I arrive home completely out of breath as I rush inside. I don’t care about the noise I make as Mrs. Hun hurries to me. ‘Byung-Hoon, my boy what’s wrong?’ She asks in a worried voice.
‘Where’s Appa? Where is he?’ I yell, more than I intend to. Mrs. Hun is not to blame for this but I can’t control myself or my rage. All the way here, I kept thinking about what I had just seen – their neighbor on a stretcher, blood on the stairs, their apartment thrashed and the horrified expression on their faces. I kept seeing Minji’s face in front of me – the tears rolling down her cheeks as she told us the news and the look on her face when she saw Dong Min. Even I felt ill when I saw him and it’s not because blood makes me sick but because I knew my father is responsible for this.
I felt my blood first run cold and then start to boil with anger, realizing the new lows my father is able to go down to. I found myself wondering what would have happened if they were there. Minji would have tried to protect herself and Yun and she could have seriously gotten hurt. If she did, I would never forgive my father.
‘Byung what’s going on sweetie? Your father is in his study, doing some work. You know he doesn’t like it when he is disturbed.’ Mrs. Hun says in a quiet voice which is full of worry.
‘I don’t care. He’s crossed the line this time.’ I say as I go up the stairs, two by two. I reach his office and I don’t bother to knock as I pry the door open. Surprisingly, the door is unlocked. My father doesn’t even look up. ‘Appa!!’ I yell out but he doesn’t even flinch. I walk closer to his desk and slam his laptop shut, forcing him to look at me.
He looks up, unfazed and unimpressed. He removes his glasses and sets them down on the desk. ‘Did you send thugs to thrash Minji’s place?’ I yell.
‘That’s absurd. Why would I do that?’ He asks, a smirk on his face which ends up angering me more.
‘For the same reason you paid that reporter. You hate her because she has bested you three times already. You blame her for supposedly humiliating you but you keep getting yourself in these situations.’ I say but he just laughs. ‘Stop that. I know you sent those thugs. Do you know their neighbor got hurt? He’s probably lucky to be alive. What would have happened if Minji and Yun were home?’ I ask.
‘It is none of my concern.’ He replies coolly.
‘It damned well is. Do you know the kind of trouble you can get into for this?’ I ask.
‘Only if I get caught, which I won’t.’ He says, admitting he is the one who orchestrated the whole thing.
‘Oh really? What makes you so sure? I know you did it, they know and even her friends know. Do you know honestly think, they’ll keep quiet about it? What if she tells the cops?’ I ask.
‘She won’t.’ He replies, smirking even more as he crosses his arms across his chest and stares hard at me.
‘How do you know that? You don’t know Minji. She won’t go down without a fight.’ I argue back.
‘Perhaps, but she won’t risk her friends’ safety so no, she won’t tell the cops Byung. Besides, what proof does she have? What happened on Monday isn’t enough to prove anything and who do you think they’ll believe – me – an outstanding citizen of Seoul or her, a mere student who has the habit of getting into fights.’ He says.
‘That fight you’re mentioning, she was protecting me. I can vouch for her as will others.’ I say. ‘You seem to be forgetting that her father is the District Attorney. She isn’t exactly without friends.’ I say.
‘I know that but not even her father can invent evidence. He’s a good lawyer, one of the best ones but he’d lose the case in a heartbeat without evidence and she knows that. Do you know what happens then? If she accuses me with no evidence?’ He asks.
‘What? What can you do?’ I ask and he laughs.
‘You really have a lot to learn Byung. I’d sue her and everyone else who stands up for her. I’d take her to court and take every penny she has until she is begging in the street. She’ll be raked up in debt she cannot pay and that’s not even the worst of it. It will appear on her records that she defamed someone, possibly out of spite and that won’t let her get any work and she can kiss her dream of becoming a teacher goodbye.’ He says.
‘You’re a monster.’ I say as I take a step back. ‘You have zero sense of morality or a sense of what is right or wrong. You just care about you and nobody else.’ I say.
‘That’s the way you have to be in order to succeed. If you keep looking back to help everyone, others will pass you by and you’ll lose the race.’ He says.
‘But life is not a race.’ I scream back at him. ‘It’s much more than that. It’s much more than financial success or power plays. Life is about humanity – life, peace, health, happiness not this.’ I say.
‘One day, perhaps you shall understand. When you cut off that poisonous vine from your life, you will see clearer and you will understand what you must do.’ He says but I shake my head.
‘I will never be like you. I refuse to. I am ashamed to be your son.’ I say.
‘That is enough.’ He says as he slams his hand against the desk and stands up. I gulp slightly because even though I am furious, he still scares me. Ha – one grown man afraid of another grown man. Damn – Byung – you’re such a pathetic weakling. I can’t help but think of how Minji stood up to him. She never cowered away, even if she knew he could possibly hit her. Yet, here I am, barely able to keep my gaze as I look away. ‘Coward. At least that wench had the courage to look me in the eye. Go to your room. I do not want to see you.’ He says.
I go to my room and slam the door shut and lock it. I don’t want to see anybody tonight and I know Mrs. Hun will try to come to talk to me. I sit on the bed and I look at the photo of Eomma. I grab it and look at it. ‘Eomma…’ I say as a single tear falls onto the frame. I wipe it away and trace her face with my thumb. ‘Eomma why did you have to die? I miss you so much.’ I say as I hug the photo. ‘I don’t know what to do Eomma. How can I stop Appa? He’s too powerful. How can I face Minji? I cannot even bare to look at her face because I feel so ashamed.’ I say.
Maybe I should call her? See how she is holding up? Maybe I should offer them to stay the night here – no, I can’t do that. Maybe, I can offer to pay for a hotel. No, she would never accept that. Maybe I should just text her.
I put the frame on the night stand and grab my phone instead. I open the messages and I start to type out the text.
Minji, how are you and Yun holding up? How’s Dong-Min doing? Do you need anything? – Byung
I look at the text, my finger hovering on the send button but I can’t send it. Instead, I delete the message, character by character. I yell out of frustration as I throw the phone against the wall.
Yun
We arrive at the hospital and we’re led to Dong Min’s room. Throughout the whole car ride, Minji hasn’t said a single word. I know that her mind is probably dealing with a thousand thought and a million ways of how she is blaming herself for this when it isn’t her fault. We reach Dong Min’s room and I knock on the door which is opened by a foreign guy.
‘Thomas.’ Minji says and the guy nods as he opens the door for us. I recognize his name – Dong Min’s British boyfriend. We walk inside and I see Dong Min on the bed – his leg in a cast and a bandage around his head. He smiles widely as he sees us.
‘Ah why did you come tonight? You should go rest, you have lectures tomorrow.’ He says.
‘We needed to come see you, make sure you’re okay Oppa.’ I say and he nods as he opens his arms for a hug. I approach him and he squeezes me tightly.
‘Thank you cupcake.’ He says as he laughs. He lets go of the hug and turns to Minji who is still standing by the door. ‘What kitten? No hug from you?’ He asks. Minji takes a step forward but instead of hugging him, she goes down on her knees and bows her head.
‘I’m sorry Oppa. This is all my fault and I am so sorry.’ She says. Dong Min gasps while I feel myself tear up. I know how much pride Minji has and Dong Min does too. To know that Mr. Oh has made her feel so vulnerable makes me so mad. Dong Min sits up and goes to move but grunts.
‘What are you doing? Get up.’ He says. Minji stays there and I go next to her and pull her up. She has tears in her eyes as she looks at him. Dong Min reaches for her hand which she lets him take. ‘Why are you blaming yourself kitten? This isn’t your fault. It’s that son of a * who thinks he can send thugs to teach you a lesson. Whatever you do, don’t let him see you like this or he will think he won.’ He says.
‘He did win Oppa, they could have killed you.’ She says but he shakes his head.
‘But they didn’t. It takes more than that to take out this masterpiece.’ He says pointing to himself while laughing. ‘Listen to me kitten – you are so much stronger than you think and you’ve been in worse situations than this, remember? You’ll figure things out because you’re so goddamned smart and don’t feel bad about what happened. Seriously, I get to take time off of work and spend time with my honeybunch.’ He says as he looks at Thomas who smiles and nods.
‘He’s moving in with me for three weeks until his ankle starts to heal. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him.’ Thomas says in perfect Korean which surprises me and Minji.
‘See, nothing to worry about kitten.’ He says. ‘Now, why don’t you go and rest hm?’ He asks and she nods. ‘Not before you give me my hug.’ He adds and Minji lets out a small laugh as she hugs him. He hugs her tightly before he finally lets her go.
The five of us leave the hospital and get into the car. This time, it’s Jimin who sits in the back as he sits next to her. I see him looking at her, concern in his eyes as they never leave her. She's nervously playing with her fingers and although she is trying to hide it, her breathing is slightly uneven. ‘Thanks for everything you did tonight.’ Minji says breaking the silence, trying to get away from the thoughts that are consuming her.
‘Of course. Are you going to be okay at your apartment?’ Jimin asks his voice full of uncertainty. It’s almost like he is afraid to leave us there. Minji and I both look at each other and sigh.
‘We’ll be fine.’ I say. This time it’s the boys who exchange looks. It's almost like they're communicating between them in a way that Minji and I have the habit of doing. Jungkook pulls to the side and stops the car as he turns around to look at us.
‘Look, just for tonight – how about you come to the dorm? I don’t feel comfortable with you staying there alone.’ He says.
‘Jungkook is right. You shouldn’t have to sleep there just yet. It might not even be safe with the door broken.’ Yoongi says, looking at me.
'Yeah not to mention you don't know if they wanted to hurt you or simply send a message.' Jimin adds.
‘But what about the others? Shouldn’t you discuss it with them? What if you get into trouble?’ I ask and Minji nods.
‘I’m sure the others won’t say anything. You and Minji are our friends, even more Minji is Kookie’s sister and you need our help. They won’t complain, I think they would actually smack us for not thinking of it immediately.’ Jimin says. Minji looks at Jungkook who nods as if to reassure her.
‘Okay I guess.’ Minji says and Jimin smiles at her while Jungkook starts driving again, this time towards the dorm. The rest of the car ride is full of silence and sometimes, some small talk. I keep looking at Minji who is trying to calm herself. Eventually, we reach the dorm and we go inside to find everyone in the living room.
‘Oh hey girls, I didn’t realize you were coming over. We would have cleaned up a bit.’ Namjoon says, getting nervous as he looks around. It's not even messy.
‘Don’t worry about it.’ I say quickly as he stands up. I look over at Yoongi, willing him to explain the situation. He seems to understand me.
‘Their apartment was broken into.’ Yoongi says.
‘Oh my God. Are you girls all right? You weren’t hurt right?’ Hoseok asks quickly as he looks at me and Minji.
‘No, we’re fine. We weren’t there when it happened.’ I reply. ‘Our neighbor wasn’t that lucky though.’ I say quietly.
‘He has a mild concussion, stitches on his head and a broken ankle but he will be fine. Their apartment is completely thrashed so we thought they could sleep the night here.’ Jungkook explains.
‘Of course. It’s safer that way. What did the cops say?’ Jin asks. I exchange a look with Minji who sighs.
‘It was an act of vandalism or a way to send a message. It’s Mr. Oh’s doing probably but I can’t really say that to the cops. Mr. Oh wants me to do precisely that so he can sue me.’ Minji explains.
‘Aish, that does kind of make sense. I’m just really glad you’re both okay.’ Taehyung says.
‘We all are and you can stay here until you need. We’ll make sleeping arrangements.’ Namjoon says.
‘That’s not necessary hyung. They can sleep into my room and I’ll sleep on the couch.’ Jungkook says.
‘Kooks, that won’t be fair. You need to rest properly because of rehearsals and stuff.’ Minji says.
‘I’ll be fine, don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time. Now, how about one of the hyungs shows you to the bathroom. I’ll find you some clothes you can borrow to sleep in.’ Jungkook says and she nods.
‘Come on, I’ll show you the bathrooms. We have three anyways so you can do whatever you need.’ Taehyung offers.
‘Thank you for letting us stay here.’ I say as Minji and I both give them a slight bow. We follow Taehyung who leads us to the upstairs bathroom. I enter the room and look around – their bathroom is twice the size of ours. I lock the door and start to take off my clothes. I get into the shower and I let the water wash away my troubles. I wash my hair as well, deep in thought before I finally walk out of the shower. I wrap a towel around my body and another one around my hair when I hear a knock.
‘Yun, it’s Yoongi. I’m leaving you some clothes in front of the door. I’m going back downstairs.’ He says. I hear him walk away so I open the door and quickly take the clothes in. I smile as I realize he has given me one of his shirts that actually smells like him and a pair of shorts that look kind of funny on me. I get dressed and go back downstairs where the others are waiting.
‘Isn’t Minji ready yet?’ I ask and Jungkook shakes his head. ‘That’s weird. I always take longer than her.’ I say with a frown. I hope she’s okay. I start to recall her shaking hands in the car and her quick breathing, signs she shows when having a panic attack. She was trying to control it but if she’s alone… ‘I’m going to check on her.’ I say as I start going back upstairs. I hear footsteps behind me and I realize both Jungkook and Jimin are there. I reach the bathroom door and knock on it. ‘Minji, it’s Yun. Everything okay in there?’ I ask. There’s no response and I go to open the door but it’s locked. ‘Minji this isn’t funny. Open the door.’ I yell out.
‘You look worried. What aren’t you saying?’ Jungkook asks, turning to look at me.
‘In the car, she looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack but I thought she was able to control it. Her panic attacks vary in severity and if the panic attack is severe, she needs to take her medication, if she doesn’t she could faint because of hyperventilating – she takes in too much oxygen and releases too much carbon dioxide and too quickly.’ I explain.
‘I’m getting the spare keys.’ Jimin says quickly. He takes off into a run and Jungkook turns back to the door.
‘Minji, open up please.’ He says as he knocks loudly on the door. ‘Does it happen often? I mean the panic attacks and fainting?’ He asks me.
‘Not as much as they used to. She's gotten better with dealing with them. Minji is strong but when the emotional stress becomes too much, her whole mind and body seem to go into overdrive. This whole thing would definitely be an emotional stressor.’ I explain just as Jimin comes back with the key. He opens the door and I see her sitting down on the floor, resting against the bath, her head to the side, a towel wrapped around her body. ‘Minji.’ I say as I run to her.
‘I’m okay… I just…’ She begins, barely able to open her eyes. ‘I got dizzy.’ She says just as Jungkook kneels down beside her. I look up at Jimin who looks at her worriedly.
‘I’ll call the doctor.’ Jungkook says but she reaches for his arm and shakes her head.
‘No, Kooks please don’t. I’m fine, really. I just need to sleep it off, I promise.’ She says. Jungkook looks at me as if I’m some sort of expert but I guess I do know more about her than he does. I nod and he sighs.
‘Okay but you have to promise me that if you feel worse, you tell me okay?’ He asks.
‘I promise.’ She says with a small smile. I stand up and Jungkook picks her up in one swift move. He’s careful with the towel so that it doesn’t drop as he walks with her to his bedroom.
Jungkook
I wake up to the sound of footsteps. I yawn and stretch and then look at Minji who is in the living room. ‘Sorry, I didn’t meant to wake you up.’ She says.
‘Don’t worry about it. What time is it?’ I ask.
‘It’s six but I kind of woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.’ She says and I nod.
‘How are you feeling?’ I ask as I stand up from the couch and stretch even more. She smiles as she hears me cracking my bones as I stretch.
‘I’m feeling much better and I’m really sorry about that. It’s been a while since my last panic attack.’ She admits as she gives me a sheepish look.
‘How many times do I have to tell you not to apologize for that? I just wish I knew what to do to help you.’ I say.
‘Kooks, being there for me is already enough. Knowing that you don’t judge me for it and that you don’t think I’m a freak is already enough.’ She says.
‘There were people who used to say that to you, weren’t there?’ I ask and she sighs but doesn't say anything which is an answer in itself. ‘They’re *s Minmin.’ I say and she giggles.
‘Minmin? Hmm that’s a new one but I like it Kooks.’ She says. ‘Anyways, I was thinking of going for a run.’ She adds.
‘You call me Kooks, it's only fair I find nicknames for you. Can I come with you?’ I ask.
‘Sure, if you can keep up.’ She teases.
‘Ohh we’ll see who can’t keep up with who.’ I reply back. ‘Just let me grab my mask and shoes. By the way, my hoodie really suits you.’ I say. She looks down at her outfit which consists of my hoodie which looks pretty big on her and a pair of shorts. ‘Come on, let’s go.’ I say as I grab my keys.
The two of us both slam down on the grass, trying to catch my our breath. I remove my mask and look up, trying to inhale as much air as I can. ‘Wow, you weren’t kidding huh?’ I ask while my chest heaves up and down.
‘Athletics is one of the sports I follow.’ She says laughing. ‘When I was young I used to always take off running. Appa would chase me around while Eomma would go to the other way and catch me from the other side. Kooks – what kind of twins do you think we would have been? I mean would we have always been at each other’s throat or would we always have each other’s backs.’ She says.
‘I think a little bit of both. I think we would always compete against each other and tease each other a lot. I would call your dresses ugly and then you would kick me but we would also stand up for each other when there are bullies or mean people.’ I say and she nods.
‘I think so too. I used to imagine it a lot when I was young. Yun, Minho and I used to go to our treehouse. Minho was our neighbor and we grew up together – he was actually my first and only boyfriend.’ She says, sounding nostalgic. I want to ask her more about Minho but I don’t want to ruin this moment. ‘They both knew about me being adopted and I often talked about you – how I imagined you to look and what you like to do. I got some of it right – I always had a feeling you’d love sports and fitness and that you’d be good at art, I wasn’t sure about singing though.’ She says smiling.
‘I bet you never thought that I, an idol you liked would end up being him huh?’ I ask and she shakes her head. ‘When I found out about you, I kept thinking about how you might be, like you said – the way you look and what you like to do. I was lucky that I didn’t have to wait to long to find out.’ I say.
‘Have you talked to our parents? I know you fought with them and you talk a little bit but I really want you to make things clear with them.’ She says.
‘They kept you a secret from me Minmin. If I had known before, I would have looked for you then and not miss so many years.’ I say.
‘Kooks – they did what they thought was best for you. Trust me, they probably did not want you to live like I did – always wondering and always thinking of the could have been. My parents thought they did the right thing by not telling me and I honestly don’t know what is better but I do know that they never meant to hurt you.’ She says.
‘Fine. I’ll call them the first chance I get and have a proper talk with them.’ I say and she nods.
‘Good boy. Shall we go back before the others wake up and get worried?’ She asks and I nod. She stands up and offers me her hand which I take as she pulls me up. She gets a mischievous look on her face. ‘Race you back to the dorm?’ She asks.
‘You’re on.’ I say as we both start running.