[CONTENTID1]CHAPTER SIXTEEN[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

Waking up early in the mornings had never been my thing, but seeing as there has been more and more stress piled onto my shoulders, mornings now seemed more welcoming than the constant nightmares of the night.

As silently as I woke up, my feet took me to the hall leading to the kitchen after my body was fully clothed with the usual, plain school uniform. Just at the threshold, however, my feet froze, and I leaned my back against the cold wall, not wanting to interrupt the silent angry whispers being thrown from one side of the kitchen to the other.

“What do you mean we’re managing well? Have you been sleeping today? You’re just back from work, NamJoon. Don’t even begin telling me otherwise.” SeokJin’s voice was strained and stressed, and not once have I heard it like that. Kim SeokJin was the man of peace and quiet, his voice always at rest and comfort of others; not now, however.

“The kids are fed so all’s fine.” NamJoon threw a silent comment right back at the raging SeokJin, who obviously was not all too happy by the reply as he huffed loudly.

“We’re tight on money, Joon. Yes, they’re fed, but at this rate, you’re going to work yourself to the grave; do you not see that yourself? When was the last time you’ve been to the doctors? Do you think I haven’t seen you stumble to the ground last week? What if it’d have been more fatal? What if you’d have fell and hit your head?” SeokJin kept chastising like an angry mother, stomping his feet in irritation.

I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, waiting to hear the way that NamJoon is going to retort. “So what do you suggest? We throw them out? HoSeok’s on medication; Suga’s jobeless and his family’s not gonna take him back in and MiRan was abused so if we let her go back what are the chances that her father suddenly changed his mind?” though his voice was angry, NamJoon was concerned over all.

From the other front, there was silence as SeokJin could not comprehend a coherent response to fight off NamJoon’s logic. “But this won’t be able to push us through much longer…” and there it was, the silent whisper of despair from SeokJin, the most composed man I ever knew. It was heart-shattering to hear him being this weak and being unable to change anything.

My fists clenched at my side from the thought.

There was something I could do.

Opening my eyes again I began walking back to my room with as much silence as was possible, determination in my heart.

“The fridge’s been pretty empty these past couple of days so if we don’t think of something to overcome this… One of them will have to go, and the choice will be between Suga or MiRan. You know that.” Though quite faded the further I got from the kitchen, SeokJin’s words still pierced through my heart loud and clear.

But it was okay.

Having skipped school, I went straight to the small 24/7 convenience store just at the corner of the block, buying myself a couple of newspapers that all had a couple of articles for cheap house rent. And like this, all alone on a park’s bench, I spent my entire afternoon, just listing through papers upon papers of offers, finding only the ones that were too far, too pricey or in a wrong neighbourhood. Already giving up I threw the last newspaper onto the dirty ground, cursing silently along the way.

“Not very feminine, I see.” A familiar voice sniggered from behind me, slapping his hands onto the bench and startling my soul out of my body, alas that did not show on my face.

It was Min YoonGi who spoke to me, and upon turning around and expecting to be met with a head full of brown locks, I was instead met with black. “YoonGi…” I whispered with a voice that sounded close to being surprised. “Why are you here?” I asked finally, fixing my eyes back to the mess I made of the newspaper, the exact same place YoonGi’s eyes went to.

“I could ask you the same question.” He retorted without as much as a blink, and my mouth was sewn shut by his sentence; he was right anyway. “Are you looking for a place to stay?” he quietly whispered, picking up one of the papers from the bench and having it already opened at the page I was looking through. “Why?”

“I don’t want to bother NamJoon and SeokJin any more than is needed. I came there uninvited so it’s only natural that I leave as soon as possible, also.” My voice was quiet and strained as I remembered the words that SeokJin muttered to NamJoon, my throat clogging up at the sudden realization of the fact that everybody I cared for were brought to demise because of me.

To my relief, YoonGi only hummed to what I said, not trying to change my mind or anything of the matter. But then again, of course, it was YoonGi I was talking about. The man was never that kind of sentimental and mushy person in the first place, as much as I know of him; which isn’t much at all. “Aren’t you cold?” he asked as his feet were kicked up front and hands in his pockets, his head with dark locks leaned back and his thunderous eyes observing the darkening sky.

Moving my blood red fingers before my eyes I cringed at the sensation of frozen skin moving, but shook the feeling off and instead got up to walk away. “I’m not.” I answered with a quiet rejection to his question and threw the useless newspapers into the trash-can that stood beside the bench. “Goodbye, YoonGi.”

As I was walking further away from the peaceful man, I w