramatically gasped, "Wait, are you wanting to go home together?"

He ignored me as he quickly grabbed a cab and I ran after him not wanting to be left behind.

"How did you find Soo Min?" I asked the curiosity finally hitting its peak.

Joon messed with his phone, "I remembered a couple years back we all went to that beach town for Soo Min's birthday weekend and she had such a great time being with her grandparents."

"You really do care about your friends," I noted out loud.

The sound of his phone going off destroyed the small conversation and his face turned sour at the incoming message. He handed the driver some extra cash and told him to drive faster.

"Did something happen?"

"My mother is waiting for me."