_{REGRESS: MEET LITTLE JENNIE.}

_{jennie moved like her knees were just hinges, wobbling to and fro before falling on her padded bottom. then she clapped like it was all part of the plan and rolled to her stomach to get up again. especially at this age, she hadn’t any idea how fragile her body was, even more so than any other regular kid.} 

_{note: especially at this age.} 

_{it doesn’t make her a special case per se, but she had always been physically sensitive and intolerant of pain. and yet she’ll argue, “i’m not afraid of anything!” well, for someone prone to accidents, she should be. her mother could simply laugh off jennie’s mischances, making it seem trivial in her drilled perspective but it’s only a matter of time until it takes a toll on her. no one would think such a light matter of it then, and pink casts won’t be a thing she’ll brag to have anymore.}

_{with all her excitement, fallen leaves scattered about could only help her so much. she trips on her own two feet, over practically nothing but a misstep, then breaks her fall with another pair of feet a couple of sizes bigger than hers. feet? any longer she stays on the ground, face smashed against some stranger’s shoes, she would be living out a slapstick nightmare (not that she would remember years after). in panic, she stands up as quick as she can despite how painful her knees felt, soon enough numbing out from the overwhelming sting of a wound.}

_{dumbfounded was her expression and tears kept at bay owing to her resistance. a stubborn bite on her lower lip and curled fists showed how much she was suppressing. no one will see me cry. she chants in her head before reluctantly looking up to see who it was that she believed to have obstructed her way (contrary to what events actually occurred). she doesn’t know what it was but something in the way this lady looked at her evoked a kind of pity in herself and it was then that tears started streaming, albeit in a manner that was still quelled. she really was trying her best to defeat this struggle.}

_{REGRESS: MEET LITTLE JENNIE.}

_{A seagull hops over the quay as if too lazy to spread its white-ish gray wings. Jennie admires its yellow beak, though the way it droops downward to a point puts her in mind of a witch. She imagines the pointed end to be like the nose and the beady eyes to be conjuring dark spells. Jennie giggles at her own imagination and wanders after the bird, flapping her arms and wiggling as she walks. She was dressed in a primrose pinafore dress and champagne bone smooth dress shoes, the girl beside her watching over with genuine concern that she would fall and stain the ensemble, but little Jennie was too young to care.}

_{Now all her eyes were fixated on was a stall from a distance that displayed what looked like cotton candy from afar. Stubby fingers eagerly pinch at the skirt of her home-stay guardian, chubby cheeks puffing slightly as the corner of her lips pull up to form a smile. “Auntie, auntie!! Can we buy cotton candy from that mister?” To her dismay, the immediate answer was a no. “Sweetie, I packed you some food for the cruise. You have your fruits in there, too.”}

_{Stubborn little Jennie pouted in silence, head bowed down to conceal her seething vexation. Even as a child, she despised showing vulnerability. She was always told anger was a weakness, as being at the mercy of her emotions generally was, so it was a curse that her temper was a stumbling block. She didn’t want to be seen as a fractious, spoiled brat, so she does this. It was just spun sugar she was fussed over, literally almost 99.99% sugar, with dashes of flavoring and food coloring. “Honey, we have to stay in line for the tickets,” says her aunt to her husband. He simply nods in agreement, hovering to mumble some words Jennie couldn’t make out.}

_{Destiny plays against her favor, coincidentally putting in her line of sight a young lady enjoying a stick of the confection she was currently craving for. How she wishes she was an adult who could go on her own to buy it herself without getting lost and worrying about the money to pay for it. Jennie stares at this woman unintentionally, imagining she was holding the candy in her small hands instead.}

_{The trance was interrupted when the stranger seemed to take notice of her. It’s rude to stare, Jennie. Alarmed by the sudden attention, she abruptly looks away, fingers twiddling in anxiety. Her feet shuffles to hide behind her unnie, who wasn’t much older, but she glances back to the female to find that she didn’t seem the least bit threatening for her to be behaving that way. She even thought this woman was very pretty. Jennie smiles in a subtle way, depicting an attempt to engage in this silent back and forth despite her timidness.}

_{REGRESS: MEET LITTLE JENNIE.}

_{One of the major reasons children behave badly is because they feel frustrated and powerless. But not Jennie.} 

_{Being born an only child into a family that lived well within the comfortable bracket of economic and social position gave her the privilege of getting spoiled. She was given most everything, except a close relationship with the very people who put her in such a pedestal. A host family could only care for her so much, providing things like clothing, food, a roof over her head, and a safe route to the ridiculously expensive school she attends. It was because of this that she was forced to mature on her own.}

_{There had always been two dominant sides to her. On one hand, she was known to be a cheerful kid that bubbles into laughter and claims to be her happiest over the simplest things; like winning a video game for the first time or playing fetch with a dog. On another, she was persevering and disciplined. Unless she was with her friends, the time she had away from her parents, she spent studying and studying. Her motivation was to see them again. If she did well, it meant moving forward. Moving forward meant reaching a goal. The sooner that happens, the sooner she would be able to live with them again back in South Korea.}

_{It was for this that she had this natural instinct to teach, just as she did to her close friends at school. This tower of a man calling her ‘girl’ in a curled tone seemed to need some assistance to learning the Korean language, in which Jennie was more than happy to give although the job wasn’t assigned to her. Who could trust a kid with such a task anyway? Especially when the student was an grown man.}

_{Children who understand that there are well-defined boundaries learn how to self-regulate and to respect limits but with some, it was in their nature to be spontaneous. This counts Jennie, circa 2006. She earns this impressed reaction from him when she butts into his ‘adult’ conversation with another, correcting his verb use. It was unprecedented and proves true because of how foul the other party looked at her. It tells her she had violated something doesn’t know well yet. In turn, she does a mischievous titter, looks up at the tall male, and beams proudly.}

_{You can imagine how highly esteemed Matthew has become in the eyes of 10 year old Jennie after this incident.}