Hoseok walked down the street, his hands deep in the pockets. It was a nice performance, but a strange night. Jimin had disappeared in anger after looking at the pretty blonde, Kyungsoo kept worrying and looking for Jimin, Suga went off to get a drink and then it was too hard to find him in the crowd, and the shy dude he’d met at first (Jiyong, wasn’t that his name?) couldn’t escape from the lead singer who definitely seemed to have a thing for him. That left Hoseok by himself for most of the night, and though he didn’t blame the guys, he had definitely expected more from the outing. He had ultimately decided to go home and rest. It was going to be a tough day tomorrow. Mia and him were going to visit their mother. Mia wanted to take her sweets and Hoseok tried to explain that their mother was not allowed sweets but Mia kept insisting, so Hoseok had to pretend to keep some just to calm her down. He didn’t know how to feel about seeing their mother after so long. He knew she loved him and Mia, he just wasn’t sure himself that he felt the same way towards her.

He climbed the stoop to reach the door of the house him and Mia had lived in for the past three years their mother had been in jail. They had previously lived in a spacious bungalow in the suburbs, with large windows that let in so much sunshine that Mia called the house Sunflower. That’s what Mom had decided to name it after Mia came up with the name. Now, since their Mother was in jail and they had lost their source of income, Hoseok had to drop out of college and start working. He could only manage to get a job in a music store and rent a small apartment in the poorer part of the city. It only had one room that was sectioned in the corner to make the so-called kitchen, that could only hold one stove and a small refrigerator. There was a small bathroom with just a shower and a tiny sink that was the perfect height for Mia but Hoseok had to bend over to use it. It was small and not luxurious at all, but it was home. Hoseok’s small salary could keep them there and give Mia the stability she needed. Mia still didn’t understand why their Mom didn’t live with them anymore, and why they had to leave Sunflower. But she was happy with Hoseok, and that’s all that mattered.

Hoseok walked in and locked the door behind him. Since Mom left he was extremely protective of Mia and he was still nervous about leaving her at her friend’s home for a sleepover. But the family seemed nice and he didn’t want to make Mia miss out on a normal growing experience because of his own trust issues. He made himself some tea and settled down in a comfy sofa chair he had managed to find for quite cheap in a thrift shop. He switched off the lights, lit a small lamp, and closed his eyes, enjoying the dim lighting, and the warm tea.

……………………………………………………..

Jimin felt like . He had lost his temper on his best friend and spoiled a fun night with Kyungsoo and Suga. He even felt bad for the new guy they had met. Hoseok seemed like a nice dude, and they had invited him but then left him behind. Jimin sat on the bay window in his 20th floor apartment and looked out at the city lights. His parents were owners of a huge business and their biggest industry was in South Africa, where they had originally met and fallen in love. That’s why they spent most of the year there looking after the main business. Jimin would live with his grandmother when they were away, and when he went to university he moved to a new city. His parents felt bad about not giving him enough time and love, so they bought him a super nice apartment overlooking the city. Jimin was thankful, but he also knew it was no replacement for the love he never received. His grandmother was the sweetest person ever, but she was the only person he ever received love from, other than Gemma… if that could be considered love. Despite what happened, Jimin couldn’t tell himself that Gemma never loved him. He remembered how she would run towards him and put her arms around his neck and smile at him like she was the happiest girl in the world. Those green eyes weren’t lying then… or maybe Jimin was stupid and his craving for affection made him think otherwise. He scowled and pressed his forehead to the window. Everything hurt. He couldn’t stop thinking of her in the pub, standing next to Kelly, looking so damn beautiful. But her face was clouded with guilt and sadness. He wished he could have held her then and whispered through her thick, golden hair that it would all be fine, that they could make it work, like they always had…

Gemma lived with her step-mother and both of them hated each other. Gemma’s mom got pregnant with Gemma when she was quite old, and complications in pregnancy led to her death while giving birth to Gemma. Her dad was heartbroken to lose his wife who he had loved since the tender age of 14. However, Gemma looked so much like her mother that her father’s heart healed quickly and he put all his effort into making Gemma happy and giving her all his love. He was the CEO of a big company and most of his money went into Gemma- either things for her or her savings account. He met Gemma’s stepmother during one of his business trips, and she was only 10 years older than Gemma. She however managed to fool Gemma’s dad into thinking that she would be a good mother to Gemma. Imagine Gemma’s shock when she met her 25 year old stepmother and her head-over-heels in love Dad. Her dad was a sensible and serious man, and Amanda, her stepmother, had changed him in less than 3 months.

Gemma for some reason could never believe the act Amanda was putting up, and when her dad finally passed due to heart complications at the age of 65, she wasn’t surprised when Amanda took over the entire business, kicked dad’s trusted employee James to the curb. James was supposed to support the company when Gemma’s dad would be unable to. He was a young and ambitious guy with good intentions and a sharp mind. Now he was jobless and Amanda was in control of all the money. Gemma hated her for how she fooled her father and then hurt James, all for money. Amanda’s pretending act of loving Gemma like her own daughter ended too, and she took all of Gemma’s college savings for her own. Gemma had to give up her Harvard dreams to come to a university where she received financial aid. This is where she met Jimin, and Jimin’s selfless nature was like medicine to Gemma’s hurt heart and her longing for her dad. Gemma didn’t tell Jimin about her life, because she wanted to move on and never think again about that part of her life. So Jimin didn’t know how Gemma understood him completely when he talked about missing a parent’s love. But he was thankful for her and loved her wholeheartedly. After dating for 3 years, Jimin was pretty sure that Gemma was the one. Imagine his shock when one day Gemma came to him, tears in her soft green eyes, confessing that she cheated on him and they couldn’t be together anymore. That he didn’t deserve her. Jimin was lost for words. What had he done wrong?